Rail, Tram, Bus Union launches campaign against removal of safety booth

Opposition Transport spokesman Chris Minns has described a decision by Sydney Trains to remove a safety and information booth at Liverpool railway station as a “decision that makes taxpayers rip their hair out” and has called for it to remain open.

Sydney Trains chief executive Howard Collins. Picture: Jonathan Ng

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The Rail, Tram and Bus Union has called on Sydney Trains chief executive Howard Collins to “step in” and reverse a decision to remove a safety and information booth it says is vital for the safety of workers and commuters at Liverpool railway station.

RTBU NSW Secretary Alex Claassens said the booth, located next to the ticket barriers, had helped “countless” commuters and railway workers in times of need, with the facility used in recent times to protect the public from an axe-wielding person and to help a pregnant woman in a medical emergency.

“Sydney Trains should be doing everything it can to improve commuter and worker safety, not putting people at risk in an attempt to cut costs.”

Rail, Tram and Bus Union members are joined by Opposition Transport spokesman Chris Minns and Liverpool councillor Charishma Kaliyanda to campaign against the removal of a safety and information booth at Liverpool railway station.

Mr Claassens said a dispute over its removal had stretched over four years and it did not make sense to scrap it, claiming new airconditioning had only been installed 12 months ago.

A Sydney Trains spokesman said the Gate Array Control booth will be removed to extend the Opal gates and install a customer service hub following an extensive safety and risk assessment and consultation with staff.

“Patronage continues to grow across the Sydney Trains network, with Liverpool Station recording a six per cent increase in Opal taps over the last financial year. Additional Opal gates will help customers and staff move more quickly and safely through the station,” the spokesman said.

The Rail, Tram and Bus Union has also launched a petition.

“GAC booths were installed several decades ago and predate the introduction of Opal and contactless payments, with many of their operational functions, such as ticket checking, no longer required.”

The spokesman said customer service hubs were already in place at Central, Town Hall, Wynyard stations and aimed to improve customer service.

“They allow staff to access IT and real time customer service systems whilst being more readily available on the concourse or platform to answer customer queries,” he said.

RTBU members were joined by Opposition Transport spokesman Chris Minns and Liverpool councillor Charishma Kaliyanda at Liverpool railway station on Friday to launch a campaign against the booth’s removal.

Mr Minns said it was “the sort of decision that makes taxpayers rip their hair out”.

“The dispute’s been going on for four years and yet the facility had been upgraded 12 months ago, which would I think lead employees on the station to believe it had been resolved in their favour,” he said.

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