Jordan Kenny
Reporting from Manchester Piccadilly

"It's an amazing feeling on the picket line," said Connor Brice, a railway worker and RMT union member, from the picket outside Manchester Piccadilly Station where about 40 workers have gathered.

"We’re getting a lot of support from the public, people have been bringing us coffees and food," he told the BBC.

"Our picket lines are incredibly well attended and we're not going away until we get a fair deal.

"Railway workers and the rest of the workers in this country are really hurting," said Connor.

"The people who produce the wealth in this country deserve a slice of the pie, we deserve a pay rise."

Although he said the passing public have been supportive of their action, Connor apologised to anyone whose travel plans have been upset: "We apologise for the disruption that's been caused. But if [Network Rail's] plans go ahead, people will face disruption for years to come."

Put simply, the unions are in dispute with the government, Network Rail and 14 private train companies over pay, job cuts and changes to their working terms and conditions.

On wages, the RMT (and other unions) say the growing cost of living crisis means their members have had an effective salary cut, given inflation has recently hit its highest level in 40 years.

Network Rail has offered a pay rise of 4%, plus further increases in the second year of its proposals.

However, the RMT describes this as a "paltry sum", with inflation now running at 9.4% and prices projected to rise even further this year.

The union has said another problem is over plans by Network Rail to cut 2,500 maintenance jobs, as the company tries to save £2bn over the next two years.

Network Rail says there would be no more than 2,000 job losses (which would represent getting rid of nearly 5% of their workforce) - and that all redundancies can be voluntary.

But the RMT insists those jobs are safety-critical and the cuts would mean losing a third of front-line maintenance roles.

Simon Jones
Reporting from Euston train station

Image source, PA Media

It’s early afternoon, but services here in London are already winding down for the day.

If you want to get a train to Edinburgh, you’re too late - the last one has already departed, while the final service to Manchester is just after 15:30 BST.

The last train leaving from here at Euston is the 17:30 to Bletchley. Then that’s it for the day.

The station has felt eerily quiet. Fewer than 20% of services have run. The so-called morning rush was anything but, and the number of passengers has diminished throughout the day.

People seem largely to have listened to the advice to travel only if it’s really necessary, and some of those turning up have been tourists, unaware of the strike.

The RMT picket line remains outside the station, while inside Network Rail staff who are on duty have been trying to help passengers caught up in the disruption.

Both sides in the dispute remain far apart - they can’t even seem to agree on what potential deal was or wasn’t previously put on the table. That doesn’t auger well for a speedy resolution.

Rebecca Wearn
Reporting from Blackpool

Claire Smith runs two small B&Bs in Blackpool, and all her guests came by train.

“The rail strike will have a big impact, because the train is an obvious choice for trippers,” she explained.

With expensive petrol and parking, Claire is worried people might not visit today. Although no one has cancelled at her premises this time, she’s worried about the knock-ons.

“What it does is put doubt in people’s minds, it becomes cheaper and easier to stay at home and anything that puts people off is damaging for my industry,” she said.

Claire recognises it is tough for everyone right now and has sympathy for strikers.

“But I’m not getting a pay increase,” she said. Her business is seeing rising food and energy costs.

Claire feels she can’t put up room rates to keep things affordable for customers. Overall she wants rail companies and unions to crack on with negotiations.

“I want them to get it sorted so everyone can have a happy summer,” she adds.

Nick Garnett
Reporting from Manchester

At Manchester Piccadilly there are more people trying to travel than during the first round of industrial action by the RMT union, but there are still only six trains an hour leaving the platforms.

It's as if the message there was a strike today hasn't got out. Many of those arriving at the station with suitcases and bags are turning round and going home or making alternative arrangements once they realise their trains aren't running today.

Piccadilly is usually one of the busiest stations in the country with trains leaving every two minutes. Today it's a skeleton service - or at least, an arterial one. One train to London, Southampton, York, Preston and Manchester Airport an hour.

