Category Archives: Rail transport

Deal to stop UK train strikes ‘in touching distance’, says Network Rail

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Chief negotiator says better communications could sway union members, as first of five days of rail strikes begins

A deal to stop strikes is “in touching distance”, the chief negotiator for Network Rail has claimed, as drivers and staff began the first of five consecutive days of national rail strikes.

Tim Shoveller, Network Rail’s chief negotiator, suggested the pay offer would not be improved but claimed that better communication of the deal would begin to win over union members.

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Week of rail strikes to cause more travel disruption in UK

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RMT staging two 48-hour strikes from Tuesday and Friday and Aslef has called strike for Thursday

Rail passengers will face fresh travel disruption this week because of strikes by tens of thousands of workers in bitter disputes over pay, jobs and conditions.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) at Network Rail and 14 train operators will stage two 48-hour strikes from Tuesday and Friday, while drivers in the Aslef union will strike on Thursday.

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Rail strikes ‘cost UK hospitality sector £1.5bn in December alone’

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Figure worse than predicted and head of industry body expects ‘more business failures’ in early 2023

The rail strikes have had a worse impact on the UK’s hospitality industry than expected – costing bars, pubs, restaurants and hotels £1.5bn in December alone – according to the head of the body representing the sector.

Kate Nicholls, the chief executive of UKHospitality, said this had contributed to a “perfect storm” for businesses battling high energy bills and a cost of living crisis, adding this meant “undoubtedly we will see more business failures” in the next three months.

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Inflation, waiting lists, strikes, rail chaos, climate emergency: the 2022 polycrisis

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Almost every facet of life in the UK – courts to cost of living, transport to healthcare, environment to asylum system – is at breaking point

In mid-November Rishi Sunak was asked in a Channel 4 interview to name one public service that “was working, adequately, working properly”.

The prime minister didn’t give a direct answer. But the exchange feeds into an ever-more-common discourse: that the UK is facing “polycrisis” in almost every facet of life in Britain. From courts to the cost of living, transport to healthcare, environment to the asylum system – everywhere appears to be affected.

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Civil service union warns of possible strikes by junior doctors and teachers

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General secretary Mark Serwotka predicts ‘coordinated and synchronised’ action from January

The head of the largest civil servants union has warned ministers that “coordinated and synchronised” strike action across the economy will “significantly escalate” from January.

Mark Serwotka, the general secretary of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), was speaking as his members employed in passport control for Border Force set up picket lines at Britain’s largest airports on Wednesday, in a four-day strike set to continue until New Year’s Eve.

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UK rail passengers warned of severe disruption into new year

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Network Rail advises users of some routes to avoid travel unless necessary until at least 9 January

Rail passengers have been told to avoid some services for two weeks and that trains will be “significantly disrupted” across most of the country into the new year.

The warning from Network Rail came as some services juddered back to life on Tuesday after the Christmas shutdown and several days of strikes by RMT union members.

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UK rail system described as ‘broken’ as 2022 data reveals extent of disruption

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Delays and cancellations linked to 20 years of privatisation, rising costs and labour shortages worsened by pandemic, say experts

Rail passengers have been delayed or disrupted on more than half of all train services departing from 15 of Great Britain’s busiest stations in the last year, Guardian analysis shows, exposing what has been described as a “broken” railway system that cannot easily be fixed.

Experts said the figures – which show rail services in the north and Midlands as the hardest hit – demonstrated the impact of two decades of privatisation, which had increased costs and public subsidies, combined with labour shortages exacerbated by the pandemic.

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Thousands face Boxing Day travel chaos across Britain as rail strikes continue

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No services on railways for second consecutive day as RMT union members strike over pay

Thousands of people face Boxing Day travel chaos across Britain as a rail strike means no services will be running.

Many have been forced to cancel or make alternative plans as the industrial action continues.

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Delays hit rail passengers rushing to beat Christmas Eve strike

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Sympathy and irritation from public as thousands of RMT union members at Network Rail prepare to strike

Rail passengers were facing delays as they rushed to get the last trains before Christmas Eve services came to a halt, while Britain’s roads were braced for extra traffic as a result of the strikes on the railways.

People embarking on festive getaways or heading home for the holidays gathered on the concourses of major stations including London Euston and Birmingham New Street.

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Train drivers to stage fresh 24-hour UK strike on 5 January

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Aslef action falls between two 48-hour strikes by RMT, knocking out most trains for five days

Train drivers have called a fresh 24-hour strike on 5 January in the long-running dispute over pay and conditions on UK railways.

The action at 15 train operators by members of the Aslef union falls between two 48-hour strikes by the RMT union on 3-4 and 6-7 January, meaning most trains will be wiped out for five consecutive days.

