Bureaucrats pose as Metro ‘crash test dummies’ amid approvals scramble

As the NSW government scrambles for approvals to get its once again delayed Metro open, it’s co-opted public servants to put their bodies on the line to help.

Transport bureaucrat volunteers are this afternoon acting as “crash test dummies” on the yet-to-be-opened metro rail line as the Minns Government scrambles to meet the final regulatory approvals.

The Daily Telegraph can reveal two tests were conducted last night with the third – and final – being undertaken between 1.30pm and 6pm today.

An email was sent to Transport for NSW staff this morning in order to find volunteers to participate as “passengers” in the test.

The planned opening of the much-heralded $21.6 billion metro rail line was shelved this week, with Transport Minister Jo Haylen refusing to offer a new start date.

The line had been due to open to the public on Sunday August 4, but a failure to secure the green light from the national rail safety regulator forced the government to push back the start date.

The new Metro rail line has been delayed as the Minns Government races to meet regulatory approvals. Picture: Richard Dobson

Ms Haylen blamed industrial action, as well as a major outage on the existing Metro Northwest earlier this month, as the key reasons for the delay with the new line unable to obtain the necessary sign-off from the rail regulator in time for this weekend.

It’s understood a “code red” notice issued by the Fire Brigade Employees’ Union (FBEU) earlier this month, which banned their members undertaking safety drills on the new line, has led to a backlog of practice runs which need to be completed this week.

Ms Haylen added further safety documentation had to be provided to the national rail regulator after a system-wide outage on the Metro Northwest earlier this month stopped trains in their tracks, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded on board.

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