VideoChess gets a risqu makeover, The Nigerian influencers paid to manipulate your vote, How a baffling census delay is hurting Indians, How Mafia boss was caught at a clinic after 30 years. "Only twice has the train run normally. "At least four times this year. Passengers are being warned of extensive disruption to train services on Saturday despite a series of strikes by railway workers being called off. Read about our approach to external linking. But the operator added that it expected services to be "extremely busy" and could not guarantee that social distancing guidelines would be adhered to. Erik Loomis, a professor of labour history at the University of Rhode Island, said the Biden administration made a mistake not to take the issue more seriously as it worked to broker a deal between unions and railroads earlier this year. Rob James says his 84-year-old father only found out about the train cancellations once he'd arrived at London King's Cross to board a train to Inverness to visit him. 2023 BBC. He apologised for performance not being good enough, and insisted the operators do employ enough train drivers; something their union Aslef disputes. Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, LNER, Scotrail and West Midlands Railway have all reported cancellations. It comes after Tuesday's record-breaking temperatures above 40C, which caused damage to overhead electric lines and railway tracks. Emilia Fox returned. Trains are being cancelled and rail services disrupted after the UK recorded its hottest day on record. He added: "Specialist teams worked all night but have been unable to fix the cables in time for the start of service this morning. Who was Ukrainian minister Denys Monastyrsky? Rail strike is cancelled - at the cost of paid sick leave 3 December 2022 Getty Images Rail workers are disappointed after their push for paid sick leave failed By Natalie Sherman Business. Sense of injustice lingers after Seoul Halloween crush, Chess gets a risqu makeover. However it urged customers to check for late-notice changes, saying as cases continue to rise, some short notice alterations may be required throughout the festive period. 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GWR passengers can use their tickets on the following services: Roger Ford, industry and technology editor at the magazine Modern Railways, said the problem is "with the weld cracking underneath [the train's] body shell" which he explained led to about 180 trains being taken out of service on Saturday morning for inspection. At Birmingham New Street, the busiest station outside London, less than half arrived on time with 52% of services disrupted. It has warned the problem could affect services on Sunday too. But she regularly gets stuck in Warrington when trains are delayed or cancelled and has to get a taxi home. BBC Both EastEnders at 7.30pm and. Though the increase may sound small, train operators only have limited contingencies for absences before they have to start cancelling services. It was not all unwelcome news in London, however. Katy Austin, the BBC's Transport Correspondent, at King's Cross station on Wednesday morning, said a notice up on departure boards stated there would be no trains from there until midday. The trains have either been cancelled completely or terminated at Birmingham. "And that opinion comes not just from me as a railway watcher but from a lot of the senior railway people I talk to.". By Hugh Schofield. Zelensky says fatal crash was consequence of war, New Zealand PM Ardern to step down next month, Arizona town with no water using rain to flush toilets. Gabe, who has worked for the railroad since 2004, said the companies could afford the benefit, noting that they have earned record profits in recent years. They disputed claims by workers that managers are increasingly rejecting such requests, as staffing levels have fallen. It said that when the works were completed later this year, this should "vastly improve the reliability of service for customers on both the London Overground and the Bakerloo line". When dogs in Alaska wait for the bus Video, six of the trains were taken out of service by GWR, German police deny Greta's detainment was staged, Iran man who beheaded wife jailed for eight years, Germany: We are no longer reliant on Russian energy, Mafia boss's second hideout found behind wardrobe, City asks Madonna if it can borrow her painting, Jeremy Renner TV show poster edited after accident, Santos denies taking money from dying dog GoFundMe, Keep cake away from office, says food adviser. The government said it must "drastically improve". Manuel Cortes, general secretary of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association, said passengers should not be charged extra in future to pay for repairs. CrossCountry is also warning of train crew shortages and disruption. It said there could be short-notice cancellations. More than two dozen services leaving from London King's Cross and Euston stations were. It added that the renewal of this part of the network should reduce the drainage and flooding problems that can lead to signalling and power failures, the root cause of many train cancellations. Disruption on East Coast Main Line continues, but trains are now running again between London and Scotland. The 48-hour strike is the first of two . It said staff were also taking time off after receiving booster jabs. Sherry Leiwant, co-founder of A Better Balance, who has been working on paid sick leave campaigns since the early 2000s, called the decision not to extend the benefit in 2020 "the most disheartening thing that has happened in my work on this issue". His father was planning to stay with him because Rob's brother needed to self-isolate at their father's house in Bournemouth after arriving in the UK from Thailand. This year I've had to spend 160 one day just to get here because it was a busy day for taxis so it was 160 here and back. There is expected to be a major impact across the network, with only a fifth of services due to run between 07:30 and 18:30 GMT on Saturday. LNER passengers affected by cancellations can use their tickets on the following operators' services instead: LNER said affected customers' tickets will be valid up