Train strikes today – live: Chaos continues as Royal Mail staff join rail workers in walkout

While many intercity trains are operating during limited hours, most railways in Wales and Scotland at a standstill.

North of the capital, Thameslink trains from Bedford (fast) and Luton (stopping) to London St Pancras International are running every half-hour; all services call at Luton Airport Parkway.

Cambridge and many stations in Hertfordshire are being served from King’s Cross and Liverpool Street in London, as well as Stansted airport.

Read travel correspondent Simon Calder’s full guide to what’s running today:

Workers on London’s new Elizabeth voted overwhelmingly to take industrial action over pay.

Members of Prospect at Rail for London Infrastructure (RfLI) have rejected a 4 per cent pay offer for 2022 which the union said was well below current inflation, according to PA.

In a statutory ballot, 94 per cent voted for strike action with 92 per cent backing other forms of industrial action on a turnout well above the regulatory threshold of 50 per cent.

Mike Clancy, general secretary of Prospect, said: “Our members have worked incredibly hard to get the Elizabeth Line ready to go safely into operation yet they are being treated significantly worse than equivalent workers on the rest of London’s network.“

The Elizabeth Line itself is now bringing in large extra passenger revenue for TfL and is underspent on its budget so there really ought to be room for some movement on pay.”

Most services will be running as usual, although Transport for London (TfL) has warned that there will be disruption on parts of the District and Bakerloo lines, a reduced service on the Central Line, and some disruption to the London Overground and Elizabeth line.

Separately from the strikes, a part-closure on the Bakerloo line and London Overground is also planned for Saturday 17 to Friday 23 December 2022.

More than 40,000 workers across Network Rail and 14 train operating companies will stage a series of 48-hour walkouts in December and January, the RMT union said.

Industrial action will take place on 13, 14, 16 and 17 December and on 3, 4, 6 and 7 January.

On Monday it announced further strike dates to take place over the key Christmas period, with members walking out from 6pm on 24 December until 7am on 27 December.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak said the government won’t shift its position on pay, which means the strike would end only if unions decide to back down.

The winter will be “a challenging period to get through”, according to an official readout of Sunak’s remarks at yesterday’s cabinet meeting.

The government had been fair and reasonable in its approach to agreeing to the independent pay review bodies’ recommendations for public sector pay rises, and in facilitating further discussions with the unions and employers, he said.

The prime minister added: “While the government will do all we can to minimise disruption, the only way we can stop it completely is by unions going back around the table and calling off these strikes.”

Mick Lynch, the general secretary of the RMT, accused a BBC Radio 4 presenter of “parroting” Network Rail “propaganda” amid questions regarding train strikes that began yesterday.

Mishal Husain asked Mr Lynch about how much money members would lose in the strikes.

“Why are you pursuing an editorial line that I could read in… any of the right-wing press?” Mr Lynch responded.

“You’re parroting the most right-wing stuff you can get hold of on behalf of the establishment.”