Have the actual trains gone on strike too? Commuters complain of lengthy delays and re-routed journeys as South Western Railway workers start their four-day walkout

• South Western trains are cancelled or replaced by buses as fewer services run
• Strike by RMT union workers also affected routes run in Surrey and Hampshire 
• RMT members mounted picket lines outside stations at the start of the action
• Latest walkout is 35th strike since dispute over guards started two years ago

Rail commuters complained of delays today as workers began a four-day strike that will see one of Britain’s biggest operators run only half of its normal service. 

South Western Railway trains were cancelled or replaced by buses and fewer services ran into London Waterloo at the start of the action which runs until Monday.

The strike by Rail, Maritime and Transport union workers also affected routes run by the operator in Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Berkshire and Wiltshire.

Rail, Maritime and Transport union workers are pictured on strike at London Waterloo today

South Western Railway said it planned to run just over half of its normal services in the strike

RMT members mounted picket lines outside stations at the start of the action, which is the 35th strike since the dispute started almost two years ago.

Rail workers are said to be ‘solidly supporting’ the strike which continues the long-running dispute over guards on trains.

Mick Cash, the union’s general secretary, said: ‘Our members are standing united and rock-solid on their picket lines again this morning on this first day of the latest phase of strike action in the fight to put safety first on South Western Railway.

‘Despite all our efforts to pin down an agreement that honours promises made by SWR, and which protects the safety-critical role of the guard at the platform/train interface, the company have played fast and loose and attempted to kick this fundamental issue into the long grass.

‘RMT members have not come this far in the long fight for safety on South Western Railway only to be snubbed when a deal is clearly there to be done. It is now down to the company to get serious and listen to what their own staff are saying.’

It comes a day after Mr Cash, who earns £154,000 a year at the union, warned his long campaign of rail chaos will continue as he was re-elected for another five years.

An SWR spokesman said: ‘The RMT has always said it wanted us to keep the guard on every train, which is what we have offered as part of a framework agreement.

‘We want to move the conversation on to how we operate our new trains and take advantage of the new technology on board to benefit our customers.

‘We remain committed to finding a solution that will help us build a better railway for everyone.

Mick Cash, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, has warned of further strikes following his re-election

‘During strike action, while services are likely be busier than usual, we will do everything we can to keep customers moving.

‘We will be running just over half our normal timetabled service over the course of the four days and have rail replacement services and ticket acceptance in place on other transport providers wherever possible.

‘We will also look for opportunities to introduce extra services each day to help keep our customers moving so recommend checking the SWR app for the latest travel information.’

Industrial action is also planned in the coming weeks on parts of Bluestar Buses in Dorset and Hampshire, and Nexus (Tyne & Wear Metro) in separate disputes.

Strikes on Merseyrail over the guards row have been suspended as talks continue, while a planned walkout on the London Underground next week was also called off.

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