An industrial dispute is threatening to disrupt Sydney’s rail network on one of the busiest weekends of the year.
Pay negotiations between rail workers and the NSW government have stalled ahead of football finals and the beginning of the Bankstown line closure.
Here’s what it means for Sydneysiders planning to catch a train this weekend.
Which services will be worst affected?
Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) members are refusing to accept variations to their work patterns during network interruptions.
Transport for NSW secretary Josh Murray said this would have a “significant impact” from this weekend as special events, such as footy games, require “additional agile services”.
Services to Sydney Olympic Park for Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup Test are likely to be disrupted.
The rail union and state government have clashed over pay negotiations. (ABC: Nick Wiggins)
Friday night’s Sydney Swans game at Moore Park and NRL finals this weekend will also add pressure to the network.
Mr Murray urged those with tickets to the Wallabies versus All Blacks to stay alert.
“You need to keep a very close eye on the news and on your travel apps over the next 48 hours, so you can really plan for how you’ll get your family to and from Olympic Park,” Mr Murray said.
What is the dispute about?
The state government has been negotiating a new enterprise agreement with Sydney Trains and NSW Trains since June.
Transport Minister Jo Haylen said she had failed to reach an agreement with the union during negotiations late last night.
“I would say to the union, don’t let families be the victims here,” Ms Haylen said.
Protected industrial action has been underway for about a week, but the effect is expected to worsen, with RTBU members refusing to accept variations to their work patterns as of yesterday.
What does the union want?
The RTBU has made about 250 claims, according to Mr Murray.
Some relate to the conversion of the T3 Bankstown line for driverless Sydney Metro trains, which the union has long opposed.
The union’s demands include putting a qualified Sydney Trains driver on every metro train, according to Ms Haylen.
“I need those Sydney Trains drivers for the Sydney Trains network. Those are the kind of things that I could not agree to,” the minister said.
The RTBU is also asking the government to slash train fares to 50 cents a trip.
Minister for Transport Jo Haylen has urged the RTBU not to “make families the victims”. (ABC News: Keana Naughton)
But Ms Haylen said public transport was already “significantly subsidised”.
“When you tap on and off your Opal card, that is only less than a quarter of the cost of running transport services,” she said.
The union has also raised safety concerns around running the driverless metro trains along the Bankstown line, which unlike other metro services, would not operate in a tunnel.
It flagged the risk of passengers witnessing people being struck by trains.
But Ms Haylen said additional barriers were being installed as part of the line’s conversion.
“Significant fencing will be erected around the entire corridor … including three-metre high fencing over every single overpass,” she said.
“That fencing also has technology attached to it to understand if anything is touching or climbing on that fence, and that does automatically slow or stop the trains.”
Could the next stage of the metro be delayed?
Transport for NSW secretary Josh Murray has urged Bledisloe Cup ticketholders to stay alert. (ABC News: Keana Naughton)
The government needs the RTBU’s help to shut down the Bankstown line, ahead of the planned 12-month conversion to the metro.
“We were relying on the union to work with us,” Mr Murray said.
If the government fails to reach an agreement with the union, delays will cost taxpayers $100 million a month, Ms Haylen said.
“What I’d say to the union is … don’t let the communities of south-west Sydney be denied the metro service that they have been promised for more than five years,” she said.
The opposition has accused the RTBU of holding commuters to ransom, and the union has acknowledged that threatening the rollout of Sydney Metro may be unpopular.
The first stage of the closure between Campsie and Bankstown is scheduled for Saturday, with the rest of the line to shut on September 30.
The conversion is meant to be completed in 12 months, but the government has warned the work could take longer.
