NSW rail customers urged to limit non-essential travel
The Fair Work Commission adjourned today without making interim orders on the industrial action. A full hearing will be held on Thursday following an application by the Minister for Employee Relations, together with Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink to terminate ongoing industrial action.
The Combined Rail Unions today made concessions to allow the operation of more than 50 additional Millennium and newer B-Set trains, providing more trains than was originally planned to service the network.
Despite the union concessions, the rail network will still operate at a reduced level tomorrow given the number of other services that are unable to operate due to protected industrial action.
The RTBU has also provided relief from the ban on transpositions, to assist with the flood recovery.
Chief Operations Officer from Transport for NSW, Howard Collins acknowledged the concessions made by the unions, but said customers should still expect disruptions on the train network, with limited trains in operation and the associated challenges of rostering and timetabling.
“Services tomorrow will operate to a reduced timetable, with a reduction of trains during peak hours and altered running patterns across the day,” Mr Collins said.
“We urge our customers to plan ahead and, if possible, avoid non-essential travel on the rail network tomorrow.”
The ongoing effects of extreme weather, which has already impacted parts of Greater Sydney, the Hunter and Wollongong, will also mean commuters and motorists will see more disruptions than usual.
“Travellers are asked to avoid any unnecessary travel on the public transport and road networks,” Mr Collins said.
“Localised flooding and multiple landslips are impacting train services, including a major landslip along the main western rail line across the Blue Mountains that will take weeks to repair.”
The landslip, which occurred near Blackheath, has closed the line between Katoomba and Mt Victoria, which means passenger services cannot travel over the Blue Mountains.
The Dubbo and Broken Hill XPT services to and from Sydney have also been replaced by coaches, where available.
Bathurst services are being replaced with coaches between Lithgow and Bathurst return, where available.
There are also significant disruptions on the South Coast line.
“We understand our customers are inconvenienced when services are delayed or cancelled. We appreciate everyone’s patience as we work alongside emergency services to respond to incidents and restore services as quickly as possible,” Mr Collins said.
If you do need to travel, please visit www.transportnsw.info for the latest information on public transport services.
For the latest traffic information, download the Live Traffic NSW app, visit www.livetraffic.com or call 132 701.