Rail operator Northern has said none of its trains will run on Wednesday January 31 when ASLEF union members – most of whom are employed as train drivers – stage their latest walk out.  

Northern runs the service between Morecambe and Lancaster, as well as the route between Manchester and Barrow-in-Furness which goes through Lancaster.

Additional disruption is expected from January 29 to February 6 due to an overtime ban, and customers are advised to check before they travel as there may be some short notice cancellations to services running on these days.  

For more information about the strike and the services that will be affected, Northern customers should visit here. 

Tricia Williams, chief operating officer at Northern, said: “We urge customers to check before they travel during this period of industrial action. 

“We apologise in advance for the significant disruption and inconvenience this will cause our customers. 

"We hope to see a resolution to this issue in the near future and an end to the disruption these strikes cause."  

Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.  

Transpennine Express services will also be hit by strikes on January 31 and Avanti West Coast on February 3.

The union claims that train drivers have not had a pay rise since April 2019.

Mick Whelan, ASLEF's general secretary, said: "We have given the government every opportunity to come to the table, but it is now a year since we had any contact from the Department for Transport. It's clear they do not want to resolve this dispute."

He went on to urge the government, and train operating companies, to "come to the table with a realistic offer so we can end this dispute".

But Downing Street condemned the union's decision to support further strikes.

The prime minister's official spokesman said: "This is extremely disappointing. Not least to commuters, who have already been so badly hit by ASLEF's decision to continually strike.

"ASLEF drivers continue to be paid far above what the average person in the UK receives.

"Rail companies have made a fair and reasonable offer, and we would encourage them to step back from this action."