Sydney Trains

[ozbob]

Sydney Morning Herald --> 'No other choice': NSW train workers to strike for 24 hours over pay dispute

NSW train workers will strike for 24 hours on January 29 after negotiations over pay and conditions fell apart.

The Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) announced the strike on Tuesday, saying it was the result of Sydney Trains and NSW Trains management "refus[ing] to negotiate a fair and reasonable enterprise agreement".

Workers will stop work at 12.01am on Monday, January 29, and continue until midnight, on a day some students will be returning to school after the holidays.

Alex Claassens, the union's NSW secretary, said commuters were given as much notice as possible to make alternate arrangements.

"There's never an ideal time to take this kind of action, but the reality is, we have to," Mr Claassens said.

"The Transport Minister and management haven't left us with any other choice."

The strike announcement comes after a horror week for the city's rail network, which left thousands of commuters stranded in peak hour.

Sydney Trains chief executive Howard Collins had warned if drivers refused to work unplanned or rostered overtime, it could cause fresh chaos.

Mr Claassens said the union had been attempting to negotiate an enterprise agreement on behalf of 9000 workers for more than six months, but the NSW government and trains management refused to bargain on pay and basic conditions that impact workers' safety.

"The terrible way management and the NSW Government are willing to treat their hard-working employees has been laid bare for everyone to see lately," he said. "All workers are asking for fair working conditions and wages in return for the work they do."

He said the government could stop the strike at any time in the next two weeks if they returned to the negotiating table with a "fair agreement".

Rail workers are unhappy about the current enterprise agreement and have voted to take industrial action as they continue to fight for a 6 per cent pay rise and improved working conditions including rostering and claiming days off.

While Mr Claassens acknowledges the proposed 6 per cent rise is "a bit out there," he says members want decent recognition for their work.

Transport minister Andrew Constance denied negotiations have broken down and said the strike was "ridiculous", "an escalation" and "weird behaviour" by the RTBU.

"They will shut down the city in taking this step," Mr Constance said. "This is not putting customers first, this is putting interests of union bosses first, well above the customers.

"The government is willing to make a pay rise offer to Sydney train drivers and NSW train drivers. It's in accordance with the wages policy, that is a 2.5 per cent per annum increase.

"In terms of the rest of the enterprise agreement, roll it over ... that's what's on the table."

Mr Constance urged the union to call off the strike and "put commuters first".

"We have a Fair Work hearing under way, we have a discussion that is going to happen between Unions NSW and Sydney Trains on Thursday, and we'll go from there," he said.

"The RTBU are no longer leading this negotiation, Unions NSW are, and that's appropriate."

The strike comes after workers voted overwhelmingly in favour of taking protected industrial action last week.

On Monday, the union announced it would take two forms of action. Workers will wear union campaign material including badges from January 19, and an indefinite ban on overtime will be in place from January 25.

Figures released by the union show 94 per cent of voting Sydney Trains workers were in favour of striking for up to 72 hours, while 90 per cent of NSW Trains workers who voted were in favour.

An overwhelming majority of workers who voted in the ballot were also in favour of stopping work for a week or more.

[ozbob]

Daily Telegraph --> Train drivers vote to go on 24 hour strike

NSW commuters can expect even more train chaos as the state's rail workers prepare to strike for 24 hours.

Transport Minister Andrew Constance called the strike action an "extraordinary" act by union bosses.

The Rail, Tram and Bus Union announced the strike after lengthy negotiations with rail management fell through in Sydney this afternoon.

The work stoppage will begin at 12.01am on Monday January 29 — the day thousands of children are expected to return to school.

This comes after a week of rail chaos when driver shortages crippled the network.

"We're disappointed it's had to come to this, but management and the NSW government haven't left us with any other options," NSW union secretary Alex Claassens said.

"The terrible way management and the NSW government are willing to treat its hardworking employees has been laid bare for everyone to see lately.

"All workers are asking for are fair working conditions and wages in return for the work they do."

The strike announcement comes after a horror week for the city's rail network, which left thousands of commuters stranded in peak hour.

Rail workers are unhappy about the current enterprise agreement and have voted to take industrial action as they continue to fight for a six per cent pay rise and improved working conditions.

Drivers have already agreed to indefinitely refuse to work overtime from next Thursday, which the government fears will be "as bad as a strike".

Sydney Trains chief executive Howard Collins had warned if drivers refused to work unplanned or rostered overtime, it could cause fresh chaos. Earlier in the day, Premier Gladys Berejiklian said she was confident the union and rail management would reach an agreement and avoid industrial action. While she apologised for the significant delays Sydney commuters experienced, Ms Berejiklian ruled out refunding the public.

