Khan warns that time is running out for TfL
The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has warned that Transport for London is running out of money as the government considers TfL’s response to the offer of a funding deal worth £3.6 billion. He said services could be withdrawn within days unless there is a settlement, and added that ‘he could not give a running commentary’ on the negotiations.
Industrial action and very hot weather are set to disrupt rail services seriously over the next few days. Some operators have warned that they will not be able to run any trains on Saturday, when ASLEF drivers stage a 24-hour strike.
City and business leaders on the West Coast Main Line have sent a letter of protest to transport secretary Grant Shapps after Avanti West Coast said it was cutting back its timetables, with trains on most lines running once an hour at best from Sunday. There will be very few services on Saturday because ASLEF will be on strike. Avanti has apologised, but is blaming high levels of staff absenteeism and ‘unofficial strike action’ by drivers.
Avanti West Coast has announced a sharp reduction of its services from Sunday, saying that staff absence is making the current timetable unreliable. But the RMT is denying that absence is the cause of the problems, and is demanding a meeting with transport secretary Grant Shapps to discuss the situation.
A 24-hour walkout by ASLEF drivers at nine train operators is set to disrupt timetables this Saturday. The operators are warning that the walkout will coincide with another busy weekend for football, with Premier League games in Manchester, London, Birmingham and Brighton likely to be affected. The trains of other operators not involved in the strike are expected to be busy, and some of the disruption will continue on Sunday morning. Special timetables showing the trains that will stilll run are due to be published tomorrow.
RMT members in Scotland have voted to reject a pay offer from ScotRail, according to Transport Scotland. Transport Scotland said it was ‘a disappointing result, particularly in light of the fair and affordable offer made’. The details of the offer have not been published, and the RMT has not commented.
Transport for London has been offered a ‘final’ funding offer from the government which is intended to see TfL through to 2024, when it is expected to become largely self-funding again. The amount is not known, but transport commissioner Andy Byford had said TfL would need £927 million for the rest of this year alone. Transport secretary Grant Shapps is demanding a controversial reform in return, which would see driverless trains introduced on the Underground.