Commuters want rail deal as now drivers are balloted for industrial action

It comes as conductors begin their second day of strike action this week, with hundreds of of trains cancelled on Tuesday as a result.

The Argus joined commuters from Brighton station yesterday to capture the mood on London-bound services.

Long-suffering customers spoke of the ongoing frustration and anger that nobody had stepped in to sort out the mess.

Others told of their lack of sympathy towards striking conductors.

Announcing that drivers would be balloted, Mick Whelan, general secretary of Aslef, said: "We have genuinely sought to reach a compromise with Southern.

"We have always been prepared to talk to the company, and we have always been of the view that it is, or should be, possible to do a deal - as we did with ScotRail - but it takes two to tango and the company has not been prepared to negotiate.

"They want to impose, not to discuss. They have dug in their heels and forced us to ballot our members."

Aslef is arguing that there should be no introduction, or extension of new DOO routes on Southern without the agreement.

Ballot papers will go out on November 4 and the result is due two weeks later.

Govia Thameslink Railway, which runs Southern, Gatwick Express and Thameslink, has promised that nobody will loose their jobs under the changes and have pledged a £2,000 lump sum to conductors.

A spokesman said: "We are very disappointed that Aslef has decided to ballot its members for industrial action.

"We will now sit down with union officials as quickly as possible to see if we can resolve the issue. If we can't, we'll await the outcome of the drivers' ballot and the union's next steps and we'll respond at that time."

Aslef threatened industrial action in the summer but pulled back after the threat of a legal challenge.

Commuters yesterday told of their frustration at the ongoing industrial dispute, and called on both sides to sort out their differences.

Thomas Wynn, 44, from Brighton commutes each day to London Victoria.

He said: "I can't speak for everyone but I am loosing sympathy with the union.

"They claim it is all about safety but that is clearly not an issue, independent reports have shown that the DOO trains are perfectly safe. They are just getting in the way of progress."

A HELLISH GRIND WITH NO SOLUTION IN SIGHT

CLAD in blacks, greys and navy blues, Brighton’s long-suffering commuters resemble a funeral procession as they reluctantly trudge to the station.

There’s no talking. Eyes are fixed straight ahead and there’s a general sense of foreboding in the air.

It’s understandable. After all, this hardy bunch are perhaps the most poorly treated commuters in western Europe.

Heads bowed and shoulders slumped, the life has gone from their eyes.

The colour drained from their cheeks and their blank expressions suggest there’s no hope.

Perhaps they’re right.

As Southern guards began their latest strike action yesterday, I joined this weary band to experience a day in their shoes.

Those lucky enough to both live and work in Brighton and Hove have perhaps never experienced the city at 6.45am on a blustery Tuesday morning.

For the record, it’s miserable, cold, wet and dark.

Once at the station the daily farce begins as all eyes turn to the departures board.

Fingers and toes crossed, commuters say a little prayer as they take part in the worst lottery game ever.

If you’re lucky, you get what you have paid for. If not, then tough.

As has been the case during recent strike days, the service is surprisingly not too bad.

But don’t for a second think this is down to Govia Thameslink’s (GTR) management of the situation.

The disruption today is not on the platforms and in the carriages.

It is the thousands who have either had to take the day off, book a hotel in London or work from home.

The platform for the 7.29am is called and there’s a mad scramble for the daily game of musical chairs – only without the music and the loser is forced to stand for an hour and 10 minutes.

A Gatwick Express service, it is one of the busiest commuter trains, arriving in London Victoria at 8.39am.

Once everyone is on board, it’s earphones in, books open and tablets – both medicinal and mechanical – out.

For some the iPlayer and the soothing tones of Mary Berry are the best way to escape it all. Others just sit and stew, thinking how much of their £5,000 season ticket is going towards executives’ bonuses.

Like many, Olive Jones, from Hove, is angry.

The train hasn’t even moved and she’s in full flow.

“It was my daughter’s 13th birthday yesterday and because of the trains I missed it all,” she says, the anger etched on her face.

