ABC News (AU)
· collected 2026-09-29 · by State Political Reporter Nick Dole
In short:
Frequent incidents of train surfing and vandalism have prompted a security crackdown on Tangara trains, with rear carriages to be shut throughout the NSW school holiday period.
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carriages → prompt → period
The lack of CCTV on the trains has made them susceptible to vandalism, as has the "buffer": a platform at the rear from which train surfers can jump from the platform.
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surfers → make → platform
Passengers are being barred from using the rear carriages of all Tangara trains to prevent people breaking into the crew cabs and riding on the back of them.
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people → bar → them
The policy was already in force on selected night-time and weekend services, but has now been applied to every Tangara train for the duration of the school holidays.
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policy → select → holidays
More than two years have passed since the government announced a $447 million program to improve security and extend the life of the aging Tangara fleet by up to 12 years.
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government → pass → years
To date, only one out of 55 Tangara trains has received the full refurbishment, including a CCTV system.
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trains → receive → system
It means passengers, including those travelling on grand final weekend, will find the rear carriages of Tangaras locked and the lights turned off.
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lights → mean → Tangaras
'Commuters first, dropkicks second'
Shadow NSW Transport Minister Natalie Ward said it was "embarrassing" the government had effectively surrendered to vandals and train-surfers.
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government → say → vandals
You can't give up on this," she said.
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she → give → this
"Transport policy has to be commuters first, dropkicks second."
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dropkicks → have → ?
However, state Transport Minister John Graham said misbehaviour on trains risked derailing the schedule, causing more inconvenience for commuters in the long run.
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misbehaviour → say → run
He said locking up the rear carriages was a "pragmatic step".
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locking → say → carriages
"It's one we don't want to take, but reliability is our number one focus."
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reliability → want → ?
Riding a social media wave
Train-surfing or "buffer riding" has been an ongoing issue on the Tangaras, fuelled by social media videos where people post and boast about their "achievements".
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people → rid → achievements
The lack of CCTV on the fleet has made the trains especially susceptible to vandalism, as has the "buffer": a platform at the rear of the Tangaras from which train surfers can jump from the platform.
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surfers → make → platform
To eliminate the dangerous practice, Sydney Trains fitted slanted "nose cones" onto all the buffers, to deprive train surfers of a flat surface.
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Trains → eliminate → surface
They have had some success.
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They → have → success
"Those cones have made a big difference," Mr Graham said.
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Graham → make → difference
However, Rail, Tram and Bus Union secretary Toby Warnes said the internal door to the crew cab was being repeatedly targeted.
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door → say → cab
"I've seen some of the social media videos myself," he said.
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he → see → videos
"It doesn't take much to open that.
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It → take → that
And once you have opened that, it's not then difficult to open the actual door to get out onto the [rear] platform."
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it → open → platform
He said people hoping to "big note" themselves were risking their own lives, and the safety of others.
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people → say → others
"It puts the people who are operating the train in danger and the general public too, particularly if it's being done near stations," he said.
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he → put → stations
Internal Sydney Trains documents seen by the ABC suggest the organisation is scrambling to install new locks on crew cab doors.
Plain-clothes security officers are also patrolling some Tangara trains.
Reviving an aging fleet
The once-futuristic Tangara was introduced in 1988 and will remain in service until the mid 2030s, while a replacement is built.
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replacement → see → 2030s
The Minns government plans to build the new fleet in the Hunter, where the Tangara was manufactured, thanks to a $12 billion investment over 15 years.
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Tangara → plan → years
However, the state opposition has criticised the speed of the Tangara refurbishment program, which includes computer, security and customer information system upgrades.
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which → criticise → upgrades
Ms Ward said the $447 million program had only refurbished a single train since it was announced in June 2024.
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it → say → June
"It's a very long, slow process that doesn't seem to fix the problem," she said.
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she → seem → problem
Mr Graham defended the speed of the program, saying the upgrade to each train would be comprehensive.
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upgrade → defend → train
"It's so significant that [we're] testing this train as if it were a new train on the network," he said.
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he → test → network
Sydney Trains said it hoped to have two more refurbished Tangaras in service by the end of the year.
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it → say → year
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