Sydney Trains

[ozbob]

Sydney Morning Herald -->Sydney's rail station upgrade program passes halfway mark

When will all Sydney rail stations be accessible by wheelchair, Gladys Berejiklian was asked on Thursday. Decades?

"No, not that long," the Premier replied. "But it will take us years. There's no doubt about that."

"Our aim is to have a completely accessible network."

Ms Berejiklian was at Narwee train station on Thursday, marking progress towards her aim. Since Boxing Day, platforms at the station, on Sydney's T8 Airport and South Line, have been accessible by a lift, which has already been a boon for those nearby.

"I said to my sister last night, isn't it wonderful," said Margaret Sutton, whose adopted daughter Rachel has cerebral palsy.

"We were able to walk the streets of the city and not worry whether we've walked too far or not far enough," said Ms Sutton of a trip to the city.

"We didn't have to park our car somewhere and just walk a distance around where our car is."

Government figures show that 167 out of 307, or 54 per cent, of Sydney's intercity and suburban rail stations are now fully accessible.

But those that have been upgraded tend to be the more heavily used stations. This means that about 88 per cent of commuters travel to and from accessible stations or stops.

"We are making our way down the list," said Ms Berejiklian. "I know that every time we complete a station there's another community that says 'what about us?' I know our job is far from done in relation to the transport access program but I'm thrilled with the progress we are making."

Improvements to rail stations, bus stops and ferry wharves are managed under the Transport Access Program, which the government says has been responsible for more than $1 billion of upgrades since 2011.

Stations are assessed for upgrading on criteria including their total patronage, whether they are close to medical facilities, and their proximity to other stations.

But some reasonably heavily-used stations are yet to be upgraded, including Rooty Hill, Edgecliff, Pymble, Roseville, Doonside, Wollstonecraft and St Peters. Work on upgrades to Rooty Hill and Edgecliff stations is set to start next year.

The Member for Oatley, Mark Coure, congratulated community campaigners such as Ms Sutton and her sister Ivy for pushing for a station upgrade at Narwee.

"We've got a choice to go out and access the community," said Margaret Sutton. "We should be given the choice to be able to do it. And to be able to do it means having those accessible stations."

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/948244697842987008

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/950044804347392000

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/950044881300287488

[Cazza]

The 400 to Mascot then train from there is the best option if travelling to the City.

[ozbob]

Sydney Morning Herald --> Squeezing more out of Sydney's train fleet leaves less time for maintenance

Efforts to squeeze more out of Sydney's rail fleet as a part of an overhaul of timetables has resulted in "smaller windows" of time available to maintain trains and tracks, putting more pressure on staff to carry out night-time work.

While extra weekly services will help the network cope with surging demand, a Sydney Trains document obtained by the Herald lists, among the challenges for carrying out train repairs, "reduced fleet maintenance windows" and an "increased demand on maintenance as [a result of the] fleet doing more kilometres".

Decades-old S-set trains are also being pressed into service more often in order for Sydney Trains to put on the 1500 extra weekly services rolled out as part of the timetable changes. It leaves passengers to face uncomfortable rides this summer because the S-sets are not airconditioned.

The leaked document, written before the timetable overhaul on November 26, also warned of "shorter maintenance windows" for the repair of rail tracks. Trains are running more regularly during off-peak periods of the day, and later at night, thereby reducing the "midnight to dawn windows" when work can be carried out.

Complicating matters on Monday, Sydney Trains was forced to cancel at least 18 services on the T1 North Shore, Northern and Western, the T2 Inner West and Leppington, and the T8 Airport and South lines due to a shortage of drivers on a day when many commuters had returned to work after the holidays.

Sydney Trains blamed the cancellations on "higher than expected instances of drivers and guards off sick, coinciding with those on leave during the holiday period".

But the rail union said Sydney Trains was aware of the problem late last week, and should have been better prepared given it approved drivers' leave.

Rail Tram and Bus Union state secretary Alex Claassens said a reduction in the time available for train and track maintenance due to the timetable changes raised the likelihood of deficiencies occurring to the rail network.

"Clearly the rolling stock is not going to get as regular maintenance as it has done in the past, because they are running at higher capacity," he said.

