The network was to close at 18:30 this afternoon and passengers were notified to make sure their journeys were completed by then. Although it is not officially a strike day tomorrow, only 60% of trains are expected to run – mainly due to delays in the start of services, as traffic lights and booth staff do not work night shifts. Talks between the Railways, Shipping and Transportation (RMT) union, Railway and Train Network companies will resume tomorrow – but strikes are also scheduled for this Thursday and Saturday. Do not travel warnings – live train strike updates Image: Train passengers at Kings Cross station in London as a national train strike took place London Underground services have also been suspended on most routes due to staff departures. Speaking to Sky News, a spokesman for Transport for London (TfL) said there would be more unrest and customers were advised not to travel to the capital on the Underground before 8am on Wednesday, unless their trips are absolutely necessary. Expects to have normal operation by midnight. On Tuesday, just one-fifth of the trains started moving and half the lines were closed – as about 40,000 RMT Network Rail members and 13 pilots left in succession due to pay, jobs and conditions. It was Britain’s biggest rail strike in 33 years, with RMT Secretary-General Mick Leeds welcoming the “fantastic” turnout “exceeding expectations”. Promising to “continue the campaign”, he said RMT members were “leading the way for all employees” who remain “sick and tired of cutting their pay and conditions from a mix of big business profits and government policy”. “Now is the time to stand up and fight for every railway worker in this controversy that we will win,” he added. RMT seeks a salary increase of at least 7% for its members, while employers have offered a maximum of 3%. Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:33 RMT: Government “lies” and “dictates terms” The strike hits the railroad and not just the first day The last trains were much earlier than normal, such as the London Euston to Glasgow at 13:30 and the London King’s Cross to Edinburgh at 14:00. Much of Britain did not have passenger trains for the whole day, including most of Scotland and Wales, the whole of Cornwall and Dorset, and places such as Chester, Hull, Lincoln and Worcester. During the rail journey, the journeys of many passengers took several hours longer than normal, while those who chose to travel by car were affected by the increase in traffic. The congestion rate in London was 26 percentage points higher this morning than on previous Tuesdays, according to TomTom. Congestion levels are the extra time drivers need to complete a trip compared to the time it takes to cover the same distance on non-congested roads. People traveling by car or bus to the capital between 6 p.m. and 10 a.m. needed an average of 72% more time, compared to the 45% extra time required on average over the last three Tuesdays. Travel time in London almost doubled between 8 p.m. and 9 a.m. Read more: Everything you need to know about railway strikes Passengers share their travel difficulties Employee explains why he left saying “it has nothing to do with money” Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 2:03 How home care is affected by strikes The number of pedestrians in the city center drops to lockdown levels Usually the busiest stations, such as London Euston and Birmingham New Street, were almost deserted, except for the union lines. Many people worked from home instead of traveling to offices. Retail analysts at Springboard said the fall in central London fell 27% last Tuesday, while city centers outside the capital fell 11%. “I did not sleep very well” In London, Rene Mance said travel chaos had disrupted her trip to the Glastonbury Festival, where she was starting a new job. “I can not pretend it was not stressful. It has. I did not sleep very well because I was worried about it,” said the 47-year-old, adding that she had arrived two hours before her train. due to departure for fear of unforeseen complications. Because she was traveling with heavy luggage, Ms. Mance said she felt that taking the bus would cause problems and she had to pay almost λί 40 for a taxi to the station. Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 1:24 Railway strikes increase exam stress At the Leyton Sixth Form in east London, two students, Emmanuella Ameyaw and Harriet Owusu-Afriyie, spent more than an hour traveling to their time for the Level 1 Religious Examinations. They both live locally and usually travel by bus, but Harriet said she had to take a taxi halfway because the traffic was so bad. At Lordship Lane bus station in south-east London, a frustrated passenger blocked the way of a bus and asked the driver to open its doors. Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:29 “Open the doors” requires the passenger Government says reforms desperately needed to modernize railways RMT asked Network Rail to attend formal consultation talks next month on the introduction of “modern work practices”. Network Rail official Tim Shoveller said the changes would mean “rejecting outdated work practices and introducing new technology”. He added: “We expect that this will reduce the roles by about 1,800, the vast majority of which will be lost due to voluntary dismissal and physical waste.” TfL CEO Andy Lord told Sky News: “I would like to apologize to all the customers and stakeholders who have been severely disturbed by today’s disturbance. Our passengers have been reduced by about 4% from our normal levels. “ A spokesman for the Ministry of Transport said: “These are desperately needed reforms, which modernize the railway and put it on a sustainable footing for passengers and taxpayers. “The unions have closed large sections of the railway network, hitting local businesses and unfairly cutting people off from hospitals, schools and work. “However, the first data show that, unlike in the past, many people now have the opportunity to work from home, so we do not have a single rush on the streets, as the traffic has become online, which means that the unions do not they have a general impact that they might have hoped for. “
