What does a train guard / conductor do ?

Major charm offensive on the Carlisle to Hexham train today-guards offering to help people on and off trains,smiling,chatting,telling jokes.Come on down!

Just being on the Wetheral to Newcastle train found the guard friendly no more or less than usual.
On arrival another guard/platform assistant there to help a disabled passenger off the train and a wheel chair waiting.

The thing that annoys me is that they don’t seem to stick to a set timetable on strike days and can find trains cancelled close to departure and then next train overcrowded.

Yesterday was strikes advertised well in advance so rather than risk cancellations drove.

Apart from everything else whats wrong with having a rail network the country can be proud of. Instead weve got a total bloody shambles where profits get siphoned off by other countries. Surely in this day and age we can run it better ourselves and invest profits back into the network?. Or is it to much to ask for in these times of austerity.

Having made 2 journeys on ScotRail trains today I can answer the question...... he checks tickets sells tickets and chats to passengers.
Not once did he leave the train at a station and the train despatch was down solely to the driver as there was no platform staff visible..
Begs the question then what is the real motive behind the RMT's continual disruption?

Dancingbear wrote: Apart from everything else whats wrong with having a rail network the country can be proud of. Instead weve got a total bloody shambles where profits get siphoned off by other countries. Surely in this day and age we can run it better ourselves and invest profits back into the network?. Or is it to much to ask for in these times of austerity.

If only !!

You forget what British Rail was like,they were terrible.

Today British Rail would resolve the problems with a fag and coffee meeting and hiked prices through the ceiling so much, we would all take the car.

Today, the number of people travelling by train is increasing year on year, as is the UK population.

The ultimate problems today are bureaucratic and Unions, a legacy of Maggie's panic to dump BR.

The guard on the return leg tonight reset the toilet which had a fault which meant it went out of use every time someone exited it. Was much appreciated.

thesilentone wrote:

Dancingbear wrote: Apart from everything else whats wrong with having a rail network the country can be proud of. Instead weve got a total bloody shambles where profits get siphoned off by other countries. Surely in this day and age we can run it better ourselves and invest profits back into the network?. Or is it to much to ask for in these times of austerity.

If only !!

You forget what British Rail was like,they were terrible.

Today British Rail would resolve the problems with a fag and coffee meeting and hiked prices through the ceiling so much, we would all take the car.

Today, the number of people travelling by train is increasing year on year, as is the UK population.

The ultimate problems today are bureaucratic and Unions, a legacy of Maggie's panic to dump BR.

So because British Rail was crap we can never have a better system in house? Surely if they put the right people in charge we can?

ExiledJock wrote: I am currently freelancing and not earning enough to pay the bills. I don't have enough savings to retrain. Starting to get a bit grim especially when I'm nearer 50 than 25.

I don't know your situation EB so no a direct go at you but in life I have found that the snobbiness of people in a profession out of work is shocking.

People still have the qualifications but if they cannot get a job in that field then they would rather go without than say tide themselves over shelf stacking at Asda or the likes to pay the bills and put food on the table.

They always look down on a 'Mc Job' yet would be so un-motivated as in I am doing you a favour here attitude that they would be unsuitable for the job anyhow.

My wife did that when she first moved up. Put in for supermarket but didn’t get job. Woman told her that after looking at her cv they knew she’d be off once a job in her field came up so gave it to someone less qualified.

Dancingbear wrote: My wife did that when she first moved up. Put in for supermarket but didn’t get job. Woman told her that after looking at her cv they knew she’d be off once a job in her field came up so gave it to someone less qualified.

Most would see it below them to even try is the sad thing DB.

munchymagic wrote:

Dancingbear wrote: My wife did that when she first moved up. Put in for supermarket but didn’t get job. Woman told her that after looking at her cv they knew she’d be off once a job in her field came up so gave it to someone less qualified.

Most would see it below them to even try is the sad thing DB.

Thing is they called it right. Not that she’s on a highly paid job in the nhs but she was always gonna go there once a job came along

Dancingbear wrote:

munchymagic wrote:

Dancingbear wrote: My wife did that when she first moved up. Put in for supermarket but didn’t get job. Woman told her that after looking at her cv they knew she’d be off once a job in her field came up so gave it to someone less qualified.

