Rail passengers travelling through Cumbria face further disruption this week.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union is set to stage a 48-hour walk out on Friday as part of the ongoing dispute over the role of guards and jobs.

The period of industrial action will affect all services operated by Northern, including those between Carlisle, west Cumbria and Newcastle.

Passengers travelling on the Settle to Carlisle line, which was fully reopened only recently, will also be subject to delays.

However the operator says it expects to run more than 40 per cent of its normal timetable and more than 300 additional rail replacement buses.

A total of 55 services operated by Northern will be affected by the strikes.

Craig Johnston, a regional official with the RMT rail workers union, said: "This dispute is completely about safety.

"This action has won the overwhelming support of our members because they want the railway to be safe.

"At the moments, guards have 35 safety competences that they must sit biannually as rail examinations.

"They act as a secondary safety device in the event that a driver is incapacitated in an incident or an accident; and in these times of increasing antisocial behaviour the guard also has a security function.

"To do away with them would amount to gross negligence. On top of that, they are good for revenue because they sell tickets."

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, on April 28 for journeys they would otherwise have made by rail."

Revised timetables will be published today MONDAY . Passengers can plan their journeys by visiting www.northernrailway.co.uk/industrialaction