Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) employed by Chiltern Railways will walk out on October 10 and 17 in protest against proposed driver-only operation (DOO) on East West Rail services.
Eddie Dempsey, RMT general secretary, said: “The actions of Chiltern management to not take these concerns seriously is totally unacceptable.
“RMT will not accept the watering down of safety on the rail network.”
Mr Dempsey warned that the plans pose a “significant risk” to safety and the role of train managers.
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Tony Baxter, interim managing director of Chiltern Railways. (Image: Chiltern Railways)
Chiltern Railways said it expects to run most of its services during the strike days.
Tony Baxter, interim managing director of Chiltern Railways, said: “We’re disappointed that RMT members have voted in favour of industrial action over how we intend to run services on the first stage of East West Rail between Oxford and Milton Keynes.
“Every East West Rail service will have two people on board – the driver, and a colleague looking after passengers: checking tickets, helping people who need assistance, and on hand to assist with any issues.
“We have run most of our trains with the driver in control of the doors for decades, safely and as approved by the independent rail regulator.
“We remain committed to working with the RMT to resolve this, and urge them to work with us so passengers can start benefiting from this new railway as soon as possible.”
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