A growing number of people breaking into train driver cabins and vandalising them has prompted Metro Trains to beef up security.
Train drivers have reported dozens of encounters with people – many of them teenagers – who have broken into empty cabins at the rear of trains this year, according to the drivers’ union, which says it is a serious safety issue.
Metro is trying to make train cabins harder to break into after a rise in “invasions”. Credit: Paul Rovere
The Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) said “cab invasions” involved intruders kicking in or taking the hinges off cabin doors, perpetrators stealing keys or harassing drivers to obtain them, and cabins being vandalised with graffiti.
Intruders generally break into unoccupied cabins at the rear of trains, and drivers come across the aftermath when they switch ends to change the direction of travel.
Metro internal communications seen by The Age show cabin invasions cause delays of 10 to 15 minutes on the network when they are discovered.
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Metro’s head of train service, Pip Thomas, told drivers in late October that the company would respond to the increase in cab invasions and coupling riding (riding outside a train), and noted the potential risks to drivers’ safety.
In a letter to staff, seen by The Age, Thomas said Metro had rolled out security upgrades to make it harder for intruders to compromise cabins doors. More extensive upgrades will be installed early next year.
Metro’s security team and Victoria Police recently identified 35 offenders involved in cabin invasions.
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