Unions suspend planned Bank Holiday strike

The planned Bank Holiday rail strike has been cancelled after the RMT union joined the TSSA in suspending industrial action.

The TSSA - one of the two rail unions - planning strike action over the Bank Holiday has suspended the action after receiving a new pay offer from Network Rail.

Members of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association were due to walk out for 24 hours from 5pm on Monday.

But after talks with Network Rail, Manuel Cortes, general secretary of the TSSA, confirmed that the union had suspended the action,

The RMT, which represents most Network Rail employees, is still to announce if the strike is going ahead.

ITV News' Business Editor Joel Hills has learned that Network Rail has tabled a new pay offer to RMT, Unite and TSSA unions in a bid to avert next week's planned strike.

Train companies have started cancelling services over the Bank Holiday due to a planned strike by thousands of Network Rail workers - despite peace talks continuing.

West Coast main line operator Virgin Trains has scrapped all services on Monday and Tuesday and warned it would only be able to run a very limited number of trains on its East Coast line over the two days.

• A look at how the planned rail strike will affect passengers

An outline of how the strike will affect all train companies is expected to be revealed later today, but passengers were warned to expect severe disruption if the 24 walkout goes ahead from 5pm on Monday.

CrossCountry Trains, Chiltern Railways, Arriva Trains Wales, First Great Western and ScotRail were among those giving passengers an early idea of the travel chaos they can expect.

Passengers were being advised not to travel unless "absolutely necessary", with widespread cancellations expected, leading to packed trains.

Virgin Trains has cancelled all its West Coast mainline services on Monday and Tuesday ahead of an anticipated strike by Network Rail workers over the Bank Holiday.

Members of the RMT and TSSA unions have voted for a 24-hour strike, starting at 5pm on Monday, amid an ongoing dispute over pay.

A spokeswoman for the company told ITV News that East Coast services - which are run by a different operator - would continue on a reduced timetable, and advised customers to check for the latest updates before travelling.

She said bosses were monitoring talks between Network Rail and the unions to see whether the situation may improve.

Anyone with tickets for those dates can use them for either the Sunday or Wednesday, in line with any restrictions on the tickets bought.

A refund is also available from the Virgin Trains website or by calling 0344 556 5650.

Contingency plans have been drawn up as rail companies prepare for planned strike action over the Bank Holiday, Network Rail has said.

Amended timetables will be available on Sunday if last-ditch talks aiming to prevent the 24-hour walk-out from Monday afternoon fail.

Network Rail chief executive Mark Carne said he believes an agreement can be reached.