Sydney residents are being asked to take the day off work due to the city’s public transportation system being in disarray due to strike action on Wednesday.
Due to continuing discussions between rail and union officials, up to three-quarters of Sydney’s trains won’t run during the 24-hour strike.
Bus lines in the south, inner west, and central business district are all affected by the strike of up to 1100 bus drivers.
Bus drivers will have stop-work meetings both in the morning and in the afternoon.
In addition to the confusion on public transportation, a stranded over-height vehicle overnight stopped the southbound Harbor Bridge Tunnel.
Although the tunnel has subsequently reopened, drivers on the Sydney Harbour Bridge are already encountering lengthy commutes.
During the 24-hour strike, train service is anticipated to operate at a half-hourly frequency; however, all trains on the T5 Cumberland and T7 Olympic Park lines would be cancelled.
During the morning rush hour, only a small number of train replacement buses will run, with delivering kids to school being the first priority.
Matt Longland, the CEO of Sydney Trains, advised commuters to ‘definitely’ stay in on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, there will be a 24-hour rail strike, therefore Sydney residents are asked to work from home.
He told 2GB morning show Ben Fordham, “That is our strong advise, avoid any needless travel and leave the capacity available on trains to people who genuinely need it.”
“My greatest recommendation would be if you can work from home or avoid taking the train tomorrow.”
The warning follows the cancellation of over 30 routes during Tuesday’s morning rush hour, which prompted one irate passenger to walk an hour to get home.
The hardest impacted lines were the T2 Inner West and Leppington, T3 Bankstown, and T8 Airport and South lines; passengers were advised to allow more travel time.
A terrible trip home on Monday night for hundreds of passengers preceded the delays by several hours.
The schedule is running according to plan today, however due to the strike, several trains haven’t been put into service.,’ Mr Longland said.
‘We expect that will create gaps in the frequency during the day today, as it did yesterday and the day before that. This is an ongoing issue.’
Commuters planning to catch the train to work on Wednesday are warned to expect limited services and lengthy delays
During the 24-hour strike on Wednesday, services are anticipated to operate at a half-hourly frequency (pictured, commuters during a recent strike)
The commotion started when the NSW government offered to end the strike, but the Rail, Tram and Bus Union rejected the offer and called it a “stunt.”
The government removed its demand that a new enterprise agreement for train employees be finalized before construction on the new Intercity Fleet began in a letter sent on Sunday.
The government’s insistence that an agreement be finalized before the changes start has been a source of contention throughout the protracted discussions.
‘It doesn’t actually add anything new to this negotiation,’ RTBU NSW secretary Alex Claassens said on Tuesday.
‘It was purely used to generate another headline for the government.’
Transport Minister David Elliott denied claims the offer was a stunt.
‘It’s exactly what the rail union asked for,’ he said
‘Just take the deed … we’ve given you what you wanted.’
Sydney Trains bosses have warned commuters should ‘absolutely’ stay at home and avoid unnecessary travel