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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/mar/31/nsw-transport-minister-announces-investigation-into-serious-problems-on-sydney-trains
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| NSW transport minister announces investigation into ‘serious problems’ on Sydney trains | NSW transport minister announces investigation into ‘serious problems’ on Sydney trains |
| (5 months later) | |
| ‘What I have learned alarms me,’ says Labor’s Jo Haylen but she insists independent inquiry will not be a ‘witch-hunt’ | ‘What I have learned alarms me,’ says Labor’s Jo Haylen but she insists independent inquiry will not be a ‘witch-hunt’ |
| An independent investigation into repeated failings on Sydney’s train network will be launched by the New South Wales Labor government, but the state’s new transport minister insists it will not be a “witch-hunt”. | An independent investigation into repeated failings on Sydney’s train network will be launched by the New South Wales Labor government, but the state’s new transport minister insists it will not be a “witch-hunt”. |
| Jo Haylen said the dire state of the state’s heavy rail system had been laid bare in the urgent briefings she received in the days since being sworn in. | Jo Haylen said the dire state of the state’s heavy rail system had been laid bare in the urgent briefings she received in the days since being sworn in. |
| “What I have learned alarms me,” she told reporters on Friday. | “What I have learned alarms me,” she told reporters on Friday. |
| “There are serious problems when it comes to our train network.” | “There are serious problems when it comes to our train network.” |
| Sydney rail commuters have endured a year of delays, disruptions and widespread outages, including a digital radio system failure on 8 March that left every train stationary for 90 minutes at the start of the afternoon peak. | Sydney rail commuters have endured a year of delays, disruptions and widespread outages, including a digital radio system failure on 8 March that left every train stationary for 90 minutes at the start of the afternoon peak. |
| Haylen promised to get to the root cause of the city’s rail issues as the worst on-time running since the pandemic puts Sydney’s status as global city at risk. | Haylen promised to get to the root cause of the city’s rail issues as the worst on-time running since the pandemic puts Sydney’s status as global city at risk. |
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| She said former National Transport Commission chair Carolyn Walsh would oversee an external audit of Sydney Trains – despite the service’s advice that an internal review would suffice. | She said former National Transport Commission chair Carolyn Walsh would oversee an external audit of Sydney Trains – despite the service’s advice that an internal review would suffice. |
| Haylen said the investigation would not be a “witch-hunt”, and would look to work collaboratively with Sydney Trains management, who are in the firing line after Labor campaigned on slashing senior executive roles in the public sector by 15%. | Haylen said the investigation would not be a “witch-hunt”, and would look to work collaboratively with Sydney Trains management, who are in the firing line after Labor campaigned on slashing senior executive roles in the public sector by 15%. |
| Walsh will investigate the causes of repeated infrastructure issues and attempt to find “rapid and durable solutions” and reforms to reduce problems in the future. | Walsh will investigate the causes of repeated infrastructure issues and attempt to find “rapid and durable solutions” and reforms to reduce problems in the future. |
| The terms of reference will be worked out in the coming days but will include rail infrastructure and systems, the government said. | The terms of reference will be worked out in the coming days but will include rail infrastructure and systems, the government said. |
| The review will report interim findings within six weeks, with the results of the full investigation to be handed down in October. | The review will report interim findings within six weeks, with the results of the full investigation to be handed down in October. |
| Walsh said her first focus would be any immediate safety issues affecting the system, with an eye to implementing solutions straight away. | Walsh said her first focus would be any immediate safety issues affecting the system, with an eye to implementing solutions straight away. |
| While there was no indication of any safety risks in the system, Walsh said there was a strong relationship between reliability and safety. | While there was no indication of any safety risks in the system, Walsh said there was a strong relationship between reliability and safety. |
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| March was a particularly poor month for the city’s rail network. | March was a particularly poor month for the city’s rail network. |
| Two days after the radio system crashed, a live overhead wire landed on a train in Panania, trapping 500 people onboard for 90 minutes, halting traffic on the T8 Airport line and causing delays across the broader network. | Two days after the radio system crashed, a live overhead wire landed on a train in Panania, trapping 500 people onboard for 90 minutes, halting traffic on the T8 Airport line and causing delays across the broader network. |
| Multiple signal outages in the Strathfield area while Sydneysiders were heading to the polls for last Saturday’s election caused delays across the network. | Multiple signal outages in the Strathfield area while Sydneysiders were heading to the polls for last Saturday’s election caused delays across the network. |
| The review comes as the new Minns Labor government tries to divert any anger over a scheduled toll increase on Saturday towards the former government and its “addiction to privatisation”. | The review comes as the new Minns Labor government tries to divert any anger over a scheduled toll increase on Saturday towards the former government and its “addiction to privatisation”. |
| Transurban is raising tolls on five Sydney tollways, including the Eastern Distributor and the Cross City Tunnel, by about 1.8% – an abnormally high hike, due to inflation. | Transurban is raising tolls on five Sydney tollways, including the Eastern Distributor and the Cross City Tunnel, by about 1.8% – an abnormally high hike, due to inflation. |
| “Every time the tolls go up, it’s a reminder of the former government’s obsession with privatisation,” Chris Minns said on Friday. | “Every time the tolls go up, it’s a reminder of the former government’s obsession with privatisation,” Chris Minns said on Friday. |
| The new government is promising structural toll reform and a weekly cap starting at $60 in 2024. | The new government is promising structural toll reform and a weekly cap starting at $60 in 2024. |
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