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New InterCity Fleet a disaster waiting to happen: workers

Apr 28, 2020Media releases

Media release: The NSW Government’s New InterCity Fleet, which is currently being tested across the network is a safety disaster waiting to happen, the Rail, Tram and Bus Union says. 

A survey of railway workers conducted by the Rail, Tram and Bus Union found that almost 90 per cent of railway workers, including train drivers, train guards and station staff said they would refuse to work on the trains due to safety concerns for both themselves and the public. 

RTBU NSW Secretary, Alex Claasens said that a fault with the South Korean made trains means that train guards can’t properly monitor passengers getting on and off the train. 

“The Transport Minister can crow about the new trains all he likes, but the simple fact is that they are not safe and until workers are confident they are, Minister Constance is going to have real trouble finding people to get on them,” Mr Claassens said.  

“Train guards are unable to properly monitor passengers in the vital moments before the train leaves the platform. It needs to be changed, or we risk serious injuries – or worse. 

“We’ve always said we’re happy for the trains to be tested, but workers want to know that they’re safe before we start moving passengers around on them. So far, they’ve refused to allow anyone from the union on the fleet during the testing period, which is a real red flag.

“Everything we’ve seen of the trains so far shows that they’re unsafe.” 

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