Greater Anglia rail strike TODAY – what are the May 2018 dates and which routes are affected?

RAIL passengers across England are set to face more travel misery in May as rail workers stage a series of one-day strikes.

But will the walkouts actually affect your commute? Here's everything you need to know about when the next strike is planned.

When is the next Greater Anglia strike?

RMT members on Arriva Rail North, Greater Anglia and South Western Railway will strike for 24 hours on Wednesday 9 May, and additionally, SWR passengers will be disrupted by several more dates on 11 May, 14 May, 16 May and the 18 May.

The Department for Transport has described the industrial action as "pointless".

Disputes about the role of guards began on Southern Railway two years ago.

The first strike took place on 26 April 2016, and there have been many further strikes organised by the RMT union since then.

Which routes are affected?

Fortunately for commuters, Greater Anglia endeavours to run a full service during any industrial action.

This is because 60 per cent of their trains don't have conductors and they've trained extra staff to stand in for the conductors on trains that do.

This network, part of the Abellio group, carries 82million passengers and provides routes across London, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk.

Its trains depart and arrive in London at Liverpool Street. Services run to the major university city Cambridge, Norwich and seaside town Southend.

The Stansted Express is run by the Abellio group which transports millions of passengers to and from the airport.

Why are the RMT union strikes taking place?

The RMT union, which represents guards and drivers, has been calling strikes over plans to remove staff from trains, which would then become driver-only-operated (DOO).

Unions have said the move could potentially make trains more dangerous.

The RMT has said changing the role of guards and extending driver-only services would compromise staff and passenger safety - a claim denied by the government.

However, the Office of Road and Rail has insisted the trains will be safe so long as the right equipment and training is provided.

Talks between unions and Anglia and the other rail companies have repeatedly broken down.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash previously said the strikes show the union "is prepared to fight for public safety and the guard guarantee".

On April 25, 2018 union members held a protest opposite Parliament, marking two years since the dispute began on Southern Railway.

In January, furious commuters condemned strikes as "beyond a joke".

A spokesperson for Southern said: "Modernisation is urgently required to future-proof and increase capacity on the busiest parts of the UK railway.

"This modernisation needs three things: investment in better infrastructure, new trains, and changes in working practices. The first two elements are being rolled out but the trade unions need to play their part if passengers are to benefit from service improvements."

Emily Yates, of the Association of British Commuters, said the demand for a second member of staff on trains is "absolutely vital for disabled, older and vulnerable passengers, who will otherwise be facing what is essentially a rollback of guaranteed access to train travel".