Warning as rail strike to 'halt all but a handful' of Northern trains on Saturday

Train operating company Northern, which runs commuter routes across Greater Manchester, says further rail strikes will halt 'all but a handful' of services on Saturday.

As a result, passengers have been issued with a warning and told to plan their journeys in advance.

Industrial action is due to be taken by members of the RMT union at 14 train operating companies in total. The dispute is part of a long-running row over jobs, pay and conditions.

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Avanti West Coast, which runs trains between Manchester Piccadilly and London Euston, has already said it would be operating a reduced service and warned trains that do run would be busier than they normally are. Services, added the operator, would be disrupted throughout the day.

Now Northern has issued a similar Saturday warning. In a statement, a spokesman said: "Industrial action by the RMT union on Saturday (29 July) is set to disrupt thousands of Northern customers this weekend.

"RMT members will bring all but a handful of Northern services across the North of England to a halt.

"Due to the impact strikes have on fleet displacement, early morning services on Sunday (30 July) are also expected to be disrupted."

Tricia Williams, chief operating officer at Northern, said: "For the third time this month, thousands of our customers will be inconvenienced as a result of action by the RMT union.

"We all want to see an end to this dispute and the uncertainty that on-going strike action causes to people’s confidence in the railway."

Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.