Blue Mountains trains will only have a driver and not a guard, possibly as early as 2019.
A Transport for NSW spokesman, answering questions raised by the Gazette after Blue Mountains MP Trish Doyle brought the matter up in Parliament this week, confirmed that the “driver only option would only be introduced where it is safe and appropriate to do so”.
“A driver only operation would not be unique to NSW and has been in place for many years in Melbourne and Perth, and on many other international railways,” he said.
“Under our driver only proposal, guards will have continued employment until the new intercity fleet is progressively introduced from 2019. Even then we would still need guards on our current diesel fleet.”
Commuters would rely on what Ms Doyle called “the lottery” system of the NSW Police Transport Command beats.
The Transport spokesman said police had a “regular presence” on the line and were “the best option for our customers’ safety. Only police have the powers, training and resources to effectively respond to crime”.
“On board CCTV and help points will enhance safety significantly compared to the current V-set trains serving the Blue Mountains … supporting this will be increased staffing at particular stations, made possible by reallocating resources from an isolated guard’s cabin.”
The move comes from changes to the line which will see a new intercity fleet servicing the Central to the Mountains line.
The Transport for NSW spokesman said “the safety of our customers will remain the top priority for NSW TrainLink with the introduction of the new fleet”.
He said they would “be working closely with safety regulators to ensure that any changes meet our high standards of safety and have been consulting with staff representatives and unions about any potential changes to our operations”. They were also looking at “retraining and redeployment opportunities” within the train service for the guards.
“We have already begun discussions with staff representatives well in advance of 2019 so all options can be explored.”
Ms Doyle said guards performed key safety roles at platforms, between stations and in the event of emergencies and “you can’t just abolish them or their duties with the stroke of a pen without creating countless other issues for passengers”.
“This government has abolished the 600 transit officers that used to patrol our trains, now they are coming after the guards.
“The guard takes charge in the event of an accident, fatality or delay. It is the guard that assists passengers in a wheelchair on or off the train.
“This proposal is appalling. There are significant and systematic problems with anti-social behaviour, passenger safety and comfort on our trains right now that will be made worse with the abolition of train guards,” Ms Doyle said.
“On late night trips to remote, unstaffed stations, the presence of a dedicated train guard is crucial to passengers feeling safe on our trains.”
The move would also affect guards on the Illawarra and Newcastle lines and also passengers from Emu Plains to Central who were using Mountains trains as the ageing V-Set trains are replaced that operate from Central to Lithgow via the Blue Mountains, Newcastle via the Central Coast, and Kiama via Wollongong.
Ms Doyle raised the matter as a notice of motion in Parliament on Tuesday. She came across the information in tender documents for the project.