Inspectors from the rail safety watchdog, Office of Rail and Road (ORR) have declared driver-only operated (DOO) trains safe. They joined the drivers on Southern trains on Thursday to check the safety concerns raised by Aslef, the train drivers’ union, concerning the use of cameras to monitor doors and passengers.
Driver-only operated trains are the reason behind the ongoing dispute which has seen Southern Rail workers stage several walkouts, causing major rail transport disruptions. A fresh strike is planned to start next week Tuesday, affecting 300,000 Southern passengers.
Although the inspectors approved the system, they however recommended that image quality on the screens be improved and also an “immediate improvement” in the cleaning of camera lenses.
HM Chief Inspector of Railways, Ian Prosser, said: “Following a thorough review of GTR-Southern’s method and implementation of driver-only operation, the Office of Road and Rail is satisfied that with suitable equipment, proper procedures and competent staff in place, it is a safe method of working.
“ORR has made some recommendations for further improvements, including ensuring that CCTV image quality is consistently high. GTR-Southern has accepted and is in the process of implementing these recommendations.”
ASLEF says the ORR report only serves to confirm their claims that the DOO trains are unsafe.
Mick Whelan, general secretary of ASLEF said: "Despite what Southern Rail is disingenuously claiming, the report from the Office of Rail and Road does not give driver only operation a clean bill of health. It doesn’t say it is safe; merely that it can be safe.
"You will notice that Ian Prosser, HM Chief Inspector of Railways, is careful to qualify his remarks and say “with suitable equipment, proper procedures, and competent staff in place” it can be a method of working. And, indeed, Ian goes on to say that the ORR has made a long list of recommendations for further improvements because they fear it is not safe. Those recommendations, the company concedes, are not yet in place."
Commuters can only brace themselves for Tuesday’s rail transport mayhem and hope that the dispute is resolved sooner than later.