The RMT union confirmed on Monday that last-ditch talks to prevent rail strikes this week had failed - and that industrial action starting on June 21 would go ahead.
The North East - like the rest of the country - will see rail services heavily-disrupted as a result. All of the rail operators running in our region are affected, while with Network Rail staff also involved in the action, a stretch of the Tyne and Wear Metro will also be closed.
Each operator has however put on a limited service, but passengers should be aware that far fewer trains are running and they will cease to do so far earlier in the day than usual. This comes as members of the union fight for fair pay while opposing what union bosses called an "agenda of job cuts [and] changes to working practices".
