Rail can’t take more than its fair share, says head of new trade body July 20, 2022 The railway sector can’t take more than its fair share from both fare and tax payers, according to Andy Bagnall, chief executive of the new trade body Rail Partners. “Train companies want to give their people a pay rise, but it has to be affordable and in the context of restoring the railway to a [...]
Rail strike on 27 July: Brits face zero services on some train lines July 20, 2022 Network Rail has warned passengers that limited to no services will run on 27 July, the first of an additional three-day strike called by the union RMT last week. The government-owned operator said that – while “specially-trained back-up staff” will keep vital services running on the day – timetables will be cut down to 20 [...]
Rail operators and freight firms create coalition to transform UK railways July 20, 2022 A consortium of rail and freight operating firms have clubbed together with a prospectus to transform Britain’s railways. The launch of Rail Partners was welcomed by rail minister Wendy Morton, as the industry sets out five key priorities for reform – including the sector’s decarbonisation and the role of Great British Railways moving forward. Made [...]
Last orders? Bittersweet summer for pubs as rising costs out-shadow post-pandemic demand July 20, 2022 Packed beer gardens herald the arrival of summer in Britain. For publicans, this summer presents a chance to rebuild after two years’ of Covid-19 restrictions battering trade. Yet, with inflation surpassing 40-year highs and strike action threatening to severe revellers’ passages into city centres, will publicans be able to make up for those long, lost [...]
Underground back to normal after days of heatwave-induced delays July 20, 2022 London Underground returned to normal as temperatures in the capital dropped more than 10 degrees overnight. All lines were fully operational on Wednesday morning, with the Jubilee the only one to be experiencing major delays due to signal failures. Overnight, temperatures plummeted from the mid-30s to the mid-20s, as warnings about flash floods in the [...]
It would be madness to arm the unions with acquiescence July 20, 2022 THE continuing rail disputes are understandable given that two years of on-off lockdown have disrupted normal pay settlement processes. But the railways have been massively subsidised by the taxpayer over this period, and cannot expect such largesse to continue. Revenue is down to less than 80 per cent of pre-Covid levels, and patterns of use [...]
Nearly 900 Tube journeys delayed in three years due to late drivers July 18, 2022 Almost 900 Tube journeys were delayed between 2019 and 2022 as a result of drivers turning up late to work, new Transport for London (TfL) figures have revealed. A Freedom of Information (FOI) request, made by the free market TaxPayers’ Alliance (TPA) think tank, found 894 Tube rides were late by at least two minutes [...]
Union boss says crippling rail strikes to go ahead as no one is ‘coming to the table’ July 17, 2022 Crippling rail strikes are set to go ahead in just two weeks as train company bosses are not “coming to the table”, according to the head of the UK train drivers’ union. Mick Whelan, general secretary of the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (Aslef) union, said “when train drivers don’t come to work, [...]
Avoid travelling in heatwave, warns Network Rail July 16, 2022 Network Rail has warned that passengers in England and Wales should travel only if necessary during next week's scorching heatwave.
Explainer-in-brief: Summer of Discontent, continued July 16, 2022 Brace for more industrial action. The RMT, led by media sensation Mick Lynch, will be striking again on the July 27, right before the Commonwealth Games open in Birmingham. On top of that, the union has announced two additional strike days on August 18 and 20, in the middle of the holiday season. Meanwhile, the [...]