The train driver

What's the deal with the trains these days? It's gotten much worse this year than ever before. Trains running continually late, drivers chucking orchestrated sickies, derailments. It's just gone bananas. My friend Mayank had to wait 2 hours for a train between Ashfield and Redern, a journey that normally takes 15 minutes, becuase the electrical power station blew up. I've had to wait like up to 30-40 minutes some days. Last Monday, it was reported that NO, repeat No trains were running on time. What's the rail's excuse? Trees had fallen on the train tracks. Yeah right. Yes, numerous trees decided to fall over at the same time, right onto the tracks.

Part of this blame belongs to the train drivers. They want to hold strikes to increase their pay. What kind of measly pay are these overworked people getting? I have it on good authority from a mate that used to work at Rail Infrastructure Corp and another friend that works in the field of Industrial Relations that train drivers are way overpaid. How much are they getting? Like $75 per hour. Let me put that into perspective. The average adult hourly wage pay is something like $17 per hour. This is what happens when a organised small group of people in charge of a critical infrastrcuture hold the goverment to mercy. Apparently rail staff are getting fully abused at train stations as well as railgoers take out their frustration on them.

The NSW labour government actually said that if they don't control the trains they will lose control of their seats in parliament , with a predicted 10-15% swing. You know what? I hope they do. The trains are critical to most people, who depend on it as an essential means of transport. A lot of people, like yours truly don't have the luxury of owning a car. Petrol prices are through the roof (where's the natural gas alternative?). Trains also create less pollution. Therefore, if people are pissed off about the trains, they have the right to question their local MP and give'em the flick - because they are supposed to be dealing with these issues. Now, they are running scared and are raising the issue with Michael Costa.

The Solution

1. No more higher pay
Instead of continually ranting about this problem, let's look at ways to fix the problem. Firstly, I don't think increasing their pay will do anything, but increase industrial action, because they know they have the government by the balls. But if you don't pay them, they will strike again. Carr increased their pay by a collective $361 million, which is heaps already.

2. More qualified drivers
What we need is a long term solution to the problem. We need more train drivers. We increase the numbers, so they have less power. But it ain't that easy. Becoming a train driver requires someone to be a rail guard for 2 years. I reckon either take away this requirement or reduce it to one year.

How hard can it be to be a train driver? YOU DRIVE ON A ONE WAY TRACK. You put the accelerator down when your travelling between stations, and put the brake on when you approach the station. Wait two or three minutes, and start her up again. I'm not sure what else goes into the job, but if that's it, I'm sure we can get more people. I don't it's necessary to be a rail guard for two years to do this. If you advertise that its $75 per hour, people will get interested. Start funneling unemployed people into the train driver courses.

3. Break the union hold
Also, we need to break this union hold on the train tracks. Start bringing in enterprise bargaining. Offer them $90 per hour to become non-union. Screw the unions cause they are creating the problems. Bring in small groups of rail staff, and show them clippings of negative press articles, newspaper reports, pissed off customers, and get them to realise the problem they have created. Tell them they have the opportunity to help fix this problem and listen to what they want, as opposed to these orchestrated union bosses that are strangling our train system.

4. Consider privatising parts of the city rail system
I know this sounds radical, but sell off bits of the system to private investors. Have it like the bus system, where regions are sold off to private bus companies. Bring in entreprenuers and people with a profit motive. I'm not sure how it would work out, but this would assist in breaking the union hold. For example, let company A would run the East Hills Line, and it goes back and forth between the city and East Hills. Company B would control the NOrth Shore Line. The trains would go once around the city circle and then back to where they came from.
Alternatively, we could also sell off the most lucrative line, the city circle, to the highest bidder. Let private companies control the loops.

Also, a huge problem is that the goverment is losing heaps of money servicing regional areas. But we have to do it as they are community service obligations (CSO's) otherwise these people have no access to transport. Don't sell off these areas.

What do you think?