Click here to listen to the latest rail news on Wednesday, 31st May 2023
InTheNews: The latest rail news on Wednesday, 31st May 2023
Rail services will grind to a halt in parts of the country today as a fresh wave of strikes begins.
An article on the BBC website said members of the train drivers’ union Aslef will walk out on Wednesday and again on 3 June, the day of the FA Cup Final, while members of the RMT will strike on Friday.
Aslef said there was “no waning in enthusiasm” in the long-running dispute over pay and conditions.
The government said the strikes were co-ordinated to disrupt major events.
A train operator has offered a £1,000 reward for the name of the person it dubbed the ‘suspected air gun pellet attacker’.
An article on the ITV website says the incident happened near Kirkstall Forge, between Leeds and Bradford Forster Square on Monday 22 May at around 5.30pm.
It caused severe delays to services on the line and police did not find the person responsible.
Govia Thameslink Railway’s (GTR’s) first Class 387/1 Great Northern Electrostar train has now completed static testing of its retrofitted European Train Control Signalling (ETCS) in-cab signalling equipment, as part of the East Coast Digital Programme, aimed at improving performance for passengers, while reducing emissions.
The Class 387 is the country’s first major commuter fleet to have the technology retrofitted, and it lays the foundations for the digital upgrade to be applied to the rest of the UK’s vast Electrostar fleet, for future expansion of ETCS across other routes.
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Network Rail and Arriva Rail London have joined forces on a ground-breaking industry move to facilitate a senior level industry job swap.
From August 2023, Matt Pocock, ARL’s Operations Director will join Network Rail’s Wessex route as operations director on an 18-month secondment.
In turn, Gunnar Lindahl, Network Rail’s Wessex route operations director will join Arriva Rail London (ARL – the London Overground operator) as operations director for the same period of time.
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Photo credit: GTR