Rail strike: Latest updates

Summary

First Great Western (FGW) operating revised timetable with limited capacity
Workers from RMT union into second day of 48-hour strike
A 24-hour stoppage on London Underground ended on Thursday night
FGW dispute centres on row over new trains

Live Reporting

Matt Pengelly, Andrew Humphrey and Chris Ellis

Rail strike: Ashes cricket advicepublished at 07:59 British Summer Time 10 July 2015
Matt Pengelly
Local Live
Thousands of people are expected to flood into Cardiff today for day three of the Ashes cricket - but are being warned train services at the close of play will be "extremely busy".
Image source, Getty Images
The First Great Western website, external says: "The 07:15 and 08:15 services from London Paddington to Cardiff will arrive in time for the 11:00am start on Friday.
"There are limited services returning from Cardiff to Bristol Parkway and London Paddington following the cricket (17:55 and 19:25). These services will be extremely busy so we recommend customers make alternative travel arrangements where possible."
Cornbury Festival travel advicepublished at 07:50 British Summer Time 10 July 2015
Matt Pengelly
Local Live
First Great Western, external is warning people heading to the Cornbury Music Festival to prepare for limited train services, external.
Thousands of people are expected for the start of the three-day event, external, which is headlined by Tom Jones, at The Great Tew Park in Oxfordshire.
There will be shuttle buses in operation between the festival site and Banbury and Charlbury stations.
Train strike: Cricket fan travels in comfortpublished at 07:42 British Summer Time 10 July 2015
Mahesh Patel is travelling to watch the third day of the Ashes cricket in Cardiff in some comfort, it seems.
He tweets, external: The strike is good for my pork pies - don't think I've ever seen a morning train this quiet ever #Ashes #fgwstrike
Image source, Mahesh Patel
Why are train workers on strike?published at 07:33 British Summer Time 10 July 2015
Chris Ellis
BBC News Online
It's worth reminding ourselves that the 48-hour strike by some First Great Western staff, which ends at 18:30, is over union fears that guards and buffet cars will be axed on the firm's new Hitachi Inter City Express trains.
The first Hitachi trains will run on the Great Western main line from 2017 and the East Coast main line from 2018.
They are being introduced under the Intercity Express Programme (IEP), external on routes between London Paddington and Oxford, Bristol and South Wales.
Comments from last nightpublished at 07:24 British Summer Time 10 July 2015
It seems many commuters on their way home last night turned to Twitter to post their views.
Suzi Richer tweeted, external: Hugely appreciating the managers @FGW, external running the trains between Cardiff and Paddington today - you're doing a fab job! #trainstrike
Alexander Blakey was less content, tweeting, external: #fgwstrike day 1, evening update. Train air con belting out heat on last carriage of 16:42 Paddington to Reading. How nice @fgw..
Tube back to normalpublished at 07:15 British Summer Time 10 July 2015
The London Underground is back to normal after yesterday's Tube strike - Transport for London tweets, external: A good service is operating on all Tube lines this morning following yesterday's #tubestrike. Thank you for your patience yesterday.
Train strike row escalatespublished at 07:06 British Summer Time 10 July 2015
Chris Ellis
BBC News Online
The rhetoric between the RMT union and First Great Western was ramped up yesterday when the union said some services running during the strike were "dangerously overcrowded and being operated by inadequately trained managers".
But the train firm disputed the claims, saying safety was its top priority and a service would not run without the correct number of trained employees.
Tourist destinations hit by rail strikepublished at 06:56 British Summer Time 10 July 2015
Chris Ellis
BBC News Online
First Great Western (FGW) branchline services to Newquay, Falmouth, Gunnislake, Looe and Weymouth are among those affected by the rail strike.
Image source, Rachel Wyatt
FGW posted the following updates on its website, external last night:
- Between Exeter and Exmouth: Every two hours
- Between Exeter and Paignton: Every two hours
- Between Barnstaple and Exeter: One per peak
- Between Liskeard & Looe: Service 'significantly affected'
- Between St Erth and St Ives: Limited service
Tube strike comes to an endpublished at 06:46 British Summer Time 10 July 2015
BBC London News
There's some good news for commuters today with Tube services resuming following a 24-hour shutdown of the entire London Underground network on Thursday.
Image source, Kenneth Conway
The capital was plunged into travel chaos, with a marked increase in commuters using Overground, bus and boat services.
Transport for London (TfL) said a "good service" was expected this morning - the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union congratulated members who had participated in the action over pay and night services.
Train firm's 'commitments to staff'published at 06:41 British Summer Time 10 July 2015
First Great Western tweets, external: Some have asked what we're doing to resolve the dispute with the RMT. Here are the commitments, external we've given staff.
Follow strike action travel updatespublished at 06:36 British Summer Time 10 July 2015
Find out which services are disrupted today by following First Great Western's Twitter feed, external or visiting its website, external.
Image source, @fgw
Second day of actionpublished at 06:28 British Summer Time 10 July 2015
It's a second day of strike action for RMT staff working for First Great Western.
The firm is expecting to run a similar service to Thursday with London-bound services from Cardiff, Bristol and Swindon expected to run every hour.
But branch lines in Cheltenham, Looe in Cornwall, from Bristol to Weymouth, to Newquay and to Gunnislake are expected to be severely reduced or cancelled.