Free trains boost for Aus city
months of disruption and industrial action.
Originally planned for Thursday and Friday, the period has been extended with Opal gates at train and metro stations now remaining open or turned off from 12.01am Thursday 31 July until 6am on Saturday 2 August.
The fare-free travel period is an acknowledgment of the disruption that occurred before the Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink Enterprise Agreement was agreed with the rail workforce earlier this month.
Transport Minister John Graham said the announcement came as an admission the disruptions were unacceptable but also an invitation 'to support those businesses who had some lean days'. The fare-free period is from Thursday until 6am Saturday. Photo: NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard Credit: NewsWire
The fare free period is predicted to amount to at least $6.4m in lost revenue for Transport NSW, with 2.2 million people forecast to make use of the free window.
Minister for Regional Transport Jenny Aitchison added the fare-free days included regional routes to locations like Melbourne and Brisbane.
'We encourage our regional passengers to use the rail network over these two days to explore regional NSW.
'You will need to book in advance, but this is a fantastic opportunity to get out and explore this state and beyond.' Fare-free travel does not extend to buses, ferries or light rail. NewsWire / Nikki Short Credit: NewsWire
Not everyone is pleased with the move however, regular commuter Joe Carrozzo said it comes 'too little too late'.
'(The disruptions) earlier this year really messed me around so much, Sydney trains are slow and smelly at the best of times but paying what we do and receiving that kind of treatment just isn't on.
'The fare-free period is a nice gesture but as commuters what we want isn't gestures, it's better transport.'
The free travel will not extend to buses, ferries or light rail which will charge fares as normal however Business Sydney Executive Director Paul Nicolaou said it was a good opportunity to support business around train stations affected by the disruptions. Transport Minister John Graham said the government was working 'overtime' to restore public faith in the service. NewsWire / Damian Shaw Credit: NewsWire
'Fare-free travel on Thursday and Friday is a terrific initiative that sends a strong signal of confidence in Sydney and Parramatta's CBDs. It's not just a win for commuters — it's a much-needed boost for food, hospitality and retail businesses that have faced enormous pressure over recent months.'
'Encouraging people to return to the office and explore the city at no cost helps revitalise our commercial centres and reconnects workers with the vibrant, dynamic experiences our CBDs are known for.'
'This thoughtful initiative is expected to benefit more than a million passengers, but its impact will ripple far beyond the trains and buses — it will support jobs, stimulate spending, and re-energise the heart of our economy.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Telegraph
9 hours ago
- Daily Telegraph
The Advertiser, 7NEWS Adelaide: Dog walker's murder find, Harvest Rock returns
My News Today's Paper Local NSW National World Education Health Opinion Business Entertainment Lifestyle Sport
Daily Telegraph
14 hours ago
- Daily Telegraph
Rental crisis drives surge in inspection outsourcing demand
There has been growing demand in outsourcing rental inspections with prospective tenants hoping to combat the strain of Australia's rental crisis. As more tenants are feeling the pressure to secure a home, they are turning to alternative methods to assist with the process. One platform tenants have been turning to is Airtasker, where requests for rental inspection tasks in June rose by 166 per cent annually. Airtasker CEO Tim Fung said the rise may be the result of more tenants struggling to find places to live. MORE: Shock RBA twist in record home price surge 'It's become so hard to get a rental property, the demand for these properties is really high,' Mr Fung said. 'If you don't move quickly, you risk missing out and people are getting smart with how can I jump on top of these opportunities faster than before?' The price for outsourcing rental inspections varies from $40 to, at the upper, about $200. The platform allows users to post a task in minutes, describing what they need done, when and where with taskers coming back to posters with a price offer. Tenants Union of NSW CEO Leo Patterson Ross said there are a couple of factors that jump out regarding outsourcing rental inspections, starting with the volume of potential inspections combined with time pressures. 'There might be multiple homes on at the same time and when you have a short time frame to find a new place, you are trying to get to as many of the viable ones as possible and put in applications for as many as possible,' he said. 'For other people, it's also about having someone else check over it can help find issues like someone who has a background in cleaning, property management even and they might spot issues that an individual might not think to look for, there is some level of additional service. 'There is a third group of people who are just out of town, they might be moving to a new city so it's not worth it to continue travelling back and forward to visit places on a property that might not pan out.' MORE: 'Too much': Aussies told to check last energy bill Mr Patterson Ross said there are some risks. 'This isn't a regulated industry and you don't have any quality control really of the people doing inspections for you,' he said. 'Some people offering it might have some expertise you feel is worth paying for, others might not, and might not give you the information that you do want or have the ability to check. 'If it's just having a body attend then that might not actually add any value to the process of finding a place.' Mr Patterson Ross said there is also a risk of conflict of interest arising over time with relationships between those completing inspections within the industry without certain license and regulation around them. This also impacts the ability to get to know an agent. 'There's quite a lot of relationship within the process of application, where we know if an agent takes a shine to you, they might help you with other applications, with getting a head start on an application or getting to inspect a place that isn't being advertised and so on,' he said. Mr Patterson Ross said outsourcing was also not a practical option for all. 'Generally, we don't really want to continue down this path where renters with more resources and capacity to pay have an easier time finding a home, this is fundamentally a need that everybody has,' he said. 'We should make sure that everyone is able to find and get into a home relatively easily so this kind of arms race that people are feeling more and more pressure to beat up the rent or hire someone to represent them and get a foot in the door – it's an indication that the rental sector is not performing well at its job of actually finding people homes.' Mr Fung explained that those using Airtasker could choose people based on their reviews and ratings systems, which would users find people they could trust.