Mr Constance hit out at the strike, saying, "Only yesterday they were taking their name badges off — today they're going to bring the city to a grinding halt and disrupt millions of passenger trips taken across the network.

"Millions of Sydneysiders are going to be brought to a grinding halt because the union is demanding a 24 per cent pay rise. Only yesterday they said they were going to strike ... today they're going to bring on a 24-hour strike to the network.

"Can someone please explain to me what's happened in 24 hours for this type of escalation? This is weird behaviour from a union boss who is now handing responsibilities of this on to unions NSW.

"On Thursday Mark Morey and Howard Collins will be meeting to discuss the offer that's been made between Sydney Trains and rail unions.

"The other point that I would make is that last week as a result of the union ballot, four out of the seven rail unions did not support strike action whatsoever.

"This is bizarre to go from Friday wanting to take name badges off and not wear uniforms to overtime bans, to now one of the most serious strike actions that you can pull, and that is a complete shutdown of the network.

"This is not putting customers first, this is putting union bosses interests ahead of customers

"The government is willing to make a pay rise offer to Sydney and NSW train drivers ... that is a 2.5 per cent per annum increase without any productivity improvement whatsoever.

"In terms of the rest of the enterprise agreement — roll it over so it's the same agreement that the union had been signed up to over the last few years

"Will be put to discussions between Mark Moray and Howard Collins on Thursday.

"Call off the strike, act in the interest of customers and put them first."

[Stillwater]

Hummmm, what if there was a commuters strike in protest at QR's mediocre rail services?

[#Metro]

^ Sorry Mr Constance, but it makes total sense. The EBA is up for grabs.

Sydney trains should convert to DOO. When you have a productive network, you can afford to pay staff more.

[techblitz]

Hummmm, what if there was a commuters strike in protest at QR's mediocre rail services?

Thankfully it didn't come to that here in QLD.
But I do remember @verbatim comparing wages of QLD drivers to NSW drivers how much cheaper NSW drivers were.
Guess that argument is now out the door 

[verbatim9]

^ Sorry Mr Constance, but it makes total sense. The EBA is up for grabs.

Sydney trains should convert to DOO. When you have a productive network, you can afford to pay staff more.

They are trialing the North coast/Newcastle line as driver only operation soon as the new intercity trains come online.

[JimmyP]

Unfortunately most comparisons between QR and Sydney drivers are flawed in that the quoted QR driver wage is an almost all inclusive wage (only weekend, public holiday and overtime payments added), whereas the Sydney wage quoted is the base wage, not including any penalties etc.
When everything is included, both wages are actually quite similar on an average gross yearly wage basis. Definitely not the tens of thousands of dollars difference that keeps getting rolled out.
Also, by what I have been told by my Sydney crew friends, part of that 6% "payrise" is actually including some penalties in to the hourly rate instead of having them be stand alone, however the amount being put in to the hourly rate doesn't quite match the current payment. So the 6% is actually somewhere between 2.5-3% in real terms.
It will be interesting to see how it all works out! Hopefully both parties manage to find a common ground before things get any worse.

[ozbob]

Daily Telegraph --> Sydney Train chaos: More hell set as train drivers vote to go on 24 hour strike

RAIL workers have threatened to plunge Sydney into transport hell by staging a 24-hour strike on the Monday after the Australia Day weekend.

The stoppage is timed to cause major havoc for commuters coming at the end of the summer holiday break with the city fully back to work.

January 29 is also the first official day of the new school year for teachers — although most students are not expected back until the next day.

In a sudden escalation of its dispute with the government, the Rail, Tram and Bus Union said it was pulling workers from all services across the state because they were "fed up" with Transport Minister Andrew Constance.

"We just won't stand here and cop the crap that he's thrown at us," NSW union secretary Alex Claassens said.

The union initially ann­ounced its members would ­refuse to work overtime from Thursday next week but yesterday said it was clear further action was needed.

Mr Claassens apologised to commuters, insisting the strike action wasn't ­intended to hurt the ­community.

But a furious Minister Constance lashed the union for their "bizarre" escalation of the dispute and would not rule out heading to court to try to halt the strike.

"This is bizarre to go from Friday wanting to take name badges off and not wear uniforms to overtime bans, to now one of the most serious strike actions that you can pull," Mr Constance (pictured) said.

"They're going to bring the city to a grinding halt and disrupt millions of passenger trips taken across the network. Can someone please explain to me what's happened in 24 hours for this type of escalation?"

