Southern rail strike: Five-day walkout set to cause chaos for hundreds of thousands of commuters

A commuter at a demonstration against Southern rail at Victoria station
Nigel Howard
Hatty Collier7 August 2016

Hundreds of thousands of rail passengers face a week of travel chaos as a five-day strike cripples major rail routes into London.

Commuters have been warned Southern trains will be delayed and cancelled as the bitter dispute between the rail operator and the RMT union continues.

The walkout will begin at midnight after talks aimed at resolving the long running row over the role of conductors collapsed.

Picket lines will be mounted across Southern's network, including at London Victoria and Brighton.

An emergency timetable will be put in place with the rail operator saying it will run about 60 per cent of its normal timetable.

Some areas in Sussex will have no trains, while other routes will be more packed than usual.

Southern is already operating an indefinite reduced service due to the dispute over guards.

Trains have been disrupted for weeks because of industrial action and a shortage of staff, which the company blamed on high levels of sickness.

A protest against Southern Rail held by commuters at Victoria station 
Nigel Howard

The union has accused the Government of "sabotaging" three days of talks last week at the conciliation service Acas, which broke down without agreement.

Southern's owners Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) said it had offered new assurances on jobs to the union, although it is pressing ahead with plans to change the role of conductors later this month.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: "This action has been forced on us by the arrogance and inaction of Govia Thameslink and the Government who have made it clear that they have no interest in resolving this dispute or in tackling the daily chaos on Southern.

"Our fight is with the company and the Government who have dragged this franchise into total meltdown. We share the anger and frustration of passengers and we cannot sit back while jobs and safety are compromised on these dangerously overcrowded trains."

Southern's Passenger Service Director Angie Doll said: "We have gone the extra mile with our compromise offer, but the RMT has made it clear they are not prepared to negotiate. They did not want to discuss the role of the on-board supervisor and remain rigidly opposed to evolving the role of on-board staff to focus more on customers.

"We are deeply disappointed and angry on behalf of our passengers at this stance, which will cause misery for our passengers and untold damage to the local economy in the southeast.

The RMT's strike is unnecessary, unacceptable and unjustified."

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