Train drivers who swap for tunnels
TRAIN drivers are having to swap over in the middle of journeys because they are not qualified to go through tunnels.
Not enough drivers have been trained to operate routes opened up when a new timetable was introduced across Britain on May 20.
This has resulted in a shortage, triggering hundreds of delays and cancellations for passengers.
One particularly embarrassing trouble spot has emerged in North London where a new tunnel has opened near Finsbury Park.
It is meant to improve services between the north and the south of the city, helping commuters from the south coast of England up to Peterborough.
However, some drivers are having to stop the train at Finsbury Park, before the tunnel. They then wait at the station to swap with a driver who has come through the tunnel from the other direction.
Govia Thameslink Railway says it did not receive the schedule until the end of April, giving it only a few weeks to teach drivers the new routes.
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has blamed Network Rail for the timetabling issue, describing its work as ‘simply unacceptable’ and triggering ‘chaos’.
But he has also been highly critical of Govia and Arriva, which runs the beleaguered Northern rail network in the North of England.
He has ordered an independent inquiry by Stephen Glaister, chairman of the Office of Rail and Road, and threatened to strip the operators of their franchises.