Illawarra rail line to be shut down on Wednesday

The rail union said Transport for New South Wales will shut down the Illawarra rail line on Wednesday, due to planned industrial action.

Wollongong and other workers are set to walk off the job for six hours on Wednesday because of the dispute with the state government about the safety of new trains.

The Union said yesterday that Transport management advised it of plans to escalate planned action by deciding to stop running trains on the Illawarra South Coast line.

Alex Claassens of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union says it's disappointing that the industrial action was designed to ensure services could continue to run.

Senior management and transport bureaucrats have decided to stop all trains on the Illawarra line from 8 am to 6 pm Wednesday, which we believe is a drastic escalation of our industrial action, he said.

In a statement, Transport for NSW said that while the industrial action officially runs from 10 am -- 4 pm, customers will likely be impacted for longer.

The effects will start to feel the effects around 6 am, a spokesman said.

Customers are advised to plan their journeys in advance, consider alternative transport options and allow extra travel time.