Most would see it below them to even try is the sad thing DB.

Thing is they called it right. Not that she’s on a highly paid job in the nhs but she was always gonna go there once a job came along

Well not really then as you could have needed the dosh and who knows when a job would have came along, if ever.

Dancingbear wrote:

thesilentone wrote:

Dancingbear wrote: Apart from everything else whats wrong with having a rail network the country can be proud of. Instead weve got a total bloody shambles where profits get siphoned off by other countries. Surely in this day and age we can run it better ourselves and invest profits back into the network?. Or is it to much to ask for in these times of austerity.

If only !!

You forget what British Rail was like,they were terrible.

Today British Rail would resolve the problems with a fag and coffee meeting and hiked prices through the ceiling so much, we would all take the car.

Today, the number of people travelling by train is increasing year on year, as is the UK population.

The ultimate problems today are bureaucratic and Unions, a legacy of Maggie's panic to dump BR.

So because British Rail was crap we can never have a better system in house? Surely if they put the right people in charge we can?

Look in simple terms, Someone owns the rails, someone else owns the trains, the maintenance and services are outsourced, a very militant Unionised workforce, the franchise system (like all Government Contracts) favours large PLC's who can blow millions on pre-qualification and application. The Government could not afford to re-nationalise the railways, where do you think the money would come from anyway, it would require City investment, and who the hell in their right minds would invest in anything with the RMT involved !!!

However, there is a way to partially bring the railways back under Government Control, however this would need to be delegated down to regional level and involve branch lines and infrastructure development for 21st Century transport to Cities and Rural areas. It would also require a public service charter to halt the damage being done by militant Unions. PFI funded and long-term budgets bonded to Treasury Bonds which we could all purchase and share in the motivation for the services to be good.

For now, as long as the RMT sit there like a rotten apple, it's all a pipe-dream.

So it's nothing to do with crap management ???
It's all the unions fault and their bully boy union bosses.

Looks like your finally getting it flatcap. It’s nowt to do with foreign investors hiving off profits

Everytime a decision is made by management in the interest of public service and efficiency that the Union don't like - bang, strike !!

How can any public service operate in those conditions, don't think for one second that the RMT want the Railways Nationalised, it's the last thing they want...

thesilentone wrote:

Dancingbear wrote: Apart from everything else whats wrong with having a rail network the country can be proud of. Instead weve got a total bloody shambles where profits get siphoned off by other countries. Surely in this day and age we can run it better ourselves and invest profits back into the network?. Or is it to much to ask for in these times of austerity.

If only !!

You forget what British Rail was like,they were terrible.

Today British Rail would resolve the problems with a fag and coffee meeting and hiked prices through the ceiling so much, we would all take the car.

Today, the number of people travelling by train is increasing year on year, as is the UK population.

The ultimate problems today are bureaucratic and Unions, a legacy of Maggie's panic to dump BR.

Need a history lesson then. John Major had been PM for 2 years at least when privatisation was announced.

Arragorn wrote: Having made 2 journeys on ScotRail trains today I can answer the question...... he checks tickets sells tickets and chats to passengers.
Not once did he leave the train at a station and the train despatch was down solely to the driver as there was no platform staff visible..
Begs the question then what is the real motive behind the RMT's continual disruption?

Only in certain areas around Glasgow.

thesilentone wrote: Everytime a decision is made by management in the interest of public service and efficiency that the Union don't like - bang, strike !!

How can any public service operate in those conditions, don't think for one second that the RMT want the Railways Nationalised, it's the last thing they want...

I’m not a union lover, but you don’t half come up with some shite. Their policy is renationalisation, which would mean they could have a national strike. Do you not think that they would love that?

The privatised railways gets something like 3.5 times the subsidy BR got. Imagine what kind of decent railway we could have now, without hundreds of companies haveing their 10%.
Companies only get around 2% profit, it’s an awful lot of hassle for small margins, hence why at each franchise bid, there’s only 2 or 3 bidders these days, they need to have a bond of many millions of pounds set aside to cover a franchise failure.
Incidentally, Abellio have had to pump in xx millions of pounds to prop up the Scotrail franchise, so next time you hear �profits going abroad’ remember that 100% of U.K. Corportaion tax has been paid on that, not like the U.K. is losing out on money.

