STRIKE action is being carried out across railway stations in Cumbria today as staff protest against plans to cut guards from trains.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union at Southern, Merseyrail, Arriva Rail North, Greater Anglia and South Western Railway are "solidly supporting" the second 24-hour walkout of the week.

Workers after voted heavily in favour of industrial action in a similar row over the role of guards and driver-only trains.

Arriva Rail North was aiming to run around 1,200 services across the North - 46% of its normal timetable - on both days between 7am and 7pm.

RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said: "These strikes are about safety. They are about putting the safety and security of the travelling public before the profits of private companies, profits that in the most part are shipped overseas to subsidise transport services in Europe and China.

"That is a national scandal.

"It is disgraceful that we have been unable to get serious and meaningful talks going in any of these five disputes and that points clearly to the dead-hand of the government driving the faceless railway policy on purely ideological grounds and demanding that their contractors fall in line.

"RMT will not stand back while the guards, front-line staff when it ‎comes to safety, security and access, are thrown off Britain's trains for political and financial reasons."

Are rail passengers entitled to compensation?

If you travel on a strike day and experience a delay of 30 minutes or more to your journey, you are eligible to compensation through Northern’s Delay Repay scheme. Northern season ticket holders can also claim compensation on the days they do not travel using this process.

What services will run to and from Barrow?

You can see the updated schedule for October 5 HERE .