Click here to listen to the latest rail news on Friday, 26th August 2022
InTheNews: The latest rail news on Friday, 26th August 2022
Train drivers employed by Northern and TransPennine Express have voted overwhelmingly for strike action as a long-running dispute over pay continues.
An article on the Manchester Evening News says Aslef union members have backed walkouts with turnouts above 80 per cent – with 97.1 per cent of votes backing strike action at TransPennine and 96.6 per cent supporting strike action at Northern.
Aslef members employed Chiltern – which operates services between London and the Midlands – also backed strike action, the union confirmed today.
A spokesperson for the Rail Delivery Group said: “We want to give our people a pay rise, but to fund it unions must recognise that an industry that has lost 20 per cent of its revenue can either adapt or decline.”
The UK has signed a historic pact with Ukraine that commits to sharing engineering expertise and pledges a new package of support to help rebuild its war damaged infrastructure.
And it wants organisations with expertise in rail, road, airport and port infrastructure to step forward and be a part of this effort.
Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, hosted a virtual meeting with his counterpart at the Ministry of Infrastructure, Oleksandr Kubrakov, in the same week Ukraine marked its Independence Day.
After a presentation from Ukrainian officials on the true impact of the war to their train network, roads and bridges, the two transport leaders signed a joint action plan to help restore these vital links.
East and West Midlands Railway is set to be run by a new UK transport company, as Abellio UK’s parent firm, Nederlandse Spoorwegen is selling off the firm to its UK management.
An article on The Business Desk says the new company, Transport UK Group, will operate four of the country’s rail passenger services and more than 50 London bus routes.
After 20 years in this country, the Netherlands state-run Nederlandse Spoorwegen now wants to refocus its services to and from the Netherlands.
Welsh slate aggregate is being transported to Luton via rail freight for the first time ever, thanks to a joint initiative between Network Rail, construction materials company Breedon, and the Welsh Government.
The Llandudno Junction freight yard, which hadn’t been used for several years, was brought back to life following extensive work at the site.
Vegetation removal, track repairs and refurbishment of the points have enabled trains to enter and leave the yard.
Photo credit: Network Rail
