Sydney train shutdown as it happened: Limited services run as NSW government withdraws Fair Work case against rail union

Negotiations have resumed between the rail union and the NSW government but commuters may experience another day of reduced train services tomorrow. Here are today’s developments:

• The NSW government has withdrawn its case against the Rail, Tram and Bus Union before the Fair Work Commission and Transport Minister David Elliott met with union representations this morning.
• Mr Elliott said the government and the union have agreed to “commence rewriting the enterprise agreement which expired in May last year. That will see us working with the union to ensure that we provide them with the certainty that they require”.
• Mr Elliott backed the decision by Sydney Trains executives to shut down services in the early hours of Monday morning but said he is “still asking for information and details to justify the decision”.
• The union’s NSW secretary Alex Claassens said he is “confident” train services will return to a full weekday timetable by next Monday, as outlined in the government’s post-lockdown plan, and that the union will continue its protected industrial action.
• Trains will continue to run on a reduced timetable with services every 30 minutes on Tuesday and possibly Wednesday. Sydney Trains representatives told commuters on Tuesday evening that it was still “unclear” what services would look like “tomorrow and for the rest of the week”.
• The union and the NSW government are expected to meet again on Thursday.

The Bureau of Meteorology has suspended its severe thunderstorm warning for Sydney and Wollongong, but forecasters have warned that the wet weather is expected to continue throughout the evening and the rest of the week.

Floods have disrupted a number of train services, which are running on a reduced timetable today due to an industrial dispute, and led to a number of road closures.

Thunderstorms have eased in Sydney but the wet weather is expected to continue for the rest of the week.Credit: Jessica Hromas

Services remain suspended due to flooding between Waterfall and Thirroul on the T4 Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra Line, with some replacement bus services expected.

Trains on the Bankstown Line between Bankstown and the city were temporarily stopped earlier this afternoon after flooding at Marrickville Station. Services have since resumed.

A number of roads also remain closed due to floods, including Daphne Street in Botany and Audley Weir in the Royal National Park.

There are also reports of heavy traffic on a number of roads that have reopened after crashes or flooding, including on Victoria Road at Drummoyne and the M4 at Merrylands.

Bureau of Meteorologist Gabrielle Woodhouse said more wet weather is expected in Sydney throughout the week.

“There’s still the chance of storms tomorrow. It’s unlikely they’ll be as intense as today, but we are expecting a very wet week in Sydney,” Ms Woodhouse said.

Trains between Waterfall and Thirroul have stopped running because of heavy rainfall.

Sydney Trains said it is arranging replacement bus services for that section of the T4 Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line.

Wet weather has led to a number of train services being temporarily suspended on Tuesday afternoon.Credit: Jessica Hromas

Storms also shut down trains between Bankstown and the city on Tuesday afternoon after there was flooding at Marrickville station.

However, Bankstown Line trains have now begun to resume, with some delays expected.

All trains are running at a reduced timetable, with services every 30 minutes on Tuesday due to an industrial dispute.

No trains are running on the Cumberland line.

The rail union will work with the government and Sydney Trains management to get trains back onto a full weekday timetable by next Monday, its NSW secretary says.

“We are confident we can do that,” the Rail, Tram and Bus Union’s NSW Branch Secretary Alex Claassens said on Tuesday afternoon.

Trains are expected to return to a full weekday service next week.Credit: Kate Geraghty

Mr Claassens said the union and the NSW government agreed to “work collaboratively together to try and address the situation” at a meeting this morning.

“I can say that on the two occasions I met with [NSW Transport Minister David Elliott], we have ticked items off our list.

“When accompanied by the fact that the Minister has taken responsibility, and stepped up to the plate, we look forward to working with him to try to address those industrial issues.”

Earlier today, Mr Elliott said representatives from the rail union that he met with on Tuesday “were very honest, open and frank in addressing the issues that we needed to address”.

