Additional train drivers will be hired and some late-night services will be cut from what’s been labelled a ‘complex’ Sydney rail network to avoid a repeat of the chaos experienced last month.
After the network went into meltdown for two consecutive days in January, Transport Minister Andrew Constance ordered a high-level report from the head of Sydney Trains, Howard Collins, and Transport Secretary Rodd Staples into the rail network’s ability to recover from major incidents.
Analysis of the network found the ‘tangled’ train system currently in place and crew shortages to be key factors in the mess, the ABC reported.
New measures will be taken to avoid a repeat of the chaos on Sydney trains
Additional train drivers will be hired and some late-night services will be cut
‘I think as everyone gets out of bed everyday sometimes things go wrong,’ chief executive Howard Collins said.
‘What I’m expecting to happen and we’re working on hard is building that resilience to minimise the impact of major delays.’
Mr Collins said some non-peak services would be reduced to free up resources on what he labelled a ‘complex network’.
‘We need more driver resources to allow us to recover this timetable,’ he told ABC Radio on Thursday.
Transport Minister ordered a high-level report from the head of Sydney Trains
‘It’s a very intense service, it’s quite complex and we’re recruiting and moving those resources into our organisation, and I expect over the next few weeks we’ll be making some minor adjustments to the services.’
Mr Constance said the government would enact all the recommendations to ensure they improved major incident recovery on the rail network.
‘We have seen unprecedented growth in public transport patronage, and it is important we respond to this – while also planning for a growing city with extra services,’ he said in a statement on Thursday.
Labor blamed November’s rushed-in new timetable for the January 8 and 9 meltdowns.
Mr Collins last month said the new timetable, introduced on November 26, would be reviewed. However, he insisted it wasn’t rolled out too early due to government pressure.