Peak-hour chaos after trespasser causes major delays across most train lines

Passengers bound for the city this morning are being urged to prepare for delays after a trespasser made their way on to tracks.

Commuters urged to brace for delays after trespasser on tracks. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

Commuters aware urged to brace for hour-long delays on Thursday morning after a trespasser made their way on to tracks near Flinders St during peak hour.

Trains were forced to come to a halt about 9am with Victoria Police later called in to move the trespasser off the tracks.

All lines except Stony Point suffered major delays, before services resumed at 9.40am.

The Department of Transport and Planning later warned there could be delays of up to an hour for most services as the backlog of trains bound for the city loop cleared up.

Commuter Chris Evans who was on the Craigieburn line when the delays started, told the Herald Sun he boarded the train at Ascot Vale station at 10.04am, 20 minutes after services were supposed to resume.

Shortly after his train departed, it got caught up in delays and was forced to stop in the middle of Newmarket and Kensington.

“It departed Kensington in good time, and then it was delayed again at the southern end of the former Kensington locomotive depo,” he said.

While the train remained stationary near the depo, Mr Evans could see a score of trains from multiple lines either also stationery or “crawling” on the tracks with nowhere to go.

“It became apparent that there were trains stopped or delayed at Flinders Street, and before Flinders Street between parliament and Flinders Street,” he said before adding trains were backed up throughout the city loop.

There were delays right across the network. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Crosling

After at least 45 minutes of being stranded on a train, Mr Evans finally made it to North Melbourne station where he jumped onto a Werribee train bound for Southern Cross.

“The real question for the authorities is once they knew they had congestion in the loop, why (were) they not terminating services on the city’s outskirts?” he said.

“In our case we could have transferred to trams at Newmarket had we known. We could have transferred to buses at Kensington because the best route is from Footscray to St. Vincent’s Hospital.

“They did not offer the options, they did not forewarn commuters of what lay ahead and then there were people on my train elderly people tried to make medical appointments. There were people with children in prams … they were being told, we do not know when we will be moving forward.”

The incident contributed to a bumpy start to the first day of the Melbourne Royal Show as hundreds of people flock to the showground for the eleven-day event.

The department has assured attendees there will be extra services to help people get to and from the Melbourne Showgrounds, with 1362 extra trains schedules to depart every 10 minutes.

Yarra Trams will also run extra Route 57 services from 8.30am-10.30pm each day.

Other options are the 404 and 472 bus services and driving, with parking costing $25.

The Herald Sun has contacted Victoria Police for comment in relation to Thursday morning’s trespasser incident.