16.01.18
Strike action on GTR has cost taxpayers £22m to date
Industrial action on Southern, Great Northern and Thameslink services to date has cost £22.2m in losses to the farebox, the government has this week revealed.
Jointly run under the GTR franchise, the loss was disclosed by rail minister Paul Maynard in parliament in an answer to a question from Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle.
All the money GTR is paid in tickets is passed on to the government, meaning that the £22.2m directly affects the taxpayer.
The problems rise from disputes between unions and GTR over the use of driver-only operated (DOO) trains, with union representatives saying the loss of a guard on trains compromises the safety of those on board.
Southern Rail – which has already been hit by strikes multiple times over the last year – was affected again over the festive period when the RMT took action against five franchises.
The union itself says the problem lies with the contract which GTR was offered by the government which means it receives a sum of money for its services rather than taking ticket sales.
General secretary Mick Cash, said it was “no surprise” that a deal between Southern and the union had not been reached because they were still received money.
“The company get paid whether they run trains or not,” he said.
However, strike action across GTR’s services has had an effect, with the government suggesting that it could break up the franchise in 2021 when the contract comes up for renewal.
Industrial disputes have also been blamed for GTR’s poor customer satisfaction and performance rankings as the annual Which? survey only this week found that passengers ranked Southern, Great Northern and Thameslink as among the worst UK services.
A spokesperson for the organisation said: “Much of the disruption on Southern Railway has been caused by union opposition to our modernisation programme which is being carried out to transform services on the most congested routes in the country.”
Top image: Victoria Jones PA Wire
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