By Mike CrooksThursday 21 Nov 2024NewsReading Time: 3 minutes
Sydney is set to be stopped in its tracks from tomorrow morning.
Key points
- There will be no Sydney train services from 4.15am Friday to 6am Sunday November 24.
- The Metro will be running its driver-less trains on Friday, but the service will not run on Saturday due to scheduled maintenance.
- Train drivers are demanding better working conditions, including a reduction in their working hours, and a pay rise of 32 per cent over four years.
In what is being billed as the biggest rail strike in the city’s living memory, there will be no train services from early Friday morning and into the weekend.
The strike was called by the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) when, after dozens of meetings, no agreement was reached with the government over pay and conditions.
“We’re going to try and do everything we can to solve this dispute on behalf of the people of New South Wales,” Premier Chris Minns said yesterday.
“It’s important that we acknowledge that we’re not confident of an imminent breakthrough.”
When are rail workers striking?
From 4.15am on Friday morning.
The strike is planned to continue until 6am, Sunday, November 24.
There will be no Sydney train services from 4.15am Friday to 6am Sunday November 24.
“This will impact passengers including those travelling to and from Newcastle, the Central Coast, the Blue Mountains, the Southern Highlands, and the Illawarra,” a Transport for NSW statement read.
What lines are affected?
All services in the Sydney city rail network will be affected.
There will be “limited emergency bussing” and “increased frequency” of light rail services, but nothing will compensate for the expected chaos of a train strike.
The Metro will also be running its driver-less trains on Friday, but the service will not run on Saturday due to scheduled maintenance.
What other transport services are available?
Other options for non-drivers are ride-sharing companies Uber and Didi (who have confirmed they will limit surge pricing), taxis, and ferries.
Is there a chance the strike won’t go ahead?
There’s always hope.
In fact, the strike was at first expected to take place from today (Thursday) before an agreement was reached between the Minns government and the RTBU.
But that was just a delay.
At 1.30pm today, there will be a last-ditch crisis meeting between the government and unions at the NSW parliament.
The Metro will be running its driver-less trains on Friday, but the service will not run on Saturday due to scheduled maintenance.
Sydney Trains CEO Matt Longland told the ABC said he was “hopeful” of a breakthrough.
“We’re hoping that we can avoid this industrial action because we know the consequences,” he said.
“But we are asking passengers to plan ahead, to keep updated with the latest information because it is a rapidly moving situation.”
What about the Pearl Jam concert and A-League games?
The strike will affect a number of special events from Friday.
There will be “special event” trains for passengers travelling to the Pearl Jam concert at Olympic Park on Saturday night. The government has also promised special event buses.
Also on Saturday is the A-League’s Unite Round in which Sydney will host 12 matches across two stadiums.
It involves six double-headers on Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the men’s and women’s comps, at Allianz Stadium at Moore Park, and Kogarah’s Jubilee Stadium.
The Guardian reports that the A-League will run shuttle buses between Allianz and Jubilee and buses to Sydney from Newcastle and the Central Coast.
However, no additional services have yet to be announced.
Train drivers are demanding better working conditions, including a reduction in their working hours, and a pay rise of 32 per cent over four years.
Why is there a strike?
Train drivers are demanding better working conditions, including a reduction in their working hours, and a pay rise of 32 per cent over four years (8 per cent per year).
The government has offered an 11 per cent pay rise (including super) over three years.
“We hope the Premier intervenes and we see some sense,” RTBU NSW Secretary Toby Warnes said.
For more information visit here.
Feature image: Photo by CanvaPro