Reductions in railway funding could lead to more serious rail accidents, as well as fewer, more crowded trains, unions say.
A TUC report says passenger safety will be compromised if Network Rail continues to reduce its maintenance workforce to save £ 100 million a year.
About 2,500 jobs are expected to be lost, and the TUC said it would be impossible to make such cuts without putting passengers at risk. He warned that the finance ministry was also demanding layoffs from train operators, which would disrupt services and leave fewer trains running, leaving passengers “packed like sardines”.
Network Rail has said it will not compromise safety and its modernization ideas have fallen on deaf ears.
The report comes after railway unions warned of possible strikes, with RMT already announcing a vote of its members.
About 2,500 maintenance jobs are expected to be cut, resulting in 670,000 hours less maintenance work each year, according to an RMT analysis.
The TUC said track maintenance was essential to avoid fatal accidents such as the Hatfield crash in 2000, caused by unnoticed metal fatigue, or the Potters Bar in 2002, due to poorly maintained points.
In addition to the track, Network Rail is responsible for the safety of signaling, rail and public spaces at the largest railway stations in the United Kingdom. The TUC said the government should withdraw any redundancy requirements. It says Network Rail can save £ 115 million a year by returning all external services to the company.
Britain’s railways have had the best safety in Europe for more than a decade, but the crashes at Stonehaven in 2020 and Salisbury last year renewed concerns. The Ministry of Finance also ordered the Ministry of Transport to reduce its annual budget by 10%, prompting DfT to tell train companies to make big cost cuts.
TUC Secretary General Francis O’Grady said: “Our railways are still recovering from the pandemic. The last thing the government needs to do is reduce funding.
“We need a better vision for the future of the British railways than travelers crammed like sardines into dangerous trains. Rail transport is one of the most environmentally friendly ways to get around. Ministers need to make rail the most attractive option for more travel. But you can’t do that by reducing security and services. “
RMT Secretary General Mick Lynch said more than 40,000 railroad workers could join picket lines in a strike over planned cuts. “We will not be able to run a safe, clean and efficient rail network if staff are reduced to the bone,” he said, adding that the dispute was not only about its members but also about the public’s right to a safe and accessible railroad. system ”.
A spokesman for Network Rail said: “The UK railway is the safest major network in Europe and we would never make changes that would compromise this hard-won achievement.
“The modernization proposals we have put on the table will help our workforce to be more flexible, which will allow us to avoid forced job losses. [and] help our workforce be safer because it won’t work so often on live songs. So far, our ideas remain deaf. “
A DfT spokesman said: “The industry is exploring a number of options for reform, but none of them should lead to lower safety standards or affect rail safety for passengers. However, industry will have to comply with its legal obligations regarding health and safety. “
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