Limited rail services resumed on Tuesday, February 22, after a closure of the Sydney Trains network left Central Coast commuters stranded on Monday with unions and the State Government laying the blame at each other’s feet.
The closure came as a large-scale industrial dispute between Transport for NSW and rail workers’ unions over safety and conditions continued.
Transport for NSW said the threat of a snap strike, made on Sunday night by the Rail Tram and Bus Union (RBTU), made it “impossible” to safely operate passenger services with authorities making the decision to close down all services.
Parliamentary Secretary for the Central Coast, Adam Crouch, said he was “disappointed” with the union action.
“The matter is currently before the Fair Work Commission, and we hope that we have resolution as soon as possible,” Crouch said.
“Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink have held more than 30 meetings with the RTBU over the past six months.
“We urge the unions to stop action which causes disruption for commuters, and instead focus on productive negotiations to reach an agreement for our employees as soon as possible.”
But RTBU NSW Secretary, Alex Claassens, said only transport management would have noticed the impact of the proposed action on Monday, not commuters.
“The impact to services (on Monday) is not because of workers’ actions but because the NSW Government is spitting the dummy and trying to make a point,” Claassens said.
“Our workers showed up for work as usual, but the Government had made the decision not to run the trains.
“We are very angry and disappointed – this is a new low.
“There is nothing we would do to jeopardise the safety of the network.”
The Electrical Trades Union (ETU) also condemned the NSW Government for shutting down the network, causing chaos across Sydney and seeing the M1 experience huge delays as Central Coast commuters took to the roads with no trains available.
ETU NSW Secretary, Allen Hicks, said Premier Dominic Perrottet and the State Government must bear full responsibility for the commuter inconvenience.
“Rather than sit down and negotiate in good faith, the Premier and the Government have decided to cancel train services, wreaking chaos across the Sydney transport system,” Hicks said.
“The Premier is directly responsible for this aggressive, unilateral and unnecessary shut down by Sydney Trains.”
Reduced services returned at 5am on Tuesday, running at a minimum 30-minute frequency throughout the day.
Commuters were warned that journey times would be longer with trains required to stop at more stations.
Commuters were encouraged to continue to explore “alternative travel options” to preserve the limited services for essential workers and commuters with no, other options.
To supplement the limited train timetable, 150 rail replacement bus services were also in operation along major rail corridors.
Transport Minister Elliott said Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink remained at the Fair Work Commission, seeking to extend the suspension of protected industrial action on the rail network.
“I urge the combined rail unions to put their political agenda aside so Sydneysiders don’t face more interruptions,” he said.
“The NSW Government will continue to negotiate with the unions and work through their list of claims, which form part of ongoing Enterprise Agreement negotiations.”
Terry Collins