PASSENGERS have been urged to only travel by rail for “absolutely necessary” journeys ahead of three days of strike action.
South Western Railway (SWR) is among the train companies set to experience disruption as members of two transport unions take industrial action.
The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) and the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) are striking over jobs, pay and conditions.
Rail companies have warned that around one in five services will run on November 5, 7 and 9, while in some areas there will be no trains.
No SWR services will run to or from Axminster and Honiton stations on the three strike days as the provider shortens its network to end in Basingstoke.
Services scheduled between and after the strike days (November 6, 8 and 10) will also be impacted.
On those days, the first trains will start later than usual and are expected to be very busy.
Mick Lynch, general secretary of the RMT union, said: “Our focus in this dispute is the rail employers who have yet to make an offer that will create the conditions for a negotiated settlement.
“I call upon the new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to unshackle the rail industry so they can come to a settlement with RMT.
“We will vigorously pursue our industrial campaign until we achieve a deal.”
Across the rest of SWR's network, customers can expect reduced timetables.
On Guy Fawkes Night (November 5), the last trains will depart at around 5pm.
On Sunday, November 6, there will be fewer rail replacement bus services than originally planned during engineering work on the south coast and west of England.
The service has blamed a nationwide shortage of bus drivers, which could cause gaps of up to four hours between buses.
Steve Tyler, SWR's performance and planning director, said: “I’m sorry that due to strike action we must urge our customers to only travel by rail if absolutely necessary from Saturday, November 5 to Thursday, November 10.
“Large parts of our network will be closed on strike days and there will be a late start up on the morning after.
Those who must travel are urged to carefully check the times of first and last trains and avoid them if possible.
“We appreciate that customers will be eager to enjoy the fireworks for Guy Fawkes Night, but last trains for the day will depart early at around 5pm and will be very busy.
Please check train times carefully to avoid getting stranded as the network will be shut for the rest of the evening.
“We are grateful to our customers for their continued cooperation, patience, and understanding as the rail industry works to bring this damaging nationwide strike action to an end.”
Customers are urged to check the SWR website for latest information here.
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