South Western Railway has confirmed that there will be reduced services on Saturday 26 August.

A significantly reduced service will operate on a limited number of lines, with large parts of the network closed and trains only running between 7am and 7pm.

Customers are advised to only travel if absolutely necessary, with short notice cancellations possible. 

Nationwide strike action will be taken by members of the RMT Union, as a part of ongoing disputes surrounding pay, pensions and working hours.

These strikes will affect customers traveling to events in the area, including the international rugby union match between England and Fiji. 

Customers should check their entire journey before traveling, as other operators are also affected.

They should also note the last train times, which will be earlier than usual, and consider alternative travel if possible. 

Strike Day Map. Photo Credit: South Western Railways.

Customers are advised that: 

• A small number of additional services will run to Twickenham before and after the international rugby union match between England and Fiji. The last service from Twickenham will depart at around 6:30pm. 
• Brentford FC will be playing AFC Bournemouth at the GTech Community Stadium and the last train from Kew Bridge to London Waterloo after the match will depart at approximately 6:30pm. 
• The men's and women's Hundred Eliminator cricket matches take place at The Kia Oval, starting at 2:30pm. The last trains from London Waterloo will depart from 5:00pm. 
• There are no trains running between Feltham and Windsor & Eton Riverside due to engineering work. Rail replacement bus services will not run and customers are advised to make alternative arrangements if they are intending to travel to watch the horse racing at Windsor in the evening. 

On Friday 18 August, the ASLEF union announced strike action on Friday 1 September and an overtime ban on Saturday 2 September. The RMT union will also take strike action on Saturday 2 September. Services for these dates will be announced in due course. 

Stuart Meek, Chief Operating Officer at South Western Railway, said: "We're sorry that customers will once again face disruption due to strike action by the RMT union. 

"Once again, I must ask our customers to only travel if absolutely necessary on Saturday 26 August. If you do have to travel, please check your entire journey as these strikes also affect other train operators.  

"A large number of events take place on Saturday 26 August and while some trains will be running we expect them to be very busy. If you're traveling to one of those events, please check before you travel and consider alternative transport if possible. 

"We're still to confirm our services for the ASLEF union strike on Friday 1 September and the RMT union strike on Saturday 2 September. We will announce details for these dates as soon as we can.  

"We're thankful for our customers' patience during these latest RMT and ASLEF union strikes." 

The latest information will be available at southwesternrailway.com/strike.