Passengers have been warned to expect lengthy delays on train services after over a dozen services were cancelled as the state’s rail unions strike.
Up to eighteen train services had been cancelled, impacting about 360 trips and sparking delays up to 40 minutes on Saturday.
Commuters planning to catch the train to the Randwick races, Carols in the Domain and Big Bash cricket have been told to expect major delays and cancellations.
On the T1 North Shore line between 10am and 1pm, half of the 12 services from Hornsby were cancelled.
Passengers attending major events in Sydney on Saturday including the annual Carols in the Domain, Randwick races and Big Bash cricket have been warned of lengthy delays and cancellations.
Services are still operating, but last-minute cancellations and timetable gaps are expected to add to journey times.
Minister for Transport Jo Haylen and Sydney Trains Chief Executive Matt Longland said over 350 train services had been cancelled on Saturday.
The most impacted lines include the T1 North Shore Line, T2 Leppington and Inner West Line, T3 Liverpool & Inner West Line and the T8 Airport Line.
Up to eighteen train services had been cancelled in Sydney, impacting about 360 trips and sparking delays up to 40 minutes on Saturday as rail union strikes continue
Commuters planning to catch the train to major events in Sydney on Saturday including the Randwick races, Carols in the Domain and Big Bash cricket have been told to expect major delays and cancellations. The Carols in the Domain is pictured
Sydney Trains Chief Executive Matt Longland (pictured) urged passengers to allow extra travel time, ‘We’ll be doing everything we can to keep families moving and to get them home after these events but it will get increasingly difficult throughout the day today’
Mr Longland said some passengers are experiencing lengthy delays.
‘Passengers on some of those lines are experiencing gaps of 45 minutes to an hour… it could get worse later in the day.’
‘We’re asking passengers to avoid non-essential travel.’
Mr Longland urged passengers to allow extra travel time, ‘We’ll be doing everything we can to keep families moving and to get them home after these events but it will get increasingly difficult throughout the day today.’
‘We have to sometimes make last-minute changes at the rail operation centre… sometimes the information available online, through transport apps or even on platforms are incorrect because we’re changing things in real time to keep trains moving,’ Mr Longland said.
‘Please don’t take that out on station staff.’
Mr Longland said Sydney Trains is doing everything it can to prioritise services on the airport line.
It is one of the busiest days of the year for domestic and international travel.
The iconic Sydney fireworks now hang in the balance as rail strikes spark safety concerns for the thousands of revellers using public transport on New Year’s Eve (last year’s are pictured)
Sydney’s iconic fireworks are at risk of being cancelled as train strikes spark safety concerns for thousands who rely on public transport on New Year’s Eve.
Police Commissioner Karen Webb said she could not rule out cancelling the fireworks show if 250,000 revellers are able to get home safely that night.
‘I have grave concerns,’ she said on Friday.
‘Each year, we police New Year’s Eve on the basis that 250,000 people can come into the city and then safely leave the city.
‘Leaving the city is based on access to transport, including trains.’
‘And if trains aren’t available, and people can’t leave the city, I have very large concerns of the risk that will create to the public because families won’t be able to get home and they’ll be trapped in the city with no way out.
‘I haven’t ruled out that I will recommend to the government that we cancel the fireworks. It’s that serious.’
On Saturday, Minister for Transport Jo Haylen (pictured) warned of the chaos industrial action on New Year’s Eve would bring
On Saturday, Minister for Transport Jo Haylen warned of the chaos industrial action on New Year’s Eve would bring.
‘We cannot have industrial action at this time of the year, no amount of industrial action is tolerable,’ Ms Haylen said.
‘Without reliable train services, it is impossible to move millions of people who come to the harbour foreshore.’
‘The only way to get people in and out is through reliable train services.’
Ms Haylen said, ‘This is a critical time of the year when families need to get to see each other, to get on way to their holidays, also to be able to celebrate together safely.’
She said the actions by the rail unions are having ‘a significant and real impact on people and on businesses.’
‘This is the time of the year when we need certainty, but the fact is that what the union says about their actions is very different from what is happening on the ground, from what is happening for passengers, for families and for businesses,’ Ms Haylen said.
The major update comes after the Federal Court dismissed the NSW government’s technical argument trying to invalidate the industrial action on Thursday afternoon.
The dismissal gave Rail Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) the green light for up to 8,000 workers to strike in the lead-up to the festive season.
The Fair Work Commission will hear the case on December 23 and Christmas Eve.
Premier Chris Minns said the state and the unions were still ‘miles apart’ in their negotiations.
‘I can’t promise that we will win those court cases, and I want to make it absolutely clear that even if we don’t win in the Fair Work Commission or through the court process, I cannot be dragged back to the negotiating table and pay an exorbitant amount of money with a blank cheque,’ Mr Minns said.
The Rail, Tram, and Bus Union (RTBU) represents more than 35,000 workers in rail and public transport industries across the state.
