South Western Railway (SWR) is urging customers to only travel if absolutely necessary from Tuesday, January 3, to Sunday, January 8, because of ongoing strike action.

National strike action by the RMT union on Tuesday 3, Wednesday 4, Friday 6 and Saturday 7 will mean a severely reduced service on infrastructure made available by Network Rail. Trains will run between 7.15am and 6.30pm only.

On Thursday 5, national strike action by the ASLEF union, which will affect depot drivers and significantly limit the number of trains that can be brought into service, will again mean a severely reduced service and the same timetable operating as on other strike days.

Significant parts of the network will be closed entirely between Tuesday 3 and Saturday January 7.

Those trains that are running will be far less frequent and much busier than normal.

Due to the impact of these strike days, customers are also advised to check before travelling on Sunday, January 8, when first trains will start from around 7.30am and are likely to be very busy.

A regular weekend timetable will operate on Sunday, January 8, after this late start up.

The latest information and details of which services are running can be found on the website at https://www.southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-journey/industrial-action