THOUSANDS of commuters have been warned to expect travel chaos this week as two major unions begin a 48-hour strike on Thursday. National Express East Anglia has warned that the planned strike action being taken by the Rail Maritime Transport Union (RMT)

THOUSANDS of commuters have been warned to expect travel chaos this week as two major unions begin a 48-hour strike on Thursday.

National Express East Anglia has warned that the planned strike action being taken by the Rail Maritime Transport Union (RMT) and train drivers' union ASLEF, will severely limit its Cambridge to London Liverpool Street service, causing misery for commuters on Thursday and Friday.

The strike, the first of a string of planned walk-outs by drivers in the next eight weeks, was called after pay negotiations between union bosses and National Express broke down. The strikes will run from a minute after midnight on Thursday until a minute before midnight on Friday.

Though National Express' services will be affected, First Capital Connects' Cambridge to London Kings Cross service will run as normal.

Andrew Chivers, managing director of National Express East Anglia, said: "If members from both trades unions take industrial action on these days we would not expect to be able to run any train services, but we will update everyone if this situation changes.

"We are extremely disappointed that the ASLEF and RMT unions have called this industrial action over their salary demands, despite lengthy negotiations where we have offered the unions a salary increase above the rate of inflation.