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Another train assault
underlines key role of guards
A Train Guard's calm and professional
actions in the aftermath of a serious sexual assault aboard a Trans Pennine
Express service, last month, underlines the importance of a guard on every train,
Britain's biggest rail union says.
News of the 6 January assault; with striking similarities to an incident on
Merseyrail a month before; emerged as RMT entered crunch talks with Merseyrail
bosses today to head off the threatened removal of all guards on the franchise's
services.
The victim of the 6 January 2017, attack has praised the "unbelievably
kind and compassionate manner" in which the guard assisted her in the wake of the attack; and said she did not know what would have happened had there not been a guard
on the train.
The guard on the TPE evening service between Manchester Airport and York was
able to calm the passenger and gently guide her in making a complaint to Police
who, on reviewing the CCTV footage, have launched a criminal investigation into
a serious sexual assault.
RMT general secretary Mick Cash said:- "This latest awful incident has
come to light to the very day that our reps have gone into crunch talks with
Merseyrail bosses who want to remove all guards from their trains; despite
creaming off an average of £10 million in dividends for their shareholders every
year.
Once again a safety trained guard has come to the assistance of a passenger in
highly distressing circumstances, and it beggars belief that anyone could
suggest that trains without guards are anything other than a huge step
backwards.
Fortunately assaults like this are rare, but we know that passengers feel safer
with a visible, uniformed guard on board their train, not least women travelling
alone at night.
That alone should make a guard essential on every train, but they are also there
to take charge and help passengers to safety in the event of an emergency like a
fire or derailment, and to ensure that passengers get on and off trains safely.
RMT has drawn a line in the sand over the removal of guards from trains and will
not accept any extension of driver only operation; and that is the message our
reps have taken to Merseyrail." |
