[Melb] More staff on railways

["David Lindstrom" <D_Lindstrom@Bigpond.com>]

More staff on railways

http://www.theage.com.au/news/20001121/A64930-2000Nov20.html

By SUSHI DAS
TRANSPORT REPORTER
Tuesday 21 November 2000

Taxpayers will pay for 100 more staff on trains to improve passenger safety,
despite assurances from private train operators that the network is already
safe.

The government's roving safety officers will also work at night to improve
the safety of night travel. They will focus on outer-suburban stations
between 5.30pm and 7.30pm, and work until the last train.

The officers, who will be called train patrollers on Bayside Trains, and
safe travel staff on Connex trains, will check tickets as well as patrol
trains, platforms and car parks.

The government's pre-election commitment will cost taxpayers $4.7million a
year, despite the entire transport system being privatised last August.

The private train operators, who are contracted to provide a safe system,
said they welcomed the government's contribution.

The announcement of the extra staff follows last month's announcement of an
extra 100 taxpayer-funded tram conductors. In total, this represents a $30.6
million investment by the government in the transport system.

Bayside Trains will also receive a total of $182.4 million in subsidies from
the government in 2000-1, while Connex will get a total of $191.1 million
over the same time.

Katie O'Shea, for Bayside Trains, run by National Express, said the extra
staff were needed to provide a greater sense of security, but she insisted
train travel was not unsafe.

"The incidents on the railways are actually few and far between, but because
of the media and people's perceptions ... it can make it seem much worse,"
she said. "It's also about addressing an issue before it becomes an issue."

Felicia Mariani, for Connex, said extra officers were needed as a deterrent
to crime, but the system was largely safe.

She said customers wanted a "perception of safety".

Transport Minister Peter Batchelor said a safe travel taskforce had been
established to exchange information between police and private train
operators, and to review security, and the coordination of safety and
security.