It's not only the train services that are affected - restaurants, cafes, coffee bars and takeaways are all seeing a drop in footfall. Many have stayed shut, others are open but relatively empty and with the first weekend strike due to take place on Saturday - their busiest day of the week - the knock-on effects will soon be felt again on their takings.

Jamie McIvor
BBC Scotland News Correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Back to Glasgow Central now, where RMT supporters were ejected by police a little earlier.

Outside the station, right at the main entrance on Gordon Street, there are still a small number of RMT protesters. But the bigger protest that was here earlier on in the day has now gone.

Inside the station itself, it's far quieter than normal. ScotRail staff aren't involved in the industrial action, but there are only a small number of services running around the Glasgow and Edinburgh areas and also a limited number of cross-border services.

The advice remains to check before you travel, only travel if it's absolutely essential and if you know your train is running.

Image source, Jacob King/PA Wire

Network Rail says the number of people using its stations is up by around 15% today compared to the last strike day - which was 25 June.

As well as looking after track and managing infrastructure across Britain, Network Rail also runs 20 major city stations - including in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Birmingham, Manchester and London.

But it says passenger numbers are down 60-70% versus a "normal" Wednesday.

Image source, Getty Images

Striking workers have been trying to get their message across to commuters at Scotland's two busiest stations - Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley.

In Edinburgh, train guard Alan - who did not want to give his surname - said: "We're all about customers first, safety first.

"We are on strike to save our conditions and the passengers' conditions.

"Without half the caterers, and lots of them are striking, there wouldn't be that working presence for passengers."

It's been a little over four weeks since rail strikes last caused havoc across the UK, with staff from dozens of operators staging a mass walk out over pay and conditions.

Today, there's more of the same - with disruption expected across parts of England, Wales and Scotland over the coming days. But what drives staff to take such action?

"We worked the same as other people - [the] same as people who work from home and we just carried on," London Bridge station supervisor Jane Gwynn told the BBC in June. "It shouldn't be up to us to pay the price with our conditions in the future."

Another man said there was little point being in the RMT union "if I don't believe and stand up for what the union is for".

Read more about what sparked this ongoing fight.

Image source, Kristian Melson

A rail passenger who is set to miss a family funeral due to the strikes says the disruption "isn't helping me agree with their cause".

Kristian Melson, 30, is an operations manager living in West Lothian, and had hoped to attend his aunt's funeral in Cambridge on Thursday.

"I am really frustrated that there are more strikes after recent disruption," he said. "I cannot see my family at such a tragic time.

"Most people understand the reasons why [staff] want to strike, we have all felt the squeeze in our finances because of inflation.

"The strikes are highlighting the issues the rail workers are facing but the disruption is angering travellers."

Here's some more from the government, explaining its position on today's strike.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps says unions “don’t bother” to put pay offers to members “and just call more strike dates”.

Grant Shapps said rail workers were supported to make sure no one lost their job through Covid, and criticised how they have "repaid" the public by going on strike.

The RMT said there has been an offer from Network Rail that was not high enough to combat inflation, but no rail operating companies have made any pay and jobs offers.

Victoria Bourne
At London Euston station

Here at Euston station, many have heeded warnings to avoid travelling by train today.

Lots of the people that we have spoken to have suitcases and are tourists aiming to find a way out of London.

One American couple visiting London described the strikes as a “civilised process” and were supportive of the industrial action as there had been plenty of notice.

They said “we’re just on vacation, it’s their livelihoods, we can accept a little bit of inconvenience”.

However, the strike caught out other people who are in the UK on holiday.

One man had booked a trip to the Warner Bros Studios in Watford six months ago to see how the Harry Potter films were made. He told us that he was now going to try to get a black cab so that he and his family didn’t miss out.

More from Birmingham now, where Labour MP Jess Phillips is preparing to ring in the Commonwealth Games.

Asked whether shadow transport minister Sam Tarry should be disciplined for joining the picket line - after Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer previously warned his MPs against doing this - Phillips appears confused.

"I don't know if he was told whether he should or shouldn't go today," she tells the BBC, adding: "I've certainly not been told whether I should or shouldn't go on any picket line."

