The railway union warned on Friday that its dispute with the government over the state’s new intercity train fleet could lead to a total strike.
Transport for NSW said train services would be greatly reduced on Friday on lines T1 North Shore & Western, T2 Inner West and Leppington, T3 Bankstown, T4 Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra, T8 Airport & South and T9 Northern.
The agency advises against using the train to get to the Airport Line stations because the limited number of services, along with the start of the school holidays, would make them much busier than usual.
Buses are replacing trains on the T3 Bankstown line between Lidcombe and Bankstown, on the T7 Olympic Park line between Olympic Park and Lidcombe and on the T8 Airport & South line between Campbelltown and Macarthur.
Trains will not run on the Cumberland T5 line between Richmond and Leppington.
The major disruptions to the rail network come a day after railway unions failed to reach an agreement with the government on its latest offer to modify the state’s multimillion-dollar intercity train fleet to address safety issues.
Trains were very crowded at Central Station on Friday morning. Credit: Janie Barrett
Sydney Trains chief executive Matt Longland said passengers should plan their trips and allow extra time due to delays, cancellations and a significantly reduced train schedule on Friday.
“Customers opting to travel on Sydney trains on Friday should be prepared for much slower journeys and altered timetables,” he said.
Although Elliott has called on the railway union to cancel its labor action after the government finally agreed to make changes, RTBU Secretary of State Alex Claassens said the dispute would lead to a strike unless the government agrees to sign a deed guaranteeing modifications to the long-distance fleet. .
“It simply came to our notice then [of strike action] because we have run out of patience, ”he said on Friday. “Our action will continue to increase until someone in the government wakes up to fix this mess.”
Transport Minister David Elliott with NSW Transport Secretary Rob Sharp on Wednesday. Credit: Nick Moir
The railway union wants the government to sign a deed that will modify the new fleet before agreeing to resolve its broader claims on wages and conditions. However, the government wants both issues to be addressed together.
Elliott has said he would not sign a deed formally accepting fleet modifications without a broader agreement on the global business agreement.
The government had resisted for years making changes to the long-distance fleet, which was considered safe by the National Railway Safety Regulator. However, union members have refused to endow the fleet with $ 2.88 billion for concern that the guard will not be able to open the door and look outside as the train approaches and leaves the stations.
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The confrontation has cost the government tens of millions of dollars as trains are stored on the central coast of the state.
Elliott confirmed Wednesday that the government would modify the trains at a cost of $ 260 million in a major concession, but insisted the deal will be included within the broader business negotiation agreement.
To ease the pressure on Sydney’s roads, traffic lanes will be opened to all motorists on Friday.
A weekend frequency will run on the Blue Mountains and Central Coast and Newcastle lines, while buses will replace trains between Wollongong and Kiama, and Wollongong and Port Kembla on the South Coast line.
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