LONDON — Train services in north Wales could come to a standstill on Friday for the second time this week if talks to end strike action fail, BBC News reports.
The planned action is part of a series of 24-hour walkouts by members of the drivers union Aslef and the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union.
Services by First North Western were left in tatters on Tuesday after union members began the first of three one-day strikes.
A second day of negotiations between the train operating company and unions on Thursday failed to resolve the deadlock.
The dispute centres on disciplinary procedures, which the unions insist need to be fully addressed before they will call off the action.
Tuesday’s strike blighted the journey of thousands of passengers after First North Western was forced to cancel all train services.
The unions voted for strike action after a long-running row over the downgrading and dismissals of a number of its members.
One of the cases involved the sacking of a driver who had passed two red lights and was caught exceeding the speed limit by 10mph.
But the train operating firm have said they are not prepared to compromise on safety.
First North Western Managing Director, Dave Kaye said: “The company is not prepared to reinstate the driver who was dismissed for serious breaches of safety.”
The unions said the company has developed a “culture of blame and fault-finding”.
The train operator caters for more than 8,000 passengers who travel on the north Wales coastal routes every day.
It operates the biggest train service in north Wales and the north west of England and was forced to suspend all services for the duration of Tuesday’s strike.
Services between London and Holyhead were also cancelled because drivers for First North Western are contracted out to Virgin Trains.
The company have said that if Friday’s strikes go-ahead replacement bus services will be operating on some routes.
Members of the Rail Passengers Committee for Wales have said an agreement should be reached before any permanent damage is done.
The committee’s Dafydd Huws said: “The strikes caused a lot of problems for passengers and some people didn’t even seem to know there was a strike on.
“Lets hope that the long-term effect won’t be to deter people from using the railways.”
Further 24-hour strikes by the unions are planned for 5 and 8 April.
First North Western has apologised to its passengers for the disruption caused by the action.
However, they have insisted passenger safety remains the company’s priority.