Thousands of workers who are part of the driver's union Aslef and the Transport Salaried Staff Association (TSSA) will be participating in the walk out, causing disruption to a number of services.

Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan has said the industrial action will continue until the government intervenes.

He has urged Transport Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan to "lift the shackles" from train companies, so they can make a pay offer to workers.

"The message I am receiving from my members is that they are in this for the long haul and if anything they want industrial action to be increased," he said.

What services are affected?

East Midlands Railway, Chiltern Railways, West Midlands Railway, Southeastern, Northern Trains, London Overground, Avanti West Coast and CrossCountry- No services will run on any route

Great Western Railway - "extremely limited service" from 0730 to 1830. Rail services will only operate between Bristol Temple Meads and London Paddington; Reading and Oxford; and Reading and Basingstoke.

LNER - There are no services north of Edinburgh, with limited services in and out of London King's Cross between 7.30am and 4.30pm. There is a limited service each way between Doncaster and Leeds and no services to Skipton, Harrogate and Bradford.

TransPennine Express - "very limited service on some lines" with customers advised to travel only "if journeys are essential". The company will continue to provide further updates "as soon as possible".

Greater Anglia - people told to "avoid travelling", with most routes not expected to have trains or bus replacements services

Full list of October rail strike dates and lines affected

What impact will the strike have?

While South Western Railway, c2c, Southern, Great Northern, Thameslink or Gatwick Express will not be taking part in the industrial action, they have all warned that services may be busier than usual.

Passengers are advised to check before they travel and allow extra time for their journey.

Services are also likely to be disrupted in the early morning of Thursday as workers return to duties.

The disruption will affect football fixtures and the final day of the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham.

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The TSSA is also planning to hold another round of strikes on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, while members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union at more than a dozen train companies and Network Rail will walk out on Saturday.

Passengers with advance, off-peak or anytime tickets affected by the strikes can use their ticket on the day before the booked date, or up to and including 7 October.

If that is not an option, the date of the ticket can be changed to travel on an alternate date or the price of it can be refunded if the train is cancelled or rescheduled.

'We do not strike lightly but are prepared to dig in'

So far this year, several strikes have taken place across the rail sector, causing misery for passengers and frustration among workers.

While the government has not intervened to enable train companies to offer a pay rise, the transport secretary has indicated that she now sees "more clearly" the perspective of the railway workers.

Speaking to the BBC Radio 4's World at One programme, Anne-Marie Trevelyan said she met Mr Whelan and RMT general secretary Mick Lynch because she "really wanted to understand where they're coming from".

TSSA general secretary Manuel Cortes has said union members remain "determined" to see their demands met.

"We do not strike lightly but are prepared to dig in as we seek a fair deal on pay, job security and conditions in the face of cuts, economic collapse and a cost-of-living crisis at the hands of this chaotic Tory government," he said.

"It's time for ministers to get wise and act now to deliver a fair deal which will halt a winter of rail misery across the network."