This comes after members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) employed by Chiltern Railways voted to walk out on October 10 and 17 in protest against proposed driver-only operation (DOO) on East West Rail services.
Diana Blamires, co-founder of East West Rail Action Group, said: “Chiltern were appointed in March last year.
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Diana Blamires, co-founder of East West Rail Action Group (Image: Diana Blamires)
“Why the hell didn’t the Government and Chiltern sit down with unions last spring and resolve this?
“Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has disgracefully sat on her hands refusing to even meet with unions between February and August this year.
“So now the train service won’t even open a year late!
“The Government must now stop burying its head in the sand and talk with unions and find a solution.
“It’s an absolute disgrace.”
The action group is dedicated to getting the East West Rail line between Oxford and Bletchey up and running.
They also regularly campaign for the opening of Winslow station, a £5 million project that was completed in 2024 as part of the new East West Rail route.
Diana Blamires accused Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander of refusing to meet with unions initially. (Image: Joe Giddens/PA)
Speaking on members of the union voting to take strike action, 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.
Chiltern Railways said it expects to run most of its services during the strike days.
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