RBTU members are seeking an annual pay rise of 6 per cent each year over four years as part of their new enterprise bargaining agreement. The government is offering 2.5 per cent per annum.

They have also been at loggerheads over rostering, sick leave and the new timetable.

Sydney Trains boss Howard Collins is to meet with Unions NSW secretary Mark Morey on Thursday to discuss the RTBU's pay claim and the strike threat.

Opposition Leader Luke Foley said Mr Constance was responsible for the breakdown of relations on the railways and "his constant denigration of train drivers has resulted in the announcement of Sydney's first passenger rail strike this century", he said.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/GuardianAus/status/953372556396023809

[MichaelJ]

Let's be clear on who this strike will involve - all RTBU members - Train Crew, Rostering Officers, Station Staff, Cleaners, Maintenance Staff, Line Managers ...

[ozbob]

ABC News --> Sydney train strike means no rail transport and 'roadways will be a mess', minister says

Transport Minister Andrew Constance admits it will be impossible to find alternatives to move more than 1 million passengers on train strike day.

The Rail, Tram and Bus Union announced the strike for Monday January 29, as it pushes for a pay rise of 6 per cent annually for four years.

"Ultimately the roadways will be a mess. We will have no trains operating. It will be chaos and the union know that," Mr Constance said. ...

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/953671677715480576

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/953673095398608897

[ozbob]

Sydney Trains --> Rail nightmare: Secret reports reveal fire dangers on Sydney's train network

On a summer's day, a rush of warm air hits commuters as they enter Town Hall station. Trains run through the tunnels below, pushing air back and forward.

Buried beneath George Street, one of the most prized shopping strips in central Sydney, the heritage-listed station is a vital cog in the city's rail network. Like Wynyard Station, about a kilometre north, Town Hall opened in 1932, the same year as the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Nine decades later, the importance of Town Hall station and the rest of Sydney's rail network has grown significantly. A booming population has worsened congestion on the city's roads, making the rail network a way for people to beat gridlock. With motorists encouraged to avoid the central city, the underground City Circle line and the stations along it are relied on to move thousands of people every hour.

But the fragility of Sydney's stretched rail system has been thrown into sharp focus after it went into meltdown during the evening peak last week – the second time in a month.

The chaos last week – even before patronage returns to normal levels when most people return from summer holidays – came just six weeks after the introduction of a new timetable. It has boosted train services by 1500 a week but crimped the network's ability to recover from delays caused by major incidents. And now, with the rail union threatening the first strike in almost two decades, Sydney's train network is under acute stress.

Yet buried in more than 600 pages of government documents obtained by the Herald under freedom of information laws are high-level concerns about another threat.

About 200 fires occur each year on trains and at stations across Sydney's rail network. While most are minor, a Transport for NSW report marked "Cabinet in confidence" in January 2016 warned that "where fires occur in the underground network, the consequences have the potential to be catastrophic".

Analysis by Arup, a global firm of consulting engineers hired by the transport agency, ranked Town Hall most at risk from fire within Sydney's underground rail system of 20 stations, six covered stations and 60 tunnel sections.

Transport for NSW's Fire and Life Safety report reveals one of the reasons Town Hall easily ranked highest – well above other stations with the exception of Redfern – was because of connections to shopping malls, such as the Queen Victoria Building "with in some cases no fire separation, which increases the likelihood of a fire".

"Other key factors at Town Hall station included unprotected structural steel frames [columns and beams] at platform level; the concourse is directly above the platforms and all areas are open and connected," the report said.

"There are no smoke exhaust or ventilation systems. The station also has a high level of patronage and high number of trains per hour with multiple lines running through station."

During their analysis in 2015, risk assessors from Arup interviewed staff at Town Hall about how they dealt with fire training and incidents. In one interview, a duty manager told an assessor that "it's probably at least three years since the staff trained in first attack fire-fighting equipment".

"Evacuation training does occur, but not at Town Hall station. It occurs elsewhere, because Town Hall doesn't close," the manager said.

The Transport for NSW report in 2016 did note "a very significant" amount of work in the past, and underway at the time, to mitigate fire and life safety risks. That included a review of staff training, improved "separation of back of house areas" and an investigation of "future proofing smoke exhaust at Town Hall during current upgrade".

About the time of that report, a revamp of Town Hall station began that included an "upgraded fire detection, sprinkler and alarm system, installation of a smoke exhaust system throughout the concourse and enhancement of emergency lighting and exit signage".

