Katy Austin
Transport correspondent, reporting from Basingstoke

At Basingstoke station in Hampshire this morning, trains were running. But they started later than usual, and the last trains will be much earlier than a normal weekday.

A steady trickle of commuters turned up for their first day back at work in 2023 - many heading in to London, others to stations like Woking.

Most I spoke to said they needed to go in to the office at least one day this week. After months of strikes, they’d worked out a pattern, getting in to work a bit later than usual and leaving early. They expected the first trains to be busy.

A small picket line formed outside the station, mostly made up of train guards.

A couple of workers I spoke to wanted to emphasise that the dispute was not just about pay for them, but also about proposed changes to working practices, which they worried threatened the future of their jobs.

• Why are rail workers striking?

Iain Watson
Political correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Mark Harper, Secretary of State for Transport, has said he has changed the government's tone on the strikes. The question is whether he has changed the substance.

The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT) is continuing to accuse the government of tying the hands of the train operating companies and Network Rail.

The government say a fair, reasonable and improved offer has been made and indeed has been accepted by another rail union, the TSSA, in the Network Rail dispute.

Talks between rail unions and employers are due to resume next week.

There are unconfirmed reports that various incentives, such as enhanced holiday entitlement and pension contributions, could be on offer to grease the wheels.

But this seems unlikely to succeed without more of a dramatic change to the deal, which RMT members rejected last year.

There are Conservative MPs who believe that if there is to be compromise on strikes, it should be on NHS pay.

They think the travelling public are getting used to, or getting round, the disruption.

Labour sources say, though, that in focus groups of swing voters, some of the participants are using phrases such as 'nothing works in this country'.

Lucy Bonnett has described a convoluted journey to work that involved taking a taxi from Alton, in Hampshire, to Basingstoke in order to catch a train to Woking.

She tells the BBC's transport correspondent Katy Austin that she understands why rail staff are on strike - but it's "frustrating".

Double trouble on Scotland's railwayspublished at 12:09 Greenwich Mean Time 3 January 2023

12:09 GMT 3 January 2023

David Henderson
BBC Scotland Business and Transport Correspondent

Image source, PA Media

Scotland's being hit by double trouble on the railways for all this week.

The latest strike by RMT signallers means 80% of ScotRail services are cancelled.

The strike days are today and Wednesday, plus Friday and Saturday. But Scotrail say the knock-on impact means they can offer only a strike day service on Thursday, too.

So in practice, that is five full days of disruption.

Meanwhile the West Coast Main Line remains closed between Carlisle and Glasgow, because of damage to the line caused by torrential rain last Friday.

Engineers still have to clear debris from a landslip along a 40-metre section of track, and bolster it with more than 200 tonnes of new stone.

Network Rail warn it’ll be out of action until Friday at the earliest.

A man named Steve in Guildford says he has sympathy with rail workers - and those working in other industries who are planning walkouts over the winter.

He tells BBC Radio 5 Live during a phone-in with Nicky Campbell on the subject of whether Britain is "broken" that he supports the strikes.

Steve reckons the country is only broken for certain people. He explains that wages have "rocketed" over the last five years in his industry, construction.

Steve says the press is accusing strikers of causing chaos. But, he says, "they're causing chaos for a reason".

Motorists are being urged to plan ahead as all National Highways traffic officers in England strike today and tomorrow.

These are the crews that patrol motorways, dealing with collisions and helping motorists who break down.

National Highways says “well-rehearsed resilience plans” are in place to ensure the road network remains open and safe on both days.

It says it is confident the strikes will have minimal overall impact, but warns that roads are likely to be busy, particularly as rail strikes are being staged at the same time.

Motorists are advised to make sure their vehicles are safe and roadworthy, and have enough fuel for their journey.

National Highways has also asked road users to check its Traffic England website, external for road conditions and congestion before setting off.

Image source, PA Media

As we've been reporting this morning, strikes today are not just affecting the rail network.

Some driving examiners are striking as part of industrial action by the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union in a dispute over pay, pensions, job security and redundancy terms.

Today's action will affect driving test centres in the East of England, East Midlands, West Midlands and parts of London.

