The train shutdown could derail the weekend. This is how one business is coping

This was the weekend Rose Valente was waiting for.

Her women’s sport-focused bar on Oxford Street, The Ladies Lounge, was going all-out with team cocktails and bar games for the A-League’s Unite Round, where every match of the weekend will be played in Sydney.

But her plans quickly fell apart when she realised her fans wouldn’t be able to get to the venue: a weekend of train chaos looms over Sydney as the government and the rail union’s negotiations over pay break down. By Wednesday afternoon, both parties had dug in their heels and a complete shutdown of the city’s network from Friday to Sunday was looking increasingly likely.

Rose Valente, founder of The Ladies Lounge on Oxford Street, has organised alternative transport for her patrons. Credit: James Brickwood

But with the nearest available transport options taking almost an hour between Darlinghurst and Kogarah, where the women’s matches are being played, Valente has organised a coach to take patrons directly to the games.

“We were potentially losing lots of our customers,” she said. “I had to do something really creative to get customers who were going to travel by train.

“While the situation is an inconvenience, I understand and support the union’s need for it.”

Valente is one of thousands of Sydney businesses and event organisers scrambling to make alternative arrangements to move tens of thousands of people around Sydney.

Transport Minister Jo Haylen is staring down the rail union over a pay dispute.Credit: Kate Geraghty

The A-League – expecting more than 30,000 fans at Moore Park’s Allianz Stadium for the men’s games – had arranged buses for fans from Newcastle to the Central Coast, and is running a free shuttle between Kogarah and Moore Park. It is considering contingencies should the shutdown proceed.

But tourism advocates warn the damage to Sydney’s reputation as a tourism precinct has already been done. Nepal Festival, celebrating the nation’s vibrant culture and food with lively entertainment, is set to run in Darling Harbour this Saturday too, attracting visitors from across the country.

“They’re all put on to draw visitors within, and as soon as [the network shuts down], it’ll impact them,” said NSW Tourism Association chief executive Natalie Godward. “People will decide not to go, or they’ll go in fewer numbers.

“I think this is a very narrow-minded approach to getting what they [the union] want. Business is really tough right now, so why on earth would they be putting more barriers in place during the busy season?

“It’s an expensive trip in the first place. They’ve already got a budget and made time … and stuff like this isn’t helping anybody.”

But for Valente, the shutdown has an upside: bookings for the coach have acted as a deposit for her bar. “People will come and get at least one drink,” she said.

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