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RMTnews :: september 2005 18 What effect will the Community Rail Development Strategy have on railway workers? Over the last few months concern has been expressed by some trade unionists about its impact. RMT has expressed particular concern - an issue of RMT News carried reports from activists objecting to rural lines being ‘handed over to groups of railway enthusiasts’. What is the situation? Is ‘Community Rail’ about cutting services and taking away work from paid staff and replacing them with volunteers? Or even closing lines down altogether? The answer is an emphatic ‘no’. If there was even a whiff of ‘closure by stealth’ or handing safety critical work over to volunteers, we at ACoRP would be as concerned as our friends in RMT. This isn’t what the strategy is about. So what is it trying to do, and where do railway staff fit in? THE STRATEGY HAS THREE MAIN OBJECTIVES: • To reduce the costs of operating local railways • To increase revenue on local lines • To encourage community involvement on local railways Let’s take each in turn. Talk of ‘cost reduction’ always sends shudders down railway workers’ spines. But the scope for conventional cost-cutting, through de-staffing stations and the like, is long gone. Pretty well all of these lines are run on a minimal basis already. Short of going for driver-only operation there is no scope for further cuts. And if the strategy is serious about increasing revenue, removing the conductor isn’t a great idea. Infrastructure maintenance, renewal and enhancement is where there may be scope for cost reduction. Not by reducing safety or speeds, but by applying sensible standards which are fit for purpose. A classic example is the humble barrow crossing. These make perfect sense on low- speed, low frequency lines – but not on busy high-speed routes. Yet increasingly we’re finding that these crossings are being removed on rural lines that carry only a handful of trains a day on the basis that they no longer meet current ‘standards’. As a result, new DDA- compliant footbridges costing over a million pounds are being installed where they really aren’t needed. Getting sensible standards – or derogations – will save a lot of money which could be used for cost-effective improvements such as better station waiting facilities and disabled access. INCREASING REVENUE ON LOCAL LINES Increasing revenue involves getting more people using the existing services, which will strengthen the argument for more services and better facilities. It also means ensuring that every fare is collected. This is in the interests of railway staff as much as anyone – they get commission and the viability of the line is protected. We also want to see more TRADE UNIONS AND Paul Salveson of the Association of Community Rail Partnerships gives a personal view of ACoRP’s Community Rail Development Strategy