South Western Railway strike: Dates, times and all you need to know about the eight-day walk-out

Long-suffering South Western Railway passengers are set to endure more chaos as unions confirmed a further eight days of industrial action.

The walk-out is due to cripple some of the country’s busiest rail routes from Thursday onwards.

The RMT Union said it would still go ahead as planned, as they battle out a continued row over train guards.

Here is all the information you need:

When are the strikes taking place?

RMT members will walk out on eight dates from July 26 to the beginning of September.

They will take place between 0.01am and 11.59pm on the following dates:

• Thursday 26th July

• Saturday 28th July

• Tuesday 31st July

• Saturday 4th August

• Saturday 11th August

• Saturday 18th August

• Friday 31st August - Saturday 1st September (48 hour strike)

Which lines will they affect?

The strike is due to go ahead across the SWR network.

For Londoners, these mainly affect routes going in and out of London Waterloo – the busiest station in the capital.

Victoria, Clapham Junction, Wimbledon and Richmond are also among those likely to be affected.

Why are they happening?

The strikes are part of an ongoing dispute over the role of guards on trains – which has also impacted several other rail lines.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: "RMT is making a very simple request of South Western Railway - that they take note of what is going on elsewhere in the rail industry and come forward with serious proposals that give a cast-iron guarantee of guards on their services and a halt to the rolling out of driver-only operation.

"It is RMT's firm belief that a deal can be done and an agreement reached like we have with other train operating companies, but that requires a responsible and serious attitude from SWR towards this dispute which is all about safe and accessible railways for all, underpinned by the guard guarantee we have successfully negotiated in Wales, Scotland and other parts of England."

What are SWR saying?

The rail company said it was “disappointed” with the decision.

An SWR spokesman said: "We have been engaged in ongoing talks with the RMT and are surprised and disappointed that it has decided to call further strikes, especially at a time when families want to be out and about enjoying the summer holidays.

"We will continue to seek a resolution and work hard to minimise any disruption to our customers."

Advice to customers:

Anyone hoping to use SWR during this time is advised to check before they travel.

The rail operator has not yet announced how often trains are due to be running.

“We will do everything we can to minimise the effect of these strikes,” the website states.

“More information on train services during these strikes will appear on our website in due course.”