Train delays to skyrocket as Constance scraps incident recovery times

Media Release, Monday December 4, 2017

Transport workers are concerned that train delays will skyrocket after leaked documents today revealed that Sydney’s new timetable has no capacity to deal with incidents during peak hour services.

Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) NSW Secretary, Alex Claassens said, “The Transport Minister has created a quick-fix timetable that is destined to fail during the most important travel hours of the day.

“What might normally be a small incident that previously went unnoticed by commuters because our workers were able to fix the issue, could now translate to major delays and commuter chaos,” Mr Claassens said.

“Minister Constance has sacrificed reliability for this new timetable – but the new services he’s spruiking won’t be of any use to commuters if it means they aren’t showing up.

“By scrapping crucial contingency time to deal with incidents, this new timetable is a disaster waiting to happen. Long delays from small incidents will now be inevitable, because our workers won’t have time to fix the issue when something goes wrong.

“Minister Constance continues to take reckless shortcuts, and this latest revelation once again demonstrates that he cannot be trusted to effectively govern our transport system.

“Not only is this a disaster waiting to happen, but the fact that Constance covered these issues up in confidential documents raises serious questions about whether he can be trusted. What else has the Minister hidden about this new timetable?”