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Sydney-Melbourne rail upgrades could be ‘transformative’, Coalition says

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Bridget McKenzie backs immediate improvements to interstate track as an alternative to long-term high-speed plans

Upgrades to the Sydney-Melbourne railway that slash the journey from 11 hours to six within a few years could be “transformative” for regional Australia, says the federal opposition. It is urging the Albanese government not to let ambitions for a decades-long high-speed rail project get in the way of more immediate upgrades.

The Coalition’s transport spokesperson, Bridget McKenzie, told Guardian Australia she believed sections of the existing track “have significant but eminently fixable impediments to a faster route” – including a key stretch between Goulburn and Junee in New South Wales – and heralded the economic and emissions benefits an upgraded track could bring.

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Rail strikes: passengers face fresh wave of weekend disruption

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People urged only to travel if absolutely necessary on last weekend before Christmas

Rail passengers face another day of reduced services on Saturday as thousands of Rail, Maritime and Transport workers’ union (RMT) staff continue a 48-hour strike.

People have been urged to only attempt travel if absolutely necessary on the last full weekend before Christmas, with only a skeleton service running and all train journeys ending by early evening.

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Avanti West Coast rewarded with over £4m in taxpayer-funded bonuses

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Payout awarded for period in which Avanti was UK’s worst train operator for delays, Labour analysis found

Avanti West Coast was handed millions of pounds of taxpayer-funded bonuses for a period in which it was Britain’s worst train operator for delays, according to Labour party analysis.

The analysis, which used Department for Transport (DfT) figures published on Thursday, found the company was awarded the highest possible rating for “operational performance” and “customer satisfaction” between 1 April and 18 September last year. Those ratings contributed to a bonus payout of £4.1m.

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UK strikes: Rishi Sunak says government cannot shift pay stance

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Rail bosses and unions also signal they will not budge, as RMT’s Mick Lynch says there is ‘no deal in sight’

Rishi Sunak has said the government is unable to shift its position on pay, effectively implying the only way for strikes across the railway and other sectors would be for unions to back down.

In comments to his cabinet on the first day of four weeks of disruption to train services, the prime minister said: “While the government will do all we can to minimise disruption, the only way we can stop it completely is by unions going back around the table and calling off these strikes.”

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UK cold weather: National Grid puts contingency coal units on standby as travel is disrupted by snow – live

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Snowfall causes issues across parts of UK as cold snap intensifies

Daniel Duffield, a 22-year-old off-duty paramedic, was stuck on the M25 for more than two-and-a-half hours this morning, while attempting to travel home to Birmingham from London.

He told PA Media that vehicles have been “stationary with very small movement”.

I expected some traffic due to weather but nothing this bad. Traffic appeared to be at a standstill for miles and miles. Other drivers were turning their engines off presumably to save fuel due to the uncertainty. A few people were stretching their legs due to delays too.

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Mark Harper refuses to deny No 10 or Treasury pushed for driver-only trains

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MPs question transport secretary about reports government stipulation may have scuppered rail deal

The transport secretary, Mark Harper, has refused to deny reports that the government pushed rail companies to include future use of driver-only trains as a condition of a pay deal, thus potentially scuppering an agreement.

Under sustained questioning before the Commons transport committee, Harper at first said he had not seen the report, before repeatedly declining to engage with the subject beyond saying that reforms in how the railways were run were necessary to make savings.

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German trains to offer coffee in porcelain cups to cut waste

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Deutsche Bahn passengers will be able to opt for reusable cups, plates and bowls for their food and drink from next year

Deutsche Bahn passengers will be able to get their coffee in a porcelain cup from next year, the German rail operator has announced, as it seeks to cut waste.

Travellers would be able to choose a “high-quality porcelain or glass” option when ordering food and drink on its intercity and high-speed services, the company said in a statement.

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North of England mayors urge ministers to tackle rail misery

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Five metro mayors meet transport secretary saying action needed to avoid ‘Christmas chaos’

Mayors in the north of England have called for immediate government action to tackle continuing rail misery, warning time is running out to avoid a Christmas of chaos.

The five metro mayors for Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and North of Tyne met Mark Harper, the transport secretary, in offices near to Manchester Piccadilly station on Wednesday.

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Claw back £12m ‘failing’ rail firm paid out in dividends, Labour urges

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Avanti West Coast, which received £343m subsidy, had worst punctuality performance among train operators

Labour has called on ministers to claw back £12m in dividends paid by Avanti West Coast to its shareholders last year, when it was subsidised by £343m by the taxpayer.

Figures released by the rail watchdog on Tuesday showed that Avanti paid out £12m in 2021-22 from management and performance fees.

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UK rail passengers face new disruption in latest strike

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People urged to travel only if necessary as train drivers with Aslef at 11 rail operators take industrial action over pay

Passengers across Britain face another day of cancelled or disrupted rail services on Saturday as drivers for 11 train companies go on strike.

Train operators urged people to travel only if necessary and to check before setting out, with no trains or only a handful of services running on affected routes.

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