Yet almost a year later, concerns were still being raised at the highest levels within Sydney Trains.

A briefing note from Sydney Trains chief executive Howard Collins in November 2016 warned that "fire and life safety concerns have been raised for a number of years, and need to to addressed before an incident occurs".

Most of the briefing note to Transport for NSW's deputy secretary of freight strategy and planning, Clare Gardiner-Barnes, has been redacted. However, it shows that Collins recommended that the lead transport agency conduct a "future requirements study of Town Hall station". One of its tasks would be to again "confirm the extent of the fire and safety risks".

Collins, a Londoner who has been Sydney Trains CEO since 2013, was working for London Underground at the time of the Kings Cross fire in 1987 that claimed 31 lives.

Transport for NSW and Sydney Trains did not answer questions about the outcome of that "future requirements" report, if indeed, it has been carried out.

The documents also reveal that the City of Sydney Council privately raised concerns about fire safety at Town Hall station in 2016, six months before the briefing note from Collins' was sent to the bureaucracy's hierarchy.

The City of Sydney said this week that "we sincerely hope that Transport for NSW is doing everything within its power to ensure the safety of all passengers".

"Given Town Hall's recent experience of over crowding, it is important that fire and life safety is managed exceptionally well," it said.

In response to questions, Sydney Trains said in a statement that it had been "proactively improving fire safety at Town Hall" since 2016, which included upgraded fire detection and alarm systems, and the installation of a smoke exhaust system in the concourse.

"We also have an ongoing program to reduce the risk of fire in tunnels, such as upgrading tunnel cables using fire-resistant cables," a spokesman said. "The safety of our customers and staff is always our highest priority."

Like other stations in the CBD, Town Hall is under pressure from rapidly increasing demand. Already, more than 1 million people travel on the city's rail network every week day. And the government is forecasting patronage to surge by 21 per cent on weekdays – and by up to 120 per cent on weekends – over the next three years. Many of those extra passengers will travel on trains in and out of the City Circle line, and to stations such as Town Hall.

It means the management of crowding at train stations, especially Town Hall on weekdays, is becoming more of a priority. Town Hall was at the centre of the chaos during the timetable meltdown last week, and on December 11. Dangerous levels of crowding forced staff to temporarily stop passengers from entering platforms and, during the first meltdown in December, urge people to avoid Town Hall and walk to Central Station.

While a $20 billion metro train line to be built under the CBD is designed to reduce pressure on Town Hall, it will not be opened to passengers for another six years.

South of the CBD, Redfern Station is also under growing strain, particularly when thousands of Sydney University students and staff pass through it on their way to the nearby campus at Camperdown.

Apart from minor improvements such as a installing a lift, the station has had little in the way of an upgrade for years.

Two platforms for the Eastern Suburbs Line at Redfern, which are deep below the ground, were ranked the second most vulnerable to fire on the rail network in the Transport for NSW report in 2016.

They have "greater risks" than at the other stations on the Eastern Suburbs line, or any of the tunnels, because it "has only one set of escalators to exit from the platform".

"This means all of the occupants have to exit through a single point. The stairs and escalator have open voids so that smoke can continue up into the mezzanine level," the report said.

"Also there are unprotected steel beams over the tracks and large storage areas with unprotected steel at mezzanine level, highly dependent on sprinklers and compartmentation."

Two years on, Transport for NSW said in a statement that it was "investigating options" to upgrade the station, which would include improved customer safety..

The internal reports, and others leaked in recent weeks, point to a rail network under extreme pressure.

In order to meet surging demand, the government put on 1500 extra weekly services as part of the new rail timetable rolled out on November 26. That has meant Sydney Trains has had to press its S-set trains dating to the 1970s into service more often.

Commuters often refer to them as "sweat sets" because they are not airconditioned, making for uncomfortable trips on summer days when they are packed during peak periods.

Sydney Trains chief executive Howard Collins has conceded that they are "not acceptable", and he wants them gone by next summer. Transport Minister Andrew Constance expressed his own reservations this week about the S-sets. "I didn't want to bring the S-sets back onto the network but I had no choice because people are getting to the point where they can't get onto trains," he said.

But aside from passenger comfort, Transport for NSW's 2016 report reveals the silver S-sets and other older trains in the fleet pose greater risks in the event of a fire evacuation. That is because they have "poorer fire retardancy levels, higher fire loads, poorer detection systems, slower detrainment facilities and no internal CCTV".

"This means that detection and evacuation can be slower while smoke levels are increasing, creating a potentially catastrophic scenario [albeit with a low expected frequency]," the report said.

