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 [...]
SWR’s two-year extension to run London Waterloo services follows ‘milestone agreement’ with union TSSA February 10, 2023 South Western Railway has been awarded another two years’ contract to run services between London Waterloo and the south-west, parent company Firstgroup said. “We welcome the contract extension for South Western Railway (SWR), which enables us to build on the achievements of the first two years of the contract and continue improving the customer offering,” [...]
Investigation finds rail union TSSA tolerated bullying, harassment and sexual assault February 9, 2023 An independent inquiry has found instances of bullying, discrimination and sexual harassment at the rail union TSSA. Launched in the summer and led by Baroness Helena Kennedy, the investigation uncovered a series of “appalling accidents.” These ranged from coercive behaviour and humiliation to inappropriate and sexual touching as well as sexual assault. Baroness Kennedy wrote [...]
Rail: Inquiry launched into anti-strike bill amid concerns about minimum service level proposal February 9, 2023 The Commons’ transport select committee has launched an inquiry into how the controversial anti-strike bill will apply to the railway sector – with a focus on the demand for minimum service levels. The legislation – which is having its second reading in the Lords on 21 February – will guarantee minimum service levels during strike [...]
‘Unmitigated disaster’: Unions and Sadiq Khan slam transport sec Mark Harper’s rail reform plan February 8, 2023 Unions and Sadiq Khan have slammed the government’s plans to enhance the private sector’s role in railways, calling it “an unmitigated disaster.” It comes after transport secretary Mark Harper announced last night the creation of Great British Railways (GBR), saying the new public body will take “politics out of the railways.” According to Harper yesterday, [...]
Great British Railways confirmed: Body will take ‘politics out’ of sector, says Mark Harper February 7, 2023 Transport secretary Mark Harper has confirmed the creation of Great British Railways, saying the new public body will take “politics out of the railways”. “This is not Network Rail 2.0, nor a return to British Rail,” Harper told the sector as he delivered the annual George Bradshaw address earlier this evening. “Taking the politics out [...]
Rail travel: Government halving the cost of single LNER fares in a move that will ‘unleash more competition, innovation and growth’ February 7, 2023 The government is set to halve the cost of single rail fares across the wider LNER rail network, as part of its plan to reform the UK’s railways. Transport secretary Mark Harper will announce an extension of single-leg pricing beyond the few LNER services that have trialled the ticketing system since 2020. The move will [...]
Rail strikes: End is now ‘further away’ than when walkouts started, Aslef says February 1, 2023 A resolution to the dispute between train drivers and operators is “further away than when we started,” according to rail union Aslef. Around 12,500 Aslef members at 15 companies are on strike today as part of a ongoing dispute over pay and jobs, joining hundreds of thousands of workers in what is considered the biggest [...]
Is it Avanti? The award for Britain’s worst rail network goes to…. January 23, 2023 Avanti West Coast is the country’s worst train operator when it comes to cancellations, according to a new ranking. A Press Association analysis of recent data published by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) shows that Avanti West Coast’s cancellation score for the four weeks ended 7 January was 18.9 per cent. Cancellation score [...]
RMT receives new pay offer from train companies in bid to avert more strikes – but will its members accept? January 19, 2023 The RMT rail union has announced it has received a new and improved pay offer from train operators in a bid to avert more strikes. Union bosses said they will consider the deal – which is worth a minimum of nine per cent over two years – and decide whether to put it to their [...]