Mr Claassens said the shorter periods of time for repair and cleaning of trains was likely to increase the amount of night-work for staff and fatigue.

But a spokesman for Sydney Trains said it had "created additional maintenance access windows", particularly in western Sydney and the central business district.

"These maintenance windows occur both during the day and night, providing access to the track free of train movements," he said.

"We also completed a comprehensive risk assessment for our staff involving both internal and external independent experts."

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 government figures.

The S-set trains, which date to the 1970s, will remain in service until at least this year when the first of 24 new eight-car Waratah trains are due to arrive.

Despite the age of the fleet, Transport for NSW data recently provided to the NSW Auditor-General shows the average failures of train carriages in the state fell by 9 per cent to 128 a month in the year to June, compared with the prior period.

The new rail timetable has meant passengers have to switch services more often to get to their destinations, putting extra pressure on major stations such as Central, Town Hall and Wynyard in the CBD, and Parramatta and Strathfield.

Sydney Trains staff have been warned of the "potential for slips, trips, and falls due to [the] interchange increase" and more passengers on platforms at peak periods, making the management of "crowding ... more important".

[#Metro]

Maybe they should order some NGR trains!

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/T6SydneyTrains/status/950491694570631168

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/950491809372782592

[ozbob]

News.com.au --> Sydney Trains severely affected as drivers call in sick

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/T7SydneyTrains/status/950554160071630848

Fuked!

[ozbob]

Telegraph --> Train apocalypse' strikes Sydney

COMMUTERS hoping to ease themselves into the new working year have found their efforts thwarted in Sydney with a slew of sick staff leading to massive delays on the transport network.

One commuter has said he was left waiting for 50 minutes at an inner city station which should have a train every 10 minutes. Another train user has dubbed the meltdown the "Sydney Trains apocalypse". One person claims to have missed their flight, at a cost of $1500, due to the train troubles.

There are fears the delays could seep into the evening peak hour, making the trip home from work a misery.

Transport for NSW, the government body that co-ordinates the state's transport, has said "staff availability" as well as a signalling problem is to blame. Earlier the organisation said the Sydney storms in the early hours affected equipment.

It's the latest stuff-up to beset the Sydney rail network following a controversial timetable change in November.

Seven of the eight Sydney rail lines are currently suffering from "ongoing delays". One line has had its rail service pared back to one train every half-hour so what drivers there are can be sent to busier routes.

https://twitter.com/stigbell/status/950512122546438144

https://twitter.com/karen__png/status/950517396996947968

https://twitter.com/itsphilipgraham/status/950525113388052480

https://twitter.com/innerwestlane/status/950532729128407040


The TripView transport app shows delays of up to 54 minutes to scheduled services on the T2 Inner West line and 73 minutes on the T8 Airport line. Delayed trains are continuing to run through the system albeit at disrupted, but still regular, intervals.

Only the T4 Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra line, which is physically separate from the rest of the network, and NSW TrainLink regional trains are unaffected.

NSW Greens Transport spokeswoman Dr Mehreen Faruqi has slammed the slowdown and called on NSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance to take responsibility.

"It's simply not credible for the Minister to say workers taking sick leave is responsible for Sydney's trains going into meltdown this week. The timetable overhaul has simply taken away all contingencies in the system, meaning breakdowns and delays ricochet through the system.

"The system is stretched to the limit and their response is to close down two train lines and hand them over to the private sector. I suspect this Government's strategy is to run the system into the ground to make the handover to the private sector more palatable, meanwhile the people suffer."

Tuesday's delays followed a series of cancellations on Monday which transport bosses blamed on "higher than expected instances of drivers and guards off sick, coinciding with those on leave during the holiday period".

In November, Sydney's rail system was overhauled with a new timetable that saw more trains and more frequent services.

However, there was criticism that less reliable trains, some four decades old, were being brought out of retirement to run the timetable and that there was less time for maintenance to keep the trains running.

New trains are due this year to replace some of the oldest models.

In mid-December, commuters were left stranded for hours and busy inner city stations were closed following a fatality on the tracks.

At the time, Sydney Trains' CEO Howard Collins denied the new timetable had made it more difficult to get the system back up and running.

