Urgent investigation into driverless Metro trains required amid ‘violent shaking’ reports

An urgent investigation into Sydney’s driverless metro system must be launched amid fears that violent shaking and rattling on the trains could lead to derailment, the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) says.

Passengers have reported that the Sydney Metro northwest shakes violently when travelling through tunnels.

RTBU NSW Secretary, Alex Claassens, said the union has long held safety concerns about the driverless train system.

“The NSW Government needs to launch an urgent investigation into the safety concerns being raised by passengers on the Metro system,” Mr Claassens said.

“It’s not good enough to just tell passengers not to worry. Violent shaking certainly doesn’t sound like a train running safely.

“This is just one of the many reasons why we need train crew on our trains. If this system had train crew on board they would not only be able to indicate immediately whether there was an issue, but they’d be there to assist in the event that something does go wrong.

“Driverless trains are a disaster waiting to happen. We’re putting passengers inside a big metal container and sending them off down a track with no one in charge and no one to assist in the event of an emergency.

“This is not how public transport in NSW should work. Commuters deserve a world-class, safe system.”