Train workers to strike in dispute over safety of new £7 billion railway

Train managers working for Chiltern Railways will stage the first of two 24-hour strikes on Saturday over safety concerns about services on a new £7 billion railway line.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) plan a second walkout on 17 October should the disagreement remain unresolved.

However, Chiltern stated that the vast majority of its timetabled services will remain unaffected by the industrial action.

The union claims the firm refused to guarantee the safety-critical role of a second onboard crew member on proposed East West Rail services.

RMT general secretary Eddie Dempsey warned driver-only operation on East West poses a "significant risk" to safety and existing roles.

“RMT members have voted overwhelmingly to take a principled stand against the watering down of safety on the rail network,” he said.

“It is time that Chiltern management took our members’ concerns seriously.”

It follows a decisive vote by union members opposing driver-only operation (DOO) intended for the new £7 billion East West Rail route, which will link Oxford to Milton Keynes.

The East West railway was due to open over a year ago, but has been delayed by additional works at Winslow station and a RMT dispute over drivers operating the train doors.

When works are complete, East West Rail will directly connect the two university cities of Oxford and Cambridge by train for the first time in decades. The planned route is hoped to be completed by the mid to late 2030s.

Chiltern said more than 93 per cent of its services will run on both Saturdays, and the normal number of trains will run into and out of London Marylebone.

Tony Baxter, interim managing director of Chiltern Railways, said: “We’re disappointed that RMT members have voted in favour of industrial action over how we intend to run services on the first stage of East West Rail between Oxford and Milton Keynes.

“Every East West Rail service will have two people on board — the driver, and a colleague looking after passengers: checking tickets, helping people who need assistance, and on hand to assist with any issues.

“We have run most of our trains with the driver in control of the doors for decades, safely and as approved by the independent rail regulator. It also means over 100 new permanent jobs at Chiltern, and no changes to the roles of existing colleagues.

“We remain committed to working with the RMT to resolve this, and urge them to work with us so passengers can start benefiting from this new railway as soon as possible.”