South West train operators face strike action over changes to on-board catering facilities

Staffs at both CrossCountry and First Great Western are currently voting in ballots on possible strike action relating to changes in on-board catering facilities.

A ballot of RMT members employed as catering staff and train managers at CrossCountry is due to close on June 19 – the union opposes plans to provide an at-seat trolley service instead of the existing shop claiming that ‘it adds up to inferior, exposed and less safe working conditions for our members’. The union is also demanding that full operational control of the power-operated doors on Voyager trains should be returned to the train manager.

The RMT is also balloting more than seven hundred catering staff and train managers at First Great Western over the removal of buffet car facilities from high speed trains. The union claims that buffet cars have already been removed from three high speed trains and that the company will not guarantee that it will make no further changes to the remainder of the sets. The First Great Western ballot is scheduled to close in mid-June.

Urban rail and road noise mapped

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has just published maps showing the estimated levels of environmental noise from transport networks in some large urban areas, including Bournemouth and Bristol – DEFRA has also published noise maps for major railways and roads outside major urban areas. The maps, required under the European Union Environmental Noise Directive, show estimated noise levels over a twenty-four hour period, as well as during night-time only – the maps have been generated using computer models, based on information such as frequency of train and traction employed.

Action plans will be drawn up in consultation with county and unitary councils to reduce transport noise, where practical.

The maps can be viewed at ‘www.defra.gov.uk/noisemapping’.

Locomotive-hauled trains return to the Bristol to Weymouth route

First Great Western has introduced locomotive-hauled trains on the Bristol to Weymouth route to increase capacity – the additional trains will operate every Saturday until 30 August inclusive departing from Bristol Temple Meads at 0909hrs and returning from Weymouth at 1655hrs.

People (1)

First Great Western has appointed three route directors (to support the performance director, Mark Hopwood) – the route directors will focus on driving up operational performance, reliability and customer satisfaction. Malcolm Drury, who will be based in Exeter, has been appointed route director, West – Malcolm worked for Wessex Trains before joining Virgin West Coast. Tom Joyner has been appointed route director, high speed services – Tom was previously employed as the route director, Silverlink Metro.

People (2)

The House of Commons Transport Committee has elected Louise Ellman, the Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside, as the new chair, following the death of Gwyneth Dunwoody.

And finally,

The text on the ‘home page’ of the Wilts and Dorset bus company website begins:-

‘Welcome to the Wilts and Dorset website. We operate services in an area stretching from Bath .................’.

Wilts and Dorset withdrew the company’s services to and from Bath after a final day of operation on Saturday 5 January 2008!

The ‘timetables’ section of the Wilts and Dorset website does not have the current timetables for certain services, while no timetable at all is available for some routes!