News.com.au
14 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘How is this fair?': Transport for NSW staff question 950 job cut move during livestream
NSW government workers facing the possibility of being jobless just before Christmas have been left with more questions than answers following an all-staff livestream meeting. Last week, Transport for NSW staff were informed via email that 950 Transport Senior Service Manager (TSSM) and Award positions would be cut, with the changes expected to be finalised by the end of 2025. Only office staff are in the firing line for these job cuts, with frontline roles exempt from the restructure. This is in addition to the previously announced reduction of 300 Senior Executive roles, more than 200 of which have already been delivered. In the email, Transport for NSW secretary Josh Murray said he knew the news would be 'significant and concerning' for many people. The move is part of a bid to save $600 million in costs and 'get back to a model that is sustainable long term'. On Friday, more than a week after the announcement, Mr Murray held an all-staff livestream in order to provide employees with more information and answer questions. 'I know there are a lot of very specific questions as well as some general understanding that we want to dig into and we are dedicated to answering your questions and to have that conversation,' he said. Mr Murray said there was 'no glossing over' the fact that Transport for NSW is facing significant cost pressures, claiming the organisation has been 'living beyond our means' in recent years. Over the last five years an extra 3000 workers had been hired during and after the Covid period. Addressing the restructure, Mr Murray said a detailed branch design will commence this month, with the aim to have all Transport for NSW branches determined by the end of the year. However, it seems some of the 3500 staff who joined the livestream weren't impressed with the secretary's almost 40-minute long speech. One Transport for NSW employee, who wished to remain anonymous, told that the explanations provided by Mr Murray made things 'as clear as mud'. '(He) basically said a whole lot of nothing,' they said. The employee revealed that just two minutes was left for questions at the end of the livestream. They ended up choosing just one question to answer from the many that were posted in the online forum, claiming many of the others had already been addressed. The question related to whether the 950 number would include 'current fixed term labour hire positions that might be coming to an end'. In his response, Mr Murray said the 'buckets' for labour hire or consultancies have 'already been set targets'. And, while they do intend to make further reductions in those areas, they have been 'open' about the fact that it will be TSSM and Award roles that will be impacted. He added that, if during the process they discover areas where changes can be made that would make a real impact to the ongoing costs of the organisations, then 'of course' it would be prioritised over the impacts to TSSM and award roles. has been provided some of the questions posted by staff that were receiving the most 'likes' in Q&A forum during the stream. One employee pointed out the job cuts relating to senior executive staff were announced 'well in advance' and have taken over a year to be implemented, with the process still ongoing. 'In contrast the job cuts affecting TSSM and award roles were announced abruptly over email with very short notice and are expected to be completed by the end of December 2025,' they wrote. 'Had we been given notice earlier we would have had sufficient time to explore better opportunities. How is this fair? Why weren't we informed sooner?' The employee continued, stating staff had been asking for clarity for a long time but had been 'repeatedly told and reassured that there would be no impact on award or TSSM'. 'This sudden decision directly contradicts those assurances. It is deeply concerning and raises serious questions about transparency and communication and transport core values,' they wrote. Another person questioned why the initial announcement on the job cuts was circulated via email and not livestream, noting a lot of staff found out through the media. One employee questioned why Transport for NSW wasn't using working from home as a way to save costs without losing staff. 'WFH flexibility is a win-win for transport and its employees as it keeps the workforce happier which is more important than ever right now, but also reducing office cost. If 'all avenues are being explored', surely this is a priority,' they wrote. Another staff member asked for clarification whether fixed term contract roles would be included in the 950 figure. 'We have been advised that fixed term employees are considered 'out of scope' but that contracts will not be extended beyond the end dates. This affects 1800 people,' they wrote, pointing out this suggests these job losses 'are in addition to the 950 roles flagged'. At the end of the meeting, Mr Murray said all the questions would be addressed, with answers provided 'through the Q&A process'. NSW Public Service Association (PSA) has slammed Transport for NSW over the latest job cuts announcement, claiming more cuts could instead be made to Senior Executive staff in order to spare other employees. 'While TfNSW and the NSW Government crow that they have cut 200 Senior Executives already, the fact is there are still substantially more senior executives employed in Transport than any other Department,' the union said in a statement on Friday. 'With over 1000 TSSE's they have nearly three times the amount of senior executives within Health, despite having a quarter of Health's workforce. 'The PSA continues to call on the NSW Government to stop their protection racket for senior executives, have a look at their numbers again, and if they need to make $279 million in internal labour savings, continue reducing the size of their Senior Executives to avoid job cuts for Award staff.'
