Northern Rail passengers face further misery this week as staff are set to stage yet another 24-hour walk out over plans to axe guards from trains.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union announced they will be striking on Friday (April 28).

It will be the third 24-hour strike in the union’s ongoing dispute with Arriva Rail North – which operates the Northern franchise – over plans to introduce driver-only trains.

Earlier this month staff staged a walk out on the day of the Grand National.

And the latest action coincides with another massive sporting event as it will impact upon those travelling to watch the Tour de Yorkshire.

It coincides with the first day of the cycling event – which passes through Kirklees on the Sunday – as well as the start of the May bank holiday weekend.

Northern has said it will still run more than 40% of its usual timetable despite the industrial action

More than 300 rail replacement buses will also be arranged to help keep the north on the move.

Local routes where Northern will operate train or rail replacement buses include Leeds to Huddersfield, Leeds to Rochdale via Brighouse, Leeds to Hebden Bridge via Bradford Interchange, Barnsley to Huddersfield, and Blackburn to Todmorden and Hebden Bridge.

All services are expected to be extremely busy and commuters are advised to allow extra time to travel and consider whether their journeys are necessary.

Sharon Keith, regional director for Northern, said: “To keep as many people on the move as possible we are targeting available trains on our busiest routes and at peak times.

“The majority of trains will run between 7am and 7pm with rail replacement buses on some routes where we unable to run trains.

“Customers need to plan carefully as services will start to wind down from late afternoon.

“To support day one of the Tour de Yorkshire, where possible we are adding carriages to the services we are able to operate around Middlesbrough, Whitby and Bridlington.

“Northern customers will also be able to use their rail tickets on Arriva Bus services, including Yorkshire Tiger, for journeys they would otherwise have made by rail.”