Illawarra rail commuters urged to stay home on Friday as train strike looms

The South Coast rail line will be more decorative than useful on Friday and Saturday, when a strike is planned to shut down the network. Photo: Chilby Photography.

Illawarra commuters are in limbo as negotiations between NSW Transport Minister Jo Haylen and the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) continue.

Union members will strike from first thing on Friday (22 November) until Sunday (24 November) as part of industrial action.

The shutdown was initially slated to begin on Thursday.

Transport Minister Jo Haylen fronted the media on Wednesday (20 November) and said ongoing talks with the union led to an agreement that services would continue on Thursday.

Minister Haylen is hopeful an eleventh-hour deal with the union will prevent the shutdown from going ahead at all, however, she urged commuters to make alternative arrangements for Friday.

“If you can change your working arrangements [for Friday] that would be best,” Minister Haylen said.

NSW Premier Chris Minns told Question Time he was not confident there would be a breakthrough in negotiations ahead of Friday.

NSW Transport secretary Josh Murray said alternative transport providers would attempt to fill the 48-hour gap, but they don’t have the capacity to accommodate the number of people who use the Sydney rail network.

Significant road congestion is also expected as a result of people being unable to use public transport.

Options for Illawarra commuters are limited to private transport at this time; no replacement bus service has been flagged as yet.

Figures from the 2021 Census indicate just shy of 30 per cent of Wollongong residents work out of the area and the monthly average for train commutes between Bomaderry and Sydney is about 400,000 per month.

One hundred disruptions to the Sydney rail network were reported on Tuesday (19 November), and action is ongoing.

It is the latest action by the RTBU in a six-month standoff with the State Government to secure better pay and conditions.

The sticking point at this stage of negotiations is the union’s call for the government to continue running trains 24 hours a day and keep limits on staff availability. Minister Haylen says these conditions are unsustainable.