Re: industrial action by cityrail train guards - 22 july

["Exnarc" <gwrly@netspace.net.au>]

Michael Walker <walker@hotkey.net.au> wrote in message
934548825.319044@diddley.primus.com.au">news:934548825.319044@diddley.primus.com.au...
> >I would suggest to you that in Melbourne there has been no reduction in
the
> >quality of service because the guards have gone, to the contrary, there
has
> >probably been an improvement in the quality of service in some ways.
> >
> Indeed, some railway employees I heard speak were glad the guards
positions
> had gone and even commented it had improved train reliability because this
> way the driver either turned up for work or didn't, under the old system,
if
> either the guard or driver didn't turn up, the train didn't run. Of
course,
> this may have been an isolated group not sticking up for their fellow
> workers, but I suspect not based on rumour and the comment above...
>
> My 2c worth is that while SPOT was being introduced, there were all sorts
of
> disasters (I was travelling to Elsternwick every week day when SPOT was
> first introduced on the Sandringham line and the trains were so unreliable
> it was a joke) but now you can't tell the difference. In terms of
security,
> most guards I observed did not do much. The only area where potentially
the
> guards are missed is with the increase in incidents involving prams jammed
> in doors as the train departs and other such things, many though being
just
> as much a result of passenger stupidity as much as there not being a guard
> to act as a safety net to prevent them being entrants in the Darwin
Awards.
> The drivers of course were happy to take the extra money...
>

You can't help the stupidity of some people, no matter how many employees
are on the train.

Last night after a stop at a station on the Hurstbridge line, I closed the
doors started to move, when a rather chubby man, about 45 - 50, forced open
the doors and jumped from the moving train, I made an emergency stop, as I
started to move away again he ran back to the train, again forced the doors
open got one leg in and tried to get on, (one leg jammed in the door the
other trying to run along the platform), I stopped again and he forced the
doors open and got in.

The train was packed so I just commented over the PA what a clever person he
was!!!

He got off the next station, (very sheepishly) I guess some of his fellow
passengers must have added to my comments?

Bob.