South Wales is poised for traffic chaos this week as all major train stations go on stop as a result of the RMT rail strike. 

Even though the RMT union are only scheduling the strikes for three days, transport chiefs fear the services will be hit throughout the week.

As a result, passngers are being urged to avoid using trains at all times.

Transport for Wales and First Great Western are both being affected.

Services will start being affected tomorrow, Monday June 20, with the vast majority of rail routes having no services on Tuesday, June 21, Thursday, June 23 and Saturday, June 25.

Major train stations hit by the strike are Llanelli, Carmarthen, Swansea, Bridgend, Aberystwyth, Holyhead and Llandudno. None of these stations will be offering services. There will only be limited services from Cardiff, Newport, Pontypridd and stations on the Valley lines to Merthyr, Aberdare and Treherbert.

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Only four rail routes will be operating in Wales on the three strike days and at a reduced service. Services will start at 7am and stop at 6pm. These are:

• An hourly service between Radyr and Treherbert

• An hourly service between Radyr and Aberdare

• An hourly service between Radyr and Merthyr Tydfil (apart from on Saturday, June 25, when it’s between Radyr and Pontypridd)

• Reduced services on the mainline between Cardiff and London from 7am to 6pm. The last train from London is at 4.27pm.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union at Network Rail and 13 train operators are striking as a result of pay, conditions and job security. More than 40,000 staff are expected to take part and it's thought that union negotiators are rejecting a 2 per cent pay increase offer.

The union also claims that Network Rail wants to cut up to 2,500 jobs as part of a £2bn reduction in spending, workers who maintain tracks, signals and overhead lines affected. Ticket sales have fallen by 25 per cent since the pandemic and revenue falling. Meanwhilel taxpayer subsidy has risen to £16bn to keep services running.