Leona Smart
BBC Radio Berkshire

Trains are running anything between three to 10 minutes late at the moment at Reading.

First Great Western has said it expects 90% of services in Reading to run as normal.

Samantha McGregor
BBC News Online

Here's RMT union rep for platforms Tony Hall on the picket line at Oxford station handing out leaflets.

There are two picket lines at the station, with all RMT members told not to speak to the media.

The strikes on the London Underground and on First Great Western services have sparked a fierce debate of the legitimacy of industrial action:

• Susan Hall tweets, external: Tube strike will do nothing but hurt hard working commuters who often earn less than the train workers-disgraceful!

• Michael Beach tweets, external: 50k starting salary for drivers. Nurses and Firefighters 25k. @RMTunion You should be ashamed of yourselves. #tfl #tubestrike

• Andy Anderson ‏tweets, external: @RMTunion I'm with @FGW on this one: please, let them give your members jobs that are useful in the 2010's, not the 1970's. #FGWStrike

• Chris Webb supports the strike on Twitter:, external Good luck to all the @FGW staff down in #Plymouth who are taking strike action today. They are protecting OUR service #railstrike

Neil Gallacher
Correspondent, BBC South West

This beautiful scene is the Calstock viaduct in south east Cornwall, but it's been more peaceful than usual this morning.

There's been no sign of the morning peak train towards Plymouth - it's only a branch line service but in rural areas like this one, it's a popular and important service for commuters.

Beckie Tomlin grumbles on Twitter, external: Good 50 minute walk before a 12 hour shift. Thanks @TfL #tube #strike

Image source, Beckie Tomlin

You're letting people know what's happening on the trains and the Tube on social media:

• Anastasia Yankevich tweets, external: It's only 6 am and the traffic is getting crazy already. People, if you are travelling today, better walk! #tubestrikes

• Wendy Hurrell ‏jokes on Twitter, external: Lovely day for walking.... #tubestrikes

• Craig ‏tweets, external: Off to London on a day of a strike on the train and the tube. Got to drive 40 miles to a non @FGW line to start the journey. Marvellous

• Samia Khan is happy, tweeting, external: Empty train, on time and efficient service this morning by @FGW into London despite #tubestrikes #gotaseatforonce #london

• Katie ‏jokes on Twitter, external: I hope @fgw's long-suffering social media team get to strike today too.

Leona Smart
BBC Radio Berkshire

#FGWstrike action underway at Reading station this morning- but trains are running ok at the moment @BBCBerkshire, external

Earlier we shared this lovely photo of Maidenhead station at 06:00 taken by Tabitha Brady - she called her early start: "Operation 'somehow get to work by leaving super early'."

Image source, Tabitha Brady

Tabitha now tweets, external: train arrived into PAD on time. Now in cab on way to Fenchurch Street. Roads are VERY busy already

First Great Western boss Mark Hopwood has written an open letter to customers, external about the dispute saying the new trains would have more staff, not fewer.

He said staff's "existing pay and conditions [would be protected]" and there would be "no compulsory redundancies for station and customer service staff".

"There will, however, be an impact on some of our engineering depots when maintenance work on the new trains transfers to the train provider as part of their contract procured by government," he said.

First Great Western said the firm would "offer a voluntary redundancy scheme".

Debbie McCrory
BBC Radio Cornwall

The First Great Western service from St Austell to London looked very busy when it pulled out the station this morning - yet strangely the car park was completely deserted.

The FGW man on duty told me he only sold one ticket at the gate today - a £199 first class ticket to London Paddington.

For detailed information on which services are running and which ones are not, visit First Great Western's strike page on its website, external.

Image source, FGW

We've been monitoring your tweets to get an idea of what's happening on the platforms and car parks during the First Great Western rail strike.

It seems people are using the hashtags #railstrike and #FGWstrike

Commute Club tweets, external: It's quieter than usual but I wouldn't know there was a #strike. Better than normal service from #fgw, train was actually on time.

Paul Jenner
BBC Radio Oxford

I'm live at Oxford Station as a 48-hour rail strike gets underway. Get the latest updates at www.bbc.co.uk/oxford and 95.2FM BBC Radio Oxford

David Bailey
BBC News

I'm reporting live for BBC Radio Gloucestershire from train stations in the county this morning - this is Stroud.

The first London-bound train of the day has just departed only a couple of minutes late. It seemed busier than normal - about 35 people got on.

I spoke to one man who said he would normally get the 08:05 but chose to get the early one to guarantee he could get to London as only a few other services are advertised as running.

The dispute centres on union fears that guards and buffet cars will be axed on First Great Western's new Hitachi Inter City Express trains.

Image source, RMT

Mick Cash, RMT general secretary, external, said: "The company still feel that the configuration of the new super express trains is out of their control and that it would be in their best interests to have 'driver-only' operations and to remove the buffet cars.

"That position is totally unacceptable and the union is clear that the design of the new fleet of trains is a matter for First Group and that there is still time to modify the rolling stock."

First Great Western (FGW) has given this guidance on refunds, external for those who are unable to travel, or choose not to, between Thursday and Saturday because of the strike.

• Customers who bought tickets from a FGW station or ticket machine, and have them in their possession but were unable to travel, can take them back to their point of purchase

• If tickets were not purchased via a FGW outlet please refer back to the original point of purchase

• If purchased via telephone or online you will need to post your tickets to FGW along with a refund form

Debbie McCrory
BBC Radio Cornwall

The BBC's local radio and TV reporters are out and about this morning to report on the First Great Western rail strike. Finding people to talk to is not easy though.

This was the train station car park at St Austell in Cornwall this morning.

The strike has reduced services from London to Bristol with only one train an hour running from the capital.

Services to Bristol Temple Meads will extend to Weston-super-Mare and Taunton during peak hours.

If you are travelling to and from Bristol Parkway, in the north of the city, this will also operate a limited peak service.

We're asking you to let us know how your train journey goes this morning. It looks like some people are determined to get to work!

Young Commuter tweets, external: It's time. Let's do this thing #FGWStrike

James Vertigan tweets, external: Time to do battle with the #TubeStrike and #FGWstrike - at least my FGW train is running!

In Hampshire, there are no First Great Western Services at all.

Image source, FGW

But there are other operators, including South West Trains, that are running normal timetables.