Rail union and Young Labor to pressure Minns government for 24-hour metro

The Minns government is facing calls from within its own party and its ally the rail union to push for around-the-clock metro services.

The state government is under pressure from its own party to operate the new metro for 24 hours a day, with the powerful rail union also throwing its support behind the move.

The push to run metro trains around the clock will be debated at the NSW Labor conference this weekend, with NSW Young Labor and the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) putting forward a joint motion on the issue.

Their push calls on the party to recognise that “the lack of late-night public transport is a major issue for young people, and a major barrier to Sydney establishing itself as a vibrant 24-hour city”.

Their motion adds the party should support “a NSW Labor government taking steps to ensure that public transport runs at all hours of the day, starting with Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights”.

The Labor Party has given in-principle support for the move, according to a draft policy report seen by The Saturday Telegraph, although this doesn’t necessarily mean the government will take steps towards implementing it.

The Rail, Tram and Bus Union has thrown its support behind a push for the metro to run 24 hours a day.

A spokeswoman for the RTBU — which is due to sign a new pay agreement with the government later this year — said Sydney “doesn’t start at 9am and end at 5pm”, and that there would be social benefits as well as economic reasoning for the change.

“The RTBU NSW supports 24-hour public transport to ensure commuters can get to and from where they need to safely and reliably,” she said.

Transport Minister Jo Haylen at a press conference about the new Metro City line. Picture: Tim Pascoe

“Sydney doesn’t start at 9am and end at 5pm, so it’s about time we made it easier and more accessible for people who need to commute outside of those hours.

The RTBU also backed calls from the hospitality industry earlier this week for the metro to run 24 hours a day.

“The union is pleased that Labor has given support to a resolution at this weekend’s ALP State Conference that calls for the government to implement a 24-hour network from Thursday to Saturday, which will also help to improve Sydney’s night-time economy,” she said.

Premier Chris Minns earlier this week doubled down on the government’s stance that opening metro lines for 24 hours would prevent overnight maintenance on fleets being done.

“We’re limited by the fact we do need to (maintain it) … this is brand new infrastructure, this will add to the energy, economic activity, the night-life of Sydney …(but) I think people should wait and see what boost this gives to our economy,” he said.

“We need the time when the Metro is closed for basic maintenance, particularly in its early stages.”

“That maintenance is crucial … I know cities around the world do run 24/7, but this is brand new for us.”

The government and rail authorities are racing the clock to have the Metro City line — which will run from Chatswood to Sydenham — open in time for the August 4 deadline announced earlier this month.

From Chatswood, the metro will connect to the North West line running to Tallawong.

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Originally published as Rail union and Young Labor to pressure Minns government for 24-hour metro