Penalty Fare Appeal Support

Archive for June, 2009

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In the long running dispute between ASLEF and the managment of East Midlands Train, the drivers have now officially voted for strike action.

Recently drivers were refusing to work on Sundays, as Sundays are voluntary with East Midlands Trains the drivers were not in breach of contract. This netherless caused huge disruption to EMT, so much so EMT went to the high court to force the drivers to work.

A ballot of around 400 local members of the train drivers’ union ASLEF found “overwhelming” support for the strikes against East Midlands Trains, the union said.

The first 48-hour strike is due to begin on Wednesday, July 1, with other strikes stopping trains every Wednesday and Thursday until July 16.

The RMT strike has ended as of 7pm this evening but TFL advise thatTube services will not be back to normal frist thing tomorrow morning, Tfl advise to check before you travel.

RMT Leader Bob Crow claimed today that the tube strike was a success and has threatened more walkouts as soon as two weeks time. Many of the picket lines were reported to be deserted today and London Underground has managed to open nine out of the eleven lines.

Despite some of the lines being open millions of communters were still caught in the gridlock as a result of the RMT strike.

In an interview Bob Crow was pleased with the success of the stike and commented “The whole city ground to a halt and the disruption it caused was all over the papers”. Bob Crow has also stated that despite some apparent progress in talks with London Underground, if an agreement is not reached then another strike will definitely go ahead.

Due to union laws this will not happen next week as 7 days notice needs to be given by the union but it could be as soon as the week after. Members of the ASLEF union and a number of RMT union members have been praised for the efforts of keeping some kind of service in operation by crossing the RMT picket lines.

LATEST NEWS 18:40 10th June: The RMT leader, Bob Crow has just said on live tv, that they will be meeting with Bob Hendy (TfL Commissioner) tonight for further talks.
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RMT Union has called a strike on all London Underground Lines. The following informationmay prove useful:

Due to the threat of strike action called by the RMT leadership on the Tube this week, Transport for London (TfL) today advised Londoners and commuters to plan ahead and check before they travel at tfl.gov.uk and London media bulletins.

Transport Commissioner Peter Hendy said: ‘We continue to call on the RMT leadership to end their Tube strike threat. Talks are on-going at ACAS in a bid to avert strike action.

Prepared plans
‘Should the strike go ahead, we regret the disruption it will cause to passengers as the impact on Tube services is likely to be significant.

‘However the Mayor and TfL have prepared plans to keep London moving and thousands of TfL staff will be on hand across the city help our passengers.

‘A massive effort is being made including boosting bus and river services, providing escorted commuter cycle rides and more central London cycle parking and distributing thousands of walking maps at central London rail and Tube stations.

‘Oyster pay as you go will also be accepted all National Rail services within Greater London and there will be marshalled taxi-sharing facilities at six major rail stations.

‘We urge everyone travelling in and around London during the strike to check before you travel and to consider the wide range of alternative travel options by going online to tfl.gov.uk as well as staggering your normal journeys where possible.’

Travel advice
Over the two main days of the strike, TfL staff will be on hand across the bus network and at Tube stations to offer travel advice and will be distributing walking maps in central London.

Those bus drivers and other public transport workers who are on duty will be doing their very best to keep London moving and passengers’ patience is asked for over what may be difficult journeys.

Services:
Tube
The RMT leadership plan a strike from 18:59 on Tuesday 9 June to 1858hrs Thursday 11 June, with normal services resuming on the morning of Friday 12 June.

Customers using the Underground on the Tuesday evening are advised to finish their journeys by 19:00 to ensure they get home, as services are likely to decline after this time.

Buses
London Buses operates around 700 routes with services being boosted by up to 100 extra buses on key routes on strike days.

National Rail
Oyster pay as you go will be accepted on all National Rail journeys within Greater London on Wednesday and Thursday, just show your Oyster card at station gate lines.

Taxis
During the morning peak hours of 08:00-10:30, taxi drivers will be operating a marshalled, fixed-fare, shared taxi service for central London destinations at six major London rail termini: Waterloo, Liverpool Street, London Bridge, Marylebone, Paddington and Euston.

