CityRail Services

Ms VIRGINIA JUDGE: My question is addressed to the Minister for Transport. What is the latest information on improvements to CityRail's operations?

Mr JOHN WATKINS: It is good to be back at the dispatch box.

[Interruption]

This is unbearable.

THE SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for Hawkesbury to order. I call the member for Davidson to order. The House will come to order.

Mr JOHN WATKINS: The fourth annual Independent Transport Safety and Reliability Regulator rail customer survey released this week reveals that our rail customers believe overwhelmingly that rail services have improved in recent years. A lot has been done in those months to improve RailCorp's performance. We have implemented a new timetable, ordered new trains, built new lines and we are improving train maintenance.

Mr Andrew Stoner: What about CountryLink?

Mr JOHN WATKINS: We are supporting CountryLink for the country people of this State.

THE SPEAKER: Order! The member for Willoughby will cease interjecting.

Mr JOHN WATKINS: The member for Willoughby is never happy. We are spending millions of dollars in her electorate and she is not happy. All this expenditure ensures that our commuters have a system that is reliable, safe and comfortable. The Government is also continuing to attend to improving RailCorp's customer service. It is a big job. RailCorp has about one million customers a day. Most of them travel into the central business district but other journeys are scattered across Sydney. The Government recognises that there is some way to go to improve services for those customers. That is why today we announced a comprehensive new approach to CityRail operations. This overhaul is designed to achieve just one outcome—

THE SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for Willoughby to order.

Mr JOHN WATKINS: That outcome is to improve services for our customers. Accordingly, RailCorp has engaged Boston Consulting Group—a leader in workforce development, organisational change and change management practices—

THE SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for Willoughby to order for the second time.

Mr JOHN WATKINS: We have asked Boston Consulting Group to develop and help implement a customer service improvement program for CityRail. This program is designed to produce long-term improvements across our rail system and change processes and practices to ensure a better experience for rail users. Boston Consulting Group will assist RailCorp by providing an independent assessment of the issues faced on a daily basis from staff and commuter perspectives, assistance in developing strategies to deal with these matters, and additional skills and experience in making these kinds of changes. I must make the point strongly—because it has been misstated today—that this is not a survey. It is about changing processes throughout the organisation to make sure that passengers have a better experience on our train system.

THE SPEAKER: Order! I remind the member for Willoughby that there are 16 minutes remaining in question time. I call the member for Hawkesbury to order for the second time.

Mr JOHN WATKINS: In recent times, with the rollout of new infrastructure, the recruitment of new staff and the implementation of a timetable that accommodates new safety requirements, on-time running and customer satisfaction have improved. A lot of good things have happened but there is more to do. The customer service improvement program that we announced today will look at a range of issues, including train preparation, dispatch, train crewing, station operations, security, signalling, train control and incident response. In particular, we will concentrate first on on-time running in sector three—the Western and North Shore lines—station and carriage cleanliness, ticketing and prioritising over the longer term improvement projects identified by the consultants. We want to address issues such as improving fleet availability to ensure that more trains arrive at their destination on time and safely; improving the cleanliness of seats and carriages throughout the day; providing safer trains and stations for our customers—particularly our female customers—especially at night; and ensuring that real-time information is announced clearly. The Government is aware of the community's expectations.

THE SPEAKER: Order! The member for Wakehurst will remain silent.

Mr JOHN WATKINS: The process outlined today is designed to lead to substantial, identifiable improvements in the quality of our rail system. I have to say that the behaviour of the Opposition today just makes it clear that being in opposition is a horrible state: they are always wanting things to be worse.

THE SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for Hawkesbury to order for the third time.

Mr JOHN WATKINS: Always hoping for problems, wanting the world to be an awful place.

THE SPEAKER: Order! The member for Lane Cover will cease interjecting.

Mr JOHN WATKINS: It is very clear from that mob opposite that it is particularly corrosive to the human spirit to be in the Opposition—and we hope it lasts for a very long time.