Further strike action planned for 4-10 January will affect London, south-east England, south-west England and Wales

However, not all driving examiners are members of the PCS so your test may go ahead as planned.

Here’s what to do if you think your driving test will be affected by the strikes:

• If you want to change your test date, you can do so here, external. But you must give at least three working days’ notice or you’ll have to pay again
• If you don't want to change your date, you should still go to your driving test appointment unless the DVSA contacts you to tell you not to
• If your test cannot go ahead because of the strike, the DVSA will automatically rebook your driving test for you. The new test details will be sent to you within five to 10 working days
• You can claim out-of-pocket expenses if your test is cancelled by filling out this form , external

The full list of test centres that are affected by the strike can be found here., external

Image source, Getty Images

If you're just joining us, or need a recap, here's a rundown of this morning's events:

New year, continued strikes... The latest walkouts by members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) mean only a fifth of Britain's rail services are running - and half the lines are closed. Tens of thousands of workers are taking part in two 48-hour strikes, starting today and Friday.

No sign of resolution... Despite Network Rail claiming earlier that it was within "touching distance" of reaching a deal with some of its staff, RMT boss Mick Lynch said the latest offer put to unions "wasn't a tangible [one]" that was being considered.

War of words... Transport Secretary Mark Harper has criticised Lynch for joining a picket line at London Euston station and told him to instead get around a negotiating table. Lynch responded by saying it was ministers who'd refused to meet him over the Christmas period.

Bigger picture... Train services in Wales and Scotland - where workers are also striking - have been affected by the walkouts, with ScotRail warning passengers it would only run trains on 12 routes during the action.

Not just trains... It's not just railway workers either. Motorway patrol and control room staff in England and driving examiners - all part of the PCS union - will also go on strike.

"I have been severely disrupted by the rail strikes", writes commuter Helen West. She lives in Lancaster and works in Chester. She's been a commuter for nine years.

"I want to stress my solidarity with the RMT. I have overheard rail workers talk to each other about how exhausted they are - completing a shift and then being called in almost immediately afterwards due to staff shortages," she says.

Helen witnessed antisocial behaviour from passengers even on relatively quiet trains in the middle of the day. "I completely understand the need for more staff," she says.

It's not just the railways in England, Wales and Scotland that are affected by strike action.

Unions in various sectors are taking action, as demands grow for pay increases to keep up with rising prices.

Today’s rail strike coincides with possible disruption on the roads, as some National Highways traffic officers in England are on strike. These are the crews that patrol motorways dealing with collisions and helping motorists who break down.

Some driving examiners are on strike in the East Midlands, West Midlands, east of England and parts of London. The industrial action will not affect theory tests but might have an impact on practical exams.

• Who is striking and what are their pay claims?
• When are the train strikes and why are they taking place?

Olga, 35, commutes to work in London and says commuters are having to deal with a poor train service as well as the strikes.

Passengers are paying high ticket prices for a very poor service and now also unable to get to work, Olga tells the BBC.

"The current train service is not fit for purpose and I don't support the train strikes as in order to strike they should at least provide a decent service which they don't - they can't run trains with constant delays and increase train fares and then go on strikes for two weeks in a row, it's just insane", she says.

Image source, .

We've been hearing from Corrinne, who's a commuter on a zero-hours contract and has been constantly affected by the strikes over the last few months.

She says the length of time the strikes have been going on for is causing "accumulated stress and rage".

However, Corrinne also says she supports the right to strike and doesn't "begrudge" the strikers.

The war of words in this latest rail strike continues, with RMT boss Mick Lynch accusing the government of prioritising time off for Christmas over meeting union leaders.

He said ministers have been aware of this week's strike action since 15 December - their last meeting with the unions - "and they've done nothing since that time, over Christmas, enjoying the holidays".

"We were available to meet and they didn't want to meet us. So they've waited until the strikes come to make these noises," Lynch told the PA news agency.

Image source, PA Media

It comes after Transport Secretary Mark Harper did a round of media interviews this morning, calling for Lynch and his RMT colleagues to get off the picket line and around a negotiating table.

"I'll come and meet the transport secretary whenever he wishes to - I could meet him in 20 minutes," Lynch said.

