Railnews Magazine February 2023 Edizione posteriore

THE RMT rejected the latest offers from Network Rail and the train operators on the afternoon of 10 February. The union said its National Executive Committee had rejected both offers on the basis that ‘they do not meet members’ expectations on pay, job security or working conditions’, and is now going to reballot its members.

Great British Railways appears to be back on track, after doubts about its future. Transport secretary Mark Harper has promised to continue setting up the railway’s new ‘guiding mind’.

Meanwhile, one existing contract has been extended by two years. South Western Railway is now set to continue under FirstGroup and MTR until May 2025. However, Avanti West Coast has been warned by the Office of Rail and Road that ‘key improvements’ must be made.

The arguments about HS2 continue, but the Chancellor has signalled that he wants to see a larger high speed rail network.

Siemens has been fined £1.4 million after a technician was killed at one of its depots, the landslip-damaged railway at Hook in Hampshire is set to reopen this month, the standard Penalty fare on trains in England went up from £20 to £100 on 23 January, and Eurostar has warned that Brexit formalities are threatening its business.

In other news, several rail schemes have been approved in the latest round of ‘levelling-up’ funding, trains began calling at the new station serving Inverness Airport on 3 February, Alstom opened its Apprentice Training Academy in Derby on 7 February, and Birmingham Council has given planning consent for HS2’s Washwood Heath depot.

Finally, parcels are back on the rails, after converted electric multiple units started carrying them between the West Midlands and Scotland. This month’s feature considers the past, present and future of rail freight.

The February edition of Railnews is out now.