Byers jets off as trains halt

Transport Secretary Stephen Byers has jetted off on a 10-day sunshine holiday, leaving strike-hit rail commuters to shiver on freezing platforms.

Beleaguered Mr Byers came under fire over the timing of his trip, which has coincided with four days of strikes on some of London's busiest routes served by South West Trains, affecting 150,000 travellers.

He also faces a mounting furore over the appalling state of the railways, leaked safety reports predicting more disasters and moves by angry Railtrack shareholders to take legal action over his decision to put the debt-plagued company into administration. Mr Byers must also decide whether to press ahead with controversial part-privatisation plans for the Tube.

He is thought to be with his partner, Jan Cookson, in Asia - with speculation that India is his precise destination as he has travelled there in January for the past two years. A Transport Department spokesman would say only that Mr Byers was on holiday abroad "recharging his batteries" and was expected back in Britain on Monday, and back at work "very shortly after that".

He left Britain shortly before the New Year, according to the department, and is said to be in constant contact with senior officials during his midwinter break. The Tories said the timing of his holiday was "staggering" and accused him of "going to ground," while a leading London passenger group accused him of "escapism".

Shadow transport secretary Eric Pickles said: "Stephen Byers continues to show great consistency in his leadership of the railways. At the first sign of the slightest trouble, he goes to ground. Delays are up by 45 per cent, strikes are crippling the South-East rail network for the next four working days and morale amongst Railtrack employees is at rock bottom."

Cynthia Hay, of the Capital Transport Campaign, said: "One would have thought he would have had his holiday over Christmas and come back to work like so many people are trying to do at the moment."

Today saw the start of mass disruption, hitting about 150,000 SWT passengers into Waterloo. Nearly 90 per cent of services halted as the Rail, Maritime and Transport union walked out over pay and disciplinary action against a union activist.

Many passengers trying to travel into Waterloo were stranded by the start of two 48-hour strikes, lasting through today and tomorrow and then on Monday and Tuesday.

At stations from Southampton to Surbiton, passengers waited on crowded platforms for more than an hour in temperatures barely above freezing.

An SWT spokesman said the network was at near-standstill and warned those who did travel in to expect more of the same on the way home tonight. The company suggested people should try to reach Waterloo by 5pm and indicated that the last train tonight was likely to be a Southampton service at 9.55pm.

SWT believes the union's real agenda is to protect RMT activist Greg Tucker after his demotion from driver to ticket collector following a safety-related incident. The union wants disciplinary measures dropped: SWT is refusing.

Mr Tucker described today's disruption as "an unfortunate by-product" of justifiable strike action. He rejected SWT's claims that his position is the real cause of the strike, saying: "Only Tuesday's action is linked to my position. Today is about pay and is based on genuine and widespread feeling among members that they are not getting a fair deal." Rail users and passenger groups attacked the union for inflicting such devastating disruption after a year which has seen the worst delays on the railways since the Second World War.

Passengers only learned the strikes were on five hours before the start at midnight last night, after talks between SWT and RMT officials broke down yesterday.

Most routes will have no service at all because of the action by up to 2,100 RMT members. Lines into Waterloo from stations such as Woking and Guildford will have one train an hour at best. The union says it was forced to take action on behalf of guards, station staff and ticket collectors to win them the same pay increases as drivers.

SWT said the union rejected an improved pay offer the equivalent of 15per cent over two-and-a-half years. The number of commuters affected is due to rise to 200,000 next week.

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