Sydney Trains Back To Normal This Week

Following a series of disruptions to the Sydney Trains network last week, trains have resumed their normal weekday timetable this week.

Passengers travelling on Sydney trains suffered as industrial action launched by the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) led to short-notice cancellations of services last week. The union called off the work bans on Friday after talks with the NSW government and the intervention of Minister for Transport Jo Haylen.

“I apologise to commuters who were impacted by the disruption caused by protected industrial action, particularly those who use the T4 and South Coast lines where significant impacts were experienced,” Chief Executive of Sydney Trains, Matt Longland, said in a statement.

Free Train Travel

While the union paused the industrial action on Friday afternoon, Transport for NSW went ahead with its earlier announcement to provide free train services over the weekend.

“Over the weekend, train services ran fare-free, to a normal weekend timetable across all lines on the Sydney Trains network, with additional special event services added for events at Olympic Park,” said Longland. There were three major sporting events held over the weekend – a Sydney Swans game on Friday, the Bledisloe Cup on Saturday, and the NRL semi-finals. The government had announced free train travel to minimise disruptions to fans heading to Sydney Olympic Park and Moore Park.

“I want to thank our operational teams and frontline workers for their work over a busy major event weekend and the union for their support in removing the work bans,” Longland added.

Southwest Metro Plans To Go Ahead

The RTBU had commenced industrial action over a series of demands, including a new Enterprise Agreement as well as the Metro conversion of the T3 line from Sydenham to Bankstown.

The Union dropped its opposition to the Metro conversion, with Minister Haylen announcing that Transport for NSW would now be able to proceed with the conversion of the T3 line from Sydenham to Bankstown to create the Southwest Metro.

Transport for NSW’s plans for “driverless Metro” services on the new Southwest Metro – panned by RTBU as a “shiny new toy” – also appeared to have been buried.

The Minister said that the new Southwest Metro will have a Metro Trains Sydney staff member present on every train and on every platform once it becomes operational. The RTBU and Transport for NSW also agreed to kick off an “intensive period of bargaining” and to work on a new Enterprise Agreement for Sydney Trains and NSW Trains.

While the regular train services have resumed, train travellers can expect disruptions in the coming weeks. The T3 Bankstown line between Sydenham and Bankstown is scheduled to close for around 12 months from September 30, 2024, as works commence to upgrade the line for Metro services.

The Sydney Trains network is also planning to change its timetable from October 20, 2024, which will see some adjustments to peak hour trains.