Metro passengers left hanging on as door stays open on driverless train

Passengers on board a packed driverless metro train were left gripping handrails during peak hour on Wednesday morning when a door was left open while it was travelling at high speed along the underground line on Sydney’s north shore.

The incident occurred shortly after 8am on the city-bound service between Chatswood and Crows Nest stations on the M1 metro line.

The line’s operations centre had unsuccessfully tried to remotely fix a door fault at Chatswood, and the service continued on to Crows Nest with the door open while two staff members stood beside it until it came to a stop.

Footage showed passengers hanging onto railings while a metro staff member spoke into a two-way radio as the incident unfolded. He was seen standing with another staff member with an earpiece as they prevented passengers from getting close to the door.

An electronic sign above the door stated: “This door is out of service.”

Transport Minister John Graham said he had been advised that a manual override of the door by the staff was not the correct procedure in the circumstances.

“This will now be investigated by national and state safety regulators to determine precisely what’s gone on here,” he said.

City-bound metro trains are often packed during the peak on weekday mornings.Credit: Nick Moir

The dramatic incident occurred during the busy peak hour when city-bound metro trains are often packed. Wednesday is also typically the busiest day for the rail network.

The line’s private operator, Metro Trains Sydney, apologised to passengers for the concern that the incident caused and said it was “thoroughly investigating the incident including the procedures followed”.

Metro Trains Sydney chief executive Daniel Williams said the incident occurred after the door fault was identified at 8.01am. He confirmed there were two staff members on board the train who had been contacted by the operational control centre at Tallawong in Sydney’s north-west.

“They tried to remotely fix the issue. When this was unsuccessful, the [operational control centre] instructed the frontline staff to manually close the door,” Williams said.

“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 [train] removed from service.”

Since the city section of the metro rail line opened in August, commuters have become accustomed to station announcements that some CBD-bound trains are reaching capacity during the morning peak on the busiest weekdays.

Trains run every four minutes in both directions between Tallawong in the north-west and Sydenham in the south during peak periods.

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