More talks over the long-running train drivers’ pay dispute are set to be held in the near future, after a first meeting this week between ASLEF and the Department for Transport was hailed a success and officially described as ‘constructive’.

Before the election on 4 July, ASLEF general secretary Mick Whelan had blamed the Conservative government for the stalemate in the dispute and the continuing strikes, saying that if the government had not ‘breached our trust, and acted in bad faith’, then the walkouts would not have been called.

Mr Whelan has also dubbed the latest talks, which apparently did not involve the Rail Delivery Group, as constructive. He continued: ‘With a new Secretary of State for Transport in place, I hope, and think, we can, and will, get a deal done.’

The new transport secretary Louise Haigh had already tweeted on X that: ‘Fourteen years without a workforce strategy has left our railways understaffed, reliant on voluntary working and lurching from one crisis to the next. Our urgent priority is to reset workforce relations and put passengers first.’

The DfT said: ‘The Transport Secretary has been clear she wants to reset industrial relations for the benefit of passengers and the workforce.

‘Today officials resumed talks with ASLEF, holding a constructive meeting as we look to resolve this long-running dispute.

‘Further conversations will be held in the coming weeks.’