Sydney commuters will be faced with a second day of train strikes this week, despite the government delivering a deed it says will meet the rail union's demands.
Employee Relations Minister Damien Tudehope called on the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) to give up on upcoming industrial action on Wednesday, saying an agreement was close to being reached which would satisfy union demands.
The long-running dispute revolves around the government's new intercity trains, a Korean-built fleet the union says are unsafe and require modifications.
The fleet were designed for drivers to monitor platforms via CCTV, with a risk a driver would not be able to see if someone had fallen through the gap between platform and train.
Mr Tudehope said a deed had been presented to the RTBU on Wednesday afternoon, which had been negotiated by Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Sam Farraway.
"We call on the union today to execute that document and to call off the industrial activity, which has inconvenienced the people and commuters of this state," Mr Tudehope told reporters on Wednesday.
However, Mr Tudehope conceded the deed had not yet been signed by either party, and the RTBU maintained it was too late to avert planned strikes on Thursday.
"This is something which the government has entered into in good faith," Mr Tudehope said.
"The union will not be taken by surprise in respect of any of the terms of the agreement which has been submitted.
"We would expect the unions now to abandon the industrial activity, which they have engaged in circumstances where they have held the commuters of Sydney to ransom over a long period of time."
Mr Farraway said he'd met with the Combined Rail Unions and RTBU over the past fortnight and had collaborative discussions about completing a deed over the Korean-built trains.
It comes after a chaotic Tuesday on Sydney's rail network, with the T1, T7 and T9 lines impacted and the T5 line prevented from operating.
Further strikes are planned on Thursday, with workers on the City Circle and at Redfern to go on strike.
Suburban trains will also run to a reduced timetable, with workers coming from other parts of the network to plug gaps left by striking colleagues.
The government previously sought to make changes to the Korean-built fleet contingent on finalising a new enterprise agreement, however the RTBU is not the only union whose members the agreement will cover.
RTBU secretary Alex Claassens said before being presented the deed that it would be reviewed by the union's lawyers and delegates - a process that would take 48 hours.
Mr Claassens said that prevented the union from being able to call off any planned strike.
"At that point, I suppose they will legitimately be able to say to me, 'Can you look at postponing your industrial action?'" he told reporters on Wednesday.
Earlier, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said he had been briefed on the saga and was hopeful for positive developments.
Mr Perrottet says the government has committed to making changes to the fleet, although he continues to maintain they aren't necessary.
Mr Claassens said the union had no reason to take him at his word.
"We just can't accept a verbal confirmation anymore."
The union had been promised changes numerous times over several years, he said.
More than 30 trains were out of action on Monday, when the rail union refused to operate trains that did not meet minimum maintenance standards.
Mr Claassens said those trains could have had dangerous safety issues while others could have simply been vandalised.
"None of us expected this many trains to fail to meet that standard," he said.
