Plans to shake up British railway network could be watered down as new powers likely delayed May 19, 2023 Plans to shake up the railway network may be watered down as legislation to give powers to a proposed new public sector body could be delayed, it has been reported. Great British Railways (GBR), announced in 2021 by then-prime minister Boris Johnson as a way to simplify the rail network and improve services for passengers, [...]
60 business leaders warn Sunak to bring Great British Railway plans forward – or jobs and investment will be on the line May 9, 2023 Sixty business leaders have written to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak today, urging him not to delay legislation that would establish Great British Railways (GBR) beyond the current parliament. The letter, which was also addressed to Transport Secretary Mark Harper and Rail and HS2 Minister Huw Merriman, argued that pushing the reforms into the long grass [...]
Militant rail unions blame Tories for FA Cup and Eurovision strike disruption April 30, 2023 The leader of the train drivers’ union has angrily attacked the Transport Secretary after he criticised a planned strike on the eve of the Eurovision Song Contest final for its impact on Ukraine. Union members will walk out on May 12 as part of a long-running dispute over pay, as well as on May 31 [...]
Waterloo Station: Commuters should expect ‘severe disruption’ on way home after signal failures cause havoc April 13, 2023 A ‘major’ signalling fault has caused severe train delays at the station today, which look set to continue until throughout the afternoon. Trouble began at 3am this morning, as the main power supply to the signaling system on platforms 1 to 4 failed. Angry London commuters were told by Network Rail, “do not travel to [...]
Not so thirsty Thursday as Nightcap blames ‘targeted’ rail strikes for £1.2m earnings loss March 13, 2023 Cocktail bar operator Nightcap has estimated that 13 days of rail strikes over the last year has cost the company £1.2m. The bar company, which operates a number of venues across Clapham and central London, claimed rail strikers “deliberate targeting” of Thursdays and Saturdays, the most lucrative trading days for the hospitality sector, caused a [...]
Network Rail hits back at ‘regretful’ RMT claim linking modernisation proposals to tragedy February 16, 2023 Network Rail’s plans to modernise maintenance will improve safety for workers, as it hit out at the RMT union for its “regretful” linking of proposals to a tragedy almost 20 years ago. NR strongly denied claims by the Rail, Maritime and Transport union that it had a cost-cutting agenda, as its boss Mick Lynch invoked [...]
Rail and postal strikes ‘decimated’ festive trade with worst impact for a decade February 14, 2023 London’s festive economy was “decimated” by rail and postal strikes, as new figures revealed the disruption caused by walkouts was the worst month on record since 2011. Around 843,000 working days were lost to strike action in December – the highest for more than a decade – according to official figures from the Office for [...]
Network Rail makes new offer to RMT in bid to avert more strikes: Pay increase stays but hours reduced February 1, 2023 Network Rail has tweaked the offer it made last month to the union RMT in a bid to avert more strike action. Chief negotiator Tim Shoveller sent yesterday an email to staff, saying the new offer “added some fresh proposals.” These include cutting down the hours of maintenance staff from 40 to 35 per week, [...]
London disruption warning after rail track left hanging in mid-air due to ‘huge landslip’ January 15, 2023 Major disruption is expected after a main railway line collapsed in a “huge” landslip which left one track hanging in mid-air. The 44-metre landslip happened on the embankment to the north east of Hook station in Hampshire, on the line from London to Basingstoke. The damage has left only two of the four-track railway passable, [...]
Train operators given ‘revised mandate’ for latest union talks, Mark Harper says January 15, 2023 Train company bosses will be working with a “revised mandate” which could include a better pay offer as they enter the latest round of talks with unions, the transport secretary has suggested. Mark Harper said train operators have been given his “permission” to make a new offer to the trade unions. The minister claimed he [...]