Rail strike over guards set to cause chaos for thousands of commuters and Royal Ascot racegoers

Long-running dispute over future of guards on South Western Railway trains sees services cancelled or disrupted

File image of South Western Railway train in London Waterloo station. (PA)

A rail strike over the future of train guards is expected to cause chaos for thousands of commuters and Royal Ascot racegoers this week.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union plan to walk out on Tuesday over South Western Railway’s “failure” to guarantee a guard on every passenger train.

Services on some of the busiest routes in the country, including commuter trains in London Waterloo, will be cancelled or disrupted during the five-day strike, which coincides with the Royal Ascot horse race meeting.

Industrial action was suspended in February when, according to the union, the train company pledged that “each passenger train shall operate with a guard with safety critical competencies”.

However the union renewed strikes after accusing South Western of “dragging its heels” and “rowing back” on its public pledges.

Mick Cash, general secretary of RMT, 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.

“Worse than that, the company have refused to give assurances on the future operational role of the guard fuelling fears amongst our members of a stitch up.”

In response, a South Western Railway spokesman said it was “very disappointing” that the strike was going ahead despite the train company meeting with union officials last week and agreeing a date to continue talks.

He added: “They seem insistent on going ahead with their unnecessary strike which will impact our customers and colleagues alike.

“Clearly, they have decided to target popular events such as Royal Ascot with this cynical action which is driven by internal RMT politics.

“The RMT has always said it wanted us to keep the guard on every train which is what we have offered as part of a framework agreement.

“We remain committed to finding a solution that will help us build a better railway for everyone.”

Passengers are advised to plan their travel in advance as services are likely to be busier than usual because of the strike action.

Rail replacement services and ticket acceptance on other bus and rail networks have been organised where possible, while fans attending events at Twickenham, Hampton Court, Royal Ascot and elsewhere are advised to allow extra time for travel.

Customers will be able to see amendments to train services on the South Western Railway website.

Further information on additional main line peak-time services will be announced in due course.

Press Association contributed to this report.