The New South Wales government will make all train travel free this weekend to soften the blow of disruption caused by strikes.
Members of the rail, tram and bus union will strike during a big sporting weekend in the port city amid a dispute over the closure of a key rail line for a year to build a high-speed metro link to the western suburbs.
Trains for Saturday night’s Bledisloe Cup match between the Wallabies and All Blacks are likely to be affected, but it is unclear whether there will be trains to the rugby match.
More than 100,000 football fans will also travel to the AFL and NRL finals on Friday and Saturday nights.
“We know that travelling by rail may be challenging as a result of the strike,” Transport Minister Jo Haylen posted on social media on Thursday evening.
‘This weekend, all train travel will be free.’
Transport Minister Jo Haylen has said rail travel will be free this weekend. Photo: NewsWire / Nikki Short
NSW Transport Secretary Josh Murray has particularly advised fans heading to the Wallabies for Saturday’s 3.45pm match to check news updates and travel apps.
As of early Friday morning, Transport for NSW’s journey planner was showing no disruption.
However, buses are replacing trains between Lindcombe, Bankstown and Campsie due to track works previously scheduled for this weekend.
This latest strike centres on stalled negotiations for a new enterprise agreement between the government, Sydney Trains and NSW Trains, which has been under discussion since June.
“I would tell the union not to let families be the victims here,” Haylen said after a late-night meeting on Wednesday failed to produce any results.
The union has a long list of 250 demands. A key issue is the fact that the Bankstown line will remain closed while it is converted into a metro line for 12 months.
The labour dispute centres on changes the government has introduced to the underground networks for train drivers. Photo: NewsWire / Max Mason-Hubers
The union does not want workers’ working hours to be disrupted during the closure. The first stage of the closure between Campsie and Bankstown is due to begin on Saturday, with the remainder of the line expected to close on 30 September.
The government needs the union to agree to the shutdown; any delay could blow up the project to the tune of $3 million a day.
Sydney’s new metro opened in August. Photo: NewsWire / Max Mason-Hubers
The union also wants a qualified Sydney Trains driver on every metro train, the Transport Minister has said.
“I need those Sydney Trains drivers for the Sydney Trains network. That’s the kind of thing I couldn’t agree to,” the Minister said.
Also on the unions’ wish list are $0.50 rail fares. Across the border in Queensland, the Labor government has cut all bus, train, ferry and tram fares to 50 cents, and the opposition says it will keep that price if elected next month.
But in New South Wales, the Transport Minister says Sydney’s public transport is too heavily subsidised to reduce fares to $0.50.