Avanti West Coast has announced a sharp reduction of its services from Sunday, saying that staff absence is making the current timetable unreliable. But the RMT is denying that absence is the cause of the problems, and is demanding a meeting with transport secretary Grant Shapps to discuss the situation. Avanti

A 24-hour walkout by ASLEF drivers at nine train operators is set to disrupt timetables this Saturday. The operators are warning that the walkout will coincide with another busy weekend for football, with Premier League games in Manchester, London, Birmingham and Brighton likely to be affected. Special timetables showing the trains that will

RMT members in Scotland have voted to reject a pay offer from ScotRail, according to Transport Scotland. The details of the offer have not been published. Transport Scotland said: ‘This is a disappointing result, particularly in light of the fair and affordable offer made. ‘Any continued industrial action will undoubtedly have negative impacts

Transport for London has been offered a ‘final’ funding offer from the government which is intended to see TfL through to 2024, when it is expected to become largely self-funding again. The amount is not known, but transport commissioner Andy Byford had said TfL would need £927 million for the rest

The general secretary of the TSSA has called for ‘a new financial settlement’ which would end private profit in the rail industry and set ‘fair fares’. Manual Cortes’ comments were made as all three main unions are planning more walkouts during August in the dispute over pay, working conditions and jobs,

The Mayor of London is considering a long-term funding offer to Transport for London from the government, and although no details have been released, it is reported to be worth around £3.6 billion. An early decision is crucial because the latest in a series of short-term settlements to keep TfL

A legal consultation with the rail unions has been started by Network Rail to discuss maintenance reforms which include cutting about 1,900 jobs. Network Rail believes it can achieve the target using a combination of voluntary severance, ‘natural wastage’ such as workers retiring, and making other jobs within the company available

A new controversy has been sparked by plans to allow agency staff to replace striking workers, although critics have pointed out that recruits are unlikely to have the skills to work in safety-critical jobs. Conservative leadership candidate Liz Truss said she will change the rights of trade unions if she becomes

Train services have been drastically reduced on main lines today, and there are no services west of Exeter or on any line in East Anglia except on the main line to Norwich between London and Ely, There are no trains on many suburban lines south of London, or anywhere in

A thorough reassessment of the Government’s Integrated Rail Plan is essential to ensure this once-in-a-generation investment in rail is not a missed opportunity to address regional imbalances, the Commons Transport Committee has said. The Committee’s report says that alternative options ‘which could transform stations and city centres in key Northern cities’