Southern rail warns against travel as strikes court challenge fails

Southern Railway strikes are set to cause pre-Christmas chaos this week as 500,000 passengers are left unable to travel.

The walkout will be worst yet to affect the train franchise, with all services halted.

Commuters have already faced months of disruption because of industrial action, staff shortages and other problems - and many have said their bosses are getting fed up of staff struggling to get to work.

And on Monday, Southern lost its appeal against a judge's refusal to grant an injunction blocking the strikes.

Charles Horton, Chief Executive of Govia Thameslink Railway, said: "We had a responsibility to the travelling public to do what we could to stop this unprecedented strike action.

"Regrettably, there will be no train services for passengers tomorrow, Wednesday and Friday.

"This is wholly unjustified and unnecessary industrial action. The widespread use of drivers operating trains is perfectly safe both in Southern and elsewhere in the UK where a third of trains operate this way every day."

Southern asked passengers not to travel, even before the decision, because it would have been too late to get trains and drivers in the correct position and any services it could run would be extremely limited.

The walkout by members of the Aslef and RMT unions is planned for Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday this week, followed by a week of strikes starting on 9 January.

Aslef is opposed to driver-only trains, while the RMT is in a dispute over the role of conductors.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd said the disruption is causing misery for people using services from Surrey, Kent, Sussex and south London.

Ms Rudd, whose Hastings and Rye constituency is among the areas affected, said: "It is totally unacceptable that our local area and communities will suffer further strikes over driver-only operated trains when they already run safely across much of the UK network, and when current staff will take home the same pay following the changes proposed by the train company.

"Southern's plans, opposed by the unions, will lead to better journeys for passengers. I call on both sides to come together and bring an end to this miserable period of strikes and industrial action suffered by our constituents."

Southern has been branded "a total joke" and a "shoddy" company by angry commuters.

Some have said they never see their children during the week because they cannot get home in time.

One man wrote on Twitter: "My friend resigned from his job in London as he couldn't cope with the stress of traveling with Southern Rail."

A police officer who did not want to be named also told of how he has to stay in the capital, away from his disabled son, because of the service.

Charles Horton, chief executive of Govia Thameslink Railway, which runs the Southern franchise, said: "Our passengers have suffered months of travel misery and we call again on the unions to call off their action and work with us to find a resolution to their dispute."