South Western Railway strikes: Staff to walk out from Friday to Monday

SWR says it will run around half of its usual timetable

South Western Railway staff are set to strike for four days from Friday (istock)

South Western Railway (SWR) staff will walk out from Friday to Monday in an ongoing row over the role of guards on trains.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) confirmed that its members who work for SWR would strike from 00.01 on Friday 30 August until 23.59 hours on Monday 2 September.

Striking staff include SWR guards, commercial guards and drivers.

South Western Railway runs trains from London Waterloo – the UK’s busiest rail station – to destinations in Surrey, Berkshire and Hampshire.

RMT wants SWR to safeguard the role of guards on trains.

There have been previous waves of walkouts earlier this year, including during the busy Royal Ascot period when a 16-seater minibus turned up to replace a 10-carriage train.

“Our members have been left with no choice but to go ahead with a further four days of strike action on South Western Railway from Friday,” said RMT general secretary Mick Cash.

“They are angry and frustrated that SWR have kicked talks into the long grass and failed to bolt down an agreement that will guarantee the role of the guard on the train.”

“We have spent most of this year trying to negotiate a conclusion to this dispute.”

A spokesperson for South Western Railway said: “During strike action, while services are likely be busier than usual, we will do everything we can to keep customers moving. We will be running just over half our normal timetabled service over the course of the four days and have rail replacement services and ticket acceptance in place on other transport providers wherever possible.

“We will also look for opportunities to introduce extra services each day to help keep our customers moving so recommend checking the SWR app for the latest travel information.”