Govia Thameslink Railway has asked Acas, the advisory, conciliation and arbitration service, to facilitate talks with the RMT and is calling on the union to call off its damaging five-day strike by conductors timed to start on 8 August.
A Thameslink train that appears in the Department for Transport's crowded trains list for 2015 was lengthened by 50% a few months later. And on the metro route, which can accommodate only eight-carriage services and has two trains in the crowded list, new trains with 40% more capacity will begin running later this year.
In response to news by the RMT that its conductor members are to strike between 0001 on Monday 8 August and 2359 on Friday 12 August, Govia Thameslink Railway Chief Operating Officer Dyan Crowther said:
• Station modernisation plans would improve customer service • All staff affected have been offered a pay rise or additional allowance
Lineside fire disrupts Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express for rest of day
Passengers on the 07.05 Uckfield to London Bridge service enjoyed the comfort of 10 carriages for the first time this morning.
Anti-bullying charity Red Balloon and train operator Great Northern have joined forces to help encourage children to work together to reduce the impact of bullying on public transport.
London Bridge services disrupted until the end of the day while Network Rail repairs hole at Forest Hill
Southern and Thameslink services into London Bridge are being disrupted this morning as Network Rail Engineers work to repair the hole underneath the railway tracks at Forest Hill. The hole appeared yesterday afternoon and leads down to a sewer which runs underneath the tracks.
Southern and Thameslink passengers are being advised to avoid using London Bridge this evening after Network Rail found a hole underneath the railway tracks at Forest Hill.
Overrunning engineering work between Horsham and Arundel is affecting services across Southern today, including on the coastway routes along which services have been diverted.
Southern and Thameslink services into London Bridge are set to be disrupted tomorrow morning as Network Rail and Thames Water Engineers work to investigate options for repairing the hole underneath the railway tracks at Forest Hill. The hole appeared earlier this afternoon and is thought to lead down to a sewer which runs underneath the tracks.
