PASSENGERS travelling on Northern Rail have been warned to expect disruption on Friday after the RMT union announced its third strike since March.

Northern expects to be running more than 40 per cent of its services during the industrial action but routes between Warrington, Manchester and Liverpool will be affected.

A timetable of services is set to be released today but the company said trains will be busy, as the strike comes at the start of the bank holiday weekend and the first day of the Tour de Yorkshire cycling event.

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 are unable to run trains. 

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

Trains operated by other companies including Virgin, East Midlands Trains, CrossCountry and TransPennine are not affected.

Northern customers have already faced disruption due to industrial action twice this year, when the transport union called strikes on March 13 and April 8, the day of the Grand National.

For more information visit northernrailway.co.uk/industrial-action.