Rail jobs, staff issues and training

HS2: the catalyst for diversity

17.07.17: RTM’s Josh Mines reports on how HS2 Ltd expects its supply chain to remove barriers to inclusion to build capacity and widen access. Efforts to diversify the rail industry are being slowly, if not in some places rather reluctantly, mo...

NSAR launches National Training Partnership to drive skills in rail

14.07.17: A new skills initiative to help meet the growing demand for new talent across the rail sector has been launched this week by the National Skills Academy Rail (NSAR). The ‘National Training Partnership’ programme will aim to brin...

Use the apprenticeship levy opportunity to attract better talent

10.07.17: Recently, larger organisations were hit with the apprenticeship levy. In the rail industry, where apprenticeships are already popular, this will encourage further employment of apprentices. But, argues Nigel Eagers of NSAR, they’re the luc...

Time to try something new

06.07.17: Carolyn Griffiths, the recently-appointed president of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), talks to RTM about what she’d like to achieve during her year in office. Many people in the rail industry will know Carolyn Griff...

Watchdog sets out future lessons as GWR complaints soar after systems failure

03.07.17: Great Western Railway (GWR) has been criticised for its poor record of responding to complaints from customers by an influential passenger watchdog. In a document released today, Transport Focus stated that from 2015-16 to 2016-17, the numb...

Aslef starts overtime ban as Southern launches ‘resilient’ interim timetable

29.06.17: Members of Aslef will begin their overtime ban on Southern services today, as its leadership stated that it reflected the “total loss of trust” between drivers and their employer. From today (Thursday 29 June) Southern drivers w...

Gibb criticises unions as primary cause for Southern woes

23.06.17: Unions RMT and Aslef have been described as the “primary cause” for Southern’s problems over the past year, as the much-anticipated Gibb report was finally published by the DfT. Last year, Network Rail non-executive direct...

Southern, Northern and Merseyrail set for major RMT strike action in July

23.06.17: Yet more strikes have been announced by the RMT across Merseyrail, Northern and Southern services to take place on different days in July. Members of the union will strike for 24 hours on Saturday 8 July, Monday 10 July and Sunday 23 July o...

Aslef reinstates overtime ban after members reject second Southern deal

19.06.17: Aslef has his week announced that it plans to reinstate its overtime ban after its members rejected a deal with Southern for the second time. Last month, a ban had been arranged to start on 4 June but union leaders postponed this to continu...

TfN boss to take charge of Northern Rail from September

15.06.17: Transport for the North’s (TfN’s) chief executive David Brown will leave the organisation to join Arriva Rail North as its managing director in September, it has today been announced. Brown, who has been at the organisation for...

‘Great progress’ made in rail sector skills delivery plan so far, NSAR reveals

13.06.17: Considerable progress has been made into delivering on key targets set out in the Rail Sector Skills Delivery Plan, the National Skills Academy for Rail (NSAR) has today revealed. Launched by DfT and the wider industry in December 2016, the...

All set for this year’s ETCR Seminar

13.06.17: The ‘EU Transport and Railway Affairs’ course, also called the ETCR Seminar, is an annual two-week seminar on EU railway affairs which presents the latest developments within the railway sector on a European level. The first edition...

RMT demands immediate halt to DOO plans in light of hung Parliament

09.06.17: Rail union RMT has called for an immediate halt to the implementation of driver-only operated (DOO) and driver-controlled operation (DCO) services on the network as a result of today’s hung Parliament announcement, which suggests the Tory...

Aslef suspends overtime ban to resume talks with Southern

02.06.17: Aslef has pushed back the start of its overtime ban in order to resume negotiations with Southern. The ban would have prevented drivers who are members of Aslef from working overtime on Southern services, and was due to start on 4 June. ...

RMT gives Greater Anglia deadline to reverse alleged ticket office closures

31.05.17: The RMT has today handed Greater Anglia an ultimatum to confirm that all ticket office jobs and windows will be kept open on its franchise by 19 June – or face a formal dispute. It comes after the union stated that it will fight alleg...