“They included ... the ongoing issues from the union regarding the new Intercity fleet, wages ... [and] safety concerns, and I have committed to a meeting with them again on Thursday,” Mr Elliott said.

Mr Claassens said the union will continue to push for a resolution to its concerns around safety and hygiene for staff.

He also said “the question remains” around why train services were suspended by Sydney Trains executives in the early hours of Monday morning.

“We spent all day in the commission yesterday and our team, three times, asked the other side to produce the documentation, particularly the risk assessment that stated that, if the unit had gone ahead with this ... protected action, which we agreed to on Saturday night, it would have created an unsafe situation,” Mr Claassens said.

“They were asked three times to produce it, they never did produce it once.”

Mr Elliott said on Tuesday that he has asked Sydney Trains executives who made the decision to suspend trains for the justification behind it.

“We pay these people to do their job and I accept the fact that at 12.43am it was their judgment call, as executives of the organisation, that they needed to use their discretion and close the system.

“Did I like it? Absolutely not. Am I still asking for information and details to justify the decision? Absolutely.”

However, Mr Elliott said he was “comfortable that there was enough risk to safety and welfare of commuters to justify the decision”.

Mr Claassens said the union is continuing its protected industrial action.

“And trains have run all day, quite successfully with no safety issues,” he said.

Trains have stopped running in both directions between Bankstown and the city due to flooding at Marrickville station.

Replacement bus services are being arranged for the T3 Bankstown Line but people are being told to allow for extra travel time, according to Sydney Trains.

All trains are running on a reduced timetable due to an industrial dispute, with services every 30 minutes on all lines except for the Cumberland Line, on which no trains are running.

“Widespread rainfall” is expected across Sydney for at least the next hour, with thunderstorms over the city’s south-east, meteorologist Gabrielle Woodhouse, with the Bureau of Meteorology, said.

Marrickville experienced 76 millimetres of rain in an hour on Tuesday.

While storms may begin to ease this afternoon, wet weather is expected across Sydney for the rest of the week.

Several roads across Sydney, including Robey Street in Mascot, Old Northern Road in Dural and Lane Cove Road in West Pymble are closed or experiencing delays due to flooding, and the wet weather is expected to continue into the afternoon.

Wet weather is causing delays and road closures in parts of Sydney.Credit: Kate Geraghty

There is currently “widespread rainfall” over the Sydney basin, with thunderstorms expected to continue in the city’s south-east, between Mascot and Liverpool, for at least the next hour.

Commuters, whether they’re driving or taking public transport, are being advised to avoid any flood water.

Commuters wait for buses at Parramatta Station.Credit: Kate Geraghty

“If you’re out and about, if it’s flooded, forget it,” Gabrielle Woodhouse, a meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology, said.

“There’s going to be a lot of water around in some places because of these storms so try to stay inside, but if you have to travel, don’t go into flood water. If you get stuck, call the State Emergency Service, but try to avoid it in the first place.”

The storms may create further delays for afternoon commuters, who are being warned that limited train services will be in place today and potentially tomorrow.

Trains will run every 30 minutes on most lines on Tuesday afternoon and a “limited amount of buses have also been arranged”, according to Sydney Trains.

“Please limit travel where possible and use alternative modes of transport.”

The severe storms are expected to ease this evening but more rain is expected over the rest of the week.

“We had 76 millimetres of rain in an hour in Marrickville today, that’s a lot of water,” Ms Woodhouse said.

“It’s unlikely storms will be as intense as today but we’re expecting a very wet week in Sydney.”

NSW Transport Minister David Elliott insists he was asleep when a decision was made by Sydney Trains executives in the early hours of yesterday morning to suspend the city’s rail services.

“The Premier [Dominic Perrottet] and I found out about the same time,” he said.

“They [Sydney Trains] only made the operational call at, I think, 12.43am, so you would expect that I wasn’t sitting by my phone at 12.43am.”

NSW Transport Minister David Elliott met with the rail union on Tuesday.Credit: Brook Mitchell

He added: “I don’t expect them to send a car around at 2 o’clock in the morning and wake me up and tell me.

