Train drivers' union calls for cut in hours

Train drivers' union Aslef is calling for urgent legislation to cap working hours. The union wants a limit on drivers' working time of 42 hours in any one week, with a weekly average of 35 hours over the course of a year.

Aslef general secretary Mick Rix said: "This is a major safety issue, since a tired driver can suffer from lapses of concentration. We have recently had a case of a driver passing a signal at danger outside a London terminus and the incident being attributed by the panel of inquiry to 'length of duty worked' ". He added that it was "worse than absurd" that there was no law on the issue for train drivers while the hours worked by bus drivers and lorry drivers were tightly regulated.

A national campaign for the reduction has been launched.

Rail unions in the UK joined unions across the world to highlight safety on International Railway Workers' Day last month. The International Transport Workers' Federation coordinated activities calling on governments and companies to put safety before profits. Members of the Aslef, RMT, TSSA and T&G transport unions rallied at London's Euston station to remember those killed in railway accidents.