Rail workers to strike on the day of the Grand National

Workers at three rail companies are to stage a 24-hour strike on the day of the Grand National next month.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union at Southern, Merseyrail and Arriva Trains North will walk out on 8 April, threatening fresh travel misery for hundreds of thousands of passengers.

Many head to the Grand National in Aintree, Liverpool, by train, meaning any disruption to Merseyrail services will hit those going to one of the biggest horse races in the world.

The dispute is over staffing and the role of conductors.

The RMT also said a planned strike on Southern, which is owned by Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), on 4 April had been moved to the 8th after the company offered fresh talks if the industrial action was suspended.

General Secretary Mick Cash said: "RMT members on Southern Rail have been fighting for safety and access to rail services for nearly a year now and it is time for the company to get out of the bunker and to start making some progress.

"There is no reason for Southern/GTR to drag their heels and the RMT is prepared to meet on the 4th of April as they have requested.

"We now have plenty of breathing space to get talks under way and we would urge the company to seize the opportunity that our decision today has opened up for both parties and the union would prefer for the talks to happen sooner rather than later."

A Southern spokesman said: "We have received no official confirmation from the RMT and will review our response when we do."

Richard Allan, deputy managing director of Arriva Rail North, said: "We are surprised that RMT has announced strike action for April 8 as we had been in contact with their officials in the last 24 hours to organise further talks.

"We have been clear that we want the RMT, along with our people, our customers and stakeholders, to play a role in bringing our modernisation plans to life.

"We want to work with everyone on how we modernise the way we provide customer service and continue to run a safe and reliable railway."

An increased service often runs on Aintree race days and a special timetable is put in place for the annual three-day Grand National festival.

RMT members at the three firms staged a 24-hour strike last week, with the most disruption on Merseyrail services after drivers refused to cross picket lines.

Talks between the company and the union broke down on Monday, with little sign of any progress in a dispute over plans to introduce new driver-only trains by 2020.