Huge swathes of Britain will be without any rail services next week, Network Rail has said, as coordinated strikes threaten to cripple the country’s transport network.

       Major transport hubs in Cornwall, Wales, Dorset, Cheshire, Lancashire and Scotland will have no rail links.

       Network Rail said the widespread industrial action will mean there will be no services to Penzance, Bournemouth, Swansea, Holyhead, Chester and Blackpool, as well as no trains running North from Glasgow or Edinburgh in Scotland.

       Lines will only be open between 7.30am and 6.30pm, meaning services will start later and finish earlier than usual.

       The last services from London to Scotland will leave in the early afternoon on the strikes days: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

       Passengers are urged to travel only if absolutely necessary as train services were cut from to just 4,500, less than a quarter of the normal 20,000 provided each day.

       The prospect of three days of walkouts looks imminent after talks aimed at averting the strikes showed little prospect of brokering a last-minute deal.

       Misery to last all week

       Although the action will be held on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, the misery for commuters is expected to last the entire week because signallers and controllers will not work overnight on strike days. As a result, the network will only offer 12,000 to 14,000 services on the non-strike days due to the knock-on effects of the action.

       The mayhem on rail routes will mean many commuters will be forced to find alternative routes to work, threatening to increase congestion on the country road network.

       Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union at Network Rail (NR) and 13 train operators are to strike for three days next week in similar disputes over pay, jobs and pensions.

       Passengers "who must travel" are urged to "plan ahead" to ensure they can complete their journeys within this window, Network Rail said.

       Steve Montgomery, who chairs industry body the Rail Delivery Group, said: "These strikes will affect the millions of people who use the train each day, including key workers, students with exams, those who cannot work from home, holidaymakers and those attending important business and leisure events.

       "Working with Network Rail, our plan is to keep as many services running as possible, but significant disruption will be inevitable and some parts of the network will not have a service, so passengers should plan their journeys carefully and check their train times."

       Andrew Haines, National Rail’s chief executive, said: "Talks have not progressed as far as I had hoped and so we must prepare for a needless national rail strike and the damaging impact it will have.

       "We, and our train operating colleagues, are gearing up to run the best service we can for passengers and freight users next week despite the actions of the RMT.

       "We will keep talking to try and find a compromise that could avert this hugely damaging strike but make no mistake, the level of service we will be able to offer will be significantly compromised and passengers need to take that into account and to plan ahead and only travel if it's really necessary to do so."

       Why rail staff are striking

       NR has made a 2.5 per cent pay offer to the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA), which is balloting its members in NR for strikes, but discussions are continuing with the RMT.

       Mr Haines said NR was looking to cut between 1,500 and 2,000 jobs, insisting it could be achieved through voluntary means, particularly that a "significant" number of employees were over the age of 60.

       NR wanted to introduce changes to working practices linked to technologies such as using drones to check tracks and infrastructure, which the company says would be safer than having workers on the tracks, as well as more cost effective.

       "There is a history of resistance to change due to technology, but we cannot hold back the tide," said Mr Haines.

       He cited a move by NR to introduce an App to communicate with staff across the country which he said took a year to seek union agreement.

       The railways were facing a "fundamental financial deficit", with fewer passengers travelling as a result of the pandemic, especially on Fridays, although numbers have improved for weekend leisure travel, said NR.

       Meanwhile the RMT has called for talks with Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and Chancellor Rishi Sunak.

       General secretary Mick Lynch said in a letter that the Treasury was "calling the shots" and not allowing rail employers to reach a negotiated settlement.

       "In effect, in recent weeks, the union has been negotiating with the Government but the Government have not been in the room," he wrote.

       Mr Haines denied the RMT's claim, saying the Treasury had set a financial framework, but NR was leading talks on productivity it believes is needed for pay rises.