A TRAIN company which runs trans-Pennine services across Lancashire is to restore a full timetable -- four months after it hit the buffers in a driver crisis.

Arriva Trains Northern had to withdraw some trains and introduce a temporary timetable in October last year as it trained new staff.

But the company still faces possible disruption because of industrial action on services which are used by commuters travelling to and from Preston.

Two days of strike action have been threatened for next month by conductors who are members of the RMT transport union.

Arriva, which claimed its shortage of drivers was inherited from a previous operator, cut 10 per cent of its services to cope. Before that passengers had suffered repeatedly from last-minute cancellations.

Ray Price, Arriva Trains Northern managing director, said: "It takes 12 months to train a driver and Arriva has conducted one of the largest driver recruitment and training campaigns ever seen in the industry.

"With more and more drivers completing their 12-month training programme we have been able to meet our target date and keep our promise to restore ther vast majority of services for our customers by the end of the month.

"Over the past four months we have been carefully planning, taking account of new drivers coming through our driving school, to ensure that services could be restored in a sustainable way."

He added: "We would like to thank our customers for their patience and reassure them that we are committed to planning and delivering robust train services both now and in the future."

All local train services in the North West will be restored, although some of the company's Yorkshire-based routes will not begin operating again until June.

Meanwhile, conductors belonging to RMT are set to strike on March 1 and 2 in the next in a series of two-day stoppages over pay. They want percentage rises in line with drivers.

Arriva runs through services across the county from Blackpool to Scarborough via Preston, Blackburn, Burnley, Bradford and Leeds.