This year has seen one of the worst rail strikes in a generation, hitting commuters with travel misery and bringing services to a standstill.
A string of Southern Rail walkouts saw passengers grow increasingly incensed and stations became overcrowded while strike action on the Tube caused similar misery.
But despite hopes 2017 would bring some relief amid the bitter row, hundreds of thousands of commuters are now braced for more travel mayhem in the New Year in a fresh wave of strikes.
But there are hopes the strikes can be averted – although the unions said there is a chance strike action could continue throughout 2017.
“It’s possible,” said Aslef spokesman Keith Richmond when asked whether commuters could see more industrial action following the January walkout, organised by the union.
“The position is that the company has a couple of weeks, until Monday 9 January, to do a deal,” Mr Richmond told the Standard.
“It can be done. It should be done. We did a deal with ScotRail.
“The ball is in the company’s court. It can be sensible, and put an end to the misery of its paying passengers. Or it can continue to behave in a bull-headed, intransigent fashion.”
Southern Rail strike: December 2016
The RMT union agreed that a solution can “absolutely” be reached in the Southern Rail dispute.
Geoff Martin, of the union, said: “We’re here to reach a solution which is like we did with the Piccadilly Line.
“We have proved it’s possible to reach a solution on Scot Rail. Absolutely we can reach solutions. We are reaching solutions all the time.
“There’s no reason we have to have a future which is just strike actions. But don’t take that as an indication we are backing off because we are not.”
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The next strike action will be a conductors’ walkout by the RMT will run from New Year’s Eve until Monday, January 2, bringing some New Year travel to a halt.
Meanwhile the second working week of January could bring chaos for commuters on Southern with a six day drivers’ strike planned from Monday, January 9 to Saturday, January 14 with warnings of “severe disruption”.
The fierce row between the two unions and Govia Thameslink Railway – Southern’s parent company – is over plans for driver-only trains which would give drivers the sole responsibility for operating train doors.
Drivers’ union Aslef protested at the “safety risks” the driver-only trains pose, but Southern boss Alex Foulds called the industrial action a “co-ordinated and cynical manoeuvre by the unions”.
If the January 9 strikes go ahead, Southern is warning its customers not to travel at all.
A Southern spokesperson told the Standard further strike action "would be pointless"
They said: "No one wants an end to these strikes more than we do. Our plans to modernise the way we operate our trains and deliver great on-board service are nearing completion, so further strike action will be pointless. We are always willing to talk to the unions and our door is always open."
