The prime minister has been accused of “playing games” rather than trying to help resolve the long-running train drivers’ dispute as another strike caused travel disruption across parts of England.
Members of Aslef on some of the busiest commuter routes, including many into London, walked out on Tuesday, crippling services on operators such as Southern, SouthEastern, Gatwick Express and South Western Railway.
Some areas had no trains all day, forcing many people onto the roads, leading to huge traffic jams in parts of the country.
Train drivers at Northern Trains and the TransPennine Express are striking today (31 January) as part of a rolling programme of action until early next week in a bitter row over pay and conditions.
None of the operators hit by strikes used new regulations aimed at ensuring a minimum level of service during industrial action.
Read more: January, February and March train strike dates – everything you need to know about rail disruption
Downing Street said it will consider if they can “strengthen” minimum service level (MSL) rules after train operators opted not to use the new law during strikes.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “This is something that the rail companies have asked for and we have delivered it for them.
“We believe they should be ready to use the legislation to reduce the impact of rail strikes on passengers, but we are always open to looking at how we can strengthen the rules around MSLs to ensure they deliver for the best interests of passengers. That’s something we will continue to look at and of course we will keep discussing with the rail companies themselves.”
Sources told the PA news agency that rail companies had not asked for the regulations amid warnings from unions and opposition politicians that they were unworkable.
TUC general secretary Paul Nowak told PA: “This is a desperate attempt to distract from the Government’s failings. Employers from rail to health warned months ago these new laws are unworkable and would escalate industrial tensions.
“The PM should stop playing games and help resolve this dispute.”
A spokesperson for Rail Delivery Group, said: “Minimum Service Level legislation is one of many useful tools for managing strike disruption, but it is not a silver bullet.
“Operators’ guiding principle is always to make sure they can offer…
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