UK train drivers reach deal with Southern rail in long-running dispute

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LONDON, Feb 2 (Reuters) - One of Britain's longest and most damaging rail strikes since the industry was privatised in the 1990s appeared to be heading for resolution on Thursday as management at Southern Rail and its drivers reached provisional agreement.

The dispute over who should open the automatic doors at stations - drivers or on-board conductors - has paralysed services in southern England for months and caused travel chaos for millions of commuters.

Unions insisted safety was the main issue but management said driver-operated doors were safe.

Around 930 members of the ASLEF drivers' union on Southern Rail will now have until Feb. 16 to vote on the deal.

"I welcome this agreement which is a significant step forward in addressing the safety concerns of ASLEF members on Southern Rail," ASLEF General Secretary Mick Whelan said in a statement.

Nick Brown, chief operating officer of Southern's owners Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) said: "It's good news for passengers, the regional economy and staff.

"After the misery and disruption to people's work and family lives, we are pleased we can start to move forward and deliver a better railway for the travelling public."

GTR is a joint venture owned by London-listed Go-Ahead and France's Keoli.

Both the drivers in ASLEF and the conductors in the RMT union, who open the doors at the moment, were in dispute with the company.

"We are ready, willing and able to meet with the RMT," GTR's Brown said in a statement following the ASLEF accord.

But RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said his union had no details of the ASLEF agreement and that the RMT dispute remained on.

He noted, though that Southern has offered to hold talks with his union.

"Once we have the full details of the deal that has been struck today, and an assurance that the terms of reference of those talks will focus on the retention of a second safety-critical member of staff on Southern services, we can agree an immediate date for negotiations to commence," he said in a statement. (Reporting by Stephen Addison; Editing by Alistair Smout)