Rail chiefs claim progress

TRAIN travellers are braced for more misery this week, with the latest 48- hour strike due to begin from midnight tonight - but Railtrack yesterday claimed a milestone had been reached in the 14- week signal workers' dispute with reintroduction of normal service on one of the busiest main lines.

Railtrack Great Western said that, for the first time since action by the Rail, Maritime and Transport union began, a return to work by strikers meant that a normal timetable would operate during a strike on Paddington- Plymouth services.