A long-running dispute on Merseyrail over the position of guard on the new trains has been settled, at least as far as the RMT is concerned. Members of the union have voted in favour of creating a new job of train manager. to which existing guards will be transferred. The new deal was approved by 84 per cent of those who voted and it secures 220 jobs. Regional Mayor Steve Rotherham hailed the agreement as an ‘important milestone’ but the new deal has yet to be approved by ASLEF.

Overground driver charged after Enfield Town crash

The driver of a London Overground train which collided with buffers at Enfield Town station last October has been charged with endangering railway passengers. Highbury Corner Magistrates were told that he had fallen asleep, and he has also been charged with working while he was unfit through drink or drugs. Fifty people were on board his train and two of them were injured in the collision. Erkan Mehmet, 40, of Waltham Abbey, pleaded not guilty to both charges and was released on unconditional bail. He is next due to appear at Inner London Crown Court for a pre-trial hearing on 2 August.

Barking Riverside line to open next week

The London Overground extension to a new station at Barking Riverside will open to passengers a week from now, on 18 July. Transport for London said the new station at Barking Riverside is step-free, bringing the total on the London Overground network to more than 60 stations. The Gospel Oak route, extending out beyond Barking along 4.5km of new track to Barking Riverside, will reduce journey times to Barking to just seven minutes, rather than the current 25-minute journey by bus. There will be four trains an hour, providing Barking Riverside with connections to the District and Hammersmith & City Lines into central London and c2c trains at Barking, as well as an interchange with the Elizabeth Line at Forest Gate.