This week I travelled up to Birmingham with the Home Affairs Select Committee as part of our investigation into accommodation for asylum seekers. The train left bang on time from Euston, we all got a seat and returned to London later that day just a couple of minutes late with profuse apologies from the customer manager (that’s guard to the rest of us.) I had forgotten how good it was to have a reliable train service that you can plan your working day round.
When I return to Sussex today no doubt I will be brought back to earth with a bump and a big dose of Southern Rail reality. We again met the Transport Secretary last week and whilst there were some reports from west of London MPs that things had improved marginally those served by the Brighton line confirmed that things were as bad as ever. It has now been confirmed that all but 2 of 222 guards have now signed up to the new contracts which will permit driver only operated trains with the guards remaining on board to spend more time looking after passengers rather than closing doors. They have all had their contracts and pay awards guaranteed for the life of the franchise and are safety trained to take over from the driver in an emergency.
So why on earth are they on strike again this week over driver only operated trains? I have been critical in equal measure of GTR, the Department for Transport and the RMT but I really struggle to see the logic behind this pointless and damaging continued industrial action.
Fortunately I was not relying on the train to get to Falmer to attend the Annual Meeting of the Sussex Community Foundation at the Amex, after GTR left hundreds of football fans stranded after last week’s Brighton match. This charity, celebrating its tenth anniversary has been a real success story bringing together corporate and private donors to raise money for good causes locally Last year alone they gave over £1.6m in grants to 332 Sussex charities and community groups promoting the concept that sustainable long term social change comes from within comm unities. . I am also involved with them through the Shoreham Air Show fund which they administer and which has so far distributed to families over two thirds of the near £200,000 raised.
You can find further information at www.sussexgiving.org.uk