The state government has been forced to put on hold plans to abolish train guards on the new intercity fleet.
The Fair Work Commission ruled on Tuesday that the government must not abolish the role of train guards without first coming to an in-principle agreement with the Rail, Tram and Bus Union about the future of the workers' jobs and the safety role they perform on regional rail routes.
The new intercity fleet, made up of 55 trains and more than 550 carriages will operate services on the Central Coast and Newcastle, Blue Mountains and South Coast Lines, with services starting or finishing at Central Station using the Sydney Trains network.
The fleet was designed to reduce the role of train guards.
However, an independent safety assessment conducted on behalf of the union concluded that the driver-only operating model was unsafe and contrary to NSW Train's safety assessment.
Another review by Kalus Clemens Engineers Australia found that the CCTV systems installed on the new trains did not provide adequate vision for a driver to safely close the carriage doors.
The performance of the CCTV system in wet weather was also highlighted, with water droplets rendering the external cameras all but useless.
"Andrew Constance needs to stop trying to sack railway workers and start listening to the passengers and crew who actually know how important train guards are in running a safe and efficient railway network," Deputy Opposition leader Yasmin Catley said.
"This attack on railway jobs would have seen the loss of hundreds' of workers livelihoods along the Hunter, Blue Mountains, Central Coast and South Coast railway lines.
"Minister Constance will now have to go back to the union and engage with them in good faith about the future of these workers' jobs. My advice to Andrew would be to stop trying to sack train guards and think about your own position instead."
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