SAFETY IS NO JOKE: CONSTANCE MUST NOT ALLOW UNSAFE TRAINS ON THE NETWORK

The Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) NSW has called on the NSW Premier and Transport Minister Andrew Constance to clarify whether today’s announcement regarding the New Intercity Fleet was an April Fools’ Day joke.

RTBU NSW Secretary Alex Claassens said, “The NSW Premier and Transport Minister are well aware that no roll-out of the New Intercity Fleet is possible until all of the safety concerns are resolved with the rail workforce, as determined by the Fair Work Commission.

“Having committed to maintaining guards on all trains, the NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance is now appearing to push through changes that will compromise public safety.

“The RTBU will continue discussions with the Minister in good faith but it will not compromise the safety of the travelling public or rail workers just to make a PR deadline.

“The Government must not allow these new South Korean-built trains onto our system until the dangerous operating model has been fixed and they are proven safe to operate, because the RTBU certainly won’t,” said Mr Claassens.

The NIF is proposed to operate services on the Central Coast and Newcastle lines, Blue Mountains and South Coast Lines, with services starting or finishing at Central Station using the Sydney Trains network.