Union chiefs' catering fight

UNION bosses have criticised proposals which they claim will lead to the "slashing" of on-train catering services between Edinburgh and London.

The RMT said a cuts plan by East Coast, the government-owned operator of the East Coast Mainline, would leave only four trains a day on the national rail network, excluding the Scottish sleeper services, with a dedicated restaurant car when British Rail provided 249.

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: "This mad dash to axe East Coast's catering facilities from May in the run-up to re-privatisation shows that quality of service counts for nothing in the drive to fatten up profitability before the route is auctioned off again."