The slated centralisation of more V/Line jobs to Melbourne has unions worried regional services will suffer and that it could even compromise safety at the historic Lydiard Street railway gates.
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V/Line's shift of signaller positions from regional locations to Melbourne is part of a centralisation of roles under the Regional Rail Project but the moves have raised questions about how they will apply to the heritage gates on Lydiard Street which are currently checked visually.
Ballarat Trades Hall secretary Brett Edgington said while a timeline of how the plan would impact the current six full-time Ballarat signallers had not been made clear, there were serious safety issues about back-up systems that needed to be discussed.
“The big fly in the ointment is the Lydiard Street gates,” Mr Edgington said. “My understanding is that under the current system there is a button pushed to close the gates but this is backed up by a visual check and that visual check would be difficult from Melbourne.”
Mr Edgington said the public would need to reassured that whatever technology or systems were implemented that V/Line could guarantee safe contingencies for the major Ballarat level crossing.
Removing the gates and replacing them with more modern versions was not an option because they formed part of the historic railway precinct, he said.
“Certainly from a trades hall point of view we are concerned about the slow deterioration of V/Line services in regional areas,’ Mr Edgington said.
“Twenty years ago there were three or four hundred staff employed in the railway precinct. It was a major regional industry and they dealt with V/line regional issues locally but in the last four years we have seen its presence and capability disappear."
He said steps including the loss of a regional manager from Ballarat meant issues were now diverted to Melbourne and took longer to respond to.
V/Line spokesperson would not comment on the speculation but said any changes would be undertaken with full consultation with the signallers.
She said discussions with employees in Ballarat had not taken place but seven signaller positions in Geelong were being relocated to Melbourne and North Geelong.
Transfers have been completed at Maryborough, Shepparton and Bendigo, and all staff were offered redeployment opportunities within V/Line, she said.