Twickenham rugby fans hit as trains axed amid strike and engineering work

TENS of thousands of passengers including rugby fans and shoppers face major disruption this weekend on routes to and from Waterloo mainline station.

A combination of a 24-hour strike by guards tomorrow followed by engineering work on Sunday will result in hundreds of trains cancelled and many lines closed, particularly in the Greater London area.

South Western Railway (SWR) is being forced to cancel 750 trains — half its services — in the seventh strike called by the RMT union over changes to the role of guards and driver-only operation. A further walkout will take place tomorrow week, and RMT chiefs will meet to decide if to order more SWR walkouts in the run-up to Christmas.

An SWR spokesman warned passengers to check before they travel at any time this weekend. Fans attending the England v Japan rugby game at Twickenham tomorrow were urged to allow extra time for their journey. A queuing system will be in place at Twickenham station after the match.

On Sunday Network Rail engineering work will close some lines between Waterloo and Clapham Junction and all lines in the Wimbledon, Surbiton and Kingston areas. SWR said “most” services in the affected areas will be altered and some trains will not run. Buses will replace trains on some routes, including between Clapham Junction, Surbiton and Woking.