Normal train timetable to resume next week as end to rail dispute nears
Despite a “constructive meeting” between the rail union and government, commuters were packed onto trains “like sardines” yesterday. Here’s when all services will be back.
NSW
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Train services could return to a normal timetable by Monday, after the state government withdrew its case against the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) in the Fair Work Commission.
It came as Transport Minister David Elliott insisted he did not know about bureaucrats’ decision to shut down the rail network until after the call had been made.
“You would expect that I wasn’t sitting by my phone at 12.43am … I don’t expect them to send a car around at 2am. At 12.43 it was their judgment call,” he said.
“Did I like it? Absolutely not.”
Mr Elliott told parliament that the network was shut down because allowing trains to run on an amended timetable would be unsafe.
He said Sydney Trains Chief Executive was responsible for the decision, which was an “operational” matter.
A risk assessment considering the impact of the planned industrial action was presented to Mr Elliott on Tuesday afternoon.
“The impact to the network and operations would mean an unsafe, unreliable and unpredictable environment that would pose an unacceptable risk to customers,” the risk assessment found.
Mr Elliott said he was asleep when the shutdown decision was made, despite conceding that he had an inkling about the disruption on the network on Sunday night.
“On Sunday night there was the possibility of industrial action. We knew that there was the potential for industrial dispute,” he said.
“It was an inkling. I had no confirmation.”
Labor Leader Chris Minns said it was “implausible” that Mr Elliott wasn’t aware of the shutdown.
“At the end of the day the Minister is responsible,” he said.
“We can’t have a situation where randomly senior public servants can lock out a workforce, close down the transport system, and no one in a position of power knows anything about it,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Elliott said that he accepted legal advice to withdraw the Fair Work Commission case on Tuesday afternoon following a “constructive meeting” with the union.
In the meeting, Mr Elliott agreed to draw up a new enterprise agreement with union bosses “to ensure we provide them with the certainty they require”.
“With that act of good faith, they (the union) will, as quickly as possible, return to the Covid timetable … up until Sunday,” he said.
Union officials approached their members on Tuesday night to determine when train services could return to the “Covid normal” timetable.
The union was also confident they could return to a normal timetable by Monday.
The return of a normal train time table couldn’t come sooner for commuters with people packed “like sardines” into overcrowded train services on Tuesday.
Travellers were told to avoid the train and “find alternative travel options, if possible” but thousands started flowing through the train network from 5am, with reduced services forcing many to cram into packed train carriages at Parramatta Station.
Advertising industry worker Diana woke to find her bus service from Guildford to Parramatta was cancelled but only minimal disruption to her train service.
“The whole thing is just a nightmare. And after the pandemic people just want some routine.”
Commuters on some lines suffered more than others, with services on the T5 line not running between Lidcombe and Bankstown.
HOPE OF BREAKTHROUGH IN RAIL DISPUTE
Transport Minister David Elliott is “hopeful” that frequency on the rail network will start to increase over the next few days after a “very productive” meeting with Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) NSW Secretary Alex Claassens.
Mr Elliott organised the meeting with Mr Claassens yesterday amid the union’s standoff with Sydney Trains in the Fair Work Commission.
Mr Elliott said the meeting, which lasted more than an hour, featured “some full and frank exchanges but (was conducted with) great mutual respect”.
“We’re working together to resolve as many issues as we can,” he said.
He said he was hopeful of increasing frequency on the rail network over coming days.
However, disruptions are set to continue until at least Wednesday, when Sydney Trains and the RTBU are set to appear again at the Fair Work Commission. Commuters have faced a second day of train disruptions as reduced services begin across Sydney this morning.
Trains are back up and running on all Sydney and intercity lines as of 5am after Monday’s network standstill, but services are 30 minutes apart and will be stopping at all stations.
Transport for NSW has urged commuters to consider alternative travel options as the dispute with the Rail Tram and Bus Union continues.
And drivers on packed roads will be allowed to use T2 and T3 transit lanes without fear of a fine, Roads Minister Natalie Ward said today.
However some frustrated commuters took to social media to again vent their frustration.
“I don’t care what you think is right or wrong but you need to step up and sort this s***t out,” one user wrote on Twitter.
“It’s getting out of hand now Sydney Trains.”
“I don’t know how to feel about Sydney Trains cancelling trains entirely for one day and then the next day only running trains every 30 mins,” another commuter wrote.
“Not trusting the system very much.”
COMMUTERS ENDURE SLOW TRAVEL TIMES
Advertising industry worker Diana woke to find her bus service from Guildford to Parramatta was cancelled but minimal disruption to her train service.
“Yesterday was a bloody mess. We were like sardines,” she said. “Today looks a bit better. But the whole thing is just a nightmare. And after the pandemic people just want some routine.”
