Scot Rail

[aqua]

Ok, thanks. Why do they do it?

[aqua]

I made it all up. Every single word. You've caught me out.
So here is the truth:
My name is actually Magnus but I call myself Maggie at weekends.
I've never been on a train in my life.
I have no relatives.
Glasgow? never been there.
I have never spoken to anyone, ever.
Hope that clears things up.

Thank you for this post. It takes real guts and significant mental strength to admit wrongdoing in a public forum. Some others should take a leaf out of your book and do likewise.

[orkneycadian]

Excellent points Fulmar, although I wonder if it’s within the rules to have a single carriage that the conductor can’t get to when the train is moving.

Is the conductor anything other than a Revenue Protection Officer these days anyway? Sounds like there was a good plan to put all the pissheads in one carriage and segregate them from the rest of the passengers.

[aqua]

I thought the conductor’s role involved elements of ensuring safety.

Putting all the p-heads in an isolated coach sounds great. The problem is when others get stuck in the coach with the p-heads.

[orkneycadian]

I seem to recall that there was a plan to go down to single crewing on some trains, but it was only the unions that stopped it. With everything automatic on a train these days, I can't think there's many safety related jobs for a conductor to do.

[aqua]

Yes, the unions have been fighting driver-only trains throughout the country for a long time, mainly on the grounds of safety, ostensibly at least. As an outsider, it’s hard to know what’s really going on.

[orkneycadian]

Makes you wonder how "trains" like the automated transit system at Stansted Airport, can work safely, not only without a conductor, but also without a driver.

[aqua]

Yes, but aren’t they local trains that don’t go very far or very fast?

[orkneycadian]

I suspect that the biggest hazards are the stopping and starting, and people getting on and off. Once they are cooped up inside, its less of an issue if it goes 2 miles or 200 miles.