Shutters down, empty departure boards and an eerie quietness isn't what you'd expect to find at Piccadilly train station on a normal Saturday afternoon.
But as the nation continues to be gripped by ongoing rail strikes, the usually buzzing terminal is practically deserted today.
More than 40,000 members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union at Network Rail and 15 train operating companies have walked out again in a row over jobs, pay and conditions.
READ MORE: Travel chaos warning as only one in five trains run due to strike action
As a result, just 20 per cent of normal train services are running through the station. It has rarely felt so quiet since the national lockdowns during the pandemic.
With Manchester City playing against Southampton at the Etihad this afternoon, and shopping and events attracting thousands of people to the city - the station would usually be packed.
But one picture posted on Twitter showed the station with shops and restaurants closed, departures and arrivals board nearly empty, and just a handful of passengers inside.
Local Democracy Reporter at the Manchester Evening News, Charlotte Green, tweeted: "Wow, Piccadilly station practically deserted amid the rail strikes."
Around half of the network had been closed all day and trains will operate only between 7.30am and 6.30pm. Passengers are being urged to 'only travel by train if absolutely necessary on Saturday'. Services will start later than normal on Sunday morning as workers return to duties.
Ahead of the industrial action, RMT general secretary Mick Lynch wrote to Transport Secretary Anne Marie Trevelyan, urging her to 'unshackle' the railway companies and allow them to reach a settlement with the rail unions.
Mr Lynch wrote: "I am writing following your comments at the Conservative Party Conference last weekend in which you said that there is a ‘deal to be done’ between the rail unions and train companies in relation to the ongoing industrial disputes.
"I am also hopeful that a negotiated settlement between the RMT and the employers can be reached. However, for this to be achieved, your Government must unshackle the train operators who currently take their mandate directly from yourself."
In a statement, the Department for Transport (DfT) urged union bosses to work with their employers 'not against them'.
"For the third time this week, and second weekend in a row we face disruption and disarray on our railways," a DfT spokesperson said.
"Weekend rail travel has been on the rise since the pandemic as people travel to support their favourite sports teams, meet loved ones or go to events. These plans are all now jeopardised and our economy is damaged as a result.
"Our railway is in desperate need of modernisation but all strikes will do is punish the very people unions claim to stand up for and push passengers further away.
"We urge union bosses to reconsider this divisive action and instead work with their employers, not against them, to agree a new way forward."
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