Rail workers to strike on first day of Taylor Swift Eras Tour in Melbourne

Fans travelling to the first of Taylor Swift’s concerts are being warned to plan ahead.

Taylor Swift fans planning on getting in line early to see the megastar could be facing delays as rail operators plan to stop work on the first day of her sold out string of concerts in Melbourne.

The Rail, Tram and Bus Union is taking the industrial action, with all operations staff stopping work between 3am and 7am on Friday, Monday and February 29.

Fans travelling from regional Victoria are being warned to plan ahead of the Taylor Swift Eras Tour. Picture: Christopher Jue/TAS24/Getty Images

The complete network shutdown could cause chaos for passengers travelling from regional Victoria to Melbourne ahead of Friday night’s Eras Tour concert at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

“While the work stoppage is scheduled for 3 am to 7am, there will be knock-on effects to services right throughout the day,”

RTBU Branch Secretary Vik Sharma said.

“People from regional areas attending the Taylor Swift concert on Friday night who were planning to travel by V/Line are therefore encouraged to consider alternative travel arrangements if they can.

V/Line has notified computers of the strike action involving a full train network closure and urged passengers to avoid travelling on Friday morning.

V/Line train workers are expected to go on strike on Friday morning. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Crosling

“Passengers are advised to avoid travelling in the morning as a very limited coach replacement service will operate from first service until 8am with significant delays expected,” V/Line stated.

“Trains will progressively return from approximately 8am but delays and cancellations will continue across the day, and services may be busier than usual while we work to recover the timetable.”

Mr Sharma said it was “extremely disappointing” the strike had to go ahead but it was necessary to ensure their concerns about safety are taken seriously.

“V/Line workers are seeking a fair and reasonable Enterprise Agreement that reflects the rising cost of living and addresses key workplace issues such as job security,” he said.

“This dispute is becoming increasingly disruptive for regional communities.

“The Allan Labor Government is responsible for these disruptions. It needs to take responsibility, respect regional workers, and get this matter resolved.”

Fans are encouraged to leave plenty of time to arrive at Taylor Swift’s first concert in Australia since 2018. Picture: Fernando Leon/TAS23/Getty Images

V/Line CEO Matt Carrick said Swift fans shouldn’t be worried about arriving late for the concert on Friday.

“I want to assure passengers heading to the Taylor Swift concert that V/Line services are expected to return to normal by Friday afternoon,” Mr Carrick said.

“We will have extra services and additional capacity on some lines before and after the concert, and passengers are advised to plan their journeys through the V/Line website.”

“We expect services and stations to be busy so passengers are encouraged to allow extra travel time and thank them in advance for their understanding.”

Freight trains will continue to operate during the planned industrial action.

Passengers are encouraged to check online for updated timetables.

Those lines impacted by the strike include:

• Geelong and Warrnambool lines
• Wyndham Vale Station
• Tarneit Station
• Ballarat, Ararat and Maryborough lines
• Bendigo and Echuca lines
• Swan Hill line
• Seymour and Shepparton lines
• Albury Line
• Traralgon Line
• Bairnsdale Line

Ahead of the Taylor’s first Aussie gig since 2018, fans will be able to jump on 150 extra metro train services across the three days, as well as extra regional VLine trains after the industrial action ends.