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Queensland Rail has hired hundreds of new drivers and train guards.Credit:Michelle Smith

A target of 200 drivers and 200 guards was a key recommendation from theStrachan Inquiry in 2017,which was launched after the opening of theRedcliffe Peninsula Line in October 2016 uncovered a shortage of drivers and an unsustainable reliance on overtime.

The resulting crunch led to thecancellation of hundreds of services,including onChristmas Day,before Queensland Rail cut 462 services under a new timetable in an attempt to restore reliability.

Queensland Rail previously anticipated it would reach its target of 200 new driversby the end of 2019 but that date was revised to late 2020.

Transport Minister Mark Bailey said the overtime bill had “dropped considerably” as more guards and drivers were hired.

“Overtime is a normal part of a 24-7 system,” he said.

In December,it was revealed train drivers and guards pocketed more thanhalf a million dollars in overtime each week last financial year,despite patronage falling due to the pandemic.

Mr Bailey said Queensland Rail had hired more than 300 new train drivers and 500 guards,but conceded those figures were gross,not net.

“Recruitment has been very strong and we’ve seen the overtime[bill] come down over the last couple of years as we’ve had more drivers into the system,” he said.

“The recruitment has certainly been fixed and there is a strong pipeline going forward.”

If considering “gross” new train guards trained,that target was met in October 2018,with drivers in December 2019.

But that does not take into account employees who leave Queensland Rail,reducing the overall number of staff available.

As at April 18,324 new drivers had qualified and were working on the network,while 547 new guards had qualified.

LNP transport spokesman Steve Minnikin said the government had finally fixed 2017’s problem.

“Now it’s time to get moving on today’s problems,” he said.

“Mainly,why is red light running from train drivers at a record high,why are more trains blatantly skipping stations and why are train drivers not meeting their KPIs for on-time running?”

On Wednesday,Mr Bailey welcomed the newest cohort of train control trainees.

With 54 per cent female representation,it was the most gender-balanced group of trainee controllers the organisation had welcomed to date,with six female students in the current intake of 11.

Mr Bailey said Queensland Rail did not have gender targets but had strong policies around equality.

“We’re seeing women in increasing numbers become train drivers themselves,those numbers have been increasing considerably over time,” he said.

The Crime and Corruption Commission last month lambasted the Queensland Police Service for“discriminating” against men with its poorly executed 50 per cent gender hiring target.

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