Railways grind to a halt as workers begin strike action on Christmas Eve

ITV News reporter Shehab Khan spoke to people at London's Euston Station as thousands tried to get away for Christmas amid the strikes

Railways have ground to a standstill across the UK as workers take further strike action in a dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union at Network Rail officially walked out as of 6pm on Christmas Eve, with strikes continuing until 6am on Tuesday, December 27.

The industrial action led to passengers rushing to get the last trains before services finished for Christmas.

Initially, the AA had warned of knock-on effects on the roads, but the organisation has now said the strikes had little extra impact on Britain’s roads.

An AA spokesman said it appeared people had taken on board travel warnings and made alternative plans.

He said there had been "pockets of congestion" on some of the busiest motorway routes, but that the level of disruption had not been as bad as might have been expected.

"I was quite surprised at how freely the motorway traffic was moving," he said.

"Between 10am and 11.30am when I was having a look at the motorways there was literally a handful of incidents on the major roads like the M25 and the M6 and most of those were leading to slow traffic.

"So it wasn’t as bad as it could have been and it certainly wasn’t as bad as it was yesterday."

He added: "Because the strikes and their potential impact were well telegraphed I think people had formulated alternate plans and that would seem to have been borne out today because there seems to have been relatively little disruption."

Those who did take trains were seen gathered on the concourses of major stations including Euston in London and Birmingham New Street on Saturday morning.

Services to Crewe, Manchester Piccadilly, Glasgow Central and Birmingham International from Euston were all delayed, with a limited staff presence as travellers waited anxiously with their luggage.

Some told of their frustration at short notice cancellations, but others voiced support for workers on strike.

Student Kartik Aggarwal, 24, said he was "very irritated" after two services in a row were cancelled, meaning he faced missing a Christmas party in Birmingham.

Speaking at Euston alongside some of his family members, he told the PA news agency: "It’s been really bad. We were planning for a long time only to have two trains get cancelled with no notification.

"We came running but still nothing. I feel very irritated, like we’re wasting our time."

PhD student Amy Saunders, 31, said disruption to her journey to see family for Christmas was stressful but expressed her sympathy with those on strike, who she said would find the situation equally difficult.

Speaking as she waited for a service she said had been delayed from Euston, she told PA: "I support the strikes and I’m sure it’s equally stressful for everyone working here trying to get everyone home for Christmas, and they wouldn’t need to strike if their working conditions weren’t intolerable.

"Everyone’s really struggling and there needs to be more support."

Scores of commuters hoping to reach their destination were seen watching the departures board at the busy station for updates on their journey.

No trains operate on Britain’s railways on Christmas Day.

The normal limited Boxing Day schedule has been scrapped due to the strike, while services will start later than usual on December 27.

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