Another network meltdown: Peak hour delays on Metro

Full services have resumed on the Sydney Metro after major disruptions were caused by a technical incident at Barangaroo station just before afternoon peak hour.

Even on its first day, the Metro had a malfunction. There have been several occasions since when parts or all of the line have been out of operation.

Sydney Metro has returned to normal services after commuters faced major disruptions during the Tuesday afternoon peak when a train had a mechanical incident at Barangaroo station.

Metro services ran at a “very limited” capacity between Sydenham and Barangaroo after 4pm, with commuters facing the third day of disruptions on the transport network in one week.

A Sydney Metro spokesperson said an issue has arisen with the pantograph on one of the trains, which is the part on top of the carriage that fixes the vehicle to the overhead lines. The train was removed on Tuesday evening, with normal services resuming after 7pm.

Shuttle services were organised between Barangaroo and Sydenham.

“Announcements are being made on-board and on platforms,” the spokesperson said.

“Troubleshooting of the train is underway.

“A technician is on the way to the train to resolve the issue and move the train.

“Customers are urged to make alternative travel arrangements and check their travel apps for the most up to date information.”

Shuttle services will be running between Barangaroo and Sydenham following the latest disruption to the Metro line. Picture: Richard Dobson / Newswire

Passenger services along the Metro line were delayed after 4pm, with staff at Martin Place Metro station telling passengers to use the heavy rail. Travel screens at the station were blank as afternoon crowds filled the platform.

This is the third incident to hit Sydney’s transport system in less than a week. Trains on the heavy rail network were delayed on Monday afternoon after a mental health incident near Artarmon resulted in a police operation, which required the train lines to be de-energised. That followed chaos on Tuesday and Wednesday last week when an overhead electrical wire collapsed on a train near Homebush shutting off nearly all train lines.

Premier Chris Minns, who had yet to be briefed on the Metro debacle on Tuesday afternoon, said it was “unusual” for the Metro “to go down”.

“It’s obviously brand new,” he said.

The Premier asked commuters to have patience after multiple issues across the transport network in recent days and issues around punctuality of the heavy rail network.

“Commuters should give us a chance to remediate on-time running and efficiency and make sure that punctuality is back to where it should be,” he said.

Services along the Metro line have been delayed since 4pm.

“I say that in the full knowledge that where we’re at the moment is nowhere near good enough.”

Business Sydney executive director Paul Nicolaou said Tuesday afternoon’s Metro failure was “a very disappointing situation coming on top of the previous failures on the heavy rail network”.

“The repeated meltdowns of our public transport system continues to shake confidence in the system, and is not helping with the post-pandemic recovery of our city,” he said.

“It is clear the government needs to get to the root causes of these repeated breakdowns and develop solutions to provide the reliability and certainty that Sydney commuters need.”

Originally published as Another network meltdown: Peak hour delays on Metro