Flinders St train fault worsens public transport chaos after gas leak, drivers sent home
A train fault at Flinders St station and further cancellations are the latest blows in a day of woe for Melbourne commuters, with a gas leak in Mentone, tram strike and ongoing Metro driver dispute bringing the city’s transport grinding to a halt.
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Trains have been brought to a grinding halt once again today, with majority of Melbourne train lines struck by major delays during the afternoon peak hour.
Sweaty travellers have been left stranded right as today’s scorcher hit its peak, after a train fault at Flinders St station around 5.30pm brought the Alamein, Belgrave, Glen Waverley, Hurstbridge, Lilydale and Mernda lines to a halt today.
Heavy delays are ongoing an hour later.
Further train cancellations have also halted trains on the Werribee and Williamstown lines.
Trains to Craigieburn, Cranbourne, Frankston and Pakenham have been hit by minor delays as well.
The temperature in Melbourne at 5.40pm was a scorching 38.8C.
It comes after a gas leak in Mentone halted trains and traffic this afternoon, amid fears the gas cloud could ignite.
Buses replaced trains between Moorabbin and Mordialloc for several hours before trains resumed around 3pm.
MFB firefighters called to the scene about 12.45pm found gas leaking from a high pressure gas main.
The delay was yet another holdup in a day of woe for commuters across Melbourne, with trams grinding to a halt for the second time this week as the state’s Public Transport Union ramped up pressure over a new pay deal.
That came after a morning of major delays on several train lines after Metro drivers were sent home amid pay disputes.
And there will be further disruptions tomorrow with temperatures set to soar above 40C.
Yarra Trams will replace route 78 and 82 services with buses throughout the day, with Route 12 trams to divert down La Trobe Street. Route 30 trams will not run.
Metro Trains will also closely monitor conditions throughout the day.
The Rail, Tram and Bus Union held a rally outside Flinders Street Station as Yarra Trams drivers and other operational staff walked off the job.
Services resumed at 2pm but the timetable only fully recovered at 3.30pm.
In a letter to the public, Yarra Trams chief executive Julien Dehornoy apologised for the disruption.
“We want to reach an agreement with the union which allows for more part-time employees, but not at the expense of our people,” he said.
“No driver will lose their job because of a part-time hire.”
The union has opposed the company’s push for more part-time rostering in negotiations because it believes it would casualise the workforce.
Mr Dehornoy said the company had made guarantees about overtime preferences and job security.
The tram disruptions come after several trains services on the Belgrave, Craigieburn, Cranbourne, Frankston, Hurstbridge, Pakenham, Sunbury and Werribee lines have been cancelled so far this morning.
According to Metro Trains, these cancellations are due to a “driver resourcing issue”.
The Geelong and Warrnambool V/Line services will also be shut down today due to industrial disputes, and no trams will run between 10am and 2pm today as a tram drivers strike rolls into a third day.
It follows dozens of cancelled Metro train services yesterday after nearly 50 drivers were sent home.
More than 100 could potentially be taken out of the network, forcing cancellations, as a legal stoush between Metro and the union continues in the Fair Work Commission.
Metro has so far stood down 48 drivers for refusing to drive on newly upgraded tracks in South Yarra and more than 40 services were stopped on Tuesday due to staff shortages.
An interim decision has ordered those drivers to return to work but the full case will continue in court.
The head of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union’s locomotive division, Marc Marotta, said as many as 120 drivers had asked for 16 minutes of extra hands-on training to familiarise themselves with the new section of rail.
Metro argued enough support already had been provided. Further cancellations are likely.
“You’ve got a lot of drivers who are inexperienced (and) they are the ones who have requested the training,” Mr Marotta said.
“What they’re trying to do is move those people who have requested additional training to other runs but that’s just masking the problem.”
An opinion published by the Fair Work Commission on Saturday found Metro had likely provided enough training but an official decision will come after hearings this week. .
It comes as summer disruptions on some of Melbourne’s busiest train lines finished four days early, with trains set to resume Tuesday
Services on the Cranbourne, Pakenham, Frankston and Gippsland lines returned Tuesday now that a key project to prepare for the Metro Tunnel is completed.
But Frankston line commuters are set for more pain soon, with replacement buses to run from Moorabbin to Frankston and Stony Point from February 2 to 16.
Passengers have spent more than 1.5 million trips on replacement buses this month.
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The network has been upgraded to allow for new high-capacity trains to run through the area while also preparing for the entrance to the $11 billion Metro Tunnel.
Rail Projects Victoria chief executive Evan Tattersall said crews had worked around the clock to finish the upgrades
“We thank passengers for their patience and understanding while we completed these critical works – and to our workers who have powered through the holiday period to deliver ahead of schedule,” he said.