The Ticket Collector

Police seeking Tube photographer attacker

Have you seen this person?

He is wanted by police for assaulting an amateur photographer. This picture of his attacker was taken by the amateur photographer.

PC Ben Dawson said the incident occurred on the escalators leading to the main concourse at Waterloo mainline station at around 10.17pm on Wednesday 12 December.

“It would appear the victim, an amateur photographer, who enjoys taking snaps of London street scenes, was taking shots on the escalators when a member of the public took exception to having his photo taken and asked him to delete the photo.

“The photographer told him he could not delete the shot as it was not a digital camera. The man then attempted to grab the camera and punched the victim in the face. The victim suffered cuts and bruising to his face as a result of the incident.

“We have released this photo today, which was taken by the victim prior to the incident and we are appealing to members of the public to assist us in identifying the man pictured.

“The man is described as white, 34-38 years-old and about 5 ft 9 in tall. He was wearing a dark jacket and carrying a dark rucksack.

“Anyone who may be able to assist us with our inquiries is urged to call the BTP on 0800 40 50 40 or the Witness Appeal Line on 020 7391 5275 quoting background reference B5 of 15/02/08.”

National Rail Strike threatened by RMT over pensions.

BRITAIN’S BIGGEST rail union today warned that strike action was inevitable if Network Rail pressed ahead with the imposition of an inferior pension scheme.

Responding to the company’s unilateral announcement that it was to launch a new defined-benefit scheme, RMT general secretary Bob Crow said:

“We are not prepared to tolerate a worsening of pensions, not least after all the money that’s been extracted from the industry since privatisation.

“We have called for further industry-wide discussion, but what we have been given is an attempt to impose an inferior pension scheme without any discussion or agreement.

“This isn’t about widening choice, it’s about undermining the existing final-salary scheme and a cynical attempt to undermine the Railway Pensions Commission before anyone has had a chance to discuss its findings.

“I am in no doubt that if the company persists in imposing a worse pension scheme there will be a national rail strike.”

RMT press release

Lincoln signallers to strike in support of colleague.

MORE THAN 50 RMT signallers in the Lincoln area are to take two separate days of strike action after voting by more than four to one for action in support of a colleague treated unfairly by Network Rail, and to defend agreed procedures in dealing with displaced staff.Signallers and supervisors in the Lincoln area will not book on for shifts that begin between 00:01 and 23:59 on Saturday February 23, and again on Saturday March 1.

The union also today warned that it would ballot all signallers and supervisors in the ‘Great Northern’ area between Doncaster and King’s Cross if the dispute is not settled within seven days.

The ballot was sparked when the company effectively tore up a national agreement by making redundant a local operations manager, with 33 years’ experience, rather than offering him suitable options under the established procedure.

Peter Gregory was made redundant from his post, despite his seniority, in breach of what is known throughout the rail industry as the PTR&R - the Promotion, Transfer Redundancy and Resettlement arrangements.

“Network Rail has effectively torn up the existing agreement and tried to deal with our member under a process that has never been agreed, and his colleagues have rallied round to defend their workmate and their conditions,” RMT general secretary Bob Crow said today.

“We have made clear to Network Rail time and again that the PTR&R remains in place for all grades unless and until negotiated otherwise. These arrangements were negotiated in order to provide an industry-wide career path and to give anyone displaced the opportunity to relocate.

“By ignoring PTR&R in one case Network Rail threatens to do it to everyone, and RMT has today made it clear that if the dispute is not settled within seven days we will ballot all signallers and signalling supervisors in the Great Northern area.

“We remain available for talk, but our members have demonstrated that they are prepared to act to defend their colleague and their conditions,” Bob Crow said.

RMT Press Release

Overhead wire problems at Thirsk

Services got back to normal later on Wednesday 13th.

Due to overhead wire problems at Thirsk (between Newcastle and York) servics have been suspended for the rest of the day.

The lines will remain closed until approximately 06:00 on Wednesday 13 February. On Wednesday, only three out of four lines will be available, so some alterations and delays can still be expected.

Train services are currently operating as follows:
National Express East Coast:
Train services are currently suspended between Darlington and York in both directions, with replacement bus services in operation. Some services from Edinburgh towards London may terminate at Newcastle to ease congestion at Darlington.

CrossCountry:
CrossCountry services to and from Edinburgh and Glasgow are currently suspended between Darlington and York in both directions, with replacement bus services in operation.
CrossCountry services that normally start from and terminate at Newcastle are currently starting from and terminating at Derby. Customers travelling to/from Newcastle should use alternative CrossCountry services between Derby and York, replacement bus services between York and Darlington, and alternative services between Darlington and Newcastle.

