Sara Nelson from passenger watchdog group Transport Focus says there is going to be massive, widespread disruption during the strikes but admits it will be interesting to see if the spread of working from home since the Covid-19 pandemic will mean the type of impact is different from during previous strikes.

"People who keep the lights on, they still have to get to work. Our hospital workers, shop workers, people who are really doing these essential services, they still have to travel," she tells the BBC.

"We talk to thousands of people every week anyway, looking at their experience of travel. So we'll be doing that this week, talking to those who still have to travel and also those who have cancelled their plans or decided to work from home, to get a picture of how people's decision making has changed and what lessons can be learnt if there is any future disruption.

"We know that the pattern of how people travel has changed, how we live has changed, how work has changed, this was an ongoing trend anyway and the pandemic really sped that up. There's a widescale reform going on anyway.

"There's a huge opportunity to match services to how people want to live and work.

"But our message is clear - please get back around the table and please sort this out on behalf of passengers."

Image source, PA Media

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps will make a statement on the industrial action in the House of Commons this afternoon.

Shapps, whose department oversees the operation of the railway network, is expected to address MPs at some time about 16:15 or 16:30 BST.

Image source, Getty Images

You've no doubt got some questions about the upcoming rail strikes - we'll do our best to answer some of the most likely ones here.

Q) Who is going on strike and when?

A) Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union at Network Rail and 13 train operators are striking on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday - but members of the RMT and Unite on the London Underground will also be striking on Tuesday.

Q) How bad will the disruption be?

A) Fewer than one in five trains will run, only on main lines and only for about 11 hours, starting later and finishing earlier than usual.

Q) What are the strikes about?

A) Rail companies are proposing to make job cuts - or efficiency savings - especially as fewer passengers are travelling by train because of the pandemic, which has led to more people working from home.

Q) What are the efficiency savings the industry wants?

A) They largely revolve around the use of new technology, such as drones to check on railway tracks rather than having workers walk along lines.

Q) Why are the unions striking?

A) They argue many of their members worked throughout the coronavirus pandemic and were hailed as heroes, like many other essential workers - but now face job cuts, changes to their working conditions and pay rises well below the rate of inflation following years of wage freezes.

Q)How many jobs are likely to be lost?

A) Unions believe between 2,000 and 2,500 jobs are at risk.

Q) Why hasn't the government been involved in the negotiations?

A) Transport Secretary Grant Shapps says it's up to the unions and employers to negotiate pay and conditions, but Labour and the unions believe he should be taking part in the talks.

Tom Edwards
Transport correspondent, BBC London

A Tube strike is bad enough on its own, but combine it with a rail strike and you can see why it is expected to be the largest strike since 1989.

Disruption this week will be huge. So why are there strikes?

At the heart of both of these disputes is the government wanting both Transport for London (TfL) and Network Rail to change and make savings.

That will involve cuts and changes to working practices.

Why are savings necessary? The government says the impact of the pandemic means transport needs to reshape itself to deal with the new reality.

Transport at a crossroads as strikes bite in London

Celestina Olulode
Reporting from London Euston

Apart from announcements notifying passengers of the forthcoming strike, it seems like it’s business as usual here at London Euston station.

But when you speak to passengers on the concourse you realise that people are changing their travel plans because of the strikes.

Several passengers have told me they are opting to travel today instead of later in the week.

There are mixed views. One passenger said he believed the rail workers deserved a pay rise, added "but so too do NHS workers".

Another passenger travelling to Glasgow was keen to express her anger – having no choice but to cancel several work meetings because of the strikes.

Another questioned whether this could be the start of more widespread industrial action from other public workers like refuse collectors and NHS staff.

Services don’t appear to be majorly affected yet, but passenger numbers here at Euston station may change this afternoon when a special timetable is introduced.

Image source, Picasa

There will be no trains west of Cardiff or north of Merthyr Tydfil on strike days - with just four routes operating in the entire country.

Transport for Wales' Valley Line will run, but with a very reduced service, and there will be just nine Great Western Railway trains in each direction between Cardiff Central and London Paddington.

Transport for Wales train services will also start later and finish earlier - operating from 07:30 BST until 18:30.

The AA is predicting that the roads will be busier than usual as commuters swap trains for cars - with the M4 corridor in south Wales and the A55 north Wales expressway expected to be busier than usual on the Tuesday and Thursday strike days.

Image source, PA Media

ScotRail will run a very limited service on five routes in the central belt, with no trains anywhere else on any of the three strike days.

Trains will only run from 07:30 each morning on the five routes that will remain open, with the last trains departing well before 18:30.

