Southern Rail strikes cause commuter chaos tonight as packed stations go into ‘complete meltdown’
The travel chaos comes as talks are due to be held to resolve the dispute tomorrow
FRANTIC Southern commuters faced travel chaos this evening as the worst London rail disruption in decades left stations in a complete meltdown.
Thousands of passengers pushed and shoved their way into packed stations as they tried to make their way home during the three-day Southern Rail strikes.
Pictures from Wimbledon tonight show commuters crammed into the packed station as they attempted to board South West Trains and Tramlink services.
Passengers complained of "chaotic" scenes as the station was brought to a standstill.
Maxine Glencross tweeted: "Thanks #southernstrike Wimbledon station is in complete meltdown!"
At Victoria station, chaos unfolded when passengers tried to board services running to Gatwick Airport.
Others were left staring at information boards as they attempted to make their way home this evening.
Talks are due to be held tomorrow by rail bosses in a bid to resolve the dispute.
Roughly 300,000 passengers rely on the Southern services each day - meaning around 900,000 will be affected across the three days of action.
Scuffles broke out on platforms and tempers flared as Southern wound down its services last night ahead of the walkouts.
Many of London's usually jam-packed stations were deserted this morning because of the absence of Southern services.
The rail operator told its customers to seek alternative routes to work - or not travel at all - ahead of the 72 hours of strike action.
Parts of Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire, Kent have all been left without any trains as 1,000 drivers take part in the strike.
Southern drivers have opted to walk out in a long-running dispute over driver-only trains - whereby the driver would be responsible for opening and closing the doors rather than a conductor.
Union members have said this is unsafe because conductors have a far better view so there is less chance of people being trapped.
Southern has said nobody will lose their job and the second person will be free to help passengers.
However, Simon Wells, Aslef's assistant general secretary, said: "This isn't just about safety it's about having a decent service.
";What they are looking to do is replace the existing guards with zero-hour contracts and agency staff.
"There is no guarantee there will be a second person on the train."
Members of the Aslef train drivers union have formed picket lines outside stations for the start of the first 48-hours of the walkout.
Further action is planned for Friday.
All of Southern's 2,242 weekday services have been cancelled - causing the worst disruption since the 1990s.
Commuters who have opted for the Tube as an alternative route were struck by delays this morning at Victoria because of a signal failure at Brixton.
Severed delays on the Piccadilly line, which have been going on for a few days while trains repairs are carried out, have also affected journeys this morning.
Passengers rushing to catch flights from Gatwick have also been caught up in the nightmare.
It comes after judges upheld last week's ruling to dismiss owner Govia Thameslink Railway's claims the strikes infringed rights under EU laws.
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling continued to blame the unions for the months of disruption.
He urged them to sit down with the company to resolve long-running disputes over driver-only trains and changes to the role of conductors.
He claims the rail unions are demanding "not just to stop the current modernisation process, but to start reversing 30 years of working practice changes right across the country”.
Grayling wrote to MPs on Monday saying the strikes are politically motivated.
He added he did not want to further politicise the dispute by taking part in negotiations.
He wrote: "When I met the general secretary of Aslef soon after my appointment, with virtually his first breath he promised me ‘ten years of industrial action’.
"I have therefore believed it better to avoid direct ministerial involvement in negotiations during the autumn, as my involvement would make the issue even more political than it is."
Grayling also described Aslef's behaviour as "not the actions of a union that wants to act to get services back to normal".
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Aslef and the Rail, Maritime and Transport union have attacked the Government and claimed ministers have been preventing Southern from negotiating properly.
An Aslef spokesman said: “The secretary of state is being incredibly disingenuous, as nothing had been arranged, so there was nothing to which we could turn up.
Andy McDonald, the Shadow Transport secretary, said: “As commuters are well aware, Southern’s sub-standard service predates any industrial action and trains are cancelled, late and dangerously overcrowded every day regardless of strike action.
“The truth is that ministers are defending this failed franchise as a point of political pride when they should be sticking up for taxpayers and commuters.”
RMT general secretary Mick Cash said his union's Southern drivers were standing "shoulder to shoulder" with their Aslef colleagues.
He said: "This strike action is wholly the responsibility of a Government and a company that have sought to bulldoze through changes that are ill-conceived, finance-led and fraught with danger.
"RMT remembers only too well the words of top Government transport official Peter Wilkinson who told Southern passengers he wanted a punch-up with the unions, that train drivers were muppets and that he would starve our members back to work.
"That was the top Government rail official making it clear he was hell-bent on confrontation and it is that position which has led us to today's shutdown."
GTR yesterday urged passengers not to travel, regardless of the court's ruling.
The company said they would not be able to get a service working at such late notice - even if their appeal was upheld.
Drivers are also planning six days of strike action in January.
It comes as an ongoing overtime ban on the short-staffed service continues to affect services, even on non-strike days.
Charles Horton, GTR’s chief executive, said the company was disappointed by the court of appeal’s ruling: "Regrettably, there will be no train services for passengers tomorrow, Wednesday and Friday. We strongly advise people not to travel.
"We will now be asking Acas to convene urgent and immediate talks between GTR and Aslef; talks that we hoped to get moving over the weekend, but Aslef would not agree. Our aim is to find a resolution to their dispute so we can bring an end to the misery being suffered by the travelling public."
But Mick Whelan, general secretary of Aslef, said: "Industrial action is always the last resort. Even now, all we want is for the company to sit down with us and negotiate – properly, sensibly and in good faith, not to simply restate their old entrenched position – and do a deal for the benefit of passengers, staff and, of course, the company."
Commuters are planning a protest march on Thursday from Southern’s main London hub, Victoria station, to the Department of Transport.
The Association of British Commuters has demanded an immediate government intervention into the dispute.
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