Off the rails 1: How many guards does it take to close a train door? None, say bosses - they should be helping passengers instead

Union officials have staged a demonstration outside ScotRail HQ in Glasgow, as members of the rail union are demanding talks in the Guards dispute.

Southern Railway and ScotRail intend to implement a new role for conductors which focuses on helping passengers rather than operating doors.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union has raised safety concerns over the issue and expressed fears that it will eventually lead to job losses.

Off the rails 2: Passenger videos train staff yelling at each other after yet another cancelled service

ScotRail and Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), which owns Southern, have insisted there will be no job cuts as a result of the switch in responsibility.

But the RMT says drivers will be the “only guaranteed member of staff on the train” and hundreds of guards could lose their jobs.

RMT members on Southern Railway walked out today, causing fresh travel misery for passengers already suffering delays.

Southern services have been hit by staff shortages for weeks, leading to protests by travellers in Brighton.

GTR has blamed high levels of staff sickness for the recent disruption.

ScotRail estimated about 30% of its services were unable to run today, hitting tens of thousands of passengers.

The union has warned that drivers will be expected to have responsibility for passenger safety, whereas currently both the driver and the guard “protect the safety of the train”.

It also claims rail companies are putting profits before safety.

Many trains are already fully operated by just the driver.

Train doors are operated by drivers on 60% of services on the GTR network and around half of Scotrail trains, according to the companies.

The Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) said a number of studies over the past 15 years into driver only operation (DOO) trains have not identified any increased risk from dispatching a train without a guard being present as long as the correct procedures are followed.

A spokesman for the organisation even claimed that the removal of any possible miscommunication between a driver and a guard “could potentially deliver safety benefits”.

The industry’s regulator, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), noted that DOO has been in operation in Britain for more than 30 years and its inspectors are satisfied it is a safe method of working.

But the RMT dismissed the comments and insisted that the RSSB and ORR are not independent because they are funded by train companies and the Government respectively.