RMT seeks in-house rail maintenance

Track repair work on Britain's railways should be brought back in-house for safety and efficiency's sake, according to the RMT rail union.

Although Network Rail has suspended contractor Carillion from bidding for new work over its safety performance, other "cowboys" such as Balfour Beatty, Mowlem and Jarvis are still doing work, the union says. It blames the fragmentation resulting from privatisation - with a system of contractors, subcontractors and no central command system - for safety failures.