London travel news LIVE: Train strike hits London commuter services including Southeastern,

Rail services on some of London’s busiest commuter routes have been brought to a standstill as drivers launch a fresh strike in a near two-year long pay dispute.

Members of Aslef at operators including those running services into the capital such as Southern, Southeastern and South Western Railway are walking out for the day. Affected operators are running no trains on the vast majority of the network.

Strikes will be held on Wednesday and Thursday at different operators, while drivers are also banning overtime until Saturday which is also causing disruption.

Passengers are being urged to check before attempting to travel by train this week.

Operators hit by today’s strike include Greater Anglia, Thameslink and Southern (including Gatwick Express), Southeastern, South Western Railway, c2c and GTR’s Great Northern,

Follow the latest updates below…

Blackfriars station closed

10:00 , Jordan King

Photos show that Blackfriars train station is shut as strikes have brought Thameslink trains to a halt – except a severely reduced service between Kings Cross and Luton, Luton Airport and Cambridge.

Metropolitan line delays now minor

09:50 , Jordan King

There are currently minor delays between Moor Park and Amersham / Watford due to an earlier points failure at Rickmansworth.

Hammersmith and City line no longer suspended

09:49 , Jordan King

The Hammersmith and City line was part suspended – between Liverpool Street and Barking – but it is only facing minor delays now – on the whole line.

District line no longer part suspended but severely delayed

09:48 , Jordan King

There are severe delays across the whole line because of a faulty train at Plaistow.

Circle line delays back to minor

09:47 , Jordan King

Circle line delays were severe but they are now minor again.

What has Aslef said about why they’re striking?

09:18 , Jordan King

The union has said: “We have negotiated pay deals with open access operators, freight operators and passenger operators in Wales and Scotland all whilst we have been in dispute with what is unfortunately a growing number of passenger operators, this has highlighted that this current dispute is one pushed by the Conservative Westminster Government as all of the employers who we are in dispute with are under the DfT’s control.

“To resolve the dispute as it now involves multiple employers, the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) stepped in to handle negotiations on behalf of all the train operating companies. We negotiated in good faith with the RDG and believed a deal could have been reached. However, the offer that we received in April 2023 contained red lines which we had outlined to the RDG in our negotiations. This offer was made by the RDG with the intention of it being rejected.

“As requested in the offer, we informed the RDG that the offer had been rejected but they have refused to come back to the negotiating table which has left us with no choice but to continue with our industrial action.”

In pictures: Aslef strikers at Waterloo, Guildford and Orpington this morning:

09:16 , Jordan King

What has the Department for Transport said?

09:14 , Jordan King

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “The Transport Secretary and rail minister have already facilitated a pay offer that would take train drivers’ average salaries up to £65,000 – almost twice the UK average salary.

“Aslef are the only union left striking after the Government oversaw deals with all the other unions.

“Instead of causing passengers disruption, they should put this offer to their members and work with industry to end this dispute.”

What has the Rail Delivery Group said about today’s strikes?

09:14 , Jordan King

A spokesman for the RDG said: “The rail industry is working hard to keep trains running but it is likely that services on some lines will be affected on the evening before and morning after each strike between May 7 and May 9 because many trains will not be in the right depots to start services the following day.

“We can only apologise to our customers for this wholly unnecessary strike action called by the Aslef leadership which will sadly disrupt journeys once again.

“It will also inflict further damage on an industry that is receiving up to an additional £54 million a week in taxpayer cash to keep services running, following the Covid downturn.”

At a glance: What you need to know about affected services today?

09:12 , Jordan King

• No Gatwick Express services

• No Great Northern trains

• No c2c trains

• No Southern services – except a limited shuttle between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport

• No Thameslink trains – except a limited shuttle stopping at Luton, Luton Airport Parkway and London St Pancras as well as a shuttle between London Kings Cross and Cambridge

• Extremely limited South Western Railway service – only travel if absolutely necessary

• Extremely limited Southeastern service – only travel if absolutely necessary

• Reduced train service on Greater Anglia

Minor delays to Northern line

08:51 , Jordan King

There are currently minor delays due to a shortage of trains.

Severe delays to Metropolitan line

08:51 , Jordan King

The Metropolitan line was part suspended, but is now severely delayed between Harrow-on-the-Hill and Amersham / Chesham / Watford / Uxbridge due to an earlier points failure at Rickmansworth.

Hammersmith and City line part suspended

08:50 , Jordan King

There is currently no service between Liverpool Street and Barking while TfL fixes a faulty train at Plaistow.

Circle line delays now severe

08:49 , Jordan King

There are currently severe delays due to an earlier faulty train at Edgware Road.

