Passengers in the north of England suffered during the dispute

Arriva Trains Northern has promised an improved service for customers over the next year, after a long-running dispute with many of its workers were resolved.

In February train conductors at the company, members of the Rail Maritime and Transport Union (RMT), accepted the company's 4% pay offer.

The strikes had caused huge disruption to train services across northern England.

And managing director Ray Price said the year-long dispute has held the company back from improving services.

He said: "Now we have resolved the conductors' dispute we can move forward.

'New managers'

"We hope to be in a position where we are one of the most improved train companies in 2003.

"There is a lot more we can do for our customers with regard to customer services in the coming year, including bringing in new performance managers.

"We can provide more information, and there are other things we can do a stations - things we couldn't do before because management time was being spent on the dispute."

The approval of the offer by the RMT brought to an end a dispute which included 25 stoppages since it started in January 2002.

At the end of the dispute the union's general secretary Bob Crow said problems at Arriva, particularly low pay, would not go away.