Three days of planned strikes by railway workers have been suspended at the 11th hour.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) had been due to stage 24-hour walkouts on Saturday and next Monday and Wednesday.
The action was due to take place in a long-running dispute over jobs, pay and conditions. It was suspended after the RMT said it has secured “unconditional” talks on Network Rail (NR) and the promise of a pay offer from the train operating companies.
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The union is continuing its re-ballot of members to secure a fresh mandate for action with the result due on 15 November.
However, rail companies have warned travellers that services will still be disrupted on Saturday and into next week due to the late notice.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “The threat of strike action and our strongly supported industrial campaign has made the rail employers see sense.
“We have always wanted to secure a negotiated settlement and that is what we will continue to push for in this next phase of intensive talks.
“Our priority is our members, and we are working towards securing a deal on job security, a decent pay rise and good working conditions.
“Our re-ballot remains live and if we have to take strike action during the next six months to secure a deal, we will.”
Tim Shoveller, Network Rail’s chief negotiator, said: “It’s welcome news that the RMT has called off its strikes but the very late notice means that services for tomorrow cannot be reinstated and will remain extremely limited, and while we, and our train company partners, will work without pause over the weekend, there will be limited ability to change the ‘strike timetable’ for Monday.
“Our advice remains to please check before you travel and on Saturday and Monday and only travel by rail if absolutely necessary.
“We look forward to getting back round the table with all our trades unions early next week to see if the progress made this week can be built on, and a resolution found.”
A spokesman for the Rail Delivery Group said: “It is positive that the RMT leadership have stepped back from the brink and called off their strike action.
“Unfortunately, the late notice means that while train companies are working hard to reinstate services, they will remain severely disrupted for our passengers tomorrow and into the early part of next week.
“Our advice remains to please check before you travel and on Saturday and Monday only travel by rail if necessary.
“We remain committed to intensive negotiations to agree the reforms needed to improve reliability, deliver a pay rise for our people and get the industry back on a sustainable financial footing.”
Northern also said that much reduced services will still be running on some strike days.
Chief operating officer, Tricia Williams, said: "We welcome the news that the RMT has withdrawn its planned strike action on Saturday 5th, Monday 7th and Wednesday 9th November.
“We can confirm that the much reduced service strike timetable will still run on Saturday and Monday as the reintroduction of a timetable is complex and can take several days to do.
“We continue to advise customers not travel on these days. We are working up a plan to run a fuller service on Wednesday - customers should visit our strike page for most up to date information.”
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