Excellent post High Street but about the last bit there’s still money going overseas that i think should stay in Britain. I appreciate that’s a bit naive nowadays but I’d rather we make v buy as is a current buzz saying where I work

Anyone who expects the RMT to fall in-line with public pay-scales and conditions are living in cloud cuckoo land.

We should be thankful that as militant as they are, there are no Mick Cash or Steve Hedley types at the top of the teachers Unions.

You would need to put shouting, bullying, swearing, wife beating, heed butting and how to build a Kalashnikov on the National Curriculum.

RMT = wxxxers !!

So it's not the train guards but rather the RMT that harmed you somehow in the past and have made you bitter towards them now ?

What happened SilentOne, come one mate, it's good to share, we'll all understand.

DeckchairBlue wrote: So it's not the train guards but rather the RMT that harmed you somehow in the past and have made you bitter towards them now ?

What happened SilentOne, come one mate, it's good to share, we'll all understand.

I have nothing against Unions, in fact in many cases they are needed. However the wxxkers at the top of the RMT are destroying the great efforts of previous Unions, and are exploiting a monopoly for there own personal gain - axxxoles !!

How do you negotiate with Militant Republicans ??


107cowgate.com/2016/01/14/steve-hedley-w...olution-means-to-me/

Do you make your feelings known to them elsewhere or just on here where they don’t post? Your as bad as me with the trust.

DeckchairBlue wrote: So it's not the train guards but rather the RMT that harmed you somehow in the past and have made you bitter towards them now ?

What happened SilentOne, come one mate, it's good to share, we'll all understand.

Yeah nobody gets so heated about something that has never affected them in life, and you seem too clued up about it all as well.

Come on pal, spill the beans

I don't get why people think nationalizing the rail services is a magic wand. BR was much worse than the current services... We have just forgotten how truly crap it was with a nationalised service. I remember whole BR work gangs turning up at my parents pub and drinking for 3 or 4 hours most days when they were supposed to be working... they always got away with it.

Other rail services in countries like France are often the models mentioned as examples of how to run a nationalised service.... I recently took about 10 trains between cities in France and yes the trains are nicer than ours and much cheaper... but there are people employed all over the place with seemingly pointless jobs...And don't get me started on their strikes. Plus you have to remember that if tickets are cheap then somebody is picking up the tab... in France SNCF are nearly 50bn euros in debt. Macron is about to partially bail them out with tax payers money. Is it fair that the majority of the population, who dont regularly us rail, have to subsidise the travel of others who do?

To put it into context... a factory worker in the North, who rarely uses a train, would effectively be subsidising the cost of commuting for an investment banker to get to work in London. That is what a nationalised rail service means. The many subsidising the few.

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French railways, off the main lines are a shambles. Trains that only run after peak hours on branch lines, meaning they’re entirely uselss, many line haven’t even seen a train for months, replaced by a bus.

Northumbrian wrote: I don't get why people think nationalizing the rail services is a magic wand. BR was much worse than the current services... We have just forgotten how truly crap it was with a nationalised service. I remember whole BR work gangs turning up at my parents pub and drinking for 3 or 4 hours most days when they were supposed to be working... they always got away with it.

Other rail services in countries like France are often the models mentioned as examples of how to run a nationalised service.... I recently took about 10 trains between cities in France and yes the trains are nicer than ours and much cheaper... but there are people employed all over the place with seemingly pointless jobs...And don't get me started on their strikes. Plus you have to remember that if tickets are cheap then somebody is picking up the tab... in France SNCF are nearly 50bn euros in debt. Macron is about to partially bail them out with tax payers money. Is it fair that the majority of the population, who dont regularly us rail, have to subsidise the travel of others who do?

To put it into context... a factory worker in the North, who rarely uses a train, would effectively be subsidising the cost of commuting for an investment banker to get to work in London. That is what a nationalised rail service means. The many subsidising the few.

