Despite a number of alterations to Greater Anglia services announced already this morning, the train company has said they still intend to run a "full service".

Richard Dean, Greater Anglia delivery director, told us: "I'd like to assure passengers we will be running a full service on the days the RMT has announced strike action.

"60% of our trains already operate with a driver-only on them.

"The rest of them [train services] we've trained up a significant number of back-office staff to take up the role of conductor on those trains, so the full service will operate."

Ipswich Station is one of those where the RMT has set up a picket line:

Members of the RMT have set up picket lines in Ipswich and Norwich:

Train crew "unavailability" is affecting three additional Greater Anglia services:

Members of the RMT prepare to set up their picket line at Norwich Station:

RMT members on the picket line at Colchester North railway station.

Check before you travel , external- there have been two alterations to the Greater Anglia service:

It's not just the rail provider Greater Anglia where members of the RMT are taking industrial action.

RMT members at Merseyrail, Arriva Rail North and Southern are also on strike today, with further action planned for Thursday.

The union says pickets will be out in force, taking the message to the public that axing of guards is part of a "co-ordinated strategy" driven by the government.

Merseyrail, external says most services will run between 07:00 and 19:00 with a break during the middle of the day, and some stations will be closed.

Arriva Rail North aims to run around 1,200 services across the North, 46% of its normal timetable, on both days between 07:00 and 19:00.

Southern, external said there will be a normal service on most of its routes, with its passenger services director Angie Doll saying: "The RMT is striking about changes we made almost a year ago as part of our modernisation programme.

"Nobody has lost their job over this, in fact we employ more on-board staff to help passengers than we did before, and we are providing a better service with fewer cancelled trains."

RMT members on South Western Railway, external are also voting on whether to strike over the role of guards.

It was back on 12 September the RMT railway workers' union revealed drivers and guards had voted for strike action in response to a dispute with Greater Anglia over the role of guards and driver-only trains.

Currently it's the conductors' job to open train doors on some trains, but Greater Anglia wants drivers to do it.

The trade union says it's a safety risk and could lead to job losses.

Greater Anglia says new technology makes it safe and jobs won't be lost.

Three quarters of drivers took part in the ballot, voting 2:1 to walk out.

Greater Anglia said it wanted to resolve issues and avert the action.

Image source, Greater Anglia

Greater Anglia has 222 conductors, as well as seven conductor managers, and it says it is planning to keep all of them, as well as recruit more conductors as they get more trains, as well as new rolling stock.

The train company says the new trains will be built with technology enabling drivers to open and close doors, adding that on 60% of services, mainly commuter trains in Essex and Cambridge to London, there is already no conductor and the driver has opened and closed the doors for over 20 years.

Conductors will then concentrate on their customer service role, but continue to be trained in safety so that in an emergency they will be able to evacuate a train and lead passengers down the track safely.

Greater Anglia says it has conductors on about 40% of its services:

• Norwich to London Intercity
• Norwich to Sheringham, Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft
• Ipswich to Felixstowe and Lowestoft
• Norwich and Ipswich to Cambridge
• Sudbury to Marks Tey
• Clacton to Colchester
• Harwich to Colchester

It also has conductors on a small number of peak-time services on two otherwise driver-only operated routes - the Witham to Braintree and Wickford to Southminster lines in Essex.

Conductors help customers on and off the train, giving travel advice, and checking and selling tickets.

They also currently close train doors (and also open them on Intercity services), says Greater Anglia.

We've just seen these two cancellations on the Braintree/Liverpool Street service, Greater Anglia says they're due to a fault on the train, not to today's industrial action by the RMT.

The Rail Union RMT confirmed, external on 28 September that its members on Greater Anglia are striking because of "the potential extension of Driver Only Operation, and the clear threat to passenger safety, following the company's continuing refusal to give a guarantee on the role of the guard throughout the length of the franchise".

In addition to the 24-hour strike actions already called for today and Thursday, Greater Anglia conductor and senior conductor members have been instructed not to undertake any overtime or rest day working between 00:01 on Tuesday, 10 October until 23:59 hours on Monday, 6 November 2017.

Image source, AP

RMT general secretary Mick Cash (pictured) said: "It is the wholesale failure of Greater Anglia to address our members' concerns over safety that has left us with no option but to escalate our programme of industrial action.

"Greater Anglia have been given every opportunity to give a guarantee on the future role of the guard on their services.

"They have failed to do so and that left us with no alternative but to move to a ballot in the interests of rail safety.

"This dispute is about guaranteeing the safety of the travelling public pure and simple.

"Our members voted by massive majorities for both strike action and action short of a strike, but the company have ignored that and have failed to seize the opportunity to give us the very simple assurances on the future of the guards, and the guarantee of a second safety-critical member of staff on current services.

"That failure leaves us no option but to move to strike action."

Train conductors working for Greater Anglia are taking strike action due to fears over safety.

It's running from midnight this morning and will end at midnight tonight.

Philippa Taylor
BBC Local Live

Members of the RMT union, external at Greater Anglia are walking out for 24 hours today, and on Thursday, in disputes over staffing and driver-only trains.

The RMT says several hundred staff are expected to take part in the industrial action, and there will be picket lines at Norwich, Colchester and Cambridge.

Greater Anglia says it has been training backroom staff for several months so they can fill in for conductors, and that it is planning to run a full service today.

We'll be bring you regular updates on the situation in your county but we'd love to hear from you too, particularly if your journey has been disrupted, or if you have strong feelings on the subject.

You can contact us via the "Get involved" link at the top of this page.