Rail chaos as train drivers strike again
Many operators here are left with no services at all today
Last updated 30th Sep 2023
As rail passengers across the country are faced with another day of disruption due to industrial action - unions are being accused of a "political strike" by the Transport Secretary.
Here Northern, TransPennine Express and Cross Country have NO services running today (Saturday 30th September) with LNER operating what it calls a "very limited" timetable.
It's due to the latest walkout by drivers at the train companies who are members of the Aslef union, in the long running dispute about pay and conditions.
Mark Harper told Sky News: "The strike this weekend, people can see that it is timed to coincide with the Conservative Party conference, so it is very much a political strike called by the general secretary of Aslef, who sits on the Labour Party's national executive committee."
The Conservative Cabinet minister said he had put a "fair and reasonable" pay offer, along with "essential" rail reforms, to Aslef during pay negotiations.
He continued: "An average salary of a train driver today is £60,000 for a 35 hour, four day week. The pay offer that is on the table, if it was accepted, would take that to a £65,000 a year salary for a four day, 35 hour week - I think most people would think that is quite reasonable.
"My message is to the union: put the offer to your members and see whether they accept it or not. And stop disrupting the general public and actually putting people off using trains, which is not in the long-term interests of the rail industry or their members."
Mick Whelan, Aslef's general secretary, told the PA news agency that the Government was preventing a settlement to the year-long dispute.
He said: "Our members have not had a pay rise for four years - since 2019 - and that's not right when prices have soared in that time.
"Train drivers, perfectly reasonably, want to be able to buy now what they could buy four years ago."