All passengers suffered new travel woes on Saturday as thousands of train drivers staged the latest strike to exacerbate disputes in the industry.
Members of Insult in seven train companies ran out of hours for 24 hours, paralyzing services in many parts of the country.
football fans traveling to the opening Saturday of English competitions, and people going to the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham were among those affected.
The strike action will be ramped up next month with a series of bitter row strikes over jobs, wages and conditions.
Picket lines were set up outside the train stations on Saturday, with Aslef saying they were receiving strong public support despite the disruption caused by the strike.
Relations between the government and railway unions have deteriorated after Mick Whelan, secretary general Aslef, accused the transport minister of “lying” about strike negotiations.
Grant Shapps had written in The Times: “The ‘Two Micks’, Lynch of the RMT and Whelan of Aslef, are making fun of the taxpayer, but not in the way they are intended.
“RMT is blocking reforms and Aslef is dragging his feet in negotiations as both are calling for more strikes. Enough.”
In response, Mr Whelan told Times Radio on Saturday morning: “I say Mr Shapps is lying very simply, very clearly.
“We don’t drag our feet in the negotiations, we negotiate with 14 private companies, we don’t work for the government or the DfT (Department for Transport).”
He added: “I would like Mr Shapps to get us out of this catch-22 situation which he misrepresents at every opportunity.”
The Ministry of Transport said: “It is extremely misleading to suggest that the Transport Secretary should be involved in these negotiations. His role is to protect the treasury and give the hard-working people of this country value for money.
“As such, he must set the limits of taxpayer support and ultimately sign every deal, not to be involved in the negotiation of an agreement, and his contracts with operators allow him to do just that.
“The union is well aware that negotiations on wages and work practices do not happen with the government, but with the employers of the people they represent.
“We once again urge union representatives to return to the negotiating table.”
The strike affects Arriva Rail London, Greater Anglia, Great Western, Hull Trains, LNER, Southeastern and West Midlands Trains.
Steve Montgomery, Chairman of the Rail Delivery Group, said: “We are very disappointed that Aslef’s leadership has decided to impose even more uncertainty and disruption on passengers and businesses in a week that has already seen a strike by the RMT.
“Millions of passengers will see their weekend plans disrupted, especially those at work, attending the Commonwealth Games or the first football game of the season.
“While we will do everything we can to minimize disruption, if you are going to travel on the affected routes, you should plan ahead and consult the latest travel advice.
“If you can’t travel, you can use your ticket the day before or until August 2, otherwise you can change your ticket or request a refund.
“Like any service or business, we have to move with the times and we can’t keep asking taxpayers or passengers for more money, instead responding to the massive changes in travel behavior after Covid.
“By implementing these necessary reforms, such as ending reliance on volunteers who work weekends, we will improve punctuality, have more resilient Sunday shifts, and use those savings to give our people a pay rise, which has always been what we have done.” we want to do.”