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A busy rail route running through London has been put on terrorist alert after staff failed to find a fake bomb in a security test.

And it is doubly embarrassing for Govia Thameslink (GTR), which owns Southern Rail, and is locked in a bitter row with rail unions over the “safety critical” role of guards on trains.

The train drivers’ union Aslef say what drivers can see from their train cabs is a world away from the claims made by Southern Rail.

A leaflet will be handed to passengers next week with images of platforms from monitors issued by the company with clear pictures of passengers about to board, compared with photographs taken by drivers which are blurred and dark.

And they said the incident raised serious concerns over passenger safety at a time when the firm wants to move to driver only-operated trains and downgrade the role of guards.

Yesterday the union cut next week’s planned six-day strike on Southern Railway, used by 300,000 commuters into London, to three days - January 10, 11 and 13.

But Aslef announced fresh strikes on January 24, 25 and 27 and said the week-long action had been cut because of the impact on the travelling public who have suffered months of disruption caused by staff shortages and industrial action.

The terror alert was issued by GTR to staff on Southern and Thameslink, the Brighton to Bedford line via London, which it also runs.

An internal memo urged staff to be “extra vigilant” after the firm failed a security test in which inspectors from the Department for Transport left an unattended bag containing a ‘suspicious item’ on a Thameslink train last November.

Tony Holland, GTR’s crime and security manager, told staff in the memo:”Disappointingly, the bag was not found despite being positioned in a public area of the train and railway personnel were seen to walk past the location.

(Image: Getty)

“This incident further highlights the need for us to be alert and identify any unattended items that may be left on trains and stations. Please remain vigilant at all times.”

A spokesman for Aslef said:”How does this reassure passengers. It is quite extraordinary that Southern Railway has failed a DfT security test while getting rid of the guards on trains.”

Meanwhile,the Southern Railway dispute intensified yesterday with both sides deadlocked over the safety of driver only operated trains.

Aslef accused the government of being behind the dispute and using the Southern as “a battleground” ahead of other train companies, such as Northern and London Midland, planning to bring in driver only operations.

Mick Whelan, Aslef general secretary, insisted the dispute was about safety and not pay and strike action had been taken as a last resort.

He said:“We are taking a longer-term view of this trade dispute. The company has not been prepared to move - it is simply going through the motions.

“We remain committed to a negotiated settlement, as was reached with ScotRail, but it is difficult to negotiate with people who are not prepared to be flexible.

(Image: PA)

“We still believe a deal can be done but we are, at the moment, a long way from that position. It is time for the company to come up with a genuine offer rather than carry on posturing.”

The union said it had raised 50 reported faults with the driver only-operated images seen in the driver’s cab since last October, but states:”We continue to raise the same issues and continue to be ignored. We are going around in circles.”

Aslef members are operating an overtime ban that is leading to services being cancelled or delayed every day.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport union is also locked in a dispute with Southern over changes to the role of conductors, which has led to a series of strikes.

A Southern spokesman said: “This is a cynical ploy to minimise the impact on Aslef’s drivers’ pay packets and maximises misery, disruption and hardship for passengers.

“Aslef’s move shows pure contempt for the travelling public and it still causes massive disruption over next week.

“These strikes are pointless and they should call the whole thing off and let common sense prevail.”

And Rail Minister Paul Maynard said: “Fewer strike days will still cause massive disruption for passengers. I urge Aslef to call off these wholly unnecessary strikes and come to the table for talks.

“This modern way of running trains has been safely used elsewhere in the UK for 30 years. There is no safety issue; the independent rail regulator has confirmed it is safe.”