The Southern rail strike has been suspended as the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) and Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) agreed to re-open negotiations this afternoon.

The renewed peace talks comes on the third day of the five-day strike and after discussions broke down last week.

The present strike timetable – which saw 40 per cent of Southern’s existing services cut – will remain in operation through today (Wednesday, August 10) and tomorrow, but the operator plans to revert to its revised timetable on Friday.

A Southern spokesperson said: “We are encouraged that the RMT has accepted our offer to resume talks at ACAS and has agreed to call off its strike action. For our passengers sake we truly hope these talks will be productive and bring this long running dispute to an end.”

RMT members were striking over Southern’s intention to give drivers responsibility for closing train doors before departure and instead of conductors. Strikers believe this would compromise passengers’ safety.

For more information, including latest timetables, visit www.southernrailway.com