A guard on Transport NSW’s intercity lines has contacted the Lithgow Mercury with concerns that staffing arrangements on the new intercity fleet of trains, which can be operated as ‘driver only’, will increase delays and reduce safety for customers using the intercity network, including the Blue Mountains line from Central to Lithgow.
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NSW TrainsLink maintains that its preferred operating method of the new fleet involves a driver and an “on board customer focused role outside the suburban network”, those stations west of Penrith, north of Hornsby and south of Waterfall.
“Whatever the decision is on the operating model there will be no forced redundancies,” a NSW TrainsLink spokesperson said.
The guard (who has asked to remain anonymous) said he has been concerned about his job security since the tendering of the new fleet, with the Sydney Morning Herald reporting tender documents required the trains “must support driver-only operation”.
“All the intercity lines from Central to Kiama, to Newcastle interchange and to Lithgow, these are all long journeys,” the guard said.
“If anything happened, the train’s going to be stuck out the middle of nowhere. At least if you’ve got guards on the train they’re authorised to move the train to the next station, we’re able to provide first aid and call an ambulance, or if there’s trouble on the train we’re able to call the police to meet us at the next station,” he said.
“We know the regular travellers on the lines who have learning disabilities, we know what station they get on and where they get off and we keep an eye out for them.
“Tourists often ask about which station in the Blue Mountains to get off at, and parents of young people travelling alone ask us to make sure they get off at the right stop.
“We’re there for the safety of the customers and we are able to help them.”
NSW TrainsLink said that it was the organisation’s “original intention” to operate the new intercity fleet as “driver-only when it was safe and appropriate to do so” but due to initial feedback “there is preference for a second person on the train to assist customers on our longer intercity journeys”.
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“Our proposed model has the safe operation of the train under the driver’s control with a second person in an on board customer focussed role outside the suburban network to assist customers and provide support in the event of an incident,” a TrainsLink spokesperson said.
He described the potential new ‘customer focussed’ role, which would be on board once trains leave the suburban ring, as “highly skilled”, having greater presence on trains while they were in motion and “trained in first aid, disability awareness and de-escalation of anti-social behaviour”.
He said that TrainsLink was currently consulting with customers, unions and staff about three different modes of staffing: driver only, driver and guard and driver with a customer service person on board outside the suburban ring.
“While we are consulting on three different modes of operating the train, we will not make a decision on the operating model until the train has been fully tested and we are absolutely satisfied the operating model is safe,” the spokesperson said.
“NSW TrainLink will also need to provide evidence to the safety regulator so they approve our accreditation to operate the train.”
TrainsLink said it had been in consultation with unions for two years on the issue.
The Rail, Tram and Bus Union has previously stated it feared the jobs of up to 300 of the 380 guards employed on NSW's intercity network were at risk.
“Train guards play a vital role in keeping commuters safe and making sure our trains run on time,” RTBU NSW secretary Alex Claassens told the Lithgow Mercury.
“We’re calling on the NSW Transport Minister, Andrew Constance, to put safety first and commit to leaving guards on our trains.”
The guard said he thought a decision on the trains’ staffing was being put off until after the state election.
“I’ve got no idea what I’d do, I’m too old to look for another job now,” he said.
The new intercity fleet is not scheduled to be rolled out on the Blue Mountains line until mid-2020.