Fair compensation should be paid to hundreds of people across the district who waited in vain for trains which never arrived during an acute driver shortage, according to a watchdog group.

Councillor John Prestage, chairman of Bradford Passenger Transport Consul-tative Committee, said passengers on the Airedale and Wharfedale lines endured months of misery when beleaguered rail company Arriva Trains Northern failed to run normal services.

Now he fears they could lose out because a compensation package being worked out between Metro and Arriva is aimed initially at people on the Wakefield and Pontefract lines where services were replaced with buses during the crisis.

But Coun Prestage (Lab, Keighley South) said: "I am concerned that the passengers on the Airedale and Wharfedale lines should also get priority.

"They had a dreadful time and suffered as much as the users of the Wakefield and Pontefract lines, if not more, because they had no idea when and if services were running. It caused tremendous problems for local commuters and I don't want them to be overlooked."

Wharfedale Rail Users' Group secretary Derrick Joanes said although some initial compensation was paid, members want the full package speeded up.

A spokesman from Metro - the transport operations arm of the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority - said it would announce details of the compensation package as soon as possible. He said: "A certain amount of the compensation package will be targeted at the Wakefield and Pontefract lines, but the vast majority will be available to passengers across the West Yorkshire network in the form of travel vouchers and reduced price tickets."

Meanwhile, passengers face more rail misery tomorrow as members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union stage a one-day strike over a pay claim.

An Arriva Trains Northern spokesman said: "We are disappointed about this proposal to strike but will try to provide as many services as possible."