The rail regulator is telling the industry that it can no longer leave out cancellations from official statistics when the decision not to run a train is made no later than the night before. Such trains have been known as ‘P*-coded’, which stands for ‘pre-cancelled’. They are significant because such cancellations are not included in the official statistics. The Office of Rail and Road has highlighted TransPennine Express, where the cancellation total increased from 7.2 per cent to 23.8 per cent when P*-coded trains cancelled because train crew were not available were included. The ORR said that between 5 February and 4 March TPE had fully ‘pre-cancelled’ 1,093 trains, and ‘part pre-cancelled’ another 532. Northern and ScotRail also reported ‘significant numbers of full pre-cancelled services’ caused by a shortage of  train crew, losing 380 and 159 trains respectively. Transport for Wales recorded 98 full and 159 part pre-cancellations because rolling stock was not available. Another four of the 24 British train companies, including three open-access operators, also reported P*-coded cancellations and are included in the statistics published today. The regulator has now instructed the rail industry to change how it records ‘pre-cancellations’ and to introduce a clearer way of working when making late changes to services. A suitable plan has yet to be introduced, and until the practice ceases, the ORR said it ‘will continue to publish this data to ensure full transparency’. The ORR’s director, planning and performance, Feras Alshaker said: ‘Until we are satisfied that official statistics reflect passenger experiences, we will make sure that information on service reliability is available for passengers and stakeholders. We acknowledge that ongoing strike action has led to a refocusing of resources elsewhere, but this should not deflect from the fact that this needs to be sorted as a matter of urgency. ‘We’ll continue to publish pre-cancellation data until we’re satisfied and should we not have a satisfactory plan from industry by the end of April, we will consider imposing a change in the way these services are recorded.’ As a result of the inclusion of “P*-coded” pre-cancellations, the national cancellations score increased by 0.4 percentage points in the latest period, to 3.3 per cent.

Network Rail’s chief union negotiator Tim Shoveller is leaving the infrastructure owner to take up a new task in the freight sector. He will become chief executive officer at Freightliner’s owner, the European division of US firm Genesee & Wyoming Inc., later this year. Mr Shoveller began his railway career as a trainee driver and guard with British Rail in 1992. He moved on to various management posts in the following years, including as operations director at the franchise Midland Mainline. When the MML franchise, which had been owned by National Express, was won by Stagecoach in 2007, he joined the new operator East Midlands Trains as managing director. He became well known for his insistence on punctual station departures, giving his despatch staff new ‘Acme Thunderer’ whistles and radio controlled watches to help them get trains departing on time. In March 2008, he said: ‘By on time, I mean exactly on time, not even a few seconds late.’ He moved on to become business development director at Virgin Trains, and then managing director of Stagecoach Rail Division. He has most recently been managing director of Network Rail’s North West and Central region, and since last year has played a key part in negotiating with the rail unions. He said: ‘I am thrilled to join G&W at such a pivotal time for low-carbon rail-freight logistics. My priority is to lead the team to optimise the core business for our customers and to drive growth in new markets in the UK and Europe. I look forward to building on the impressive work that is already underway.’ Until he joins G&W, its European operations will continue to be led by interim CEO Becky Lumlock and Jack Hellmann, who is chairman of G&W in the UK and continental Europe.

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.’

