UPDATE: Sydney Trains has been forced to cancel Monday’s strikes after they were declared unsafe and a threat “to the welfare of the population”.
Industrial action will not go ahead, however, workers will continue to execute an ‘overtime ban’ until 6pm tonight, which means services could still be disrupted and holidaymakers should continue to plan ahead when organising trips to and from Sydney Airport today.
According to lawyers for the NSW Government, industrial action on Monday would have cost the state $90 million, ABC News reported.
ORIGINAL 9.00am: Travel Agents, be prepared to receive at least one of those desperate calls next week, and travellers, plan ahead to avoid making the call.
Sydney’s public transport provider, Sydney Trains, is planning to shut down on Monday 29 January and for travellers this means they definitely should NOT rely on trains to get them to and from the airport.
Seriously. Don’t even rely on them to get you between two neighbouring suburbs.
For those who haven’t been living NSW’s transportation hell the past few months: the powers that be decided to roll out a new train timetable in November last year that has infuriated both commuters and train employees.
Commuters say since late last year, the number of morning peak hour services have reduced and their train journeys have lengthed due to the addition of new stops, and for drivers it has created unfair conditions with many required to work additional overtime hours in order to satisfy the new timetable.
NSW’s Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) says it has been in discussions with the government for around two weeks to reach a “fair deal” but they’re “not getting it yet”, ABC News reported.
As a result, some 6,000 members of the RTBU voted in favour of industrial action, which will see all services cancelled and all platforms closed on Monday. This includes ALL airport services.
Image: Sydney Trains
In an online statement, Sydney Airport advised travellers to carefully plan their journey in the coming days, and allow extra time for road travel as they’re likey to be “heavily congested”.
“Roads around Sydney Airport, and the rest of Sydney, are likely to be heavily congested,” Sydney Airport said.
“Transport for NSW will be providing a bus service between Central Station and Sydney Airport, however additional bus services will not match the capacity of the train network.”
“Passengers and staff are advised to plan ahead and leave plenty of time to get to the airport.”
Sydney Airport
Tourism & Transport Forum Australia’s (TTF) Chief Executive, Margy Osmond, said the strike could damage the city’s reputation, particularly among those visiting for the Australia Day long weekend.
“This decision by the union will leave tourists and residents across Sydney stranded for up to 24 hours, but the negative impact on the city’s reputation will last much longer,” Ms Osmond said.