Buxton rail passengers face major disruption after Northern train drivers and guards vote to strike

The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) has said guards and drivers on Northern Rail will strike on March 13 over on-going disputes over the safety impact of the removal of guards from services.

Union members from Northern and Merseyrail say they will strike on the same day in a row over the future of guards on trains.

Mick Cash, RMT general secretary, said: “The abject failure by Southern Rail to meet with us, to clarify their exact position on the second safety-critical member of staff and to take the safety issues seriously has left us with no option but to confirm further action.

“These disputes could have been settled if Southern/GTR had sat down and listened to our case and given the guarantee of a second-safety critical member of staff on their trains.”

Mr Cash said bosses from both Northern and Merseyrail had failed to guarantee that guards would be kept on trains.

A spokesman for Northern said: “As our modernisation proposals are still in the early stages, it is a shame that RMT has announced strike action for Monday March 13. Our aim is to reach a constructive resolution and we urge RMT to continue the talks we have already started.”

“We want to protect jobs and pay, and during our recent discussions we offered to consult fully with our people, customers and key stakeholders. If strike action goes ahead, our customers can be reassured that we have plans in place to keep them moving. During any strike action, we plan to run a revised service and will shortly release further information.”