PRIVATISATION AND FRAGMENTATION ON ‘LONDON RAIL’ FRANCHISE

RMTnews :: may 2007 :: www.rmt.org.uk 6 The union has warned that the planned privatisation of extended East London Line operations and a “frighteningly complex hybrid” of Tube and rail networks will lead to an undermining of safety across the proposed franchise. RMT activists handed out postcards at Whitechapel and New Cross explaining these problems. RMT general secretary Bob Crow has asked LUL and Network Rail exactly who would be responsible for operations and infrastructure on the East London Line and London Rail franchise after the planned privatisation and he said that the answer was simply frightening. “At least eight components will be involved in running the new service – two responsible for signalling, two for infrastructure maintenance, two for infrastructure renewals, one for train and station operations and one for train maintenance. “It seems that precious few lessons have been learned from the nightmare fragmentation of national rail privatisation or the disastrous part-privatisation of Tube infrastructure, because the same dangerous formula is being lined up for London Rail,” he said. Bob said that it was not too late to step back from a grave mistake and keep the East London Line’s operations as a unified part of the Tube network. “We are urging commuters to join the campaign and tell Transport for London to keep the East London Line public,” he said. PRIVATISATION AND FRAGMENTATION WILL UNDERMINE SAFETY RMT has been out at stations warning passengers on the East London Line of the dangers of Transport for London plans to dangerous fragment its ‘London Rail’ franchise