NIF update: delayed and risking commuter safety

It has been revealed that the $2 billion New InterCity Fleet is running behind schedule, with passenger services potentially being delayed to mid next year.

An increased order from the Berejiklian government by 42 carriages has delayed the delivery and meant that manufacturing, shipping and testing schedules have all been delayed.

Once the trains arrive in NSW, they are to be tested for three to four months to ensure they are safe for operation. This testing period needs to account for a major design fault in the fleet which results in train guards being unable to check on passengers in the critical time period before the train departs the station.

The design fault could mean serious injuries and accidents such as Martin Stewart’s tragedy which was heard and ignored by the NSW Government earlier this month.

“A delay to the schedule is fairly unsurprising considering this government’s track record. By ignoring this critical design fault and ordering more carriages instead, they are proving that commuter safety is secondary to getting the credit for having the fleet ready to operate on time,” says RTBU Loco Division Secretary Bob Hayden.

“We would all prefer that the fleet is safe even if it’s late. They’re not the ones who have to deal with the aftermath of tragic accidents, it’s the drivers and commuters who suffer trauma for the rest of their lives.”

Please click here to read an article from the Sydney Morning Herald.