People warned to avoid public transport on Friday as rail union ramps up industrial action

Geelong commuters will again pay the price of a prolonged battle between the V/Line, the state government and the rail union.

The feud between rail workers and the state government continues to escalate. Picture: David Crosling.

Geelong residents are being warned against train travel leading into the long weekend as the rail union ramps up industrial action this Friday.

V/Line services across the state will grind to a halt from 3am to 4pm, with an extremely limited number of coaches to run between Southern Cross, Geelong and Warrnambool during the 13-hour strike.

“Services will be impacted across the entire day, including scheduled coaches that connect with trains,” V/Line said in a statement late on Monday.

“Passengers are advised to avoid travel if possible.”

Coaches will depart Geelong every 60 minutes, but V/Line said significant delays of two hours or more are expected, including extended wait and travel times.

“We ask people to only travel if they need to, helping ensure the limited services that will be running are free for essential journeys,” it said.

The strike is the most significant action yet by the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) as it negotiates a new agreement with V/Line and the state government.

A series of shorter strikes have occurred in recent months.

Victorian Rail, Tram and Bus Union secretary Vik Sharma.

The RTBU rejected a government-backed offer in late February that would have seen an annual wage increase of almost 4 per cent.

State secretary Vik Sharma Jacinta Allan’s Labor government must work constructively to resolve the dispute.

“This industrial action will regrettably impact regional commuters and cause significant disruptions to services,” he said.

“Into the ninth month of bargaining, the Allan government has endorsed a dud deal that would leave regional workers worse off than their metropolitan counterparts.

“Regional workers and their communities deserve to be treated with respect, but instead they are being treated like second-class citizens.”

The strike is the latest blow for Geelong train users.

The state government last week announced a regional rail work blitz that will see services disrupted from April 13-21 and May 11-19.

Meanwhile, Viva Energy has announced that it has signed a fuel-supply agreement with V/Line.

In a statement, Viva said a key part of the agreement was V/Line’s desire to maximise regional production and delivery.

“V/Line provides an essential service and Viva Energy is thrilled to contribute to keeping regional Victorians on the move,” Viva boss Scott Wyatt said.

“As a frequent train traveller myself, I regularly rely on the V/Line service to commute to our refinery in Geelong and appreciate its importance.”

Originally published as People warned to avoid public transport on Friday as rail union ramps up industrial action