‘Zapped’ firefighter case triggers dispute over Sydney’s new metro tunnels

The firefighters’ union is demanding guarantees of total isolation of power if emergencies occur in tunnels on Sydney’s new $21.6 billion metro rail line, despite the operator saying that some residual power complies with standards.

The latest dispute comes after a firefighter received a “minor electrical shock” during an evacuation drill on the main section of the Metro City and Southwest line between Chatswood and Sydenham less than two weeks ago.

A firefighter received a minor electrical shock during a drill in a tunnel about 100 metres from Barangaroo station.Credit: Rhett Wyman

The firefighter was sitting on a walkway in a tunnel as he tried to open a train door using an emergency release when he said he was “zapped”, according to internal reports into the incident obtained by the Herald.

The reports by the line’s private operator show a technician who was later sent to the site to investigate the incident recorded a maximum of 118 volts of direct current, which was “compliant with system design” and a European standard.

The driverless train was about 100 metres from Barangaroo station at the time of the incident. The emergency exercise was halted, and the firefighter received first aid and was taken to hospital for monitoring.

According to Metro Trains Sydney’s reports, the European standard allows for up to 150 volts for as long as five minutes. A voltage-limiting device in each of the metro rail line’s substations automatically cuts power at 150 volts.

The report said the “root cause” of the incident on August 1 was the firefighter “being subjected to rail-earth potential” when he made contact between the train and the emergency walkway, “potentially causing the ‘zap’ feeling”.

Fire Brigade Employees Union state secretary Leighton Drury said the electrical hazard was an entirely new risk that neither it nor Fire and Rescue NSW had been advised of, despite years of consultation with Sydney Metro, the agency overseeing the rail project.

“The risk is not identified in the emergency management plan, and no one from Metro has raised the issue during our familiarisation exercises,” he said.

“It is unreasonable that a firefighter or a member of the public might be injured in these circumstances. Metro needs to prioritise safety and ensure that these tunnels are completely isolated from power during an incident.”

However, Sydney Metro said the inherent risk of residual electric current was present in every direct current railway across the world, including most electrified railways in Australia.

“This is an extremely low risk, managed and maintained to robust engineering standards (which are common across the wider NSW rail network),” it said.

The agency cited further safety controls it had adopted for the rail line including circuit breakers and voltage limiting devices, which automatically terminate power if they measure greater than the acceptable limit within the standards.

“These are in addition to routine network voltage monitoring, and automated and manual procedures, to further control risks during emergency scenarios,” it said.

The firefighters’ union, which has 6000 members across the state, is at loggerheads with the government over a new pay deal after the previous award expired in February.

The new metro line between Chatswood and Sydenham was due to open on August 4 but has been delayed due to a combination of problems including a lack of final approval from the national rail safety regulator and a recent meltdown of a connecting stretch of line.

A new date for the opening hinges on the national rail safety regulator issuing an operating licence to the private operator.

Transport Minister Jo Haylen said on Monday that all the paperwork for the new line the government needed to provide was now in the independent safety regulator’s hands.

“We have provided everything to the regulator and we await their response. As soon as we have that information we’ll have more to say,” she said.

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