Labour has summoned the bosses of some of the worst-performing train operators, including Avanti West Coast and TransPennine, for meetings next week as it seeks to rapidly reform the railways and reset industrial relations.
The transport secretary, Louise Haigh, will bring in Network Rail route directors to attend all talks with the train companies, signalling the move towards an integrated railway.
After Haigh vowed to “move fast and fix things”, legislation to kickstart Great British Railways is expected to be announced in the king’s speech next week, and officials are beginning work to set up the new structure before the summer parliamentary recess.
It is understood that the party is seeking legal advice over when performance constitutes a contractual breach sufficient to swiftly terminate contracts.
Improved industrial relations and an end to the wider rail dispute may help Avanti, which has partly suffered from drivers unwilling to work overtime and occasional high rates of staff absence.
Whelan said the previous government was an “obstructive puppet master” above the train companies and hoped Labour would allow them to deal freely, without imposing preconditions.
The original article contains 431 words, the summary contains 182 words. Saved 58%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Labour has summoned the bosses of some of the worst-performing train operators, including Avanti West Coast and TransPennine, for meetings next week as it seeks to rapidly reform the railways and reset industrial relations.
The transport secretary, Louise Haigh, will bring in Network Rail route directors to attend all talks with the train companies, signalling the move towards an integrated railway.
After Haigh vowed to “move fast and fix things”, legislation to kickstart Great British Railways is expected to be announced in the king’s speech next week, and officials are beginning work to set up the new structure before the summer parliamentary recess.
It is understood that the party is seeking legal advice over when performance constitutes a contractual breach sufficient to swiftly terminate contracts.
Improved industrial relations and an end to the wider rail dispute may help Avanti, which has partly suffered from drivers unwilling to work overtime and occasional high rates of staff absence.
Whelan said the previous government was an “obstructive puppet master” above the train companies and hoped Labour would allow them to deal freely, without imposing preconditions.
The original article contains 431 words, the summary contains 182 words. Saved 58%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!