Cade Lucas
V/Line is assuring Taylor Swift fans from Melbourne’s north and west that industrial action won’t disrupt their journey to the MCG for the start of her Australian tour on Friday night.
On Thursday the Rail Tram and Bus Union warned Swifities to avoid using V/Line to get to the first concert of the Eras Tour on February 16, due to the knock on effects of strike action planned for earlier that morning.
Staff at the regional rail network will stop work from 3am to 7am on Friday as part of the RTBU’s ongoing industrial dispute with V/Line over enterprise agreement negotiations.
But while V/Line is warning morning commuters to avoid the service, CEO Matt Carrick said Swifites won’t have any problems.
“I want to assure passengers heading to the Taylor Swift concert that V/Line services are expected to return to normal by Friday afternoon,” he said.
“We will have extra services and additional capacity on some lines before and after the concert, and passengers are advised to plan their journeys through the V/Line website.
We expect services and stations to be busy so passengers are encouraged to allow extra travel time and thank them in advance for their understanding.”
Trains are not expected to run before 8am on February 16 nor on February 19 and 23 when strikes are also planned.
There will only be a very limited coach replacement service for essential journeys, with delays of two hours expected. Replacement coaches will not stop at Metro train stations.
V/Line services Melbourne’s north west through the Geelong, Ballarat and Bendigo lines, with commuters in suburbs such as Wyndham Vale, Tarneit, Melton and Deer Park relying on it to reach the city.
RTBU Branch Secretary Vik Sharma said he regretted the the disruptions the strike action would cause, but said his members had been left with no option.
“If anyone is to be blamed for these strikes, it is the Allan Labor Government, which has forgotten about regional workers. V/Line workers are seeking a fair and reasonable Enterprise Agreement reflects the rising cost of living and addressed key workplace issues such as job security,” he said.
“Regional workers and their communities deserve to be treated with respect, but instead they are being treated like mugs by the V/Line and the Allan State Government.”
V/Line Chief Executive Officer Matt Carrick said he was hopeful these would be the last disruptions caused by industrial action.
“We continue to negotiate with the union in good faith and have made some progress. Importantly, we have reached an in-principle agreement with our drivers who will not be taking part in this industrial action,” he said.
