The head of Britain’s largest rail union warned train strikes could go on for months on Tuesday as a fresh 48-hour walkout caused misery for commuters.
Mick Lynch said the RMT had a mandate to take action up until May, but warned: “If we have to go further, that’s what we’ll need to do.”
However Network Rail’s chief negotiator said that a deal to stop rail strikes is in “touching distance”.
Rail passengers suffered fresh travel disruption with 40,000 members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) at Network Rail and 14 train operators staging a 48-hour walkout, with another to follow on Friday, while drivers in the Aslef union will strike on Thursday.
Picket lines were again mounted outside railway stations across the country in a repeat of what became a familiar sight last year.
Passengers, including those returning to work after the festive break, are being warned to expect “significant disruption” as only a limited number of trains will run.
The advice is to only travel if absolutely necessary, allow extra time and check when first and last trains will depart.
On RMT strike days, around half of the network will shut down, with only about 20% of normal services running.
Trains that do run will start later and finish much earlier than usual - with services typically running between 7.30am and 6.30pm on the day of the strike.
The Elizabeth Line is also disrupted with severe delays between Paddington and Reading and Liverpool Street to Shenfield. London Overground services have also been hit along with parts of the Bakerloo and District lines.
