Image source, PA Media

...but before we go, here's what's been happening on 2023's first day of strike action:

• Most rail services have not run today - during the latest walkout by 40,000 RMT union members at Network Rail and 14 train operating companies
• Two 48-hour strikes have been planned this week by the RMT in England, Scotland and Wales. Members of the drivers' union Aslef will also walk out on Thursday
• The unions remain in dispute with the government and rail companies about pay, job cuts and changes to terms and conditions
• RMT union leader Mick Lynch today accused the government of "blocking" a deal with the unions, and refusing to engage over the Christmas period
• The government insisted it wanted to facilitate a deal, and blamed the other side for the ongoing impasse. Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: "I'd rather they got off the picket line and got back around the negotiating table"
• State-run company Network Rail said a deal was within "touching distance" - despite the fact the last offer was rejected

• Many commuters have spoken to the BBC and called the disruption "frustrating", "really inconvenient" and "just not fair"
• But other rail passengers said they supported the strikes, with comments such as "strikers are causing chaos for a reason" and "do I hold any grudges against those on strike? Not one bit"

Today's live coverage was brought to you by Rob Corp, Samuel Horti, Jack Burgess, Aoife Walsh, Gem O'Reilly, Sam Hancock and James FitzGerald.

Image source, .

As you can see from the graphic above, it's not just the railways in England, Wales and Scotland which are being affected by strike action.

This week alone, driving examiners, highway staff and bus workers are also set for walkouts.

• Read more here about who's going on strike

Matt Murray
Reporting from Cardiff

Becky Williams, of Dinas Powys, Vale of Glamorgan, caught four buses on Tuesday.

The 60-year-old says: “It’s really inconvenient. I’ve just been unwell with the flu and now I’m out in all weathers, just waiting for buses.

“I don’t think the staff on strike are supporting the public at all. And I think they’re on a good salary anyway. A lot more than me.”

Jamiel Rehman, from Cardiff, travels to Barry Island every day for work.

The 32-year-old tells me: “It’s one bus but it takes a long time. Nearly an hour and 30-minutes to get to Barry Island. While the train is under half an hour.

“It’s also more expensive to catch the bus. Although I do support the strike.”

Image source, Getty Images

The secretary of state for work and pensions, Mel Stride MP, says "pay restraint" is needed in order to avoid fuelling inflation which could harm every UK household.

He says full inflation-linked increases in pay across the public sector would mean "an additional cost of almost £1,000 for every household in the country".

He adds: "It's just not feasible to stretch in that way."

Asked if ministers would scrap their planned anti-strikes legislation if strikes were called off, Stride says "the government is... looking very closely at the implications of the strikes and maybe the kind of legislative changes that might be appropriate, given what we're learning".

He also says there needs to be a balance between "the right to strike" and the "inconvenience and sometimes danger to the public which results".

Image source, Getty Images

Rail strikes have combined with the cost-of-living crisis to present "a very difficult time" for the hospitality industry, says the founder of restaurant chain Wahaca.

The sector was "materially hit" by strikes in the lead-up to Christmas, which would normally be normally the busiest time of year, Mark Selby told the BBC earlier.

Restaurants now face the prospect of a January which could be "even more gloomy than usual", he says. Selby is forecasting to be "15-20% down on what would normally be our crisis month".

"There is a general feeling of despair within hospitality", he told Radio 4's World at One programme.

Let's take a look at some of the key lines to have come out of today's strikes...

Mark Harper, transport secretary

"I'd rather they got off the picket line and got back around the negotiating table to hammer out a deal."

The cabinet minister's criticism of union leaders came after images emerged of Mick Lynch on the picket line this morning.

Mick Lynch, RMT leader

"I'll meet the transport secretary whenever he wishes to - I could meet him in 20 minutes."

Lynch was responding to Harper's comments that he should prioritise talks over striking.

Tim Shoveller, Network Rail chief negotiator

"A deal is within touching distance."

In an interview with BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Shoveller insisted Network Rail was confident it could turn the strikes around. It was not clear whether a deal was actually close to being made.

Mark, strike supporter

"I've been impacted but... as a working class lad, I'll always support action like this. I find it offensive when MPs and other better paid individuals try to tell our workers how to live on the little money get paid."