"The older rolling stock such as the S, K, C, and V sets and Tangaras, do not have internal CCTV or smoke detectors. While Tangaras and V sets have passenger emergency alarms, the S, C and K sets do not which can significantly delay the notification of train crew of a fire on a train."

The vast majority of risk, even for stations, comes from train fires, according to a risk report in late 2015 by Arup for Transport for NSW.

"Therefore, reducing the frequency and/or scale of train fires could help mitigate fire risks across the underground network," the report said. "It is considered that this could be done largely through improvements to rolling stock."

Arup also advised that running trains on lines "at shorter headways or more closed spaced ... can increase the life safety risk".

Just over half the state's fleet of electric trains is more than 20 years old, and 28 per cent more than three decades, according to the most recent government figures.

The first of 24 replacement trains for the S-sets are due to begin service in June, but forecasts two years ago were for the C and K sets to remain until 2024.

In its response to questions, Sydney Trains said the older trains in its fleet had a "built-in system designed to resist any fire" and, when refurbishments and repairs were performed, "modern fire-resistant materials are used to further reduce the risk of fire".

Behind the scenes, improving safety on the rail network has been the subject of debate within the transport bureaucracy for years. A topic has been the need for a ventilation system for Sydney's underground rail tunnels, the cost of which has been estimated to range from several hundred million dollars to $1 billion.

In 2013, an adviser on fire safety, Arnold Dix, reversed his recommendation years earlier that the government should not install an emergency ventilation system. "All modern railways, full stop, have got ventilation systems that allow you to control the flow of air if something was to go wrong," he told the Herald in 2013. "Sydney doesn't ... and it should."

In contrast to Sydney, Melbourne's underground train loop has a ventilation system, which can be used in fire mode – effectively a purge system – as an enhanced safety measure.

The daily headlines of the last week about an imminent strike by rail workers overshadow bigger concerns about safety and how the network will cope with the increase in new services from the new timetable and surging patronage.

The strain on the rail system will escalate when two of its existing lines are taken out of service for long periods in the coming years to allow them to be converted to carry single-deck trains as part of the government's $20 billion metro rail project.

The metro line will be run separately to the existing train network. The first stage between Rouse Hill in Sydney's north west and Chatswood will be operated by Hong Kong rail operator and property developer MTR, which is also considered likely to win the contract to run the second stage of the line onto the CBD and Bankstown in the west.

In a highly critical assessment of the metro project obtained by the Herald last month, four of NSW's top former rail executives warned that the metro train plans will result in "degradation of the robustness and reliability" of the existing rail network. Their fear is that it will "ultimately lead to the total network becoming gridlocked and unworkable".

And they warned the "takeover" of the existing rail line between Sydenham and Bankstown for the metro train project will remove a "relief valve for the network".

"Any new system needs to add value by adding to existing capacity, not by taking away part of the existing network in the name of progress," they said.

Even when the second stage of the metro line is opened in 2026, the existing rail network will be relied upon to carry the vast bulk of passengers across Sydney.

"The real problem is that the current network needs expansion whether you like it or not," another veteran of Sydney's rail network says. "The Bankstown Line conversion will not enhance the existing network. As soon as they close Epping to Chatswood it will get worse, and if they continue and close down the Bankstown Line it gets significantly worse again."

The events of the past two weeks represent the perfect storm for the government and those running Sydney's rail network. Yet it is just the start of the challenges ahead for the backbone of Sydney's transport, and a crucial cog in its economy.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/954388806119038976

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/T5SydneyTrains/status/954619925234180096

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/T5SydneyTrains/status/954620219267436544

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/T5SydneyTrains/status/954903456267014150

[ozbob]

Reports of a ' train crash at Richmond Station ' ..

More to come ..

[ozbob]

I really appreciate the honesty at Sydney Trains .. they just tell it as it is. 

Quite the opposite of the generally confected/disguised bullsh%t in SEQ hey?

https://twitter.com/T1SydneyTrains/status/955217114570346497

Been reported on radio that 15 passengers injured (degree not known).

Some passengers still trapped on the train (? 3 ).

Eyewitness account train slammed into buffers very hard and rebounded back.

[ozbob]

Sydney Morning Herald --> People injured after train crash at Richmond station

As many as 13 people have been injured after a train hit a buffer stop at the end of the rail line at Richmond in Sydney's outer west.

The 10.11am Richmond to Central service was cancelled due to the incident.

A Fire and Rescue NSW spokesman said one crew was on the scene just after 10.10am and six more rescue crews had been tasked to assist ambulance crews.

