Adelaide train drivers told to skip stations to make up time, parliamentary inquiry hears

Passengers are being left stuck on platforms because Adelaide’s privatised train drivers are skipping stops to save time, parliament has been told.

Train drivers are being instructed to skip railway stations, leaving commuters stranded on platforms, in a bid to reach their final destination on time, a parliamentary inquiry has heard.

Rail, Tram and Bus Union SA secretary Darren Phillips told a parliamentary committee on Monday that some train drivers had been told by rail operator Keolis Downer to bypass scheduled stops in order to complete their journey on-time.

Keolis Downer, which took over the operation of Adelaide’s passenger rail network in January, can be financially penalised for trains running late under its contract with the state government.

“We are aware that on-time running has been achieved on occasions by Keolis Downer having trains skipping stations to have the train arrive at the destination on time,” Mr Phillips said.

“This leaves customers stranded and left to fend for themselves.”

Mr Phillips said this practice had happened in Victoria “and there was a fear with privatisation that that may occur here”.

Keolis Downer CEO David Frank at the Adelaide Railway Station. Picture: Tricia Watkinson

Keolis Downer chief executive officer David Franks told the committee there were contractual arrangements in place to prevent train drivers skipping stations but he conceded this did not mean it did not happen.

Mr Franks said such a practice also occurred prior to Keolis Downer taking over the rail network.

Transport Department chief executive officer Tony Braxton-Smith said skipping stations was “common behaviour in rail networks operated by governments as well as by the private sector”.

“In Sydney, where I previously worked, it was a source of frustration,” he said.

“Generally skipped stops are used for incident response if there is an incident somewhere on the network ... or there are some timetable services which are semi-express which a customer not familiar with ... may interpret it as a skipped stop.”

Mr Braxton-Smith said sanctions for skipping stops to keep on-schedule could include a financial penalty in the first instance, up to the cancellation of the privatisation contract if the behaviour persisted for an extended period of time.

Robert Simms MLC. Picture: Matthew Kroker

Committee chair Robert Simms MLC said it was “deeply concerning” to hear train stops were being bypassed in order to save time.

“SA commuters shouldn’t have to pay the price for cost cutting measures,” he said.

The committee also heard that the department had advocated for frontline public transport workers to get access to Covid-19 vaccines and it was awaiting a response from health authorities.

“The government should advise on when this will occur and what steps are being taken to ensure those working for private providers have access to the vaccine,” Mr Simms said.

Opposition transport spokesman Tom Koutsantonis said Labor had warned commuters would suffer if the trains were privatised.

“I feel for any commuter who is left standing at the train station while their scheduled train skips their stop,” he said. “No wonder complaints have gone up significantly since privatisation.”

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Originally published as Adelaide train drivers told to skip stations to make up time, parliamentary inquiry hears