‘Rail cuts cost lives’ says transport union

RMT rail union members have rallied outside the Scottish and Westminster parliaments as part of their Rail Cuts Cost Lives campaign.

This calls on governments to provide the necessary funding to ensure the railways can run safely and effectively.

The union says Network Rail’s planned £1.2 billion worth of cuts to renewals expenditure over the next five years will have a negative impact on safety and performance. And the government intends to cut maintenance work on track, signalling and other assets.

Meanwhile, it says, total renewals expenditure for Scotland over the same period is £315 million, or 13% lower than the previous funding period.

It warns that the combined crises of record high inflation, ageing infrastructure and climate change will have a devastating impact on the railways in the short, medium and long term.

A recent survey of Network Rail maintenance RMT members found the vast majority believe there is an increased risk of a major rail safety incident occurring within the next two years due to broken rails and ageing infrastructure.

“These cuts if they go ahead will make the railways less safe and further impact on the performance of the network,” said RMT general secretary Mick Lynch.

“Cracked rails are being reported alongside extreme weather events which have led to disasters like Carmont in 2020.”