Image source, Reuters

Thanks for joining our live coverage of the day's events. We're closing our coverage shortly - but first, here's a recap:

• England, Scotland and Wales are braced for the most disruptive rail strikes they've seen for 30 years
• The action was confirmed by the RMT union this afternoon, after a failure of last-ditch talks aimed at resolving a dispute that centres on pay conditions for workers on the railways

• Walkouts will happen from midnight and throughout Tuesday - as well as on Thursday and Saturday
• Transport Secretary Grant Shapps says a skeleton timetable on strike days will see about 20% of services running. That's on half of the network only
• London Underground workers will also strike on Tuesday
• Rail passengers have been urged to avoid travelling - and are also being told told to expect delays and disruption on the other days due to knock-on impacts of the strikes

We'll be back with more updates tomorrow morning.

Today's coverage was brought to you by Rob Corp, Jeremy Gahagan, Marita Moloney, Chris Giles, Catherine Evans, James Clarke, Heather Sharp, Sam Hancock, Aoife Walsh, Claire Heald and James FitzGerald.

There will be very little or no service on the London Underground tomorrow when a strike takes place on the Tube, as well as on rail services, says Andy Lord, chief operating officer of Transport for London.

"Additionally, services which are not subject to industrial action, such as the London Overground and the Elizabeth Line, will also have reduced service because they are reliant on the national rail infrastructure," he says.

He says there will be a normal service on the Docklands Light Railway, buses and the tram network but they will all be extraordinarily busy.

The bus network should be running on time, Lord says, but increased congestion caused by the strikes could impact that. "We will continue to do whatever we can at a tactical level to keep buses flowing freely," he says.

After the strike, Tube services are likely to still be affected until mid-morning on Wednesday, so he advises people not to travel before 08:00 BST if possible.

Image source, Getty Images

Wherever the row over pay and conditions is at, there will be fewer trains on Tuesday, and Network Rail is advising passengers to plan ahead and avoid trying to travel by train.

In a tweet, external, Network Rail chief executive, Andrew Haines, says: "Disruption tomorrow is guaranteed so we’re asking passengers to plan ahead and only travel by train if necessary.

The RMT is striking over job cuts, pay and conditions, and says it wants a deal reflecting the increased cost of living.

Image source, Reuters

If you're finding yourself feeling a little confused by some of this story, it might be because we're hearing a lot of contradictory claims.

The Department for Transport has just sent journalists a list of responses to some of the things RMT leader Mick Lynch said in the press conference we covered this afternoon. Here are just a few of them:

• RMT says: "The government has cut £2bn from the National Railway".The government says this isn't a cut, it says the £2bn is a gap in revenue from a drop in passenger numbers

• RMT says: "At the behest of the government, the companies are also seeking to implement thousands of job cuts across the network and have failed to give any guarantee against compulsory redundancies"The government says it has not specified a number of required cuts, this is for employers to determine. It says it is anticipated the vast majority, if not all, could go through voluntary redundancy.

• RMT says: "The government have told us... they intend to close every single ticket office in Britain."The government says it’s "absurd to suggest we want to see every booking office closed", no final decision has been taken, but ticket offices have seen a significant decline in passenger use.
• RMT says: "The rail companies... are cutting safety inspections by maintenance staff on the infrastructure by up to 50% in order to facilitate mass redundancies."The government says machines can check for cracks more effectively and safely than workers.

We've been reporting on the beginnings of this week's rail strikes - and it's safe to say a lot of statements have been made by a lot of competing figures.

Let's recall some of the key claims we've heard today.

Who spoke? The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers, RMT for short.

What was said?

• After confirming the strikes would ahead, following failed last-ditch talks, RMT general-secretary Mick Lynch said workers had "no choice" and they needed to "fight for workplace justice"
• Lynch blamed the action on government cuts, saying "£4bn of funding" had been "slashed" from the UK's railway network
• He also accused the rail companies of failing to come up with adequate proposals during talks, including giving "any guarantee against compulsory redundancies"

Who spoke? Transport Secretary Grant Shapps

What was said?

