Peak-hour chaos as Sydney Metro doors stay open

The doors of a Sydney Metro stayed open while peak-hour passengers packed into one carriage.

The doors have flown open during the peak hour Sydney Metro service.

Peak-hour commuters on the new $25 billion Sydney Metro line were left stunned when the doors remained open as the packed carriage moved between two stations.

People on board the M1 line from Chatswood to Victoria Cross station, roughly after 8am on Wednesday, recorded the moment on their phones.

Some commuters on the driverless train were seen videoing the doors as a digital board above the exit read “this door is out of service”.

Other terrified passengers appeared to tightly grip the bars.

Two officials could be seen guarding the door as the train travelled at top speeds. Picture: 2GB

An official speaks into a two-way radio. Picture: 2GB

A man and a woman, who appear to be officials, were seen standing by the door and talking into radios.

The video was first reported by Ben Fordham on 2GB.

It is understood that the train suffered a technical problem and there were delays up to five minutes heading towards Barangaroo.

CEO Metro Trains Sydney, Daniel Williams released a statement regarding the incident.

“At approximately 8.01am a door fault was identified on a train travelling between Chatswood and Crows Nest Station.”

“There was Customer Journey Coordinator (CJC) and Customer Operations Lead (COL) on board the service. They were contacted by our Operational Control Centre. They tried to remotely fix the issue. When this was unsuccessful, the OCC instructed the frontline staff to manually close the door.”

“To enable the train to complete its short journey to the next station, two staff members stood by the door until the service came to a stop. The door was able to be closed at the next station, and the metro removed from service.”

“We apologise to customers for the concern this caused. The matter is under investigation.”

The new metro line was finally opened in August last year.

The $21.6bn project — funded by the former Liberal government — had been scheduled to launch on August 4 but was pushed back over safety checks.

A trip between Chatswood and Sydenham takes about 22 minutes with the new metro, while travelling between Sydenham and Tallawong takes just under an hour.

Speeds reach up to 100km/h on the new line.

Originally published as Peak-hour chaos as Sydney Metro doors stay open