Rail services in Britain will be crippled on Saturday despite a series of planned strikes being called off.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) and Transport Salaried Staffs Association (TSSA) were due to stage walkouts in the coming few days in a long running dispute over jobs, pay and conditions.
The RMT said it had secured "unconditional" talks with Network Rail and the promise of a pay offer from the train operating companies.
The union said the dispute remains "very much live" and it is continuing its re-ballot of members to secure a fresh mandate for action with the result due on 15 November.
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: "The threat of strike action and our strongly supported industrial campaign has made the rail employers see sense.
"We have always wanted to secure a negotiated settlement and that is what we will continue to push for in this next phase of intensive talks.
"Our priority is our members, and we are working towards securing a deal on job security, a decent pay rise and good working conditions."
Tim Shoveller, Network Rail's chief negotiator, welcomed the announcement but said it had come too late to reinstate services on Saturday, warning they will remain "extremely limited."
Special strike timetables will remain largely in place for Monday but operators hope that services will be back to normal after that.
A spokesperson for the Rail Delivery Group said: "It is positive that the RMT leadership have stepped back from the brink and called off their strike action.
"Our advice remains to please check before you travel and on Saturday and Monday only travel by rail if necessary."
