NSW: Commuters warned to prepare for rail strike disruption

AAP General News (Australia)
12-22-2003
NSW: Commuters warned to prepare for rail strike disruption

SYDNEY, Dec 22 AAP - CityRail has warned NSW commuters to prepare for a four-hour stoppage
tomorrow followed by "scratchy" train services for the rest of the day.

Rail workers from the Rail Tram and Bus Union plan to walk off the job from 10am (AEDT),
claiming thousands of workers faced uncertain futures as State Rail and the Rail Infrastructure
Corporation was rolled into a new agency, Rail Corp.

CityRail acting chief executive Vince Graham today described the state's rail services
as inefficient, unreliable, lacking in customer service and he expected the Waterfall
rail disaster inquiry report due early next year would be "very critical about our railways
safety culture".

He said he was determined that old problems should be eliminated in the restructure.

"Frankly, we will only be able to run very scratchy PM peak services to get our customers
home (tomorrow)," Mr Graham told reporters in Sydney today.

"I think there will be significant, totally unnecessary disruption.

"The public of NSW already understand that our rail business in this state is inefficient,
it's unreliable and we do need to significantly improve customer service."

Mr Graham guaranteed there would be no retrenchments or forced redundancies, saying
any "surplus" staff who did not volunteer for a redundancy package would be offered jobs
elsewhere.

The union and rail bosses will hold further talks at 4pm (AEDT) in a last-ditch effort
to stop tomorrow's strike, but the union has warned of a "long, hot summer for NSW commuters".

AAP gmw/jv/br

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