First TransPennine Express:
Train services are currently suspended between Darlington and York in both directions, and also between Middlesbrough and York in both directions, with replacement bus services in operation.

Grand Central:
The 16:50 London Kings Cross to Sunderland service will terminate at York. Customers should use bus services between York and Middlesbrough, and Northern Rail services between Middlesbrough and Sunderland.
The 06:46 Sunderland to London Kings Cross service on Wednesday morning is expected to be operating, but may be subject to a late start from Sunderland.

Customers using bus services between York and Darlington / Middlesbrough should allow at least an extra 60 minutes for their journey.

Alternative routes and easements:
Customers travelling between London and Scotland in either direction are advised to travel using Virgin Trains services between London Euston and Glasgow Central.

Customers travelling on CrossCountry services between Southern & South West England and Scotland via Newcastle are advised to change at Birmingham New Street to connect with Virgin Train services to Glasgow Central.

First ScotRail will accept National Express East Coast and CrossCountry customers between Glasgow Central and Edinburgh.

Customers may also use East Midlands Trains services between London St Pancras and Sheffield.

Virgin ‘Free’ First Class Ticket

If you travelled or attempted to travel on Virmin Trains either into or out of London Euston between 31 December 2007 and 3 January 2008 inclusive, then you are entitled to one complimentary, First Class return journey to use anywhere on their network. But good luck trying to claim it.

Virmin are attempting to try and regain some good PR from this stunt, but as always with Virmin they have to stick a huge list of restrictions and terms. You have to be flexible in which free first class return journey you choose (i.e. travelling out at 5am and arriving back at midnight), you have to stick to that train and there are only 100,000 tickets available.

Please remember that Virmin are hoping that you will forget that you can still claim compensation for the original ticket and only list it once on their site that you can. “Claiming a ‘This one’s on us’ Virgin Trains ticket does not affect your statutory rights and a full refund of your original ticket dated for travel between 31 December 2007 and 3 January 2008 will still be available.”

More information and the small print can be found at http://www.thisonesonus.com/

Tube workers to vote on strikes.

The Transport Salaried Staffs Association union said its 2,500 members will vote on whether to strike in a row over safety and staffing levels.

RMT and TSSA have told LUL that ticket-office closures, de-staffing, lone working, introduction of ‘mobile supervisors’, use of agency and security staff and other disputed policies amount to an unacceptable attack on safety standards and the casualisation of safety-critical work.

“Each of these issues is serious in its own right, but together they amount to a fundamental and unacceptable attack on staffing across the network which strikes at the very heart of its safe operation,” RMT general secretary Bob Crow said today.

“Our joint campaign against 40 ticket-office closures and massive cuts in opening times last year gave us a breathing space, but they are now back on the table, along with a raft of other plans and problems that combine to put our members’ and passengers’ safety at serious risk.”

“When LUL imposed driver-only tube trains it assured the public and its own drivers that good station staffing levels would keep the system safe, but those assurances are now being undermined.”

“The systematic denial of driving jobs and promotion to experienced Tube workers in favour of external recruitment is another serious problem that is undermining the safety culture” Bob Crow said.

“LUL has insisted on changes to its emergency plan that water down the staff required on duty and which our safety reps believe will undermine the ability to respond to emergencies and undertake safe evacuations” said TSSA general secretary Gerry Doherty.

“We now have agency staff in LUL uniforms and station staff left to work alone at night, and they have even got agency staff carrying ticket-machine cash around on trains.”

“LUL has also sought to change its policy on when and how staff can refuse to work on safety grounds, in a way that is unworkable and in breach of legislation.”

“Tube users should be as appalled as our members at the range of safety issues outstanding and I hope they will understand that LUL’s refusal to discuss these issues in the round left us with no choice but to tell the company that we are now in dispute” Gerry Doherty said.

Weather ‘warning’? What weather!

I previously posted that we have had a weather warning issued by the Met Office and to be prepared for the worst. Well down here in the south at least nothing happened. Yeah sure there was a bit of strong winds and some rain, but where was the snow that we were warned about?

For a change nothing actually happened on the railway. The overheads at Huntingdon DIDN’T fall down in the windy weather which must be a first. The signals at Finsbury Park DIDN’T fail.

Roll on next week, and the next wednesday disruption.