District line part suspended

08:43 , Jordan King

There is currently no service between Barking and Upminster while TfL fixes a faulty train at Plaistow.

How are Aslef strikes impacting Gatwick Express trains?

08:20 , Jordan King

No Gatwick Express service will run today.

Southern trains will call additionally at Clapham Junction and East Croydon to help customers with their journey.

How are Aslef strikes impacting Southern trains?

08:20 , Jordan King

A very limited service will be in operation between Gatwick and London Victoria only, operating between 5am and 11pm.

No other Southern services will run today.

How are Aslef strikes impacting Thameslink trains?

08:19 , Jordan King

A very limited service will be in operation on the following routes only between 7am and 7pm:

• Between London St Pancras International, Luton Airport Parkway and Luton only

• Between London Kings Cross and Cambridge only

How are Aslef strikes impacting Great Northern trains?

08:19 , Jordan King

No Great Northern services are operating today.

How are Aslef strikes impacting London Northwestern Railway trains?

08:17 , Jordan King

Rail replacement buses will operate on the following routes:

How are Aslef strikes impacting Greater Anglia and Stansted Express trains?

08:16 , Jordan King

A reduced train service will run on the following routes:

• Norwich / Colchester and London Liverpool Street

• Southend Victoria and London Liverpool Street

• Stansted Airport and London Liverpool Street

• Cambridge and London Liverpool Street

No other Greater Anglia services will run on any route.

How are Aslef strikes impacting c2c trains?

08:14 , Jordan King

No services operating.

How are Aslef strikes impacting Southeastern trains?

08:14 , Jordan King

Most of Southeastern’s routes and stations are closed. There is an extremely limited service where trains are running.

The operator’s advice to customers is to only travel if absolutely necessary.

If you do travel, expect severe disruption, plan ahead and allow much more time for your journey.

Trains that are running could be extremely busy, they start later and finish early. You may be unable to board trains at some stations, and there could be queues.

No c2c trains today

07:30 , Jordan King

c2c is not running any trains today.

Greater Anglia: Reduced train service

07:29 , Jordan King

Check Greater Anglia’s timetable for updates on its reduced service today:

Great Northern: No trains on majority of the network

07:28 , Jordan King

Great Northern trains are not running on the majority of the network.

Southeastern Railway: Very limited service

07:27 , Jordan King

A very limited number of Southeastern trains are running today.

Thameslink: No trains

07:25 , Jordan King

Thameslink said no trains are running across the network.

Southwestern Railway: Significantly reduced service

07:24 , Jordan King

Southwestern Railway is only able to run a significantly reduced service today.

Southern Railway: No trains on majority of network

07:23 , Jordan King

Asleft strikes mean Southern trains are unable to run today.

Gatwick Express: No trains on majority of network

07:22 , Jordan King

Aslef strikes mean there will be no trains running on the majority of the network.

Tram part suspended

07:07 , Jordan King

There is no service expected before 7am or after 6pm on the whole of the London Trams network.

Between 7am and 6pm, services will only operate between Wimbledon and Reeves Corner and between East Croydon and Beckenham Junction/New Addington.

There will be no service through Croydon town centre or to/from Elmers End all day.

Metropolitan line part suspended

07:04 , Jordan King

There is currently no service between Amersham / Chesham and Moor Park while TfL fixes a points failure at Rickmansworth and an earlier faulty train at Baker Street – good service on the rest of the line.

Minor delays to Hammersmith and City line

07:03 , Jordan King

There are currently minor delays between Liverpool Street and Barking while TfL fixes a faulty train at Plaistow – good service on the rest of the line.

Severe delays to District line

07:02 , Jordan King

There are currently severe delays between Tower Hill and Barking eastbound only, while TfL fixes a faulty train at Plaistow – good service on the rest of the line.

Minor delays to Circle line

07:02 , Jordan King

There are currently minor delays anticlockwise only due to train cancellations – good service clockwise.

Minor delays to Bakerloo line

07:01 , Jordan King

There are currently minor delays due to train cancellations.

What lines are affected by strikes today?

06:53 , Jordan King

Strikes hit Southern, Southeastern and South Western Railway today

06:52 , Jordan King

Rail services on some of the busiest commuter routes in the country are at a standstill today – because of a fresh strike by drivers in a near two-year long pay dispute with Aslef members.

Passengers are being urged to check before attempting to travel by train this week.

Good morning

06:51 , Jordan King

Good morning and welcome to The Evening Standard’s live travel blog.

Stay with us for updates throughout the day on getting around the capital.