Train passengers may be astonished to learn how many working practices still seem rooted in the age of steam. For example, the majority of Sunday services rely on staff working overtime - an antiquated and expensive arrangement given the seven-day society in which we now live.

Train passengers may be astonished to learn how many working practices still seem rooted in the age of steam. For example, the majority of Sunday services rely on staff working overtime - an antiquated and expensive arrangement given the seven-day society in which we now live.

Working anti-social shifts in a difficult environment is undoubtedly challenging. But even militant staff may privately concede that some of the working conditions they enjoy are unusually benign.

There is inevitably a trade-off between staffing and safety, and as a society we must decide where that balance should be struck.

Were money no object, we could have a dedicated door-opener-and-closer on all trains. But in the real world, train drivers in different countries have a wide range of responsibilities. On rural routes in Scandinavia, for example, you might find the driver selling you the ticket as well as operating the doors, helping disabled passengers, handling parcels and driving the train.

While passenger numbers have doubled in the past 20 years, the industry remains scandalously inefficient.