Commuters left stranded after Sydney trains shutdown could receive compensation

Sydneysiders are set to enjoy a major public transport windfall after the train network was plunged into chaos earlier in the week.

Thousands of inconvenienced Sydneysiders will be offered half-price peak-hour fares and free weekend travel on the city’s rail system as compensation after chaos ensued when the entire network was shut down.

A bitter fight between the Rail, Tram and Bus Union and the NSW government left thousands of commuters stranded on Monday at a moment’s notice after the snap decision to halt all services across Sydney.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said Sydney trains were backed into a corner with the only option to close the network.

“The outcome that occurred on Monday on the rail system here was incredibly disappointing, but it was the right decision to make following the actions of the union movement on Sunday.” he said.

“It was a clear intention of the union movement to cause chaos on our system.”

Commuters outside Central Station when the rail network shut down on Monday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Flavio Brancaleone

Commuters in Australia’s biggest city will now be offered compensated fares for the next month as an apology for being left in the dark by the shutdown.

The NSW government has come under fire over the network-wide closure.

Transport Minister David Elliott is expected to make the announcement on Thursday, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

It is not known what the cost to the government of the subsidies will be, but the compensation is believed to have been approved by the expenditure review committee of cabinet.

The blame game over the shutdown is ongoing, with Mr Elliott insisting he was not made aware of the plans to close the entire network until 4am on Monday.

However, his chief of staff was made aware at 1.30am, more than two hours earlier.

Mr Perrottet was again quizzed about the saga at a press conference on Thursday.

“Transport had been in contact with the minister‘s office before midnight, and in those discussions there was clearly a misunderstanding in relation to the view from transport,” he said.

“There was sign off given by the minister‘s office, but there was confusion in relation to the standard what that decision was.

“What’s occurred here, in terms of final sign off is that while both parties were acting in good faith, there was a misunderstanding in relation to the precise details of the action that would occur on Monday morning.”

Thousands of inconvenienced Sydneysiders will be offered half-price peak hour fares. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Flavio Brancaleone

In a desperate bid to repair damaged relations, Mr Perrottet called a meeting with the Transport Minister and Transport for NSW secretary Rob Sharp on Wednesday.

Mr Sharp claimed he had no choice but to cancel all services, with the industrial action making the system “unsafe”.

Chaos quickly ensued, with 22km-long traffic jams on the M2 Motorway and slow-moving traffic elsewhere in Sydney.

Mr Perrottet said he was “furious” that he was kept in the dark about the shutdown and only found out about the closure when he woke up at 5.30am on Monday.

He has since ordered his ministers to be available 24 hours a day after Mr Elliott said he was sleeping when he got the phone call at 12.43am.

Trains are still running at a limited capacity on Thursday, with most services coming every 30 minutes.

“Services may be less frequent and trips may take longer than usual,” Sydney Trains tweeted on Thursday morning.

“A limited amount of buses have also been arranged. Please limit travel where possible and use alternative modes of transport.”

The limited services will be running for at least the next week, with the government withdrawing its legal action against rail workers.

Originally published as Commuters left stranded after Sydney trains shutdown could receive compensation