Tens of thousands of railway workers will launch two more strikes this month as disputes over their pay, employment and conditions continue.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union at Network Rail and 14 train operators will go on strike on September 15 and 17.
The union says the rail network will “effectively close” as more than 40,000 of its members leave their jobs.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “Our members have no choice but to continue with this strike action.
“Network Rail and the train operators have shown little interest over the past few weeks in offering our members anything new so that we can come to a negotiated agreement. .
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“[Transport Secretary] Grant Shapps continued to drop out of duty by staying in his bunker and preventing the railroad from making a deal with us.
“We will continue to negotiate in good faith, but employers and governments need to understand how long our industrial campaign will continue.”
The announcement comes days after Aslef and the Salaried Employees’ Association announced their members would go on strike in the coming weeks.
In separate disputes, RMT members at Hull Trains and Arriva Rail London will also go on strike for a day on September 15.
The Department for Transport said: “Once again, however, union leaders are opting for self-defeating action, with coordination between constructive negotiations, not just disruption. The lives of millions of people rely on these services but also jeopardize the future of the railways and their members’ own livelihoods.
“These reforms deliver the modernization our rail network needs, so much needed for the future of rail, and as it happens, strikes will not change that.”