to and including Sunday 16 May, though a new reservation would need to be made. The RMT union, which represents transport workers, said that with infections rising, absences would have severe consequences for services, but the safety of staff and the public must come first. It says this means less flexibility. All high-speed Great Western Railway services between London, Bristol, Cardiff and Penzance have been cancelled and customers are advised not to attempt to travel today. CrossCountry has been contacted for a response to the union's claims. Train speed limits over heatwave track safety fears, Train passengers warned not to travel in heatwave, UN's top women meet Taliban over female aid worker ban, New Zealand PM Ardern to step down next month, Zelensky says fatal crash was consequence of war, How a baffling census delay is hurting Indians, Sense of injustice lingers after Seoul Halloween crush, Power shift in Vietnam as president quits. In 2022, 40% of scheduled rail and Underground services in London were either . Chickens come home to roost and you do tend to get caught out if you don't have enough people.". "TPE has been pre-cancelling anything between 250 - 450 trains per week since summer across its network due to crew unavailability. Passengers await further information at St Pancras station. VideoChess gets a risqu makeover, The Nigerian influencers paid to manipulate your vote, How a baffling census delay is hurting Indians, How Mafia boss was caught at a clinic after 30 years. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Govia Thameslink, which operates the Thameslink, Great Northern and Southern franchises, said it may also have to cancel services at short notice due to high numbers of staff off sick with Covid and other seasonal illnesses. In 2022, for the whole city, there were nearly 25 million scheduled rail and Tube stops in total (not including the Elizabeth line). The RMT union said it would now enter "a period of intensive negotiations" with Network Rail and train operators. Sense of injustice lingers after Seoul Halloween crush, Chess gets a risqu makeover. 21:17, 14 JAN 2023 Full list of new series on ITV, BBC and Channel 4 this week (Image: Shared Content Unit) Telly lovers are in for a treat this week as a number of popular programmes return with. ", Housework: The only work you never retire from, the only work you never get paid for", US lawmakers vote to block potential rail strike. Usage has steadily crept up since the pandemic - but station performance is slowly slipping. Read about our approach to external linking. A spokesperson for Aslef said in relation to CrossCountry: "I'm afraid they don't really employ enough drivers to deliver the services they promise passengers they will run. We recommend customers to CHECK BEFORE THEY TRAVEL.Full information https://t.co/v4rnt7NLU8 pic.twitter.com/t2DXXX7QGz. "We need to remember that we're really not good at running businesses from Congress," Senator Richard Burr, a Republican from North Carolina, said in May 2021, the last major public hearing on the issue. Harlesden resident Jamal Elliot said: "The Bakerloo line was barely working at all over Christmas which made it very difficult to get around for me. What happened in the Ukraine helicopter crash? While he said he believed people should be able to take time off if sick, "the one-size-fits-all approach does not work on issues, especially on paid leave". ': ' , 2002 The Rail Delivery Group, which represents train operators across the UK, said its members had reported that 8.7% of their staff were off sick due to all causes including Covid. But Mr Wolmar said he believed there was more to the recent problems, with a "perfect storm" of factors. That's always been their attitude. Network Rail continues to advise passengers to check before they travel, and to only travel by rail if absolutely necessary on Saturday and Monday. 2023 BBC. Rob, who lives in John O' Groats, says: "My dad is at King's Cross and doesn't know what to do. High-speed trains withdrawn over crack fears, High-speed train delayed on first journey, Zelensky says fatal crash was consequence of war, New Zealand PM Ardern to step down next month, Mass strikes in France bid to halt pension age rise. London Waterloo had 388,000 planned rail and Tube stops on services to and from the station in 2022; in 2021 it was 395,00 and in 2019 that number was 477,000. When dogs in Alaska wait for the bus Video, Train strikes to go ahead after pay offer rejected, London remains world's most congested city - report, Parts of Tube's Central line gets 4G phone signal, German police deny Greta's detainment was staged, Santos denies taking money from dying dog GoFundMe, Iran man who beheaded wife jailed for eight years, Mafia boss's second hideout found behind wardrobe, Maximum two drinks a week, Canada guidance advises, US town with no water using rain to flush toilets, Celebrities who say their children will get no inheritance, Heathrow beefs up security over cannabis arrests. Rail services across the country are being cancelled in the run-up to Christmas as rising numbers of staff fall ill with Covid. In addition to rising rates of Covid among staff, the operators website also advises that its driver training programme has been severely disrupted by the virus and social distancing constraints. 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"Delay repay is about 6. Passengers will be hoping this change ushers in more reliability. 16 January 2023, 06:06 GMT. Property damage. He said there were some areas in which there could be "commonality" between the two parties on workforce reform. 2023 BBC. Read about our approach to external linking. Your device may not support this visualisation. The BBC approached Network Rail for comment. Mr Wolmar believes these contracts have resulted in less effort from managers to run a good service, and high sickness levels among staff who have gone over two years without a pay rise, are "really an expression of employee dissatisfaction". It said the main reason was drivers suddenly stopped volunteering to work on their rest days. Rosters for drivers are typically agreed a week in advance, and so the "short notice cancellation" of the strikes "means that train driver availability will inevitably be very challenging and rely primarily on volunteers", the RDG added. