Train passengers have been warned to expect lengthy delays after over 350 services were cancelled as the state’s rail unions continue to strike.
Up to eighteen train services were cancelled by mid-morning on Saturday, impacting about 360 trips and sparking delays of up to 40 minutes.
Commuters planning to train to the Randwick races, Carols in the Domain and Big Bash cricket have been told to expect major delays and further cancellations.
Half of the 12 services between 10am and 1pm on the T1 North Shore line were cancelled as industrial action continues.
Services are still operating, but last-minute cancellations and timetable gaps are expected to add to journey times.
NSW Minister for Transport Jo Haylen and Sydney Trains Chief Executive Matt Longland said over 350 train services had been cancelled on Saturday.
Ms Haylens said the industrial action was responsible for almost 40 per cent of Saturday’s cancellations and called on the strike to cease.
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.
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,’ he said.
‘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’re asking passengers to avoid non-essential travel.’
Mr Longland said Sydney Trains is doing everything it can to prioritise services on the airport line during one of the busiest days for domestic and international travel.
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.
‘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 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 the actions by the rail unions are having ‘a significant and real impact on people and on businesses.’
It 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.
