Rail cancellations linger as Sydney prepares for New Year’s Eve

Sydney rail commuters are still enduring some cancellations on the network due partly to minor industrial action, four days after unions dropped major work bans ahead of New Year’s Eve fireworks, when more than a million people are expected to descend on the harbourfront.

Some 22 train services were cancelled on Friday, which was an improvement on 107 cancellations on December 24, and 73 on Christmas Day. It also pales in comparison to about 500 on December 22 when the dispute was escalating.

Sydney Trains chief executive Matt Longland speaks to reporters on Saturday.Credit: Rhett Wyman

A truce in the protracted row over wages was reached on Christmas Eve after rail unions committed to dropping major work bans until January 3. It removed the threat of industrial action causing havoc to train services on New Years’s Eve, but did not resolve the bitter stand-off.

Fresh negotiations between the two sides after New Year’s celebrations are yet to be scheduled.

Sydney Trains chief executive Matt Longland said the withdrawal of major work bans was crucial to putting on over an extra 1000 train services for New Year’s Eve, while some residual industrial action still in place would be dropped on Sunday ahead of the celebrations.

“We’re confident for New Year’s Eve [but] there is still some residual industrial action that’s occurring, even over this weekend,” he said, adding that there had also been track repair work under way during the holiday period.

“We have seen a really significant improvement in the number of cancellations across the network. We’re doing everything we can to minimise inconvenience.”

A government spokesperson said there had been a steady increase in on-time running of trains since the withdrawal of bans. “Trains were on time 86 per cent of the time on December 24, 94 per cent of the time on Christmas Day and 89 per cent of the time [on Friday],” he said.

The rail network − including metro trains – will run non-stop for 46 hours from 4am on December 31 to 2am on January 2 to cater for the huge crowds expected for New Year’s Eve fireworks.

Longland said it was always a challenge getting large numbers of people home from New Year’s Eve fireworks in a short period from midnight to 2am. “If you’re travelling in that period, expect that there will be long queues,” he said.

“Follow the instructions of our station staff. They’ll be doing their best to minimise queuing, to ensure passenger safety and to keep people moving as efficiently as possible.”

He urged anyone feeling unwell against travelling on trains because a medical incident could hold up about 2000 people on each train on the busiest night of the year for the rail system.

Transport for NSW Co-ordinator-General Howard Collins said people should be mindful that there would be road diversions in place in the CBD, while light rail services would terminate at Central Station, clearing the way for large crowds to walk along George Street.

“Last year, we towed over 220 cars out of clearway areas,” he said.

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