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.
Comments