Frustration over South Western Railway strike grows as students head home for Christmas
Thousands of students travelling home for Christmas are looking at alternative ways home as the longest running train strike in history continues.
South Western Railway is reducing trains along its services throughout December and early January disrupting an estimated 850 services.
Trains are running busier than normal and some have been cancelled, replaced by buses or finished earlier on the line.
The strike comes after talks between SWR and RMT union broke down over the guards on trains.
RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said: “This strike is solely about protecting the safety and accessibility on SWR trains.”
Trains from Portsmouth Harbour to London Waterloo is running on a reduced service and other SWR trains running through Hampshire are severely affected.
Biology student Harry Rix, 21, will be getting the coach home to Norwich to avoid the delayed service.
Zoe Bentley, 20, a university student from Hartley Wintley, said: “My car recently broke down and now I will have to find another route home.
“It means that rather than a quick hour drive home, my train journey home could extend over two and a half hours, which might even be replaced by buses,” she said.
