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Tonzo
Train Controller
Joined: May 13, 2005
Last Visited: Nov 7, 2008
Location: Nunawading, Vic
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Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 10:27 am
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From The Age on Wednesday:
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Clay Lucas
May 14, 2008
Have you fallen ill on a train or been delayed because of a sick passenger? Email scoop@theage.com.au
OVERCROWDING on Melbourne's trains is causing more passengers to faint or fall ill, resulting in lengthy delays to peak-hour train services as drivers wait for ambulances to arrive.
The Rail, Tram and Bus Union says it is now imperative that the State Government reinstate station attendants.
"When the stations were manned, drivers had someone to leave sick passengers with," the president of the union's Locomotive Division, Terry Sheedy, said yesterday. "Now, if someone goes down in a train, everybody has to wait."
A peak-hour train was delayed for 20 minutes at Alphington yesterday morning because a passenger had a fit.
The train remained at the station until an ambulance arrived, with other train services backing up behind it. When the ambulance arrived, the passenger did not want to be transported, a spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Ambulance Service said.
Sick passengers are an increasing source of delays and cancellations on Melbourne's train system. In April, 30 passengers fell ill, causing delays and cancellations to 946 trains.
In March, 25 sick passengers held up 894 services, and in February, 828 services were held up or cancelled because of passenger sickness.
A report from the Labor Party's transport policy committee to the ALP's state conference on May 24 has called for staff to be brought back to every Melbourne metropolitan station.
Public Transport Minister Lynne Kosky yesterday refused to say whether she supported the push to restaff Melbourne's train stations.
Spokesman Stephen Moynihan said the Government had increased the number of premium stations on the network — those staffed from first train to last — from 59 to 72. "We've also reversed the massive job losses imposed during the Kennett government," he said.
Connex this week pointed to "an unfortunate sequence of ill customers" as one reason it had failed to meet a monthly target to run at least 92% of Melbourne's trains on time (within five minutes of their scheduled time).
Passengers with a monthly, six-monthly or yearly ticket can now claim a free daily ticket as compensation.
Mr Sheedy said passenger illnesses were now "happening daily". "People are squashed in, and some people just can't hack it and faint," he said.
"Drivers used to be able to drop those who weren't too ill at stations with staff. If someone was crook and they could still walk, you could put them out with the station attendant until the ambulance arrived."
Any delay to a peak-period service caused problems down the line, as trains behind were also made late, Mr Sheedy said.
Connex spokesman John Rees said that if a passenger became ill, drivers could not move the train until an ambulance arrived.
"We have to wait. We do not have drivers who are trained medical staff. You wouldn't want to take the chance that you are doing more damage," he said.
"And you'll frequently find that the passengers won't want to get off the train and lose their spot." |
Then this online yesterday:
online only:
| Quote: |
Clay Lucas
May 15, 2008 - 12:42PM
Advertisement
Train travellers have flooded The Age with stories of the severe overcrowding that is hitting Melbourne's suburban train network.
Their complaints came in the wake of figures released by
Connex this week that showed more passengers are fainting
or fall ill on Melbourne's trains, resulting in lengthy delays to
peak-hour train services.
Connex would not say if overcrowding was the cause of the
surge in passenger illness.
Scores of passengers yesterday told of fellow commuters fainting, throwing up or having convulsive fits brought on by over-heated and overcrowded train services.
Others told of delays of up to an hour as they waited for sick passengers to be taken away by ambulance.
Public Transport Minister Lynne Kosky yesterday invited frustrated commuters to contact her directly, via Premier John Brumby's website (www.premier.vic.gov.au), with their comments and questions.
Commuters have also been invited to text their questions or comments to the Government on a special SMS line at 134 688 (you must include the letters PT before comments).
The move is a turnaround on an email Ms Kosky sent to Labor colleagues last year, telling them not to bother her with complaints from commuters about trains and trams.
Ms Kosky told fellow Labor MPs to take their problems about fines or heavy-handed ticket inspectors to private operators instead of her.
Ms Kosky also said she did not want to hear, via fellow MPs, of commuters who had been fined. |
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mjja
Sir Nigel Gresley
Joined: Jan 13, 2003
Last Visited: Nov 17, 2008
Location: Mount Waverley, Melbourne
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Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 2:25 pm
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So we put station attendants back on all stations, because they'll be able to do the job of paramedics when there's a sick pax??? More likely they'll drag them into the office and go back out onto the platform to grab a smoke. (Certain staff at Mount Waverley station excepted, of course!)
If that's the case Mr Sheedy, why don't drivers go on to the next premium station and drop the pax there?
Happy Gunzelling and remember, "Go by rail!"
Michael Angelico
President, Smart Passengers Inc
(My opinions are my own unless specifically stated.)
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Tonzo
Train Controller
Joined: May 13, 2005
Last Visited: Nov 7, 2008
Location: Nunawading, Vic
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Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 2:53 pm
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Yes it's a bit of a stretch to say that station staff should be employed if they don't actually do anything to get sick passengers attended to.
There are plenty of good reasons for having station staff, but if they aren't fixing this particular problem at the moment, they shouldn't mention it.
Is the current system (i.e. stopping the train and waiting, waiting until the ambulance arrives) always the system that has been in place?
And what is done, as the Connex spokesman discussed, where a train waits 20 minutes, 5 trains bank up behind, the ambulance arrives, but the 'casualty' refuses treatment and doesn't want to get off the train? Do they then have to wait 20 minutes for the police to arrive and drag them off?
Tony
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spottyrahr
Chief Commissioner
Joined: Jan 17, 2003
Last Visited: Nov 13, 2008
Location: St Albans Melbourne
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Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 3:48 pm
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There are situations where it would completely stupid to move someone. Like in this article, if someone is having a fit, you can't move them in the middle of a fit. and you have to wait some time after they finish fitting in case another fit occurs.
If the government employed station attendants and sick passengers were moved off trains there would be backlash for "dumping passengers and running"
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gazz
Station Master
Joined: Nov 18, 2007
Last Visited: Nov 23, 2008
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Posted: Sat May 17, 2008 9:54 am
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Connex are in a difficult situation with this. There are so many news reports about people suing for all sorts of things nowdays. I can imagine a passenger suing for being put off a train with station staff for some reason instead of waiting for the ambulance.
Public behaviour and attitudes have changed a lot since most stations were attended. Putting staff back would serve little purpose in my view - they would only sell tickets and answer questions, it would be unreasonable to expect them to be medical and security officers, which is what the public would demand in the current climate.
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steveo2004
Chief Commissioner
Joined: Apr 19, 2004
Last Visited: Nov 22, 2008
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Posted: Sun May 18, 2008 11:01 am
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You will find people falling sick even on non packed trains, I was on a train one day coming home from the city, loads of seats to sit on and as we came out of the loop a woman started to have a epileptic fit.
I have also seen people faint of trains out side peek times, I think what the main issue is now the papers have nothing better to do but smeg about connex, if the trains ran on time for 1 month it would not be reported.
This whole over crouding issue will not go away untill the goverment gives us more trains and not just a hand full, and it's not like Connex can help it if people use our network more and more, it's the goverments fault for not taking the tax of the petrol or bringing the cost of petrol down.
Proud to be one of the last 3 Gate Keepers in Melbourne
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