At times of national emergency, the British people have a habit of rolling up their sleeves, keeping calm and carrying on.

Faced with debilitating strikes that will bring the Southern Rail network and its 500,000 daily passengers to a halt, a group of commuters have launched an audacious bid to run their own train service.

The display of Blitz spirit by the Reigate, Redhill and District Rail Users Association comes ahead of next week’s three-day walkout by Southern drivers, which will be followed by a six-day stoppage in January that will again close down all of the troubled train company’s services.