Commuters call for more fare-free days and more reliability after network grinds to a halt

Commuters and business leaders say a fare-free day on Monday is not sufficient compensatations for the thousands of people who lost hours to train delays last week. TAKE OUR POLL.

Commuters and business leaders say a fare-free day on Monday will not compensate thousands for the hours they lost to train delays last week.

Premier Chris Minns said the transport network would be fare-free on Monday, after high winds on Tuesday crashed a live cable across a train and brought the rail network to a grinding halt.

Business Sydney executive director Paul Nicolaou claimed Monday was one of the week’s quietest days on the transport network and would benefit fewer of those affected.

“Current data, supported by business feedback, indicates that office occupancy on Mondays and Fridays averages between 50 and 60 per cent, in contrast to 80 to 90 per cent on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays,” Mr Nicolaou said.

“A fare-free Monday is a nice gesture but it’s not enough on its own. What we need is targeted, long-term investment and incentives to encourage public transport use.”

Some of the chaos at Central Station on Wednesday evening. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Mr Nicolaou said commuters needed a reliable network. “We can’t afford more meltdowns like last week’s – it was a big setback to the recovery of the city because it has shaken confidence so badly.”

Former Liberal transport minister David Elliott said a fare-free Monday would not compensate people for hours of lost time with their families.

Business Sydney executive director Paul Nicolaou. Picture: Supplied

“They should have the fare-free day on the weekend so that families could spend the day together,” Mr Elliott said.

“Saving $5 on a Monday does not make up for hours lost during the week.”

Mr Elliott said encouraging people to use the network during a normally quiet weekend would boost the economy.

“When we had a fare-free day on the weekend the ice cream seller at Circular Quay ran out of ice cream by midday,” he said.

Opposition transport spokeswoman Natalie Ward said a fare-free Monday did not help the majority of the community who work from home at the start of the week, and was no compensation for a network that was let down by a lack of investment.

“An apology and a fare-free day is something, but it doesn’t improve anything for commuters impacted by Sydney’s unreliable trains,” she said.

After-school care worker Eliza Mahoney, 21, said the delays had added hours to her daily commute. She does not work on Mondays and will miss out on the fare-free day.

“I had to leave for work three hours earlier than normal because of fear I would arrive late,” she said.

“Only so much money can make up for the stress and anxiety the delays have caused.”

Storeman Darien Mandich, 48, said: “We’ve put up with a lot lately and they only want to give us one day? They should be giving us a week”.

Transport Minister John Graham acknowledged the rail chaos “strained the patience of an entire city” but said more than one million commuters would benefit from the fare free day. He said those numbers rose by only around 10 per cent mid-week.

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Originally published as Commuters call for more fare-free days and more reliability after network grinds to a halt