STAFF numbers at Goulburn Railway Station will be halved under a State Government plan.
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Personnel and hours at its booking office would also be trimmed back due to what NSW TrainLink said was a shift to more online booking.
Goulburn MP Pru Goward and NSW Trainlink confirmed the current six full-time positions would be slashed to three full-time jobs if the proposal went ahead.
The Goulburn Post understands three shifts would be cut back to two.
NSW Trainlink is undertaking a review of customer service at regional services. It is planning to leave at least 10 stations unstaffed throughout the State, including Yass Junction, and cut personnel at about 19 others.
Goulburn, Cootamundra, Junee and Wagga are among those that will lose staff under the plan.
The stations under threat currently service the XPT and Xplorer services run by NSW TrainLink. All are in rural and regional areas.
"Some of these stations have been operating for more than 100 years, and now the Baird Government will be ripping away jobs and services from our regional communities," NSW Rail, Tram and Bus Union secretary Alex Claassens said.
" . . . Ripping full-time jobs out of rural and regional communities and replacing them with fewer part-time positions will have flow-on effects throughout the whole community."
The Union will be visiting every affected station in the next few staff to confer with affected staff.
NSW TrainLink director of People and Corporate Services, John Hussey said the 'shift' to online booking was a major factor in the proposal.
"We've listened to our customers and understand the need for comfortable, safe, reliable and clean services, and convenient ways to book their travel," he said.
"Customers are increasingly choosing to purchase their regional train and coach tickets from the comfort of their home with 24/7 online access or over the phone with our extended contact hours, reducing the number of face to face transactions at NSW TrainLink travel centres."
Mr Hussey said from April 1, NSW TrainLink would also cease the sale of third party tour and accommodation products.
This was designed to focus on delivering its “core business of providing safe, clean and reliable train and coach services”.
“Our aim is to get the right level of customer service at each of our regional locations,” he said.
“This is critical for the long term sustainability of NSW TrainLink so we can continue to serve regional communities well into the future.”
At Goulburn, staffing would align with train arrival and departure times. Ms Goward told the Post NSW TrainLink was consulting with the Rail, Tram and Bus Union over the proposal.
“It will be very disappointing for those blokes,” Ms Goward said.
“Losing three jobs is always a hit but if NSW TrainLink has identified that more people are booking online or over the phone, then it’s very difficult to justify the positions when you’re struggling to keep services going.”
While the MP had been advised this was the reason, she said the unions would be able to test the claim better than her.
“We are waiting to hear the union’s response to the cuts and hopefully they can come to some negotiation that’s better than losing three positions,” she said.
Ms Goward hoped to meet with local union reps in the next week.
She conceded it was the second round of cuts at the station.
Ms Goward said while she resisted job cuts whenever she could, she believed Goulburn had done quite well with other public service positions.
She cited jobs at Service NSW, more nurses at Goulburn Base Hospital, and more teachers due to the Gonski reforms.
“It doesn’t make a jot of difference to those three blokes but where ever we can, we try to expand the number of jobs,” she said.
Mr Hussey said regional customers could continue to obtain information and purchase tickets for booked regional services at NSW TrainLink stations, at nswtrainlink.info, over the phone on 132 232, at an NSW TrainLink accredited agent, or pay for their booked tickets at an Australia Post outlet.
The exact number of positions to be cut wouldn’t be known until the review was complete in three to four months, he said.
However, he anticipated more parttime and fewer full-time positions overall.
