Firefighters refuse to enter Sydney Metro tunnels over safety fears

Firefighters will refuse to enter new Sydney Metro tunnels after claiming key safety features of the mega-project are below Australian standards. But who’s to blame?

Firefighters will refuse to enter new Sydney Metro tunnels after claiming key safety features of the mega-project are below Australian standards.

Plans to build cross-passages — which link parallel tunnels and are used by emergency services in the event of disasters — every 500m on the Western Sydney Airport and Sydney Metro West lines have triggered a fierce backlash from firefighters.

They instead want the passages built every 240m — the Australian standard which Sydney Metro used on their North West line, which opened in 2019.

Firefighters are concerned doubling the length between tunnel crossings will force them to walk more than a kilometre to deal with underground disasters, while cutting down the amount of time they have to respond when they reach the scene.

“If these come into practice, we’ll paint them black. We won’t send our members down there. That’s just killing them,” Leighton Drury, state secretary of the Fire Brigade Employees Union, said. “They’re going to walk down there and put themselves in positions where they can’t get back.”

Premier Dominic Perrottet and Transport Minister David Elliott in Sydney Metro West tunnel. Picture: James Gourley

Mr Drury said firefighters had only a certain amount of air in their breathing apparatus, and doubling the length between each cross-passage would make responding to catastrophic fires or crashes more dangerous.

“If you double that, you’re now walking a kilometre — 500 metres and back — which leaves you without enough time to do anything effective on the ground,” he said.

Labor transport spokeswoman Jo Haylen said the changes “could lead to a nightmare scenario where firefighters are unable to assist passengers in the event of a fire”.

“Passengers right across Australia expect transport projects to adhere to Australian safety standards,” she said.

“It’s unacceptable for these projects to not measure up to Australian fire safety standards.

“People’s lives could end up being at stake.”

Fire Brigade Employees Union State Secretary Leighton Drury. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

The cross tunnels, which allow firefighters into the tunnels during emergency events.

It’s understood Sydney Metro is continuing to try get firefighters on side with the decision, which is driven by the belief that building the passages at 500m intervals will be safer during the construction of the two lines, which are expected to cost a combined $37.7 billion.

Sydney Metro chief executive Peter Regan said a recent assessment of modern metros stated the larger spacing was now “the global standard”.

“Both agencies have been collaborating over the proposal and Sydney Metro will continue to engage on reaching an optimal solution that addresses project requirements and the operational needs of Fire and Rescue NSW,” Mr Regan said.

“A holistic safety assessment including the construction and operation phases of metro projects found that modern metro railway design, incorporating spacing of up to 500m between cross-passages, is the global standard.”

He added the Metro lines would have “extensive” fire safety features and that other modern rail projects, such as Metronet in Western Australia, had cross passages spaced at up to 500m.

The National Rail Safety Regulator confirmed Sydney Metro are not obliged to build to the 240m local standard.

A spokesman said the project had passed its initial safety thresholds and they would continue to monitor the tunnels while they were built.

Boring on both the lines is set to start next year, with major contracts to build Metro West’s tunnels awarded to a joint venture between global firms Acciona and Ferrovial, and a consortium between Laing O’Rourke and Gamuda for different sections of the tunnel.

CPB Contractors, in a joint venture with Ghella, will deliver tunnels for the Western Sydney Airport line.

When completed, the airport line will connect the new Western Sydney Airport to St Marys, with six new train stations along the way.

The Metro West will connect greater Parramatta to the Sydney CBD, with eight stations on the route.

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