Statement re: Results of RMT ballot

Published on: Tuesday, 12 September 2017
Last updated: Wednesday, 6 December 2023

Richard Dean, Train Service Delivery Director, Greater Anglia said:

“We are obviously disappointed with the ballot result. We’re keen to talk to the RMT to try and resolve the issues involved and to avert industrial action.

We value our conductors highly and we have guaranteed their jobs until the end of our franchise in October 2025. In fact, we will be recruiting additional conductors, as we are replacing all of our trains with brand new trains from 2019, which will enable us to run more services.”

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For info:

We are replacing all of our trains with brand new trains during 2019/20. These will be fitted with the latest modern technology, allowing drivers to open and close doors, as endorsed by two safety reports from two independent organisations. We believe this approach would improve both safety and punctuality, as well as freeing up conductors for more customer service duties.

We would like our conductors to be able to spend more time looking after customers, providing information, help and assistance – a role we know they do well from the praise we receive about them from our customers.

In the event of any industrial action going ahead, we’d like to reassure customers that we have contingency plans in place and we would intend to run a full service. We have trained additional people as conductors to enable us to do so.

Routes where all trains operate with both a driver and a conductor are the Norwich to London intercity service, Norwich to Sheringham, Norwich to Great Yarmouth, Norwich to Lowestoft, Norwich to Cambridge, Ipswich to Lowestoft, Ipswich to Felixstowe, Harwich/Ipswich to Cambridge, Ipswich to Peterborough, Marks Tey to Sudbury, Colchester to Clacton/Walton and Manningtree to Harwich. The remaining 60% of our services currently operate with a driver, but without a conductor.