Curse of the troubled Gawler rail line strikes again, this time a train evacuation

Gawler rail line passengers were forced to jump to safety after a breakdown on one of their new electric trains. See the video.

Gawler train passengers were forced to jump to safety on Tuesday morning after an electric train breakdown.

At least 300 passengers had to be evacuated from the Gawler train inbound to Adelaide and one other on the Seaford line, both close to the Adelaide railway station.

The breakdown began at 9am, described only as an “operational power supply issue”.

A Transport Department spokesman said while the problem was quickly resolved, the breakdown caused delays on the Belair, Seaford and Flinders lines until services resumed about 12.40pm.

Passengers took video of the evacuations and can be heard criticising the network as they leave the train.

Services on the Outer Harbor and Grange lines were not affected.

“Adelaide Metro apologises for any inconvenience caused by this disruption to services,’’ the spokesman said.

Passengers were forced to jump to safety when a train on the Gawler line broke down today. Picture: Supplied

The line was reopened last month after being delayed by years, with the Transport Department assuring passengers proper testing had been carried out.

Opposition Transport spokesman Vincent Tarzia said the evacuation was not orderly or safe and called for an investigation.

“It’s unbelievable that passengers were given the option to jump off the train or climb down a ladder which is dangerous and alarming because several people with mobility issues were aboard at the time.

“There really needs to be an urgent review into this incident and government compensation for passengers needs to be explored because we’re aware this failure caused one person to miss a flight out of the state.”

The Gawler line electrification has been beset with funding problems and delays since it was first announced in 2008.