RMT warns Network Rail job cut plans will cause 'chaos'

Rail union RMT has warned of "total chaos" on the West Coast Main Line, as it claimed that Network Rail was targeting heavy cuts among maintenance staff on the route.

RMT said it had learned that 1,448 maintenance jobs are under threat - 650 of which are posts on the West Coast Main Line.

But Network Rail said that no final decisions on the job cuts had been made and that it was still in discussions with unions.

It has previously been predicted that Network Rail could cut up to 1,800 maintenance posts.

Bob Crow, RMT General Secretary, said: “With the well-documented history of infrastructure problems and failures on the West Coast Main Line it simply defies all logic that Network Rail could even be considering axing 650 maintenance jobs as part of their national cost reduction plan.

“We should also remember that the Grayrigg disaster occurred on the WCML and that reports into that incident fingered systemic problems with the maintenance regime. Under those circumstances alone it beggars belief that Network Rail could be even considering hundreds of maintenance job cuts.

“RMT is committed to fighting the national jobs cull across Network Rail and we will be drawing in political and public support across the country for what is an important battle for safety and reliability on the rail network.”

A Network Rail spokesman said: “The new high-frequency timetable requires a different approach to the way we carry out maintenance on the newly modernised west coast and these changes will build upon the recent high levels of performance and reliability.

“Our plans to restructure maintenance depots will enable us to direct resources to where they are needed and enable them to be more responsive.”