Rail workers will stage strikes next month in the protracted dispute over train guards, causing shortages for many passengers. 

 The strikes are by Rail, Maritime and Transport union on Arriva Rail North, which will cause stoppages on the first three Saturdays of February. Some are striking as early as Saturday January 26th. Few services will run after 5pm on Saturday, affecting shoppers and sports fans most. 

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: “RMT continues to make every effort to get serious and meaningful talks going with Northern but the company are not interested and would prefer to fire off a barrage of misinformation about both the dispute and their intentions to deflect attention from the impact of their behaviour on the travelling public.” 

 David Brown, managing director at Northern, said: “More than 50% of all rail journeys in the UK are made on driver-controlled trains, and recently the Department for Transport and Transport for the North publicly confirmed that a second person – in addition to the driver – would be retained on Northern services.