Southern rail’s “full service” pledge hasn’t gone down well with commuters

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Southern rail's commitment to restoring a full service from today isn't quite going to plan.

This morning, Southern said there were some alterations to its service, noting cancelled trains were due to a shortage of drivers, while another was cancelled due to a broken down train:

Its website said: "From Tuesday 24 January, we expect to run a full service and the strike involving RMT's 12 drivers will have little or no impact on this."

Read more: Croydon MP launches bid to ban “unreasonable” Southern Rail strikes

Long-suffering commuters had a few choice words…​

https://twitter.com/daveldinho/status/823805498831073280

And those who did get on a train were reminded of the good old days…

Read more: People are leaving floral tributes to Southern rail at train stations

While train drivers' union Aslef suspended strikes for fresh talks, the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union has not. The union said it had been excluded from talks and so its action for today, Wednesday and Friday remains on. It represents around 12 drivers to Aslef's hundreds.

Angie Doll, Southern's passenger services director, said ahead of Monday's conductor walkout by the RMT: "The RMT is continuing with industrial action that is now pointless. Because of the changes we've now finished making we're able to run 200 more services – a further 10 per cent increase than previous RMT strike days – on more routes serving more passengers."

Read more: Sorry, Southern commuters, your boss can tell you to come to the office

Also today, Croydon MP Chris Philp is bringing forward a bill in Parliament to argue for restrictions on the ability for public sectors workers to strike in the House of Commons.

It comes after Southern commuters have suffered months of disruption with ongoing industrial action over the role of the guard and driver-only operated trains.