From 'RMT On The Trains' newsletter, August 2008

The RMT has written to LUL to say we do not accept automatic doors. It is planned that the new Victoria Line trains are designed so that the doors can open on their own without any safety check from the driver. NO matter what is happening on the platform, the train would just open the doors. They assure us that even after several years this would be fail safe technology and would never open the doors in the tunnel. How do they know that? Easy – the private manufacturers have told them so!

So where are they going with all this? The fact is that the same private manufacturers now claim technology has advanced far enough to get rid of train operators on the Underground. Despite our ancient system of curved tracks jam packed to the gills with passengers, they are seriously toying with the idea for the future. Instead of thinking about getting rid of drivers they should think about bringing back the guard and having extra platform staff. The cold reality is that people have died that could have been saved if there had been a guard on the train.