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And we aren’t subsidising it now?. Personally I’d like to see a utopia of a rail system that makes the Country money and reinvests it. I’m sure it would also help with meeting our emissions targets. I also wish people would give over saying it shouldn’t be done coz British rail used to be crap. That doesn’t mean a future scheme needs to be.

Dancingbear wrote:

Northumbrian wrote: I don't get why people think nationalizing the rail services is a magic wand. BR was much worse than the current services... We have just forgotten how truly crap it was with a nationalised service. I remember whole BR work gangs turning up at my parents pub and drinking for 3 or 4 hours most days when they were supposed to be working... they always got away with it.

Other rail services in countries like France are often the models mentioned as examples of how to run a nationalised service.... I recently took about 10 trains between cities in France and yes the trains are nicer than ours and much cheaper... but there are people employed all over the place with seemingly pointless jobs...And don't get me started on their strikes. Plus you have to remember that if tickets are cheap then somebody is picking up the tab... in France SNCF are nearly 50bn euros in debt. Macron is about to partially bail them out with tax payers money. Is it fair that the majority of the population, who dont regularly us rail, have to subsidise the travel of others who do?

To put it into context... a factory worker in the North, who rarely uses a train, would effectively be subsidising the cost of commuting for an investment banker to get to work in London. That is what a nationalised rail service means. The many subsidising the few.

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And we aren’t subsidising it now?. Personally I’d like to see a utopia of a rail system that makes the Country money and reinvests it. I’m sure it would also help with meeting our emissions targets. I also wish people would give over saying it shouldn’t be done coz British rail used to be crap. That doesn’t mean a future scheme needs to be.

Not to the tune of 50 billion euros Dancing bear. I wish your utopia was possible ... it isn't. No nationalised European rail service makes money. Nationalised services are always inefficient and expensive... No matter what service and what country.if you are happy to pay substantially more tax for it then great... personally I'd rather not.

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Fair enough. They are gonna pay far more than that however for HS2. I’d much rather they improved the whole system and I’m actually not someone who uses it a lot anyway.

The amount of tax payers money going into the railways is reducing, however it is frustrating to see so much going out to shareholders.

But has anyone else got a suggestion where the investment money is to come from ?

In answer to munchy, with so much evidence of Republican support, self gain and childish excitement shown at the first sign of public inconvenience, how can you support the RMT ?

Is it just a coincidence that they all look like Bouncers, or is a pattern emerging ?

What do you have against bouncers and why are you stereotyping their image ?

What makes members/leadership of the RMT supporters of a republic and haters of the monarchy, and of they do hold those views what is wrong with that/why do you use that as a thing to hold against them?

thesilentone wrote: The amount of tax payers money going into the railways is reducing, however it is frustrating to see so much going out to shareholders.

But has anyone else got a suggestion where the investment money is to come from ?

In answer to munchy, with so much evidence of Republican support, self gain and childish excitement shown at the first sign of public inconvenience, how can you support the RMT ?

Is it just a coincidence that they all look like Bouncers, or is a pattern emerging ?

The amount of subsidies has reduced recently but has increased significantly since they were privatised.

Dancingbear wrote: Fair enough. They are gonna pay far more than that however for HS2. I’d much rather they improved the whole system and I’m actually not someone who uses it a lot anyway.

I think most rational people think HS2 is a load of bollocks.

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Northumbrian wrote:

Dancingbear wrote: Fair enough. They are gonna pay far more than that however for HS2. I’d much rather they improved the whole system and I’m actually not someone who uses it a lot anyway.

I think most rational people think HS2 is a load of bollocks.

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The need for it is not bollocks but the way they've gone about it is a massive opportunity missed.

This is the one line that should be privatised they should have put a 99 year franchise out to tender the winner builds it and pays for it and then gets to operate it for that period petty sure they'd be bust within 10 years so the nation would then get the assets for next to nothing meanwhile all the cash Gray man and the Mother Teressa are spending on it could be spent renationalising the rest of the network and investing in it.

CCU wrote: Good piece on Disabled Travellers on the Railway this morning. Scroll to 21:50 in...

