We're bringing our live coverage of the rail strikes to a close, so here's a roundup of the day's news:

• Train drivers at nine rail companies will strike on 13 August, in addition to their union Aslef's planned walk out this Saturday, 30 July
• More than 40,000 members of the RMT union working at Network Rail and 14 train operators are on strike today across the UK, with just 20% of services running on a very limited schedule
• RMT general secretary Mick Lynch says there has been no progress in talks and noted the "gap between the parties is too big" in the dispute over pay, jobs cuts and terms
• Transport Secretary Grant Shipps described the strikes as "completely unnecessary" and accused the unions of being "very militant", while proposing to make the rules stricter for calling industrial action
• Meanwhile, Labour's shadow transport minister Sam Tarry has been sacked from the frontbench after attending a picket line

Thanks for staying with us through the day. Your writers have been Andre Rhoden-Paul, Marita Moloney, Sam Hancock, Laura Gozzi, James Fitzgerald, Adam Durbin and Emily McGarvey

The page has been edited by Marie Jackson, Claudia Allen, Andrew Humphrey and Nathan Williams.

Image source, EPA

The rail network is expected to face a bit of a hangover effect after today's industrial action.

It won't be back to normal straightaway tomorrow - so you're again advised to check before setting off on your journey.

Services are expected to start later than usual on Thursday as employees return to duties. There have been warnings of an impact on those travelling to Birmingham for the start of the Commonwealth Games.

But around 80% of services will run during the day as a whole, compared to about 20% today.

The next day of full-blown strike action will be Saturday - when services will again be drastically scaled back.

In the last few minutes, Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, has tweeted his response to Aslef's announcement of a new strike by train drivers on 13 August:

Sacked Labour shadow transport minister Sam Tarry says it is a "real shame" he was fired after joining a picket line with striking rail workers.

The Ilford South MP attended the protest at London's Euston station today despite Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer saying his frontbench MPs should stay away.

Labour says he has been fired for making unauthorised media appearances.

Tarry says the party will "really struggle to win the faith of the British people" if it doesn't stand in solidarity with workers when other professions go on strike.

There can be some confusion over who has been offered a pay deal to settle the rail strikes, as several firms and different unions are involved.Earlier, Andrew Haines, who runs Network Rail which operates signals and tracks, gave an "absolute rock solid guarantee of no compulsory redundancies" in its offer. He called the deal "good, but it is also fair".

But the RMT's Mick Lynch has repeatedly said there have been no offers from the rail operating companies. These firms run the train services and the staff who work on them. Lynch also said the Network Rail offer was below inflation.

Image source, PA Media

One of the country's most senior trade unionists has described government plans to curb the rights of some workers to strike as "anti-democratic and anti-worker".

Frances O'Grady, general secretary of the British Trades Union Congress (TUC), said Transport Secretary Grant Shapps's plans to make the rules regulating when unions can strike more strict would "hammer working people's last line of defence".

Among Shapps 16 proposed changes, external are:

• banning different unions from striking in the same workplace at the same time
• making strike ballots set out clearly the specific reason for walking out
• requiring each period of continuous industrial action to be approved by its own ballot, with a cooling off period of two months after each strike

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's PM programme, O'Grady described the right to withdraw labour when involved in an employment dispute as a "fundamental British liberty".

Asked about suggestions by Shapps that unions were co-ordinating strike days to reduce their lost wages, she said he is "living on planet zog" and said that workers were walking out because millions of people were facing the same spiralling costs.

Ahead of today’s strike, Manuel Cortes, TSSA general secretary, said unions have been warning of "a summer of discontent" across the railways for months, and "sadly it is an ever closer reality".

Indeed, today isn't the last day of travel disruption for rail passengers as further industrial action is planned again in just a few days' time.

Members of the train drivers' union Aslef will strike on Saturday 30 July at seven companies: Greater Anglia, Great Western Railway, Hull Trains, LNER, London Overground, Southeastern and West Midlands Trains.

Aslef drivers at Avanti West Coast and CrossCountry will join them for further action on 13 August, the union announced earlier today.

Rail workers in the RMT and TSSA unions will strike on 18 and 20 August, with the coordinated action set to cause travel chaos similar to today’s disruption.

Staff working for seven companies will go on strike: Avanti West Coast, c2c, East Midlands Railway, CrossCountry, Great Western Railway, LNER and Southeastern.

Additionally, London Underground workers are to strike on 19 August in a row over jobs and pensions.

Image source, PA Media

Maureen, 56, a guard who has spent 32 years on the railway, has been striking today at Bristol Temple Meads station.

She said she's not optimistic that the next prime minister would be open to negotiating with the RMT union.

"Liz Truss has already said she wants to raise the [ballot] threshold for a strike from 40% to 50%, and to force workers to give their companies one month rather than two weeks' notice that they are planning to strike," she told reporters.

Rail operators are in talks with the government about potentially closing hundreds of rail ticket offices as part of a plan to modernise the railways

Maureen's colleague Jack, a 31-year-old train driver, pointed out that ticket office staff often spent decades on the railway in other roles before being moved to customer service in the later stages of their career.

"They are the first point of contact for anyone coming to the railway for help and you can't replace compassion with a machine, that is one of the reasons the RMT wants to keep that."

As we've just reported, shadow transport minister Sam Tarry has been sacked after joining a picket line.

Here's what Tarry told the BBC about his decision to join the strikers this morning.

As we reported a few moments ago, Labour's shadow transport minister Sam Tarry has been sacked after defying orders from party leader Sir Keir Starmer, and joining striking rail workers on the picket line today.