Unnamed commuter, strike opposer

"These strikes are ridiculous - they're not letting people get to work, see their families, nothing like that. It's just not fair, really."

Image source, PA Media

The rail strikes have coincided with the first day back to work for many people after the festive break.

Traffic congestion in some English cities appears to have increased slightly compared with the equivalent date last year, according to data from satnav firm TomTom.

In London, journeys took 27% longer than they would have done in free-flowing conditions. That compares with 22% on the first working day of 2022.

Meanwhile, in Birmingham the figure was 30% compared with 23% last year. And in Liverpool, it was 24% compared with 20% in 2022.

Jack Burgess
BBC News Live reporter

Image source, GETTY IMAGES

Months of rail strikes not only affect people's travel plans but could have big consequences for the environment and sustainability.

If the public stops using public transport as much then an increase in car usage might follow, for example - meaning more CO2 emissions that contribute to global warming.

I've been speaking to Dr Susan Kenyon, principal lecturer at Canterbury Christ Church University, who has previously written about the potential environmental impact of such strikes, external.

"Absolutely devastating," is how she describes the possible long-term environmental consequences.

Journeys by public transport dropped sharply during the pandemic and its recovery has lagged behind car use, which Kenyon calls "a real concern for the sustainability imperative".

She tells me public transport use is "still lagging way behind pre-pandemic levels" and more reliable, comfortable services are needed to encourage people back.

Many people can't work from home and will be at risk of losing their jobs if they can't be relied on to get to work, she says.

The twin risks of environmental consequences, and people feeling excluded from public transport during a cost of living crisis, is "really worrying", Kenyon says, and adds rail strikes risk worsening these trends long-term.

People in Plymouth have been discussing the pros and cons of the rail strikes and the impact on their daily lives.

A taxi driver says he is about £200-300 down on his monthly takings when the strikes are on.

Image source, PA Media

Footfall in central London has been affected by today's rail strikes, data from retail analysts Springboard suggests.

Data from up to 12pm showed footfall across all Britain's high streets and shopping centres rose by +16.8% compared with the same period yesterday, which was a bank holiday.

But central London only experienced a +8.5% increase in footfall, while smaller high streets saw an increase of +46.1%.

Meanwhile, footfall in outer London was +11.6% higher today than yesterday.

"Once again this indicates that consumers are staying local, with footfall supported by many who opted to work from home, or perhaps those who decided to take an additional day's holiday," Diane Wehrle, Insights Director at Springboard, said.

Katy Austin
Transport Correspondent

Rail minister Huw Merriman will meet the Aslef train drivers' union early next week, it is understood.

The Department for Transport hopes to meet the RMT union early next week too, but is waiting to hear back from them to confirm a date.

Its general secretary Mick Lynch told BBC News a meeting was being arranged on Monday or Tuesday with "all the actors including the rail minister".

Image source, Tyler Davis

Tyler from Hertfordshire was diagnosed with cancer last year that required two operations on his spine.

"I'm part of a clinical trial to test a new drug and due to the rail strikes I'm unable to travel in from north Hertfordshire to the UCLH [University College London Hospital] research facility for cancer treatment," he tells BBC News.

James FitzGerald
Live reporter

Image source, Paul Swinney

Rail walkouts may cause a fall in the number of people travelling into cities for their jobs on a strike day. But will they have a longer-term impact as well, given that people are more accustomed to home-working after the Covid pandemic struck?

Not according to one think tank.

Analysis of passenger data in the capital suggests there has been a "sustained increase" in the number of people returning post-Covid, says Paul Swinney, the director of policy and research at the London-based Centre for Cities.

Each strike day causes a "drop-off" in that number, but that tends to be a blip, he says.

Swinney says very recent data for other regional centres is not yet available - but previous figures indicate the return to offices witnessed in places like Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds had been "even stronger than what's been seen in London".

He therefore "wouldn't be surprised" if there is a continuation of a general nationwide trend of workers returning to offices, despite the strikes.

As for why - Swinney explains that there are a few "pull factors" which encapsulate the idea that "face-to-face interaction is important".