"Whether this was the old timetable or the new one, under the circumstances we were facing yesterday, we would have seen the same effect," he said at the time.

Transport for NSW has been contacted for comment.

[brissypete]

https://twitter.com/T7SydneyTrains/status/950554160071630848

Fuked!

At least they say why the trains are stuffed instead of "operational issue"

Sent from my G8141 using Tapatalk

[ozbob]

^ Yo!  Sydney Trains are always very good with their social media and service disruption notices ( I follow all states ). 
One would hope the clowns here in banana-land would pay attention but they don't. Drift along their mediocre ways sadly .. 

I have given up trying to get them to lift their game -  they are so far up their ' world-clarse ' arse they are no longer in contact with the real world ..

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/TFNSW_VLOGS/status/950599570110623744

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/T1SydneyTrains/status/950600847624409088

[red dragin]

https://twitter.com/TFNSW_VLOGS/status/950599570110623744

Late 70's?

We used to get a 70's bus occasionally on the 360 after school. 2 speed (probably powerglide) diesel. Was novel for a car nut like myself, not sure anyone else appreciated it 

[ozbob]

Very interesting pic indeed!

Meanwhile ..

https://twitter.com/JakeSaulwick/status/950630838252724224

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/PaulKadak/status/950619139558621184

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/T7SydneyTrains/status/950637685793837056

[ozbob]

Youth in revolt pic.twitter.com/J8AtKhLh37

— Australian Kitsch (@OzKitsch) January 9, 2018

[ozbob]

Not looking too bright weather wise either for Sydney town ..

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/TrainsInfo/status/950626241786400768

[#Metro]

Last week: "Sydney proves that you can have a large well-operated public railway"

This week: "OMG! Sydney is infected with the Queenslander Disease! Nooooo!!!"

[verbatim9]

^^What a disaster!

[Arnz]

Last week: "Sydney proves that you can have a large well-operated public railway"

This week: "OMG! Sydney is infected with the Queenslander Disease! Nooooo!!!"

The "Queenslander" diesease outside of Queensland IMO should treated as "F... YEA! STRAYA!!!".  (minus the other 4 letter word the 'cool' kids use).

If it becomes common place, lump the local 'Queenslander' stuff under the STRAYA banner.

[ozbob]

Sydney Morning Herald --> Staff shortage, bad weather causes another day of major delays on Sydney's rail network

Sydney Trains chief executive Howard Collins says the rail operator is "flat out" training more train drivers and guards, as the city endured a second day of major disruptions across its stretched rail network.

Mr Collins conceded that in hindsight "we need even additional ... spare drivers", while Labor and the unions blamed the widespread disruption on an overhaul of the rail timetable in November.

A lack of staff, plus damage to rail infrastructure caused by lightning strikes, resulted in major delays to services on multiple rail lines on Tuesday, a day after at least 18 services had to be cancelled due to insufficient numbers of drivers and guards.

Passengers faced long queues and overcrowded platforms at Sydney's main stations including Wynyard, Town Hall and Central during the evening peak on Tuesday as the impact of the delays rippled across the rail network. Passengers were temporarily stopped from entering some platforms to avoid dangerous overcrowding.

Commuters were advised to delay any non-essential travel and use local bus routes where possible due to the "extended delays continuing throughout the evening".

It is the second time in a month that the network has faced severe levels of disruption during the evening peak.

But with demand for public transport surging, Mr Collins said deferring the timetable changes in November would have resulted in people experiencing greater crowding and delays.

"The choice we had was trying to do a service with not enough capacity, people bitterly complaining about crowding on several lines [and] about not being able to get on trains, particularly on weekends," he said.

"[But] we have seen an improved service, particularly at weekends [from the new timetable]. It is true to say that when big incidents occur, the service takes longer to recover."

Leaked internal documents have revealed that the new timetable has reduced the flexibility in the system to recover from delays caused by major incidents.

Decades-old S-set trains are being pressed into service more often to allow Sydney Trains to put on the 1500 extra weekly services rolled out as part of the timetable changes. It means passengers face uncomfortable journeys on hot summer days because those trains are not airconditioned.

Mr Collins admitted the "awful S-sets" were "not acceptable", but he said they would begin to be replaced from June with 24 new Waratah trains, the first of which is due to be shipped from China next month.

