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Southern train services face further disruption Southern train services face further disruption
(about 2 hours later)
Southern rail services will be disrupted again on Monday by a guards’ strike, as talks continue to try to resolve a separate dispute over driver-only trains. Long-suffering Southern rail passengers face further disruption on Monday due to a strike by conductors.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union will walk out for 24 hours in a row over the role of conductors, causing fresh misery for hundreds of thousands of passengers. Planned action by drivers on the network on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday was suspended last week after Southern’s owner, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), and drivers’ union Aslef agreed to talks.
Southern said it would run more than 70% of its trains – 10% more of its normal timetable than it has been able to operate on previous conductor strike days. But conductors in the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union are walking out for 24 hours in dispute over changes to their role, which they claim will jeopardise passenger safety.
The company said this followed the completion of its programme to put drivers in sole control of train operation, including closing the doors, on nearly 80% of routes, and the transfer of many conductors to the new on-board supervisor role. The RMT claims it has been excluded from the Aslef/Southern talks and has also said that its few driver members – 12 according to Southern – will still walk out on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, although it is not expected to affect services.
Angie Doll, the passenger services director for Southern, said: “Whilst inevitably there will be disruption on Monday, the good news is that due to the changes we’ve now fully rolled out, we’re now able to run more services on more routes serving more passengers and ultimately we’ll have fewer cancellations and delays. Southern said it will run over 70% of its trains on Monday, 10% more than it has been able to operate on previous conductor strike days.
“On Monday, some 200 extra trains will be running and several routes will have their first service on an RMT strike day. The RMT should now recognise that their industrial action is wholly futile. They should stop the strikes, get back round the table with us and move forward together with us, delivering a better railway for our passengers.” The company said this follows the completion of its programme to put drivers in sole control of the operation of the train, including closing the doors, on nearly 80% of routes, and the transfer of many conductors to the new onboard supervisor role.
The RMT has been in dispute with Southern for several months, warning of safety issues because of the changes. The union, which complained of being excluded from talks between Southern and Aslef over the drivers’ dispute, has a small number of driver members at Southern who will strike on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Angie Doll, Southern’s passenger services director, said: “Whilst, inevitably, there will be disruption on Monday, the good news is that due to the changes we’ve now fully rolled out, we’re now able to run more services on more routes serving more passengers and ultimately we’ll have fewer cancellations and delays.
Talks between Southern and Aslef will resume on Monday. Southern said it planned to operate a normal full timetable from Tuesday. “On Monday, some 200 extra trains will be running and several routes will have their first service on an RMT strike day.
“The RMT should now recognise that their industrial action is wholly futile. They should stop the strikes, get back round the table with us and move forward together with us, delivering a better railway for our passengers.”
The RMT general secretary, Mick Cash, has said the union must be given the same access to the talks with Southern as Aslef. Its sister union began discussions, chaired by the TUC, on Wednesday.
Some 300,000 passengers travel daily on Southern, which has experienced a breakdown in service during a 10-month dispute over staffing levels. The franchise says it will restore a full train service from Tuesday.
There could also be disruption to road journeys on Monday, with the Met Office warning of fog in central and southern England in the morning that will be slow to clear. Persistent fog patches are also predicted for Tuesday morning.