Rail jobs, staff issues and training

Jimbo   20/04/2016 at 17:42

When you have DOO Thameslink trains and non-DOO Southern trains using similar stock on the same lines, it is difficult to be sympathetic to this argument. DOO has been going on long enough that whether it is safe or not should be provable with accident and crime stats. So RMT, instead of just waving the safety card everytime, how about actually backing up your statements with some facts ?

Neil Palmer   20/04/2016 at 18:37

It seems taking the rail unions to court is the only way to drag them, kicking and screaming, into the 21st century. Even when they receive guarantees of no loss of pay and no job losses they still object. Pig headed and obstinate Luddites. The very least that should be accepted is doors being opened by the driver to reduce delay/station dwell time (which is sorely needed to increase capacity on the network) and have "guards" (or whatever you want to call them, maybe "Vice President in charge of vehicle aperture closing and hiding away in the rear driving compartment") responsible for closing the doors. And for those rail staff voting in favour of strike action, keep in mind there are hundreds of people who would gladly take your job, and for far less than the overly generous pay you are currently receiving.

Andrew Gwilt   20/04/2016 at 20:12

That's why train drivers want to control the doors and not the door guards to open and close the doors just like other trains that the train driver has 2 buttons to press to open the doors and to close the doors before the driver applies the acceleration for the train to accelerate.

Jerry Alderson   24/04/2016 at 13:26

Yesterday I was on a London Midland train from Northampton. I counted 12 seconds once the train had been stationary at the platform before the doors were unloicked so that I could board. 12 seconds! With driver-controlled operation (I use Great Nothern most of the time) it would have been one, perhaps two seconds. I alighted at my destination at Five Ways and watched as the guard had to get back in the train and close the door behind him. More lost time, whereas the driver could have stayed at his/her seat to check that it was safe. Unecessarily additional dwell time at the platform means longer journeys for passengers - the extra seconds add up - meaning that the train is less competitive than the car. DCO needs to be implemented correctly but if it is done properly then it is definitely a good thing for passengers.