TORY ministers are inflicting misery on train passengers by blocking rail bosses from tabling a deal which could end crippling strikes across the network, Aslef charged today as its members downed tools once again.

The massive walkout by train drivers at 13 operators, including Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, Northern and Thameslink, brought most services nationwide to a grinding halt, with more disruption to come.

The union is set to start an overtime ban tomorrow ahead of another big strike on Saturday, which will affect travel to and from the men’s FA Cup final and the Epsom Derby.

Members of fellow rail union RMT will also down tools across several train operators Friday as the near year-long dispute over plummeting take-home pay and working conditions looks set to cause yet another summer of disruption.

Joining a picket line at Newcastle station, Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan said there had been no negotiations since the union’s executive committee rejected a “risible” below-inflation pay offer from employers in April.

Mr Whelan had warned the government, which would have sanctioned the deal as per its contracts with operators, that a take-home wage cut would be rejected after drivers had suffered a four-year pay freeze, despite soaring inflation.

“If you spend months in a room, tell people things aren’t acceptable to you, then they produce a deal that contains those things, then they are setting the deal up to fail,” he said.

“That is a deliberate act on behalf of both the government and the people that we’re dealing with — they do not apparently want a resolution.”

He also accused bosses of “wanting thousands of per cent productivity increases for a 20 per cent pay cut” in real terms.

Both employer-body the Rail Delivery Group and the Department for Transport attempted to demonise the strikers once again today, with the former saying the action is causing “disappointment and frustration for tens of thousands of people.”

And the latter said the industrial action is being “co-ordinated by union leaders to disrupt passengers in a week which will see major events, such as the first-ever all-Manchester FA Cup final, the Epsom Derby and a number of concerts and festivals across the UK.”

The spokesperson attempted to paint Whitehall as an independent middle-man, claiming the government has “facilitated a fair and reasonable pay offer — now union leaders must do the right thing and put this to their members.”

But ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn rubbished the claim, tweeting: “The government could end this dispute by siding with skilled workers, not greedy bosses.

“Our solidarity lies with those fighting for passenger safety, a fair deal and the future of our public services,” the Islington North MP added.

Leicester East MP Claudia Webbe also expressed her solidarity as she hailed the workers for “opposing the greed of private companies and standing up for their rights to fair pay, safe working conditions and a better safer future for us all.

“We should all be on the side of workers,” said on Twitter.