Live updates have now ended
Updates on Tuesday 13 December 2016
A long-running dispute over the role of conductors on the Southern rail network has resulted in a series of strikes. Just how bad have the operator's commuter services become?
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Stuart Maisner
BBC Live reporter
That's all from our Southern strike live page for today. We're back at 06:00 GMT with all the latest on day two of the strike, plus the Acas talks.
You can get in touch on Twitter, external, on Facebook, external or by sending us an email, with your stories and views of the strike.
Cori Burns, who uses a mobility scooter, has recorded a video of her train journey from Hastings to Euston during a Southern rail strike.
Read MoreJacqui writes:
Quote MessageI have endured months of struggling to and from London to work as a violinist, frequently twice a day. I have had to cancel lessons and the annual Christmas Concert for my students because I cannot practically travel to Caterham, my home.
Quote MessageI am out of energy and my mental reserves are exhausted. I don't care who is 'right' or 'wrong' here. All the factions need to talk and stop trying to shirk responsibility.
Conservative MP and Aslef's Mick Whelan on the strikes affecting Southern Rail services as union members walked out for 48 hours at midnight, with a further 24-hour strike set for Friday.
The general secretary of the train drivers' union said the dispute was not about money but "purely about safety" while the MP, whose Sussex seat is served by Southern said "if these trains were unsafe, they wouldn't be allowed to be run".
They spoke to Daily Politics presenter Jo Coburn, and guest Margaret Beckett, about the ongoing disruption to services between London Victoria station and the southern counties of England.
Four Southern Rail passengers video blog their mornings during the strike action.
Read MoreStuart Maisner
BBC Live reporter
What impact will the latest Southern strike have on services and passengers?
Gerry writes:
Quote MessageIt's not just the poor long-suffering rail commuters being affected by this dispute. Strike days mean that rail users are taking to their cars in order to get to work.
Quote MessageMy usual drive to work is 45 minutes. This morning, despite leaving earlier, my journey took two hours. The already congested roads are being severely affected as a result of this rail chaos.
Holly writes:
Quote MessageI have been commuting since July of this year with Southern. Since I started I have not experienced a month without strikes. But the strikes every week throughout December are what has made this situation unbearable. It's got to the point where I am considering job opportunities elsewhere.
Quote MessageEach day I arrive late for work and have to apologise again for my tardiness. I cannot afford to move to London where I work.
Dan writes:
Quote MessageI actually want to thank both Southern and the RMT/ASLEF. I live in East Dulwich. We have enjoyed as many as six services per hour during rush hour since we moved in 2000. Now we might as well have none it's so unpredictable.
Quote MessageInstead I've bought a folding bike and it's fantastic. I can no get into town reliably and I'm never late back for childcare handover. I'm fitter than I've ever been, I've lost weight and I feel I know London better. I'm just happier.
Quote MessageSo, I've turned my back on Southern, I think permanently. Still, the good news for Southern and the unions is that every single one of their other potential customers relies on them 100% so they can carry on messing around like this and they'll all come back to them when they've finished their fun and games.
Rail bosses and union chiefs agree to hold talks in a bid to resolve the long-running Southern rail dispute.
Read MoreHere's a helpful graphic to show when the Southern strikes are taking place over the next month.
Richard Westcott
Transport correspondent
In a nutshell, the Southern strike is about safety, jobs and politics.
On safety, Southern wants to bring in something called driver-only-operated (DOO) trains where the driver, rather than the conductor, opens and closes the doors. Unions say the on-board conductor/guard has a much better view of the doors and can stop people getting trapped.
Southern has guaranteed that no-one will lose their job, or take a pay cut. The second person will now be free to help passengers, they say.
Then there’s the politics. Ministers are paying Southern's parent company, GTR, to run services, while the government collects the fare money. So the cost of all the strikes and disruption is picked up by the government, not the train firm.
Image source, PAWhatever happens here will be reflected in future franchises as they take delivery of new driver-only operated trains.
Right now, I really can't see how this dispute will end. No-one's budging on the critical issue. No-one's even talking.
Rail bosses have agreed to hold formal talks with unions in a bid to resolve the ongoing Southern rail dispute. But how have rail strikes in the past ended?
Read MoreUnions insist the Southern strike is just about safety but there are wider issues at stake for them and the government over the future of the UK's railways.
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Bob Dale
BBC Live reporter
One MP, whose constituency includes thousands of commuters, believes the strike is politically motivated.
Kathryn Langley
BBC Live reporter
Ray Chapman put his house on the market so he could move nearer work but as he explains, it's not quite gone to plan.
Four Southern Rail passengers video blog their mornings during the strike action.
Four Southern Rail passengers video blog their mornings during the strike action.
Read MoreKathryn Langley
BBC Live reporter
This commuter at London Bridge places the blame for the strikes squarely at Southern's door.
Kathryn Langley
BBC Live reporter
Image source, Labour PartyThe Labour MP for Hove and Portslade has spoken of his "despair" after thousands of people were left stranded during the latest Southern strikes.
In an extended Facebook post, external Peter Kyle says he's "boiling with fury" at the situation.
Quote MessageI feel heartbroken for passengers affected. Each week I read many hundreds of messages and speak directly to dozens of people affected. I've spoken to people who have lost their jobs or given up their jobs, and who's businesses have suffered. I've heard from people who are on medication due to the distress of travelling on overcrowded and late running trains, and I've spoken to a man who was traumatised by the sight of another passenger having a breakdown by a platform edge. And then there's the anger, raw and unmitigated, of people being treated in utterly inhumane ways by an uncaring, unapologetic, and inaccessible rail network.
Quote MessagePlease believe me when I say how sorry I am that you have to endure this, I am doing everything I can and I won't give up."
Peter Kyle MP, (Lab) Hove and Portslade