Commuters face misery as rail staff plan strikes

Staff at six train companies are to stage a series of 24-hour strikes in the new year, causing fresh disruption on the back of fare increases.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union at South Western Railway, Greater Anglia, Merseyrail, Arriva Rail North and the Isle of Wight’s Island Line will walk out on Jan 8, 10 and 12, while those on Southern will strike on Jan 8.

The union said it had made “every single effort” to resolve the disputes, which it insisted were about safety.

Paul Plummer, chief executive of the Rail Delivery Group, said: “No one wins from RMT strike action.”