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Read about our approach to external linking. Chess gets a risqu makeover. Train strikes: What are the dates and which lines are affected? "It's a scandal really that whole days' worth of trains are being cancelled, which is so disruptive to people's lives and livelihoods - not to mention pushing more people into cars with all the issues that then brings," he said. A spokesperson for LNER said services were being reduced as a result of an increase in the number of our staff self-isolating due to Covid. Lorraine travelled from Aberdeen to Glasgow by car with the aim of catching a train to Edinburgh, but says she missed a train suggested by staff while she was talking to them. 12:36 Lauren Cole-Lomas All the trains cancelled from Woking between 12:30pm and 1:30pm 12:34 to Portsmouth Harbour - Cancelled 12:44 to London Waterloo - Cancelled 12:46 to Exeter St. Flooding on the road to Nether Heyford from Upper Heyford Northamptonshire in April. "People are scared for their jobs .We need protection.". Read More. VideoChess gets a risqu makeover, The Nigerian influencers paid to manipulate your vote. Read about our approach to external linking. She doesn't drive and on strike days there were no trains running. VideoChess gets a risqu makeover, The Nigerian influencers paid to manipulate your vote, How a baffling census delay is hurting Indians, How Mafia boss was caught at a clinic after 30 years. Added to this, reliance on drivers agreeing to work on days off - which has been common in the industry for decades - has left some operators exposed during a period of strained industrial relations. Great Western Railway, Hull Trains,. LNER, which runs services on the East Coast main line, is operating an amended timetable in the week before Christmas because of the number of absent drivers and train managers. Great Western Railway said it was seeing increasing absence rates, and some disruption of its services. The outcome has outraged thousands of workers who had hoped for more support from a political party and a president who had campaigned on the promise of passing national sick leave and supporting unions. Speaking on Thursday, chairman Steve Montgomery said the RDG was "working up to" making an offer once it had made an agreement with unions on workplace reforms. It had planned to take strike action at five train firms including Avanti West Coast and West Midlands Trains. Station staff were on hand, trying to help passengers with queries. Who was Ukrainian minister Denys Monastyrsky? The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Hitachi apologised and said some trains were now running again after checks. BBC News Rail passengers are facing delays and cancellations across the UK after cracks were found on some high-speed trains during routine checks. Who was Ukrainian minister Denys Monastyrsky? ORR recently said Network Rail, which oversees tracks, power lines and signals, needed to do more to deliver better performance. "He's trying to keep away from people and so is a bit loathe to seek help from staff in person. 2023 BBC. Are you affected by issues covered in this story? The strikes, planned for 5, 7 and 9 November, had been called in a dispute over pay and conditions. Northern, which runs services across the North of England, is also warning that passenger services are being affected by the impacts of Covid and unavailability of train crew. Passengers at King's Cross station faced further disruption on Wednesday. In addition to rising rates of Covid among staff, the operators website also advises that its driver training programme has been severely disrupted by the virus and social distancing constraints. Please include your name, age and location with any submission. 2023 BBC. Chris Heaton-Harris said the issue had been found on part of the chassis - the base frame - of some trains on Saturday morning following routine inspections. Read about our approach to external linking. Newly released data from the Office of Road and Rail shows 3.8% of trains in Great Britain have been cancelled in the year up to 12 November - or one in every 26. "You're coming to work to make money and you can spend more than your day's wage to get home.". "On a semi-regular basis I'm getting home at nine o'clock at night," she added. These figures reflect on-the-day cancellations. Train companies are preparing to introduce a new timetable on 11 December - although RMT strikes are planned in its first week. When dogs in Alaska wait for the bus Video, German police deny Greta's detainment was staged, Iran man who beheaded wife jailed for eight years, Germany: We are no longer reliant on Russian energy, Mafia boss's second hideout found behind wardrobe, City asks Madonna if it can borrow her painting, Jeremy Renner TV show poster edited after accident, Santos denies taking money from dying dog GoFundMe, Keep cake away from office, says food adviser. Network Rail warned that services would remain "extremely limited", with trains on Monday also likely to be affected. TransPennine Express said on Saturday afternoon that it would be able to reintroduce some trains into service following safety checks. LNER is one of the train companies forced to cancel services, When dogs in Alaska wait for the bus Video, ScotRail reported more than a hundred cancellations, German police deny Greta's detainment was staged, Santos denies taking money from dying dog GoFundMe, Iran man who beheaded wife jailed for eight years, Mafia boss's second hideout found behind wardrobe, Maximum two drinks a week, Canada guidance advises, US town with no water using rain to flush toilets, Celebrities who say their children will get no inheritance, Heathrow beefs up security over cannabis arrests. With Covid better performance on Sunday too but Mr Wolmar said he believed there was more to deliver performance! Afternoon that it would now enter `` a period of intensive negotiations '' with network and! Home. `` in person a bit loathe to seek help from staff in person //t.co/v4rnt7NLU8 pic.twitter.com/t2DXXX7QGz crosscountry been... 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