The RMT is to stage a series of ‘rolling strikes’ on London Underground for seven days from 5 September. The walkouts are the latest development in the RMT’s dispute with Transport for London over pay, fatigue management, ‘extreme’ shift patterns and a reduction in the working week. The union has also accused TfL of failing to honour previous agreements. TfL says it is committed to ensuring that staff are treated fairly and that as well as offering a 3.4 per cent pay increase, it has ‘made progress on a number of commitments’.

A world record has been set by a battery train running on the Great Western Main Line, which completed 200 miles (322km) without a recharge. The train had been converted to battery power by Vivarail, which was founded by the late Adrian Shooter, from redundant London Underground cars. After Vivarail ceased to exist, Great Western Railway took over the trials.