UK music festivals hit by an encore of rail strikes
Out on stage for the twenty-fourth time since last summer. The August Bank Holiday (public holiday) in England was put off key by another railway staff strike. On Saturday, approximately 20,000 rail staff trades unionists...Read more
England’s blanket ticket office closures met with widespread anger
Passenger train operators have proposed widespread closures to the majority of rail station ticket offices in England. Even in the age of online booking and smart cards, ticket offices remain at many main line stations,...Read more
UK shows limited interest in latest wave of strike action
It may have passed almost unnoticed, but Great Britain just came through another round of strike action on the railways. The unions representing the largest majority of railway professionals, RMT and ASLEF, have either walked...Read moreBrits seek a sporting chance as strikes enter a second season
It has become a way of life for the weary would-be travellers on Britain’s railways. Despite making the headlines all week, there is a diminishing impact on daily life, as rail strikes are factored in...Read more
TPE, UK passenger operator behind service alterations scandal, sacked
The massively criticised UK passenger operator TransPennine Express has been sacked from its franchise. Passengers using the service, which connects Liverpool and Manchester with Glasgow and Edinburgh, have become disillusioned and furious at overcrowded and...Read more
Eurovision song and dance about rail strikes
If you want the British public to stay on side, don’t interfere with their sporting pursuits. That was possibly a memo that didn’t get through to the rail union, RMT. Surely though, no one would...Read more
UK strikes kick cup final into touch
The UK rail dispute has flared up once again. Rail unions have called a series of strikes for May and June. The largest union in the dispute, the RMT, will launch strike action across 14...Read more
Many UK trains grind to a halt in four days of strike actions
London commuters may be forgiven for feeling it was still full-on dispute mode. Services of the Underground were curtailed by a widespread stoppage yesterday. Today, and on Saturday, it’s the turn of surface railways to...Read more
UK strike breakthrough – first union agrees terms
The Transport Salaried Staff Association, the smallest of the three main trades unions involved, has agreed terms with railway employers. The move ends their members participation in the long-running national rail dispute. The move is...Read more
UK government fails to avoid February rail strikes
After a month of calm, Britain is signalled into a week of renewed strike action on the railways. February begins with two strikes, both one day long, starting today, Wednesday 1 February and again on...Read more
UK Strike dissent and division
Could one union be about to strike, while another is about to strike a deal? That is the question that faces negotiating teams on both sides of the long running and increasingly bitter round of...Read more
UK strikes: permission to make an offer
It could be the breakthrough that the British nation has been waiting for. The recently appointed UK Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, has done what none of his short-tenured predecessors have done, and has opened the...Read moreBritish rail industry makes offer in drivers dispute
The Rail Delivery Group, which speaks for the rail industry employers at large, has tabled an offer to the drivers union Aslef, aimed at ending the long-running dispute on Britain’s railways. If accepted, the revised...Read more