Overtime by Queensland Rail train drivers more than doubled in two years before new line opened

LATEST: Transport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe says he wants widespread changes within Queensland Rail’s management structure as new overtime figures are released.

Overtime by train drivers more than doubled in the two years before the opening of the Redcliffe Peninsula Line.

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TRANSPORT Minister Stirling Hinchliffe says overtime for train drivers started increasing back in 2014 and he wants widespread change with Queensland Rail’s management structure.

The figures released by Mr Hinchliffe show overtime increasing in several months of 2014, with a low of 7544 hours in February to a high of 12,124 hours in October.

Mr Hinchliffe said services were being cut due to driver shortages back in 2014.

“Under the LNP there were cancellations due to train crew issues,” he said.

Mr Hinchliffe said releasing the overtime data for the past three years was an unprecedented move.

“However, as it is clear to me the level of mismanagement from Queensland Rail now dictates a higher level of scrutiny and a review that’s not been experienced before,” he said.

Mr Hinchliffe also strongly hinted there would be a wider management restructure at QR after its management had misled him repeatedly over the roster stuff ups which caused major service cancellations.

“It is clear there were a series of issues steadily growing within Queensland Rail that were not being managed effectively,” he said.

“I certainly think that we need to see change in the management of Queensland Rail but that’s not just at a senior level it’s in a range of different levels.”

Mr Hinchliffe said he was eagerly awaiting the Strachan Inquiry and would implement it’s recommendations carefully but quickly.

Mr Hinchliffe said he received the comprehensive report into the Christmas Day rail fail today and would release its contents after it had been considered by Government.

“It is comprehensive and I intend to release it very soon after further briefings within Government,” he said.

“The fundamental cause of the issue on Christmas Day was fundamentally a lack of train crew.

“That was exacerbated by a lack of preparedness in the rostering work that was done for a range of issues (such as annual leave) that coincided on that particular day.”

Acting Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington said the Palaszczuk Government needed to take responsibility for the rolling roster stuff ups within QR.

“The overtime started escalating as soon as this incompetent Labor Government came into power,” she said.

“We saw the Redcliffe Line come on some 12 months after they came into power.

“It is obvious that neither Ministers that have been in this (portfolio) – so neither Jackie Trad nor Stirling Hinchliffe – had the brains to ask the questions.”

Ms Frecklington again called for Mr Hinchliffe to be sacked.

“This incompetent Minister only blames everyone else,” she said.

“Enough is Enough. It is about time Annastacia Palaszczuk gave some certainty to southeast Queensland commuter … and sack this incompetent minister.”

Ms Frecklington said train passengers were still waiting to figure out what caused the latest rail fail.

“We are still waiting for the report into what went wrong on Christmas Day (to be publicly released),” she said.

EARLIER Overtime by train drivers more than doubled in the two years before the opening of the Redcliffe Peninsula Line.

Figures, provided through a Question on Notice, show Queensland Rail’s 497 drivers worked 8604 overtime hours in January 2015. In October last year, when the new services started operating, it was 18,837.

The month preceding the opening of the Redcliffe Peninsula Line had 15,791 hours of overtime — 20 per cent less than after it was operational.

Transport Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said increasing overtime showed flaws with the rostering system.

“Although there are regulations in place mandating the maximum hours individual drivers can work to manage fatigue, what’s concerning is Queensland Rail’s increasing ­reliance on overtime to keep driver rosters filled,” he said.

Each driver who works overtime earns 170 per cent of their average hourly rate.

Minister for Transport Stirling Hinchliffe at a media conference. PIC: Peter Wallis

Acting Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington said Mr Hinchliffe was trying to hide the full extent of the overtime bill by only releasing the figures until October, instead of the year’s end.

“What he hasn’t been able to hide is that, under Labor, the overtime bill for train drivers has more than doubled since the start of 2015,” she said.

Mr Hinchliffe said the figures also showed sick leave was not a big factor on cancellations from October through to Christmas Day — when almost a third of services were scrapped due to a roster error.

“Averaged out across the two-month period, drivers absent from duty on sick leave accounted for 3.56 per cent of the total train driver workforce,” Mr Hinchliffe said.

It comes as the rostering system is being reviewed, with the results crucial to any management restructure.

A QR spokeswoman said the report would be provided to Mr Hinchliffe as soon as possible and would provide all relevant detail.