With travel chaos forecast after further rail strikes were announced for Christmas Eve and the following days, we look at how you can get to London over the festive period.

The strikes come amid continued disagreements over pay and working conditions and are expected to cause disruption for people across Brighton and Sussex.

Tom Bourlet, who works for a Brighton-based party planning company, said that his family Christmas plans this year have had to move due to the strikes.

He said: “I always celebrate with my dad the weekend before Christmas, however there are strikes on that weekend, so I’ve had to book days off during the week.

“I also had a train booked for the 24th, but I’ve now requested a refund.

“If they were hoping for public support, they’ve certainly lost any credibility in my eyes, I just feel angry and frustrated at them.”

The Argus: Rail workers have been striking since June of this year.Rail workers have been striking since June of this year.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union will walk out between 24 and 27 December, grinding the rail network to a halt as thousands are set to travel nationally in order to see family and friends over the Christmas period.

This is announced on top of existing strike action on 13-14 December, 16-17 December, and in the new year between 3-4 January, and 6-7 January.

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch has told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that he and his members “regret” the inconvenience caused by the walkouts, however he insists the blame lies with the government.

The Argus: It is feared thousands of travellers may not make it home in time for ChristmasIt is feared thousands of travellers may not make it home in time for Christmas

Transport minister Baroness Vere said the RMT’s announcement of more strikes was “deeply unhelpful”.

She said: “I just think it’s terribly disappointing.

“They could not have chosen worse days. You can imagine why they have done.

“I very much hope we can reach a resolution as this is going to disrupt so many people.”

Tim Shoveller, chief negotiator at Network Rail, said the RMT was: "playing fast and loose with people's Christmas plans.

“The new strike dates announced deliberately target vital engineering work designed to improve the railway."

Trains

Thousands of Christmas travellers have had their plans turned upside down by the recent developments.

Some people now worry they might not be able to take the train to visit family, resorting to other options instead.

It is not currently known exactly what train services will look like during the strike period. 

Southern Railway have said they are “working closely with the wider rail industry” to determine how the strike action will affect timetables. 

The operator expects services to be severely reduced on strike dates.

 

Coaches

National Express runs a regular service to London, which runs from Brighton’s Pool Valley coach station to London Victoria Coach station.

However, this typically takes around three hours and 25 minutes, compared to the railway’s 1 hour and 20 journey.

A spokeswoman for National Express said: "We have seen a significant increase in both enquiries and bookings for travel on our UK-wide scheduled coach network on and around the dates of the strikes.

"We are working hard to add extra capacity where possible to help people get to where they need to be."

The Argus: Four major private hire companies were consultedFour major private hire companies were consulted

Taxi

The Argus spoke to taxi companies in Brighton to see how much a taxi between Brighton and London Victoria Station would cost.

City Cabs Brighton offered the journey for two people at £177.

This is more than nine times as expensive as the same journey made by coach.