Metro services ramped up and extra bus services added to support some train lines as commuters hit with delays up to two hours
Sydney’s train network has been hit by cancellations and cascading delays of more than two hours as rail unions locked in a bitter pay dispute launch a series of work bans and other industrial actions.
On Wednesday morning Transport for New South Wales warned of “major service reductions and cancellations” after rail unions did not agree to a request from the agency to conduct overnight maintenance at Bondi and Homebush, which left essential infrastructure offline.
The Electrical Trades Union’s refusal to conduct maintenance overnight was responsible for significant delays, according to Sydney Trains’ chief executive, Matt Longland. But actions by several of the combined rail unions – stuck in negotiations with the government for a new pay deal – were contributing to the disruptions.
“Passengers should expect delays, service cancellations and large service gaps, particularly on the T1 North Shore and Western, T4 Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra, T8 Airport and South lines,” Transport for NSW said.
“These impacts will have a flow-on effect across the network.”
About 200 service cancellations were reported on Wednesday morning, while trains on many lines ran more than an hour late. Some ran more than 120 minutes late.
Commuters turned to other modes of transport, with long queues for buses forming outside some train hubs, including Bondi Junction station.
One of the bans in place on Wednesday was an order for drivers to operate trains slower than necessary – a speed level that has been gradually decreasing as the pay dispute continues.
“Trains will be operating at 23km/h slower than the posted speed limit in areas over 80km/h,” said Toby Warnes, the NSW secretary of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union.
The impact of the work bans was felt across the state, with one of the daily Bathurst Bullet services cancelled and replaced with buses between Lithgow and Bathurst.
Metro services – not part of the broader rail industrial action – were ramped up to four-minute frequencies, while extra bus services have been added to support some lines.
The state transport minister, Jo Haylen, apologised to commuters on Wednesday morning, describing the unions’ actions as “a boa constrictor”.
“They are strangling our train network,” she said.
The fresh industrial action comes as the combined rail unions consider an improved pay offer from the state government.
Eight months into negotiations for a new pay deal, and amid proceedings in the Fair Work Commission and federal court, Haylen announced an offer of an improved 13% pay rise plus 1% efficiency rise and 1% super rise across four years.
The latest offer, effectively a 15% rise, was up from the government’s starting position of a 9.5% rise over three years but much lower than the combined rail unions’ demands of 32% over four years.
Haylen said the sweetened offer was made possible by an agreement to merge the two state bodies that run Sydney trains and regional trains over the next four years. The merger was expected to drive productivity gains and financial savings – including from possible job cuts – that would fund an additional 1% rise.
It was floated by the government during discussions last year, with the government this week revealing the details publicly and putting it to the workforce formally.
Haylen said the latest offer was above inflation and “represents a real increase to take-home pay for rail workers”.
Rail unions have until Thursday to consider the offer.
Warnes appeared lukewarm on the proposal. “We’re a little bit perturbed by the fact that the government only managed to find 1% in savings from it, and that those 1% only came from job losses,” he said.
“So that’s obviously something we’re not extremely happy about. I don’t think 13% over four years is going to cut it.”
There have been months of rolling industrial actions across Sydney’s train network, including threats of network-wide work bans. Rail unions ditched plans to reduce services on New Year’s Eve.
The FWC cannot be asked to settle the substantive dispute – pay and conditions – until February.