Updated 11.10London Underground services are at a standstill today, because members of ASLEF and the RMT are staging a 24-hour strike. The dispute is over working conditions, job cuts and pensions. The walkout means that no service can run on any Underground line. Other Transport for London services are not affected by today’s stoppage. The RMT wrote to London Mayor Sadiq Khan yesterday, telling him that job cuts must be halted and that the safety of the travelling public was foremost in workers’ minds. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: ‘Attacks on pensions, conditions and job losses will not be tolerated and the travelling public needs to understand that understaffed and unstaffed stations are unsafe. We will continue our industrial campaign for as long as it takes.’ Last night TfL's chief operating officer Glynn Barton said: "I apologise to our customers for any disruption caused by Wednesday's industrial action. I urge the trade unions to call off this action and continue to engage with us to avoid disruption.’ Some early morning Underground services may be disrupted tomorrow morning in the wake of today’s strike, while National Rail services in England are set to be disrupted tomorrow and also on Saturday by RMT industrial action in a dispute with operators. This may affect some Transport for London services, such as the Elizabeth, Bakerloo and District Lines, which run on sections of the National Rail network. Meanwhile, a ballot is in progress asking RMT members if they are willing to accept a new pay offer. Industrial action affecting Network Rail has been suspended. Update:ScotRail has confirmed that its services will not be affected by tomorrow’s strike on National Rail, because industrial action by Network Rail staff has been suspended. ScotRail service delivery director David Simpson said: ‘ScotRail services will operate as normal on Thursday, 16 March, following the suspension of planned strike action by RMT members of Network Rail. The dispute between the trade union and other train operators does not involve any ScotRail staff. We look forward to welcoming passengers to our services.’ 

People living alongside railways are being urged to keep objects in their gardens safely tied down after a wind-blown gazebo caused 60 trains to be cancelled or delayed on one London line. Gospel Oak to Barking Riverside Overground services were disrupted for about three hours after a gazebo was reported to be blocking the line between Upper Holloway and Crouch Hill stations at around 09.45 on Friday. Passenger and freight trains had to be halted until a Network Response Unit could clear the line. While it was blocked, there were 15 full train cancellations and eight partial cancellations. Another 37 trains were delayed. Network Rail Anglia’s head of network delivery Juwad Nasir said: ‘We worked hard to get the railway running again as soon as possible, but unfortunately there was still a big impact on London Overground passengers. ‘I’d ask all our neighbours to tie down anything on their properties that could get on to the tracks. Thank you for helping us keep passengers and freight moving safely and reliably.’

Two 24-hour RMT walkouts at most English train operators are set to go ahead on Thursday and Saturday this week, after talks arranged between the Rail Delivery Group and the union before the weekend appeared to make little progress. The sticking points are pay and ‘modernisation’, which the RMT fears could mean the mass closure of ticket offices.   However, the union has called a ballot of its Network Rail members after a new offer was received. The RMT National Executive is making no recommendations to its members about whether they should accept or reject the offer, but industrial action on Network Rail has been suspended, at least for the time being, which should mean that this week’s strikes at train operators may be slightly less disruptive than in the past, because signallers should be working normally.   The Network Rail ballot closes on 20 March.   Further strikes affecting the operators have been called for 30 March and 1 April, unless the negotiations succeed before then.   Meanwhile, London Underground services will also be disrupted on Wednesday this week, when ASLEF and RMT members walk out for 24 hours in a dispute which ASLEF claims has been caused by ‘management’s failure to accept that changes to our working arrangements and pensions should only happen by agreement’. The RMT is particularly unhappy about job losses at stations and what it sees as the possibility of ‘attacks on pensions or ripping up agreements’.   ASLEF’s Undeground organiser Finn Brennan said: ‘We understand that TfL faces financial challenges, post-pandemic, but our members are simply not prepared to pay the price for the government’s failure to properly fund London’s public transport system.   ‘Cuts to safety training have already been forced through and management is open that they plan to remove all current working agreements under the guise of “modernisation” and “flexibility” and to replace the agreed attendance and discipline policies. Proposals to slash pension benefits are due to be announced in the next week.’   Transport for London’s chief operating officer Glynn Barton said: ‘ASLEF and the RMT are planning strike action on the London Underground on Wednesday 15 March. Strikes are bad news for everyone and we are encouraging them to withdraw this action and continue to engage with us to avoid disruption to our customers.   ‘Our advice for our customers is clear; please check before you travel as strike action impacts varying services throughout the week. Expect services to be busy and please allow extra time to complete your journeys.’   The strikes in London on Wednesday will affect Underground lines, but services on London Overground, the Elizabeth Line, the Docklands Light Railway and tram routes are not expected to be disrupted. On Thursday and Saturday TfL said the walkouts on National Rail may cause problems on those sections of the Underground, the Elizabeth Line and London Overground which use Network Rail tracks.   TfL added: ‘This action on London Underground comes following the government's mandated review into TfL's pensions scheme and despite the fact that no proposals have been tabled on pensions. If any proposal is made in the future this would require appropriate consultation and extensive further work.’

