TRAIN strikes are set to hit tomorrow (March 18) – and passengers in Ryedale are being warned of disruption.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) at train operators will walk out in a long-running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.

This will be the second trains strike this week, with RMT members also walking out yesterday (March 16).

Further train strikes are planned on March 30 and April 1.

Services will be limited during the strikes, with many train operators advising customers to only travel is essential.

In Ryedale, Malton station will be closed during the strike.

For passengers travelling via York, Northern, who operated the line between York and Leeds, will run one train every hour from 7.45am, with the last train calling at 5pm.

York-based LNER, who run services on the East Coast Mainline to London and Edinburgh, will run limited services, with the last trains calling much earlier than on usual.

Other operators affected include TransPennine Express, whose trains run to Scarborough and cities including Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool, and CrossCountry, whose services from York run to cities including Birmingham and Bristol.  

Trains are also likely to be affected on the days either side of the strike due to overnight walkouts causing further disruption.

Passengers travelling during the strikes are urged to check their timetables up until the time they are about to depart/.

Dispute 'stuck in a deadlock'

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said the dispute is “stuck in a deadlock” because the latest offer is “underfunded”.

He told the PA news agency: “The Government backs up the train operating companies and gives them their mandate.

“They’ve offered a pay proposal that’s 5 per cent for last year and 4 per cent for the coming year, which is way below the rate of inflation.

“But they’ve said all of those pay increases such as they are – which amount to pay cuts – have got to be funded by changes to our members’ working conditions.

“So it’s a self-funded pay rise really, and that’s very difficult for us because the conditions they’re putting on that deal are just not acceptable to our people.

“So we’re stuck in a deadlock really where the offer is underfunded, the conditions are not acceptable and we haven’t got a way forward.”

The Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators, claimed the RMT has “blocked the chance to resolve this dispute” by not putting the latest offer to a vote of its members.

A Department for Transport spokesperson urged the RMT to “put the Rail Delivery Group’s very fair offer to a democratic vote of their members”.