Rail workers are to stage a fresh 24-hour strike next month in an escalation of the national dispute over pay, job security and conditions.
Members of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) at nine train operating companies – including LNER – as well as Network Rail will walk out from midday on Monday 26 September.
The union remains in talks with Network Rail about the possibility of a settlement but is urging Transport Secretary Grant Shapps to intervene in a bid to break the deadlock.
TSSA union leader Manuel Cortes said: “The dead hand of Grant Shapps is sadly stopping train operating companies from making a revised, meaningful offer.
“Frankly, he either sits across the negotiating table with our union or gets out of the way to allow railway bosses to freely negotiate with us, as they have done in the past.”