😀 The scenery outside the window
😩 2:30am alarm

This #NationalTrainDriver Day we're talking about the best and worst bits of being a train driver...

It's #NationalTrainDriverDay and we're celebrating a railway for everyone.

Thank your train driver today!

Image shows yellow fixed penalty notice reading: “Penalty charge notice. Warning. Violation of workplace rights.” Text beneath reads: “Break the rules pay the price. The new Fair Work Agency, enforcing workplace rights.” Logo of Labour Unions

The new Fair Work Agency launches today.

Enforcement agents now have the power to punish employers who violate your rights at work.

This is a big win for workers after years of campaigning by trade unions.

find out more about how green bonds could save Scotland's public purse up to £362m in debt repayments over the course of a 30 year contract 👇 buff.ly/RHMadT2

image of a Class 222 in ScotRail Livery next to white text on a red background which reads "We are delighted that a firm date is now in sight for withdrawing the HSTs and replacing them with refurbished class 222 trains. We have expressed our concerns for a number of years that the outdated HST trains were not fit for purpose for the 21st century and that they needed replacing with trains that had far greater crashworthiness and were more comfortable for passengers. Our union is proud of the role we continue to play in fighting for railway services that meet the needs of workers and passengers alike. Pushing for the procurement and delivery of better trains to replace HSTs is an example of this commitment. That is why we urge ScotRail and the Scottish Government to use public financing and green bonds to replace the rest of the ageing fleet in the future. It is vital that passengers and the public purse more broadly get the best value possible. Only by finally ridding our rails services of profiteering will we achieve this once and for all"

We welcome that a firm date is now in sight for withdrawing the HSTs at ScotRail.

Wider fleet renewal is underway at ScotRail and we urge ScotRail and the Scottish Government to use public financing and green bonds to replace the rest of the ageing fleet in the future.

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Image of Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander MP and ASLEF General Secretary Dave Calfe.

General Secretary Dave Calfe met with Transport Minister Heidi Alexander to discuss:

✅️ Protecting drivers’ Ts&Cs through the formation of GBR
✅️ Moving beyond outdated rolling stock
✅️ Securing the future of rail freight

Image shows ASLEF General Secretary Dave Calfe with MPs who are among the members of the ASLEF parliamentary group.

General Secretary Dave Calfe met with members of the ASLEF parliamentary group today to discuss rights at work, the Railways Bill, and our campaigns on a #RailFreightFuture, #DignityForDrivers and rolling stock procurement.

Reform want to cut workers' rights.

🚆 Big union win in Spain:

Our train driver colleagues SEMAF have ended their strike after the government agreed to boost investment in railway maintenance and significantly increase staffing levels.

This follows the tragic incidents in Adamuz and Gelida last month.

🚨 NEW: Tory plans to bring back minimum service levels and impose DOO across the rail network have been defeated.

The Railways Bill will go forward without their ridiculous amendments.

@libdems.org.uk – why did you abstain?

Grainy VHS image of Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch with text reading: "...did someone hit rewind? The Tories are trying to curtail your right to strike. Again."

📢 The Tories are trying to amend the Railways Bill to remove workers' right to strike.

They want to IMPOSE minimum service levels on the railway and REPEAL provisions in the Employment Rights Act 2025.

We're lobbying to ensure their ridiculous, anti-worker amendments don't become law.

Today West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway enter public ownership.

That means that from today half of all rail journeys that will fall under GBR’s remit are operated by publicly owned companies.

#OnTrackForPublicOwnership

ASLEF condemns the Russian drone attack that killed at least 5 people on a passenger train in Ukraine.

Targeting civilian passengers is abhorrent and unjustifiable.

Solidarity with Ukrainian workers, millions of whom are without heating or electricity in the middle of winter.

Image shows a lit candle against a black background. Text reads: Holocaust Memorial Day.

81 years ago today, the Auschwitz concentration camp was liberated.

This Holocaust Memorial Day, we remember those murdered in the Holocaust and other genocides around the world, and stand in solidarity with the oppressed.

“Today is a day where our foremost thoughts are with the families of the deceased. Their pain is incalculable and we know that days like today add to their torment. We have said before that Carmont represents endemic and tragic corporate failure. If it was a busy train it is likely many more fatalities would have occurred. We have also previously made clear that this accident must be a watershed moment for rail safety across the UK. Never again should our drivers be on trains where crashworthiness is not fit for purpose. Neither can we have trains on track and infrastructure that are not designed to withstand the consequences of climate change and where repeated warnings were not acted upon. We hope and expect that this FAI establishes all the facts and helps ensure that no family goes through the pain endured by those closest to Christopher, Donald and Brett. One death is one to many on our railways, no passenger or member of staff should travel by train and not come home. In establishing all the facts this FAI must hold those responsible to account and in doing so help make sure that such an accident never happens again” Kevin Lindsay, ASLEF Scottish Organiser

As the Carmont Fatal Accident Inquiry begins today, ASLEF, is thinking of, and expressing solidarity with, the families of Christopher Stuchbury, Donald Dinnie and train driver Brett McCullough who all died following the derailment.

