You are here
Home > Uncategorized > Network Rail workers ‘fear spending cuts will lead to accidents’

Network Rail workers ‘fear spending cuts will lead to accidents’




The
RMT



has
published
the
results
of
a
survey
which
says
more
than
90
per
cent
of
Network
Rail
workers
think
a
major
railway
incident
is
likely
to
happen
in
the
next
two
years
because
of
spending
cuts.



Network
Rail
budgets
are
determined
by
the
Government
and
the
Office
of
Rail
and
Road.



The
union
said
Network
Rail
is
set
to
cut
£1.2
billion
of
its
budget
for
Control
Period
7
between
2024
and
2029,
‘leading
to
an
overwhelming
majority
of
its
staff
fearing
future
accidents
and
serious
safety-related
incidents
on
the
railway’.



It
claimed
the
cuts
include
‘abandoning
track
renewals
for
at
least
the
next
five
years’
and
the
permanent
loss
of
highly
specialised,
skilled
jobs
and
equipment
‘as
reports
of
broken
rails
on
our
ageing
infrastructure
rise’.



The
union
has
quoted
anonymous
statements,
such
as:
‘Planned
cuts
have
staff
morale
at
an
all
time
low
as
it’s
us
who
maintain
the
railway
and
management
aren’t
listening
to
us
about
the
seriousness
of
cutting
maintenance
schedules
and
diluting
skill
levels
on
jobs.
It’s
front
line
staff
that
will
carry
the
can
for
any
serious
incidents.’



‘Not
enough
staff
left
to
complete
both
faults
and
maintenance.
Maintenance
is
being
prioritised
but
still
goes
into
backlog.
Faults
are
left
for
days
or
weeks
sometimes.
Signallers
are
already
complaining
about
the
growing
list
of
outstanding
faults.’



‘Not
enough
staff
even
for
the
minimum
safety
maintenance
work,
using
contractors
that
are
not
fully
qualified
for
the
jobs.’



Other
findings
are
that
77.4
per
cent
of
Network
Rail
workers
think
the
railway
is
less
safe
than
it
was
two
years
ago,
and
that
94.3
per
cent
believe
performance
and
reliability
will
worsen
during
the
next
five-year
Control
Period.



RMT
general
secretary
Mick
Lynch
said:
‘These
shocking
survey
results
show
the
real
fears
of
our
members
on
the
front
line,
as
the
reality
of
funding
cuts
to
rail
becomes
clear.



‘These
cuts
mean
Network
Rail
will
not
renew
a
single
mile
of
track
for
the
next
five
to
eight
years
and
the
permanent
loss
of
specialist
workforce
and
equipment
currently
delivering
70
per
cent
of
Britain’s
track
renewals.



‘Instead,
passengers
will
experience
a
planned
and
deliberate
reduction
of
the
railway
service
as
reliance
on
speed
restrictions
becomes
the
norm
to
mitigate
the
increased
safety
risk
posed
by
decrepit
rail
tracks.
We
are
watching
the
managed
decline
of
a
national
asset.



‘They
must
reverse
these
extremely
damaging
cuts
and
move
to
a
genuine
public
ownership
model
which
sees
increased
investment
year
on
year
and
safety
for
rail
workers
and
user
as
the
number
one
priority.’



Network
Rail
told
Railnews:
‘Network
Rail
has
to
work
within
its
five-year
budget
set
for
it
by
Government
and
overseen
by
an
independent
regulator.
Our
settlement
for
the
next
five
years

2024
to
2029

is
some
£43
billion,
a
substantial
sum
and
comparable
with
the
last
five
years.
The
needs
of
our
railway
will
mean
that
we’ll
have
to
spend
wisely
as
there
are
challenges
ahead,
but
substantial
track
renewals
are
planned,
maintenance
will
be
more
effective
through
the
use
of
new
technology
and
innovation,
and
doubling
our
investment
on
tackling
issues
caused
by
climate
change
will
help
to
keep
our
railway
safe
and
performing
well.



‘Our
railway
has
an
enviable
safety
record,
amongst
the
best
in
the
world,
and
that’s
in
a
major
part
to
the
professionalism
and
vigilance
of
our
people.
We
obviously
have
work
to
do
to
give
them
the
reassurances
they
need,
but
our
focus
on
delivering
the
safest
and
best
railway
we
can
remains
steadfast.’

Leave a Reply

Top