Sydney Rail Due for Reform

Thankfully, I don't have to travel by train any more. As a school student, I endured nine years of train travel across Sydney to my 'elite' private school. Trains in the 60s and 70s were not the air conditioned affairs of today; they were single decked 'red rattlers,' with manual doors and no air conditioning. Hot in summer, freezing in winter, leaked when it rained.

In the past two decades, the rolling stock has improved enormously, but the reliability of the service hasn't. Breakdowns, delays, occasional strikes. Same as ever.

What a contrast to Melbourne. They have a public transport system to die for. Trains that run on time and trams that run everywhere, every few minutes, even on Sunday. Clean and well patronised. An integrated ticketing system. Compared to Sydney, light years ahead.

In Melbourne, going by the signs on the rolling stock, the system is run by private companies. I'm not sure how that works. Like most modern city transport systems, it seems unlikely that they'd make a profit, so the companies would have to be heavily subsidised, but who cares? The system functions.

Melbourne public transport used to be government run, so I assume it was privatised by the Kennet government.

Compare this to recent events in Sydney, where the rail bureaucracy culture dates back to the 50s. A driver shortage exists since a large number of the aging drivers were retired on health grounds. It takes the best part of two years to train more. The remaining drivers claim to be overworked, so start taking a lot of sick leave. There's chaos as services are cancelled. Management responds by slashing weekend services to make more drivers available during the week.

The drivers' union knows they've got the government in a corner, and asks for a 25% wage increase. They respond by offering 12% in return for workplace reform, and a bribe to prevent the drivers from going on strike. It hasn't worked and it looks like they'll out next week.

This sort of issue plays in the hands of the conservatives, who point to a union dominated organisation that is immune to reform. The government backbenchers know just how damaging this issue is, predicting that if the problems aren't solved by the next election, it could bring down the government.

The Sydney rail authority management and its workforce are at the crossroads. If they spit in the face of the government and the public to the extent that Labor loses office, then the incoming conservative government will only be too happy to enforce Kennet like reforms on the organisation. The parties can either bring in meaningful and sustainable change now, or risk having it imposed in the future.

Ideologically, I'd prefer the former way. In practice, I'll back the other if it makes the system work.