There has been another blemish on Sydney trains track-record with the NSW Premier Chris Minns calling for an independent review into the network.
Widespread disruptions to all but the T4 South Coast line occurred earlier in the week when a high-voltage wire collapsed onto a train, derailing the afternoon peak, and leaving thousands of commuters stranded.
Mr Minns has announced a fare-free commute for Monday 26 to make up for the incident, alongside an acknowledgement that the train network needs a major re-vamp.
“The consistency in the network is not there. Punctuality is not there,” Mr Minns said.
“We’ve got to get better; this is nowhere near good enough, and it’s certainly not on par with international standards.
“We are looking at bringing someone in… [with] a fresh set of eyes.”
The Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE) 2024 Statistics Yearbook has detailed that Sydneysiders use heavy rail more than any other Australian city with 271 million passengers in 2022-23.
Source: BITRE
Sydney rail employees have taken the brunt of passengers frustration, with many looking to let off steam after becoming stranded.
Station duty manager Matthew Dobell said that the last six months have been some of the worst he has seen in his eight years in the industry.
“There have always been disruptions on the network for various reasons, but the last six months has been very frustrating for all, from protected industrial action to infrastructure problems to delays caused by fatalities and also extreme weather,” Mr Dobell said.
The disruptions caused by the high voltage wire saw the worst punctuality performances for suburban, CBD and Intercity trains since February 14 when more than 500 train drivers and guards stopped work amid pay negotiations.
“Lately funding has been an issue. Money has been pulled from maintenance budgets and other area budgets to fund the Metro line,” Mr Dobell said.
“Our train line is over 100 years old, and it needs maintenance so that we have trains.
“There are lots of components to run the trains, from single operators to train controllers, train crew, station staff, maintenance staff, infrastructure teams, rostering staff it’s a team effort, however, the main component to a smooth-running network is communication and lately it’s just not up to scratch.”
Commuters are strongly advised to check Transport NSW for periods of planned trackwork and allow for extra travel time in case of unforeseen circumstances.
Additional reporting: Sophie Wright