TRAIN STRIKE GUIDE : Merseyrail strike today, what are the October dates for the walkout and which routes are affected?

When is the next Merseyrail strike?

Merseyrail workers a staged a strike in September – the eighth day of industrial action so far this year.

They walked out on the day of the Grand National at Aintree, near Liverpool – one of Britain’s biggest sporting events.

Now their RMT members will join staff at Southern, Arriva Rail North and Greater Anglia by walking out on Tuesday, October 3 and Thursday, October 5.

These two 24-hour strikes will coincide with the Conservative Party’s annual conference in Manchester.

During Mersey Rail’s last strike in September, on one day there were no trains running on the Ellesmere Port, Hunts Cross and Kirkby lines.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: “It is disgraceful that Merseyrail continue to refuse all reasonable attempts by the union to settle this dispute.

“Merseyrail have repeatedly kicked all conciliatory approaches by RMT negotiators back in our faces and made it crystal clear that all that they are interested in is the union signing a surrender document which gives them a free hand to rip apart the safety culture on the railway.

“It is that cynical and hostile stance from Merseyrail which has left us with no option but press ahead with a further two days of strike action.”

Merseyrail have information on the strike on its website.

They said driver managers have been driving trains and could not say whether replacement buses will be provided.

The company has said most services will run only between 7am and 7pm.

Why are Merseyrail staff striking?

Union members who work for Merseyrail are walking out as part of an ongoing dispute over driver-only trains and the role of conductors.

The train company is set to get a new £460m fleet of trains in 2020 which will be driver-control operation (DCO) and they will be responsible for doors while customer service staff will attend to passenger safety and security.

It means the roles of the 220 safety-critical guards, who currently manage the doors, will be redundant.

But about 60 on-board customer service positions will be created – these people will work on board the new trains, to assist and reassure passengers.

A statement on the Merseyrail website says: “New state-of-the art trains that are safer, faster and more reliable will be introduced on the Merseyrail network by 2020.

“The RMT union, who represent many Merseyrail guards, has voted for strike action as the new fleet will be driver-controlled operation.”

It adds: “As things stand, none of today’s guards will be forced to leave Merseyrail’s employment.

“We have promised that any member of staff who is currently employed as a guard and wants to stay at Merseyrail, will be guaranteed permanent employment in an alternative position, on the same terms and conditions as now, subject to successful negotiation between Merseyrail and the relevant trade unions, once the new trains are introduced.”

What has Merseyrail said about the strikes?

Merseyrail’s managing director Jan Chaudhry-van der Velde said: “The RMT say this dispute is about safety.

“But a recent industry report (RSSB, Risk associated with train dispatch, July 2017) states that: ‘… there is no additional risk for passengers boarding and alighting driver-controlled operation/driver-only operation trains, and indeed that trains without a guard actually appear to lower overall dispatch related safety risk to passengers.”