"By next summer, all those S-sets, I want to make sure are gone," he said.

On Tuesday, the T1 North Shore, Northern and Western line suffered "major delays" due to both a lack of staff and lightning strikes damaging signalling equipment at Gordon in Sydney's north.

The T2 Inner West and Leppington, the T3 Bankstown and the T8 Airport and South lines also had major disruptions because of the lack of staff and the need for urgent repairs to signal equipment at Yagoona in the city's west.

The lack of drivers also forced Sydney Trains to use buses instead of trains on the T6 Carlingford and T7 Olympic Park lines for periods of the day.

About 70 train crew called in sick on Tuesday. In all, Sydney Trains has about 3000 train crew.

Labor leader Luke Foley said the new rail timetable was "not worth the paper it's written on" because the train services were "shambolic right now".

"At the moment you have to say our public train system is shambolic in its delivery. If they're this bad now, what will they be in a month's time when everyone is back at work," he said.

But Transport Minister Andrew Constance said Labor was "conveniently ignoring" the new metro and light rail lines under construction, new ferries and thousands of extra buses "making journeys easier".

"In total, $41.5 billion of transport infrastructure is being delivered, after Labor did nothing for 16 years," he said.

The prospect of thousands of rail workers taking industrial action also looms over Sydney Trains and NSW Trains over the coming months.

A ballot of rail workers on whether to take protected industrial action during the negotiating period is due to be released later this week.

The unions representing rail staff have been pushing for a pay rise of 6 per cent a year over the term of a new agreement, which is significantly higher than the 2.5 per cent annual increase Sydney Trains has put on the table.

Mr Collins said most commuters would be "aghast" at what the unions were seeking, but Rail Tram and Bus Union state secretary Alex Claassens said the claim for a 6 per cent rise was a "starting point" in the negotiations which began six months ago.

Mr Claassens said there had been an increase of about 2 per cent in the number of drivers and guards who called in sick over the past two days.

"We have always said we needed extra services. The problem is that ... there are no spare trains in the system and there are no spare drivers and guards," he said.

Sydney's rail network will face one of its biggest tests late this year when the Epping-to-Chatswood line in the city's north is closed for seven months to allow for it to be converted to carry single-deck metro trains.

[ozbob]

ABC News --> Sydney train commuters suffer 'indefinite delays', union hits out at staff shortage 'cover-up'

Sydney commuters are battling with a train network in meltdown after a chaotic peak hour which saw severe overcrowding and "indefinite delays".

Major train delays continue across the network and stopping patterns may change at short notice due to sick train drivers and "earlier incidents", Sydney Trains said.

Earlier, at Central Station, eight out of 10 train lines were not running to a timetable anymore, with no expected departure times available.

Travellers were also turned away from certain platforms at Central and Wynyard due to significant overcrowding.

Sydney Trains angered many by telling them to avoid trains and instead catch buses due to extended delays throughout Tuesday evening.

"WE JUST WANT TO GO HOME. LOCAL BUS ROUTE ISN'T POSSIBLE," said one commuter on Twitter.

This is the second day of mayhem, with significant delays for many commuters returning to work on Monday. Many are now calling on Sydney Trains to offer free travel as compensation.

Sydney Trains said on Tuesday between 65 and 70 train drivers were off due to illness, but the Rail, Tram and Bus Union NSW Locomotive Division has slammed the explanation as a "cover up".

"One minute, Sydney Trains management said that the cancellations were due to an excessive amount of approved leave, then it was track work, then they changed their minds and decided to blame workers taking sick leave, and on Twitter, they've even blamed 'reduced customer demand' and the weather," the union said in a statement.

"After investigations, we believe that there has been no abnormal spike in sick leave today by train drivers and [this] is another attempt by Sydney Trains to demonise their hard-working and dedicated drivers to hide their own failings!

"It's absurd to think that a few workers falling ill would cause disruptions across the whole transport network."

Claustrophobic carriages, driver relief needed

Many commuters were desperate to get on board the limited trains running during peak hour, forcing themselves into crammed carriages.

For commuter Louise Harding, her usual 15-minute commute on the train took one hour.

"It was packed and so hot and you get claustrophobic after a while, and you feel a bit sick," she said.

