South West rail strike: Stations 'deserted' as strike impact hits

Deserted St Austell railway station on the first of three days of strikes

Passengers in the South West have been heavily impacted by the rail strike, with no services in Cornwall and a threadbare service in Devon.

James Davis, from Great Western Railway (GWR), said there would be "no trains west of Plymouth on strike days".

On non-strike days "significantly reduced services" are expected.

Tamsin Melville, BBC Radio Cornwall politics reporter, said St Austell railway station in Cornwall was "like tumbleweed".

Network Rail workers and those employed by 13 train operators are on strike for three days starting on Tuesday.

The RMT union is striking over what it calls "an aggressive agenda" of cuts to jobs, conditions, pay and pensions.

Mr Davis, from GWR, said: "In Devon and Cornwall we are more reliant on Network Rail signallers to be able to move trains, which is why Devon and Cornwall are more adversely affected than other parts of our network.

"We are unable to operate trains west of Plymouth because of the signalling infrastructure across the county.

"It is unfortunate, clearly we are not doing what we want to do.

"Services will be back tomorrow with a limited service throughout Cornwall but clearly today we are having to ask passengers to seek an alternative means of transport."

The strike action would affect services throughout the week, he said.

'Completely deserted'

Tamsin Melville said St Austell railway station in Cornwall was "like tumbleweed".

"I'm on the platform which is completely deserted," she said.

"This is a train and bus hub and there is more activity among the buses but there aren't any extra buses being laid on for rail passengers."

Alanna Wills: "I support what they stand for but it's affecting the wrong people at the moment"

One would-be passenger, Andrew, turned up to the station expecting trains.

"I thought the strike was all in London," he said.

But he said he supported the strike, adding: "I think they need to do what they need to do."

Alanna Wills, from the Buffers Coffee Shop at St Austell railway station, said: "We are having to close early and not open at all on Saturday.

"I support what they stand for but it's affecting the wrong people at the moment."

Brian Hughes and Ann Steven travelled by coach instead of by train to Plymouth on Tuesday

Ann Steven, who was among travellers in Plymouth who opted to go by coach instead of train, said: "Everybody is struggling at the moment and the problem with this is that now the teachers are talking about coming out and others are talking about striking.

"At the end of the day people are not going to get the massive increases they are looking for."

Coach driver Colin said: "As a worker they need the money, but I don't agree with strikes. There must be other ways round it.

"As a public service, all you are doing is penalising the public."

The Sidmouth Literary Festival in Devon, which was due to start on Wednesday, has been rescheduled because of the strikes.

William Rowland had to travel for an extra hour to reach his volunteer work by bus

William Rowland from west Cornwall said he had been delayed getting to his wildlife volunteer work.

"I had to get the bus from Hayle to Truro - if I had got the train it would have been an hour quicker," he said.

"I'm not in a particular rush but now I've got to get a bus to somewhere else, so it's quite a lot of bus travelling."

He added: "People have got to have rights. We should be allowed to be able to protest."

Maddie, 16, said she had "a lot of hassle getting back home" after her shift working at a supermarket.

She had to catch a bus from Camborne to Truro which she said took her "an hour and a half longer than usual".