For the trains that are running consult the SWR website at the following link:
https://www.southwesternrailway.com/plan-my-journey/rmt-strike
For us in the New Forest this strike is doubly frustrating because our train service is not in dispute. Our services will be unchanged with the guard continuing to open the doors.
It is the new trains that will come into service for the suburban lines that are the cause of the dispute. SWR has given assurances that guards will continue to be rostered for every one of these trains but that the driver will operate the doors whilst the guard in involved with other safety and ‘customer-facing’ services.
When I met senior executives of SWR last week I urged them to give way and let the guards operate the doors. After all, they have accepted that each train will still have two members of staff. So, is it worth a strike, just over which one of them operates the doors?
I pointed out that on our own London to Weymouth service the guard is quite capable of doing both the ‘customer-facing’ duties and operating the doors.
They responded by pointing out that on the suburban services there is much more opening and closing of doors, with shorter gaps. They insisted that it would be quicker and more efficient to let the driver do it, after all that’s the way the new trains were designed to be operated. They were absolutely clear that there was no need for the strike, given their willingness to continue to negotiate and the pledges they have made on jobs, and I certainly agree with that.
Of course, we used to open and close the doors ourselves!