He says the sharing of ideas, the greater ease of transferring knowledge and employees' desire to have influence over decision-making are among the advantages that office-based working has over home-based working.

"There's a reason people want to come in", Swinney says. And for many people, "there isn't really any choice" other than to use the train.

This was the scene outside Brentwood station in the early hours, as crowds of people waited in the dark and cold hoping to catch a train from Essex to London.

Valerie, a commuter, took these photos and says she had to wait outside the closed station with about 80 to 100 people when she arrived at 07:12 this morning.

The first train was scheduled for 07:33 but didn't arrive, she says - and a few minutes after the station opened it had to be closed again because of platform overcrowding.

Valerie had to work from home in the end, and took these photos at about 07:40, as she was leaving.

Simon Browning
Business reporter

I've been speaking to Nigel Price, a jazz musician, who this afternoon is due to accompany the singer Jo Harrop at their gig at Cafe Boheme in Soho, in central London.

“I’m in total support of the train strikes but it’s going to sting today," he told me.

"£15 Congestion Charge, £26.40 parking and a fiver for fuel... that's £46.40 just to BE in London. The gig is paying £120.”

For gigs during the day, Nigel would usually take the train from Epsom with his portable rig, but there are no trains from Epsom station today.

Nigel told me he hadn't complained about the fee, saying “it’s a better day rate than my partner’s - a staff nurse".

Image source, Nigel Price

Image source, Iain Harrison

One commuter, Iain Harrison, tells the BBC his "entire Christmas" has been disrupted by rail strikes, explaining that he was forced to cancel family plans and missed his office party, too.

But he says he's fully in support of rail workers' right to take action. He writes: "Do I hold any grudges against those on strike? Not one bit."

He continues: "The rail companies are ripping Britain off. Quite how Avanti has managed to cause so much disruption to the West Coast line is a national scandal."

Iain objects to Avanti "awarding their shareholders millions in dividends for such a poor service". The operator is reported to have paid out £11.5m in 2021, and faced heavy criticism for cutting back its services in 2022.

• Avanti West Coast: Rail boss apologises for recent disruption
• Avanti West Coast rewarded with £6.5m in bonuses

Rail strikes could cost hospitality industry £2.5bnpublished at 13:23 Greenwich Mean Time 3 January 2023

13:23 GMT 3 January 2023

Simon Jack
Business editor

The disruption to the travel industry caused by months of rolling strikes will cost the hospitality industry £2.5bn for the period from June to the end of this week, according to Hospitality UK boss Kate Nicholls.

That's £1bn more than was previously estimated as an expected pre-Christmas bounce back during a period when fewer strikes were called never materialised and factors in the new strike dates called by rail workers this week.

Rail union leader Mick Lynch said today the strikes could continue for months yet unless a deal on pay and working patterns that they could accept was forthcoming.

“If we don't get that there will have to be more action... we don't want that, though," he said.

Nicholls told me the travel disruption was deterring customers from booking restaurants, shows and other events in advance. “People are booking at the last minute or not at all, which makes it very hard for businesses to plan ahead," she said.

She also said that the delay to an announcement of the support businesses will receive towards their energy costs, when the current package expires at the end of March, was having “a corrosive effect on business confidence”.

The government had promised details by the end of December - these are now not expected until next week. The BBC also understands that hospitality chiefs are due to meet Chancellor Jeremy Hunt later this week.

Image source, .

With multiple strikes happening on the same day this week, it can be hard to keep up with when's best to travel.

Our graph shows that between today and Saturday is the most disrupted time to get around in England and Wales.

As we've been reporting, both 48-hour RMT walkouts are taking place over the coming days.

Mark, a football fan, has been unable to travel from Manchester to Liverpool to watch tonight's game between Everton and Brighton, because of the train strike.

Nevertheless, he supports the action of the RMT union and its 40,000 striking workers.

"I have been impacted but the strikes but I stand with Mick Lynch and the RMT. Up the toffees," he says.

A rail strike by 40,000 RMT union members has caused four in five trains to be cancelled today.

The strikes are due to a dispute over pay, working practices, and redundancies.

But how much are rail workers paid? Here's a graph based on data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).