Trust in rail operator knocked by walk-outs

MANY PASSENGERS on Northern trains have had their confidence in the operator knocked by successive weekends of strike action, according to a survey by a transport watchdog.

Transport Focus’s survey of Northern passengers, based on 361 online responses, reveals widespread frustration as a result of the walk-outs by Rail Maritime and Transport (RMT) union members every Saturday since August 25 in a dispute over plans to introduce driver-only trains.

The watchdog said around seven in ten passengers who responded to the survey said they have been affected by the strikes in some way.

The report added: “The strike action is likely to have some longer-term consequences too. Some passengers indicate that the strike action has severely affected their confidence in the train company.”

David Sidebottom, passenger director at Transport Focus, said: “This is another instance where the industry needs to communicate better with their customers if it is to rebuild trust.”

In response, Northern’s managing director David Brown said the firm wrote to the RMT earlier this month in a bid to get back round the table.

He said; “The Transport Focus report highlights our customers’ frustration with RMT’s ongoing dispute, with strike action causing inconvenience to customers and damaging the case for longterm investment in rail.

“Northern is doing everything possible to find a solution to RMT’s dispute and maintains that talking costs nothing.”

Earlier this month, Northern’s Pete Myers told West Yorkshire Combined Authority members that management and unions were “not talking” and that there was “no sign of an end” over the strikes.