ARRIVA Trains Northern has handed weary passengers a much-needed boost as it prepares to get its timetable back to normal.

The under-pressure train operator is set to restore the vast majority of its services by the end of the month.

It will run 97 per cent of timetabled services by next Monday.

Arriva was forced by the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) to agree to a stripped-down winter timetable last October, because of a chronic driver shortage.

This led to hundreds of trains being cancelled and replaced by buses on routes such as Newcastle to Saltburn and Thirsk to Northallerton.

The short-term measure allowed the company to address the shortage through a driver recruitment and training programme.

Ray Price, managing director, said: "With more and more drivers completing their training programme, we have been able to meet our target date and keep our promise to restore the vast majority of services by the end of February."

He thanked passengers for their patience and reassured them that Arriva was committed to delivering robust train services.

All local services in the North-East will be restored, although a handful on the Trans-Pennine Express will remain suspended until June 2.

Arriva has had to meet stringent driver targets imposed on the company by the SRA, or face a financial penalty.

It still has the threat of a £2m fine from the authority hanging over its head, as a result of not being able to run a full timetable.

The SRA said consultations with passenger groups and stakeholders over whether to impose the fine had taken longer than expected and it hoped to make an announcement soon.

Spokesman Gavin Bostock said: "We have had some quite complicated responses and are still examining these.

"We do, though, welcome Arriva Trains Northern restoring the bulk of the timetable by the end of February."