‘Second person’ needed

As a regular passenger (not customer) on South West Trains, I have always been glad that SWT has committed to having a guard on every train. If there is a problem and you need to contact the guard, then he or she can always be found on the platform at every station stop prior to closing the doors.

I am very concerned, therefore, to learn that South Western Railway will not commit to having a guard on every train - merely a ‘second person’. Unlike SWT, this does not guarantee that the ‘second person’ could be found should the need arise.

Surely a simple compromise is available. When the train stops at a station, the driver - who knows the train has stopped in the correct place - OPENS the doors. The guard - who would be out on the platform to check that passengers have all boarded and that the train is clear to proceed - then CLOSES the doors.

The odd thing is... last time I travelled on a (First) Great Western Railway local train, I believe the driver did open the doors and then the guard closed them. If I am right, why can’t this process also happen on (First) South Western? Martin James, Egham