'2.5 hours to get nowhere today, can't wait for tomorrow's fun. NOT': Commuters are thrown into rush hour hell as 300,000 make their way home amid Southern Rail strikes

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A father has revealed the heartbreaking human cost of the Southern Rail strikes as trains were cancelled across the network on the first of three days of industrial action.

Management consultant Jim Boyden, 38, is one of the 300,000 passengers who are facing rush hour chaos on Southern services today and will be unable to commute home from London to Shoreham, West Sussex.

Travel chaos gripped London and southern England today after members of train drivers' union Aslef walked out at midnight last night, marking the start of the 48-hour strike. A second 24-hour strike is planned for Friday.  

As thousands of furious customers took to Twitter to vent their frustration, Mr Boyden shared a photo of his one-year-old Zac with a message explaining that he will miss the toddler's bedtime story because of the strikes.

He is not the only one feeling fed up and annoyed, as fellow commuter Trudi Kerr lost her patience with the service on Twitter, mocking the service by stating 'can't wait for tomorrow's adventure. NOT. Sort it out!'

According to Radio 4, Southern Rail has apologised for delays or cancellations to its services 38,000 times so far this year, which works out at around 110 times per day.  

Several people have taken to social media today to vent their fury at rush hour chaos due to strikes by Southern Rail drivers

Thousands of commuters are being herded through Victoria Station after staff set up gates and barriers as crowd control measures, with many facing a difficult journey home due to service cancellations

Huge rush hour crowds were also building to board the Gatwick Express from Victoria, pictured, which is running reduced services today and tomorrow

Dozens of passengers queued behind barriers at Victoria train station, south London, as they waited for a delayed Gatwick Express service. Trains to the airport were also affected by the strikes and are operating on a reduced timetable today, departing every 30 minutes. Some desperate commuters were using the services to travel to and from central London

Mr Boyden wrote: 'Because of your strike, I am unable to travel home until Thursday and read him and his sister a story. Because of your strike, we will not discover what animal is hiding in his favourite book tonight, or tomorrow night.'

Thousands of commuters packed on to already crowded London Underground and London Overground carriages, as well as trains operated by other rail companies, as they struggled to find alternative routes to work after their regular Southern trains were cancelled.

Meanwhile stations that are usually serviced by Southern Rail trains were eerily quiet today as passengers were warned not to travel. The shutdown marks the worst disruption since a strike by signal workers in the 1990s.

Crowd control measures have been set up at Victoria Station this evening as commuters are being herded through lanes marked out by fences as they try to board trains home. 

Talks aimed at resolving the Southern Railway drivers' dispute will be held at the conciliation service Acas tomorrow, although the rest of the planned strikes this week are still set to go ahead.

Southern's owner, Govia Thameslink Railway, announced Tuesday that union and management representatives would hold talks with mediators Wednesday in a bid to end the 'misery and inconvenience' to travelers.

Around 300,000 passengers travel on 2,242 Southern services every weekday, including busy commuter routes from Sussex to London Victoria. It means nearly one million could be affected by the end of the week.

Mr Boyden's touching story is among dozens that have emerged that capture the impact the strikes are having on families. 

Father Jim Boyden shared a photograph of his one-year-old son Zac, pictured, as he explained the strikes meant he would not be back in time to read the toddler a bedtime story. It is one of thousands of stories from those affected by the strikes

Management consultant Mr Boyden, 38, posted this desperate plea to Southern rail, telling the story of his young son

He wrote: 'Because of your strike, I am unable to travel home until Thursday and read him and his sister a story. Because of your strike, we will not discover what animal is hiding in his favourite book tonight, or tomorrow night'

Thousands of passengers who usually rely on Southern Rail services were forced to pack into London Overground and London Underground services. Pictured, hundreds queue on the street outside Brixton Tube station this morning

Commuters battled through crowds at Finsbury Park station, north London, as the capital was hit with major disruptions

A usually crowded Brighton station was empty this morning as thousands of rail passengers were warned that no Southern Railway services would run as drivers kick off three days of strike action as part of a dispute over driver-only trains

Some Twitter users joked they could use the time to write Christmas cards while others said they could not take the day off

Passengers push on to an Underground train at Victoria station, which is usually a hub for Southern Rail services

Commuters packed on to some platforms at Clapham Junction station, pictured, while others were closed completely

This map released by Southern Rail shows the routes with no service in grey. Those in red and purple face some delays

'I AM SO EXHAUSTED FROM IT ALL': SINGLE MOTHER'S PLEA AMID THE RAIL STRIKES

Jenny Lehane, 37, with her six-year-old son, Matthew

Single mother Jenny Lehane, 37, has written a desperate email to MP as she faces a six-hour round trip to work each day during the rail strikes. The journey usually takes 20 minutes.

