Exclusive: Transdev undertook ‘coupling project’ after teen trapped between carriages in 2023. Trial restarted after second fatality, ex-employee claims, while Transdev denies ‘assessment’ ever shelved
Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast
The company that operates Sydney’s light rail investigated safety upgrades after a fatal incident in 2023 but cancelled the project due to its cost before a second person died, a whistleblower alleges.
After the first death, Transdev successfully trialled sensors that would detect a person entering the coupling area between two joined trams, according to the former employee who requested anonymity. But the project was stopped before another death in 2025, they said.
Transdev this week rejected “any assertion that the assessment of sensor technology has at any point been ‘shelved’ or put on hold”.
Kyra Loreto Dulguime, 17, died in May 2023 after she tried to cross a street in Sydney’s central business district between two “carriages” and became trapped underneath one when the tram started moving. She suffered fatal injuries.
In June 2025, a man died after he became trapped under a tram at a light rail stop in Surry Hills. The New South Wales coroner’s court has identified him as German-born Osmaro Orellana.
On Sydney’s L2 and L3 routes, two 33-metre-long trams are coupled together to form one 66-metre-long vehicle. The routes use Citadis X05 light rail...
(New users only) It's tax relief season! Get up to RM300 when you save with Versa! Plus, enjoy an additional FREE RM10 when you sign up using code VERSAMM10 with a min. cash-in of RM100 today. T&a...