About 20,000 employees at 14 major train operators contracted by the Department for Transport began their third 24-hour strike at 9 a.m. Saturday to protest low wages and working conditions.
As strikes continue across the UK rail network, officials have warned passengers to check train schedules before traveling, with some operators urging people to only travel if necessary due to widespread changes to rail services.
The strikes also disrupted cross border trains serving Wales and Scotland where staff were not directly involved in the dispute.
In some areas, only about half of the train lines will be in service, while many lines and branch stations will be closed.
The Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents train operators, said passengers should ensure trains are running before traveling. Trains may also be disrupted on Sunday morning due to the strike.
The RMT has blamed the government and companies for failing to negotiate after rejecting the union's below-inflation offer. Unions are also opposed to the planned closure of ticket offices, which is currently the subject of a wide-ranging public consultation, which the RMT has described as a "fig leaf for redundancies".
The strike by railway workers comes as Britain has been hit by similar actions for the past year, with NHS (National Health Service) staff among the main government employees calling for better wages and working conditions.
The most recent was a strike staged by senior doctors on July 20 and 21st. The British Medical Association (BMA) said senior doctors will stage another two-day walkout on August 24 and 25th which is expected to put the country's National Health Service under more strain.
MP/PressTV