...so having a guard is of no safety advantage when it comes to despatching trains, contrary to what many on here say. Also, again guards at normal doors would struggle to know if the train was stopped at the right location.
.Having the last check along the train before it moves carried out by someone stood on the platform vs having the last check along the train done by someone viewing the train on a monitor is safer in my view .
And Guards at normal doors dont struggle to know that the train has stopped in the right location because the procedure is to open your local door , check that the train hasn't overrun/stopped short and that the platform is safe for passengers to step out onto . once this check has been carried out and you are satisfied that it is safe you then release all of the doors .
This is one of the issues in this debate , you have people who dont actually do the job/know the procedures that are in place commenting on the viability and safety case for someones job .
That is only true if there is a dispatcher at the station and if the dispatcher is visible to the Guard when the incident happens. Which I would suggest is very unlikely to be the case.
But If I am dispatching from a door behind the dispatcher (which you should be doing) then you are going to pass the dispatcher on the way out of the platform so they will be visible to you at some point .
I'm sorry, but I think we need to give drivers some credit here. Because statements like this are making drivers look like morons. Which they are not.
Over and above the route knowledge that drivers acquire prior to driving trains in passenger service, you have to remember here that they have just driven the train along the full length of the platform. If they can't remember which side it's on mere seconds after driving along the length of it, then I would argue that they lack the cognitiive functions needed to drive a train (or indeed live independently).
Furthermore, after having brought the train to a safe standstill, they have to perform similar to checks to those a guard would perform prior to releasing the doors to ensure that the doors align with the platform (aided by cameras/mirrors/etc). Whilst a driver could theoretically open a door on the wrong side, they'd need to have quite severe amnesia and skip quite a few steps in order to do so.
And there is ultimately nothing to stop a guard doing the same if they were so inclined - they don't have to step onto the platform prior to releasing the doors (although, of course, they do).
Credit where credit is due to drivers they do a difficult job . Im not saying they are morons at all .
But stuff like stop shorts and wrong side releases have happened on DOO .
Stop shorts also happen on guard operated services . I personally can see how when concentrating on everything a driver should be concentrating on that forgetting if you have 4 or 6 or 2 coaches can sometimes happen especially if you have been driving 2 coaches over a route all day and then suddenly for the one last train you drive the train length is double the length . The difference with a guard of course is that the situation can be resolved quickly and safely .
Indeed. In fact, I'm told by a reliable source the stats are quite interesting, there are a lot more incidents involving Guards than some would like to admit.
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Care to substantiate that ?
You're right - it's about pay. Guards don't want any possibility of pay reductions. That's understandable.
I do not think FGW will actually reduce any current employees pay though, and that is not being proposed.
They might not immediately be reducing anyone pay or getting rid of anyone , but the fears are for future pay rises and future job security .
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as for the proposal that if there is no strike action a voluntary redundancy package can be offered that is a clear attempt at divide and rule . Get the older hands that are near to retirement to resist striking for a nice handsome payoff at the cost of people nowhere near retirement age.