“I got about an hour with her before she had to go to bed, it’s terrible.

“That’s the thing, it is not just people’s professional lives but also their personal lives.”

The 52-year-old started her job at Croydon College in August but, given the situation, she is already considering quitting.

“It’s that bad. It’s just a constant frustration.”

Charlotte Nicholls, from Brighton, started commuting in April and so knows no different. Not that it makes it any easier.

“It feels like there is nothing you can do to change things.

“Everyone is just having to put up with it and there is no end in sight.”

Like most 23-year-olds, she has a busy social life and in Brighton, she lives in a city where she can make the most of it.

But GTR is doing its best to scupper that.

She said: “I can’t plan anything in advance or arrange social things at night because I never know when I’m going to be back.

“It’s that massive uncertainty that is really frustrating.

“It is no way to live when you are paying £5,000 for a train ticket. I pay more for my train a month than I do for rent. It certainly makes me want to move to London.”

The level of frustration is clear and I feel like a counsellor, nodding furiously as I’m told tales of missed anniversaries and 20-hour days.

Some are close to tears: a mix of frustration, anger and a feeling of helplessness.

Others talk to you like you don’t really understand: an outsider dropping in on their personal hell for a day before swiftly leaving.

Thomas Wynn, 44, from Brighton, is, like many, considering changing jobs.

“When it comes to Sunday evening I get this sense of dread come over me.

“Like when you were a child and you had to get everything ready for school the next day.

“I no longer look forward to work and that’s the real shame.

“I think people have really lost any sympathy they had with the union.

“They claim it is all about safety but that is clearly not an issue, independent reports have shown that the trains are perfectly safe, they don’t need the guard to operate the doors. They are just getting in the way of progress and it is us losing out.”

While those in Brighton and Hove have clearly been hit hard by the disruption, it is those in the surrounding towns and villages that have come off worst – especially during the strike periods.

Luciana Damascena, from Worthing, had to wake her children up an hour and a half early before taking them to a friend’s house so she could get her husband to drive her to Brighton because there were no trains.

This also made her husband late for work.

The 36-year-old said: “It’s so frustrating.

“I know a lot of people in Worthing who are on the verge of losing their jobs.

“I have a friend who sees her husband just a few times a week because he has to pay out of his pocket to sleep in London close to his work.”

“When it was really bad earlier in the summer I was about ready to kill someone.”

There have been various warnings about the impact the disruption could have on the local economy, although much of this has been guesswork.

But as one woman told me, changes are already afoot, with Sussex jobseekers the ones set to lose out.

The consultancy worker, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “We have an office in Brighton as well as in London and the truth is that the Brighton office could be closed.

They don’t want people from Brighton with this train service.

“The company is losing hours of work every day – and because we are a consultancy and we bill people’s time, we can’t afford to do it.”

Among the commuters there are also whispers of London companies discriminating against Sussex job applicants.

Although this is perhaps not done openly, you can be sure a Brighton, Seaford or Worthing address will count against you when CVs are handed over in the capital.

On arrival in London (on time), our commuters head off to start work, many having left home several hours ago.

But it is not long into the afternoon before they become twitchy, grabbing their phones and searching the National Rail website.

The information they are after will determine whether they see their children tonight, whether they get to visit friends or even if they can get home at all.

Thankfully, much like in the morning, all appears relatively calm and I jump on a train from Victoria with Mr Wynn.

He said: “It’s odd but the strike provides something of a respite. It’ll only be temporary and the worrying thing is that there appears to be no end in sight.”

Mrs Jones managed to get out of work at 5.25pm but still didn’t anticipate arriving back at home in Hove before 7.15pm.

“It’s a constant frustration but unfortunately there is nothing we can do. I just find it amazing that it has been going on for so long and nobody has stepped in.”

Arriving back home shortly before 7.30pm, my day with the London commuters was thankfully over.

But at 6.45am this morning the funeral procession set off for Brighton station once more.

For them, the nightmare is never over.