Sydney is bracing for its worst rail strike in history after talks between the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) and state government collapsed on Tuesday.
All trains are now expected to stop running on Thursday for four days, throwing into turmoil major events planned for this weekend.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Sydney braces for its worst rail strike in history.
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“This will cause major disruption to the millions of people who rely on the Sydney train network to get to work on time, to get their kids to school,” Transport Minister Jo Haylen said.
The union insists the strike won’t start until Friday, a sign of just how bad communication has become.
Extra buses will be called in to pick up the slack, but massive gaps in services are expected.
“A million people a day are carried by the Sydney train network and it’s simply not possible to accommodate them on alternate services,” Transport Secretary Josh Murray said.
Rock legends Pearl Jam have shows at Homebush on Thursday and Saturday, and Sydney hosts every A-League team this weekend for for its showpiece, UNITE Round.
More than one million people use the rail network every day.
The rail union has been increasing work bans, with threats to strike if 24-hour services were not available four days a week. It also wants a worker pay rise.
Transport officials argue running services around the clock from Thursday to Sunday is not sustainable.
Haylen said the onus was on the union to drop its work bans after it knocked back a proposal to run one city line — Strathfield to Hornsby — around the clock on the weekend.
“The advice from the union is the bans as notified have not been withdrawn,” Sydney Trains chief executive Matt Longland said.
“You can’t just chop and change the timetable a day out.”
The union said government officials have refused further meetings to resolve the dispute.
“The RTBU forced the NSW government to run transport 24-hours on weekends as a form of protected industrial action because we would much rather do something that benefits commuters while inconveniencing managers, than be forced to take action that inconveniences commuters,” state secretary Toby Warnes said.
“If the NSW government chooses to shut down the rail system at any stage this week, it will be entirely their decision.”
Business Sydney said the long-running “industrial warfare” was a massive threat in the lead up to Christmas and was “shaking” confidence in the public transport system.
“Constant uncertainty with the risk of disruptions and the possibility of a total shutdown of the rail system couldn’t have come at a worse time,” executive director Paul Nicolaou said.
“We want as many people as possible to be coming into our wonderful city to enjoy retail, dining and entertainment opportunities.
“This ongoing rail dispute will undermine the efforts of so many businesses at such a critical time for their livelihoods.
“It’s time to settle this dispute.”
The pay stand-off comes after services were run around the clock over the previous weekend to ward off stop-work bans.
– With AAP