Members of the 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.
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.”
But not all Oxford residents agree with the union.
READ MORE: Christian Horner’s massive net worth revealed amid a potential F1 return
Chiltern Railways (Image: Chiltern Railways)
Ian Lampkin said: “I have been very supportive of the union over the years, but they are wasting taxpayers money delaying the East West rail reopening.”
Jeremy Bloss said: “Who is the railway for?
“I really wish this ridiculous farce would end, we have a brand new station at Winslow sitting idle, it’s a disgrace.
“I just wish the Government would intervene and get the flipping trains running.”
Kevin Skinner said: “Going out on strike over a rail line that is not even operational, a typical nationalised union approach.
“Cause the most disruption, chuck their teddies out the pram, cause major issues to those trying to go to work.”
Silvia Tuson said: “Thameslink trains don’t have guards, nor do great northern trains.
“But the Bletchley to Oxford line really needs to be sorted out, because otherwise people are going to feel cheated out of a train service.
“They built everything and now because of a small dispute over whether there should be guards or not, which should have been discussed and finalised before they even started rebuilding that bit.”
But some residents agreed with the concerns raised by the union.
Nick James said: “We must retain guards plain and simple.”
Adrian Walter said: “DOO only works until something goes badly wrong.
“It should never have been implemented as who wants a train where the passenger could end up in charge.”
Ian Smith said: “The Merseyrail incident showed that Guards are not infallible.”
The East West Rail project, which will eventually connect Oxford and Cambridge via Milton Keynes and Bedford, is now expected to be completed in the mid to late 2030s.
The infrastructure between Oxford and Milton Keynes was due to begin services by the end of December 2025 after being completed two years ago, but has faced significant delays.
The Department for Transport (DfT) has defended the driver-only operation, noting that Chiltern has “run most of its network for decades with the driver in full control of the doors” and that the model is approved by the independent rail regulator.
Tony Baxter, interim managing director of Chiltern Railways, said: “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.”
#7bn #East #West #Rail #strike #action #wasting #taxpayers #money