• In a statement to the Commons, the minister said the government is keeping out of talks aimed at averting the strikes - but warned that the industrial action would "endanger" jobs rather than save them
• He denied any accusation that the government is imposing a pay freeze on rail workers and defended plans for reforms of the rail industry
• Shapps also said the government is doing everything it can to minimise the disruption being caused by the strikes but admitted there would be "mass disruption"

Who spoke? Louise Haigh, Labour's shadow transport secretary

What was said?

• Responding to Shapps in Westminster, Haigh accused the government of a "catastrophic failure of leadership" and said today's "sham" talks were "set up to fail"
• She urged Shapps to intervene in the labour dispute by getting "employers and unions around the table"

Who spoke? Network Rail

What was said?

• Spokesman Kevin Groves said modernisation could save hundreds of millions of pounds and is key to unlocking more money for a pay deal
• The railway industry is locked in working practices that date back to the 1950s and 60s and need to be reformed, according to Groves
• He added Covid "changed travel patterns on the railway forever" and "we have to make the railway more efficient, otherwise it's going to go into terminal decline"

Who spoke? Transport for London, or TfL

What was said?

• Looking ahead to tomorrow's planned action, TfL's Andy Lord warned there will be very little to no service at all on all London Underground lines
• The capital's buses are running as normal but delays should be expected, he added

Image source, National Express

As people scramble to plan alternative travel arrangements ahead of Tuesday's rail strikes, taxi firm Uber says it is expecting a "significant" increase in demand.

Uber says it has informed drivers the firm expects to be busy, to "help ensure there are enough cars out on the road".

Travellers will likely see a surge in Uber's pricing due to demand - although the company caps prices during periods of significant disruption.

National Express says coaches are also in high demand and reports a big rise in bookings across its UK-wide scheduled network.

However, the coach operator warns it's not possible for the firm to match the demand of the rail network.

"There are only limited seats still available," a spokesman says.

"We do expect and are prepared to be busy but also recommend that customers allow plenty of time when planning their journey."

Katy Austin
Reporting from Portsmouth

I’ve been speaking to pub manager Josh Ogden, who is worried about the impact of Portsmouth having no trains tomorrow, Thursday or Saturday.

He takes the train to work himself, travelling in from Chichester. “Given the price of fuel having gone up, given issues with parking, it’s far easier and quicker for me to get onto the island with trains”.

But he’ll have to find another option this week. Some days he can do meetings from home, others he will have to drive.

Josh, who works at the Brewhouse & Kitchen, Portsmouth, also thinks the business will feel the hit, another blow after two tough years.

He is planning on trade being 30% down this week, as usual commuter customers - like council workers and university lecturers - work from home.

Because he’s expecting fewer punters, he will give fewer shifts to part time workers, mainly students.

“We won’t need to have such a big team deployed for those days. Especially on Saturday, a massive day for us.”

Image source, Getty Images

We're starting to build a picture of how each day of action this week could cause knock-on effects on subsequent days.

Parts of the railway network in Kent, for example, are expected to be closed until "well into the afternoon" on Wednesday, says Network Rail.

It explains there are "unique" challenges in the county due to staffing issues at a key electrical control office.

Affected routes include the parts of the Sheerness and Medway lines, all stations between Westenhanger and Ramsgate, and all stations between Faversham and Ramsgate.

So although the walkouts themselves are on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, it looks like many Kent commuters can expect disruption throughout the week. And even if the causes aren't exactly the same, prolonged disruption could happen elsewhere too.

More now from the chair of the Transport Select Committee.

Rail workers do deserve a pay rise - but they also need to accept “efficiency savings”, Conservative MP Huw Merriman tells the BBC.

Questioned whether this would inevitably mean job cuts, he says “there will be some natural wastage in the system”, but he expects this could be covered with voluntary redundancies.

Merriman argues the rail industry has been too slow to reform, adding that “the industry doesn’t pay for itself as it used to, the taxpayer does” as a result of dwindling passenger numbers post-Covid.

