Plus ca change….The more you are deranged
After seeing the play First House last week I was struck by certain similarities to our own times. There was a referendum on Europe, the start of Militant Tendency and industrial strife. Those of us who remember the decade of the miner’s strike, 3 day week and internal dislocation will identify with the present Southern Railway’s guard dispute. In one corner sits Govia the franchise holder that runs Southern Railway and argues that to bring the service up to speed the drivers should operate the doors as happens on 60% of their trains including their most lucrative one the Gatwick Express.
In the other is RMT Union who says driver operation of doors is less safe and jobs will be lost. The government is very much involved too as they keep the revenue and have appointed Govia on a management fee. The previous Minister for Transport Clair Perry resigned as it is said she was fed up defending a crap service . The loser in all of this is the passenger.
Those of us unfortunate to use the service regularly will attest to expensive ticket prices, trains with insufficient and smelly loos, a track that that makes the train wobble and jerk, a first class carriage containing the same hard seats with no extra frills nor benefits , no trolley service for anyone and, worst of all, time keeping so unreliable that it’s best to take an earlier train for an unmissable appointment.
The strike reached a new level of absurdity when the union advised its members to agree to the final ultimatum and deal of Govia but then to go on strike anyway. Now at least there are more ongoing talks. Govia mounted a campaign in the social media and press adverts to justify their position which backfired but the intransigent RMT merit little sympathy. Nor has the government intervened with any degree of grip. Brighton has a significant commuter element and I strongly suspect a rich one to justify a top class and highly profitable first class service with its own passenger lounge and on train facilities. This existed in the good old day of the Brighton Belle. By breaking with a national rail company and allocating franchisees the twin issues of delivering shareholder satisfaction and winning or continuing the franchise makes long term imaginative planning harder.
It’s all a shambles. Grania, the best friend of my p/a Polly is another frequent traveller on the route. I have a pressing appointment in London next week when there is a strike . I asked her if I should use the train as main services are running. She advised that as access to the trains are restricted, passenger dissatisfaction reached such a pitch that 2 flights broke out yesterday in Brighton station. Also as the service is stretched if the re is dreaded earlier signal fault or engineering works as happened yesterday to her the service grinds to a stand still. No thanks I will find another way.