He also appeared to dispel claims made by Network Rail earlier this morning, that a deal with unions was "within touching distance", saying plainly that the most recent offer "wasn't a tangible [one] that we could have gone forward with".

Rail workers in England, Scotland and Wales have begun the first of two planned walkouts this week.

Kate Nowicki is the director of dispute resolution at Acas. She tells 5 Live’s Rachel Burden: “There’s no easy answers with disputes like this, it’s an awful lot of hard work that goes on behind the scenes.”

“I was involved many years ago with the junior doctors' dispute. Getting in the room was the difficult thing, difficult perspectives and different issues at stake,” she says.

“In a lot of public facing disputes, you often have quite strong personalities.

“I have certainly been in situations in the past where things can get a little hot under the collar... but we can bring the temperature down in the room. Cool Heads solve disputes.”

It's a new year, but rail strikes are continuing.

Here's what the major players are saying about prospects of resolving the long-running dispute.

The government

Transport Secretary Mark Harper has urged the RMT union to "get off the picket line and round the negotiating table".

Earlier this morning, he said more negotiations aimed at resolving the impasse between the unions and employers were scheduled for next week.

Network Rail

The chief negotiator for Network Rail - the state-owned company which runs Britain's rail infrastructure - struck a hopeful tone earlier.

A deal was "within touching distance", Tim Shoveller told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Referring to the latest deal that was rejected by the RMT, Shoveller said: "We only need 2,000 people who voted no last time to change their vote and the deal will pass."

RMT union

It's members of the RMT who are on strike today - another union, Aslef, will walk out on Thursday.

RMT boss Mick Lynch has accused the other side of delaying any resolution.

He insisted he was willing and available to negotiate during the Christmas period, but the government has "done nothing" sine he last met the transport secretary on 15 December.

RMT union boss Mick Lynch has been speaking from a picket line at Euston station this morning.

He accuses the government of "blocking" a deal and "doing nothing" to resolve the dispute.

More now from Transport Secretary Mark Harper who has been doing the morning shows.

He's been grilled over the state of negotiations between the government and rail unions.

Harper tells the programme much of what RMT leader Mick Lynch said about the government - that it was "sitting on its hands" - "isn't true".

Asked why he's so much harder on unions than he is on train companies, Harper insists he's harsh on both because he wants to see "good services for passengers".

He says any new pay offer to workers must be "fair" and "balanced" for the taxpayer - there's not a "bottomless pit of taxpayers' money" to work with, he adds.

Pushed on whether he and PM Rishi Sunak would actually allow a higher offer to be put forward, Harper refuses to be drawn, repeating only that any offer must be fair for everyone.

What's your view on today's rail strikes?

Perhaps you've been affected by the disruption, or have a strong view on the strikes themselves - if so, we want to hear from you.

Let us know your thoughts by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

It's the first day back to work for many people - and you'd normally expect to see major railway stations busy at this time of day.

But the strike by 40,000 RMT union members has left some stations in London quiet this morning, as you can see in these snaps.

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, PA Media

Over to Scotland now, where rail passengers are facing another five days of strike disruption during action by Network Rail workers.

The industrial action in England, Scotland and Wales by members of the RMT union takes place on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.

ScotRail said it would not be able to run the vast majority of its trains - instead, it will run services on 12 routes across the central belt, Fife, and the Borders between 07:30 and 18:30 GMT.

These services are:

• Edinburgh Waverley - Glasgow Queen Street via Falkirk High: two trains per hour
• Edinburgh Waverley - Helensburgh Central: two trains per hour
• Glasgow Central - Hamilton/Larkhall: two trains per hour
• Glasgow Central - Lanark: two trains per hour
• Edinburgh Waverley - Glasgow Central via Shotts: one train per hour
• Edinburgh Waverley - Cowdenbeath: two trains per hour
• Edinburgh Waverley - Tweedbank: two trains per hour
• Edinburgh Waverley - North Berwick: one train per hour
• Edinburgh Waverley - Larbert: one train per hour
• Glasgow Queen Street - Larbert: one train per hour
• Glasgow Queen Street - Falkirk Grahamston: one train per hour
• Milngavie - Springburn: two trains per hour

Although there'll be no strike on Thursday, the same limited timetable will be in operation then too.