Sydney train strike: How the rail industrial action will affect you
SYDNEY’S rail worker pay dispute is set to cause five days of train chaos after the union voted to reject the government’s latest offer. How will it affect you?
NSW
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THE Sydney rail worker pay dispute is now set to cause five days of train chaos after the union voted to reject the government’s latest offer.
Here is what you need to know.
WHAT’S HAPPENING ON THURSDAY?
You can lock in delays and cancellations as 1600 regular services are cut and a Saturday timetable is put in place.
Given the controversial new weekday timetable cannot be sustained without overtime, some stations will have services drastically cut. Places which get a train every few minutes during peak hours might get a service every 15 minutes.
Sydney Trains chief executive Howard Collins urged passengers to check travel times in advance. “My advice to customers is to try and avoid those rush hour times. We will get you to your destination, it may just mean changing your plans,” he said on Tuesday.
WHAT ABOUT AUSTRALIA DAY AND AFTERWARD?
Trains will run to a significantly reduced timetable.
T5 Cumberland Line services are cancelled from Friday. A shuttle train service will run between Blacktown and Richmond.
T6 Carlingford Line services are cancelled from Friday. Buses replacing trains between Clyde and Carlingford.
Some additional services will be available to supplement Australia Day services and major events at Sydney Olympic Park after 4pm.
Trains will run to a “significantly reduced timetable” between tomorrow and Sunday, with worst ramifications due on Monday, when many commuters are due back at workplaces.
HOW WILL YOU GET AROUND WITHOUT TRAINS?
RAIL STRIKE TO GO AHEAD AFTER WORKERS REJECT OFFER
WHY WILL MONDAY BE WORSE?
Whether trains will stop on Monday remains unconfirmed by Transport for NSW.
Not all staff are union members so may choose not to take action. But given how unionised the railways are, and the vital role staff play in ensuring safety, the network can be expected to grind to a halt.
As RTBU NSW Secretary Alex Claassens said: “Trains will go to bed on Sunday night and they won’t come out on Monday morning.”
WHAT ABOUT TRANSPORT OPTIONS?
Staff on NSW buses, trams and ferries are not affected so you can expect them to operate as usual.
Bear in mind that with as many people in Sydney using trains as buses, that’s an awful lot of people trying to crowd on to crowded routes.
There’s a possibility of light rail and bus services being stepped up to cover demand but there are not enough spares to replace trains, as Transport Minister Andrew Constance pointed out last week.
WHAT ABOUT BEYOND SYDNEY?
If you are travelling anywhere within NSW, you are likely to be affected.
Union members working for NSW Train Link are also involved, so if you are planning a trip around centres such as Newcastle, Wollongong, the Central Coast and the Blue Mountains, check on updates. NSW Train Link also serve more distant destinations including Canberra, Dubbo and the North Coast and send interstate XPT trains to Melbourne and Brisbane.
* With news.com.au