willman Posted December 16, 2016 Share Posted December 16, 2016 these rail companies take £billions in your taxes, my taxes, our taxes every year. On top of this, they happily overcharge the unfortunate mugs passengers who use their "service". Surely the rail companies can afford to employ one or two more people per train? After all, there's plenty of unemployed people who could do the job ? Why should they have to? They currently employ the additional person to close the doors and service is crap. Allegedly removing the additional person will make it quicker, for the person paying for the service. Strike action is no more than bullying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Arctor Posted December 16, 2016 Share Posted December 16, 2016 Why should they have to? They currently employ the additional person to close the doors and service is crap. Allegedly removing the additional person will make it quicker, for the person paying for the service. Strike action is no more than bullying. No, strike action is about having a degree of control over the place you spend a high percentage of your waking hours. If you're going to deny people control over their work life you might as well deny them control over the rest of their life as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biotechpete Posted December 16, 2016 Share Posted December 16, 2016 In order for the person controlling the doors to stay on the train, cameras covering the other end of the train would be needed. That would take years and cost millions, cameras are less safe. The driverless trains that operate now are shorter and in modern stations(with station staff). Southern are happy to keep guards, its the Government enforcing the terms of the franchise. Southern are being bailed out with Government funds, otherwise the cancelled trains would mean Southern would be fined millions. Without the help of the Government, Southern would have thrown the towel in months ago. I'm not really sure I get what you're saying. The current situation on Northern services, where I am, is the guard closes the doors, then boards the train themselves. No cameras needed there. For cross country and Virgin West coast, as far as i can tell, there's no guard, but a train manager. The driver controls the doors. Instead of the guard being on the platform, 3 or more station staff (for the long 11 coach pendolino services) spaced out along the platform signal to each other using flags/paddles/whistles like this http://media.gettyimages.com/photos/an-employee-holds-up-a-signal-paddle-beside-a-west-coast-train-by-picture-id459647174. This signal is seen/heard by the driver who closes the doors. And train leaves normally within a minute of arriving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nightrider Posted December 16, 2016 Share Posted December 16, 2016 Makes you wonder why they are going on strike. safety reasons they claim. It might have been this forum (or not) - but I saw a post from someone who claimed to work on trains and posted a link to an incident on a existing line setup like this where someone had become trapped in the train door and been dragged because the driver had not spotted it. Now the train company and/or government claims some rail safety board says this is totally safe. So it could be the system has been adjusted so this is impossible to happen again, but I don't know. I could imagine its possible to kill the trains drive system if it detects a door did not fully shut? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinfoilhat Posted December 16, 2016 Share Posted December 16, 2016 I notice it's an issue now the drivers are on strike. As one passenger group representative has pointed out, Southern services have been unreliable every day this year, not just during the strike. They should have been striped of their contract but the government has done nothing to help passengers, they're only bothered now that Aslef are on strike. I think because southern are so inept anyway that the union have smelt blood in the water and gone for it. They'll have more leeway with the public than if they were taking on most other operators. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Padders Posted December 16, 2016 Share Posted December 16, 2016 if you"ve got a genuine grievence then go on strike, protect you rights, im all in favour... what i dont agree with is going on strike at different times (wildcat strikes) xmas, bank holidays etc. thereby inconveniencing the general public. set a date, go on strike , stop out till its resolved. then at least the public know where they stand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Cid Posted December 16, 2016 Author Share Posted December 16, 2016 Why should they have to? They currently employ the additional person to close the doors and service is crap. Allegedly removing the additional person will make it quicker, for the person paying for the service. Train fire triggers evacuation at West Yorkshire station. Around 150 passengers are estimated to have been on the service when it got into Wakefield. The train companies want to employ a train guard and a driver, its the Government that is forcing this issue. Read more at: http://www.wakefieldexpress.co.uk/news/video-train-fire-triggers-evacuation-at-west-yorkshire-station-1-8292551 ---------- Post added 16-12-2016 at 11:00 ---------- I'm not really sure I get what you're saying. The current situation on Northern services, where I am, is the guard closes the doors, then boards the train themselves. No cameras needed there. For cross country and Virgin West coast, as far as i can tell, there's no guard, but a train manager. The driver controls the doors. Instead of the guard being on the platform, 3 or more station staff (for the long 11 coach pendolino services) spaced out along the platform signal to each other using flags/paddles/whistles like this http://media.gettyimages.com/photos/an-employee-holds-up-a-signal-paddle-beside-a-west-coast-train-by-picture-id459647174. This signal is seen/heard by the driver who closes the doors. And train leaves normally within a minute of arriving. Both ways can be safe, but the Government are forcing the issue. I have a friend that is a train guard, its the longer trains and curved platforms that will cause problems. A train guard received 5 years in jail, because someone was leaning on the train(when drunk), the train set of, the drunk fell onto the tracks and was killed. At the moment that situation is the sole responsibility of the guard; the train drivers already do a responsible job and get paid £50,000+ - they are saying no thank you, they are happy with the present set up. ---------- Post added 16-12-2016 at 11:02 ---------- Many drivers have experience of people killing themselves, body parts all over the place, they do not want these changes, not a small issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obelix Posted December 16, 2016 Share Posted December 16, 2016 Train fire triggers evacuation at West Yorkshire station. So what? How would any additional members of staff make any difference? None whatsover. So why bring it up? ---------- Post added 16-12-2016 at 11:45 ---------- Isnt it the MPs that are responsible for the train strike? Nothing to do with the Govt. This is purely down to the loony left wing train unions who are scared of progress. Thats all it is. Sack the strikers and employ people who actually have some care and pride in the job and in helping the passengers. Failing that move forwards and automate it like the DLR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unbeliever Posted December 16, 2016 Share Posted December 16, 2016 Government ministers such as Chris Grayling and Anna Soubry have been furious this week about the railway strikes, saying: “These strikes INCONVENIENCE people.” Isnt it the MPs that are responsible for the train strike? Chris Grayling suggested we could ban transport strikes; the strike is being used to attack Jeremy Corbyn, its been used as a political statement, instead of solving it. How hard can it be, just employ a driver and a guard; even some buses have two members of staff. http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/mark-steel-southern-rail-chris-grayling-transport-misery-train-cancellations-a7477836.html A union affiliated with and funding of, Labour, is trying to screw with the government. It's a very old story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Cid Posted December 16, 2016 Author Share Posted December 16, 2016 Nothing to do with the Govt. This is purely down to the loony left wing train unions who are scared of progress. Thats all it is. A union affiliated with and funding of, Labour, is trying to screw with the government. It's a very old story. Taxpayers foot £50m bill for Southern rail strike chaos as ministers prepare to tighten law. Why are tax payers funding the above, and Southern are supported by the tax payer? http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/12/13/taxpayers-foot-50million-bill-southern-rail-strike-chaos-ministers/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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