Meltdown
What is it about commuter trains and summer? CityRail is falling apart, and I can’t get a train that isn’t 30 minutes late. Officially, none of the trains I ride are affected, but then I get to the platform to hear that city services trains are “not running in order or according to schedule. Please listen for announcements.” All week, and it’s hotter this week than it’s been at any time all summer, not to mention more humid. The problem appears to have started last year when a rail accident saw a commuter train derail and many people ended up killed or injured. An investigation followed, and there was plenty of blame to go around. State government, CityRail, train drivers (funny, they’re not engineers anymore; I guess that’s so we can call the university-degree-holders by that designation). The drivers were found to be at fault because they engaged in unsafe practices (including some who showed up to work without being able to pass a breath test, and not because they didn’t brush). CityRail was at fault for not managing their people and their equipment better. State government was at fault for not spending enough money to upgrade the system and for allowing CityRail to get away with cutting corners. So what’s happened? Government cracks down on CityRail who cracks down on drivers who then proceed to spit the dummy and go on a work slowdown. Bob Carr has responded to commuters’ frustrations by offering us a free weekly pass (or a free day next month if we aren’t regular commuters), but I’m not satisfied yet. First thing I want to know: if you’re cutting back on the number of trains running, shouldn’t there be more equipment available to run, in which case, why am I riding in un-air conditioned carriages? The workers were out in force today handing out postcards with the phone number of the Transport Minister, Michael Costa, and proclaiming their innocence in all this, but it won’t wash. It almost makes me homesick.