Some ads not including those words, but saying "Vote for Public Transport", were subsequently placed on the sides of trains, but removed. The "Vote for Public Transport" message, which has since been removed. A spokeswoman for Sydney Trains confirmed the rail operator had removed ads on five trains. "Sydney Trains has advertising services contracts in place with advertising sales specialists," the spokeswoman said. "There are contractual requirements for content that include complying with laws and relevant codes and not depicting contentious political matter," she said. "This applies equally to all political parties."

But the Greens candidate for Grayndler, Jim Casey, said promoting public transport on public transport was not "contentious". One of the ads paid for by the Greens but since removed. "What's really going on here is quite extraordinary," Mr Casey said. "The public transport operator is saying that it is politically sensitive to talk about public transport," he said. A Greens advertisement on a Sydney train.

"This is at best bureaucratic madness, and at worst a sign of how closed down NSW is becoming." Fairfax Media has asked Sydney Trains what are the contractual guidelines and standards governing political advertising on public transport but has not yet received a response. Mr Casey, who is challenging Labor's former deputy prime minister Anthony Albanese in what is expected to be a tight contest for the inner-Sydney seat, said he would be happy to see other parties paying for advertising on trains. One of the most contentious issues in the seat is the WestConnex motorway, the target of the "Not Toll Roads" message. Separately, the Greens announced their federal public transport policy on Thursday.