MEDIA RELEASE: New InterCity Fleet is a lemon: railway workers

The NSW Government’s New InterCity Fleet, which is soon to land in Australia from South Korea, is a lemon and no so-called ‘independent’ review will change the fact that passengers will be put at risk if the trains in their current form are allowed on NSW tracks. 

The NSW Government today released the findings of a ‘expert safety review’ into the NIF, which apparently declares that the NIF train is “safe” and uses technical systems more advanced than “many” in use internationally. 

RTBU NSW Secretary, Alex Claassens, says the reality is that a design flaw in the South Korean made trains means train guards can’t properly monitor commuters in the crucial moments before the train leaves the platform. This means passengers are at increased risk of serious incidents such as falling in the gap between the train and the platform, getting left behind, or even children being separated from their parents.

“The NSW Government knows it has bought a lemon in the New InterCity Fleet and it’s doing everything it can to try and cover up this glaring mistake,” Mr Claassens said. 

“We’ve got grave concerns about the independence of this report, which is why the union is commissioning its own review into the safety of the fleet. 

“The people on the ground – the train guards, drivers and station staff – know that these trains aren’t safe. No piece of paper stating otherwise will convince the people who know train safety inside and out that this New InterCity Fleet is anything but a danger on wheels.  

“Real experts who work on our trains every single day have travelled to South Korea and seen these New InterCity Fleet trains first-hand. They know that the current design flaw puts commuters at risk because it doesn’t allow train guards to properly monitor people in the moments before the train departs. 

“The NSW Government might be happy to have a piece of paper they can point to that says the trains are safe, but the workers on the ground certainly aren’t buying it and nor should the travelling public 

“The government can commission favourable reports all it likes – the fact is that if these trains are allowed on the track in their current form, passengers and workers will be put at risk.

“Time and again, this NSW Government has proven its incapable of properly managing transport projects – this New InterCity Fleet is no different.”