RACEGOERS in York gearing up for tomorrow's Grand National could be left stuck in the starting gates thanks to industrial action.

Striking conductors hitting Arriva Trains Northern (ATN) services could cause mayhem for horse lovers travelling to Aintree, in Liverpool, for the showpiece event of the racing calendar.

Liverpool is served by ATN's TransPennine Express trains, but a 48-hour conductor strike - beginning today - held by the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union will severely disrupt services.

No ATN trains will be running to Liverpool on Grand National day, and that could lead to a rush to the road for those determined to catch a glimpse of the world-famous horse race.

Passengers looking to travel by rail face having to change at Leeds and then Manchester Piccadilly and board services from other train operators.

Timetable changes mean passengers are looking at journey times of more than four hours.

Ray Price, managing director of ATN, said: "I apologise to customers for the inconvenience they continue to suffer in the RMT's pursuit of a totally unreasonable pay demand.

"We remain available for meaningful discussions with the union at any time."

Mark Russell, York RMT branch secretary, said: "We laid the strike dates down a long time ago.

"We honestly didn't know then that this strike would be on Grand National weekend. It is very unfortunate that it has worked out this way."

North Yorkshire racing journalist Tom O'Ryan said he believed the cancellations would have an impact.

"Any big sporting event where there is disruption in travel arrangements has got to be a nuisance," he said. "This is bound to have an impact."

Meanwhile, in a letter to the Evening Press, RMT general secretary Bob Crow has justified the continuing strike action.

He said: "Nobody likes to strike, but when an employer refuses to negotiate in the normal meaning of the word, there is little left for us to do.

"Arriva is treating its workforce with contempt, but that has only hardened our members' resolve.

"Arriva drivers won an 18.5 per cent rise, backdated pension benefits and a £400 Christmas bonus - and I do not begrudge them a penny of it. Theirs is a tough job and it deserves recognition and just reward."

- Plans for a rail link between Malton and Pickering are to be discussed by the Strategic Rail Authority.

Councillors on North Yorkshire's Ryedale Area Committee have backed the discussions, which are set to take place on Wednesday, April 10.

In July 2000, a feasibility study revealed the link could be up and running at a cost of £19m. An estimated 100,000 passengers a year were forecast, bringing in £1m annually if the route was extended to Whitby. Up to 65,000 passengers would be expected to use the route if the link terminated in Pickering.

Chris Millns, the council's head of environmental enhancement, said the future of a rail link would depend on the outcome of next week's meeting.

He said: "The SRA is the key Government Agency which really controls the purse strings now in terms of investment in the railways. We need to find out from them whether this project has any chance of being brought forward in the next few years."

Members of the committee agreed the meeting was essential to look at any hope of having the rail link installed.

Pickering councillor Gaynor de Barr said it was important to look at wider rail issues. She said: "We have a rail station at Malton that fails abominably.

"One very important consideration that must be looked at is the existing transport system."

Updated: 11:36 Friday, April 05, 2002