CityRail Security

Ms MEAGHER: My question without notice is to the Minister for Transport, and Minister for Roads. How is the Government making CityRail services safer?

Mr SCULLY: As honourable members would be aware, last July the Government introduced two security guards on every CityRail train after 7.00 p.m. Each night up to 350 CityRail security guards patrol the trains to check passenger security and safety. The decision to place security guards on CityRail trains at night is just one part of the Government’s rail security program

Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for Hornsby to order.

Mr SCULLY: The program involved the installation of closed-circuit television cameras, high-intensity lighting on CityRail stations and car parks, state-of-the-art help points, and a long-line public address system. This will mean that CityRail stations will be monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by staff in a local security control room who have a direct phone line access to police.

Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for Hornsby to order for the second time.

Mr SCULLY: Day or night, passengers who require assistance will be able to simply press the "Help Point" button and make instant contact with a local security control room. New technology to be installed as part of the program will allow the security control room staff to make announcements direct to the station platforms. Today I am pleased to announce that CityRail is calling for tenders for the installation of high-intensity lighting at 223 CityRail stations, six bus-rail interchanges and 99 car parks, at a cost of $21.6 million. Nineteen stations already have high-intensity lighting. Work is already under way on a further 59 stations, at a cost of $6.3 million. This is great news for the 900,000 CityRail commuters who use CityRail services every day. The six key bus-rail interchanges that will have high-intensity lighting installed are Strathfield, Sutherland, St Marys, Seven Hills, Penrith and Blacktown.

Mr SPEAKER: Order! I remind the honourable member for Hornsby that he is on two calls to order.

Mr SCULLY: This tender involves the installation of 7,100 high-intensity light fittings on every platform at every station in the entire CityRail
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network. Tenders will close on 14 July this year. This security upgrade across all stations is part of an overall strategy by the Government to ensure that CityRail commuters feel safer on the rail network. Changes have been made, and will continue to be made, to ensure that more staff are on the platforms to assist commuters.

CityRail and the transport unions are currently negotiating a proposal that will see a reduction in the number of managers on stations but an increase in the number of staff on station platforms and revenue protection officers. The Government guarantees that as a result of these reforms there will be no change to station business hours, and no station will be destaffed. This combination of improved security and improved work practices is proving to be a success.

I would like to announce also the results of CityRail’s third-quarter customer satisfaction survey. It reveals a dramatic improvement in perceptions of customer safety and satisfaction, thanks to the presence of security guards on night trains. The previous survey, which was carried out last June, showed that passenger satisfaction with feeling safer on trains before the introduction of the security guards was at 21 per cent. With the introduction of security guards on night trains from 1 July last year the perception of safety more than doubled to 47 per cent, as reflected by the customer satisfaction survey of September last year.

The latest survey conducted among CityRail commuters indicates another jump in public confidence and satisfaction among CityRail commuters. The results show that 96 per cent of passengers travelling at night are aware of the CityRail security guards patrolling trains after 7.00 p.m. The survey shows also that 77 per cent of suburban passengers and 92 per cent of intercity passengers who travel at night feel safer due to the presence of security guards on trains.

Even the honourable member for Ku-ring-gai, the shadow minister for transport, has given due credit to the Government’s introduction of security guards on night trains. He acknowledges this tremendous initiative of the Carr Government to introduce security measures such as night security guards. This, along with the installation of help points, security cameras and high-intensity lighting, confirms that the Government’s initiatives are working. People are feeling safer. This is a very good initiative, and I am pleased that it has the support of the honourable member for Ku-ring-gai.