Sydney train strike LIVE: All services suspended due to industrial action

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet says he was advised by Sydney Trains that the network timetable could not be changed in a way that would be safe for commuters today, after the unions took a “different approach” to the agreement reached at the weekend.

“It should be condemned, and I’m incredibly disappointed and share the anger of every single person across our city this morning,” he said.

He said the advice received from Sydney Trains early this morning was that they had no alternative, in terms of safety.

“We will continue to negotiate in good faith, but you give people time,” he said.

“They could not turn around and change the timetable system in a way that would be safe for commuters, that’s the advice from the [Sydney Trains] CEO. You don’t just turn a train system on in a few hours. The timetabling had been set.”

Mr Perrottet claimed it was “no accident” that this has occurred on the same day as international borders reopened, workers returned to the office, children tried to get to school and university students arrived back on campus.

“The unions were intent on causing chaos,” Mr Perrottet said.

“This is the unions playing games with the Labor Party for political purposes at the expense of our people.”

He added: “This is the Labor Party in bed with the union movement to cause mass disruption.”

Mr Perrottet said he would be meeting with the Rail, Tram and Bus Union this morning.

“Today is not reasonable. This is a concerted campaign, I will do whatever I can to ensure this doesn’t happen again,” he said.

NSW Transport Minister David Elliott says the union should have thrashed out its issues with the state government before half a million commuters were inconvenienced.

He said a misinterpretation over assurances given by the rail union about rostering had forced the state’s transport agency to shut down the rail network on Monday.

Speaking to reporters at his Baulkham Hills electorate office, he claimed the agreement reached in the Fair Work Commission at the weekend was “deliberately misinterpreted” at short notice.

“What was agreed to on Saturday was in question, which was why last night at 8 o’clock we should have bedded down these questions ... [but] they didn’t even bother showing up,” he said, referring to the rail union.

“The public are pretty upset with the union today. It has been a long time since the city was brought to a standstill with zero notice.”

Mr Elliott said he has been meeting with unions since before he was sworn in to the transport portfolio in December, and has been able to negotiate matters “with clean hands, in good faith”.

“Already in the two months that I’ve been the minister, we’ve been able to avert industrial action. I think that I’ve shown a high level of respect and regard for their claims,” he said.

“But of course, what we’re seeing at the moment, is them pushing the envelope.

“I won’t be conceding on unreasonable things.”

He added: “I don’t think the electorate as a whole is going to cop this sort of industrial bastardry.”

Mr Elliott said he expected some residents to be looking to the Metro North West Line today, with its driverless services, and saying, “I’ll have a bit of that action”.

Asked whether he took any responsibility for the major disruption to commuters, Mr Elliott said: “The buck stops with me. I’m the transport minister, which is why I’m horrified that an agreement made on Saturday afternoon that could have been clarified last night, therefore avoiding the industrial action this morning, has occurred.”

The state’s rail operators and the rail union are back before the Fair Work Commission this morning.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet held a press conference at Sydney Airport this morning with NSW Tourism Minister Stuart Ayres and Sydney Airport chief executive Geoff Culbert, as international borders reopen.

Mr Perrottet spoke at length about the Sydney train network shutdown impacting commuters today.

NSW Transport Minister David Elliott held a press conference earlier on the Sydney train network shutdown.

Federal Labor frontbencher Tony Burke has weighed in on the Sydney train network shutdown, saying the state government “chose chaos”.

“The planned union action was not going to stop the trains,” he said on Twitter this morning.

“The Liberals have decided to stop the trains.”

Uber is advising Sydney passengers to expect higher fares “due to increased demand” today as commuters look for alternative methods to get across the city.

Have you been caught out this morning? Please let us know below.

Sydney’s motorways and other main arterial routes are more congested than usual this morning as the train shutdown forces more people to drive.

A spokesman for the Transport Management Centre said traffic was noticeably heavier on the Hume Highway, and M5 and M2 motorways.

“They are all pretty busy. The main roads are also looking quite congested this morning,” he said.

With classes returning in-person at the University of Sydney this morning, locals were expecting the “Redfern Run” – the stream of students travelling between the station and campus – to recommence after its pandemic hiatus.

But footpaths were bare along Lawson and Abercrombie streets before 8am, after the train station remained shut.

“It’s the first day of classes, and we are sitting here twiddling our thumbs,” said Con Athanassiou, who runs the Pride of Redfern cafe on Lawson.

Jade Cameron, 18, was in a rush for her lecture on Monday morning after taking two buses from Maroubra to make it to campus.

“After we had to stay home most of last year, I really wanted to make it in,” the second-year student said.

Mr Athanassiou said one of his staff members spent $149 on an Uber to travel in this morning.

Locals discovered the news on arrival at the station, with high school students turning on their heels and commuters frantically searching bus timetables.

Ting Hua Pei had cycled from Newtown for a quicker trip to her job at Olympic Park. She realised the only way to travel with her bike would now be a ride-share.

“I’m just going to have to pay it,” she said.

Transport Minister David Elliott has accused the rail union of hijacking the city, and insists the government is not to blame for today’s disruptions.

“They’re hijacking the city,” Mr Elliott told 2GB radio this morning.

“Them blaming me for this is just absolute crap, why would I want the city inconvenienced?”

Mr Elliott described the industrial action as an “unAustralian act” and went on to suggest many commuters would prefer more driverless trains across the network.

“I’m so furious at their spin and their lies. I think we’re gonna have a large standoff right now because they can’t use the city’s transport system for some sort of terrorist like activity,” he said.

At his press conference this morning, held at the same time as Mr Elliott’s radio appearance, Rail, Tram and Bus Union NSW secretary Alex Claassens asked the state government to “get David Elliott back out here today”.

“At least the last two times we’ve met with him, changes were made, there were improvements. It was starting to go somewhere,” he said.

“Where’s David Elliott today? I’m not sure. But I need, we need somebody with a calm head instead of trying to take us on.

“Come out here and have a proper bloody conversation, and we can get these trains moving again and do the right thing by the people of NSW.”

NSW Roads Minister Natalie Ward says all T2 and T3 transit lanes across Sydney will be open to traffic all morning.

“I empathise with commuters across Sydney heading to work and school who are impacted by the rail strike, and we want to help as much as we can on the roads,” Ms Ward said.

“We will continue to monitor the road network throughout the day and take any necessary further action if required.”