Almost one in three Sydney trains late amid perfect storm of obstacles

Almost one in three trains ran late in Sydney last month as the city’s rail network continues to struggle with severe weather conditions,COVID-19 staff shortages and a crippling 24-hour shutdown.

New figures reveal Sydney train punctuality fell to 71 per cent in March,down from 93 per cent in the same month last year,as a combination of factors slowed the network far below average on-time performance.

Almost one in three trains ran late last month on Sydney’s rail network.

Almost one in three trains ran late last month on Sydney’s rail network.Brook Mitchell

New documents also reveal Premier Dominic Perrottet stepped in on the day of a government shutdown due to industrial action in late February,directly messaging Sydney Trains chief executive Matt Longland and insisting he restart the network the following day.

“I want to crystal clear[sic]. I want the trains back on the tracks tomorrow morning,” Mr Perrottet said in a text to Mr Longland on February 21. “You need to take whatever steps are required to make that happen.”

The network was again hit by torrential rain on Thursday,which prevented trains from running on the Southern Highlands line between Campbelltown and Moss Vale due to flooding on tracks at Picton. Flooding also stopped trains operating between Wollongong and Albion Park on the South Coast line.

Urgent train repairs at Wynyard Station in Sydney’s CBD also caused delays to services on multiple lines on Thursday morning.

In a sign of the strain on the network last month,fewer than one in four trains ran on time on March 8 and 9 when the city was battered by downpours.

The latest figures show just 71 per cent of Sydney Trains services met on-time performance targets in March. Sydney Trains aims for at least 92 per cent of peak services to arrive within five minutes of their scheduled times.

NSW TrainLink,which operates intercity and regional services,fared far worse. Half of its services were late last month,compared with 81 per cent in March 2021.

The government shut down Sydney’s entire rail network for an entire day in late February amid confusion over industrial action it had agreed to.

A parliamentary hearing was told last month about the extent of miscommunication between the state’s transport officials and the office of Transport Minister David Elliott the night before the rail network was shut on February 21.

Opposition transport spokesman Jo Haylen said on Thursday the government had lost control of the transport system. “Cancellations and delays are now just a part of life for passengers across Sydney,” she said.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet on February 21.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet on February 21.Brook Mitchell

“Everyone knows that on time running has plummeted because of the government’s rail shutdown,their mishandling of industrial negotiations,and their failure to strengthen our rail infrastructure so it can continue to run if there’s a spell of bad weather.”

Labor obtained Mr Perrottet’s text message under freedom-of-information laws.

Transport officials have said that they decided to shut the network because a report showed industrial action would make it unsafe to operate.

However,Ms Haylen said:“If the safety report that recommended the shutdown was legitimate,then why was just one text from Dom Perrottet to the CEO of Sydney Trains enough to turn the network back on?”

Transport Minister David Elliott said on Thursday the government had been working to return trains to their regular timetable after the latest storms and heavy rain.

“Transport for NSW crews have been working around the clock to repair more than 200 at-risk sites following severe weather. They’ve had the safety of commuters top of mind when working to clear fallen debris,mudslides,sinkholes and flooded tracks,” he said.

“My message to commuters is get out and about over the Easter break and take advantage of the fare-free days,get some quality time back with family and friends and help support local businesses that have been doing it tough.”

Transport for NSW said COVID-related staffing shortages,ongoing industrial action and severe weather “severely impacted” the rail network in March.

“The weather event,in particular,caused significant delays,service gaps and cancellations across the entire network,” the agency said. “These impacts saw on-time running affected as services were not able to run to a full timetable at some times.”

Separately,Mr Elliott welcomed the rail union’s decision on Thursday to withdraw planned industrial action,after it officially endorsed the government’s 12 consecutive days of free travel on public transport during the Easter holidays.

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Matt O'Sullivan is transport and infrastructure editor at The Sydney Morning Herald.

Tom Rabe is the WA political correspondent,based in Perth.

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