RTBU withdraws safety ban and stop work action following cancellation of testing of unsafe train

Following the announcement of a 24-hour stopwork by railworkers, Transport for NSW has cancelled NSW Trains’ Mission Readiness train test which will no longer take place this weekend.

Railworkers in calling this stoppage did so to ensure the railway network remained safe for commuters and after this unsafe testing was cancelled have agreed to go back to work and ensure Intercity services return to normal as soon as possible.

Following the action of railworkers Transport for NSW will hold a series of meetings with the RTBU, starting on Monday, to consider the independent safety report findings that the train’s operating model is unsafe

RTBU NSW Secretary Alex Claassens said, “It’s really disappointing that we reached this point and railworkers had to stand up as the last line of defence in protecting the community.
 
“I look forward to upcoming discussions where safety concerns will be front-and-centre and railworkers views will be heard,” he said.

Intercity trains operate along the Central Coast and Newcastle, Blue Mountains and South Coast lines, with services starting or finishing at Central Station.