Train guards want to hide away from the public: Glass partitions make them feel ‘vulnerable’

“INTIMIDATED” guards on Sydney’s commuter trains are upset that they can be seen by passengers while sitting in their compartment.

A guard on a Monday morning service from the CBD to Homebush takes an opportunity to sit down and look at a mobile device as the train travels between Central and Redfern stations. Pic: Supplied

GUARDS on Sydney’s commuter trains are upset that they can be seen by passengers while sitting in their compartment.

The guards have told the Rail Tram & Bus Union they feel “intimidated” and “vulnerable” because passengers are able to peer into the crew cab from inside the carriages while the train is on the move.

They said an edict by Sydney Trains that they must have the privacy screen lowered at all times allowed people to film them and take their photographs, putting their safety at risk.

In its union bulletin for train guards, called The Blue Light, the RTBU’s train guards subdivision claimed it had been approached by members worried about their safety.

“The RTBU believes it has got to the stage now that some guards are being intimidated by certain groups and individuals, putting themselves in a situation where their own safety, identity or personal items are at risk,” the bulletin said.

“Unscrupulous characters know exactly who, and the number of train crew, that are travelling in the cabs,” the bulletin said.

Passengers were “taking videos via their mobile phones of train guards performing their duties”.

“Guards are feeling vulnerable due to customers who constantly peer in through the window.”

The union said if the guards were not allowed to pull up their privacy screen over the window then Sydney Trains management should install a one-way window or place reflective film over the glass.

When The Daily Telegraph travelled on four City Circle services yesterday to examine the cab windows, it found the privacy screens were closed on the guards’ cab in two trains, contravening the rules.

On the third train a seated guard was seen looking at a small tablet or smartphone. The guard on the fourth train was spotted through the window eating an orange.

Sydney Trains said although the policy had been in place since 1988 it would look into the issue. “The safety and wellbeing of our staff and customers is our No. 1 priority,” it said.