Avanti West Coast is launching a new ‘flexible’ Advance ticket today. Passengers who buy a ‘Superfare’ choose the date of travel and one of three ‘slots’ – morning, afternoon or evening. But the precise time of departure will be sent to the passenger 24 hours in advance. Avanti said the fares are fixed by destination and start from £12 for a single ticket between London and Birmingham. Other destinations in the trial are Liverpool, Preston and Manchester. The number of tickets available on a route each day will vary and bookings can be made at least seven days and up to 21 days before travel. Sarah Copley, who is AWC’s executive director for commercial, said: ‘Superfare tickets are aimed at customers who can be more flexible with their journeys. Not only does it provide a cheaper option, but it’s also quick and easy. Customers pick their date and time of day. Then, 24 hours before their journey, we match them to an empty seat and give them their departure time and reservation. ‘We want to give our customers more cost-effective ticketing options in an innovative way when travelling with us, as well as encouraging more people to take the train.’ Meanwhile, third-party retailer Virgin Trains Ticketing has announced that it is now making ’split’ tickets available. By buying more than one ticket, each covering a section of a longer journey, the total of fares can be lower than a through booking. Virgin Trains ticketing director Mark Plowright  is due to speak at an All-Party Parliamentary Rail Group meeting this afternoon. He said: ’Split tickets is just a sticking plaster on the bigger issue of complicated rail fares. Passengers shouldn’t need to split their tickets to get the best deal; rail fares should be simple, easy to understand and offer the best value for money. ‘When we launched the Virgin Trains Ticketing app in June 2022, we genuinely hoped that meaningful fares reform would have already been introduced to negate the need for split tickets, but unfortunately that’s not yet happened. While we wait, we’ve made the decision to invest in the functionality to ensure our customers can get the cheapest fares.’

Construction of HS2 north of Birmingham to Crewe is to be delayed by two years, in a bid to contain the costs of the project. Transport secretary Mark Harper said £40 billion will be invested in ‘transformational’ transport schemes over the next two financial years around the country, which would help to ‘level up’ local communities and fulfill one of the Government’s five priorities to enlarge the economy. He added that this includes continued investment in HS2 from London Euston to Manchester. However, ‘in recognition of inflationary pressures and to help balance the nation’s books, the next two years will be used to rephase construction and optimise future delivery of Phase 2a between Birmingham and Crewe so this is done in the most cost-effective way’. He continued: ‘The Government will take the time to ensure an affordable and deliverable design at Euston, with a view to delivering the station alongside high-speed infrastructure to Manchester, while the High Speed Rail (Crewe-Manchester) Bill continues through Parliament.’ Before Mr Harper made his announcement, there had been speculation that he could have been set to announce changes to Phase 1, between Old Oak Common and Birmingham, but construction on this section will continue. Transport for the North reacted by calling for the complete London to Manchester scheme to go ahead. Its chairman, the former transport secretary Lord McLoughlin, said: ‘This is a disappointing announcement. But I was reassured by the transport secretary that we are still getting HS2 to Manchester, and the recommitment to NPR [Northern Powerhouse Rail] is welcome. ‘However, it needs to be understood whether or not these cost savings can be realised while still achieving the same desired outcome and conditional outputs. The government needs to avoid being penny wise and pound foolish, as delays don’t necessarily lead to savings, and in fact can drive costs upwards. ‘Nevertheless, the political leaders of the North who sit on our Board have made their collective position very clear – we must transform the North by building both HS2 and NPR in full.’ The Railway Industry Association, which represents hundreds of companies in the supply chain, warned that delaying  the Birmingham-Crewe section could be an ‘inefficient use of taxpayers’ money.’ RIA chief executive Darren Caplan said: ‘Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced just last November that he was committed to delivering HS2. This was welcome news following the scrapping of both the Eastern Leg from Leeds to Birmingham, and the cancellation of the Golborne Link, to enable high speed trains to get from the Northern Leg of HS2 to Scotland. ‘So it is clearly disappointing to hear of this delay, which seems to prioritise short-termism over a structured, long-term strategy for what is Europe’s biggest infrastructure project. The delay postpones the immense benefits the project is set to deliver for the country, including extra capacity, more economic growth, improved connectivity – driving levelling up – and hundreds of thousands of jobs specifically in the Midlands and the North, and also to other parts of the UK more widely. ‘This stop-start approach to a project is an inefficient use of taxpayers’ money, and could ultimately drive the project's costs up, which is the opposite of what the Government is trying to do. We strongly urge the Government to push on with delivering the full HS2 scheme, including the Eastern Leg and the Golborne Link, or its replacement, as soon as possible.’ The Labour Party was also critical. Shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh said: ‘Tens of thousands of jobs, and billions in economic growth are dependent on this project. The North is yet again being asked to pay the price for staggering Conservative failure. Conservative chaos and chronic indecision is holding back jobs, growth and costing the taxpayer. This is the biggest project in Europe and delays pile costs up in the long-run. Ministers now need to come clean on precisely how much their indecision will cost taxpayers and the North.’ The private operators’ lobbying organisation Rail Partners echoed the cost concerns voiced by other critics. Chief executive Andy Bagnall said: ‘While inflationary pressures make infrastructure projects more challenging, it is critical for Britain's economy and meeting net zero targets that large sections of HS2 are not delayed which will ultimately increase the overall cost.’

