“We will not accept a driver-only operation [DOO] In any company without a fight,” The boss of the largest rail union said last week.
Mick Lynch, Secretary RMTTell MPs on the Transportation Select Committee: “We will never sign up to DOO.
“It will never happen while I am general secretary. It will never happen as long as the RMT exists.”
This may give the impression that the concept is new. In fact, many trains have been operated by a single employee since the 1980s. Every day, millions of passengers travel on trains with the only person on board at the front – mainly on short journeys in Greater London, but also journeys of more than 100 miles.
However, there is no coherence. For example, from Brighton to Gatwick, Thameslink There is only one driver on board, but Southern trains serving the exact same stations always have an on-board supervisor as well. They are both operated by the same organisation, the Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), but have a different staffing protocol.
These are the key questions and answers to help you understand this complex and controversial issue.
What is driver-only operation?
Strictly speaking, when the only staff member on the train is the driver. He or she opens and closes the door, and cameras are installed to ensure the operation can proceed safely.
It is a subset of Driver Control Operations (DCO) where the driver opens and closes the train doors, but one or more crew members may also be on board. This is the case for the Lumo trains linking Edinburgh and Newcastle with London King’s Cross, for example.
Where does DOO currently exist?
Based on 45% of UK trains, carrying 55% of passengers Railway Transport Group (RDG), representing train operators.
On GTR, the UK’s largest rail franchise, all Thameslink and Great Northern trains are driver-only, including Peterborough to Horsham (118 miles), Brighton to Bedford (103 miles) and London Kings Cross to Kings Lynn (99 miles) route.
Within the same franchise, Southern trains mainly within Greater London are DOO, but long-distance services – and Gatwick Express – always have an on-board supervisor.
The blend mode is repeated elsewhere. In the South East, linking central London with Kent and East Sussex, Tube services are driver-only, while long-distance train (including high-speed) lines always have an on-board manager or conductor/guard.
What is the difference between a ship manager and a conductor/guard?
The ship manager will not open or close the door. They are responsible for customer service on board and receive safety training in emergency situations.
The conductor/guard opens and closes (or sometimes just closes) the doors and provides customer service.
On the South West Railway linking London Waterloo with Surrey, Hampshire and beyond, guards are currently responsible for opening and closing doors, but when the new ‘Arterio’ trains are introduced later this year they will be equipped with DCOs, with a presence on all trains There is a second staff member.
So some train drivers open the doors but conductors/guards close?
many. Drivers open, conductors closed (DOCC) is standard on all Great Western Rail high-speed services linking London Paddington with South Wales and the West of England; shorter distances to and from the capital are restricted to drivers only.
DOCC applies to ScotRail trains linking Glasgow and Edinburgh via Falkirk; the other electric trains on the Scottish network are DCOs, but the fast link between Scotland’s two largest cities is governed by an old agreement dating back to when diesel trains were used cover.
The LNER, which runs from London King’s Cross to Yorkshire, North East England and Scotland, has installed DOCCs on its new Azuma trains, but on the old 225 rolling stock the train manager is responsible for opening and closing the doors.
What’s the idea behind “drivers open, conductors close”?
In theory, the driver can clearly see that all is well when arriving at the station, and he or she can safely open the door. But by having a guard close the door, they can get a better look up and down the platform.
Is pure driver operation safe?
Not according to the railroad union. RMT’s Mick Lynch said the expansion of DOO “will make our railroads less safe, reliable and accessible”.
Mick Whelan, general secretary of the Train Drivers’ Union, Aslevsaid: “Train drivers who do this hate it, feel it’s unsafe. We think it’s inherently unsafe.”
but in 2018 Railway Safety and Standards Committee concludes : “By all standards, train driver dispatch is undoubtedly safe.”
The Office of Rail and Roads also investigated the practice in 2017 and concluded it was “fully within the legal requirements to operate safely” – provided “suitable equipment, procedures and competent staff” are in place.
What about the safety of women traveling alone and passengers in need?
Public safety and disability access are extremely important issues that require wider discussion.
In 2013, the Transport Select Committee said: “We are very concerned that proposals to reduce station and train staffing could reduce rail safety, particularly at night, and discourage women and vulnerable users from traveling by train.
“We recommend that the government develop a strategy to improve the security of the rail network, as well as its perception of how secure the network is.”
Ideally, every train will have on-board crew and every station will be manned. This will undoubtedly increase passenger confidence and improve the service for less able passengers.
But the rail industry is currently losing billions of pounds a year on taxpayer cash.
Successive governments have long recognized the need to strike a balance between caring for rail users and the cost of public funds.
Are the government and train companies trying to make things worse?
This is of course a message from the trade unions. However, when the RDG announces the payment of RMTs in December 2022, subject to wider acceptance of the DOO (conditions imposed by the Minister), it appears to be actually urging the DCO. The organization emphasized: “This does not mean removing staff from the trains. It frees staff on board to focus on other safety issues and looking after customers on board through journey advice, ticket sales and more.
“Moving to DOO – where the driver operates the doors of all carriages – will lead to greater punctuality and reliability, especially during disruptions when crews may be delayed on incoming trains, stopping other services from departing.”
What does the opposition say?
Labor has pledged to bring the rail industry into public ownership, saying: “We don’t want the government putting tens of millions of pounds into the pockets of operators and passing it on to shareholders.”
independent The parties have been requested to respond.
