Southern Rail agrees deal with unions to avert driverless strikes - reports

The operators of the Southern rail franchise, Go-Ahead Group's Govia Thameslink joint venture, have reportedly struck a deal with train drivers over operating driverless trains.

An agreement between Govia and drivers’ union Aslef were expected to be announced later on Thursday, according to reports in several national newspapers.

But it was also reported that the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union remained in dispute with Southern over changes to the role of conductors.

Despite long-running talks to resolve the row, both sides' seemingly intractable positions led to industrial action, with drivers arguing trains without guards were potentially unsafe.

In December the high court rejected an attempt by Govia to prevent train drivers from striking in response to an overtime ban, which led to branch lines closures and severely disrupted services across routes in South London.

Strikes planned for January were suspended while Aslef kicked off a new round of talks.

Last year Go-Ahead said its expectations for the full year remain unchanged, as it reported “robust” trading in the first quarter despite the Southern strikes.