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<p>Whilst decisions on staffing are for individual operators, the Government has been
clear that it wants to see more staff on our railway, not fewer, and it is not aware
of any plans by franchised operators to remove guards from train services.</p><p>
</p><p>With respect to the mode of train operation and guards, the ORR, the independent
rail regulator, and the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) have found that Driver
Controlled Operation (DCO), where the train driver has responsibility for opening
and closing the doors and dispatching the train from a station but a guard / second
crew member continues to be rostered on the train, is safe.</p><p> </p><p>An RSSB
report also concluded that the introduction of DCO according to the standard safety
management requirements that all rail companies routinely meet does not increase any
other passenger safety risks and furthermore that cancelling a DCO train in the absence
of its guard / second crew member is more risky than running it with only its driver.</p>
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