She said the train had to stop on approach to Central as there was another train ahead.

"I really don't understand why the city hasn't worked out what to do in this sort of situation," she said.

Many trains have been stopped at stations for lengths of time waiting for driver relief.

"Our driver just told us there were nine trains backed up at every station from Lindfield to North Sydney and driver relief is needed," commuter Nicholas Aldrich said.

"He has repeated that 'the delay is unknown though will be significant'.

"24 minutes later and I've gone three stops."

Just over a month ago there was a major overhaul of the city's public transport network which the RBTU said had been "shambolic since day one".

Sydney Trains defended its new timetable but chief executive Howard Collins acknowledged unexpected issues need to be better managed.

"What we're finding now is that because we've got more trains out there, when we do get a problem on the railway, it has a bigger knock-on effect," Mr Collins said.

"We are recruiting, recruiting, recruiting. Seventy-four graduates through there and we aren't turning off the taps until we get even more drivers and guards on the system."

New timetable was rushed: union

Rail, Tram and Bus Union representative Alex Classens said the new timetable was introduced without being properly resourced.

"We all know that we needed more trains. The problem is that they've gone ahead and made promises for all these new trains when the growth trains aren't ready yet," Mr Claasens said.

"They've had to go out, we've had to bring trains out of mothballs, there's no spare trains in the system and there's no spare drivers and guards so of course it's going to be a problem when people get tired, rushed and fatigued."

Mr Collins defended claims the new timetable was rushed into action causing this week's delays.

"We've had that for the last two days but look back over the last month and we have seen an improved service, particularly at weekends, a reliable service," he said.

    "It is true to say that when big incidents occur the service takes more time to recover."

https://twitter.com/wordnerdchloe/status/950616949104373760

https://twitter.com/clareblumer/status/950607998543585280

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

10th January 2018

Rail fail spreading to southern rail systems ...

Good Morning,

Seems the Queensland rail fail disease is contagious and has spread down south!  Utter chaos on Sydney trains, not too dissimilar to the circumstances that set up our own glorious rail fail hey?  (see > https://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=8184.msg202887#msg202887  )

Now day 467 of cancellations, delays and reduced service of our own rail fail.  Mechanical issues are still constant and causing much disruption to the already severely reduced timetables ( https://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=1862.msg202794#msg202794 ).  What is the chance of a reliable service and a connected public transport network for the Commonwealth Games?   Rhetorical question, no need to answer.  The answer is now only 84 days away.

Queensland Rail was a once great rail operator.  Sadly, its reputation is being shredded.  A completely failed culture at TransLink/DTMR does not help hey.  The last monthly TransLink public transport performance snapshot published was July 2017 for example!  ( https://publications.qld.gov.au/dataset/translink-public-transport-performance-snapshots )

Hopeless!

Have a great day as we wallow in mediocrity!

Best wishes,
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track https://backontrack.org


https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/950781207419092992

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/950795155992322048

[ozbob]

Been listening to Sydney radio.  Boy oh boy,  are they ripping into the rail fail down there.  Our own rail fail has been mentioned too!   

Sounds very much like Queensland rail fail on repeat.

[#Metro]

With 70 staff off out of 3000 off work, it sounds like a timetable fail.

I wonder if they use the same "casual pool" model to provide relief?

Pay claim negotiations starting soon too. Starting point 6% per year.

Bus network down there is a total mess too. Astounding how govt's too

afraid to get the basics right.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/channeltennews/status/950853093310193664

[tazzer9]

Maybe I should have gone through with that sydney trains application a few years back.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/RailExpressNews/status/950936288345038848

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/abcnews/status/950910379642707968

[SteelPan]

Minister.....Minister.....I've got it.....there's a way out......one we've overlooked for a while.....it came to me about 4am this morning......ready........"GOD"!!!!!!

I've gone back through the old archives....and, before we told ourselves we knew everything and we had "apps" and "plasma TV screens" and we never spoke about death or any of that real stuff....we had "GOD"!!!

GOD....as is....you know...Supreme Being...Creator...the Almighty....you know....your Grandmother spoke to you about it all...she went off to "church" on a Sunday....that type of thing.....before she actually did die....and well anyway.....

