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Transurban (ASX:TCL) has been instructed to hand over operational manuals for Brisbane's toll roads following a demand from the Brisbane City Council. This request came after the council raised concerns about the company’s response to traffic incidents, particularly those of a potentially serious nature.
Since acquiring Queensland Motorways in 2014, Transurban, an ASX industrial stock, has been responsible for the operation of Brisbane's six toll roads, including the CLEM7 tunnel, Go Between Bridge, Legacy Way tunnel, Gateway Motorway, Logan Motorway, and AirportlinkM7. The CLEM7, Go Between Bridge, and Legacy Way are operated under concession agreements with the Brisbane City Council, while the Gateway, Logan Motorways, and AirportlinkM7 fall under agreements with the state.
Between late January and mid-April 2024, the Brisbane City Council sent three letters to Transurban's Brisbane offices. These letters sought information regarding the company’s handling of various traffic incidents on its toll roads.
One of the letters, dated January 23, addressed several incidents, including a stationary vehicle in the CLEM7 tunnel that remained unaddressed for 15 minutes on October 4, 2023. The letter also mentioned reports from third parties about incidents in the CLEM7 tunnel that were not detected by network operators in 2022 and 2023.
The council raised concerns over anonymous reports about the adequacy of operator training, including claims of untrained operators being on duty and allegations that management had directed operators not to include details about system faults or difficulties in incident reports.
Former employees have alleged that Transurban’s management did not respond swiftly to technical faults with Horus, the tunnel operating system introduced in 2019. One former employee claimed in court that they were dismissed after making whistleblower complaints regarding safety issues.
Transurban has denied these allegations and any suggestion that it instructed operators to conceal system faults from the council. The company maintains that it has a dedicated team handling over 1,000 incidents monthly across 82 kilometers of Brisbane’s toll roads and bridges.
The Brisbane City Council confirmed the letters were sent and noted that Transurban had provided a special purpose manual and updated schedules as required. Transurban is currently addressing seven court claims from former employees related to workplace behavior and has restructured its Queensland operations.
In response to the council's request, Transurban’s Chief Commercial Officer, Hugh Wehby, emphasized the company's commitment to road safety and regular system testing. He stated that the company works closely with government stakeholders and maintains regular communication in line with contractual obligations.
The council also requested all existing incident review reports and information on network operations, including training, rostering, and minimum resourcing levels for control room operations. On March 19, the council sent a letter highlighting non-compliance with the concession deed requirements concerning the Inner City Bypass. It instructed LW Operations, a Transurban subsidiary, to develop and submit compliant special purpose manuals within two months.
Another letter sent on April 18 expressed dissatisfaction with LW Operations' response, rejecting the position that it had met its obligations. The council noted that drills related to the Inner City Bypass did not adequately test or improve the incident response plan, despite the bypass handling over 120,000 vehicles daily and recording 1,374 incidents in 2023.
