When does the Southern Rail train strike start and which routes are affected?
Commuters face five days of chaos as RMT stages walk-out in row over train doors
BRITAIN's longest strike since 1968 began today as workers on Southern Rail walked out for five days - bringing a week of misery for 300,000 commuters.
The action by RMT started at midnight this morning and ends just before midnight on Friday, August 12.
Southern Rail has put an emergency timetable in place and says 60 per cent of services will be running through this week's strike.
But parts of Surrey, Sussex and Kent have no service at all while others routes have replacement buses instead of trains.
Other services are drastically reduced with no trains before 7.30am or after 6pm.
Those trains that are running on the main lines into Victoria and London Bridge are expected to be even more packed than usual.
The train company warned passengers to check their journey online at nationalrail.co.uk.
It tweeted: "Services are disrupted today due to a strike by RMT, with some routes running a limited service.
"Queuing systems may be in place at some stations this morning due to RMT Strike. Please plan ahead & take extra care whilst at stations."
First class compartments have been opened up to everyone to ease overcrowding and tickets are valid on other train operators as stranded commuters desperately seek alternative routes to work.
Southern said the coastal lines between Chichester and Havant and and between Hastings and Eastbourne will have no trains all week.
The stations between Horsham and Dorking are closed, while the Uckfield line and the route connecting Tonbridge to the main South Coast line at Redhill also have no service.
The busy coastal routes into Brighton from Chichester and Eastbourne will be "significantly reduced" with a limited service between 7.30am and 6pm only.
And the main commuter routes into London from Brighton and Dorking have a "reduced service", with "trains expected to be very busy", Southern said.
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Southern apologised for the disruption - which follows months of delays and cancellations on the network before this week's strike over the role of conductors.
Passenger Service Director Angie Doll said: "We have gone the extra mile with our compromise offer, but the RMT has made it clear they are not prepared to negotiate. They did not want to discuss the role of the on-board supervisor and remain rigidly opposed to evolving the role of on-board staff to focus more on customers.
"We are deeply disappointed and angry on behalf of our passengers at this stance, which will cause misery for our passengers and untold damage to the local economy in the southeast.
"The RMT's strike is unnecessary, unacceptable and unjustified."
Paul Plummer, chief executive of the Rail Delivery Group, representing train operators and Network Rail, said: "Next week's strike action is going to cause misery for thousands of passengers. Southern's offer to its staff last week shows there are no risks to jobs or pay.
"Drivers have been closing train doors elsewhere on the railway for the last three decades so we know that it is a safe way of working."