Southern and the closing of doors

Southern Rail have made a 'final offer' to the RMT in the dispute over the role of guards on trains.

My view is that driver door closure is fundamentally safe and any potential dangers are avoidable with improved technology or indeed simpler stuff like the extendable mirrors used on the Berlin S-Bahn.

However, having a second highly trained person on board for customer assistance and to deal with emergency situations is something I definitely support.

Finally, the railway is a lot safer than it was. Compare the twenty years before privatisation with the twenty years after it and you will see what I mean. There have been no fatal crashes since 2008 and long may that continue.