Members
of
the
RMT


at
14
train
operating
companies
in
England
are
on
strike
today,
after
negotiations
with
the
Rail
Delivery
Group
appeared
to
have
stalled
again.

Network
Rail
staff
are
not
striking,
because
a
new
pay
offer
has
been
put
to
RMT
Network
Rail
members
in
a
ballot
which
closes
on
Monday.

Even
so,
the
lack
of
RMT
staff
at
the
operators
means
that
timetables
have
been
cut
back,
with
last
trains
running
much
earlier
than
usual
and
with
no
service
to
many
destinations.

Although
staff
at
ScotRail
and
Transport
for
Wales
are
not
involved
and
are
continuing
to
provide
domestic
rail
services,
cross-border
trains
in
Scotland
and
Wales
run
by
English
operators
are
disrupted.

Avanti
West
Coast
will
not
be
serving
North
Wales
today,
nor
running
to
Glasgow,
although
this
is
because
of
engineering
work
at
Carstairs.
Replacement
buses
are
being
provided
from
Carlisle,
and
ScotRail
trains
are
also
running
from
Carlisle
to
Glasgow
on
the
Glasgow
&
South
Western
route
via
Dumfries
and
Kilmarnock.

LNER
is
not
running
north
of
Edinburgh,
and
its
services
between
there
and
London
are
reduced.
There
are
no
GWR
trains
west
of
Cardiff,
north
of
Oxford
or
west
of
Plymouth.
Other
operators’
timetables
in
England
are
also
disrupted,
although
c2c
services
are
almost
normal
and
Merseyrail
is
not
affected
by
the
strikes.

Transport
for
London
services
are
returning
to
normal
after
yesterday’s
Underground
strike
by
ASLEF
and
the
RMT,
but
at
09.30
this
morning
TfL
was
still
warning
of
‘severe
delays’
on
some
Underground
lines.

The
RMT
is
set
to
stage
a
second
24-hour
National
Rail
walkout
on
Saturday,
and
unless
there
is
a
settlement
in
the
meantime,
two
more
strikes
have
been
called
for
30
March
and
1
April.

Meanwhile,
the
RMT
has
criticised
large
pay
rises
awarded
to
senior
managers
working
for
some
train
operators.

The
union’s
general
secretary
Mick
Lynch
said:
‘On
the
one
hand
Ministers
tell
workers
they
must
tighten
their
belts
and
on
the
other
they
are
using
taxpayer’s
money
to
fund
eyewatering
pay
rises
and
profits
for
the
railway
fat
cats.
It
is
this
blatant
the
unfairness
that
will
only
reinforce
our
members
determination
to
get
a
better
deal.’