Asked whether the government should intervene in last-ditch talks aimed at averting strikes, Merriman says he would “rather take the politics out of it”.

Image source, Graham Benton

We're hearing from people who stand to be affected by rail strikes which begin at midnight.

Graham Benton says he's having to fork out £165 on a taxi journey from his home in Portsmouth to central London, in order to attend a heart operation tomorrow.

He tells the BBC his train has been cancelled.

The planned procedure is "very stressful", says the 48-year-old, who explains that his father and uncle both died of heart attacks at a similar age.

Graham adds that he has "no idea" how he will get home again, but says he may have to make the same expensive journey in reverse if he's discharged from the hospital on another strike day.

Read more: The passengers set to miss life events

Transport expert Prof Andrew Potter, from Cardiff University, says finding new ways of growing revenue could be a long-term answer to making rail transport work as an industry and be financially sustainable.

"Ultimately it comes down to what the government financially wants from the railways. They're the main supply of funds that come into the railway apart from the passenger," he says.

Since the pandemic, passenger numbers are about 25% lower than they were.

Potter says although revenue and passenger numbers are down "they have been growing particularly in the leisure market and that's perhaps why revenue hasn't kept up with passenger numbers quite so much".

He adds: "There might be some need to discuss job roles but it's also that avoiding of cutting everything simply because we've got to cut costs.

"It might be that growing revenue is a way of going forward, finding new ways of doing that could also be a way of going forward."

Image source, Getty Images

A mother who lives in the north-east of England, and is a rail worker, questions why she should have to "suck up the pay freeze and ... choose between heating my house or feeding my child this winter".

In a statement on Twitter, Jessica Leather said she decided to strike because of the unseen pressures people in her industry face - and the unfair treatment they get from employers in return.

The government plans to introduce legislation this week to make it legal for employers to bring in agency staff to replace striking workers.

But these plans have been criticised by the Trades Union Congress and the Recruitment & Employment Confederation as "unworkable" and they say they "will only prolong the conflict between employers and their staff".

Under the government's plan, any employer - public as well as private, including schools, councils and the NHS - would have flexibility to bring in outside staff to cover striking workers. This would be made legal by repealing a law that's been in place in the UK for almost half a century.

The TUC and REC - which represent unions and the agency sector respectively - say they oppose the move "in the strongest possible terms".

The current ban should be kept in place "as a key element of a sustainable national employment relations framework", they say.

They also say the plan is not practical because there are 1.3 million job vacancies and data shows the number of people available to fill them is falling.

"In this tight labour market, agency workers are in high demand and can pick and choose the jobs they take. Agency staff are very unlikely to choose a role that requires them to cross a picket line versus one that doesn’t," the organisations say.

In response to Grant Shapps, Labour's shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh said her party does not want rail strikes this week to go ahead either.

But, she told him: "Rail workers are not the enemy. They are people that showed real bravery during the pandemic to keep our country going."

Haigh tells the transport secretary to get around the negotiating table and "do your job".

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps addressed MPs in the House of Commons earlier, ahead of this week's rail strikes.

He says this week's rail strikes are "created by the unions, organised by the unions... the full responsibility of the unions".

His comments came after Mick Lynch, the RMT general-secretary, earlier said the dispute had been "manufactured by Shapps and by government policy".

Image source, PA Media

Union leaders are calling for urgent talks with the government over the future of rail ticket offices.

Earlier this afternoon, RMT leader Mick Lynch mentioned unions had learned of plans to close every ticket office in Britain.

Now, the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) says Transport Secretary Grant Shapps should "come clean" about any closure plans.

General secretary Manuel Cortes says in a letter to the minister: "Closing ticket offices and moving to online-only sales would badly impact millions of elderly, disabled and disadvantaged people who are unable, or far less able, to use online services, yet still need to access public transport.

"With trust at rock bottom between rail workers and bosses, what you are doing, in effect, is further entrenching our dispute with you which is not only about jobs, pay and conditions but the future wellbeing of our rail network."