We've now had a statement from Labour.

A spokesperson said: "The Labour Party will always stand up for working people fighting for better pay, terms and conditions at work.

"This isn't about appearing on a picket line. Members of the frontbench sign up to collective responsibility. That includes media appearances being approved and speaking to agreed frontbench positions.

"As a government-in-waiting, any breach of collective responsibility is taken extremely seriously and for these reasons Sam Tarry has been removed from the frontbench."

Iain Watson
Political correspondent

Labour MP Sam Tarry has been sacked as shadow transport minister following his unauthorised media appearances this morning.

He gave interviews appearing at a picket line in support of the rail strikes.

Labour leader Sir Kier Starmer has previously asked front bench Labour MPs not to attend picket lines.

Image source, Getty Images

Those heading to the Commonwealth Games this week are being advised to check services before travelling.

Fifteen venues across Birmingham will be hosting the Games, which starts tomorrow and ends on 8 August.

Tickets to the events include free travel - but Thursday's Opening Ceremony is bookended by two days of strike action.

At Birmingham New Street station, where passenger numbers are expected to increase with the Games starting tomorrow, there is a reduced list of departures during the strike action.

The boards showed the first train to London Euston station was not due to leave until 8.50am, and there were only a handful of passengers waiting on the main concourse.

A picket of RMT workers stood outside the city's distinctive signal box.

West Midlands Trains said Thursday morning services would start later on most routes due to the knock-on effect of Wednesday's industrial action., external

No West Midlands Trains services will operate on Saturday when its Aslef members go on strike along with those at six other companies.

But planning by transport bodies will help spectators get to events this week, says Network Rail.

Aslef - the UK train drivers' union - has just announced its members will go on strike on Saturday 13 August.

Earlier, Aslef tweeted to express solidarity with rail colleagues striking today, saying they "stand together against profiteering and attacks on safety and conditions".

As it stands, Aslef members will go on strike on this Saturday, 30 July, as well as Saturday 13 August after talks broke down over pay.

"We've been forced into this position by the companies, who say they have been driven to this by the Tory government," said Mick Whelan, general secretary of Aslef.

He continued:

Train drivers at nine rail companies will strike on 13 August over pay, their union Aslef has announced.

Scotland's transport minister Jenny Gilruth has called on the UK government to intervene to end the rail dispute.

And she accused UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps - who has said it is not his role to get involved - of making the situation "more challenging and more difficult".

Gilruth told Gary Robertson on BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme: "I very much respect the RMT's positioning in this action. Of course, they are fighting for their members and we had exactly the same actions from Aslef in our recent dispute in Scotland.

"I know that (RMT general secretary) Mick Lynch is really keen to get back around the negotiating table. He wrote to me, and to others, to that effect yesterday."

She continued:

Image source, PA Media

Commuters in north-west England are facing issues with travelling by bus as well as train.

Staff from bus operator Arriva North West have been on strike since 20 July in a row over pay.

As a result the company has cancelled bus services in Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Lancashire, with no date for when members from union Unite will return to work.

In a statement the firm said it was "disappointed" for customers and has asked the union to let its members vote on a 8.5% pay offer.

Yesterday Liverpool Mayor Joanne Anderson weighed in on the dispute, urging Arriva to "prioritise the need of workers over greed".

Unite has been approached for comment.

Image source, PA Media

The chairman of the Commons Transport Committee has warned that passengers might “switch off” from using trains if the dispute between rail bosses and unions continues.

Tory MP Huw Merriman described today’s disruption as “incredibly frustrating” and urged the RMT union to consult its members about the latest "very fair" pay offer on the table.

“It worries me greatly that if we don’t get some compromise here people will switch off from using the railway," he said, while dismissing the suggestion that ministers should get directly involved in the talks.

Earlier, RMT union boss Mick Lynch said the strikes continue to be effective even though many commuters are choosing to work from home, adding that the aim was not to cause disruption to the public.

• Merriman criticises strikes

Image source, Getty Images

Tube workers are not on strike today, and most of the network has been running as normal.

However, some services have been affected, external because they use track managed by Network Rail - whose workers are on strike.

• The Bakerloo line is part suspended
• Disruption is expected on parts of the District line
• There is a reduced service on the Elizabeth line
• Services on the London Overground are also reduced - with passengers advised to complete their travel by 18:00

Londoners are urged to check for updates before they travel.

Tube staff who belong to the RMT union are also planning a fresh strike of their own next month - their fifth of the year.

They will walk out on 19 August amid a long-running dispute over jobs and pensions.

The RMT claims 600 jobs will be lost under plans from Transport for London - but the transport authority insists that nobody will lose their job.

Ashleigh Keenan-Bryce
BBC Scotland News

American holidaymakers Jim and Mandy Miller were hoping to make a day of it in Glasgow when their cruise ship docked in the port of Greenock.

They had planned to make the 27 mile journey on the train, however, they found themselves having to join a long queue for the bus in order to get into the city.

Jim explained: “We had planned to get the train and in fact we planned to get the train back to Heathrow when we get back to London for our flight home and now we can’t do that."

Image source, PA Media

A picket line is where workers and union reps gather outside a workplace - in today's case, train stations - to persuade non-striking colleagues to strike or to illustrate to the public why they are striking.

The difference between a picket like and a demonstration is that picket lines try to convince other workers to join the strike.

However, official guidelines say that "pickets must not prevent people from going to work if they want to do so" - there is even a governmental Code of Practice, external for picketing.