Hire more of our members to avert strikes, union chiefs tell rail bosses

Written assurance that LNER will end the custom would most likely be sufficient for the union to enter negotiations. A commitment to bring driver numbers up to required levels could form the basis for a long-term agreement.

Royal Mail’s plan to halt postal train operations by October 10 after almost 200 years will lead to redundancies at DB Cargo, which provides around 20 drivers for Royal Mail’s postal trains who are also Aslef members.

This provides an immediate hiring opportunity for LNER, a spokesman for the union said.

DB Cargo said consultation with Aslef on redundancies will begin this week. The company also laid off around 90 drivers last year as cargo volumes struggled to recover from Covid, some of whom may still be available for recruitment, according to a spokesman.

DB Cargo, a division of German state railway Deutsche Bahn, told The Telegraph that not all of the drivers involved worked exclusively on Royal Mail contracts, with some required through the autumn for the operation of leaf-blasting services for Network Rail.

Royal Mail crews are mostly qualified to drive on the West Coast main line and would require retraining, though some have experience working on the East Coast to a depot near Newcastle.

LNER declined to comment on Aslef’s claims regarding understaffing and the deployment of managers to drive trains.

Reiterating comments issued after the strikes were announced last Friday, it said: “We are surprised and disappointed to hear this news following recent constructive conversations. We will continue to work with Aslef to find a way to end this long running dispute.”