New Metro line still requires safety checks before being signed off to open
Less than a week before the ribbon is due to be cut at Sydney’s new metro line, it's been revealed there are still several "critically important" checks and balances that need to be signed off. The National Rail Safety Regulator says it's yet to fully assess the Chatswood to Sydenham route, but the Premier is confident the new underground train is on track.
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00:00The wrapping has finally come off, the government's latest gift to commuters.
00:07The new Chatswood to Sydenham Metro line is scheduled to open on Sunday, meaning travellers
00:12will no longer have to change at Chatswood to get into the CBD from the north-west.
00:20With futuristic platforms and driverless trains, the Metro has promised to slash commute times.
00:26But there are just five days until the ribbon is due to be cut and now questions are being
00:31raised about whether the necessary safety audits will be done in time.
00:35That's a good question, I don't have an update on that.
00:39As of Monday morning we're on track, so to speak.
00:44But the National Rail Safety Regulator, a Commonwealth government agency which oversees
00:48trains across the country, is yet to give its approval.
00:52It says there are still several critically important activities to be completed this
00:57week such as emergency and evacuation exercises with New South Wales Fire and Rescue.
01:03While they'll assess the application as quickly as possible, the regulator noted it requires
01:08sufficient time to do so and couldn't say what sufficient time meant.
01:13The Fire and Rescue Service also needs to conduct its own drills to satisfy safety regulations
01:19but until Friday of last week, the union had barred its members from taking part in Metro-related
01:24activities.
01:26The Commissioner says those drills are ongoing.
01:29We're going through a whole range of testing processes as part of the commissioning process
01:34with Metro and then providing our feedback accordingly.
01:38Trial runs have been underway for months, the real test though is yet to come.