In a world…of sterling blogging…
Ok, enough of that.
Mr. Euginedes has uncovered another “you couldn’t make it up” gem that will leave even the most open minded person facepalming.
We’ve all moaned about trains running (or not) on time, but workers at the aptly named ScotRail can’t even get their strikes to run on time. Even more amazing is the reason for the strike. Go on, let your mind wander a bit. What could it be this time?
(Back into Don LaFontaine trailer voice…)
Conditions?
Pay?
Cash 4 Gold?
Nah.
Workers (or neanderthals as Euginedes aptly labels them) at ScotRail are on strike over who opens the doors of trains on a new 14 mile train track.
The union spokesman doesn’t happen to like the concept of automatic doors and believes that guards should remain in place despite serving no purpose and costing £300,000 per year.
Only in Scotland.
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Actually guards do have a safety function (especially for lone female travellers) as well as one for opening doors – so at non-busy times I’d still like to see them on trains. However what happens if these guards are let go? Where are the jobs they can go to in these recessionary times? I’d rather have train users paying their salaries than having them on the dole.
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But if they’re only there as security, then surely they should be replaced by properly trained, malicious looking security guards (on less money)?
You can’t have Luddite unions impeding progress by calling for manual labour in this way. As the original blogger said, we’re in an age where we put a man on the moon yet we still need to employ a person on a train to open a door?
Do they have guards on trains in more advanced rail systems such as that of Japan?
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In remote areas, a guard can be usefull, ESPECIALLY with chavs on the train abusing passengers, something that I have witnessed.
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Even on modern trains Guards serve several roles beyond opening and closing doors and security, and certainly on long trains are vital to have in emergencies.
You may hear ‘buzz buzz’ as a train sets off from a station if you’re near either of the cabs, and that’s the guard signalling to the driver that a) he’ on board and b) there’s nothing wrong. 1 buzz means stop (rural lines with request stops) while if I remember correctly 4 or more is an emergency stop. There are others in between and beyond too.
If a passenger is in trouble at the rear of (for example) a long train but it’s not worth pulling the emergency stop having a guard on board can be good as the passenger can go and speak to the guard who can take appropriate action – with just a driver it would be the emergency one which of course has a penalty for improper use – and believe it or not some things that it would get pulled for without a guard would be considered improper.
Guards are good, let’s keep them
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yes keep guards, scrap ALL Labour MPs.
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