After 12 years of the former Liberal Governments' failure to invest in the maintenance and operations of our heavy rail network, we were handed a system in a state of disrepair.
The final straw was the overhead wiring failure at homebush in May of this year which caused 2 days of chaos for commuters.
As a result my Government commissioned an independent review of the incident and its report makes for sobering reading.
It examined the cause of the incident, the impact of recent repair and fleet investment, and whether passenger communications were adequate during major disruptions.
The Review found that:
The final straw was the overhead wiring failure at homebush in May of this year which caused 2 days of chaos for commuters.
As a result my Government commissioned an independent review of the incident and its report makes for sobering reading.
It examined the cause of the incident, the impact of recent repair and fleet investment, and whether passenger communications were adequate during major disruptions.
The Review found that:
- The overhead wire which failed had been identified as a risk in 2020 but was never entered into Sydney Train's defect management system and not repaired.
- The fault caused city-wide disruption, with the impact spreading across multiple lines.
- Recovery of services was far too slow, including a three-hour operation to detrain passengers.
- Communication with passengers and within the Rail Operations Centre (ROC) was inadequate, contributing to confusion and delay.
My Government has accepted all 12 recommendations of the Review and will implement them with clear timelines and accountability measures.
We have also announced an investment of $458 million dollars over 4 years to support a major overall to maintenance, incident management and passenger communications.
The transport Minister John Graham has made it very clear, the people of Sydney expect a safe and reliable rail network - and right now, it's not up to scratch.
This Review shows just how much work there is to do, and we're determined to get on with it.
We have also announced an investment of $458 million dollars over 4 years to support a major overall to maintenance, incident management and passenger communications.
The transport Minister John Graham has made it very clear, the people of Sydney expect a safe and reliable rail network - and right now, it's not up to scratch.
This Review shows just how much work there is to do, and we're determined to get on with it.
If you would like to view the report in full, Click Here
