TRAIN services in Wales will be impacted by a fresh round of rail strikes in October, beginning this Saturday.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers' Union (RMT) has announced its members will take two 24-hour strikes on Saturday, October 1 and Saturday, October 8.

Union members at Network Rail and 15 train operators will be taking part in the strikes, which the RMT has said are being held over pay and working conditions.

Another trade union, the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA), will also strike on October 1 across 12 train operators.

And train drivers' union ASLEF (the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen) will hold two days of industrial action, on October 1 and Wednesday, October 5 for members working at 11 rail firms.

The main Welsh rail operator - Transport for Wales (TfW) - is not involved in any of this industrial action, but its services will still be affected because Network Rail manages most of the rail infrastructure (such as the rails and signal boxes) in Wales.

It means the nation will have only a "very limited rail service" on October 1 and 8, prompting TfW to issue "do not travel by train" advice.

What does this mean for trains in Wales?

The only trains running in Wales on October 1 and 8 will be on the Core Valley Lines and a shuttle service between Cardiff and Newport, all operating hourly in each direction between 7.30am and 6.30pm.

No other TfW services across Wales and the Borders network will be able to operate.

Other firms which serve Wales, such as Great Western Railway and CrossCountry, will not be running services on those days.

TfW has also warned passengers to expect services in Wales to be "much busier than usual" on Friday, September 30 and Friday, October 7 - the days before the two RMT strikes.

No trains will run before 7am on Sunday, October 2 and Sunday, October 9 - the days after the RMT strikes - with TfW warning trains are "likely to be much busier than usual".

In particular, services to the capital are expected to be busy on the morning October 2 because of the Cardiff Half-Marathon.

Customers are urged to check the TfW website, app or social media before they travel, particularly for the first services of the day from their station of origin.

On October 5, the day of the ASLEF industrial action, TfW said its services will run but could be busier, due to the reduced timetables put in place by other operators.

Some passengers who have already paid for tickets on the days affected by strikes will be entitled to amend their bookings or claim a refund. The TfW website carries more information on this.