Strikes


The
Commons
Transport
Committee
has
urged
the
Government
not
to
overlook
risks
as
it
prepares
to
introduce
Minimum
Service
Levels
‘rail
strikes’
regulations,
and
‘be
ready
to
learn
lessons
where
necessary’.
The
warning
has
come
as
ASLEF
starts
nine
days
of
an
overtime
ban,
and
also
prepares
to
stage
rolling
strikes
at
operators
in
England
from
tomorrow
until
8
December.


Meanwhile
drivers
who
are
members
of
ASLEF
have
voted
to
continue
strikes
for
the
next
six
months. ASLEF
general
secretary
Mick
Whelan
said:
‘Our
members,
who
have
not
had
a
pay
rise
for
nearly
five
years
now,
are
determined
that
the
train
companies
and
the
Tory
government
that
stands
behind
them
do
the
right
thing.’

Landslip


Network
Rail
and
South
Western
Railway
are
urging
passengers
between
Woking
and Basingstoke
to
only
travel
if
absolutely
necessary
following
a
landslip.
Cracks
up
to
45
metres
long,
50cm
wide
and
a
metre
deep have
been
detected
in
a
100
metre
slope
next
to
the
St
John’s
Hill
Road
overbridge
between
Brookwood
and
Woking.
Network
Rail
has
introduced
a
20mph
speed
restriction
and
part
of
the
railway
will
be
closed
next
week
so
that
the
cutting
can
be
repaired.

Ayr


ScotRail
has
confirmed
that
limited
services
from
Ayr
will
be
reintroduced
next
week
after
the
line
was
closed
following
a
recent
fire
at
the
former
Station
Hotel.
A
half-hourly
rail
shuttle
will
start
running
on
4
December
to
Prestwick
Town,
to
link
with
connecting
services
to
Glasgow
Central.The
safety
exclusion
zone
around
the
former
hotel
at
Ayr
means
that
full
services
cannot
be
restored
for
now.

Rail
replacements


The
Office
of
Rail
and
Road
has
asked
operators
and
Network
Rail
to
address
concerns
over
the
consistency
and
usefulness
of
information
about
rail
replacement
buses
during
engineering
works.
The
regulator
said
better
information
is
needed,
adding
that
there
were
too
many
places
where
passengers
could
be
confused
by
where
to
go
and
what
to
do.

Performance


The
ORR
has
launched
an
investigation
into
punctuality
and
reliability
in
Network
Rail’s
Wales
&
Western
region.
Performance
has
continued
to
deteriorate
while
performance
elsewhere
has
been
stabilising.
While
ORR’s
investigation
will
focus
on
Network
Rail,
the
regulator
said
it
recognises
that
reliable,
punctual
trains
require
cross-industry
collaboration,
and
will
arrange
a
meeting
of
all
parties,
including
passenger
and
freight
operators.
The
ORR
will
assess
whether
Network
Rail
is
complying
with
its
licence
obligations.