Sydney commuters will get free public transport for 12 days in April, including over the Easter holidays, as the state government attempts to revitalise the CBD and make amends for last month’s 24-hour train shutdown.
The fare-free period will run from 14-26 April, which includes the Anzac Day public holiday. The announcement is part of an agreement to end a long-running dispute between the New South Wales government and the state’s rail union over pay and workplace conditions.
In February, the dispute resulted in the state government ordering the shutdown of Sydney’s trains, leaving thousands of commuters stranded for a 24-hour period.
The Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) had threatened to take weekly industrial action to force the government to offer fare-free Fridays to commuters until the end of June to compensate for the February shutdown.
But this week the NSW transport minister, David Elliott, announced he had reached an agreement with the RTBU to avert weekly disruptions.
On Sunday Elliot said he had spoken to the RTBU and hoped the agreement would “set aside” its threat of further industrial action.
He said the deal had a dual purpose of compensating for the train shutdown and encouraging people to travel into the city.
“We need to stimulate economic activity and Business Sydney were advocating in favour of these fare free days as a means to get people into the city, into Parramatta,” he said.
The RTBU and the state government have been at loggerheads since a previous enterprise agreement expired in May 2021, with the union initiating industrial action in an attempt to force the government to make concessions on its pay and safety demands. There have been various sticking points over safety guarantees, hygiene and concerns over the possible privatisation of the train network.
The dispute between the union and government escalated when Elliott took over as transport minister in December.
Elliot faced intense criticism, including from within the government, for his handling of the train shutdown after he incorrectly blamed the union for a “strike” and accused them of “terrorist-like activity”.
It later emerged it was the government that ordered the shutdown because of safety concerns, and that Elliott had gone to bed while bureaucrats scrambled to make a call on the network after negotiations fell apart at the 11th hour.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported in February that Elliott was set to announce half-price peak-hour travel and free fares on weekends to apologise for the chaotic shutdown. But he later defended having not made that announcement, saying he was “actively considering” options for discounts.
Further negotiations are scheduled between the state government and the RTBU as it seeks to negotiate a new enterprise agreement.
The fare-free travel scheme will include trains, buses and ferries, but excludes private ferries, the airport train line and point-to-point bus service. The NSW government is yet to reveal the costings of the scheme.
