TRAIN passengers are one step closer to taking legal action against the Government over its failure to resolve the Southern Railway crisis.

The fightback has started after a crowdfunding campaign launched by the Association of British Commuters raised more than £10,000 within three days allowing the group to hire a lawyer to apply for a judicial review.

If the High Court grants permission for the review, it will investigate the Department for Transport's (DfT) handling of the Govia Thameslink franchise which runs the Southern network.

The first fundraising target was reached as passengers faced yet more misery yesterday when RMT union members walked out on a 48-hour strike and took to picket lines at stations across the south east.

Staff remain locked in a row with the train company over passenger safety and over who should be responsible for shutting carriage doors. Today marks 135 days since the first strike and there are no signs of a resolution.

Summer Dean, a freelance photographer and video journalist from Hove, who helped set up the association, said the Government should have taken charge of the situation a long time ago.

The 24-year-old said: "We set up the group earlier this year because of the crisis - we could see how people were suffering. We've looked to the government before for answers which we have never received, we asked to meet with the department and rail minister Paul Maynard and they have not responded. This legal action seeks to demystify the cosy relationship between the DfT and the franchise.

"It is really early to say what we will find but the support for the campaign has been overwhelming. It shows how many people have been affected."

The association's campaign needs to raise £25,000 overall and has 26 days left. It is working with London-based Devonshires Solicitors to compile a case based on horror stories from passengers who have lost their jobs and had their home life disrupted by the months of anguish on the trains.

Commuters continued to face what has become a daily battle as the latest strike began yesterday.

David Knight, 34, who lives near Preston Park and works at Hove Junior School, said: "It’s really bad. I don’t necessarily blame the people striking, it must be very expensive for them to come out here and strike. I do have sympathy for them but it’s very annoying.

“It means I get to work late often and I have a job with a lot of responsibilities and meetings. And I think it just becomes frustrating for my employers and everyone else involved. If anything happens on a train, especially around here, it’s good to have a guard on there.

"I’ve actually spent a thousand pounds on a bike because there are no buses that go directly to Hove from Preston Park. It’s got to the point where I can’t get back to get my kids from nursery."

London-based media company director Rachel Mackie, 43, of Portslade, has been communing for eight years and branded the situation a "nightmare". She was hoping to get the 8.15am train but it was cancelled. Catching the next available train, at 8.30am, made her late for work.

Optometrist Oliver Desmond, 44, of Hanover, travels all over the county for work. He said: "I just want the strikes to stop."

Neither rail minister Paul Maynard or the transport secretary Chris Grayling were available to talk to The Argus yesterday. But in a statement Mr Maynard said passengers should not have to suffer any further disruption from strikes.

Earlier this week Southern's passenger services director Alex Foulds said the industrial action would "achieve nothing".

Last week the government earmarked £20 million to fix problems on the network but said none of the money would be used to resolve the dispute between the company and the union.

The normal Southern timetable - which the company said was disrupted because of high levels of staff sickness and was cut back in a bid to reduce delays and cancellations - is expected to be reinstated in the next few weeks. The strike continues tomorrow.

Share experiences of train travel with the association by emailing contact@associationofbritishcommuters.com or pledge support at crowdjustice.co.uk/case/southernrail

DRIVER ONLY SAFETY ISSUE

GTR insists Driver Only Operation (DOO) trains are safe and the RMT is scaremongering about safety concerns.

GTR refers to DOO being backed by the independent Rail Safety and Standards Boards (RSSB). The RSSB says DOO could potentially deliver safety benefits due to the removal of miscommunication between driver and guard. Under DOO train operation, the train driver opens and closes the doors – assisted by in-cab CCTV and technology.

GTR has guaranteed the jobs of the second member of staff on trains until the end of their contract in 2021 – with no reduction in salary. It says the plans will refocus the staff’s role to customer service rather than being tied to the task of operating doors, which it claims has been made obsolete by technology.

Despite the strikes, GTR will continue to move forward with modernisation plans and insist the door remains open with the RMT to find a solution.

ANGER OVER JOBS THREAT

THE RMT union’s industrial dispute with Govia Thameslink’s (GTR) was triggered by its plan to introduce Driver Only Operation (DOO) trains across the Southern network. The RMT believes DOO threatens jobs and public safety.

The union believes it is safer to have a conductor on the train and for staff to retain their responsibility for safety and operating doors. With wide gaps and curved platforms at Southern stations, they claim technology is no substitute for a conductor. The RMT says GTR’s new on-board supervisor role is an attempt to dilute the staff members’ roles and make the conductor position redundant.

The RMT also stresses the effect it would have on vulnerable passengers, as union bosses claim disabled and the elderly could not travel without booking in advance over fears there will not be staff to assist them on to the train. The union says GTR are waging war against its staff and customers on the issue of rail safety for increased profits.

FOCUS IS ON PASSENGERS

THE Government is spending £1.765 billion on the Driver Only Operation (DOO) trains for the Southern and Thameslink networks.

Rail Minister Paul Maynard claims the new trains will be longer and more spacious, and the new on-board supervisor will keep the service passenger focused.

The Department for Transport (DfT) says DOO has been standard practice on parts of the rail network for more than 30 years and the industry’s safety regulator, the Office of Rail and Road, has confirmed it is a safe way of working.

It also claims disruption was caused by staff taking unofficial strike action and not turning up for work and claiming sickness. Earlier this month the Transport Secretary announced a £20 million fund to help get the service back and running as it should.

The DfT insists Network Rail and GTR must work better to resolve issues earlier and ensure a better service for passengers.

TIMELINE OF RAILWAY CHAOS: HOW IT ALL UNFOLDED

November 26, 2015

The RMT Union strike ballot of Southern Rail conductors delivers a more-than-70-per cent vote for strike action over perceived unfair rostering of staff leading to staff shortages.

January 19, 2016

RMT calls on the Government to take the Southern Rail franchise into direct public ownership as staff fear threat to axe guards in favour of Driver Only Operation (DOO).

April 19

Conductors vote for strike action over wholesale introduction of DOO, concerns over jobs and public safety and GTR putting profit before safety.

April 26

Conductors strike for two days, causing widespread disruption.

April 29

Talks collapse as Southern management walk out of meeting with guards.

July 5

Southern Rail axes hundreds of trains under a revised timetable in a bid to reduce lateness and cancellations.

July 11

GTR guarantees that no on-board staff will lose their job or face a pay cut as a result of changes.

August 8

Conductors strike for four days. A fifth day of action was called off.

September 1

Transport secretary Chris Grayling announces £20 million fund and appointment of Chris Gibb as a troubleshooter to improve the Southern service. The fund will pay for Network Rail improvements on the line and will not be used to resolve the dispute. 

September 2

GTR's parent company the Go-Ahead group announces a 27 per cent profit increase to £99.8 million.

September 6

Association of British Commuters proposes to fund a judicial review into Department for Transport handling of the franchise. 

September 7

RMT strikes for another 48 hours.