Northern issues 'do not travel' warning ahead of strikes next week

The two 48-hour walk-outs, which will take place on December 13-14 and 16-17, coupled with the knock-on impact on December 15 in-between the strikes, means an effective five-day travel ban for rail users.

During this period, Northern said all but a handful of services will be cancelled – and the vast majority of the train operator’s 500 stations will be closed.

Tricia Williams, chief operating officer at Northern, said: “This is the last thing we want to do in the run-up to Christmas, but with the RMT pressing ahead with these 48-hour strikes, we have no option but to advise customers not to travel. We can only apologise once again for the disruption their action will cause.”

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Customers should check before they travel if planning to use one of the skeleton services, including between Leeds and York via Micklefield.

On Sunday (December 11) Northern’s new timetable comes into effect and all customers, especially those who have made regular journeys on the same train times, are advised to check online journey planners before they travel to ensure their service operates at the same time and calls at the same stations.