ENCOURAGING to see the Northern rail service is taking part in disability awareness training for its staff.

The point is, what is the point?

If Northern has its way with driver-only trains there will be no staff on trains to help the disabled, or elderly, or anyone else. Will the driver get out at every station to see if anyone needs assistance or to make sure it is safe to close every door?

The whole reason and logic of having a conductor/guard is to help the passengers, where needed, apart from taking fares and issuing tickets, as well as the safety issues involved. With a conductor available, the driver is free to concentrate on his job of driving the train safely and efficiently. How can a driver on their own do everything, especially to know when it is safe to close all the doors and especially on our local lines, with many curved platforms where the driver cannot see every door, Keighley and Shipley being particularly obvious cases in mind?

I predict there would be a lot of disappointed and irate passengers left standing on the platform due to an over-eager driver trying to make up time and stick to schedules, where passenger satisfaction and safety might not be the first consideration.

Of course, Northern is part of Arriva, owned by DB (Deutsche Bahn), German National Railways. Yes, they really are in charge of our local railway services now. Be thankful we don’t have to buy our tickets in Euros or need a passport to travel on them. Not yet.

Is it just another pointless public relations exercise, particularly from a company from another EU country after the Brexit vote to prove they are not all anti-British?

STEPHEN BENNETT Grafton Road, Keighley