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Phoebe Loomes

Sydney to enjoy 12 days of free transport

Commuters will enjoy 12 days of free public transport across Greater Sydney through the Easter holidays.

Trips will be without charge for 12 consecutive days on all modes of public transport, a move Transport Minister David Elliott says he hopes will revitalise the city centre.

"To commuters affected by recent rail disruptions, I want to say a heartfelt thankyou for your patience," he said on Sunday.

All journeys will be cost free from 4am on Holy Thursday, April 14 through to 3.59am on April 26, the day after ANZAC Day.

The offer covers all Opal services in Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Hunter and Illawarra, and includes the Metro, train, bus, light rail and ferry networks.

"I hope the Fare Free 12 Days of Easter is a way for you to enjoy quality time with family and friends during the school holidays, while at the same time helping to revitalise our city centres and local communities," Mr Elliott said.

The minister urged people to use their Dine and Discover vouchers to enjoy Sydney activities including a "long lunch on Eat Street in Parramatta" and watching a live NRL match on Easter Monday.

The announcement comes days after Mr Elliott brokered a deal with the Rail, Tram and Bus Union to avert weekly disruptions to the train network.

Last month, a long-running dispute escalated into an 11th hour government decision to shut down the city's trains, leaving thousands of commuters stranded for 24 hours.

The union then began threatening further, weekly industrial action unless Fare Free Fridays were instituted to compensate commuters for the disruption.

Mr Elliott on Friday said he had come to an agreement with the unions and a new project benefiting the people of the state would be activated in the coming weeks.

"The union and I are committed to offering fare-free days that see commuters, their families and small businesses get the most economic benefit from public events," he said.

The two are in the midst of negotiations over a new enterprise bargaining agreement.

There have been various disputes over safety guarantees, hygiene and concerns over the possible privatisation of the network.

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