Questioning whether the focus should be on junior ministers going to picket lines, Phillips points out the situation is "very difficult" but says, ultimately, the government has failed to achieve progress in talks.

"There is never a convenient time for workers to fight back - that's the reality," she says, adding she isn't overly worried about the strike's impact on the upcoming games. "People are managing to move around the city," she says.

Phil Mackie
Reporting from Birmingham New Street station

Today 139 trains are leaving here compared to the usual 450 - so that’s nearly 30% of a typical Wednesday.

People have still been arriving here unaware of the walkout.

The knock-on effects will have an impact for those coming to Birmingham for tomorrow’s Commonwealth Games opening ceremony, and people are being advised to check before they travel and to leave extra time for their journeys.

It could be far worse on Saturday if a separate strike by train drivers goes ahead, when many more events are scheduled.

Network Rail has said it expects there to be an extra million passengers using the train network because of the Games, with venues accessible mainly via public transport.

Hundreds of volunteers will be on hand to help people to get to events from the city centre using buses and trams.

Supporters of the RMT have been ejected from Glasgow Central Station by police after staging a demonstration in support of striking rail workers.

Inside the empty station they chanted along to the song Freed From Desire by Gala, replacing the words to, “The RMT’s on fire, the government is terrified.”

Officers moved inside to turn off the music and escorted the protesters and union supporters outside, where the demonstrations continued.

The dispute by RMT members working for Network Rail does not involve ScotRail staff.

However it has resulted in less than 9% of normal services operating in Scotland, with the trains running on only five routes in the central belt.

A little later American actor Rob Delaney tweeted a photo appearing to join Mick Lynch on the picket line at London's Euston station.

Delaney, who appeared in Deadpool 2, wrote: "Two nice men wondering if you'd care to join them at the picket."

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch says Network Rail's offer of 8% of over two years "does not suit the needs of our members”, and added the rail operators have not made any offers over pay and a guarantee of no redundancies.

He says the gap between the unions and rail firms was "too big" and "common sense" was needed.

Lynch also criticised the involvement of Transport Secretary Grant Shapps for "refusing to budge", and said the Tory leadership candidates were “pushing out their chests” over legislation to control strike action.

Image source, EPA

As we've been reporting, about 20% of services are running but some parts of the country have no trains at all

So what's the situation at the moment?

Lines that are open, external today are only running until 18:30 BST after starting later than normal this morning, due to a special timetable put in place for strike days.

For example, the last trains from London will leave for Edinburgh at 14:00, for Birmingham at 15:43 and Manchester at 15:40.

All train operators are affected as the strike involves Network Rail staff, who maintain the railways in England, Scotland and Wales.

People working for these train operating companies are also striking:

Avanti West Coast; C2C; Chiltern Railways; Cross Country Trains; East Midlands Railway; Gatwick Express; Great Western Railway; Greater Anglia; LNER; Northern Trains; Southeastern; South Western Railway; Southern; Thameslink; West Midlands Trains; and TransPennine Express.

For more on what is happening today and future planned rail strikes this summer click here.

Nyaz Hama Sayeed said he has been forced to close his barbers today and lose money and customers because of the rail strike.

With his shop in Wellington, Shropshire, and his home in West Bromwich, West Midlands, he said otherwise he would face spending about £140 on taxis.

"It costs me a lot of money, it makes me late and I have lost customers. I use the train every day," Mr Sayeed said.

"Last strike, I got here at about 11:00 because I got stuck in traffic in the taxi."

Rebecca Wearn
Reporting from Blackpool

Janine and Susan Hibbert took the kids away to Blackpool for a few fun days.

But heading home, they were shocked when their taxi pulled up at Blackpool North, only to find the shutters down.

“I’m fuming,” said Susan. “What an end to a holiday!"

Janine said she’d pre-booked the tickets weeks ago to save money, and thought they would’ve got a message if their train was cancelled.

“I’ve not seen anything about any strike being on today,” she added.

The family face a longer trip back to Manchester now - a bus to Preston and then one of the handful of rail services operating today, if they're lucky.