FRNSW said at least three people were trapped, and SES crews were also on the scene.

It is believed as many as 13 people have suffered injuries, most of which were cuts and bruises after

"Richmond is a dead end line and there is just a buffer stop at the end of the rail line, and he has hit it by the sounds of it," a rail union official said.

He said it appeared that those injured had suffered mostly "bumps and bruises", suggesting that the train had hit the buffer at a low speed of several kilometres an hour.

More to come

[ozbob]

Only pic I can find at present of Richmond, dated Jan 2012.  Not sure if the buffer stops are still as is in the photograph.

[ozbob]

The train crashed into the buffer at the end of Richmond station. Photo: TNV

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/people-injured-after-train-crash-at-richmond-station-20180121-h0lzg6.html

=============


The train hit a barricade this morning. Picture: Nine News

https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/train-hits-barricade-at-richmond-passengers-injured/news-story/622953ac0a4d3603b06440e78e8ea50d

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/T1SydneyTrains/status/955227693158731777

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/nswincidents/status/955224543995375616

[ozbob]

Brisbanetimes --> 'Almighty bang': Passengers injured after train crashes into barricade at Richmond station

[Stillwater]

In Queensland, would this be referred to as an 'operational issue'?

Or 'unscheduled event' perhaps.  It could be an 'emergency services issue'.  Or 'Trains have been cancelled at the request of emergency services'.  'Track issue' maybe?

Too many over-active minds in the PR Spin Unit.

[Derwan]

At least the buffer did its job - instead of launching the train into whatever was ahead (a road in this case).

[ozbob]

^ yes. So did the cab design.  Driver OK.

https://twitter.com/channeltennews/status/955255499867369473

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/smh/status/955311600394756096

Sydney Morning Herald --> Sydney train drivers 'still miles away' from resolving pay dispute

The likelihood of Sydney commuters experiencing major delays to train services from Thursday has grown significantly after union bosses declared they were "still miles away" from resolution of a pay dispute.

Sydney Trains' top brass met union officials on Monday to discuss the terms of a new four-year enterprise agreement. The meeting was delayed for several hours after a new Waratah train hit a buffer stop at the end of the rail line at Richmond station in Sydney's north-west, injuring as many as 16 people shortly before 10am.

Rail Tram and Bus Union state secretary Alex Claassens​ said the talks about the terms of a new enterprise agreement were likely to go late into Monday evening as the two sides "are still miles away" from reaching any deal.

"We are still trying to work through the issues. And we are still not talking money until the end," he said.

The rail unions have been seeking an annual pay rise of 6 per cent a year over the four-year term of a new enterprise agreement covering about 9000 workers.

That is significantly higher than the latest offer from Sydney Trains, which is understood to largely stick to the state government's cap on public sector wages of 2.5 per cent per annum.

Both the unions and the state government have declined to reveal the specifics of what has been put on the table by Sydney Trains.

A 24-hour strike next Monday is expected to cripple the city's rail network, but an indefinite ban on overtime work from this Thursday could also cause major disruptions to Sydney Trains services. That is because the introduction of a new train timetable in late November means the network relies heavily on staff doing overtime.

Mr Claassens also warned he could not call the strike off until his members had been consulted on the offer by management.

While a ballot of members did not need to be held to call off the 24-hour strike on Monday, Mr Claassens said "we still need input from our members".

"I am not going to be able to make a call on anything unless it is a very good offer, and one I know that my members will accept. Members will not take 2.5 per cent – I can guarantee that," he told the Herald.

Earlier on Monday, Transport Minister Andrew Constance said his expectation was "that we land in a good place in so far as cancelling all industrial action including the strike planned for next Monday".

Sydney Trains chief executive Howard Collins has warned that the ban on rostered or unplanned overtime "will have an impact on the network" and result in train cancellations.

[Cazza]

[not_available]

I really appreciate the honesty at Sydney Trains .. they just tell it as it is. 

Quite the opposite of the generally confected/disguised bullsh%t in SEQ hey?

https://twitter.com/T1SydneyTrains/status/955217114570346497

Been reported on radio that 15 passengers injured (degree not known).

Some passengers still trapped on the train (? 3 ).

Eyewitness account train slammed into buffers very hard and rebounded back.

They give actual reasons for why something's not going right. Amazing.
Why am I so amazed that this is actually possible?

[ozbob]

The Australian --> Sydney strike firms as train crashes at end of line

A Sydney train crash possibly caused by driver error left 16 ­people injured on a critical day of negotiations that broke down late last night when unions recommitted to a train ­drivers' strike next Monday.

