(Aus) Train gun plan rejected as extra services announced

[Pakenhamtrain]

Train gun plan rejected as extra services announced

 

Ashley Gardiner From: Herald Sun August 30, 2010 7:28AM

 

UPDATE 3.32pm: THE number of commuters using myki has more than doubled during its first month of operation on trains, trams and buses in Melbourne.

 

Transport Ticketing Authority chief executive Bernie Carolan said the first month had gone relatively smoothly.

 

"There have been a couple of bumps along the way but we always knew this was going to happen and we were prepared to deal with them as they presented themselves,” Mr Carolan said.

 

“The customer response to myki has been largely positive and this is reflected in the increasing take up rates we are seeing.”

 

More than 55,000 people a day are now using myki instead of the old Metcard system.

 

“In the first week of myki being valid across all modes in Melbourne the system recorded an average of 76,000 touch ons each weekday,” Mr Carolan said.

 

“This has now increased to an average of more than 85,000 touch ons each weekday and is significantly greater than the 30,000 average recorded prior to myki launching on metro buses and trams.

 

About 13,500 myki cards have been purchased since July.

 

But despite the success of myki, the State Opposition is moving to have Metro chief executive Andrew Lezala sacked after he spoke out against their plan to employ armed guards on railway stations after dark.

 

A furious Opposition Transport spokesman Terry Mulder is planning to write to the board of Metro to express his displeasure and loss of confidence in Mr Lezala.

 

Mr Mulder has accused the trains boss of backing away from both private commitments and public comments supporting the Opposition's proposal to boost security on train platforms.

 

"I'm very concerned he has done a complete backflip,'' Mr Mulder said.

 

"I would have great deal of difficulties working with this man and will be writing to his peers about this. It is very unwise of Mr Lezala to get involved in a political campaign.''

 

Mr Mulder said it is up to the MTM who is the Melbourne boss but he would have a great deal of difficulty working with Mr Lezala.

 

"It is our policy and we intend to implement it and Mr Lezala has a problem with that then he is just going to have to live with it. It is going to happen.''

 

The promise that armed protective services officers, who work for Victoria Police, would be on every train station from 6pm til the last train is a core part of the Coalition's election pledge ahead of the November election.

 

In March, Mr Lezala indicated to a parliamentary committee that he supported the plan.

 

But in an interview in the Herald Sun, Mr Lezala warned that any extra staff should be Metro employees rather than PSOs because of fears of a repeat of the shooting of an innocent man on a London train in 2005.

 

"I am not a huge fan of that, I have to say. They wouldn't work for me,'' Mr Lezala said.

 

"I want my passengers to be able to ask staff information and be able to get answers.

 

"I'd rather have more (authorised officers), because my AOs, they can deal with difficult people, but they also know a lot about the railway and they can help people, and they do help people.''

 

But Mr Mulder said uniforms create respect and last year a quarter of the 600 assaults on the train system last year were against staff.

 

"I have great difficulty with this I expect if people give an undertaking they will stick to it,'' Mr Mulder said.

 

Public Transport Minister Martin Pakula agreed with Metro that any extra staff should be able to perform a variety of roles.

 

"In regards to security at platforms, and security on trains, what we need is a multi-faceted approach. That's why we have upgraded CCTV to digital, over 3000 cameras, and that means we've got very. Very strong resolution images that allow Victoria Police to apprehend offenders,'' Mr Pakula said.

 

"We've increased the number of transit police on the system to 250, we've announced 20 new premium stations, Metro have announced 22 new host stations, and we have intelligence-based deployment between authorised officers and Victoria Police.''

 

"It is important that when you're going to have staff on platforms, that those staff can do things like advise passengers, help trains get off on time, and provide a staff presence.

 

Mr Lezala stands by his comments while welcoming any investment in the railways, so 900 extra people would be great, Mr Lezala said.

 

He wants any new security staff to work for Metro, be trained to answer customers questions and be helpful to the passengers on the stations not just patrol the platforms.

 

The State Opposition has pledged to have 940 armed protective service officers at train stations across Melbourne and in parts of regional Victoria if it wins the November 27 election. An extra 100 transit safety police would ride on trains to help protect commuters.

 

But Mr Lezala said he does not want anyone with guns on the train network, apart from Victoria Police officers.

 

"The London shooting was very traumatic for all of us in the London Underground at the time," he said at North Melbourne station, at the announcement of 285 new weekly services.

 

Mr Lezala was referring to the shooting of a young Brazilian man in the Underground in the aftermath of the London bombings in July 2005.

 

"I guess I've just got an aversion to having a lot of people with guns on the railway.

 

"Police are very highly trained and I think that's what's required if you're carrying a firearm on the railway network."

 

Mr Lezala said he would welcome more unarmed authorised officers on the network, who can fine and arrest people.

 

"I personally would like to see a number of hundreds more if possible," he said.

 

"If we could get four or five hundred more people, that would be excellent because then we could deploy them everywhere."

 

There are currently 250 transit police on Melbourne's rail system and 3000 CCTV cameras.

 

The new weekly services announced include trains running every ten minutes on the Frankston line.

 

Extra train services have also been added to the Werribee, Sydenham and Craigieburn lines.

 

Evening and weekend services on the Epping, Hurstbridge, Lilydale and Glen Waverley lines will be less crowded, with most services running six-carriage trains instead of only three.

 

The changes will come into effect from Sunday, October 10.

 

Mr Lezala said timetable changes introduced in June had already led to improvements.

 

“We’ve seen the benefits the June timetable had on the Cranbourne, Pakenham and Frankston lines by providing more evenly spaced services and reducing overcrowding,” Mr Lezala said.

 

“October’s changes will lead to similar improvements on the Craigieburn, Sydenham and Werribee lines.”

 

Mr Lezala said the extra services had been made possible because of eleven new trains in service, with the 12th to begin next month.

 

Meanwhile, a body was discovered near Flinders St station, causing train delays in both directions across four lines earlier this morning.

 

A spokesman for Metro advised delays up to 15 minutes had affected the Belgrave, Lilydale, Alamein and Glen Waverley lines.

 

A police spokesman said the body, believed to be that of an elderly homeless man, was found earlier this morning.

 

The man's death does not appear to be suspicious.

 

The cororner will investigate the cause of death.

 

-With Stephen McMahon, Shannon Deery

 

 

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/emergency-sparks-train-delays/story-e6frf7kx-1225911691399

 

I do think Agent Mulder has got it wrong. The Metro CEO wants Transit officers like in Sydney.