Rail Delivery Group calls on RMT to end disputes

The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) says union leaders should “get back round the table” and end the disputes in southern England and Scotland.

On July 12, RDG Chief Executive Paul Plummer said: “We ask the RMT to engage in productive talks about drivers rather than guards closing doors on new trains.

“Taxpayers and private investors across the country are spending billions to provide passengers with more and better services and to invest in a modern public transport system.

“Our workforce and unions have a huge stake in this vital modernisation of our railway. Millions of people and businesses depend on the railway every day, and Britain needs a modern railway to carry ever more passengers and to support jobs and the economy.

A day earlier the RDG backed Southern’s revised timetable, saying it should mean “more reliable services overall”.

Speaking to RAIL, RDG Chief Executive Paul Plummer said: “We wouldn’t want to see anything stand in the way of improvements on the railway. Train operators have to be able to modernise.

“A huge number of trains are already driver controlled, and operators clearly want to be able to provide staff where they’re most useful, and the Office of Rail and Road is quite clear on the safety of drivers operating train doors. Passengers want service as well as safety.”