Footy fans stranded as trespasser brings trains to a halt

Thousands of football fans were stranded for hours on a wintry Melbourne night after a trespasser brought trains to a halt at the city’s major rail stations.

Football fans are stuck at Southern Cross station after lines were suspended due to a trespasser.

Major delays have plagued thousands of footy fans at Flinders St and Southern Cross on Friday night after reports of a trespasser between the two major train stations.

Metro said the major delays impacted all trains going through Burnley station, with the incident occurring at 9.50pm.

As of 11.45pm Friday, major delays were still affecting the Alamein, Belgrave, Craigieburn, Glen Waverley, Hurstbridge, Lilydale, Mernda Sunbury and Upfield lines.

Football fans were stranded after the siren, with massive crowds of spectators left waiting on empty platforms as Metro employed crowd control measures at Southern Cross station.

Would we call this minor? pic.twitter.com/3hl83BWByc

— Andrew Seeckts (@seecktsy) June 14, 2019

Real fun x pic.twitter.com/a1JAH2BzNu

— c a s s (@blackflamingo17) June 14, 2019

The mass of spectators leaving the Essendon-Hawthorn match arrived outside the major rail station, to be told to make their own way to Flinders St for their trains.

The crowd was warned of delays of around 40 minutes.

More than 44,000 attended the match at Marvel Stadium on Friday night.

Passengers on the Cranbourne, Pakenham, Frankston and Sandringham lines were urged to board replacement buses at designated spots surrounding the station.

Other fans were told to walk from Docklands to Flinders St station in order to catch a replacement bus.

Empty platforms at Flinders St after rail services were suspended. Picture: Grace McKinnon

“I was caught in the train delay and am still on my way home,” Lauchlan Rewell told the Herald Sun.

“We were told to get to Flinders St station from Southern Cross, so many people walked to Flinders Street.

“When we got there, they wouldn’t let passengers on the trains when they started running.

“They said they were ‘footy specials’ and couldn’t take passengers even though all the passengers on platform one had come from the footy.

“There were zero announcements and no station staff to assist.”

Bus replacements pulled up outside the Arts Centre but crowds grew swiftly, with queues stretching over Princes Bridge.

Lines are building quickly as stranded footy fans and commenters wait for bus replacements to arrive. @metrotrains @theheraldsun pic.twitter.com/05WD4Taml4

— Grace McKinnon (@GraceMcKinnon10) June 14, 2019

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Furious passengers vented about the delays on social media, with one football fan asking Metro: “How does it take (you) guys 45 mins to move a trespasser off the tracks?”

The mass of stranded travellers also pushed Uber’s surge pricing up by more than 50 per cent, with the rideshare charging $45 for a ride from the stadium to Hawthorn at 11.30pm.

The same trip is usually estimated to be between $23-$29.

Adding to the rail woes, inbound Mernda and Hurstbridge lines were delayed as paramedics tend to an injured passenger at Collingwood station.

Buses replaced city-bound trains between Parliament and Clifton Hill, but passengers were warned that buses could take an hour to arrive.