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0b8lv5q/r...-2018-live-episode-3

Gloria Hunniford and Angela Rippon are well known fascist bully girls.

It depends on the line, but bye laws ensure that on most English train lines a conductor has the power to search you for pornos and if there're any good can confiscate them! Best to beware.

Striking because staffing cuts are making safety an issue.

Sound familiar?This is the reason put forward by the French Air Traffic control unions who are striking again this weekend-the latest in a series of strikes this year.It will be carnage this weekend for many innocent people who save up for their annual holiday,only to be ruined by socialists.

Train driver on the chase now. Do these fu ckers have no shame? Still trying to earn extra money on their days off. Do they not get paid enough?

Dancingbear wrote: Train driver on the chase now. Do these fu ckers have no shame? Still trying to earn extra money on their days off. Do they not get paid enough?

Ex semi pro footballer as well,how much money do these guys want.

Laffy wrote: Striking because staffing cuts are making safety an issue.

Sound familiar?This is the reason put forward by the French Air Traffic control unions who are striking again this weekend-the latest in a series of strikes this year.It will be carnage this weekend for many innocent people who save up for their annual holiday,only to be ruined by socialists.

Would you rather fly on a safe plane or a cheap one. I know which one is prefer.

Good news indeed.I can report that the guard charm offensive at Carlisle continued today-couldnt be more helpful to passengers.Feels like a �hearts and minds’ offensive to me but long may it continue.

Tha lads will be gutted their beaucoup day off has been scuppered. No doubt Cash will have taken a backhander somewhere along the line with his fat baldy bouncer mates.

Dancingbear wrote: Tha lads will be gutted their beaucoup day off has been scuppered. No doubt Cash will have taken a backhander somewhere along the line with his fat baldy bouncer mates.

Nah most of them knew it was coming and load refused to work their usual Sunday turn yesterday

I,d say the number of Aslef guards who did the same yesterday may well be what pushed Northerfail to the negotiating table as the last thing they need are the drivers joining in now.

Bank holiday so �everybody out’-this time followed up by a further 5 consecutive Saturday strikes.Poor.

CCU wrote: If only the Northern bosses were prepared to talk properly...

RMT ✔ @RMTunion

RMT confirms action goes ahead on Northern Rail tomorrow in fight over guards and rail safety as company refuses se… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

24 Aug 2025 08:10

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Funnily enough that’s exactly what Northern are saying too!

Laffy wrote:

CCU wrote: If only the Northern bosses were prepared to talk properly...

RMT ✔ @RMTunion

RMT confirms action goes ahead on Northern Rail tomorrow in fight over guards and rail safety as company refuses se… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

24 Aug 2025 08:10

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Funnily enough that’s exactly what Northern are saying too!

They can say what they want its pretty common knowledge how the last set of talks went

Northern said yes we.re willing to discuss anything Nothing is off the table

RMT turn up and want to discuss Northern telling the government where to stick DOO.

Northern. We cant discuss that.

Not difficult to understand really is it.

But its definitely time the RMT stopped pissing about and started to hit Northern in the pockets with a bit of industrial terrorism Just imagine the shit you could cause if one morning Northern woke up to find out their cc payment system wouldn't work.

They've seriously inconvenienced me and my plans today but I know who i.m blaming and it's certainly not the RNT. I notice that today they're saying they can only run 30% of the normal service against the near 60% they were achieving when the strikes were on weekdays so it looks as if the replacement clerical staff they were using to staff the trains aren't as keen to work at the weekends when they can't be blackmailed into doing so as its not part of their normal working week.

Theres a simple answer to this take the franchise off Arriva run it as a directly operated franchise [ like East Coast ] then in effect hand the franchise to Rail North [ a consortium of local authorities basically ] then let them appoint an operator to run it for them as they're told to in return for a fixed fee [ basically the model adopted recently in Wales ] The original reason for ROSCOS and Franchises was to take the financial aspect away from the state but in the time since things have changed local authorities can now borrow money at almost nil cost so why are we getting ROSCO.s to buy the trains at inflated interest costs which they pass on to the franchises who then pass it on to the travelling public.