The NSW government has finalised a deed agreeing to make changes to the state's new intercity train fleet, after a long battle with the rail union.
But despite the breakthrough, tomorrow's industrial action set to cripple Sydney's train network will proceed.
It comes after another chaotic turn in the ongoing train stoush.
At 2:30pm, the secretary of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union, Alex Claassens, told a press conference he was yet to receive a written document outlining the government's proposed modifications to the long-contested intercity train fleet.
"At some point later today, I will apparently get a phone call and I'll be dragged into an office for them to present us with that NIF deed," he said.
"Until we get that deed and it's signed by some legitimate person who's going to accept responsibility for it, our industrial action will continue."
By 3:30pm, the Minister for Employee Relations, Damien Tudehope, said that deed had been finalised and delivered.
"The document has now been provided, it is conditional upon the enterprise agreement being entered into, but it purports to be in compliance with the demands which have been made by the union," he said.
"We call on the union today to execute that document and to call off the industrial activity which has so inconvenienced the people and commuters of this state."
However, Mr Claassens said tomorrow's planned industrial action would still go ahead.
"Any written proposal that comes to us, it takes us at least 48 hours to get it through our various processes internally in the union and I can't promise anything better than that," he said.
The industrial action is set to target Sydney's City Circle, which is critical to most other lines on the train network and includes major stations like Central, Town Hall and Wynyard.
It is part of a month-long program of strike action that has brought the city to a halt.
The union has sought guarantees that guards would continue to be used on the new train fleet, citing safety concerns.
It comes in conjunction with negotiations over a new enterprise agreement.
"Regardless of what some shiny politician says, who wouldn't know one end of a train from another, those trains are definitely not safe," Mr Classens said.
"Just for those doubting Thomases that think this is all political, we've had exactly this same fight with the Labor government."
But Mr Tudehope disagreed.
"There was never any necessity to make changes to these trains," he said.
"This union was more intent on industrial activity for political purposes.
"The government has made a commitment to alter the trains not because they were necessary but because we wanted the commuters of this state to be able to catch a train."
