Strikes will mean that part of Britain’s rail network will be closed this week, passengers have been warned.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) will walk out at 14 train companies on March 16, 18, 30 and April 1.

The Rail Delivery Group (RDG), which represents train operators, expects there to be 40-50% of services running on the strike days but it said there will be “wide variations”, with some areas having no trains available.

Operators that are affected will only run services from around 7.30am until 6.30pm.

Disruption to services will also occur during the nights before and mornings after each strike date.

The RDG is frustrated that the RMT has refused to put its latest offer to a vote for its members.

This offer aimed at resolving the long-running dispute over jobs, pay and conditions.

After receiving a new offer, the RMT called off a strike in a separate dispute at Network Rail planned for March 16.

The union has been engaged in national rail strikes since June last year, frequently disrupting services.

Which train companies will be affected by the strikes?

The train firms that will see members of the RMT walk out on the above dates are those contracted by the Department for Transport, The Independent reports.

This includes the following operators which will be affected by the strikes, according to The Independent:

  • Avanti West Coast
  • CrossCountry
  • East Midlands Railway
  • Great Western Railway
  • LNER
  • TransPennine Express
  • c2c
  • Greater Anglia
  • GTR (Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Southern, Thameslink)
  • Southeastern
  • South Western Railway
  • Chiltern Railways
  • Northern Trains
  • West Midlands Trains

Swindon Advertiser: A statue of Isambard Kingdom Brunel sits on an empty platform at Paddington railway stationA statue of Isambard Kingdom Brunel sits on an empty platform at Paddington railway station (Image: Peter Clifton/PA)

Which operators will offer usual services?

The Independent has outlined the train operators that will run a normal service during the strikes, these are:

  • Caledonian Sleeper
  • Grand Central
  • Heathrow Express
  • Hull Trains
  • London Overground
  • Lumo
  • Merseyrail
  • ScotRail
  • Transport for Wales

Having said this, passengers will need to be aware that trains run by these companies could be more crowded than usual as other services are reduced with staff striking, including London-York-Newcastle-Edinburgh and Swansea-Cardiff-Newport, The Independent reports.

Passengers advised to check trains before travelling

Steve Montgomery, who chairs the RDG, said: “This latest round of strikes will be a further inconvenience to our customers, who have already experienced months of disruption, and cost our people even more money at a time they can least afford it.

“They will also be asking why the RMT leadership blocked the chance to resolve this dispute by refusing to give their members, many of whom would have benefited from a 13% increase, a say on their own deal.

“Unfortunately, while we will pull out all the stops to keep as many trains running as possible, there will be reduced services across many parts of the rail network on all four strike days, so our advice is to check before you travel.”