HS2: Two projects in one
1 December 2020
So much of the coverage of the HS2 project has focused on passenger journey times that the true scope of the project has almost been obscured from public view.
Rail
Rail
What future for Britain’s railways?
With nationalisation the only sensible option for rail, the government is moving swiftly to avoid doing it. Instead, it is looking to turn the industry upside down, with huge implications for jobs, pay, conditions and services…
Jobs, training as HS2 gears up
The building of HS2 is finally moving from preparatory work to full-scale construction works...
RMT takes second round of action in sleeper dispute
6 October 2020
RMT union members brought Serco Caledonian Sleeper services to a halt on Sunday, affecting journeys linking cities in Scotland with London and the south.
Rail campaign marks 25 years of success
30 September 2020
Local railway campaigners in Bristol have been celebrating a quarter-century of struggle with an innovative socially distanced event culminating at Severn Beach.
Jobs and apprenticeships as HS2 begins full-scale construction
9 September 2020
The building of HS2 is finally moving from preparatory work to full-scale construction works, bringing around 22,000 skilled jobs along with over 2,000 high-quality apprenticeships.
Holyrood blocks rail renewal
Again we see divergent policies driving a wedge between Scotland and the rest of Britain.
RMT attacks decision to axe Doncaster rail refurbishment jobs
18 June 2020
The RMT union has condemned plans by American giant Wabtec to cut rail refurbishment jobs at Doncaster under the cover of Covid-19.
Scottish administration stymies rail improvement work
11 June 2020
While important railway enhancement works have started up again in England and Wales, the devolved Scottish administration has not allowed workers in the sector to return, keeping it under lockdown.
Why Britain needs HS2 – and needs it urgently
HS2 or High Speed 2, a new railway from London to Birmingham and then on to the north, has finally got the green signal from the Johnson government…
Outrage as Metro trains outsourced to Switzerland
1 February 2020
Manufacturing union Unite has slammed the government over its commitment to British train manufacturing after a £337 milion contract for new Tyne & Wear metro trains was been awarded to a Swiss company.
Rail franchise system in meltdown
10 January 2020
As the rail industry waits for the publication of the Williams Review, the current franchise system continues to collapse under the weight of its many contradictions.
New year rail fare rise for passengers
10 January 2020
This week British rail fares rose up to 2.7 per cent while German national rail company Deutsche Bahn made its tickets 10 per cent cheaper for long-distance traffic.
Guards' action continues
Transport union RMT’s campaign to keep guards on trains continues to grind on, with another employer capitulating in the face of determined and resolute industrial action.
Scottish union campaign hears from Irish anti-EU campaigner
19 November 2019
The Unite HQ in Glasgow was the setting for a trade union meeting involving current and former officials of the RMT union and others that heard from Anthony Coughlan, a veteran of decades of struggle against the EU in Ireland.
Solid strike action on the railways over driver-only operation
18 November 2019
While RMT negotiators inch towards a final settlement of the long running dispute in Merseyrail, the dispute in South Western Railway has escalated dramatically – and a new front has opened up in West Midlands Trains.
Rail nationalisation ruled out
The government is to publish a White Paper to implement the findings of the review of the rail industry led by Keith Williams – ruling out further public ownership.
Cancel Dutch ScotRail contract, says RMT
21 September 2019
With anger growing at the service failures Abellio ScotRail, members and supporters of the RMT union marched through Glasgow to the company HQ and on to the Scottish Government offices .
Foreign grip on rail tightens
With East Midlands going to the Dutch and the West Coast franchise to the Italian state railway, nearly 80 per cent of Britain’s rail operations will soon be in foreign hands.
Glasgow railyard closes as SNP looks idly on
Workers from North Glasgow’s famous “Caley” railyard have left their workplace for what looks to be the last time – and have condemned inaction by the SNP administration.
How privatisation is pushing rail to the brink
As most of the rail unions know, the future of their industry is intimately bound up with Brexit. Only independence from the EU can provide the freedom to run our railways in the national interest…
Bristolians campaign for better trains
11 June 2019
Like many cities Bristol needs better public transport. Bristolians have been doing something about that with a long running campaign for an improved local train service.
London Overground ticket offices saved
25 April 2019
Rail unions were claiming victory over the Easter weekend after the announcement that 47 of the 51 ticket offices slated for closure on London Overground will be retained.
Stop the rail sell-offs!
Even the government admits the rail system is a mess. Its solution could make matters worse…
The EU's hand in the privatisation of rail
The fragmentation of Britain’s railways has its roots in an EEC directive (91/440/EEC) handed down in 1991. This directive decreed the separation of infrastructure from train operations, with the express purpose of creating a competitive market. It was the blueprint used by John Major for the Conservative government’s privatisation of Britain’s railways from 1994 to 1996.
Labour joins the fragmentation game
The Labour Party is mired in monumental confusion over the future direction of the railways. Nationally, its policy is to return the railways to public ownership and control. But since privatisation, whenever it has been in power, it has done the reverse.
Public transport - no future without a fight
Rail workers in the RMT union have scored a significant victory in their battle with private train companies to secure the future of guards on trains. It’s part of a wider fight…
Anger over yard closure
The Scottish transport secretary refused to face union delegation fighting for the retention of skilled railway work in Scotland.
Northern Trains - progress on guards
11 February 2019
RMT members on Northern Trains look to have brought their two-year dispute over guards on trains to a successful conclusion. Talks will now take place to put an agreement into practice.
Guards' disputes continue
Members of rail union RMT in the north of England have now taken their 40th day of strike action.