Rail passengers battled with more travel chaos this weekend and face further industrial action by train workers over the coming weeks.
The RMT suspended industrial action due to take place last week against Network Rail while union members vote on the latest pay and condictions offer in a referendum. The vote concludes on March 20 at midday.
The new offer includes a salary increase of 14.4pc for the lowest paid and 9.2pc for the highest paid staff. There is an additional 1.1pc on basic earnings and increased backpay.
The RMT said it was not making a recommendation on how to vote on the offer, which is not conditional on accepting Network Rail's modernising maintenance agenda, which the RMT does not endorse.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: "We will continue our campaign for a negotiated settlement on all aspects of the railway dispute."
When are the next train strikes?
Passengers face disruption by RMT members on four days of walkouts:
-
Thursday March 16 -
Saturday March 18 -
Thursday March 30
-
Saturday April 1
The RMT says it represents around 40,000 workers across Network Rail and train operators, meaning major swathes of the train network will grind to a halt.
Which rail companies are affected in today's train strike?
There are 14 train companies that will be affected by the staff walkouts, and it is expected these will be the same ones hit by earlier walkouts. These are:
Chiltern Railways
Cross Country Trains
Greater Anglia,
LNER,
East Midlands Railway,
c2c,
Great Western Railway,
Northern Trains,
South Eastern
South Western Railway
Transpennine Express,
Avanti West Coast,
West Midlands Trains
GTR (including Gatwick Express)
Why are rail workers going on strike?
Unions are demanding pay rises for their members who are battling soaring inflation, although train operators are limited in how much they can offer, given they require a mandate from the Government.
Train bosses are also under pressure to cut costs to balance the books, after a slump in the number of people commuting into city centres every day. This means they are looking at introducing more technology.
Union bosses have said they cannot accept so-called modernisation efforts, as it would result in "a severe reduction in scheduled maintenance tasks, making the railways less safe, the closure of all ticket offices and thousands of jobs stripped out of the industry when the railways need more investment not less".
Will I be able to get a refund if my train is going to be cancelled?
In previous strikes, Network Rail has said that, if a train journey is cancelled, delayed or rescheduled, passengers are entitled to a change or refund from wherever they bought their tickets.