More disruptions for Sydney rail network despite late bid to resolve dispute | Rabe9 & Mattonews
In a last-ditch bid to end the dispute, rail unions were sent a legal deed from the government on Wednesday afternoon that committed to making changes to the brand new intercity train fleet at cost of more than $260 million.Louise Kennerley
“There is a deed ready to be signed by everyone,” he said. “We would expect the unions now to abandon the industrial activity … where they have held the commuters of Sydney to ransom over a long period of time.”However, it was not until late on Wednesday, and just minutes before the government’s announcement, that unions were provided with a copy of the deed, giving them little time to assess the document and call off the six-hour stoppage planned for Thursday.
However, Claassens said he believed that the two sides were closer to resolving the dispute than they had been before. The deed – if signed – will guarantee that the government will spend more than $260 million to modify guard compartments on the intercity trains. The rail union claims that the trains will pose safety risks unless changes are made to surveillance cameras and doors.The fleet, first slated to begin entering service in 2019, has been mothballed in a maintenance facility on the NSW Central Coast, costing taxpayers $30 million a month.
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