Latest news with #railstrike
Telegraph
8 hours ago
- Telegraph
Millions to face road and rail chaos over August bank holiday
Millions face road and rail chaos over the forthcoming August bank holiday, amid warnings of traffic tailbacks and a rail strike. Drivers are being warned of long delays on major routes, with 17.6 million trips by car expected to be made over the long weekend. Meanwhile, CrossCountry, the long-distance train operator, urged passengers not to travel at all on Saturday because of an RMT strike over the scanning of electronic tickets. 'It is hugely disappointing to not operate any services on Saturday, knowing the inevitable disruption to many of our passengers' journeys over the bank holiday weekend,' said Shiona Rolfe, CrossCountry's managing director. The RAC, which issued an alert about road congestion on Tuesday, urged drivers to set off as early as possible or 'be prepared to spend longer in traffic'. The South East and South West are expected to have some of the worst congestion. Friday is expected to see some three million journeys for holidays or day trips by drivers looking to make the most of the last long weekend before Christmas in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the RAC said. This rises to 3.4 million on Saturday, 2.4 million on Sunday and 2.7 million on Monday. The RAC said an additional 6.1 million drivers were planning leisure trips at some point between Friday and Monday. The figures are based on responses to a national survey of 2,080 adults, extrapolated to the 34 million cars registered in the UK. Channel crossings Inrix, a transport analytics company, predicted that the M5 between Bristol and Devon would have the most severe getaway traffic, with the stretch from junction 15 north of Bristol to junction 23, for Bridgwater, likely to see delays of more than 40 minutes on Friday and Saturday. Hold-ups exceeding half an hour are forecast on Friday on the M20 in Kent, a route taken by a large proportion of vehicles making Channel crossings via Dover or Folkestone. The warning relates to journeys from junction seven near Maidstone to junction three, the Addington interchange, and from junction one at Swanley to junction five at Aylesford. Nick Mullender, the RAC mobile servicing and repairs team leader, said: 'With this bank holiday being the last opportunity to enjoy a long weekend before Christmas, our study shows a real eagerness to get out and about with nearly 18 million drivers planning getaway trips. 'More traffic on the roads will inevitably lead to more vehicle breakdowns, especially if the sun makes an appearance and people decide on the day to visit popular destinations. 'We're expecting major roads to airports and coastal destinations to be extremely busy, especially the South East and South West regions which could end up bearing the brunt of most holiday hold-ups. Anyone planning routes through these areas should set off as early as possible or be prepared to spend longer in traffic.' Engineering work Meanwhile, rail passengers are being warned that some major routes will be closed for engineering work as Network Rail carries out 261 projects across the UK. There will be no long-distance services between London King's Cross and Peterborough on Sunday, disrupting Anglo-Scottish journeys by LNER and Lumo on the East Coast main line. Avanti West Coast will operate a reduced and amended service to and from London Euston. No services will operate between Birmingham New Street and Birmingham International between Saturday and Monday. Affected Avanti West Coast and CrossCountry services will be diverted, extending journey times, while London Northwestern services will run to and from Birmingham International only. Helen Hamlin, Network Rail's chief network operator, said: 'With the August bank holiday weekend approaching, we've carefully planned our engineering work to minimise disruption, allowing people to rely on the railway and make the most of the late summer bank holiday weekend. 'While the vast majority of the railway will be running, works on some parts of the network are unfortunately unavoidable, as we complete major work to support a better, more reliable railway that we wouldn't be able to complete in a normal weekend. 'So we're asking passengers to check their journeys in advance to ensure their route isn't affected.'
Bloomberg
10-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
NJ Transit Engineers Union Votes in Favor of New Wage Agreement
New Jersey Transit 's locomotive engineers ratified the new wage contract which was the result of an agreement following a three-day strike that halted rail service in May. Union workers represented by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen approved the contract that will raise hourly pay to more than $50 per hour, as well as a signing bonus, according to a statement from the union. Voting concluded Tuesday.
