Driver Controlled Operation, similar to Driver Only Operation (DOO) is where the driver for a train carries out all the essential roles needed to operate a train. The main difference to DOO is that other members of staff also work on board, for example revenue collectors. Currently only around 30% of Britain’s journeys are either DCO or DOO meaning the remainder require a guard to operate and thus if there is no available guard the service would this be cancelled. DCO means only the unavailability of a driver would lead to a cancellation of a train.

Railways using DCO

A deal agreed between Greater Anglia (train operating company) and RMT union meant that all of their Intercity and Regional services would change to DCO, however unlike other DCO in place in the UK, a guard could still operate the doors in exceptional circumstances and must still be present in order for the service to run. The only exceptions are on Intercity services between Liverpool Street and

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...

, and Regional Services between

Ely Ely or ELY may refer to: Places Ireland * Éile, a medieval kingdom commonly anglicised Ely * Ely Place, Dublin, a street United Kingdom * Ely, Cambridgeshire, a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, England ** Ely Cathedral Ely Cathedral, formal ...

and Stansted Airport, where trains were already cleared to run without guards. Arriva Rail North were also hoping to agree a similar deal, however this was not achieved and on 1 March 2020 the

Department for Transport The Department for Transport (DfT) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that have not been devolved. The d ...

took over operations as

Northern Trains Northern Trains, branded as Northern, (legally Northern Trains Limited) is a State-owned enterprises of the United Kingdom, publicly owned train operating company in England. It is owned by DfT OLR Holdings for the Department for Transport (DfT) ...

, who are also looking to implement DCO, so could be implemented in the future. Other examples of DCO within the UK includes Abellio ScotRail and

Southern Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...

and

Southeastern The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

longer distance routes and services. South Western Railway are planning to implement DCO on London suburban services for when its new fleet of

British Rail Class 701 The British Rail Class 701 ''Aventra'' is a class of electric multiple unit passenger train being built for South Western Railway (SWR) by Bombardier Transportation and later Alstom at Derby Litchurch Lane Works. They will enter service on ...

trains arrive. The RMT has opposed to these changes and have held various strikes on many occasions including 27 days in December 2019. In April 2021 a deal was agreed between South Western Railway and RMT. Whilst South Western Railway claimed to have implemented a DCO method of working on their inner suburban routes, unlike

however, the guard would still be an essential crew member on the train and would be required onboard each service in order for it to run.

References

{{reflist Transport operations Rail transport operations