Strike interrupted train journeys in Cumbria are coming to an end after drivers voted overwhelmingly to accept a multiyear pay offer.

The union Aslef said its members voted by 96 per cent in favour of a deal the union said was worth 15 per cent over three years.

The offer was made by the new Labour Government within weeks of the party winning the general election.

The ballot result ends what Aslef called the longest train drivers’ strike in recent history, during which drivers took 18 days of strike action.

Mick Whelan, Aslef’s general secretary, said: “It is with great pleasure that we can announce the end of the longest train drivers’ strike in history.

“The strength and resilience and determination shown by train drivers to protect their hard-won and paid-for terms and conditions against the political piracy of an inept and destructive Tory government has prevailed.

“It was not a fight we sought, or wanted. All we sought after five years without a pay rise, working for private companies who, throughout that period, declared millions of pounds in profits and dividends to shareholders, was a dent in the cost of living.”

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Train journeys in Cumbria and across the country have been disrupted services since the end of the pandemic as train drivers, guards and rail workers have all taken separate strike action.

Aslef said the no strings offer is for 5 per cent for 2022 to 2023; 4.75 per cent for 2023 to 2024; and 4.5 per cent for 2024 to 2025.

A spokesperson for the Rail Delivery Group said: “We welcome the news that the dispute with train drivers has been resolved. The whole railway now needs to pull together and focus on delivering the best possible service for our customers.”