Miss Lehane said she had to wake her son Matthew, six, an hour and a half early today so she could drop him off at a friend's house before starting her nightmare journey.

The catering manager was forced to get a bus before squashing on to an 'absolutely packed' tram and taking the Tube from Wimbledon to West Brompton.  

In an emotional email to Chris Philp, MP for Croydon South, Miss Lehane wrote: 'I am writing this on a bus with tears streaming down my face at the utter failure of our MPs and Government to do anything to stop this completely intolerable failure by Southern to run the service that my fares and taxes are paying for. 

'Do you have any idea of the stress, worry and upset this is causing? I have to go to work. I am a single parent and my six-year-old needs his mother to work to keep a roof over our heads.'

Miss Lehane added she was concerned she could lose her job and shared a photo of Matthew wearing his pyjamas in the street before dawn.

Miss Lehane said: 'I am very upset because this has been going on for a long time. I am so exhausted from it all - having so much pressure to get from A to B. The "mummy guilt" kicks in when you are dragging your child out of bed. He was fine today but I am not sure how he is going to feel tomorrow.

Miss Lehane shared a photo of Matthew wearing his pyjamas in the street before dawn during the rail strikes

'When I saw the sign advising people not to travel I got so cross. People have to work, businesses have to run. We can't all march to their tune.' 

In response Mr Philp said: 'This is a heartbreaking story which I hear all too often. This strike is completely pointless - it's about who presses the button to open and close the doors. No-one is losing their job or having a pay cut and there are no safety issues. 

The RMT should stop making residents' lives a misery - by calling off the strike immediately. I think the Government now needs to look at plans to restrict the ability of unions to call these kinds of strikes on railways.' 

Single mother Jenny Lehane, 37, has written a desperate email to MP as she faces a six-hour round trip to work each day during the rail strikes. The journey usually takes 20 minutes. 

Writing to Chris Philp, MP for Croydon South, Miss Lehane said: 'I am writing this on a bus with tears streaming down my face at the utter failure of our MPs and Government to do anything to stop this completely intolerable failure by Southern to run the service that my fares and taxes are paying for.

'Do you have any idea of the stress, worry and upset this is causing? I have to go to work. I am a single parent and my six-year-old needs his mother to work to keep a roof over our heads.' 

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling refused to rule out taking action to prevent future stoppages like the one which brought all Southern Railway services to a halt.

Aslef, the Rail, Maritime and Transport union and Southern had been coming under increasing pressure to settle bitter disputes over driver-only trains and changes to the role of guards. 

Commuters are planning a protest outside the Department for Transport on Thursday evening. 

The strikes comes amid a separate row between Southern and the RMT union over changes to the role of guards, as well as staff shortages, staff sickness and other problems. Together the unions have timetabled a total of 14 days of strike action over the next month, including three days from New Year's Eve.

In response, commuters are planning a protest outside the Department for Transport on Thursday evening. 

Mr Grayling continues to blame the unions for the months of disruption to Southern services and urged them to sit down with the company to resolve the dispute.

But Aslef and the RMT union have attacked the Government, saying ministers had been preventing Southern from negotiating properly.

Southern's parent company Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) lost a legal bid in the High Court last week to stop the drivers' strikes, before also losing its appeal on Monday. 

Commuters pack on to a platform at East Croydon station, where a number of Southern services usually stop

Would-be Southern passengers opted for other forms of transport, including the tram in south London (pictured), today

Commuters crowded on to some platforms at Clapham Junction while other platforms were closed amid the strikes

A contraflow system was in place at Clapham Junction, where commuters were desperate to find other routes to work

A packed South West train arrives into Clapham Junction station this morning as hundreds crowded on to the platforms

Barriers were put in place to help control the queues of passengers waiting to board a delayed service at Victoria station

Thousands of passengers packed into Victoria Underground station as Southern Rail passengers sought alternative routes

This morning Victoria, one of London's main commuter stations, was much quieter than it normally would be in the absence of Southern passengers. 

More than half of the departure boards on the main concourse displayed no journey information as the first day of the 48-hour strike hit morning rush-hour.

Would-be travellers gazed at the boards, which were blank apart from a special notice urging them to check timetables for services.

Staff confirmed that the Gatwick Express airport shuttle service was running every half an hour. It usually runs every 15 minutes.

