A large majority of 8000 members backed various forms of action including strikes from December 28, the Rail Tram and Bus Union NSW trains division said on Tuesday.
"They're very frustrated with the lack of engagement by this government," Union secretary Toby Wearne told Nine's Today Show.
"Everything is on the table but we haven't decided exactly what is going to occur over the next couple of weeks."
Commuters could be left stranded on New Year's Eve - the busiest day on Sydney's rail network. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS)
The aim was to be the least disruptive to the public, he said.
But NSW Opposition Leader Mark Speakman dubbed the plans "extraordinarily selfish".
"This Christmas, they've managed to gift-wrap chaos for the people of NSW,'" he said.
"Instead of resolving disputes and protecting commuters, (Premier) Chris Minns has been asleep at the wheel, leaving families stranded during what should be the happiest time of the year."
New Year's Eve is the busiest day of the year on Sydney's rail network.
Mark Speakman says the rail unions have "managed to gift-wrap chaos for the people of NSW". (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS)
Services run throughout the night as up to one million people clamber for a vantage point to take in the harbour's world-famous fireworks display.
The Minns government and various unions representing rail workers have been at loggerheads for months, failing to resolve their differences through two weeks of intense negotiations at the start of December.
Both parties were before the Federal Court on Monday as Transport for NSW tried to halt industrial action in the lead-up to Christmas.
The court is expected to deliver a decision in coming days but its order will not cover the latest vote.
Workers want a 36 per cent increase over four years while the government has offered 11 per cent over three years.
The premier has said he can't say yes to the rail unions while denying the claims of nurses and other workers "reaching reasonable settlements" in 2024.
Nurses are seeking an immediate 15-per-cent jump in pay while police in November accepted an average rise of 26 per cent amid an overhaul of their pay scales.
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