CBS News
21-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
New Jersey Transit trains back on track after strike, bringing customers a sigh of relief
New Jersey Transit riders happy to see trains back on track after strike New Jersey Transit riders happy to see trains back on track after strike New Jersey Transit riders happy to see trains back on track after strike NJ Transit is back on track — literally. Trains are up and running and have resumed their normal schedules following the first rail strike in decades in New Jersey. NJ Transit and the union representing engineers reached a tentative agreement on Sunday night. The strike started on Friday, and service was halted for four days, affecting the hundreds of thousands of people who rely on the system. "I am so pleased that the union and NJ Transit reached an agreement. Now it goes to the union to ratify, and it will then come to the NJ Transit board," said Kris Kolluri, NJ Transit president and CEO. Many passengers who spoke to CBS News Philadelphia said they are happy the strike is over because their backup plans weren't nearly as convenient or were too expensive. "Car was not an option for me. Amtrak was kind of expensive, so when this actually broke and got settled, I am like, 'This is so great, I get to enjoy the day,'" said Frank Giffone. He said he got tickets through a lottery to go to New York to see the Old City Hall train station in Manhattan for his birthday. "When this transit strike came around and popped up last week, I was like, 'Oh great. How am I going to get to Manhattan?'" he said Others said they are relieved travel will be smoother this week. "I am planning a trip to the airport this coming week, and I was a little nervous it was going to affect getting to the airport via public transportation," said Mackenzie Mueller from Washington.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NJ Transit strike deal reached — but riders should still expect a messy Monday commute
New Jersey Transit has reached a tentative deal with its striking union members on Sunday, but Jersey residents should still expect a messy Monday commute. Trains won't be up and running just yet — as the first NJ Transit strike in decades is set to end after midnight Tuesday, according to union and transit officials. 'I am delighted to report that NJ Transit and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) have reached a tentative agreement and as a result, New Jersey's first rail strike in decades has officially come to an end,' Gov. Phil Murphy said during a press conference Sunday night. 'Starting Tuesday, May 20, NJ Transit will once again provide rail service to the more than 100,000 riders who depend on it every single day.' The transit agency and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen hashed out the final details of an agreement after two days of negotiations. The new contract comes after 450 union members walked off the job Friday after midnight, leading to a stressful commute for tens of thousands of New Jersey residents. 'This is a very good day for New Jersey. The sound that you probably hear is the sound of our commuters breathing a collective sigh of relief,' Murphy said. But the real relief won't come until Tuesday's morning commute. BLET leadership initially claimed the commuting nightmare was over and its workers 'will return to work and trains will begin running on their regular schedules Monday,' according to Politico, but NJ Transit, Murphy and a union rep later corrected the scheduling, saying trains won't start running until 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday. NJ Transit said the trains can't return until then because it takes about 24 hours for workers to 'inspect and prepare tracks, rail cars, and other infrastructure' before the rail service is back up and running after the pause. The transit agency's CEO Kris Kolluri once again urged Jersey commuters to work from home on Monday if they are able and said a surge of bus service would be in place to get essential workers to their jobs. The terms of the deal were not immediately known, as union members will get the first look at the terms before they are made public. The members still need to vote to ratify the contract. But both sides said the agreement included an increase in pay to employees without hitting riders' wallets. Murphy called the tentative deal 'both fair to NJ Transit's employees while also being affordable for our state's commuters and taxpayers.' The two sides were attempting to hammer out an agreement that would bump pay for the train engineers while not causing financial ruin for the embattled transit agency. BLET's General Chairman at NJ Transit, Tom Haas, said the union was able to negotiate a boost to hourly pay after the engineers had not had a new raise in five years. 'We also were able to show management ways to boost engineers' wages that will help NJT with retention and recruitment, without causing any significant budget issue or requiring a fare increase,' Haas said in a statement. The striking train workers and the Garden State's railroad company had 'constructive' talks Saturday, but couldn't come to an agreement before coming back to the table Sunday.
Bloomberg
19-05-2025
- General
- Bloomberg
NYC Bankers Living in NJ Face Monday Chaos Even After Rail Deal
New Jersey commuters were left to improvise plans for Monday even after negotiators reached a deal to end a three-day strike that halted rail service to New York. The deal reached Sunday with the union for New Jersey Transit locomotive engineers didn't allow enough time for service to resume Monday, officials said, citing the need for 24 hours to inspect tracks and equipment. Full operations are expected to restart Tuesday.
