Railway workers will strike, causing major summer travel disruptions in Cumbria.

This comes after members of the RMT union voted in favour of strike action across Network Rail and 13 train operating companies, including Avanti West Coast, TransPennine Express and Northern which serve major Cumbrian routes.

These routes include Scotland to Manchester and London and Carlisle to Barrow-in-Furness.

This is because of pay disputes, job security and redundancies, RMT’s general secretary Mike Lynch said.

The Department for Transport said strikes should always be a last resort, not the first.

A spokesperson said: “It is hugely disappointing and premature that the RMT is calling for industrial action before even entering discussions.”

READ MORE: Major rail company cancels vital services calling at Cumbria

RMT said the union leaders will meet to discuss a strike timetable from mid-June.

Mike Lynch said: “We sincerely hope ministers will encourage the employers to return to the negotiating table and hammer out a reasonable settlement with the RMT.”

As a result of the strikes, it’s likely services would only run for part of the day – potentially only from 7am and 7pm - and only on main lines.

Network Rail workers haven’t taken part in strike action since 1994, and the company plans to shed 2,500 maintenance jobs as it tries to make £2billion of savings over the next two years.

Andrew Haines, the chief executive of Network Rail, said: Everyone loses if there’s a strike.

"We urge the RMT to sit down with us and continue to talk, not walk, so that we can find a compromise and avoid damaging industrial action."

The Rail Delivery Group, which owns National Rail, said train companies will do everything they can to keep services running smoothly.

Earlier yesterday, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said supplies of food, goods and energy would be prioritised.

Rail Delivery Group’s chair, Steven Montgomery, said of the strike: “Our railways must adapt to attract more passengers back and reduce our running costs. It is not fair to ask taxpayers to continue to shoulder the burden when there are other vital services that need public support.”

Regarding pay, he said: “Every business wants to support its staff and the railway is no exception.

“All train operators want to offer their staff a pay rise and are working hard to make that happen. 

“But, as an industry, we have to change our ways of working and improve productivity to help pay our own way – the alternatives of asking taxpayers to shoulder the burden after government has contributed over £16bn to the industry during covid or asking passengers to pay even higher fares when they too are feeling the pinch, simply isn’t fair.”

READ MORE: Three arrests after McDonalds robbery

 A spokesperson for Avanti West Coast said: “We’re disappointed by the result of the ballot and we, alongside other operators, remain open to talks with the RMT.

“We would advise customers to check before they travel if strike dates are announced and we’ll keep customers up to date on this.

“We will have more details in due course about ticket flexibility and refunds but customers should expect services during industrial action to be very busy.

“There will also be a number of trains subject to short notice cancellations.”

READ MORE: Event will aim to promote rail travel to support businesses in the city