Paul Nicolaou opinion: Rail meltdown exposed key issues with Sydney’s train network
Commuters are mad as hell and they’re not going to cop it any more. A global city like Sydney should not be brought to its knees by a single incident, and the response to incidents is defective, writes Paul Nicolaou
Opinion
Don't miss out on the headlines from Opinion. Followed categories will be added to My News.
After months of frustration for commuters, Premier Chris Minns has acknowledged what millions of Sydneysiders have long known.
Our train network is ailing and constantly just one incident — or industrial dispute — from meltdown.
Commuters are again enduring this nightmare with the latest mishap where overhead power lines came down on top of a suburban train with hundreds of passengers on board.
The fact that 24 hours later the system is still in chaos tells us two things: a global city like Sydney should not be brought to its knees by a single incident and the response to incidents is defective.
There is clearly no reliable plan for providing sufficient backup bus services to get through the immediate problem.
The Premier shouldn’t be in a position of having to advise bosses to allow workers to stay home.
Delays, cancellations, and full-scale service meltdowns are all too common.
For a city that relies on public transport to keep its people moving and its economy ticking, this level of dysfunction is unacceptable.
The public is not asking for perfection — commuters are asking for reliability and transparency.
And now that the government has admitted there is a problem, it must act swiftly and decisively.
First, an independent inquiry into the systemic issues affecting the rail network is a must. This is not about blame — it’s about diagnosis.
Only a credible, politically neutral process can provide the answers and lay the groundwork for lasting reform.
Words must be matched with dollars. Years of inconsistent investment and political “short-termism” have left Sydney’s rail infrastructure outdated and fragile.
It’s time for a major, long-term funding to modernise tracks, signalling systems, rolling stock, and staffing structures. We need to future-proof the system — not just patch it up.
Every transport system faces challenges but the lack of resilience in Sydney’s network is startling.
When something goes wrong, the entire system unravels. That must change.
We need robust contingency planning: properly resourced replacement services, real-time communication, and clear operational protocols to manage disruptions.
An independent high power permanent performance review mechanism is needed to report on key indicators including punctuality, reliability, customer satisfaction.
The government has worked one thing out. Commuters are as mad as hell with rail disruption and they’re not going to cop it any longer.
Perhaps that’s why the government has been quick to declare Monday a fare-free day in Sydney. That’s some consolation but not a solution.
Paul Nicolaou is executive director of Business Sydney
Do you have a story for The Daily Telegraph? Message 0481 056 618 or email tips@dailytelegraph.com.au
National changes drive teacher enrolments at universities
Across the country there has been a sudden rise in university enrolments for teaching with national statistics pointing to a 14 per cent increase in offers for teaching places across Australia in 2025.
Cancer cover-up for political gain? The question begging an answer
Everyone wishes Joe Biden well in his cancer battle, but sympathy shouldn’t stop investigations into what the hell was going on in the White House over four years and whether decisions made in that time were even legal or constitutional.