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Well for remote areas that's fair enough, I'm talking about the situation I've seen in the area I live and work in.

No one is suggesting that trains CANNOT be automated. Of course they can. They already are. It's the processes that are required to reach that goal that are the issue. We have a large complex OLD railway system. To retro fit the whole lot will cost a lot of money and take a lot of time...

I’ve noticed that rail enthusiasts are generally more interested in hardware or travelling for the sake of it (eg riding on every unit of a class etc) or heritage - steam locos in particular, than actually using or seeing rail as a serious mode of practical travel.

I find your insinuation quite insulting. Of course we know what the final check is for. Have you considered that the view of the train we have may not be sufficient to notice something like a bag strap or dog lead stuck in a door? Time and Time again we’ve explained on this forum that one of the...

If train doors reopened every time they were blocked, how could we guarantee that we could ever finally close them?

No this is not the case. Certainly the fast lines between Selhurst and East Croydon were closed. The train travelled from Victoria to Balham where it looks as if it should have been switched to the down fast UNTIL Selhurst, but it continued down the slow instead. I have not misinterpreted...

That’s not the point. The point is the article contains, as usual, several generalisations or misleading notions, which does not do us any favours when we have to explain things to the public.

Easy to say. I'm a driver, I chose to be a driver because I want minimal public contact, and I've had ZERO customer facing training, so obviously my TOC doesn't intend me to interact with the public very much either. The other day I was told at the last second leaving Victoria that I had a...

Something is not right about this story. Taking each point: We'll overlook the photo of a train that hasn't been used on Gatwick for about 7 years, I suppose at least it wasn't a loco hauled set in Swallow livery Signalling error - that seems fair enough as all four lines appeared to be open...

That depends. I was trained to query being called on if I had more than 4 cars, but that doesn’t seem to feature in current training. I asked for clarification some years ago and am still waiting for the answer. There are plenty of drivers who don’t think they need to check. And not all TOCs...

When the company itself is not very professional, there is a trickle down of attitude. However, on the obesity issue, well, unfortunately that goes with the territory. Irregular shifts much you up royally, affecting sleep, metabolism, propensity to obeseity and diabetes etc. Breaks away from...

Drivers I've seen on the continent frequently dress very casually, and the guards uniforms I've seen seen are not dissimilar to our own. Eurostar is different, maybe because that's an airline style operation in much more controlled environments.

How is it relevant that some workers spend MORE time in the open air than rail workers? So dress them suitably. Same as us - not asking for privileges or pampering, just appropriate clothing for the role.

Hmm, big difference between the controlled environments cabin crew work in and the wide variety of scummy platforms and storerooms and toilets rail staff have to work in or clean in all weathers. Or open dusty panels to reset passcomms or smoke alarms. Or set up grimy ramps. Imagine the ground...

Firstly, this is a precursor to the blockades in later seasons this year, there is no spare other season to do a closure. Secondly, this is a major route. There is never a good time to close it, full stop. It has to be done, so Sunday is the least disruptive day to do it.

Sorry, we’ll ask NR to close it on Monday instead, when everyone’s trying to get to work. How’s that?

It is the driver’s responsibility to get himself to work ie to his signing on point, at his own expense and in his own time. It is his employer’s responsibility to provide and pay for any travel required in the course of him fulfilling his contracted duties. Drivers may get free travel to work...

And now it seems being accused of being hung over, even though if they thought for more than two seconds they’d realise that is an extremely serious and unlikely occurrence. Unlike most workers, we can’t drink every night after work, however sunny it is or however many World Cup games are on.

I fear so. In my most recent incident stuck between stations, even though it wasn't for that long, and we had power, aircon, toilets etc, it was late, and I feared people detraining. First time ever I requested permission to return to the station before just in case, luckily I was still...

That's rather a sweeping statement. I don't think I behave like a child because I wear a polo shirt for work. It is incredibly practical and comfortable. There is no point in dress shirts and suit jackets when you have to get dirty to some extent, which we still do. What we need is one thin...