STRIKES on Northern rail services have been suspended by the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union, after the union agreed to pick talks back up with Northern.

The RMT has been holding ongoing strikes which have caused major disruption for passengers over the future role of conductors on trains.

The union has held 47 days of strikes, including every Saturday for months, over the issue since the row broke out two years ago.

The fresh talks have been brokered by ACAS chair Sir Brendan Barber, following Northern calling for ACAS to hold an independent dispute inquiry.

David Brown, managing director at Northern, said: “We warmly welcome RMT’s decision to suspend its strike action and recommence talks about what the future role of the conductor looks like.

"We have been very clear in these discussions that there will be a conductor on all our trains now and into the future.

"We are looking forward to further positive talks with RMT about operational models moving ahead so that we can resolve their despite and bring it to an end.

"The suspension of the RMT strikes is good news for customers and businesses across the North."

A full timetable will not be back in place this weekend due to the complexity of changing a timetable, said Northern, but things will be back to normal from Saturday, February 16.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: "I want to pay tribute to RMT's members on Northern Rail whose resilience and determination through two years and 47 days of action has been the foundation on which today's major breakthrough has been based.

"I also want to thank the travelling public for their extraordinary support and both Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram (Manchester and Liverpool Mayors) for their efforts that have been important in allowing us to break the deadlock today."

Employers, passenger groups and elected representatives all backed Northern's calls for an ACAS independent dispute inquiry, which was dismissed by the RMT last December as a "PR stunt".

Mr Cash added: "Today's offer of a guarantee of a conductor on all services throughout the duration of the franchise, including the new fleet, is the substantial progress we have been pushing for and has allowed RMT's executive to take the decision to suspend the current action and allow for further talks to now take place with all stakeholders around the operational details."