Talks


between
the
RMT
and
the
government
have
not
apparently
resulted
in
any
progress,
and
the
industrial
dispute
is
understood
to
be
continuing.
Before
yesterday’s
meeting,
the
RMT
claimed
that
the
contracts
between
the
Department
for
Transport
and
train
operators
place
control
of
any
dispute
in
the
government’s
hands.
The
union’s
general
secretary
Mick
Lynch
had
said:
‘Today
I
want
to
see
the
government
stop
play-acting
because
the
truth,
written
in
black
and
white
in
their
rail
contracts,
is
that
they’ve
been
in
complete
control
of
this
dispute
from
day
one.
The
train
operators
cannot
move
without
government
say
so.’
The
DfT
has
not
responded
directly
to
the
union’s
claim,
but
said:
‘The
most
important
thing
for
passengers,
businesses
and
the
future
of
our
rail
industry,
is
for
unions
to
put
an
end
to
these
disruptive
strikes.
The
rail
minister
will
approach
these
latest
talks
as
we
have
done
since
the
start
of
this
damaging
industrial
action
–
by
working
to
facilitate
reasoned,
constructive
discussions
aimed
at
finding
a
swift
resolution.’

Survey
results
++ The
results
of
a
new
survey
published
by
passenger
watchdog
Transport
Focus
show
that
passengers
are
more
concerned
about
the
cost
of
travelling
by
train
than
anything
else.
Performance
came
just
behind,
while
the
third
priority
was
trains
running
often
enough,
followed
by
accurate
and
timely
information
about
the
timetable,
and
then
getting
a
seat
on
the
train.
Less
important
were
helpful
staff,
clean
stations
and
trains,
and
reliable
WiFi,
which
was
the
23rd
category
in
TF’s
list
of
25
priorities.
Finding
sufficient
space
for
luggage
was
the
least
important
factor.

Bargain
rides
++


Two
operators
in
England
are
offering
discounted
fares
in
the
wake
of
the
latest
rail
strikes.
East
Midlands
Railway
is
offering
returns
to
London
for
£40
First
Class
and
£20
Standard
Class
until
21
January,
while
Northern
has
announced
a
‘flash
sale’
running
between
today
and
13
January,
with
bargain
tickets
selling
for
as
little
as
50p,
£1
or
£1.50
on
selected
routes.
Eurostar
has
also
launched
a
sale
of
single
tickets
at
£39
as
part
of
a
return
booking
to
Paris,
Lille,
Brussels
or
Rotterdam,
valid
on
most
dates
between
23
January
and
24
March.

Achilles
appointment
++


Achilles
Information
Ltd
has
announced
the
appointment
of
Phil
Scott
as
chief
financial
officer.
Phil
has
had
senior
finance
responsibilities
in
a
number
of
software
firms,
including
Flutter
Entertainment
and
most
recently
Zepz,
the
cross-border
payments
business.
He
qualified
as
a
chartered
accountant
with
KPMG
and
holds
an
MA
(Hons)
in
Economics
from
the
University
of
St
Andrews.