341 fewer trains will disrupt night-time economy

Towns including Seaford and Newhaven will lose almost all their train links for at least four weeks under a temporary timetable introduced by Southern without consultation with the Department for Transport.

Routes to London and Sussex coastal connections will all see fewer trains especially at off-peak times, which will have knock-ons for both customers and staff in Brighton’s theatres and restaurants, bosses fear.

Meanwhile at a specially convened session of the Transport Select Committee in Parliament yesterday, rail bosses and unions chiefs blamed each other for the dismal service currently being experienced by commuters.

Yesterday morning Govia Thameslink Railway, which operates Southern, launched a new temporary timetable with 15 per cent fewer trains, in what they said was a bid to reduce the impact on passengers of weeks of disruption, blamed on staff shortages and industrial action.

Although 341 services have been cut, 95 per cent of capacity at London's Victoria station in the morning and evening peaks will be maintained, along with 86 per cent and 84 per cent of the morning and evening peak at London Bridge.

But the Sussex coastal route from Brighton westwards to Chichester and beyond will all suffer a reduced service and the connection from Lewes through to Seaford will have “very limited” train services with replacement buses in use.

John Baldock, general manager of the Theatre Royal, Brighton, said: “It’s going to have an obvious and immediate impact on customers who use trains to come to see shows.

“But it’s also going to affect staff, who may not live locally and have to go home after securing the building.

“Let’s hope it’s just temporary.”

Wesley Muzzall, manager of the Market Restaurant in Hove, agreed. “It will definitely have an effect on customers, but if you’ve got a member of staff who lives in Seaford and they can’t get a train after their shift, you’re definitely going to lose them because they can’t get home," he said.

In Parliament Govia chief executive Charles Horton apologised to customers but said the company needed to take action to address capacity at peak times and minimise customer dissatisfaction caused by unpredictable cancellations.

He said: “When you’re cancelling this many services there are no easy choices and we think we’ve done the most appropriate service pattern we can.”

He explained that customers could claim “delay-repay” compensation on the basis of the standard timetable, amounting to significant compensation for some passengers.

He was criticised by the committee chair Louise Ellman for not having enough drivers in place even before the beginning of the industrial action. She said: “This is pretty basic stuff.”

SOUTHERN SOLUTION PROVES RATHER HARD TO TRACK DOWN

THE claims and counter claims, finger pointing and the blame shifting over Southern’s service were discussed as Southern and union chiefs were summoned by the Transport Select Committee at the House of Commons.

But while we may have learned some extra details, we uncovered little common ground between the warring factions of Govia Thameslink Railways and the RMT union and less still in the way of promises of action.

From union general secretary Mick Cash we learned that the company had indeed, as has been reported, frozen certain staff perks – including parking permits and exchange of duties – following the outbreak of industrial action.

However Govia chief executive Charles Horton refuted the rumour that there had ever been limits or a ban placed on rest-day working, on which the company is heavily reliant.

Conservative MP for Bexhill and Battle Huw Merriman challenged the union on its motivation for the strikes.

The union has insisted the company’s plans to remove the duty of closing the train doors from the role of the conductor will affect customer safety.

But Mr Merriman said: “On the basis that this system is used on 60 per cent of Thameslink service and all of the London tube, why are your members not out on strike on those services if it’s not safe?”

Mr Cash replied: “Nationally only 30 per cent of trains are operated that way and there’s good reason for that and there are some genuine concerns.”

Another cause of bad blood between the two factions has been the company’s insistence that a spike in sickness and absenteeism is in fact unofficial industrial action.

Staff sickness shot up from around 20 per day to around 40 but unions said cancellations blamed on crew absence had increased from 26 to 244 in a comparable period.

Mary Glindon, Labour MP for North Tyneside, asked chief executive Charles Mr Horton whether it had been “helpful” to claim that the company had “compelling evidence” to suggest the sick leave amounted to industrial action.

Mr Horton replied: “I don’t know if it was helpful or not but that is the conclusion I draw.”

He said the company has evidence of sickness coming from small geographic clusters and that such a dramatic increase in such a short period with clear signs of these clusters was unprecedented.

We also learned that even before industrial strife set in two months ago, Govia was unprepared to deliver optimal service on the franchise.

Mr Horton and his chief operating officer Dyan Crowther blamed unexpectedly low productivity and unexpectedly high turnover among pre-existing staff for a shortfall of around 40 drivers when they took up the franchise.

Mr Horton said the firm had since invested £7 million in recruitment and training. He said: “They [driver numbers] were less than we expected them to be and we immediately took action to put in place additional additonal driver resources.

“We opened a new training centre, we tripled the number of courses, we put in place a significant programme of recruitment and we have now established the UK’s biggest driver training programme,.

“We couldn’t have taken action any more quickly than we did but given it takes 14 months to train a driver there is no magic answer and no magic wand I can wave in these circumstances.”

Only a few details emerged last month from the two sides’ meetings at conciliation service ACAS but yesterday we learned that bosses had offered significant assurances to the unions.

They included a promise of no compulsory redundancies, an assurance that existing on-board staffing levels would be maintained for the lifetime of the franchise and a promise to retain some conductors in their current roles.

Mr Horton also explained that on-board supervisors would receive safety training in dealing with emergencies and conducting train evacuations.

Unions have stressed the vital role played by conductors in such circumstances in the past.

But despite pressure from MPs and an offer to speak to the Rail Minister, neither side seemed to budge in its negotiating position.

The union offered to call off further action only if Govia backed down from introducing its changes in August but not– as suggested by Mr Merriman – if it was merely offered made guarantees on staff numbers.

Govia insisted it would introduce changes as planned and to “work tirelessly” to get staff back to work during this period of a temporary cutback in provision.

The dispute looks set to rumble on – unlike so many of our trains.

TEMPORARY TIMETABLE MEANS FEWER SERVICES

THE temporary timetable introduced by Southern from Monday, July 11, will mean 341 fewer trains per day across the network.

Rail bosses insist the alterations should mean those trains which are promised do actually arrive rather than being cancelled at the last minute, which is too often the case at present.

Gatwick Express services in the peak period are largely unaffected but there is a reduced off-peak service.

Few trains will run between Seaford and Lewes. Most services will be replaced by buses, other than the Seaford to London Victoria services.

West Coastway Brighton to Southampton services are mostly withdrawn. Passengers should catch Brighton to Portsmouth trains and change at Barnham on to the London Victoria to Southampton trains which are still running. Some services will be replaced by buses.

East Coastway has no peak service reduction in trains to London, although Rye and Ashford shuttles are removed during peak hours, with replacement buses being organised.

Extra stops are being put into Brighton to Ashford services to cover Falmer where Seaford services are to be withdrawn.

Passengers will be able to claim “delay-repay” in respect of the standard timetable.

The company has published full details of each timetable online at the Southern Railway website.