Southern Rail strikes: Commuters face more travel disruption even though strike has ended

Commuters using Southern Rail services are facing disruption despite the fact there is no strike on Thursday.

The beleaguered operator ran no services at all on Tuesday and Wednesday due to industrial action, forcing tens of thousands of people to find alternative transport into work or stay at home.

A “reduced service” was in operation across the Southern Rail network on Thursday morning, with commuters warned to check train timetables online before setting off.

Southern said: “A reduced service will operate across the network with no service on some routes due to the ongoing overtime ban and disruption caused by the strikes on 14th & 16th December.”

The RMT union’s strike in the ongoing dispute over the role of guards on trains will take place again tomorrow (Friday), with no Southern services on any route.

Frustrated workers have already taken to Twitter this morning to bombard the Southern Rail Twitter account with questions about which services are running into London.

Staff are still working to an overtime ban organised by the union Aslef while trains were not in the right locations in time for the morning rush hour, a Southern spokesman warned yesterday.

It comes after two days of travel chaos affecting an estimated 300,00o commuters

Wimbledon station suffered in particular with huge crowds stuck at the station as they tried to board South West Trains and Tramlink services home during the evening rush hours.

Pictures of Waterloo station also showed the concourse fit to burst with commuters during rush hour.