5,000 signatures reached
To: Secretary of State for Transport, Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP
Save the open-access rail sector
The RMT is calling on the Government to urgently agree an emergency financial support package for the open-access rail operators Grand Central and Hull Trains to enable them to stay viable during the Covid-19 crisis and to prevent job losses.
Why is this important?
Unlike the franchised Train Operating Companies (TOCs), the open-access rail operators Grand Central and Hull Trains have received no Government support during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Both companies initially ceased operations during the lockdown and furloughed the majority of their staff. While they have recommenced services, rail passenger numbers remain significantly below pre-Covid levels and both Grand Central and Hull Trains are now facing an uncertain future, and are proposing job losses.
For months, the RMT has been calling on the Government to support the sector in order to protect all jobs and conditions and ensure the long-term viability of both operators. In May, the Transport Secretary told Parliament he is ‘keen as mustard on the open-access trains’, yet his Department has offered no support to this sector during the pandemic.
The Government must now intervene as a matter of urgency and agree a financial support package for Grand Central and Hull Trains and ensure all jobs and conditions are protected.