PASSENGERS are facing yet more misery on Northern rail after two more strikes were announced in a lengthy dispute over the role of guards and plans for driver-only trains.

The action on October 3 and 5 involving RMT union members will also affect Southern, Merseyrail and Greater Anglia services.

Northern is the region’s biggest train operator and its routes include Bishop Auckland-Darlington-Thornaby-Middlesbrough-Redcar-Saltburn, Middlesbrough to Newcastle and the Esk Valley line in North Yorkshire.

The Southern dispute started 18 months ago and the RMT has taken over 30 days of strike action, causing misery for the company’s 300,000 passengers.

Northern, which is operated by Arriva, has been hit by eight strike days to date, the first in the current dispute occurring in March.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: “The responsibility for the inevitable disruption lies wholly with the company. 

“We are angry and frustrated that Arriva continue to fail to face up to the facts and also continue to ignore a perfectly reasonable union proposal to invite the Department for Transport to join us in round-table talks aimed at finding a solution.

“The public, who support RMT’s campaign for a guarantee of a guard on their trains, will be appalled that Arriva Rail North have failed yet again to offer any kind of progress whatsoever in the talks and have instead opted to try and bulldoze through their plans regardless.”

Richard Allan, Arriva Rail North’s deputy managing director, said: “Northern is modernising local rail with new and refurbished trains, better stations and faster journeys, and while strike action is disruptive, we remain firmly focused on delivering a better service for our customers.

“The RMT continues to reject our offers to talk and we are disappointed that the union has called further strike action.

“We are still prepared to guarantee jobs and current pay for all our conductors for the next eight years.”

Passengers have been forced to endure reduced timetables during the strike action with buses replacing trains and services tailing off during the evenings.