Rail Travel Nightmare - Northern Strikes And Euston Closed

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• Rail Travel Nightmare - Northern Strikes And Euston Closed

13 August 2018 | Updated 17 August 2018

The RMT has confirmed further strike dates on Northern Rail having suspended a weekend strike on South Western - but with a vow to continue striking on both networks over driver only operated trains - DOO. Meanwhile, Euston station will be closed over three summer holiday weekends, causing massive disruption to West Coast services.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport union has also produced a professional (with actors) video to support their case for scrapping DOO.

Arriva Rail North will face a fresh wave of action (fortunately for commuters, only affecting weekends)  after the union accused company bosses of stringing its negotiators along rather than looking seriously for a settlement.

Unguarded from RMT union on Vimeo.

All Arriva Rail North Conductor, Conductor Instructor and Train Driver members are instructed not to book on for on for duty between:

00:01 and 23:59 on Saturday August 25.

00:01 and 23:59 on Saturday September 1.

00:01 and 23:59 on Saturday September 8.

Red Mick

RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said: “RMT committed to talks in good faith with Northern but were strung along. It's that attitude from the company that has forced us to announce this next phase of action. German-owned Northern Rail want to run nearly half a million trains a year without a safety critical guard on board in a move that would wreck both safety and access ‎to services and they should listen to their front-line staff and pull back from that plan immediately.

"RMT recently secured an agreement on Greater Anglia that enshrine the guard guarantee. Similar agreements have also been reached in Wales and Scotland. Arriva Rail North need to do the right thing and come to an agreement that secures a guard on their trains too."

Strip Northern of franchise

Cash also said after weekend misery on the Northern services not caused by strikes but by scheduling: "Yet again services on Arriva Rail North have been reduced to chaos as this basket case franchise lurches from crisis to crisis. Northern have chosen to declare war on their passengers and staff alike and they couldn't care less about safety, access and reliability. They are a disgrace and should be kicked off the tracks

“It is outrageous for Northern Rail once again to try and lump the blame for the crew shortages that have led to widespread cancellations on their workforce. It is a scam to try and cover up the fact that they simply don’t hire enough workers to fill their rosters.

"ARN should be stripped of the franchise and the Northern routes should be nationalised immediately.”

Suspension

August 11 - Saturday's strike action on South Western Railway was called off to allow further talks around the guard guarantee - however more scheduled industrial action remains on.

Euston Station Closes For The First Of Three Weekends This Summer

Euston station will be shut on 18-19 and 25-27 August and also 1-2 September. This is to allow Network Rail to replace North Wembley junction. The best advice Network Rail was able to offer customers - 'travel on other days'.

A Network Rail statement went on 'West Coast main line train passengers are being urged to avoid all but essential rail travel to and from London over three consecutive weekends in August and September when Euston station will be closed'.

As part of Britain’s Railway Upgrade Plan, Network Rail is replacing North Wembley junction - a major intersection on Europe’s busiest mixed-use railway.

Picture: Services have gone North again.

Article written by Brian Shillibeer | Published 13 August 2018

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