The Rail Delivery Group has invited the RMT to fresh talks today, following the announcement that strikes at Network Rail had suspended following a new pay offer. The terms of the offer have now been published by the union. Network Rail is offering a salary rise of between 14.4 per cent for the lowest paid grades to 9.2 per cent for the highest, plus an additional 1.1 per cent on basic earnings and increased back pay, which will be paid as a lump sum. It does not depend on any changes to working practices. Meanwhile, the RDG invited the RMT to new talks today on condition that strikes at train operators next week are cancelled, but the union has declined to do this. Last night, the RDG said: ‘We have invited the RMT leadership to meet tomorrow for further talks and have made clear we are always open to dialogue. However we have also made clear to that meaningful progress can only be made if they remove the threat of strikes hanging over our passengers before it is too late to avoid disruption. We urge the RMT leadership to engage with us in good faith and resolve this dispute.’ As things stand the RMT is still set to stage walkouts at 14 English train operators on 16, 18 and 30 March, and also on 1 April.

The RMT said last night that it is suspending all industrial action by its Network Rail members after a new offer was received. No further details have been given, although the RMT has promised that ‘Further updates will be given on all aspects of the national rail dispute in the coming days.’ The Rail Delivery Group has reacted by calling for a ballot of RMT members working for train operators. The RDG said: ‘The RMT leadership's decision to put Network Rail's deal to its membership is a welcome development, but train operating staff will rightly be asking why their union continues to deny them the opportunity to have their say on our equivalent offer. ‘Instead of inflicting more lost pay on its members and disruption to our passengers, we are calling on the union to call off their strikes and meet us for urgent talks to resolve this dispute.’ At the moment, strikes affecting 14 train operators are still set to be called on 16, 18 and 30 March, and also on 1 April. The RDG has previously warned that national pay negotiations could be suspended unless the ‘best and final’ offer was put to its members in a ballot. Chief employers’ negotiator Tim Shoveller had told Railnews: ‘We spent January working with the RMT and were confident that the package agreed would be accepted by another 4000 RMT members which would take us over the 50 per cent acceptance threshold, but this was not put to members to vote on. The fact the RMT continues to refuse to put this to the members is our biggest challenge and also for their members who want a vote and not to lose any more money.’