Talking Southern Network Blues
Like Howard Beale in the film Network, I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!
“From Tuesday 6th December severe disruption is expected every day until further notice.” — Southern Rail UK
Following the latest statement posted on Southern Rail UK’s website regarding the ongoing industrial dispute with the RMT Union, I decided to write to the company via social media. It felt good.
Dear @SouthernRailUK. You have today posted on your website and social media that due to the ongoing industrial dispute you expect continued severe disruption to services “every day” from Tues Dec 6th “until further notice.”
In response to this I have four questions…
1. You claim that Driver Only Operated (DOO) trains will improve customer experience, yet do you really feel that the last 12 months of declining customer experience caused by this dispute have been worth any potential improvement that may arise from your plans?
2. Would you agree that a majority of customers would most likely be happy to forgo any potential improvement in customer experience at the introduction of DOO trains if it meant a swift end to the dispute that continues to make their experience a misery “everyday until further notice”?
3. Can you explain why the savings you suggest would be made by introducing DOO are necessary when your co-owning company posted profits of nearly £100m in September?
4. Can you further explain why a government fund of an additional £20m, this time of UK taxpayers money, given to you for the expressed purpose of improving your service appears to have had no perceivable positive impact whatsoever?
Any responses to these questions would be gratefully welcomed by myself and, most likely, the thousands of other Southern passengers who have no alternative but to continue to pay hard earned money to travel on your network in increasingly difficult financial times.
Thank you for your careful consideration of the above.
