Sydney Trains delays this weekend – but fares will be free

The New South Wales government is making all train travel free this weekend to mitigate the impact of the strikes.

Members of the rail, tram and bus union are to strike during a huge sports weekend in the port city, amid a dispute over the closure of a key train line for a year to build a high-speed metro link to the western suburbs.

Trains to Saturday night’s Wallabies-All Blacks Bledisloe Cup test are likely to be affected, but it is unclear whether any trains will run to the rugby match at all.

Also on Friday and Saturday evening, over 100,000 football fans will travel to the AFL and NRL finals.

“We know that train travel may be challenging as a result of the strikes,” Transport Minister Jo Haylen posted on social media on Thursday evening.

‘That’s why we’re making all train journeys free this weekend.’

Josh Murray, State Secretary for Transport for NSW, has advised fans attending the Wallabies at 3.45pm on Saturday to check news and travel apps.

Early Friday morning, Transport for NSW’s travel planner indicated no disruptions.

Trains will be replaced by buses between Lindcombe, Bankstown and Campsie due to planned track works this weekend.

This latest strike follows stalled negotiations over a new enterprise agreement between the government, Sydney Trains and NSW Trains, which has been under negotiation since June.

“I would say to the union: don’t let families suffer because of this,” Ms Haylen said after a meeting late on Wednesday night ended inconclusively.

The union has a laundry list of 250 demands, a key one being the fact that the Bankstown line will be closed for 12 months while it is converted to a metro line.

The labor dispute centers on changes for train drivers brought about by the government’s metro networks. Photo: NewsWire / Max Mason-Hubers

The union does not want workers’ work to be varied during the closure. The first phase of the closure between Campsie and Bankstown is scheduled for Saturday, with the rest of the line expected to close on September 30.

The government needs the union to shut down the plant, any delays could cost the project $3 million a day.

The new Sydney Metro opened in August. Photo: NewsWire / Max Mason-Hubers

The union also wants every metro train to have a qualified Sydney Trains driver on board, the Transport Minister said.

“I need those Sydney Trains drivers for the Sydney Trains network. Those are the sorts of things I couldn’t agree to,” the minister said.

Also on the union’s wish list is $0.50 train tickets. Across the border in Queensland, the Labor government has slashed all bus, train, ferry and tram fares to 50 cents, and the opposition says it will keep that price if elected next month.

But in New South Wales, the Transport Minister says public transport in Sydney is too heavily subsidised to lower fares to $0.50.