As MPs prepare for today’s government debate on the railways, RMT publishes lists from three of NR’s regions, passed to the union by whistleblowers concerned at the safety and service implications of postponing works to replace rails, sleepers and ballast in order to save money.

The lists name locations in the Southern, Western and London to Crewe regions which have had work deferred, despite it having already been agreed and placed with contractors last year – and are only a part of the 28 per cent of work that NR has postponed.

RMT expects to receive details from other regions, including Scotland and the north of England, and estimates that over 1,000 railway engineering jobs are under threat thanks to the deferrals.

“Network Rail cannot seriously expect us to believe that this work is being deferred to take advantage of more efficient but unknown future methods of delivery when the jobs being cut had already been placed with contractors,” RMT general secretary Bob Crow said today.

“If Network Rail had already decided that work should take place at these 200 locations in the coming year, what has changed?

“The simple fact is that Network Rail is under massive pressure to save money, but it is shocking that it is prepared to defer essential works on this scale and cut the frequency of track inspections and signals maintenance in order to do so.

“Gordon Brown has said that it is committed to using investment in public works to help our economy ride out the recession, but unless he intervenes to reverse these cuts he will be allowing infrastructure safety standards to be undermined and subsidising redundancies instead.

“A good start to today’s debate would be to hear that the government is ordering the re-instatement of Network Rail’s full programme of planned renewals work and a reversal of cuts in maintenance regimes and inspections,” Bob Crow said.

ends

Note to editors: Three lists of locations where rail engineering works are attached below.

* Southern: http://www.rmt.org.uk/files/120182/FileName/DeferredTrackRenewal-SouthernRegion.pdf
* Midlands: http://www.rmt.org.uk/files/120184/FileName/Deferred%20Track%20Renewal%20-%20London-Crewe-West%20Midlands(1).pdf
* Western: http://www.rmt.org.uk/files/120183/FileName/DeferredTrackRenewal-WesternRegion.pdf

Early Day Motion 794, tabled by David Drew MP on February 11, follows.

NETWORK RAIL AND THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN
Tabled by David Drew and signed by 33 others at March 6
That this House welcomes efforts by the Government to lessen the impact of the recession and save jobs by intervening in the private sector industries, such as the car industry; notes with concern that Network Rail, which is heavily reliant on billions of pounds of Government subsidy is deferring 28 per cent. of rail renewals work, such as track and signals replacements; notes that Network Rail has confirmed in its 2009-10 business plan that this huge reduction in track renewals expenditure will have a major impact on the supply chain with 20 to 30 per cent. less heavy materials resulting in supply chain redundancies; is appalled that this will mean massive job cuts and supports the view of the rail unions that Network Rail's actions undermine the Government's stated intentions to use infrastructure projects to boost employment; further notes with concern that Network Rail is cutting the frequency of track inspections and routine signals maintenance which, combined with the reduction in renewals work, will significantly raise safety risks to passengers and workers; urges the Government to use its power as funder of Network Rail immediately to intervene to ensure that this essential rail renewals work is not deferred, to introduce a moratorium on job cuts and to develop an industry-wide strategy to ensure that railways can be managed in a way which mitigates rather than exacerbates the effects of the economic downturn.

http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=37854&SESSION=899