Transport Minister John Graham confirmed that Sydney Metro safety remains a priority despite a recent open door incident. He believes such events are unlikely but possible. This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Transport Minister John Graham confirmed that Sydney Metro safety remains a priority despite a recent open door incident. He believes such events are unlikely but possible.
The transport minister has refuted claims timetabling pressures were behind the incident. (Supplied: Transport for NSW)

After meeting Metro Trains Sydney officials, Graham trusts the safety mechanisms designed to stop trains with open doors. Yet, a peak-hour service ran with doors open for two minutes.

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Graham revealed a procedural error caused the train to move with doors ajar on Wednesday morning. Metro Trains Sydney swiftly reinforced protocols to prevent future manual overrides.

Videos showed workers guarding the open doors to protect passengers during the alarming incident. Graham praised their quick response but ruled out mandating staff on every service.

Sydney Metro Safety Faces Union Criticism

Union Secretary Toby Warnes argued that limited staffing threatens passengers on metro trains daily. He warned that without consistent staff presence, incidents could turn catastrophic.

Graham rejected calls for staffing increases, confident that current measures suffice for metro operations. He expects no regulator-driven changes despite the recent safety lapse.

Warnes suggested punctuality demands might have prompted the safety override on Wednesday morning. Graham dismissed this, insisting no evidence shows timetables trump passenger protection.

Sydney Metro achieves a 99 percent on-time rate, outshining Sydney Trains’ ongoing delays. The heavy rail network consistently misses its 92 percent punctuality goal.

Sydney Metro Safety Prioritized Amid Network Challenges

Graham blamed industrial action for disrupting Sydney Trains’ maintenance since last year. Recent progress cut delays by a third, but more work remains ahead.

A new expert team will address track and signaling issues before they escalate, Graham announced. This follows last month’s signal failure that snarled multiple lines.

Graham emphasized that better worker relations could lift on-time performance across the network. A February cooling-off period paused union disputes, yet tensions linger.

The union claimed talks have worsened since February, but Graham sees progress as achievable. He ranks resolving this dispute as his top goal for 2025.

Source: www.abc.net.au

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