South Western Railway warns of decimated strike services

South Western Railway urged people not to travel on Friday and Saturday

A rail operator has warned it will close most of its network during a strike by train drivers on Friday.

South Western Railway (SWR) said it would offer an "extremely limited service" during the national walkout by members of the ASLEF union.

No trains will run west of Basingstoke or south of Guildford and there will be no service between London and Reading.

SWR said a separate strike by the RMT union on Saturday would also see large parts of the network closed.

It warned customers to avoid travelling on either day.

Chief operating officer Stuart Meek said: "This is the first time our network has been subject to full strike action by members of the ASLEF union.

"Friday 1 September will be different to previous days of strike action with a lot fewer trains running and with the majority of the network closed.

"The few services we will be running are likely to be extremely busy and we may have to use queuing systems and crowd control measures."

The ASLEF strike, involving almost all train drivers, affects 14 train operators.

Previous days of ASLEF strike action were limited to depot drivers who bring trains in and out of service, SWR said.

Saturday's RMT strike, by guards, station staff and other rail workers, will also see a "significantly reduced service", SWR warned.

No trains will run west of Salisbury and Southampton, south of Guildford or between Waterloo and Reading.