Rail strikes: What Leeds train services are running as RMT and TSSA unions call off action but disruption continues

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) and Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) were due to stage walkouts in the coming few days in a long-running dispute over jobs, pay and conditions.

Network Rail said services will remain "extremely limited" on Saturday November 5 as an announcement to halt action on Friday came too late. Passengers are being advised not to travel by train unless absolutely necessary and to check before setting off.

A Rail Delivery Group spokesman said: "It is positive that the RMT leadership have stepped back from the brink and called off their strike action. "Unfortunately, the late notice means that while train companies are working hard to reinstate services, they will remain severely disrupted for our passengers [on Saturday] and into the early part of next week."

The RMT said it had secured "unconditional" talks with Network Rail and the promise of a pay offer from the train operating companies.

The union said the dispute remains "very much live" and it is continuing its re-ballot of members to secure a fresh mandate for action, with the result due on Tuesday November 15.

Meanwhile, the TSSA announced it was calling off its planned rail strikes on November 5, 7, 8 and 9 after receiving an invitation to "intensive talks" from the Rail Delivery Group.

TSSA members were due to take strike action in five different rail companies on different days over the period.

Special strike timetables will remain largely in place for Monday November 7 but operators hope services will be back to normal after that.

What is happening with Leeds rail services?

LNER said it is running an extremely limited service on Saturday between Doncaster and Edinburgh, and Doncaster and Leeds. It is not running trains between London King’s Cross and Doncaster.

The rail operator is advising passengers that services will be extremely limited again on Monday November 7 – another day when strikes were expected – and it is working on a timetable for Wednesday November 9.

Due to a technical issued, it says a number of bookings for Monday November 7 and Tuesday November 8 are also incorrectly showing as cancelled in some customers’ LNER accounts and ticket QR codes may no longer be visible in the app.

TransPennine Express welcomed the suspension of the strike action but said amended timetables would still have to be followed up to and including Tuesday November 8.

A spokesperson said: "On Saturday and Monday we will only operate services between Huddersfield and York, and we continue to ask customers to plan ahead carefully and to only travel if journeys are absolutely essential on these dates.

“We are now working on the timetable for Wednesday November 9 and will provide details of the services we will be able to operate as soon as possible.”

Northern’s chief operating officer, Tricia Williams, said: “We can confirm that the much reduced service strike timetable will still run on Saturday and Monday as the reintroduction of a timetable is complex and can take several days to do.

“We continue to advise customers not travel on these days. We are working up a plan to run a fuller service on Wednesday - customers should visit our strike page for most up to date information.”

Cross Country will operate a limited timetable on Saturday November 5 and Monday November 7 and plans to published a revised timetable for Wednesday November 9 in the coming days.

It said normal timetables will operate on Sunday November 6, Tuesday November 8 and Thursday November 10 but there will be later start times.