After hours of tense talks ­between transport officials and union delegates, union leaders walked out of the meeting just after 10.30pm and ­indicated the strike was going ahead, threatening to grind Sydney to a halt.

Only minutes earlier the Rail Tram and Bus Union had issued a bulletin to its members saying­ no agreement had been reached. "Management came to the meeting with an offer but it was not up to scratch,'' the union said.

Some 47 union delegates were said to be in yesterday's meeting with Transport Department secretary Rodd Staples and Sydney Trains chief executive Howard Collins.

The two parties had gone into a third day of talks, with the government's original position being that drivers and guards would ­receive the government's wages-capped increase of 2.5 per cent. Train drivers are seeking 6 per cent a year over four years.

In a new offer last night, the government offered 3 per cent a year pay rises contingent on savings, but RTBU secretary Alex Claassens is understood to have said he needed to take the document home to examine the detail.

Without a resolution, overtime bans by drivers will start on Thursday, meaning the cancellation of hundreds of services, with an effective Saturday timetable operating on weekdays.

A grim-faced Transport Minister Andrew Constance faced the cameras yesterday to discuss the biggest incident on Sydney's rail network since the 2003 Waterfall disaster. A train driver was suspected to have failed to brake, smashing into bollards at the end of the line at Richmond station in the city's northwest.

Sixteen people were hurt and taken to hospital, with the worst injury a broken leg. Several passengers sustained head injuries.

A senior official briefed on the accident told The Australian the driver had failed to apply the normal brake in time to stop the train.

Instead, the official said, it ­appeared the driver, Ritesh ­Mittal, panicked and, apparently convinced he was about to crash the vehicle, applied the emergency brake, slowing the train but not stopping it in time to avoid a crash.

The Australian was told the train was travelling about 30km/h at the time of the impact, fast enough to send passengers sailing through the air after it collided with the fixed crash barriers at the end of the line.

It is believed the driver was taken to hospital for mandatory breath and blood test screening for drugs and alcohol.

Early inquiries seem to suggest driver error and not mechanical failure was the cause of the accident but authorities have cautioned that the investigation into the incident is in its infancy.

"We've seen a very serious rail incident on our rail network this morning, at Richmond at 9:51am," Mr Constance said.

"Our thoughts are with staff and those passengers who've been injured as a result of this train hitting the buffer stop, which worked.

"There will be three independent investigations by workplace and rail safety regulators."

Mr Collins said the worst ­injuries were minor head injuries and a suspected broken femur.

He would not comment on whether the accident was a result of driver error, but there was no announcement on checking all Waratah train brakes, indicating the government did not see a mechanical failure as the problem.

"I think it is again too early to speculate: the buffer stop did its job, the most modern train, the Waratah train, did its job in ­absorbing the impact,'' Mr Collins said.

"We're working with the safety regulators, who will give us the information. "Reviewing the incident, it looks like most of those people are minor head injuries, bumps and bruises; we are aware of one customer who may have a suspected broken femur.''

Mr Collins said it was "very difficult to say" how fast the train was travelling when it went into the buffer.

"The buffer provided the protection the train needed to come to a stop,'' he said.

Asked about the driver's experience, Mr Collins said: "There's nothing unusual I would say would be a problem as far as the train or driver is concerned."

Mr Mittal is understood to have been a train driver with Sydney Trains for almost a decade.

A union official saidlast night that Mr Mittal was "extremely knowledgeable" and "well liked by everyone".

Having satisfied himself that his "best people" were looking at the accident, Mr Collins re-­entered negotiations yesterday afternoon in an attempt to stop the projected strike.

AS talks progressed, RTBU delegates were more vocal than the AWU and ETU and seemed keen to make a settlement more difficult for the government, observers said.

"We will push ahead with the industrial action as planned ... we can predict what the transport minister will say about this: he'll try to make out that we're greedy unionists but we know that couldn't be further from the truth,'' the RTBU bulletin said last night.

"Management came to the meeting with an offer but it was not up to scratch. There are still a range of conditions that we haven't got agreement on including rostering concerns, job security, keeping the value of your Opal card when services are privatised and a fair and timely disciplinary process.''

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https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/955483608839471104

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Sydney Morning Herald --> Sydney train smashes into buffer stop at the end of the line. But what is a buffer stop?


The buffer stop at the end of the train line that halted the train.  Photo: Christopher Pearce

When a train crashed to a halt at Richmond Station on Monday, there was one thing that stopped it in its tracks: a buffer stop.

