Queensland Rail crisis - Train drivers' overtime exceeds $500,000 per fortnight; poor visibility for drivers

Drivers can't properly see out the windows of the Queensland government's new trains, while drivers' overtime bills are exceeding half a million dollars a fortnight as the state's rail service comes under scrutiny following cancelled services.

On Monday, Transport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe confirmed there were "small issues that need to be resolved" with the new generation rolling stock.

"One of the things that's being resolved and finalised is the comfort and settings for the crew, for the train crew," Mr Hinchliffe said.

"There have been some issues in relation to line of sight for drivers to be able to see the points on platforms where they need to stop. There are issues that are being corrected in relation to that.

Stirling Hinchliffe has defended calls from the opposition to resign, saying he is focused on fixing the issues.Credit: Bradley Kanaris

"As is the case with any great major project, when you see the delivery of the final product there are some teething and small issues that need to be resolved."

Mr Hinchliffe said as the trains were being tested, there was a concern that drivers could not see "stopping points".

"At platforms there are markers on platforms to demonstrate to drivers where is the optimal place for this train to come up to a complete stop in order for the passengers to alight and to de-train," he said.

Mr Hinchliffe said visibility had to be available for the "full range of drivers", pointing out that some were his height or taller.

Train drivers can't see "stopping points" properly in new generation rolling stock, the transport minister said.

"There's a range there and that all had to be assessed and looked at," he said.

The former LNP government ordered 75 new trains under a private public partnership.

Mr Hinchliffe said five of the trains were in Australia at the moment, and they were undergoing testing and commissioning.

He said the trains were also being modified to provide space for guards.

It comes as the government and Queensland Rail face heavy scrutiny after 100 train services were cancelled earlier in October due to a shortage of drivers following the opening of the Redcliffe Peninsula Line.

Mr Hinchliffe has defended calls from the opposition to resign, saying he is focused on fixing the issues.

"We are delivering more services now than we were in September," he said.

"The lack of performance against the October 4 timetable has made us all furious, made us really upset because the high performance we were expecting and wanted to see hasn't been delivering."

Meanwhile, Queensland Rail is operating with a level of 30 per cent overtime as it struggles to provide the extra services required following the opening of the Redcliffe Peninsula Line.

Mr Hinchliffe told 612 ABC Brisbane earlier on Monday: "We are running overtime levels of around 30 per cent".

"There is a cost to this.

"It's a consequence of there not being the levels of train crew."

Overtime bills soar following opening of new Redcliffe line

Figures provided by Queensland Rail show the overtime bill for train drivers increased by 24 per cent after the opening of the Redcliffe Peninsula Line.

For the two week rostering period before October 4, $466,701.82 in overtime was paid to 348 drivers.

During the two week period from October 4, the overtime bill was $578,752.41, paid to 379 drivers.

A Queensland Rail spokeswoman said train drivers were given the choice to increase their salary by doing overtime at times of their choosing.

"We are grateful to the traincrew staff for pulling out all the stops and doing extra duties, since we brought in the new timetable on 4 October," the spokeswoman said.

The spokeswoman said strict fatigue standards were in place to ensure rosters, and any offered overtime, complied with the rules.

Opposition Leader Tim Nicholls said there was "no evidence" of what Mr Hinchliffe was saying in relation to the visibility issues, describing it as a "red herring".

"And even if it were the case, that the drivers are unable to fully see or find out the stopping marks on the station, those are the teething problems, what is the minister doing since his announcement back in February?" Mr Nicholls said.

Mr Nicholls said the new trains, ordered under the LNP government, were designed so that guards could roam the carriages.

"Guards are absolutely necessary on those trains," he said.

"In government, what we were concerned to ensure was that guards weren't secreted away in little cubby hole at the back of the train. That guards were actually walking through the trains, that they were providing, safety, security and assistance to passengers."