Like the ANZAC's....let's rip "GOD" out for a 36hr run......I know, we're all soulless "liberated secularists" [heck we're in politics]....but this is awesome Minister....when we can't run the trains......."God did it"!

[Stillwater]

Will Queensland pollies go on TV and debate our very own domestic stuff-up?

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-10/sydney-trains-issued-with-please-explain-over-network-meltdown/9316860

[ozbob]

ABC News --> Sydney train meltdown an 'act of God', no refunds for commuters, NSW Transport Minister says

Yesterday's Sydney train meltdown has been described as "an act of God" by New South Wales Transport Minister Andrew Constance, who says furious commuters will not get a refund.
Key points:

    The Minister has asked bureaucrats to explain yesterday's network meltdown
    He says frustrated customers will not receive refunds
    The Opposition Leader has described Sydney's train system as "third world"

Mr Constance has issued a please explain to Sydney Trains bureaucrats about why the system has been "a mess" for the past 48 hours.

Sweaty commuters in the Harbour City have vented their frustration about the issue on social media, complaining of widespread delays and overcrowded carriages.

Travellers were also turned away from certain platforms at Central and Wynyard due to significant overcrowding.

"It's an act of God when you have three lightning strikes take out substations, train routes and signalling," Mr Constance said.

"Coupled with the fact that we've had to put more trains and more services on to cater for Sydney's growth, I'm not shying away from apologising for what happened in the last 48 hours, but the train timetable has operated well for the past month and a half."

So far, a combination of a higher-than-expected number of drivers on sick leave, wild weather and an increase in patronage have been blamed for the delays.

Mr Constance said he had asked Sydney Trains bosses Howard Collins and Rodd Staples to report to him in the next fortnight on the delays.

There were significant delays on the network on Monday and yesterday, and several minor delays this morning.

The NSW Government last month overhauled the timetable, adding an extra 1,500 services per week.

However, Mr Constance said a busier network was not the reason behind the delays.

"When we have a major incident, as we've seen under any timetable, we can see major disruptions and it has been a mess the last 48 hours," he said.

"I expect the next 48 hours to be better and we'll continue to work at it."
Train service 'third world'

NSW Opposition Leader Luke Foley said the disruptions and delays were unacceptable.

"Thousands of people jammed in like sardines, held back by staff and barriers, held back by police with announcements begging people to leave the station and find another way home," he said.

    "This is a train service reminiscent of a third-world city."

Mr Constance said Sydney Trains normally catered for about 40 drivers being off sick.

Yesterday, Sydney Trains estimated between 65 and 70 train drivers were off due to illness, however the Transport Minister said he did not want to comment on that issue.

"The reality is that, you know, people get sick. I mean, I've been unwell myself in the last fortnight," he said.

He said more than 200 train drivers had been employed since 2016, and 18 new drivers would start work in February.

However, Sydney Trains and the NSW Government appears to be at odds with their drivers over staffing numbers.

One driver, who did not want to be named, described staff shortages as "severe" and claimed there were now no emergency staff available to cover people who were sick.

They described the NSW Government as being "solely responsible" for the "chaos".

Mr Collins said he would investigate what went wrong over the past 48 hours.

"It's not guaranteeing that there'll be a perfect service every day next week — there may well be other days when we've got to work hard to get people home," he said.

[ozbob]

Minister.....Minister.....I've got it.....there's a way out......one we've overlooked for a while.....it came to me about 4am this morning......ready........"GOD"!!!!!!

I've gone back through the old archives....and, before we told ourselves we knew everything and we had "apps" and "plasma TV screens" and we never spoke about death or any of that real stuff....we had "GOD"!!!

GOD....as is....you know...Supreme Being...Creator...the Almighty....you know....your Grandmother spoke to you about it all...she went off to "church" on a Sunday....that type of thing.....before she actually did die....and well anyway.....

Like the ANZAC's....let's rip "GOD" out for a 36hr run......I know, we're all soulless "liberated secularists" [heck we're in politics]....but this is awesome Minister....when we can't run the trains......."God did it"!

Ha.  Got it now!

God must be here in banana-land too.  God did #railfail ?   

