A Sydney Metro train undergoing testing. Photo: Sydney Metro.
The much-anticipated opening of Sydney’s City Metro rail extension from Chatswood to Sydenham via the city, which had been scheduled for 4 August, has been delayed due to unspecified safety regulator delays.
The extension of the current Northwest Metro, which runs from Tallawong near Rouse Hill to Chatswood, would have meant passengers from the Hills district could travel all the way to the city and beyond without having to change to the T1 heavy-rail line at Chatswood.
Despite claims in early July that the extension would open on 4 August, it was announced last week that the opening had been delayed because the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR) was yet to sign off on its final approvals.
The delay comes just a few days after a firefighter received an electric shock at the Metro’s new Barangaroo station during an exercise, and concerns from the NSW Fire Brigade Employees Union (FBEU) that the line is not yet safe for passengers.
In a strongly worded 2 August statement, the FBEU said it had staunchly opposed the NSW Government’s “hard deadlines” for the project due to what it described as “the inability of Sydney Metro and the operator (MTS) to clean up their act”.
It said its position was based on the results of a series of exercises culminating in an uncontrolled evacuation drill at Barangaroo.
“The exercises were appraised by a level 3 FRNSW (Fire and Rescue NSW) assessor, with the results significantly important to attempts at resolving the ongoing consultation dispute,” state secretary Leighton Drury said.
“The fourth and final exercise, an uncontrolled evacuation drill at Barangaroo, occurred [on 1 August]. The exercise demonstrated a complete failure of the operator’s emergency management plans.
“Despite the MTS Operations Centre providing confirmation of a rescue power outage, an FBEU member received an electric shock from the train’s manual evacuation door. Luckily, the member was treated onsite and is safe.
“Both SafeWork NSW and ONRSR have been made aware of the situation.”
The FBEU says the MTS said the cause of the shock was a stray current, an explanation the union finds “completely unacceptable”. The union has called for an independent investigation into the matter, to be conducted by an electrical engineer.
A firefighter reportedly received an electric shock during an evacuation test at the new Barangaroo Metro station on 1 August. Photo: Sydney Metro.
The NSW Liberals’ deputy leader Natalie Ward said Labor was being dictated to by the union.
“We planned it, we funded it, we built it, all they had to do was open it and they couldn’t even get that right,” Ms Ward said.
Mr Drury described Ms Ward’s claim as “a little bit cute”.
“If the Opposition want to call unions thugs because they worry about the commuting public’s safety and firefighters’ safety, I would suggest that the ideals of the Liberal National party are way off,” he said.
Transport Minister Jo Haylen has insisted the City Metro is safe, and that the delay in opening was “not a question of safety”.
“This railway is 99 per cent ready,” she said, but conceded a power outage in mid-July, which saw passengers stuck on a train before having to get off and walk through tunnels to the nearest station, may have contributed to the delays.
“The railway is safe, it’s not a question of safety,” she said. “Unfortunately, passengers are going to have to wait a little longer until we open City Metro, but not that much longer.
“We have worked through over 11,000 hours of testing between Chatswood and Sydenham. Trial running is complete – more than 200 exercises have been completed for trial running of the Metro. Our full fleet of 45 trains has been tested.
“Our bus timetables and changes are ready. Our transport team is ready. The operator MTS and Sydney Metro are ready. But we do need a little more time for the safety regulator to give us the final tick of approval.
“We want to make sure this railway is absolutely safe and reliable before people jump on board. I appreciate they will be disappointed. It’s not this weekend, but it’s not far off. And the wait will be worth it.”
In the meantime, Transport for NSW has been scrambling to extend bus services that had been due to be drawn down, particularly for commuters on the city’s North Shore and in the northwest.
The department says extra bus services will operate from the northwest, including the 610x from Castle Hill to the City, and on the Lower North Shore, the 119 on the Pacific Highway between Gore Hill and North Sydney.
