RAIL STRIKES: RMT and South Western Railway dispute and strike action continues

As previously reported, strikes are to take place Monday to Friday from December 2 until 20, as the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) and South Western Railway (SWR) continues its ongoing dispute over the future of staff and services on trains.

As a result there will be a reduced service operating through Salisbury throughout the festive period.

One train an hour will be travelling from Salisbury to London Waterloo in each direction, and no South Western Railway services will be running from Salisbury to Bristol Temple Meads.

A reduced train service will run between Salisbury and Exeter Central, with one train every two hours running in each direction. These services will start later and finish earlier than usual.

Trains from Salisbury to Romsey via Southampton Central will not be running.

In the instances of less or no trains, South Western Railway has advised passengers to use the offered rail replacement bus services, or use other train services that operate in the area including Great Western Railway.

Additionally it has been warned that peak services will be much busier than normal and bigger stations may experience more queueing.

Services will finish earlier than normal at around 11pm.

In a statement published on November 6, an SWR spokesperson said: "We are extremely disappointed that the RMT union has once again called for their members to take disruptive industrial action.

"The deliberate targeting of services up to, and during, the Christmas period is typical of the lack of concern the RMT continue to have for our customers."

A statement from RMT said: "The company’s unremitting failure to give assurances that their new operational model won't move to Driver Controlled Operation – with the role of the guard butchered completely – means the union has been left with no alternative but to call further industrial action."

For more information on journeys click here.