The region’s commuters are welcoming an announcement that the State Government will accept all 12 recommendations made by the Sydney Trains Review aimed at streamlining the rail service in and around Sydney, including the Central Coast line.
Passengers frustrated by ongoing interruptions to services are hopeful that measures suggested by the Review will lead to a more resilient, reliable service.
The Review’s recently released interim report reveals a great many deep-seated problems with the way Sydney Trains is currently operating, the Government says.
Major backlogs in maintenance resulting from the 2017 timetable changes brought in by the former Liberal government have led to network incidents and ongoing inconvenience to passengers, resulting in “a fragile rail network that does not recover effectively from incidents when they occur”.
An ongoing operational maintenance backlog presents a serious challenge to restoring a reliable network and has caused numerous system failures.
On-time running is at an all-time low and train service cancellation is at an all-time high.
Transport Minister Jo Haylen has instructed the Acting Secretary of Transport for NSW and the Chief Executive of Sydney Trains to begin work on implementing the recommendations from the report immediately.
These will include: an expanded passenger-focused team that can respond more flexibly and rapidly to disruption; mapping out an urgent and large-scale program of works to tackle the five-year backlog of system maintenance; and engagement with the workforce during the procurement, design and construction of new rolling stock.
The Chief Executive of Sydney Trains will report directly to the Secretary of Transport for NSW (TfNSW) and be directly accountable to the Minister on critical issues and responsibility for the Standard Working Timetable will be transferred from TfNSW to Sydney Trains.
The timetable team will report to the Sydney Trains Chief Executive to ensure independence and transparency and Sydney Trains and TfNSW will undertake an audit of recertifications and training for rail safety workers.
The Government will also look at options in the short term including: plans for upgrading customer communication technologies; the implementation of multi modal customer information screens; a crewing app that will allow faster response times for crew during disruptions; and improved rapid incident response capability that will make it easier to get the right message to the right people at the right time.
Longer term solutions to be investigated include: how major projects and proposed upgrades consider the ongoing operation of the rail network when they are being designed and built; how to best modernise the existing rail network to deliver a world class modern railway into the future; training staff to help make the railway work best for passengers; and shaping the 2024 timetable review to strike the right balance between delivering great passenger service and allowing time to keep it running reliably.
The Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) NSW says if implemented correctly, the measures will go a long way towards improving the troubled rail network.
RTBU NSW Secretary, Alex Claassens, said the union looked forward to liaising closely with the Government to map out the detail of how the recommendations can be implemented in practice.
“This review provides a roadmap for getting things back on track, which is crucial if we’re going to provide the commuters and rail workers of the state with the world-class transport system they deserve,” he said.
“One of the biggest failings of the previous government was that it neglected to consult with industry experts, including its workforce, on key transport decisions.
“We’re glad to see that the new government is keen not to make those same mistakes.”
Claassens said measures such as tackling the five-year backlog of system maintenance and forming a team to rapidly respond to disruption and engagement during the procurement, design and construction of the new rolling stock were particularly important in getting rail system moving properly again.
Terry Collins
Sounds like all talk and no action