SEQ station staffing changes

Queensland Queensland - General
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Under Queensland Rail’s new station customer service model, selected train stations across south-east Queensland will no longer be staffed after 1pm on weekdays and over weekends from early May.

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“Unstaffed stations means no help for people with disabilities, no protection for students and no safety net for anyone who needs assistance,” branch secretary Peter Allen said.

“People who rely on staff for ramp access and navigation will effectively be locked out of the network on afternoons and weekends, while students and young people travelling after school will have no staff to turn to if something goes wrong.”

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Queensland Rail said when a station is not staffed, guards onboard trains provide boarding and disembarking assistance, which will continue after May.

It said security presence at stations will also be increased when the changes come into effect, with more authorised officers employed.

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Queensland Rail head of south-east Queensland Neil Backer said the revised model “was developed to align station staff with customer demand and operational requirements, increase security presence, improve efficiency, and support job security within the workforce”.

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“In February 2026, the Rail Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) and The Services Union (TSU) withdrew their applications with the Fair Work Commission, after coming to a mutual agreement with Queensland Rail in relation to the new operating model.”

Queensland Rail said workers’ jobs are secure, and it intends to work with employees on the implementation of the new model.

Usually toilets at stations are only open during staffed hours? These changes will greatly reduce access to those basic amenities outside of morning peak.

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Do we know what stations are affected?
I’d assume outer region stations will be hit hardest

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Thats not the whole story.

They are hiring more security staff to monitor and patrol stations outside staffed hours.

Since the EMUs have been retired all trains now have toilets. Also more stations have been retrofitted to allow for level boarding.

So knowing this, it’s a fair call to cut those roles and focus on driver roles and other operational improvements.

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Are you suggesting the entire QR fleet has bathrooms now or am I misinterpreting your comment?

The SMU sets most definitely don’t have bathrooms. Many IMU100 and 120 sets have bathrooms that are often out of order, and others only have a bathroom in one half of the train meaning you need to change sets if you want to use one and you’re unlucky.

Only the NGRs have convenient facilities available.

If you’re an inner city commuter it’s no problem, but for those coming from the coasts or even Cleveland/Ipswich it’s not nice.

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So, what’s the plan for assisted boarding on NGRs?

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This statement is factually incorrect. All SMU 200,220s and 260s do not have bathrooms. Which still represent a significiant portion of the fleet

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But they are used mainly during peak and shorter runs.

QR would have looked at all the pros and cons before the decision was made.

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Yeah a lot of the QR fleet still has no toilets.

Then again I also see train guards doing absolutely nothing most of the time so if TMR wants to actually save money, then forcing DOO once and for all would be a much more satisfactory solution.

The unions? Dunno. They can eat crow.

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^^The Transport of Perth YouTube channel quoted while making a video here that we have one of the longest dwell times at stations due to not having DOO.

I assume he was comparing our system to Perth as well as other train operations across the country like Melbourne and Adelaide which have DOO.

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And they’re always horrendous when used in peak. I don’t want to spend my ride needing a toilet and to have none when I arrive at the other end. Especially as QR seem to be utilising 3-cars more lately

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