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Today we mourn the tragic loss of a fellow train driver following the incident near Barcelona.

We send solidarity to our union siblings SEMAF as they mourn their member and colleague.

A white ribbon on a black background. Text reads: "We extend our heartfelt condolences to the loved ones of all those who have tragically lost their lives following the incident in Córdoba yesterday. Our thoughts are with everyone affected. We send our solidarity to our train driver union siblings in SEMAF. We thank the emergency responders for their vital work and wish all who were injured a swift and full recovery." ASLEF - the train drivers' union

ASLEF extends its condolences to the loved ones of those who have tragically lost their lives following the derailment in Córdoba yesterday.

Our thoughts and solidarity are with our union siblings in SEMAF.

It is a stark reminder to all involved with running our railways that the safety of all workers and passengers must be prioritised.

Today marks 37 years since the Clapham rail disaster in which 35 people lost their lives including driver John Rolls, with a further 484 injured. ASLEF members gathered this morning alongside colleagues on the railways, those impacted that day, the London Fire Brigade, BTP and bereaved families to pay their respects and lay wreaths

Today we paid our respects to those that died and were injured in the Clapham rail disaster 37 years ago today.

The inquiry which followed the crash found serious failures of health and safety during maintenance and upgrading of the line.

The business lobby and Tory and Lib Dem Lords’ opposition to day one protection from unfair dismissal is disgraceful.

But the Employment Rights Bill will still be the biggest uplift in workers’ rights in decades.

We’ll continue fighting for comprehensive day one rights for every worker.

Incredibly welcome to see the chancellor announce in the #Budget2026 that the Tories' grotesque two-child benefit cap will be scrapped.

This will mean almost half a million fewer children in poverty by 2030.

🚨 NEW: Rail fares will be frozen for the first time in 30 years.

ASLEF has long been campaigning against transport poverty.

This is the right decision, at the right time, to help passengers be able to afford to make the journeys they need to take.

👏 @heidialexander.bsky.social

1 in 10 women will be diagnosed with depression.

There’s probably a similar statistic for men... but we don’t have it.

Stigmas stop many men disclosing symptoms or seeking help.

It’s Men’s Mental Health Awareness Month. If you need someone to talk to, call Samaritans on 0330 094 5717.

The Trans Pride flag and a black ribbon of remembrance. Text reads: "This Transgender Day of Remembrance, we remember those who have tragically lost their lives at the hands of transphobic violence. ASLEF - the train drivers' union"

On #TransDayOfRemembrance we remember those who've tragically lost their lives at the hands of transphobic violence.

@tgeuorg.bsky.social reports a rise in murders of trans activists in the last year.

Trans rights are trade union rights. Attacks on those rights are a fight for us all.

Newly elected ASLEF General Secretary Dave Calfe said:

'I look forward to representing our union in the years ahead – working for, and in the best interests of, all our members across every sector – and building upon the great work that our current GS, Mick, has done.'

➡️ bit.ly/AslefGS

ASLEF General Secretary elect Dave Calfe outgoing General Secretary Mick Whelan.

NEW: ASLEF members have elected Dave Calfe as the union’s General Secretary.

Dave will succeed Mick Whelan in leading the UK’s train drivers’ union.

Side of a train in livery that says Great British Railways | Coming soon.

We welcome the Railways Bill laid before Parliament this afternoon that will establish Great British Railways.

After three decades of campaigning, this Bill will finally do away with the ponzi scheme of privatisation and help give passengers and staff the railway we deserve.

Research conducted by academics at Glasgow University and commissioned by ASLEF lays bare Scotland's ROSCO rip-off – and sets out how Green Bonds can leverage Scotland’s borrowing powers to secure lower-cost, sustainable investment.

➡️ buff.ly/scgLZep

Today ScotRail has started procurement of a new suburban train fleet.

This is a fantastic opportunity to end the failed private model of PFI and rolling stock companies.

Instead the Scottish Government should issue Green Bonds to fund new stock and save passengers money.

We are relieved there were no major injuries after a Glasgow–Euston service derailed at Shap this morning, and that all passengers and staff were safely evacuated.

We will work with the RAIB in its investigation, and with other stakeholders, to uncover and understand the cause.