Over 1,000 Sydney Trains Face Delays, Set to Worsen

Commuters mill about at Central Station in Sydney, Australia when trains ground to a halt shortly before the afternoon peak due to an unspecified communications issue on March 8, 2023. Roni Bintang/Getty Images

New South Wales (NSW) government representatives report that more than 1,000 Sydney train services will be disrupted by cancellations or delays by the end of Jan. 15 due to ongoing industrial action.

The disruptions come a day after the government announced a new payment scheme for railway workers, which has been rejected by unions including the Rail, Bus, and Train Union (RBTU) and the Electrical Trades Union (ETU).

At a press conference on Jan. 15, officials warned that the industrial action was likely to continue for at least another three days, with the situation expected to worsen.

Commuters have been warned not to travel unless absolutely necessary and, if essential, to travel as early as possible.

Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council Minister Penny Sharpe said the government would pursue whatever legal options possible to get trains running.

She said the government had made a “generous offer” in offering an annual 15 percent increase for rail workers over four years.

“These delays are unacceptable,” she said.

The unions had asked for a 32 percent increase spread over four years, as well as 35-hour work weeks and an additional 1 percent superannuation.

NSW Transport Minister Jo Haylen said the current offer being made to the unions had come about after lengthy mediation.

“It is a product of months and months of negotiation, it is fully costed, it is fully paid for in its package,” she said.

“It contains elements that the unions have been asking for and I would again reiterate that this is fair and reasonable and it should be seriously considered and accepted.”

Almost 400 train services had been cancelled by the time of the early afternoon media conference.

More than 1,000 train services will experience delays or cancellations into the latter half of the day, with the situation expected to get worse across the network and into the next few days.

NSW Secretary of Transport Josh Murray said the government had negotiated with Uber to help provide a price cap and increase driver availability to travellers seeking alternate arrangements.

“As we look towards afternoon and evening the scenario is going to get worse in terms of trains and crew availability and we also see some inclement weather on the horizon which may make afternoon travel even more difficult,” he said.

Murray told anyone who absolutely had to travel, to travel as early as possible in the day and try to avoid afternoon peak services.

He said the rail system would be operating at an “emergency level stand-up” as the peak arrived.

The government is refusing to move on its existing offer, and delays are expected to worsen towards the end of the week.