The routes are:

• Edinburgh- Glasgow via Falkirk High: two trains per hour
• Edinburgh- Bathgate: two trains per hour
• Glasgow- Hamilton/Larkhall: two trains per hour
• Glasgow- Lanark: two trains per hour
• Edinburgh- Glasgow via Shotts: one train per hour

Trains in England and Wales will also be badly affected, including services between London and Scotland on both the East and West Coast mainlines.

Passengers have been urged to only travel if it is necessary, and anyone who does so should plan ahead and expect disruption.

There will not be any replacement buses or taxis throughout the period of industrial action.

Anyone who has bought a ticket they are unable to use will be able to claim a full refund, external.

Read more here.

Katy Austin
Transport correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

The Rail Delivery Group which represents train companies, says some services will start to wind down earlier than normal this evening ahead of the start of the RMT union strike at midnight.

But the precise details and times will depend on the area. Longer distance services are more likely to be affected, with a spokesperson comparing it to the winding down of services on Christmas Eve.

The advice is to check before travelling , externalas there’s no one-size-fits-all approach today.

All train operators have already published their timetables for today and the rest of the week.

Image source, Getty Images

This week's rail strikes means that more than half of the trains due to take people to the Glastonbury Festival in Somerset have been cancelled.

Great Western Railway is only able to put on five services from London Paddington to Castle Cary - the nearest station to the festival site at Worthy Farm in Pilton - on Thursday.

A total of 24 trains will run between Wednesday and Friday compared with the 51 which were expected to serve the route over the three-day period.

"We plan to maintain timetabled trains between Castle Cary and London Paddington throughout the course of the Glastonbury Festival," GWR said.

"Some services might be subject to alterations to train times and we will be in contact with customers who have already booked seats on board those trains."

Coach operator National Express will carry more than 30,000 music fans to and from the site but a spokeswoman warned of congestion in the surrounding area.

The festival, external is celebrating its 50th anniversary and has been cancelled for the last two years due to the Covid pandemic.

Image source, Getty Images

Rail workers have the "grit and determination" to stick out pay talks "right to the end".

That's according to John Leach, assistant general secretary of the RMT, who says the union's members are determined to see protracted negotiations through.

Railway workers and others in the public sector "kept Britain moving through the pandemic" and have now been left in a "deplorable situation", he told the BBC.

He said a 2% pay rise offered to Network Rail staff last week was not enough given the high level of inflation and that the union was seeking a package which ensures job security.

Nick Garnett
Reporting from Manchester's Piccadilly Station

Here at Manchester’s Piccadilly Station, travellers haven’t yet been affected by the strike but nobody I’ve met has been unaware of the industrial action by members of the RMT union which will see tens of thousands of staff walk out on three days this week.

Fleur Porter, 26, lives in Sheffield but works at the University of Manchester and thinks post-lockdown, it’s harder for the rail unions’ action to have a big impact on people’s lives.

“I would have been in work three days this week but now I’m working from home from tomorrow,” she says.

“Companies have realised that people can work from home so they’re telling staff just to revert to the way it was before so the strike isn’t as disruptive as it would have been a few years ago.”

I met a lot of construction workers arriving and leaving who told me they’ll really struggle this week.

Two men told me how they’re having to hire a car because they’re on hourly rates of pay for a building company in Warrington - 16 miles away (26km).

Another said he’d have to stay home for the rest of the week as lives in Rotherham in South Yorkshire.

“I travel here everyday. I'm going to have to have a couple of days off work as I don't drive. Hotels in the city are going to be booked up, it's just not feasible,” he explains.

“I travel from Stoke-On-Trent to Manchester,” Angela Stubbs, 55, told me.

Her train has just arrived and she’s on her way into the office where she’s a sales manager for a telecoms company.

“I work three days in the office and I’ve changed the days I work but it’s having an impact. I can understand why they’re going on strike but it doesn’t help us who are travelling. I’m still in favour of them taking action though.”

Image source, Getty Images

There is still hope among industry bodies that the rail strikes can be avoided, even as that prospect looks increasingly unlikely.

The Chair of the Rail Delivery Group says that while it will be "challenging" to reach a resolution, today's negotiations will aim for "meaningful discussions" to halt strike action.

Speaking to the BBC, Steve Montgomery said that there was no offer on the table yet, adding that the industry needs to undergo change before wages can increase.

"We want to give people a pay rise but that can only be achieved if we get reform," he said.

Image source, Reuters

Tomorrow sees the biggest rail strike for 30 years, with an almost total shutdown of the network in England, Wales and Scotland as members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers union (RMT) stage the first of this week's three 24-hour walkouts.

When are the strikes?

Workers are on strike on three days this week: Tuesday 21, Thursday 23 and Saturday 25 June.

On Tuesday members of the RMT working on London Underground are also due to strike. While Tube drivers are not taking part, the RMT action means stations cannot open.

How many workers are taking part?

