Train Staff To Strike Over East West Rail Door Row
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the sub-heading.
The first trains on a £7bn new railway which will eventually connect Oxford and Cambridge could be further delayed due to industrial action
These three paragraphs add more detail.
The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (RMT), which represents train guards, said on Tuesday that its Chiltern Railways members had agreed to take 24-hour strike action.
It comes following a lengthy dispute over plans for drivers to control the opening and closing of carriage doors on services along the first section of the new East West Rail (EWR) route.
Tony Baxter, the interim managing director of Chiltern Railways, said the firm was “disappointed” by the vote in favour of industrial action.
Surely, it’s about time for Andy Burnham to invite the unions round to No. 10 for beer and sandwiches.
Have Chris O’Shea And Andy Burnham Met?
I feel that this is a sensible question to ask Google AI.
I received this answer.
Yes, Centrica CEO Chris O’Shea and Prime Minister Andy Burnham have met.
They most recently crossed paths at the September 2026 Labour Party Conference in Liverpool.
During the event, Chris O’Shea was part of a slimmed-down delegation of top British business executives who attended a private meeting where Andy Burnham took questions and delivered a frank address regarding the “cost of business” and his future economic strategy.
They have also met previously during Burnham’s tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester.
For instance, in April 2022, the banking group NatWest arranged a high-level meeting involving both Andy Burnham and Chris O’Shea to discuss green energy initiatives and policy incentives for sustainable housing.
It should also be noted, that Centrica, where Chris O’Shea is Chief Executive, have backed Highview Power’s 50 MW/300 MWh battery at Carrington in Greater Manchester. I wouldn’t be surprised that given the NatWest meetings, that Burnham and O’Shea met at Carrington at some point. In Andy Burnham and Highview Power, I investigated Burnham’s attitude to the Carrington battery and it appears to be positive.
I have just read this interview with Chris O’Shea in the Guardian.
Burnham and O’Shea have a lot of similarities in their lives.
- There is only a four years difference in their ages.
- Both are from Catholic families.
- Both may have had financial troubles in their families as children.
- Both went to good universities.
- Both are keen football supporters.
I can expect that on a lot of important issues, they are in agreement.
