Train strike to hit major events such as Notting Hill Carnival and Reading and Leeds festivals

Rail services across England will be crippled today because of another strike in the deadlocked dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.

Around 20,000 members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union at 14 train operators are expected to join the walk out.

Trains will start later on Saturday and finish earlier and some areas will have no services, disrupting those travelling to events such as the Notting Hill Carnival in London and the Reading and Leeds Festivals.

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The latest stoppage in the row, now in its second year, comes as no progress has been made with rail operators, which the union says are "hamstrung" by the government refusing to give them a mandate to make a revised pay offer.

The RMT is also planning a strike on 2 September, while members of the drivers' union ASLEF are taking strike action on 1 September, threatening serious disruption.

The rail unions are also involved in a dispute over controversial plans to close railway ticket offices, which has also angered passenger groups and those representing elderly and disabled passengers.

More than 460,000 people have responded to a consultation on the plans and a protest is being held opposite Downing Street on 31 August, a day before the consultation ends.

Government 'not serious about settling dispute'

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: "The government is not serious about settling this dispute which is leading to further disruption for passengers.

"Rail operators are not being given a mandate to make a new offer that we can put to members in a referendum to settle this dispute."

Some train firms have advised people to travel on Saturday only if necessary.

A Rail Delivery Group spokesperson said: "The industry will be working hard to keep as many services running as possible.

"There is no question the strikes called by the RMT and ASLEF leaderships are deliberately designed to target passengers who want to enjoy various sporting events and festivals during the bank holiday, and at the end of the summer holidays, disrupting their plans, hurting local economies and forcing more cars on to the road."

Full list of train companies affected by strike:

• Avanti West Coast - It plans to run four trains per hour to and from London Euston with one to Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and Preston respectively.

  There will be no service to and from North Wales, Shrewsbury, Blackpool North, Stoke-on-Trent and Edinburgh.

• c2c - The company says services will not be massively impacted but urges customers to check before travelling.

• Chiltern Railways - A limited timetable will operate with one train per hour between London Marylebone and Banbury, Oxford and Aylesbury respectively. No services will operate north of Banbury and no trains will call at Wembley Stadium, Northolt Park, South Ruislip, Warwick, Warwick Parkway, Hatton or Lapworth all day.

• CrossCountry - First trains will run later and terminate earlier than usual with no service between Nottingham and Cardiff Central via Birmingham New Street.

• East Midlands Railway - Largely one train per hour between destinations, including between Nottingham and Sheffield to London St Pancras.

• Gatwick Express - The usual non-stop service between London Victoria, Gatwick Airport and Brighton will not operate.

• Great Northern - A limited service across the network, with later starts and earlier finishes, while some stations won't have any services all day.

• Great Western Railway - Very limited services to and from destinations, with journeys to be completed by 6.30pm.

• Greater Anglia - Most routes will have a near regular service, with selected routes affected.

• Heathrow Express - It will operate a normal service until around 8.40pm. .

• London Northwestern Railway - A limited service will operate between 7am to 7pm.

• LNER - Trains will run but with a reduced timetable to key stations.

• Northern - A very limited train service between 8am and 5pm from Liverpool to Manchester Airport, Leeds to multiple destinations and from Darlington to Saltburn.

• South Western Railway - Large parts of the network will be closed and trains will run only between 7am and 7pm.

• Southeastern - No services to London Bridge but this is because of planned engineering work.

• Southern - A limited service across the network, with later starts and earlier finishes, while some stations won't have any services all day.

• Stansted Express - Most routes will have a near normal service, with selected routes impacted.

• Thameslink - A limited service across the network, with later starts and earlier finishes, while some stations won't have any services all day.

• TransPennine Express - A heavily reduced service will operate between Manchester Piccadilly to Scarborough, Preston to Manchester Airport, and Sheffield to Cleethorpes.

• West Midlands Railway - A limited service will operate selected routes, between 7am and 7pm.

RMT 'cynically targeting bank holiday weekend'

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "The government has played its part to try and end these disputes by facilitating fair and reasonable pay offers, but union leaders refuse to allow their members to vote on them.

"By cynically targeting the bank holiday weekend, and driving more passengers away from train travel when our railways are already losing £10m a day even without industrial action, the RMT's strikes are damaging its own industry's future."