Southern Rail passengers warn of strikes 'tragedy' amid chaos

Southern Railway passengers have warned of a potential "tragedy" because of overcrowding on strike days.

Lawyers acting on behalf of the Association of British Commuters have written to the Department for Transport to find out if it carried out any health and safety risk analysis ahead of strikes by the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union.

The group produced a graphic showing a packed platform, with the message: "It is not a case of if a tragedy might happen but when."

Train users have told of their own experiences during the recent disruption to services, including reports of violence at Brighton station, dangerous overcrowding and mass panic in crowds, as commuters rush to board trains after last-minute announcements.

Comments from passengers included: "London Bridge has been incredibly scary with lots of last-minute cancellations. I'm amazed that there hasn't been a serious accident."

A pregnant passenger complained: "I am not only having to take a significant detour, but also exposing myself to overcrowding on the trains, which is not only unpleasant but also a health risk for me and my baby.

"I am regularly getting squeezed and bumped into, and having to protect my stomach from impacts."

The commuters are considering legal action over the Government's handling of the Southern franchise.

A Southern spokesman said: "We understand our passengers' frustration and have every sympathy for the way they have been subjected to unwarranted disruption by the RMT during this lengthy and futile dispute.

"When stations do get busy, such as in times of disruption, our staff's priority is to ensure our passengers can get on and off trains safely, which sometimes necessitates holding passengers back from the platform."

A DfT spokesman said: "Improving rail services for Southern passengers is a priority for us and the operator. We announced last month that Network Rail would deliver £20m of improvements and appointed a rail industry expert to lead a project board to drive up performance.

"We have responded to correspondence from lawyers acting on behalf of the Association of British Commuters."

Manuel Cortes, General Secretary of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association, said: "The Association of British Commuters are not scaremongering. Their report vindicates our union's claims that Southern management are playing Russian
roulette with passenger safety and gambling for huge profits with passengers lives."

Meanwhile, Southern is to restore all its services removed as part of the revised timetable brought in earlier in the year.

And the RMT, which has called the strikes in protest at the removal of the role of guards from trains, has called off a strike planned for 3 November, on London Poppy Day, at the request of the British Legion.

RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said: "The union recognises the very special importance of that particular day and as a result has decided to suspend the action."

However, other planned strikes will go ahead.