Article: Stations get paramedics as morning rush takes toll

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From the Melbourne Age click here!

Stations get paramedics as morning rush takes toll

Stations get paramedics as morning rush takes toll
CLAY LUCAS
June 3, 2010

OVERCROWDING on Melbourne's trains is causing so many passengers to become ill that Metro is stationing St John Ambulance paramedics at its five busiest stations during morning rush hours.

Performance results for May released yesterday confirmed that Metro failed to meet on-time targets for a sixth month in a row since taking over from Connex, as reported in Monday's Age.

The operator also announced it would employ ambulance staff during the morning peak hour at Parliament, Richmond, Caulfield, North Melbourne and Flinders Street stations. Ill passengers are a regular cause of major delays on the network.

A 2009 train operations report by the Transport Department, obtained by the opposition, said the number of ill passengers was increasing, largely as a result of overcrowding.

''In many cases, ill passengers cannot be moved from the train until ambulance officers arrive and are able to assess the passenger's health,'' the report said.

Asked if hiring ambulance staff showed overcrowding had reached dangerous levels, Public Transport Minister Martin Pakula's spokesman said: ''Metro are ensuring that any sick passengers can get the necessary medical treatment they need.''

Opposition transport spokesman Terry Mulder said Melbourne's trains faced a ''chaotic situation'', because the government had not bought new trains over the past decade.

Metro cancelled only 1 per cent of trains last month, but ran 17.3 per cent more than five minutes late. Under its contract, Metro is meant to run less than 12 per cent of trains late.