BRITAIN’S BIGGEST rail union today demanded immediate reversal of cuts to a third of essential track renewals after a broken a rail was discovered on the mainline near Swindon – a month after the stretch of line should have been replaced.
RMT said the incident highlighted Network Rail’s recklessness in allowing pressure to save money to dictate the shelving of essential works, including rail replacement, and demanded the re-instatement of all deferred work.
According to NR’s own log (attached), a ‘near vertical break’ was discovered on February 14 by a maintenance team at Knighton, near Swindon on a stretch of line that was scheduled for renewal in January, but had been put off at least until next year in a bid to save cash.
The log, known as the Safety Environment Assurance Report, reveals that the line was immediately blocked while an emergency repair was carried out – and that NR’s track maintenance engineer is now awaiting confirmation of a “revised date for renewal to take place”.
Renewing its call on Network Rail to reinstate the 28 per cent of planned renewals it has deferred, RMT also demanded to see risk assessments for every location that has seen work shelved and the reversal of cuts in frequencies of track inspections.
“A broken rail is a potential derailment and rail workers and passengers alike have every reason to demand that Network Rail stop this madness,” RMT general secretary Bob Crow said today.
“When we highlighted the scale of these cuts, Network Rail accused us of scaremongering, but if you put off essential work and then inspect the track less often you are lowering safety standards and increasing risk, and there can be no excuse for it, least of all saving money.
“Railways are the safest form of transport, but we need to keep them that way. We know to our tragic cost that corner-cutting is potentially lethal, and no-one wants to see another Hatfield, Potters Bar or Grayrigg”.
“At the same time as undermining safety Network Rail is jeopardising jobs, and that cannot be acceptable in the current economic climate, not least when the government says it will fund public works to help ride out the recession,” Bob Crow said.
ends – notes and early day motion follow.
For further information contact Derek Kotz on 020 7529 8803 or 07939 595 092
Note to editors: Earlier this month RMT revealed nearly 200 locations in three NR regions where essential renewals, including works to replace rails, sleepers and ballast, have been deferred in order to save money, despite having been agreed and placed with contractors last year. The locations are only a part of the 28 per cent of work that NR has postponed.
On May 5 rail workers will lobby parliament against cuts in jobs and services in the industry.
Early Day Motion 794, tabled by David Drew MP on February 11:
NETWORK RAIL AND THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN
Tabled by David Drew and signed by 36 others at March 26
That this House welcomes efforts by the Government to lessen the impact of the recession and save jobs by intervening in the private sector industries, such as the car industry; notes with concern that Network Rail, which is heavily reliant on billions of pounds of Government subsidy is deferring 28 per cent. of rail renewals work, such as track and signals replacements; notes that Network Rail has confirmed in its 2009-10 business plan that this huge reduction in track renewals expenditure will have a major impact on the supply chain with 20 to 30 per cent. less heavy materials resulting in supply chain redundancies; is appalled that this will mean massive job cuts and supports the view of the rail unions that Network Rail's actions undermine the Government's stated intentions to use infrastructure projects to boost employment; further notes with concern that Network Rail is cutting the frequency of track inspections and routine signals maintenance which, combined with the reduction in renewals work, will significantly raise safety risks to passengers and workers; urges the Government to use its power as funder of Network Rail immediately to intervene to ensure that this essential rail renewals work is not deferred, to introduce a moratorium on job cuts and to develop an industry-wide strategy to ensure that railways can be managed in a way which mitigates rather than exacerbates the effects of the economic downturn.
http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=37854&SESSION=899
RMT said the incident highlighted Network Rail’s recklessness in allowing pressure to save money to dictate the shelving of essential works, including rail replacement, and demanded the re-instatement of all deferred work.
According to NR’s own log (attached), a ‘near vertical break’ was discovered on February 14 by a maintenance team at Knighton, near Swindon on a stretch of line that was scheduled for renewal in January, but had been put off at least until next year in a bid to save cash.
The log, known as the Safety Environment Assurance Report, reveals that the line was immediately blocked while an emergency repair was carried out – and that NR’s track maintenance engineer is now awaiting confirmation of a “revised date for renewal to take place”.
Renewing its call on Network Rail to reinstate the 28 per cent of planned renewals it has deferred, RMT also demanded to see risk assessments for every location that has seen work shelved and the reversal of cuts in frequencies of track inspections.
“A broken rail is a potential derailment and rail workers and passengers alike have every reason to demand that Network Rail stop this madness,” RMT general secretary Bob Crow said today.
“When we highlighted the scale of these cuts, Network Rail accused us of scaremongering, but if you put off essential work and then inspect the track less often you are lowering safety standards and increasing risk, and there can be no excuse for it, least of all saving money.
“Railways are the safest form of transport, but we need to keep them that way. We know to our tragic cost that corner-cutting is potentially lethal, and no-one wants to see another Hatfield, Potters Bar or Grayrigg”.
“At the same time as undermining safety Network Rail is jeopardising jobs, and that cannot be acceptable in the current economic climate, not least when the government says it will fund public works to help ride out the recession,” Bob Crow said.
ends – notes and early day motion follow.
For further information contact Derek Kotz on 020 7529 8803 or 07939 595 092
Note to editors: Earlier this month RMT revealed nearly 200 locations in three NR regions where essential renewals, including works to replace rails, sleepers and ballast, have been deferred in order to save money, despite having been agreed and placed with contractors last year. The locations are only a part of the 28 per cent of work that NR has postponed.
On May 5 rail workers will lobby parliament against cuts in jobs and services in the industry.
Early Day Motion 794, tabled by David Drew MP on February 11:
NETWORK RAIL AND THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN
Tabled by David Drew and signed by 36 others at March 26
That this House welcomes efforts by the Government to lessen the impact of the recession and save jobs by intervening in the private sector industries, such as the car industry; notes with concern that Network Rail, which is heavily reliant on billions of pounds of Government subsidy is deferring 28 per cent. of rail renewals work, such as track and signals replacements; notes that Network Rail has confirmed in its 2009-10 business plan that this huge reduction in track renewals expenditure will have a major impact on the supply chain with 20 to 30 per cent. less heavy materials resulting in supply chain redundancies; is appalled that this will mean massive job cuts and supports the view of the rail unions that Network Rail's actions undermine the Government's stated intentions to use infrastructure projects to boost employment; further notes with concern that Network Rail is cutting the frequency of track inspections and routine signals maintenance which, combined with the reduction in renewals work, will significantly raise safety risks to passengers and workers; urges the Government to use its power as funder of Network Rail immediately to intervene to ensure that this essential rail renewals work is not deferred, to introduce a moratorium on job cuts and to develop an industry-wide strategy to ensure that railways can be managed in a way which mitigates rather than exacerbates the effects of the economic downturn.
http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=37854&SESSION=899
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