Article: Opposition says rail tender will do nothing to fix Melbourne's trains

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Opposition says rail tender will do nothing to fix Melbourne's trains

Opposition says rail tender will do nothing to fix Melbourne's trains
Article from: Herald Sun

Matthew Schulz

April 07, 2009 05:18pm

HANDING Melbourne's troubled train network to a new operator will do nothing to get commuters to work on time, the Opposition says.

Tender bids to take over the Connex-run train system from December closed this afternoon, with the final bid to retain the service lodged today by Connex parent Veolia Transport.

Bid spokesman Jonathan Metcalfe said the combined bid by French company Veolia (owner of Connex), Melbourne partner Bombadier and Singapore?s SMRT presented a ?compelling case?.

It says the bidders have focused on ?how the customer experience could be improved?.

But Opposition transport spokesman Terry Mulder said ?changing horses? in a multi-million dollar exercise ? including changing the name of the system no matter who wins ? would do nothing to solve the fundamental problems plaguing the network.

?All the staff will remain in place, other than perhaps key senior managers," he said.

?It?ll be a change in the brand, a change in the name on the side of the train. But the new operator whoever they are, will get landed with whatever Connex have to deal with on a daily basis. It?s just a window-dressing exercise."

He said the Government would be tempted to ditch Connex to shift the blame for the train system?s abysmal recent record.

But he said Victorian public servants had told him Connex was best placed to understand the flaws in the transport system.

?To try to break in a new operator could set it back even further than it is today,? Mr Mulder warned.

?A new operator will take quite a deal of time to become familiar with the system.?

?The greatest danger to the Connex bid is the Government wanting to start with a clean slate and appear to be apportioning blame to the operator for what?s gone wrong.?

?But if Connex gets the boot, and the new operator turns up on day one, what changes? I can?t see anything there that improves the service.?

He said the underlying problem causing delays was chronic underinvestment in the train system including rails, sleepers, points and rail crossings over the past nine years of a Labor Government.


?I have believed all along that the Government should get the rail network to a first-class standard before putting it out to tender," Mr Mulder said.

Previously, the government had promised more train services on weekends to improve Melbourne's train system as part of the tender.

Security would be increased at night, trains kept tidier and flying squads of staff sent to stations during disruptions.

The new train contract, which begins in December, could scrap the Sunday timetable in favour of a combined weekend schedule.

The State Government has told the bidders that commuters want:

BETTER service information, particularly during disruptions.

MORE staff to improve safety and customer service.

INCREASED cleaning.

IMPROVED connections with buses, trams and country trains.

Other bidders include Hong Kong?s MTR, where 99.5 per cent of trains ran on time in the final three months of last year.

In a statement on its website, it has promised ?innovative solutions which expand capacity, improve reliability and enhance the customer travelling experience''.

Keolis, from France, is a smaller operator half owned by the French company SNCF.