Fourth Sydney light rail fire raises urgent safety questions; Call comes amid allegations safety trial scrapped due to cost

Media release, 10 April 2026: The NSW Government must urgently investigate safety on Sydney’s light rail network after another tram caught fire in the city on Thursday evening, shutting down most of the network, the Rail, Tram and Bus Union NSW says.

The incident marks the fourth fire on Sydney’s light rail system in the past months.

The alarming run of incidents comes as media reports reveal allegations that a pedestrian safety trial on the Sydney light rail was scrapped because it was considered too expensive.

According to reports quoting a whistleblower, private operator Transdev trialled sensors designed to detect a person entering the coupling area between two joined trams following a fatal incident in 2023. The project was allegedly cancelled due to cost concerns before a second person died in 2025.

Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) NSW Tram and Bus Division President Peter Grech said the two developments raise serious questions about safety oversight on the privatised network.

“Safety must never come second to cost, but that is exactly the risk when governments hand public transport over to private operators,” Mr Grech said.

“We’ve got allegations that a potentially life-saving safety system was scrapped because of the price tag, and at the same time we’ve got trams catching on fire across the network.

“That is a deeply concerning picture for anyone who relies on Sydney’s light rail.”

Mr Grech said the union is not privy to the full details of the trial referred to by the whistleblower, but the allegations demand urgent scrutiny.

“If these claims are true, it would mean cost cutting was prioritised over the safety of workers and the travelling public.

“We need an immediate investigation into whether a safety trial was abandoned, who made that decision, and what the NSW Government is doing to ensure this never happens again.”

Mr Grech said the string of recent fires also needs urgent investigation.

“Four fires in a month is not normal and it is not acceptable on a major public transport system.

“Transport for NSW must urgently establish what is causing these incidents and how they will prevent them from happening again.

“The thermal fire on Thursday evening stopped much of the network, and the whole system’s vehicle monitoring system shut down.

“There appears to be no safety oversight or adherence to the basic rail safety regulations on the light rail system. That needs to be addressed urgently.”

Mr Grech said the situation highlights the broader risks created by the privatisation of essential public transport services.

“This is the danger of privatising critical transport infrastructure,” Mr Grech said.

“Once profit enters the equation, cost pressures will always threaten safety. You cannot run a safe, reliable transport system if the operator’s main goal is delivering profit.”

The RTBU is urging the NSW Government to commit to returning privatised public transport services to public hands.

“Transport workers know strong safety systems save lives. The NSW Government needs to bring public transport back into public hands so safety and reliability come before profit.”