Rail strike goes ahead as talks break down

A 48-hour strike by workers at a leading rail company will go ahead from midnight after talks aimed at resolving a row over pay and conditions broke down today.

The Rail Maritime and Transport union said it expected its members at National Express East Anglia to "solidly support" the walk-out, with trains to and from Liverpool Street badly affected.

Workers staged a 48-hour stoppage last week, causing travel chaos for tens of thousands of commuters.

The company ran just 100 services a day instead of its usual 1,800 and the union said it expected the same level of disruption during the strike tomorrow and on Friday.