Great Western Railway (GWR) has issued an update after planned railway strikes by the RMT were cancelled.

It had been expected that the RMT union would stage further strikes on March 30 and April 1 amid an ongoing industrial dispute with the Rail Delivery Group, the body which represents railway operators over pay and working conditions.

However, it was announced that the RMT would call off these strikes to enable further talks to take place, and comes on the back of a deal being reached between railway unions and Network Rail in a separate industrial dispute.

GWR has confirmed that following the announcement of the suspension of the strikes, train services are set to operate as normal.

Their latest update reads: "Following the announcement by the RMT to call off the planned industrial action on Thursday 30 March and Saturday 1 April, we expect to operate a normal timetable over this period and journey planners are up to date.

"Talks with the unions continue and no further strike dates have been announced. This page will be updated as the situation changes.

"Customers who purchased tickets for strike days but did not travel can  claim a full refund  or  amend their ticket; those who travelled and were delayed may be entitled to  Delay Repay  compensation if they are delayed by 15 minutes or more. Monthly or longer season ticket holders can apply for Delay Repay compensation."

Confirming they had suspended the proposed strike action, a spokesperson for the RMT said: "Following further talks between RMT and the Rail Delivery Group today, a proposal was tabled by the RDG which could lead to a resolution to resolve the current national rail dispute through a new offer.

"The NEC has therefore suspended strike action scheduled for March 30 and April 1.

"RMT will have further talks with the RDG with a view to securing a new offer on pay, job security, and working conditions.

"The dispute remains on and the union will continue to make preparations for a re-ballot when the current mandates runs out in mid-May."

The Rail Delivery Group welcomed the cancellation of the strikes, with a spokesperson for the body saying: "We welcome this positive step by the leadership of the RMT to call off their planned action on 30 March and 1 April. This is great news for our customers and for our staff. 

“We are now jointly focused on working constructively towards a settlement to this dispute, which will mean we can do what we have always wanted to do – give our people a pay rise and help secure the long-term future of the railway with rewarding careers for all those who work on it.”