Another 24-hour walkout has begun on London Underground, as the dispute over a voluntary four-day working week goes on. The RMT has called out its driver members, although ASLEF staff are working normally because their union is not in dispute. Lines worst affected include the Circle and Waterloo & City, which are
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GWR and Welsh Government clash over trains plan
The Welsh Government is calling for intervention by the Department for Transport after it clashed with Great Western Railway over proposals for Transport for Wales trains to run between west Wales and Bristol. The plans are for two-hourly services between Fishguard Harbour or Milford Haven to Bristol Temple Meads via Cardiff
More Underground disruption as RMT drivers strike
Services are disrupted on many London Underground lines today, after drivers belonging to the RMT walked out in the continuing dispute about a four-day working week. Today’s 24-hour strike began at 00.01, and a second walkout is planned on Thursday. Talks aimed at ending the dispute broke down yesterday. There have been strikes
Passenger numbers soar on Cornish line
The number of passengers on a Cornish branch line rose by a quarter in the first week after the service was doubled on 17 May. The first phase of Mid Cornwall Metro has seen the number of local trains between Newquay and Par increased from eight to 15 a day, plus
Lumo’s new Stirling route hit by train failure
The only train operated by Lumo from London Euston to Stirling was cancelled yesterday, because of a fault on the only unit which was available. The new open access service was launched by FirstGroup on 25 May, although there will be only one train in each direction for the time being.
Union urges outsourcing ban after Thameslink change
Govia Thameslink Railway was renationalised at 02.00 yesterday morning, and the RMT has accompanied the reform by calling for all railway staff to be employed in-house. The union has been running a campaign to end ‘outsourcing’, when staff such as cleaners are employed by a third-party contractor. RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey
Govia Thameslink prepares for public ownership
Govia Thameslink Railway will be returned to the public sector at 02.00 on Sunday, in the next stage of the government’s renationalisation programme. The Department for Transport said the changeover would mean that eight out of 10 journeys would then be provided by public operators, with only Chiltern Railways, Great Western
After the heat, now lightning blows signal fuses
Thunderstorms have damaged signalling in west Wales and north west England, and many trains are delayed. Network Rail said it was believed that lightning had blown the fuses in signalling circuits at Weaver Junction, near Runcorn. While engineers work to repair the damage, only one train an hour can run between
Record May temperatures disrupt trains
Record temperatures are delaying trains again today. South Western Railway is warning that some trains have been cancelled, particularly on the routes between London, Winchester, Southampton, Bournemouth and Weymouth, and also to Aldershot and Haslemere. Temperatures in parts of south east England reached 35 degrees yesterday, which was a record for May,
Gisby returns to private sector to revive parcels traffic
The man who was CEO of DfT Operator until recently has returned to the private sector. Robin Gisby, who had been in charge of the company which owns renationalised passenger operators has become chairman of InterCity Rail Freight, which is developing methods to revive the railways’ parcels traffic using passenger trains. British