LONDON — A second wave of train strikes crippled rail services across southeast England Monday, leaving tens of thousands of commuters stranded, a wire service reports.
South West Trains services across southern England and into London’s Waterloo station were disrupted at the start of a fresh 48-hour walkout by members of the Rail Maritime and Transport union. The strike was estimated to have cost more than $14.4 million in lost production.
It was the second strike staged by the union after a 48-hour stoppage last week halted 90 percent of services.
The government tried over the weekend to encourage the union and the rail service to “engage” with one another, but it was not the government’s job to resolve the dispute, said Prime Minister Tony Blair’s office.