Rail jobs, staff issues and training

Northern braces for nightmare Grand National with less than a third of trains running

04.04.17: Northern has today released its reduced timetable for Grand National day this Saturday when RMT drivers and guards go on strike – revealing that only 32% of its normal service will be in operation. The news comes on the same day as RM...

Aslef rejects new Southern deal by margin of 26 votes

03.04.17: Drivers’ union Aslef has today voted to reject another proposed deal to bring its dispute over driver-only-operated (DOO) trains with Southern Rail to an end. In the ballot cast today, guards and drivers who were members of the union...

Merseyrail reveals reduced Grand National timetable to cope with RMT strike

29.03.17: Merseyrail has today released its modified timetable for RMT’s strike on Grand National Day on Saturday 8 April, saying that there will be very few trains running on the network besides services going to and from the racecourse at Aintree....

RMT writes to Liverpool mayor in attempt to end Merseyrail dispute

28.03.17: The RMT union has today penned a letter to the mayor of Liverpool asking to arrange an urgent meeting in a desperate attempt to get him to intervene and resolve its dispute with Merseyrail. The disagreement has been ongoing since the start...

Reasons to be cheerful

23.03.17: Ahead of the major imminent reforms to the apprenticeship system, Simon Rennie, general manager of the National Training Academy for Rail, outlines the industry’s reasons to be positive about the future of skills. Those of a particula...

RMT announces new strike to cause Grand National travel mayhem

22.03.17: The RMT has announced yet another strike on Merseyrail and Northern services to coincide with the Grand National on Saturday 8 April after negotiations broke down yesterday. The new industrial action sees the dispute between the union and r...

RMT and Merseyrail DOO dispute drags on as talks break down

21.03.17: Talks between RMT and Merseyrail have broken down once again amidst claims from the union that the operator was intent on “collapsing” negotiations through their refusal to have a “serious or meaningful” negotiation. ...

Southern make RMT offer to end latest strike action

20.03.17: Southern has offered to re-enter negotiations with the RMT to end the year-long dispute over driver-only-operated (DOO) trains on the condition that the union drop plans for further industrial action next month, it has been revealed. In a l...

Unprepared rail bodies at risk of losing out over looming apprenticeship levy changes

17.03.17: Rail organisations could be hit hard by changes to the apprenticeship levy if they are unprepared for the changes that come in April, the chief executive of the National Skills Academy for Rail (NSAR), Neil Robertson, has warned. New regula...

Aslef agrees revised Southern deal, but RMT announces new strike

16.03.17: For the second time this year, Aslef union leaders have agreed new terms to settle their dispute with Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), Southern’s parent company – but the deal has yet to be put to wider members. In a statement, A...

Unions agree on two days of Night Tube strikes

16.03.17: Much like RMT, members of Aslef union have voted unanimously in favour of a Night Tube strike, with 100% agreeing with the proposed industrial action on a major 75% turnout. The news comes just a couple of days after RMT announced its own m...

iRail 2017: Hands-on approach highlights wide-ranging rail careers

15.03.17: The eighth annual iRail event took place yesterday at Derby’s Pride Park stadium, giving 12 groups of secondary school children the chance to take part in an interactive design challenge designed to inspire young people into careers in the...

Triple RMT strikes cause passenger disruption across UK rail network

13.03.17: Strikes across the nation’s railway today has caused disruption and difficulty for passengers, as RMT pressed ahead with its industrial action against rail operators. The dispute, which has now dragged on for almost a year in parts of...

HS2 starts hunt for talented apprentices

10.03.17: The search has now begun for apprentices to work on HS2, as it was reiterated that HS2 Ltd plans to create around 2,000 places for talented young people wanting to break into the rail industry on the high-speed rail project. Successful appl...

Merseyrail injunction bid against RMT strike thrown out by High Court

10.03.17: Merseyrail’s bid for an injunction to block RMT’s planned strikes on Monday has been thrown out by the High Court, with the union now confirming that industrial action will still go ahead next week. In a statement, the operator...