Darren Galea
Organiser
For some time now, there have been ongoing issues with rough riding on the V/Line network. The RTBU has received reports for over 110 rough riding incidents that have occurred in the North East region alone and there are over 100 other reports of incidents that have occurred across the other regions in V/Line.
This is not okay and our members should not be put at such risk for simply doing their job.
At Albury Station for example, out of the eight staff members that work there, three of them are either on light duties or off on a WorkCover claim due to injuries sustained from rough riding. There is also the potential for many other injuries to have occurred, however due to the forward thinking of many V/Line staff members, they continuously brace themselves when they are travelling over a particular section of track that they are aware is particularly rough.
It is clear that the rough riding is occurring because the network is not being maintained to the standards that it should be. This is unacceptable!
The RTBU has written to the CEO of V/Line James Pinder to raise this as an issue and he has written back to us advising that the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) is responsible for the maintenance of the interstate network which includes the North East region. Mr Pinder advised that V/Line have now requested targeted maintenance to occur on the network.
While this is a step in the right direction, the RTBU will continue to put pressure on V/Line and the relevant authorities to ensure that the network is maintained correctly, and our members are not injured any further.