“We pay these people to do their job and I accept the fact that at 12.43am it was their judgment call, as executives of the organisation, that they needed to use their discretion and close the system.

“Did I like it? Absolutely not. Am I still asking for information and details to justify the decision? Absolutely.”

Mr Elliott said that on Sunday night, there was the possibility of industrial action, “as there has been for the last two weeks”.

“Categorically, we knew that there was a potential for an industrial dispute, but we found out that the decision by Transport for NSW that the service ... would not operate, when everybody else did at 4 o’clock in the morning when the Premier and I checked our messages.”

Mr Elliott stressed he goes to bed between 10pm and 11pm. “At 12.43am on a Monday morning I’m in bed.”

He said as the result of a risk assessment by Sydney Trains, which he has asked to see, operators had advised that “they believed that the welfare and safety” of the community “was in danger”.

“I am comfortable that there was enough risk to safety and welfare of commuters to justify the decision,” Mr Elliott said.

Yesterday afternoon, Sydney Trains chief executive Matt Longland said the decision was based on the operational assessment.

“That ultimately rests with me. I made the decision and I stand by the decision,” Mr Longland said.

NSW Transport Minister David Elliott says the state government has accepted legal advice to withdraw its case against the rail union before the Fair Work Commission.

“It is on the advice of Senior Counsel that the government will withdraw the matter currently before the Fair Work Commission,” he said.

“Senior Counsel have given that recommendation which the government accepts, in the interests of not only transparency but goodwill. That is being withdrawn as we speak.”

Mr Elliott added: “As a result of that, I have agreed with the union today that we will start to commence rewriting the enterprise agreement which expired in May last year. That will see us working with the union to ensure that we provide them with the certainty that they require.”

NSW Transport Minister David Elliott speaking after his meeting with the rail union on Tuesday.Credit: Brook Mitchell

He said he hoped the union would be able to return services to the “COVID timetable”, or the enhanced weekend timetable that was to be in place until this Sunday [February 27] before an intended resumption of weekday services on Monday.

“Ideally that would return tomorrow, but of course, I do understand that the union needs to go back to its members, and they need to ensure they have the staff able ... to return to that timetable as soon as possible,” Mr Elliott said.

He said at this stage, commuters should expect this morning’s reduced frequency services, including 150 rail replacement buses, to continue this afternoon and “potentially tomorrow”.

He said he was “delighted” by the way the Rail, Tram and Bus Union and its members were represented at their meeting today.

“They were very honest, open and frank in addressing the issues that we needed to address,” Mr Elliott said.

“They included ... the ongoing issues from the union regarding the new Intercity fleet, wages ... [and] safety concerns, and I have committed to a meeting with them again on Thursday.”

Transport Minister David Elliott held a press conference earlier at NSW Parliament after meeting with representatives from the Rail, Tram and Bus Union.

Thank you for reading our live coverage of the Sydney train network impacts today, as the rail union met with the Transport Minister at NSW Parliament this morning to discuss the way forward.

A Fair Work Commission hearing between government officials and the rail union was adjourned on Monday until tomorrow morning.

The union is working to streamline train services today, but expects a similar reduced network running tomorrow.

“All of our protected industrial action items are still on foot. We are taking our industrial action still, but our trains are running today, and they will continue to do that until we get a decision out of the Fair Work Commission tomorrow,” RTBU NSW secretary Alex Claassens said.

Transport for NSW has asked people to limit travel where possible today and use alternative modes of transport.

From 5am this morning, trains have been running at a minimum 30-minute frequency on all Sydney lines, except the T5 Cumberland line. There are also 150 rail replacement bus services in operation.

NSW Transport Minister David Elliott said he had been advised that 25 per cent of services were operating today, but he was hopeful that the frequency would increase in coming days.

That’s where we will leave things for now, but if there are further developments, we will bring you those updates.