Railway Passenger Safety

Mr MOSS: I ask the Minister for Transport: what progress has the Government made on its election commitment to establish a safe station program on the CityRail network? What impact have other security measures had on the network?

Mr LANGTON: I am pleased to advise the House today that the safe station program is now ready to proceed. This program has been a commitment of the Labor Party since well before the 1991 State election. On coming to office I requested a full security audit of CityRail's 169 suburban stations. Information from that audit has enabled the selection of 62 CityRail stations to become safe stations. Before the election the Premier and I announced that there would be 50 safe stations. I am now announcing that there will be 62. Features of safe stations will include high illumination lighting, closed-circuit television surveillance and platform passenger help points. All safe stations will have a guaranteed staff presence from the first to the last train.

Every safe station will receive regular services after the evening peak. A small number of frequently serviced safe stations will have some through services to provide shorter evening journey times for longer distance passengers. The safe station program is designed to boost public confidence in the rail system. It is designed to improve security and attract passengers back on to trains by making them feel safer and responding to their demand for higher levels of customer service. In total, the safe station program represents a commitment of more than $14 million. The program will be progressively implemented over the next two years. CityRail has advised me that at least 30 of the 62 stations will have basic equipment installed as early as February next year.

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As honourable members would already be aware, Cabramatta will be one of the designated safe stations, with a $2.25 million upgrade already announced by the Premier. Work is expected to commence before the end of the year and should be completed before the end of 1996. Cabramatta station will undergo a complete redesign with passenger safety as the focus. These measures, combined with the increased police presence at Cabramatta, are aimed at clearing the area of drug dealers and thugs. Design improvements to Cabramatta include a more open layout, improved surveillance and reduced congestion; improved lighting of the station, platforms and car park; landscape changes to minimise hiding areas; and removal of hiding places such as physical screens and barriers. A number of security features are already in place at Cabramatta, including closed-circuit television, security guards and a police call box in the police room.

In only six months this Government has introduced a wide range of improvements to security on trains, including a greater transit police strength, private uniformed security guards and an extension of the Nightsafe program so that it commences an hour earlier. The Government is now ready to proceed with the safe station program. Another election commitment fulfilled. It is another step in the direction of restoring public confidence in the rail system, another step towards attracting more passengers on to trains. I am pleased to advise the honourable member for Canterbury that his local railway station will be one of the 62 designated safe stations.

I shall now read out to honourable members the 62 stations that have been designated safe stations. In the Hunter and central coast area: Wyong, Broadmeadow, Gosford, Maitland, Newcastle and Woy Woy. In the north: Chatswood, Epping, Hornsby, North Sydney and Pennant Hills. In the Blue Mountains: Katoomba and Springwood. In the inner city: Ashfield, Central, Circular Quay, Lidcombe, Museum, Redfern, St James, Strathfield, Town Hall and Wynyard. In the west: Auburn, Blacktown, Granville, Mount Druitt, Parramatta, Penrith, Richmond, Riverstone, Seven Hills, St Marys and Westmead. In the south: Bankstown, Cabramatta, Campbelltown, Campsie, Canterbury, East Hills, Fairfield, Glenfield, Kingsgrove, Liverpool, Marrickville, Regents Park, Riverwood, Picton and Moss Vale. On the Illawarra and south coast lines: Bondi Junction, Cronulla, Hurstville, Kings Cross, Kogarah, Martin Place, Miranda, Sutherland, Sydenham, Waterfall, Wollongong, Dapto and Thirroul.

This comprehensive allocation of 62 stations will ensure that passengers will have a choice of travelling to or from their closest station or using a nearby safe station. The stations were selected on the basis of important factors, including their distribution across the network, availability of Nightride bus services, proximity to other transport modes, security risk factors, and existing or planned easy access - that is, accessibility for people with disabilities. I am confident that the safe station program will give a confidence boost to all passengers, particularly women and older people using our public transport system.

The honourable member for Canterbury also asked me about the impact of other security measures. In the first week, patrols of private uniformed security guards on the CityRail network have been well received by passengers. To meet the needs of CityRail commuters, security guards have already begun a new additional service. They will escort passengers to their vehicles in car parks at railway stations if they are requested to do so. Many females and older passengers are already using this service. It is only a week since security guards were first placed on Sydney trains and platforms. Since 3 October they have completed 1,500 patrols of stations and trains, averaging 226 patrols on trains and stations each day. The 66 uniformed security guard patrols are mainly on the south and south-western lines. They focus on trains after 7.00 p.m. until the last service.

On Sundays to Wednesdays 12 two-person teams patrol the trains, and on Thursdays to Saturdays 21 two-person security teams patrol the trains. During a six-hour shift a total of 135 patrols are conducted on 135 stations on a Sunday to Wednesday basis. This will increase to 225 station and train patrols at night on Thursdays to Saturdays. The coverage is extensive. Security guards stay on a train for a few stops, alight to patrol a station, then catch another train for their next patrol. Each patrol carries mobile radios to contact police in the event of an arrest or incident. In the short time since they have commenced patrols they have encountered a range of incidents from abusive drunken customers to the discovery of a shotgun at Cabramatta station.

Most importantly, passengers, particularly women and older people, have said they feel safer on train journeys where security guards are present. On the first night, 3 October, before a service arrived at Redfern station two males and two females pulled a machete on the security guards after passengers complained about rowdy behaviour. Security guards on the train called ahead to advise transit police, but the offenders escaped. Earlier that night security guards discovered a shotgun hidden in the bushes at Cabramatta railway station. They contacted transit police and the weapon was taken away.

Mr Peacocke: On a point of order: I ask you, Mr Speaker, to draw the Minister's attention to his excessive prolixity and lack of propinquity.

Mr SPEAKER: Order! I uphold the excellent point of order.

Mr LANGTON: I am pleased that the private security patrol program has been developed with the assistance of rail unions, who share the Government's concerns about passenger safety. This Government is acting quickly to fulfil its election commitment to improve rail safety and restore public confidence in the rail system.

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