The Department for Transport says no final decision has been taken on ticket offices, but says it's "absurd" to suggest it wants to see them all closed. It says staff will always be available to provide face-to-face help for customers who need support or cannot use contactless or mobile tickets.

But it adds: "The reality is that ticket offices have seen a significant decline in passenger use over the last decade, yet numbers have not substantially changed since then."

We've been hearing how train services may start to wind down earlier than normal this evening ahead of tomorrow's strikes - but at the moment it still looks as though most services around the country are running ok.

The National Rail Enquiries service indicator , externalsuggests most train operators are still offering passengers a good service - and where there are problems, they don't seem to be strike-related.

A fault with the signalling system between Eastbourne and Hastings in East Sussex means trains between these stations are being replaced by buses and disruption is due to last for the rest of the day. There are also short delays on a number of routes because of signal problems in Yorkshire - between York and Doncaster.

And there are delays on South Western services in south London - but those have been caused by a faulty train in Teddington and the emergency services dealing with an incident between Clapham Junction and Richmond.

TransPennine Express is operating a reduced, amended timetable due to a shortage of train crew and it suggests that's due to staff sickness.

And repairs to a defect next to the track are taking place between Kilmarnock and Troon, meaning no trains can run on the route between Kilmarnock and Ayr until next weekend.

But other operators say they are still offering a good service, so it seems the strike is not having an impact yet.

Image source, EPA

The dispute - between the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) union and the companies which run Britain's railway - centres on pay, job losses and changes to workers' terms and conditions.

The RMT says plans by Network Rail - the body which owns stations, track and signals - to cut 2,500 jobs, will put safety at risk. But the industry says it has to modernise and safety will not be compromised.

The Rail Delivery Group - which represents train firms - says the Covid pandemic has led to a decline in passenger numbers and while it wants to offer a pay rise to staff, the way the network operates has to change.

But the RMT says it is prepared to take industrial action "for as long as it takes to get a settlement" and warned strikes could take place for the next six months.

It says train operators have now made an offer, but there is no further offer from Network Rail, after one was rejected last Friday. General secretary Mick Lynch said: "The RMT National Executive Committee has now found both sets of proposals to be unacceptable and it is now confirmed that the strike action scheduled this week will go ahead."

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, whose department oversees the operation of the network, described calls by the RMT for ministers to intervene as a "stunt" and accused the union of "gunning" for industrial action.

He said the strike was orchestrated by "union barons" and will cause misery and chaos to millions of commuters.

Helen Catt
Political correspondent

The focus of debate in Westminster has been on what ministers should - or should not - be doing.

The government is keen to paint this strike as an issue that is strictly between the unions, the rail companies and Network Rail.

Grant Shapps hasn't exactly tried to smooth the waters though, portraying the unions as anti-progress.

Labour's argument is that he should be showing 'leadership' by getting all sides round the table, trying to sort the issue out.

For now though all sides are accusing each other of stoking division; agreement doesn't seem close.

We reported earlier that more than half of the trains from London to Glastonbury have been cancelled due to strike action. Let's get more on that now...

Jamie Njoku-Goodwin, the chief executive of UK Music, says the three days of rail strikes "risk misery" for hundreds of music fans who are "desperate" to get back to the world-famous festival after Covid forced organisers to cancel it twice.

"These strikes come at a crucial time for the live music industry and music businesses, which are just getting back on their feet post-pandemic," Mr Njoku-Goodwin tells the PA news agency.

"It's vital that all sides get around the table to bring these strikes to an end to deliver a much-needed financial boost to the music industry."

Image source, Getty Images

Sujeong Yoo, who is travelling all the way from Seoul in South Korea to the festival - via a flight to Heathrow Airport, a bus to Bristol and finally a train to Somerset - says she is very worried after getting a message from Great Western Railway (GWR) warning against rail travel.

"I have been to Glasto every time since 2015 except 2018. It means a lot to me... not just the festival, I feel like I am genuinely alive there," she says when asked about the potential delays.