In Pictures: Pickets and fewer passengers as second rail strike hits services

PA Wire

Thousands of railway workers are staging their second strike of the week, impacting services across the country.

Edinburgh Waverley, London Euston, London Paddington and Liverpool Lime Street were among the stations seeing fewer passengers than a typical weekday.

Around 40,000 members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union at Network Rail and 13 train operators walked out again on Thursday after talks failed to resolve a bitter row over pay, jobs and conditions.

A man passes departure boards at Victoria station in London (Dominic Lipinski/PA) (PA Wire)

Members of the RMT picket at the entrance to Waverley station in Edinburgh (Andrew Milligan/PA) (PA Wire)

Passengers at a quiet Newcastle station (Owen Humphreys/PA) (PA Wire)

Ticket barriers at Waverley station in Edinburgh (Andrew Milligan/PA) (PA Wire)

A flurry of passengers at Paddington station in London (Ashlee Ruggels/PA) (PA Wire)

Just one in five trains are running, and they are mostly restricted to main lines, with around half of the network closed.

Services started later than normal at 7.30am and will shut down early at 6.30pm.

A few passengers wait at Victoria station in London (Dominic Lipinski/PA) (PA Wire)

A station worker assists a passenger at Paddington station (Ashlee Ruggels/PA) (PA Wire)

Empty platforms at Victoria station (Dominic Lipinski/PA) (PA Wire)

Members of the RMT union on a picket line outside Victoria station in London (Dominic Lipinski/PA) (PA Wire)

A passenger walks along a platform at Waverley station in Edinburgh (Andrew Milligan/PA) (PA Wire)

Passengers queue for a bus in Wimbledon amid the rail strike disruption (Steven Paston/PA) (PA Wire)

The Government has announced plans to change the law to enable businesses to supply skilled agency workers to plug staffing gaps during industrial action.

Network Rail welcomed the move but Labour and unions condemned it as a “recipe for disaster”.

Passengers during a busier period at Waterloo station (James Manning/PA) (PA Wire)

A sign warns passengers at Stratford station of the strike action (Stefan Rousseau/PA) (PA Wire)

The picket line outside Edinburgh Waverley station (Andrew Milligan/PA) (PA Wire)

RMT members outside Newcastle station (Owen Humphreys/PA) (PA Wire)