Train strike expected to cause misery for thousands of commuters
A planned 24-hour strike by Northern Rail staff is expected to cause misery for commuters in the North East today.
Industrial action began at midnight tonight and will run until midnight tonight.
It is thought the strike will result in Northern Rail running around 40% of its normal timetable during this period.
Commuters are being advised to check the timetable before heading out on their journey by visiting the Northern Rail website and to leave plenty of time for travelling.
The strike, organised by the rail union RMT, has been sparked over plans to remove responsibility for the opening and closing of train doors from guards, instead running Driver Only Operation on Northern Rail trains.
There are a number of Northern Rail routes for the North East which are set to be affected by the strike action.
These are: Nunthorpe and Middlesbrough to Newcastle: The service calls at James Cook, Middlesbrough, Stockton, Billingham, Seaton Carew, Hartlepool, Seaham, Sunderland, Heworth ending the journey in Newcastle.
Newcastle to Carlisle which calls at stations including Dunston, MetroCentre, Corbridge, Hecham, Haltwhistle and Carlisle.
Alnmouth to Newcastle which stops at Morpeth.
It is not thought tomorrow’s trains will be affected.