Millions of Brits are facing travel chaos as the largest rail strikes in a generation began this morning.
Around 40,000 RMT members at Network Rail and 13 operators walked out today after last ditch talks failed, with 24 hour strikes also planned for June 23 and 25. There is also a separate Tube strike in London today.
Disruption is expected to spill over for the rest of the week and there are threats of further strikes this summer, with ballots ongoing for TSSA and Aslef union members.
Boris Johnson told his Cabinet that commuters needed to be prepared to "stay the course" as he vowed to press ahead with rail reforms despite the threat of a summer of discontent with soaring fuel prices and disruption on airlines
Labour has criticised the Government for failing to avert the chaos and refusing to get round the table with unions and employers.
But what's it all about? Here we sift through the facts - and the politics - fuelling the walkouts.
Are you planning to strike or has your travel been affected by the planned action? Let us know at webnews@mirror.co.uk
What are the strikes about?
Essentially it boils down to pay and working conditions.
The RMT argue that their staff - who worked throughout the pandemic - are now facing below inflation pay rises after years of wage freezes.
The union wants a pay hike of at least 7%, ahead of predicted rises to inflation of 11% in the autumn. The RMT rejected a 2% offer, with an added 1% tied to job cuts.
They are concerned about proposed redundancies and changes to working conditions, after the railways proposed making efficiencies following the pandemic, which has led to more people working from home.
Unions believe that as many as 2,500 jobs could be at risk.
RMT chief Mick Lynch said: "Faced with such an aggressive agenda of cuts to jobs, conditions, pay and pensions, RMT has no choice but to defend our members industrially to stop this race to the bottom."
But rail operators argue the train system must be modernised and say it was subsidised by the taxpayer during the pandemic.
Steve Montgomery, chair of the Rail Delivery Group, said: "With passenger numbers still at around 80% of pre-pandemic levels the industry remains committed to giving a fair deal on pay while taking no more than its fair share from taxpayers.
"This can only be achieved by making improvements, like offering better services on a Sunday, that reflect the changing needs of passengers so we can attract more back.
What does the Government say?
The Tories are being bullish about the strikes, which provide them with a chance to attack Labour and point blame at an old political enemy - the so-called "union baron".
Boris Johnson told Cabinet this morning that rail firms risk going bust and commuters facing higher prices, without fundamental changes to the way the system operates.
"We need, I'm afraid, everybody - and I say this to the country as a whole - we need to get ready to stay the course," he said.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps insists it is up to the unions and employers to negotiate pay and conditions, but Labour and the unions believe he should be taking part in the talks.
Mr Shapps has failed to meet with union chiefs since March and described Labour's calls for him to come to the negotiating table as a "stunt".
He said: "I don't typically meet with them because it's a red herring."
In a bizarre admission, he added: "If I thought there was a one in a million chance it would make a slightest bit of difference, of course I would do so at the drop of the hat."
The Tories are threatening to change the law to allow agency workers to step in for striking staff to limit future industrial action.
The incendiary move - branded "nonsense" by unions - could be in place within months, Mr Shapps said.
What about Labour?
It's a tricky one for Keir Starmer as the Labour leader seeks to balance fighting for workers' rights and the massive disruption to commuters.
Mr Starmer has hit back at blatant Tory attempts to shift blame for the row onto Labour and the unions, by pointing out the Government's refusal to get round the table.
But he is embroiled in a dispute of his own after frontbenchers were told not to hit the picket lines to avoid giving the Government more ammunition.
Shadow Treasury Minister Pat McFadden urged colleagues not to join protests, telling: LBC News: "I would say to them, in the end that's not how this will be resolved.
"It will be resolved by a deal that gets the railways running again, and that's where the political focus should be."
But Kate Osborne, a parliamentary aide to shadow Northern Ireland secretary Peter Kyle, joined striking workers in Bromley, south-east London.
She said: "I'm a trade unionist, I will always stand on the side of the workers."
Unite chief Sharon Graham said the decision "spoke volumes" and told Mr Starmer: "You don’t lead by hiding. No one respects that.
"It’s time to decide whose side you are on. Workers or bad bosses?"
