Overview
- Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union employed by Chiltern Railways have voted for two 24-hour strikes on 10 and 17 October to oppose the driver-only operation proposal.
- RMT leaders say driver control of doors would cut the role of train managers and pose a significant safety risk to passengers and staff.
- Chiltern Railways says every service will have two people on board—a driver and a colleague to help passengers—and expects to run the vast majority of trains on the strike days.
- The Department for Transport has defended driver-controlled doors as a long-standing model approved by the independent rail regulator and says recruitment for onboard support staff is under way.
- The dispute compounds earlier construction delays at sites such as Winslow and follows Chiltern’s recent transfer into public ownership under Great British Railways, which raises political and timetable stakes for the £7 billion project.