Unions blame privatisation for rail woes

The claims come after the chief executive of Arriva wrote an open letter to MPs, local authorities and passengers admitting that a shortage of drivers has led to the cancellation of services.

The firm, which runs the Transpennine and regional railway services in Yorkshire and the North East, has given up trying to live up to its timetable.

It is proposing cuts to services after cancelling between five and ten per cent of trains, despite a recruitment drive and training programme for drivers.

Stan Herschel, regional organiser of the RMT (National Union of Rail Maritime and Transport Workers), said problems started when the industry was privatised.

Companies cut staffing levels to increase profits, and now the big rail firms pay more than smaller regional operators like Arriva.

He said: "Arriva is probably paying drivers the lowest rate going, so they're really short of drivers.

"They're taking on as many people as possible, which is commendable, but when they're trained the drivers go to the highest bidder.

"Some are paid in the region of £22,000, while others are getting £35,000 and it's a dog eat dog industry, they go where the money is, and you can't blame them.

"Until we get back to a national railway system, with national pay and conditions, the problem will persist.

"A transport system that meets the needs of the public cannot be run for profit, there has to be some kind of subsidy."

Arriva's chief executive, Bob Davies, said the firm inherited the shortage of drivers when it took over the Northern Spirit franchise.

"Despite the scale of this recruitment programme, it is clear that until more drivers complete their training, we will continue to experience problems in running the full service consistently and reliably.

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