Plans to reopen line through Peak District move ahead
Plans to reopen the former Midland Railway main line to Manchester have taken a step forward with the submission of the Peaks and Dales Line Feasibility Study to the Department for Transport.
Underground drivers who belong to the RMT walked out at 12.00, and Transport for London is warning of ‘severe delays’ on several of those lines which still have a service. The Mayor of London is calling for a ‘swift resolution’ to the dispute, which involves the introduction of a four-day working week.
A non-executive director of DfT Operator has been dismissed only days after he warned a Parliamentary group that the trains being ordered for HS2 will reduce the number of seats on the London to Manchester route. Chris Gibb, who has been at the DfT’s subsidiary company since 2020, was speaking on 13 April, when he told the All-Party Parliamentary Rail Group that the answer to this capacity problem would be a second fleet.
Transport for London is warning that Underground services will start to be reduced from mid-morning, as RMT drivers prepare to walk out for 24 hours from midday. A second 24-hour stoppage is planned from midday on Thursday, and more have been called in May and June. The dispute is about proposals to offer a four-day working week to Underground drivers, who would work longer over the four days but have three days off a week.
The RMT has accused Transport for London of ‘reneging’ on promises to ‘negotiate in good faith’ over proposals for a four-day working week. The union said the first of two pairs of strikes are set to go ahead from midday tomorrow until midday on Wednesday. The second walkout this week is planned between midday on Thursday and midday on Friday. TfL described has the walkouts as ‘completely unnecessary’.
Network Rail has revealed that more than 400 metres of overhead wires were damaged by a train outside Manchester Piccadilly on Thursday evening, which led to all platforms being closed so that engineers could carry out repairs. Network Rail declared the station ‘fully open’ again at 11.00 today, although it warned that some changes to services were still possible for a while.
A fault with the overhead wires at Manchester Piccadilly is expected to cause many delays and cancellations today, which are also affecting trains to Manchester Airport. Wiring on the station throat was damaged yesterday morning, and trains only started to return to Piccadilly at 07.00 today.