Hopes of an end to the rail strikes emerged tonight as the Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers’ union suspended all industrial action on Network Rail after receiving a revised pay offer.

Another walk-out was planned for 16 March, with a ban on overtime to follow.

But in a statement, the RMT said its executive was suspending all disruptive action and that ‘further updates will be given on all aspects of the national rail dispute in the coming days.”

Workers at 14 train operating companies are still planning industrial action on 16, 18 and 30 March, and on 1 April.

However with Network Rail workers no longer joining them, the scale of disruption is likely to vary by operator.

Network Rail chief executive Andrew Haines said: “We are relieved for our people, passengers and freight customers that industrial action in Network Rail has now been suspended. We look forward to further information on plans for a referendum.”

A Rail Delivery Group spokesperson said: “The RMT leadership’s decision to put Network Rail’s deal to its membership is a welcome development, but train operating staff will rightly be asking why their union continues to deny them the opportunity to have their say on our equivalent offer.

“Instead of inflicting more lost pay on its members and disruption to our passengers, we are calling on the union to call off their strikes and meet us for urgent talks to resolve this dispute.”

The TSSA union last accepted a revised offer from the train companies.