Sydney trains will run on Thursday after a small concession from the rail union to delay the strike until Friday, amid an ongoing pay dispute with the government.
A months-long dispute between the New South Wales government and the state branch of the Railway, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) escalated on Tuesday when Transport Minister Jo Haylen announced no train services would run for four days.
The rail union has been increasing work bans and threatening to strike if 24-hour services are not available during those four days.
But early on Wednesday morning, Transport for NSW said it had agreed with the union to operate services on Thursday, a relief for Pearl Jam concertgoers who would have had to find alternative transport to Sydney Olympic Park in the evening.
“The union has agreed to offer a regular train service on Thursday, including an additional 86 planned special event services to Olympic Park for the Pearl Jam concert,” a Transport NSW statement said.
‘At this time, the RTBU has not agreed to lift the strike they had planned from Friday to Sunday.
‘The bans notified by the union will result in the closure of the heavy rail network on Friday, Saturday and until Sunday morning of this weekend.
“Sydney Trains and NSW Trains remain committed to finding a solution for our workforce this Christmas time.”
Haylen hopes the concession will give the union and government more time to reach an agreement before the weekend.
“It gives us another day to continue our negotiations and hopefully get people where they need to go,” he told Sydney radio 2GB.
Sydney commuters have had a bit of a reprieve with the strike on delayed trains for a day.
“But the union strike is still planned for Friday and Saturday and we know it will have a massive impact on millions of people who rely on these train services.”
After rejecting a proposal for 24-hour trains on weekends, Haylen said it was the union’s responsibility to remove its work bans.
More than a million people use Sydney trains on a typical day, and the ban is also expected to affect intercity services.
Additional buses and other services will be implemented, but the closure will test the capacity of replacement transport.
The pay showdown comes after services ran 24 hours a day over the previous weekend to avoid work stoppage bans.
Transport officials said continuing services 24 hours a day from Thursday to Sunday was not sustainable.
The Sydney Metro from Chatswood in the north to Sydenham in the inner west is also closed for maintenance at the weekend, with Transport for NSW advising travelers to “use train services”.
Jo Haylen hopes the concession will give time to reach an agreement before the weekend. (PHOTOS by Jeremy Piper/AAP)