Commuters travelling on alternative rail services from the south faced further delays when a signal failure at Brixton meant the Victoria line was suspended between the south London Underground station and Victoria. 

Severe delays were also reported on the Piccadilly line while repairs are carried out. 

Meanwhile roads between Penge and South Norwood, south London, were packed causing delays as commuters attempted to make the journey to work by car.

An Uber driver said it was much busier than usual, adding: 'It shouldn't be like this at half past eight but there's no way round it.'

Outside Selhurst train depot in south London a group of Southern drivers manned the picket line.   

Flanked by Aslef flags, the group said they had been in place from 3.15am when the earliest drivers would start their shifts.

An Aslef picket line at Brighton train station as drivers started a 48-hour strike, disrupting thousands of services

Members of the Aslef union walked out for 48 hours at midnight. Pictured, the picket line at Brighton today

The drivers are striking as part of an ongoing dispute over the introduction of driver-only trains. Pictured, the Brighton picket

They said around 150 drivers would usually begin their day's work at the depot, where stationary Southern trains could be seen. 

One striker said the group had received some abuse but 'mostly positive' reactions so far.

A picket line is also in place outside Brighton train station. 

On Monday three judges in the Court of Appeal backed High Court judge Sir Michael Burton's refusal to grant an injunction blocking what GTR called 'unprecedented' strike action and argued would unlawfully restrict freedom of movement provisions under EU law. 

In a video message posted on Twitter, mayor of London Sadiq Khan urged the Government to give TfL control of commuter lines like Southern, Southeastern and South West.

Addressing commuters Mr Khan said: 'You pay too much for delays, cancellations and disruption. You deserve a better service. Southern commuters have been abandoned by the Government. You've had months of chaos. But it doesn't have to be like this.'

The mayor urged commuters to write to the Transport Secretary and the Prime Minister for TfL to have control - promising a 'more frequent and more reliable' service 'with fewer strikes' and 'more affordable fares'.

Horsham station, in Sussex, which is usually serviced by Southern Rail trains, was deserted during the morning rush-hour

The usually crowded Clapham Junction station was quiet this morning as Southern Rail passengers opted for other routes

Dozens of seats were left empty on a train from Brighton to London as passengers re-routed their morning commute

Departure boards in Victoria station, London were left blank as all Southern Rail services were halted amid strike action

The main station building at East Croydon, south London was closed in anticipation of the travel chaos this morning, forcing commuters to queue around the back

Dozens of passengers queue up outside East Croydon station as Southern Railway drivers start three days of strike action

He added: 'This is far more important than party politics. Together we can secure the decent and affordable commute that you deserve.'

Mr Grayling said the strike was 'futile', adding that he would have a 'careful look' at how to deal with the situation when the dispute ends.

He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme that he was not ruling any options in or out.

'We are looking very carefully at how we take things forward. There are a lot of things to consider.'

Mr Grayling said he was not happy with the performance of the railways in general but he could not deal with the problems until the Southern strikes ended.

Earlier today he said he had asked Southern's owner, Govia Thameslink Railway, to attend fresh talks at the conciliation service Acas but Aslef had refused - a claim the union has denied.

Mick Whelan, general secretary of Aslef, accused the Transport Secretary of being 'less than honest on all counts'. 

He said: 'The strikes this week are not, whatever Mr Grayling tries to suggest, politically motivated. We have a trade dispute with GTR/Southern, and only a poor government would seek to spin it any other way. I think their motives are clear.'

Backlash: Hundreds of Twitter users vented there anger over the strikes on social media

He added: 'We regret the action we are taking today. We don't want to inconvenience passengers nor do our members want to lose money, but we have been forced into this by an intransigent company that is not prepared to negotiate.' 

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said his union's Southern drivers were standing 'shoulder to shoulder' with their Aslef colleagues. 

A Southern spokesman said: 'We are sincerely sorry that Southern services are at a standstill today. These strikes are wholly unjustified and we must find a way forward.

'We want to talk to Aslef's leadership to try and find a way to resolve this dispute. We have invited them to meet and we hope we'll be able to begin those talks soon.'

Paul Plummer, chief executive of the Rail Delivery Group, representing train operators, said: 'Rail companies are trying to modernise the way they work to give customers better, more punctual, more comfortable services, but hundreds of thousands of passengers are suffering needless disruption because of these strikes - despite independent expert evidence that safety isn't at risk. Trains where drivers close the doors are safe.

'The truth is that these strikes are not about safety, not about jobs and not about customer service.'