[ozbob]

Sydney Morning Herald --> Transport Minister rules out passenger refunds despite Sydney's rail network 'mess'

The Berejiklian government has rejected calls for Sydney train passengers to receive fare refunds despite two days of chaos on the city's rail network.

While apologising to commuters for a "perfect storm" of events that led to major cancellations and delays, Transport Minister Andrew Constance ruled out refunds because he said revenue from fares was needed to pay staff and run services.
Constance sorry for the 'mess' but no refunds

The state government has rejected calls for Sydney train passengers to receive fare refunds despite two days of chaos on the city's rail network.

"It was a perfect storm the last two days – we are not hiding from the fact that it was a mess. We want apologise for that," he said. "The trick to this now is getting this back on track as quickly as we can."

Services across the rail network improved significantly on Wednesday, compared with the previous two days.

However, commuters travelling on the T2 Inner West, the T3 Bankstown and the T8 Airport and South lines experienced delays during the evening peak due to urgent track equipment repairs at Turrella in Sydney's south.

Three services on the T4 Eastern Suburbs Line were also cancelled late on Wednesday due to crewing issues, and there were delays on the T1 Northern Line.

To allay concerns about the rail network's ability to cope, Mr Constance has demanded a "quick-fire" report from NSW's top rail bureaucrats within the next fortnight on how it can better recover from major incidents.

The report's likely recommendations on how to better allocate resources and refine the new rail timetable, which Labor and the rail union have blamed for the chaotic scenes in recent days, will be made public.

Asked whether the timetable was to blame, Mr Constance said a return to the old timetable was not possible because of an 11 per cent growth in train patronage within 12 months.

"We are expecting another 21 per cent [growth] in the next two years, so we had no choice but to introduce more services [as part of the timetable changes]," he said.

Mr Constance, who has had a fraught relationship with the unions, extended an oliver branch to Rail Tram and Bus Union state secretary Alex Claassens on Wednesday.

"To Alex Claassens, we want you to be part of the solution, not part of the problem," he said. "My door is open to Alex all the time."

Earlier, Labor leader Luke Foley said train passengers should get a refund for Monday and Tuesday's travel because of the chaos, and the government needed to suspend the new rail timetable.

"This is a train service reminiscent of a Third World city, and this is because of a failure of the state government, the Liberals, to adequately resource train services," he said.

"There are not enough drivers; there are not enough trains. Clearly the government went against its own expert advice on the new timetable."

Leaked documents have shown Sydney Trains had concerns that the new timetable would reduce the flexibility in the system to recover from delays caused by major incidents.

Sydney Trains chief executive Howard Collins said his advice to the Transport Minister before the new timetable was introduced on November 26 was that the rail operator was ready for it but "I did say that things would be tight".

"I was prepared to say we were ready to go [in November]," he said. "This new timetable is delivering the services we need."

Cancellations to services continued during the morning peak on Wednesday but were not as disruptive as they had been over the prior two days.

On Wednesday morning, eight services were cancelled on three lines due to "staff availability issues" or as a result of trains not being at their scheduled locations on the network due to the earlier delays.

Welcome to the rail fail club Sydney!   

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So this has been caused by the perfect combination of storms, a new timetable, and lots drivers sick/on leave?
The "lots drivers sick/on leave" part isn't too surprising to be honest. For some reason, people tend to want their holidays over that Christmas - January section. The PT providers (probably everywhere in Aus but ) probably made decent service commitments (adding more services for late trading/NYE etc., not cutting anything) to ensure people get where they need to go, just like they always have for the other 11 months of a year. Kinda like what they would do in the retail things. These commitments, combined with the preferred annual leave period, probably results in quite a few people wanting some part of early-mid Jan off (please correct me if I'm wrong anywhere).

And on comparing the mess of Sydney to the mess here in , the first wave of mass cancellations/destruction in was in mid October 2016 (?). Which can't be blamed with "Holidays/Leave" because (general rule) people tend to not holiday in October. And then, to top it all off,  decided to have this lovely timetable of emptyness which lasts a month-and-a-bit (which puts it in effect when some commutes get off their Christmas leave).

So, essentially here in we have this very large and very terrible cake, covered in a thick layer of very terrible icing (which contains salt for one's wounds). And in Sydney, they just have the terrible icing