A five-day strike on South Western Railway begins tonight (Monday 17 June) at midnight.
Between 00.01 on Tuesday 18 June and 23.59 on Saturday 22 June, South Western Railway guards and drivers who are part of the RMT Union will stage a walk-out.
The dispute is over reported plans to operate the South Western Railway trains as driver-only services, getting rid of guards. It's a long-running issue, with strike action delayed in February, but the RMT is now accusing South Western Railway of failing "to give assurances that their new operational model won't move to Driver Controlled Operation with the role of the guard carved up completely".
South Western Railway operates services out of Waterloo, also serving Vauxhall, Clapham Junction, Wimbledon, and many other London stations, running long-distance to Portsmouth, Weymouth, Exeter and Bristol.
South Western Railway says that as many trains as possible will run as planned during the strike, with additional main-line peak time services. However, there are large events happening at Twickenhan, Hampton Court Palace and Ascot this week, with anyone going to them advised to check before they travel and leave extra time.
A South Western Railway spokesperson said:
It’s very disappointing that despite having had dates in the diary for what we hoped would be further constructive talks, the RMT union decided to call disruptive strike action over the course of five days.
RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said:
Our members have been left with no choice but to go ahead with strike action tomorrow. They are angry and frustrated that despite suspending action in good faith, and entering into talks in a positive and constructive manner, South Western Railway have dragged their heels and failed to bolt down an agreement that matches up to our expectations on the guard guarantee.
Keep an eye on this page on the South Western Railway website for the latest updates.
