How long has the metro been operating now? Nearly 4 years and they should
have had all this worked out BEFORE it opened?
Peter
On Wednesday, 15 March 2023 at 19:59:43 UTC+11 Greg Sutherland wrote:
>
> https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/firefighter-fears-over-sydney-metro-tunnels-spark-lifting-of-alert-level-20230222-p5cmir.html
>
> NSW’s fire agency will require triple the number of fire engines to be
> sent to incidents on Sydney’s multibillion-dollar Metro Northwest rail line
> after firefighters warned they will have difficulty accessing tunnels in
> emergencies.
>
> Leaked minutes of a meeting with the private operator of the 36-kilometre Metro
> Northwest line
> https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/it-s-been-promised-at-every-election-for-generations-but-now-it-s-a-reality-20190526-p51raa.html
> show that specialist firefighters from the state’s rail emergency response
> unit raised concerns about “access strategies when responding to incidents”
> in the tunnels.
> [image: Commuters board a driverless train at Castle Hill station on the
> Metro Northwest line.]
>
> Commuters board a driverless train at Castle Hill station on the Metro
> Northwest line.Credit:Ben Symons
>
> The unease at the meeting in November centred on how to get large numbers
> of emergency workers and equipment into the line’s twin tunnels, which
> extend for more than 27 kilometres. The Metro Northwest line between
> Tallawong and Chatswood opened in 2019
> https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/thousands-pour-through-gates-to-ride-sydney-s-first-driverless-trains-20190522-p51q52.html,
> and incorporated the Epping-to-Chatswood link.
>
> A Sydney Metro official at the meeting, which included NSW Police and Fire
> and Rescue NSW, acknowledged that “everyone’s anxious” about the expansion
> of the metro network
> https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/beneath-sydney-one-of-the-world-s-largest-metro-rail-projects-faces-crunch-20221212-p5c5il.html,
> the minutes show.
>
> Several weeks ago Fire and Rescue NSW increased the required number of
> fire engines that will have to respond to an incident on the Northwest
> Metro from two to six appliances, as well as a duty commander.
>
> Fire Brigade Employees Union state secretary Leighton Drury said the need
> to increase the number of fire trucks and personnel highlighted
> firefighters’ concerns about a lack of suitable resources and plans for
> responding to emergencies and rescues in Sydney’s metro rail tunnels.
>
> “It is imperative that the state government and Sydney Metro provide
> firefighters the resources they need to protect the travelling public,” he
> said.
>
> The leaked minutes also reveal that an exercise at Central Station had
> “identified a gap in communication” about the roles of wardens during
> emergencies at so-called interchange stations at which both driverless
> metro and double-decker trains stop.
> Advertisement
>
> Emergency procedures at interchange stations such as Chatswood and Epping
> need to be co-ordinated between the private operator of the metro line and
> the state-run Sydney Trains.
>
> Fire and Rescue NSW said the agency continually reviewed resourcing needs
> for critical infrastructure such as metro rail lines, “taking into
> consideration feedback provided from our firefighters, Sydney Metro and our
> other emergency management partners”.
> [image: Firefighters have raised concerns about accessing the metro rail
> tunnels in an emergency.]
>
> Firefighters have raised concerns about accessing the metro rail tunnels
> in an emergency.Credit:Flavio Brancaleone
>
> Unlike the Sydney Trains network, Metro Northwest does not have a
> dedicated emergency response unit similar to the one based at Central
> Station, which keeps watch over the underground rail network
> https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/rail-nightmare-secret-reports-reveal-fire-dangers-on-sydneys-train-network-20180116-h0ivge.html
> in the CBD used by double-decker trains. The unit operates fire trucks
> fitted with wheels that can run on rail tracks to get to incidents quickly,
> as well as battery-powered track trolleys to transport equipment and
> emergency workers along lines.
>
> Sydney Metro said in a statement that the Northwest line had been designed
> to “allow fast, safe, high-capacity” trains to be used to access emergency
> incidents from an adjacent tunnel.
> Related Article
> [image: A cross-passage on the Metro City and Southwest rail line.]
>
> https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/major-backflip-on-emergency-exits-for-sydney-metro-rail-tunnels-20230125-p5cfd3.html
> Sydney Metro https://www.smh.com.au/topic/sydney-metro-1ml9
> Major backflip on emergency exits for Sydney Metro rail tunnels
> https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/major-backflip-on-emergency-exits-for-sydney-metro-rail-tunnels-20230125-p5cfd3.html
>
> “This provides a much faster response than track trolleys, which move at
> very slow speeds,” the agency said.
>
> “Metro systems have a very high level of fire and life safety provisions
> designed into the network and require a different approach to managing
> incidents compared to traditional rail systems.”
>
> Metro Trains Sydney, the private consortium led by Hong Kong’s MTR
> Corporation
> https://www.smh.com.au/national/hong-kong-metro-system-operators-mtr-spread-value-capture-message-to-australia-20151215-glo0wq.html
> that operates the Northwest line, said access to the tunnels could be
> gained at shafts that could be opened remotely for emergency workers.
>
> “These access points are located approximately every 240 metres of each
> tunnel, enabling emergency services to access the tunnels and bring in
> equipment as required,” Metro Trains Sydney chief executive Daniel Williams
> said.
>
> A report for Transport for NSW in 2018 – a year before the Northwest Metro
> opened – said the operator of the new line would need to provide its
> emergency response unit with “capabilities equivalent” to that of the
> firefighting team based at Central for Sydney Trains.
>
> However, Williams said that, unlike some rail networks, a dedicated
> response unit was not needed for the Metro Northwest line due to the line’s
> “modern design and safety features”.
>
> Fire and Rescue NSW deputy commissioner Jeremy Fewtrell said the agency
> was working closely with Sydney Metro to ensure the safety of firefighters,
> commuters and railway staff.
>
> “We are committed to making sure there are workable solutions to any
> safety issues identified, and we are in regular contact with Sydney Metro
> and the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator to achieve this,” he
> said.
>
>
>