The Waratah train hit the metal and concrete barrier at the end of platform 2 just before 10am, giving those on board injuries ranging from cuts and bruises to broken bones.

Over a dozen people have been injured after a train failed to stop, hitting the buffer at the end of the rail line in Sydney's north-west.

As it was designed to do, the buffer stop absorbed some of the impact of the crash and pushed the train slightly back, ensuring it remained on the track instead of derailing.

Sydney Trains chief executive Howard Collins said the train hit the buffer stop "pretty hard", but it "worked effectively and restrained the train".

Superintendent Paul Turner, the incident commander for NSW Ambulance, said: "Things could've been much, much worse."

According to Transport for NSW, buffer stops are installed at the end of rail tracks to stop trains running off the end and crashing into "adjacent structures".

The buffer stops are usually hydraulic, which helps to dissipate some of the energy of impact. Their aim is to safely stop an "overrunning train" while keeping damage to the train and injury to its passengers at a minimum.

Buffers, which can be made of wood or metal, are designed to withstand being hit by a range of fully loaded trains, including the Waratah trains, which weigh 562 tonnes when filled with people.

Design specifications by Transport for NSW detail that the buffers are designed for a train travelling at the highest possible speed, taking into account factors such as brake failure and how steep the track is at individual stations.

Buffer stops are attached to an "end impact wall", which takes any leftover impact from the train.

The wall can withstand up to 5000 kilonewtons of force, while the buffer itself has a minimum braking capacity of 2500 kilonewton metres.

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https://twitter.com/T1SydneyTrains/status/955700215264067584

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https://twitter.com/smh/status/955704214499614720

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Some photographs of the Waratah (A42) that hit the buffers at Richmond.

>> https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesmp/39799067442

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Daily Telegraph --> Delayed safety system for Sydney Trains could have prevented Richmond train crash

THE train crash that injured 16 people on Monday may have been avoided had Transport for NSW installed an "automatic train protection" safety system promised four years ago.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal Labor and Liberal state governments have failed to implement the ATP system, which controls train speeds to prevent accidents, across the entire network despite it being a key recommendation of the special commission that investigated the last major train accident in NSW in 2003.

And rail safety experts have told The Daily Telegraph that had an ATP device been installed on the Waratah train that crashed at Richmond injuries may have been avoided altogether.

Used in rail systems across the network, ATPs monitor the speed of trains and mitigate the likelihood of accidents caused by human error.

If the train is going faster than it is meant to be at a point in the tracks it will apply emergency braking.

The Special Commission into the Waterfall Rail Accident recommended in 2005 ATP be introduced in NSW after seven died in the derailment at speed of a commuter train when the driver had a heart attack in the cabin.

Rail Safety Consulting Australia director Phillip Barker told The Daily Telegraph that had an ATP been ­installed on the Waratah train it is likely there would have been no serious injuries.

"It's likely an ATP would have been able to reduce the seriousness of the impact," said Mr Barker, who previously worked as a rail safety investigator for the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.

"There still would have been contact (with the buffer), but it's more likely people would have just lost their footing rather than being slammed into the walls."

Mr Barker also said that the buffer stop that Sydney Trains chief executive Howard Collins praised in the ­aftermath of the accident, was in fact "a fairly old ­design". He said the ATP systems had been introduced in Queensland back in 1998.

University of NSW's Professor Travis Waller, who is Director of the Research Centre for Integrated Transport Innovation, agreed that it was possible an ATP may have been able to mitigate the damage of the crash.

"However we won't know for sure until we know the source of the fault," he said.

In 2014, Transport for NSW announced a strategy for implementing the ATP system across "the majority" of the Sydney fleet. There was also $100 million in the 2016 state budget for the project.

The National Rail Safety Regulator which is monitoring NSW's implementation of the Waterfall recommendations said last year the ATP rollout was one of two commitments yet to be fulfilled.

A Transport for NSW spokesman told The Daily Telegraph they were rolling out the system "as quickly as possible". "ATP is scheduled to be implemented in all trains, including the C and K Sets, Waratahs and Millennium trains, in the next two years," he said.

Opposition transport spokeswoman Jodi McKay said the government needed to explain why it taking so long to install the safety system.

"The government needs to explain why it will take until 2019 to implement ATP," she said.

She claimed commuters are well within their rights to question government priorities in the transport portfolio after fire safety issues at Town Hall station and cuts to heavy vehicle inspectors.

Last night three patients remained in a stable condition Nepean Hospital following the Richmond crash.

Two patients at Westmead Hospital were both stable. ...

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