Thousands of railway workers are planning to strike on three days later this month in the biggest outbreak of industrial action since 1989, according to the RMT union.

It said that more than 50,000 of its members across Network Rail and 13 train operators across the UK will walk out on 21, 23 and 25 June.

The move threatens to bring chaos to not only commuters but also the movement of vital freight.

There are three issues at the heart of the dispute for the union: pay, compulsory redundancies and safety concerns.

The row stems from government demands for savings on a network that was propped up by the taxpayer to the tune of £16bn when passenger numbers collapsed during the COVID crisis.