Queensland Rail revise staff surplus targets
Train driver and crew targets set after a massive Queensland Rail ‘rail fail’ in 2016 have been revised down because of system ‘stability’ and lower overtime rates.
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Queensland Rail has revised a key target to hire extra train drivers and crew to ensure trains arrive on time because it would cost too much money and hinder productivity.
Peak advocacy group RAIL Back on Track and the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) have backed the decision, citing current stability and low overtime rates, but stressed Queensland Rail must “keep it up”.
The Strachan Inquiry, launched after hundreds of cancellations following the opening of the Redcliffe Peninsula Line in 2016, recommended Queensland Rail maintain a “structural surplus” of train crew to enable operations to be conducted without the systemic reliance on overtime.
However, the final report of the Citytrain Response Unit, released today, revealed that targets for the surplus staff had been revised from the Strachan Inquiry.
“The initial target set in the Strachan Inquiry, to deliver the timetable without the systematic reliance on overtime would significantly increase Traincrew cost through increases in unproductive shifts for traincrew,” the report reads.
“The target set by Queensland Rail is consistent with other jurisdictions and
maintains the reliability of the service, thus meeting the intent of the recommendation.
“This approach minimises the overall train crew cost.”
CEO Nick Easy said for Queensland Rail to reduce its overtime expenditure to zero, the organisation would need to recruit substantially more train crew, which would lead to significant impacts to both costs and productivity.
Queensland Rail has instead revised its target to see the level of overtime sustainably range between 9.5 and 12.5 per cent of total hours worked.
Mr Easy said that taking into account natural attrition, train crew had increased by an additional 218 train drivers and 245 qualified guards since October 2016.
“In 2019–20, the average hours of overtime worked by Citytrain drivers was down 23.4 per cent when compared with 2016–17 when the Redcliffe Peninsula line opened,” Mr Easy said
“This continued improvement comes even as Queensland Rail operated 10,455 more services in 2019-20 than in 2018-19.”
The cost of train crew overtime during 2019-20 was $28.3 million.
Robert Dow, of RAIL Back on Track, said Queensland Rail was “probably in a fairly stable position” but it was critical the organisation respond to increased demand from Cross River Rail and when public use returns to pre-Covid levels.
“They need to make sure that they keep it up … driver recruitment must continue to match attrition and they must look to staffing required with Cross River Rail in 2025,” he said.
“It would be a waste of money at the moment.”
Mr Dow said the real problems within Queensland Rail that must be addressed were a lack of trains and the need for a Public Transport Authority to provide more integration of public transport services.
“They need to get moving on the number of new trains,” he said.
“We don’t want another problem when the Cross River Rail rolls around.”
RTBU Queensland state secretary Peter Allen said overtime rates were “really quite low” and the rail system was running with adequate crew.
“With Cross River Rail, the work hasn’t started yet. The need for the additional staff just isn’t there at the moment,” he said.
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