However construction worker Maddie Simpson had an easy 30-minute journey from Campsie to Parramatta.
“It was great this morning,” she said. “They said it would only be 24 hours so I was hoping it would all brush over,” she said.
Most services are running as per the 30-minute schedule with minimal flow-on delays however there will be “some gaps” on the T5 line between Lidcombe and Bankstown, Sydney trains boss Matthew Longland said.
Services will also take longer because trains will be required to stop at more stations.
Intercity trains will also run but commuters on the south coast line between Kiama and Wollongong and travellers between Port Kembla and Wollongong will have fewer services.
“Reduced services will return across all lines on the Sydney Trains network from 5am and will run at a minimum 30 minute frequency throughout the day,” Transport Minister David Elliott said in a statement.
However commuters were unable to plan their journey on Monday night, with Tuesday’s services not yet uploaded to the Transport NSW website or Tripview app.
Authorities were working to ensure an accurate timetable was available in time for people heading to work on Tuesday morning.
Travellers were told to avoid the train and “find alternative travel options, if possible”.
An extra 150 buses have been put on to supplement the train timetable.
Commuter car parks offering “park and walk” options will be set up at Moore Park and Rosehill Gardens.
The compromise to run an extremely limited train timetable comes amid ongoing negotiations at the Fair Work Commission. Regular services are not expected to resume until Wednesday at the earliest.
RAIL DISRUPTIONS COULD LAST FOR DAYS
It comes as train disruptions are set to continue for days, after a midnight decision to shut down the rail network with just hours’ notice on Monday.
It comes after all trains were cancelled on Monday amid an ongoing industrial dispute and a blame game between the union and government, with no-one taking responsibility for the move which created travel chaos for millions of Sydneysiders.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal the last-minute cancellation cost the state economy up to $50m in lost productivity because people were prevented, or delayed, from getting to work.
A Fair Work Commission hearing will resume on Wednesday.
The cause of Monday’s debacle was an apparent misunderstanding of an agreement brokered between Sydney Trains and the union in the Fair Work Commission on Saturday, with both sides accusing the other of trying to renege on the deal.
The chaos opened up familiar fault lines between the government and the labour movement, with Premier Dominic Perrottet accusing the unions of “causing chaos” in a “concerted campaign”.
The Rail Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) traded barbs with Transport Minister David Elliott, who is understood to also be blaming Transport for NSW for the mayhem created by its midnight cancellation decision.
As the warring sides blamed each other, millions of Sydneysiders were stuck in the middle, either stranded at railway platforms or facing major delays on the road.
Sydney Trains boss Matthew Longland said the cancellation was due to safety concerns, including a worry that some commuters would be left stranded at stations unsure of whether another train was going to arrive.
The RTBU had planned industrial action weeks ago as part of bargaining for a new enterprise agreement.
An agreement was reached in the Fair Work Commission that union members would operate the current train timetable from Monday, but on Sunday there was a dispute over the interpretation of the agreement.
A late night Fair Work Commission hearing on Sunday failed to reach a deal, with Transport for NSW then announcing it would have to cancel all services because of the dispute.
Mr Elliott is understood to be furious with Transport for NSW secretary Rob Sharp over the move. It’s understood Mr Elliott has been trying to sack Mr Sharp for months, with the latest debacle further worsening the pair’s working relationship.
Mr Elliott will meet with RTBU NSW secretary Alex Claassens early on Tuesday morning in a bid to end the impasse and get trains running again. Mr Claassens yesterday said he had recently had positive meetings with Mr Elliott, who was prepared to negotiate in a bid to reduce the impact of industrial action on commuters.
The last-minute train cancellation, occurring on the same day that Australia opened its doors to international tourists for the first time since the start of the pandemic, crippled small businesses and caused major delays for commuters trying to get into work.
Parents were told that their children would have to again learn from home because teachers could not get to school.
The Premier said the cancellation was the result of a “concerted campaign” from Labor and the unions “to cause massive disruption across our city”.
Mr Elliott accused the RTBU of political “bastardry” over the cancellations.
In response, Mr Claassens said his members “were there ready to work”.
“The government has just done the most low and dastardly thing that you can ever imagine a government doing.
“They’ve locked out their workforce and they’ve inconvenienced the people of NSW just because it was going to be a little bit difficult,” he said.
Labor leader Chris Minns accused Mr Perrottet of failing to show up to work to reach an agreement. “Let’s be clear – the only people who didn’t turn up to work today is the NSW government.”
As The Daily Telegraph revealed on Monday morning, Unions NSW secretary Mark Morey has predicted industrial action across a number of frontline industries will not stop until the wage cap is removed.
City businesses were crippled by the snap cancellation.
“We’ve had less customers (and) my barista didn’t show up today because of the strike,” Simon Dang of Eggshell Cafe on Macquarie St said. “It’s bad for business.
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