Cancel overseas train contract, says Trish Doyle MP

Blue Mountains MP Trish Doyle is a great supporter of rail and a strong advocate for passenger safety.

Now she’s calling for the international contract for South Korean consortium Hyundai Rotem to design, manufacture and test the New Intercity Fleet (NIF) to be cancelled.

In a front page article in the Blue Mountains Gazette she said she was extremely concerned for the safety of commuters after more and more US cases of critical structural flaws in trains designed by Hyundai Rotem.

“From Pennsylvania to California, to Brisbane and to the Blue Mountains, the evidence is mounting up that building trains on the cheap is a bad idea and in the long run, a waste of money,” said Ms Doyle.

“We need reliable, safe and fit-for-purpose trains. If it means spending extra for the quality and expertise of local designers and builders, then that’s what we should be doing.”

RTBU NSW Secretary Alex Claassens agrees and told the Gazette he’s “concerned about the NSW government procuring trains from overseas as a rule.”

“What I read on Google about these trains… worries the hell out of me.”