There are about 40,000 RMT members who work on the railways in jobs such as maintaining track and signals, station staff and signallers. Because they are taking action trains can't run - even though most drivers are members of a different union, Aslef, who are not on strike.

There also 10,000 RMT members in London Underground who will strike on Tuesday.

How widespread is the disruption?

It's expected that services will be affected right across Great Britain (Northern Ireland Railways are not involved). While operators hope to work to a special timetable, passengers are being advised not to travel.

Train services will also end earlier today - much like they do on Christmas Eve - so that rolling stock and crews are not in the wrong places for when services do resume.

There's a full list of the affected lines here, along with some handy links for travel advice and help.

Nicola Bunting from Bath, Somerset, says the strike has caused her stress and expense because her plans to go to St Andrews in Fife to see her son graduate from university have been thrown into disarray.

"My son has had his university graduation cancelled for the last two years because of Covid and it has been rescheduled for next week, " she tells the BBC.

"We had booked the sleeper train from London to Edinburgh as a treat to celebrate the special occasion, but this was cancelled due to the strike.

She says they booked flights to Scotland but these were cancelled and they had to rebook and are now facing the stress of trying to get to Gatwick Airport without any trains running.

"I am so disappointed by the total disruption, stress and significant added expense caused to my family at what should be such a special time, especially one that has already been postponed twice due to Covid.

"There must be many other graduating students and their families affected by the timing of this strike."

Nicola says she has no sympathy with rail workers who are striking over their pay and pensions.

"I think it's super-selfish of them. People need the rail to go about their essential business. It just seems like they're holding the country to ransom, really," she tells BBC News.

Labour's Shadow Transport Secretary has accused the government of "hobbling" rail strike talks as negotiations enter the 11th hour.

Louise Haigh told the BBC that "not only are they boycotting the talks, they're also hobbling them."

She says it is "imperative they step in" and that it is "baffling that they are prepared to completely abandon their duty in this regard".

"Without the government there the negotiations are a sham. It's not possible for them to find a resolution," she says.

Image source, PA Media

This week's rail strikes "will cause misery for millions", a government minister has said, but insisted public sector workers need to be "realistic" about pay rises.

Speaking to the BBC, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Simon Clarke said the government has to manage expectations on pay, saying double-digit wage hikes aren't affordable.

Clarke said he didn't want to see "inflation-busting" pay rises for public-sector workers because that would risk "baking in" higher prices through what's called a "wage price spiral".

Asked whether the government is happy to see the strikes take place for political reasons, Clarke said they "absolutely don't want them to go ahead" because they will "cause misery for millions of people".

"It is in everyone's interest, passengers and tax-payers alike, that we find a way forward," Clarke added.

Image source, PA

"There is no suggestion of a pay freeze, but we do need reforms - the rail industry is currently unsustainable and not fit for the 2020s.

"We are asking for the rail industry to reform itself sensibly. We need this to be resolved," Clarke says.

The government has faced criticism for not stepping into talks between the rail employers and the RMT, but Clarke says he doesn't think the union will negotiate in good faith.

He says it's been reported that RMT general secretary Mick Lynch will "not negotiate with a Tory government" so that limits the chances of a "sensible" negotiation.

"We don't sit around the table with the trade unions - we're not the employer," Clarke says.

We've been speaking to people about their travel plans this week and how they're feeling about the disruption they face.

Watch what they told us.

Image source, PA Media

The Mayor of London is encouraging people in the capital and those travelling to the city to use alternative means of transport - mostly buses (which will be busier than usual) and the various hire bike schemes.

But the AA says drivers in Scotland and Wales should expect to face long queues as most railway lines will be closed. The M74, M8 and A9 in Scotland and the M4, A55, A5, and A483 in Wales could see severe traffic, it says.

The RAC says major city routes and those serving the home counties are likely to see some of the biggest increases in traffic volumes.

The strikes will affect a number of events including school exams and the first Glastonbury Festival for three years.

We've got more details for you here.

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 would 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.

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.

The rail network will effectively shut down on the strike days - that's Tuesday 21, Thurday 23 and Saturday 25 June - because staff from track workers to signallers will walk out.

Passengers have been advised not to travel on strike days, with disruption on many lines:

• Avanti West Coast
• C2C
• Chiltern Railways
• Cross Country Trains
• Croydon Tramlink
• Greater Anglia
• LNER
• East Midlands Railway
• Elizabeth Line
• Great Western Railway
• Hull Trains
• London Underground (21 June)
• Northern Trains
• South Eastern Railway
• South Western Railway
• TransPennine Express
• West Midlands Trains

Even on days when there isn't a strike, the industry says emergency timetables will be in place, so trains and crews are not in the wrong places when services end.

It's probably quite important to check out how you'll be affected on both strike and non-strike days by going here and following the links.