Right guard

I agree with the action of ASLEF drivers on Southern: Driver Only Operation puts the poor train driver in an indefensible position if a death occurs at the platform/train interface due to a trap and drag (or other) incident.

On today’s railway the platform/ train interface is among the most common area of accidents. And with unstaffed stations, longer trains and busier platforms, the chance of trap and drag increases greatly.

Nigel Harris has often quoted that London Underground operates DOO trains day in day out with very little trouble. But a seven-car Tube train is only about half the length of a 12-car Southern train. The busiest Tube stations are also designed so that departing passengers move straight off the platform into a parallel central area.

Network Rail stations often have only one exit, so a crowd of passengers could be making their way up the busy platform as the train departs, and a driver would have no idea if someone came into contact with the moving train. And what about fog, when did you last see fog in an Underground station?

There is a simple answer to this dispute. Drivers should operate these 12-coach trains and at every station, after closing the doors, the driver should apply the emergency brake, alight onto the platform, walk down the platform to ensure all doors are closed and free of any entrapment, then return to the cab before moving the train.

If this happened every time (no action could be taken against the driver as he is complying with the Health and Safety at Work Act), with all the delay minutes I expect Southern would want to put a member of staff on board the train to close the doors. You could call them a Guard! Tim Naylor, Penzance