Click here to listen to the latest rail news on Wednesday, 3rd January 2024
InTheNews: The latest rail news on Wednesday, 3rd January 2024
There will be “little to no Tube service” on the London Underground, Transport for London (TfL) has said, as strike action is planned.
An article on the BBC website says Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) members working on different parts of the Underground will strike on separate days between 5 and 12 January.
TfL has advised passengers to “only travel if their journey is essential” on the Tube network from Sunday evening.
It comes amid a dispute over pay.
New figures have revealed that over 3,000 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) benefit from £1.3 billion worth of business from Network Rail, with SMEs making up a record 75 per cent of Network Rail’s supplier base.
In November 2019, Network Rail set out its SME action plan, making it easier for small to medium-sized organisations to do business and increasing the number of tendering opportunities.
In the last financial year (2022/23), out of the 4,130 suppliers directly contracted by Network Rail, 3,107 suppliers – 75 per cent – were SMEs.
A railway has been given £500,000 to help design two new stations.
An article on the BBC website says the money from Oxford City Council will pay for design work for two Cowley Branch Line stations at Littlemore and Blackbird Leys.
The move is being described as a step towards “fixing Oxford’s chronic transport problems”.
Cowley Branch Line is currently only used by freight going to and from the BMW Mini Plant. It has been closed to passengers since 1963.
ScotRail is steaming into 2024 with scores of vacancies set to be filled as part of its biggest recruitment drive in years.
An article on the Glasgow Live website says the rail operator has already recruited more than 200 new members of staff since August as they work to fill vacancies across the company. New catering services have been boosted with an additional 34 catering staff hired across the network.
Almost 30 new conductors have passed through training to support service reliability, over 30 engineers recruited, and 100 new frontline staff members to offer enhanced customer service and support revenue protection.
Photo credit: Network Rail
