Commuters are facing widespread rail disruption after a series of walkouts began on Tuesday morning.
Around 40,000 rail workers will strike across Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday in a long-running row over jobs, pay and conditions.
Most train companies in Britain are affected by the strike, with passengers warned to “only travel if absolutely necessary”. Icy-cold conditions has also exacerbated the travel chaos.
Travellers were left staring at blank departure and arrival screens at central London stations as services were cancelled.
At Victoria station the suspension of Gatwick Express services left hundreds of tourists and workers returning home for Christmas scrambling for alternative transport to catch their flights.
Among them was restaurant worker Giuseppe Bianchi, 26, who was travelling back to Rome to spend the festive season with his family.
He said: “I came to the station hours before my flight and I'm faced with the possibility of not making it ... I think the strikers are being selfish. It's Christmas why can't they declare peace with the government for this period.”
There are likely to be no services early in the morning or late at night on Tuesday as a result of the walkout, with only one in five services operating between 7.30am and 6.30pm.
Most TfL services will continue to run, but there will be some disruption or suspensions on routes where the track is operated by Network Rail.
The RMT union has called the walkout in a demand for better conditions and pay rises to match the pace of inflation but the Government has refused inflation-linked pay offers.
