NSW government scrambles to fill gaps as major train strike looms

Sydney is set to grind to a massive standstill as government-union negotiations fail to strike a deal over train driver pay.

The NSW government and transport departments are scrambling to cover as many gaps as possible as Sydney and the wider region face massive train worker strikes from Friday to Sunday.

The Rail, Tram and Bus Union agreed to reduce the length of its strike and push the walk-off to Friday this week.

But the concession did not elevate the tone of a grim update from the Transport Minister and key departmental staff on Wednesday afternoon.

“Our operators will be scrambling to fill those gaps. We will do everything we can, but we cannot accommodate a million people a day switching to other modes of transport,” Transport for NSW Secretary Josh Murray said.

“We are in the early stages of urgent planning across all modes to give people options for this weekend, but the services will be limited and impacted and we’re really asking for patience.”

Commuters are in for a rough ride across Sydney if the government and unions cannot make headway on negotiations. Picture: NewsWire / David Swift

Ministers, the Premier, public service and union bosses will meet later on Wednesday.

The Transport Minister Jo Haylen said they had been in some 50 bargaining meetings over the last six months and 28 meetings in the “big bargaining room” with about 90 union delegates.

“I believe there is a package on the table the union can consider,” she said.

“The only way to keep our network running and to make sure people can get where they need to go is for the union to withdraw their industrial actions. … that remains our ask of the unions,” she said.

Smaller industrial action cancelled or delayed more than 100 trains across Sydney during Tuesday afternoon peak hour.

Intercity trains, particularly in from Gosford and Newcastle, were particularly disrupted Wednesday morning.

Parts of the Blue Mountains line are being replaced with buses for three hours in the middle of the day Wednesday, but not during morning and evening peak times.

“Please be assured our teams are doing their very best to keep the system running reliably. It is a very challenging period as more and more of these industrial bans are put in place,” Sydney Trains Chief Executive Matt Longland said.

Sydney Trains “hope” it can operate a normal train timetable across its passenger network on the weekend, plus freight trains.

The Transport Minister says extensive meetings have failed to find a resolution. Picture: NewsWire / John Appleyard

“If these bans remain in place, the RTBU are saying their members will not operate services on Friday, or Saturday and into Sunday morning. That’s not just train drivers. That’s people who work at stations, that’s people that work at the (Rail Operations Centre), that’s people that keep the network running,” Mr Longland said.

The government has offered a 24-hour line from Strathfield to Hornsby on the weekend - a nod to the union’s demand for 24-hour services - but the Strathfield to Hornsby offer is only on the table if the union backs down on the strike, Mr Longland said.

“Our teams are doing their very best and we ask passengers to be respectful of our staff … Please remember they’re just doing their job.”

The Transport for NSW Secretary, Mr Murray, apologised to travellers.

Mr Murray was pleased the strike was pushed so 40,000 Pearl Jam fans could get home Thursday night.

But ticket data showed many of the Pearl Jam concertgoers for Saturday lived on The Central Coast and in Newcastle.

Premier Chris Minns will meet union delegates alongside key Ministers and public servants on Wednesday. Picture: NewsWire / John Appleyard

“We’re asking those people, please pay attention to the ongoing news update in terms of where transport will be provided and make alternative arrangements … we can’t yet rely on having a clear path to Sydney Olympic Park or to home again if you are coming from out of Sydney.”

Parking at Olympic Park is almost sold, and the department is looking for more parking space around the stadium.

“Our operators will be scrambling to fill those gaps … we’re really asking for patience.”

The planned rail strike was delayed for a day as Transport for NSW and the Rail, Tram and Bus Union reached an agreement for services to run as normal on Thursday.

More than a million commuters will be stranded as Sydney trains stop running for more than 48 hours, beginning Friday morning.

The RTBU has pushed back its industrial action until Friday with drivers now staying off the job until midmorning Sunday.

“This will cause significant disruption to people’s lives and to the operation of our city,” the Transport Minister said earlier.

“You can’t simply click your fingers and change the way a very big system works.”

The union pushed back the start of the strike, amid pay negotiations with the government, so 86 extra trains can run to a Pearl Jam concert Thursday night.

But the American rock giants are playing a second show on Saturday too.

NSW Transport is looking to fill as many gaps as it can with extra buses and ferries, though the department secretary also says options are limited. About 700,000 people take a train in Sydney every day.

A University of Sydney transport management senior lecturer told the ABC some emergency services workers will likely simply be unable to get to work.

A Pearl Jam concert on Saturday, two A League matches and pre-Christmas shopping will be directly affected by the strikes. Picture: NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

Fewer shoppers will be able to make use of the retail-frenzy “Black Friday” sales as well.

The union is calling for a pay rise of up to 32 per cent over four years, and reduced weekly working hours. Also, the union says it will call off the strike if the state government runs trains 24 hours a day.

The government says this 24-hour term would undermine necessary trackwork, but the union argues around-the-clock services are better for commuters.

The Transport Minister told 2GB despite the strike being pushed back a day, “we know that’s going to have a massive impact on millions of people who rely on these train services”.

“We want the union to lift this industrial action that they still have planned for Friday and Saturday,” Ms Haylen said.

“We want to keep our city moving. No one wants this. Passengers don’t want this. I don’t want this. The government doesn’t want this. But the only way to keep trains running and to get people where they need to go is for the union to lift its industrial action.”

The strike affects passengers travelling to and from Newcastle, The Central Coast, the Blue Mountains, the Southern Highlands, and the Illawarra as well as Sydney city.  

Rail, Tram and Bus Union NSW secretary Toby Warnes said: “The reason we won’t lift the bans at this stage is ongoing frustrations with the government for not sitting at the negotiating table”.

The state government made all rail travel free amid a strike in September, however there is no word if that allowance will be made this weekend.