Going south

FOR months Jamie Rickers has regularly crammed like a sardine into his Southern Rail train from Sanderstead to London Victoria; for months delays have made him late for work; and for months he has questioned the value of paying £2,724 ($3,590) a year for a “shit” service. “The only way it would change,” he says, “is if everyone on this train turned around and said: ‘I’m not paying any more’.” Alas Mr Rickers, who checks his watch as the train crawls along, lacks the time to start a revolution.

Thus far public anger has mainly scorched Southern itself. Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), the company which controls Southern, has certainly made a mess of things. Just as guards went on strike in April over the introduction of driver-only trains, it cut back on employee benefits such as free travel for family members. Staff sickness rates promptly doubled and drivers stopped volunteering to work overtime on Sundays.