Grant Shapps slams rail unions as he unveils £1bn east coast digital funding

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps hit out at placing rail unions as he introduced a £1 billion funding in digital signalling.

He stated that giving the go-ahead for the substitute of Victorian signalling infrastructure on the East Coast Essential Line (ECML) proves the Authorities is modernising the railways “regardless of the perfect efforts of unions”.

However the Transport Salaried Staffs Affiliation (TSSA) insisted it was a “non-announcement”, as a lot of the prevailing system wants changing anyway.

Mr Shapps is embroiled in a bitter row with the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union.

About 40,000 RMT members at Community Rail and 13 practice operators went on strike final week in a dispute over jobs, pay and circumstances.

Solely a fifth of passenger trains have been in a position to function on the three strike days, with companies additionally closely lowered on the times after the walkouts.

Members of drivers’ union Aslef at Better Anglia and the Croydon Tramlink walked out in separate pay rows in latest days.

The TSSA served discover to poll its members at Better Anglia final week for strike motion and motion wanting strike over pay, circumstances and job safety.

Mr Shapps advised the PA information company that new signalling will lower delays and result in extra frequent trains on the ECML, however “we simply want to verify the work practices comply with from the steam age into the digital age”.

Rail workers are “pleased to work with us” and have proven they’re “ready to undertake modernisation”, he claimed.

“Their union bosses are those who’re stopping very apparent modernisations happening.”

Mr Shapps cited the instance of upkeep crews based mostly at London Euston not being permitted to work at London King’s Cross – lower than half a mile away – as a result of the stations are classed as being in numerous areas of the rail community.

“To most of the people that may appear completely weird,” he stated.

“We’re constructing a railway match for the twenty first century.

“We’ve received to get out of those twentieth century work practices so that the entire thing works collectively and offers a significantly better service for the general public.”

Mr Shapps went on: “Whereas union bosses waste time touring tv studios and standing on picket traces, I’m busy getting on with the job at hand and modernising our railway.

“The world is altering and, regardless of the perfect efforts of unions, I’m decided to assist our railway change with it.”

TSSA basic secretary Manuel Cortes stated the Secretary of State will “idiot exactly no-one” by promising “jam tomorrow whereas implementing cuts in the present day”.

He added: “This non-announcement is a part of the broader Tory technique of deceit, lies and fabrications.”

One third of the UK’s inhabitants dwell inside 20 minutes of a station on the EMCL, which runs from London King’s Cross to Edinburgh by way of places equivalent to Peterborough, Doncaster, York and Newcastle.

The £1 billion funding introduced by Mr Shapps will full the East Coast Digital Programme.

Outdated lineside infrastructure shall be changed with the European practice management system (ETCS) on a 100-mile stretch of the road between London King’s Cross and Stoke Tunnel to the south of Grantham, Lincolnshire.

That part was chosen as its current alerts are due for renewal.

The brand new system is predicted to start operation within the early 2030s.

ETCS know-how reduces journey occasions and boosts security for passenger and freight companies by bringing signalling into practice drivers’ cabs, offering them with real-time, steady data.

It permits trains to run nearer collectively than standard signalling.

Toufic Machnouk, director of business partnership for digital railway at Community Rail, stated ETCS will “remodel the aptitude and resilience of the East Coast Essential Line”.

David Horne, managing director at London North Jap Railway, which operates long-distance trains on the road, stated digital signalling will “enable the total potential of our Azuma fleet know-how to be realised”.

Earlier Authorities funding of £350 million ensured trains utilizing the ECML have been made suitable with digital signalling.

Infrastructure is being put in on the Northern Metropolis Line – a department of the ECML operating between London’s Moorgate and Finsbury Park – to check the system.

That is because of enter service within the mid-2020s.

Mick Lynch, basic secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, stated: “Grant Shapps is making a straw man to knock down by falsely drawing equivalence between our strike motion and this newest introduction of digital signalling.

“RMT is absolutely dedicated to the event of a digital railway and real modernisation, so long as our members have a assure of no obligatory redundancies, one thing Community Rail has provided us for over a decade.

“The digital railway is a 15-year venture undertaken by Community Rail that RMT is negotiating on methods to greatest implement so it’s weird of the Transport Secretary to try to weaponise it to attain low cost political factors.

“What holds again the event of the railway is non-public corporations and contractors making a mint from the taxpayer and charging exorbitant fares to clients whereas overseeing a decaying Victorian railway line.”

He added: “It’s outrageous that the Transport Secretary is taking credit score for a modernisation programme on digital signalling that RMT helped develop and is now implementing alongside the rail business.”

Aslef basic secretary Mick Whelan stated: “Grant Shapps is, I’m afraid, badly mistaken. He both doesn’t know he’s incorrect, wherein he case he’s inept, or, a minimum of, exceptionally badly briefed, or, if he does know that what he’s saying is just not true, then he’s a liar.

“This commerce union has been absolutely engaged within the initiatives he’s speaking about. If he would really like that to vary, superb; if not, then he ought to do the best factor and publicly apologise.”