Docklands Light Railway and London Overground
Services will be operating as normal.

Roads and the Congestion Charge
To help keep traffic flowing the Congestion Charge will remain in operation through-out the strike and TfL will be suspending road works on major London roads wherever possible. Where possible, Londoners and commuters are encouraged to consider alternatives to the car.

Cycling
Additional options for cyclists will include morning commuter led cycle rides, temporary parking facilities and thousands of cycle maps will be distributed across London.

Led commuter rides
The London Cycle Campaign will be leading five escorted rides into central London with TfL volunteers at start points to provide maps, refreshments and guidance, further details available at www.biketube.org.uk. All rides will set off from 07:45 from the bolded locations:

• Finsbury Park main gate - Arsenal – Liverpool Road (Islington) – Angel – Moorgate – Mansion House – London Bridge – City Hall
• Mile End Green Bridge – Stepney Green – Cable Street – Tower Hill – Bank
• Ravenscourt Park - Hammersmith – High Street Kensington – Hyde Park – Charing Cross – Trafalgar Square
• Brixton Road (KFC) – Oval – Elephant and Castle – Blackfriars
• Swiss Cottage - Hampstead – Belsize Park – Chalk Farm – Mornington Crescent – Euston – Gower Street – Tavistock Place – Gray’s Inn Road – Clerkenwell – Farringdon – Moorgate

Cycle Parking
In addition to the major cycle park at Finsbury Park and existing racks at major London stations across the city, another 1,000 cycle parking spaces will be provided at London Bridge cycle park and temporary cycle parking facilities at the locations and times below.

Many London businesses will also be opening up their foyers and parking facilities for their staff:

• Trafalgar Square: 150 spaces (06:00-21:00 on Wednesday and Thursday)
• Potters Field, accessed via Weavers Lane: 100 spaces (open access from Tuesday evening, with racks removed at 21:00 on Thursday)
• Waterloo bus garage, accessed only via Cornwall Road off The Cut, approach via Sandell Street: 150 spaces (08:00-17:30 on Wednesday and Thursday – closing strictly at 17:30)
• London Bridge cycle park: 350 spaces (07:30-21:30 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday)
• The Mall, between Marlborough Road and George IV statue/Queen Mother memorial – 250 spaces (open access from Tuesday evening, with racks removed at 21:00 on Thursday)

Walking
If you are considering making or completing your journeys by foot, check tfl.gov.uk for information or, in central London on strike days, pick up a free local vicinity walking map from staff at major rail stations, bus stations and key Tube stations.

River
Existing services will be boosted from a capacity of 1,500 to 8,000 an hour and including an additional free shuttle service from London Bridge to Tower Bridge:

• Greenwich – Canary Wharf – Central London: normal Clippers service with enhancements
• Putney – central London: normal Thames Executive Charter (TEC) service with four boats instead of two
• London Eye – Westminster – Tower Bridge – free peak shuttle every 10 minutes between 07:00-10:00 and 15:00-20:00 on both main strike days

Booking and ticket office staff, platgorm staff and cleaners working for National Express East Coast are being balloted for industrial action over staff shortages.

The TSSA union has called the ballot, which closes next week, due to the continuing unacceptable staff shortages.
“Staff are unable to give the service which customers are paying for.”

“Booking offices are having to continuously close early and on-train staff are reciving verbal abuse and threats for somthing which is beyond their control”.

The ballot will close next week and we will keep you informed.

It is no secret that the Governments finances are in trouble, well saying they are in trouble is a blessing as to be honest they are completly in deep s**t.
The Beardie (Richard Branson) has issued an official offer [unofficial bribe] to the DfT that he will:

• Pay for an upgrade to make the West Coast Mainline completly 140mph throughout.
• Build a new high speed link from the WCML to Heathrow.
• and build a new high speed link to the High Speed 1 line to the Channel Tunnel.

There is a catch to the offer, and its a very big catch. Branson wants a 20 year extension to the current West Coast franchise, due to expire in 2012.

There is a saying that all the Watchdogs keep telling us, if an offers too good to be true then it is.
Do you really want to be traveling in those nasty pendolino trains in 2030?