Widespread delays across Sydney train network
Chaos has been a feature of Sydney's rail service since the bitter industrial dispute erupted. Photo: Twitter
Sydney’s suburban rail network was brought to a standstill for several hours on Thursday by a trespasser who climbed onto the power lines at an inner-city station.
Police were called about 11am after the man climbed up onto the wires at Redfern, one of the city’s busiest stations.
The Seven Network reported widespread delays across the network as all trains were halted so the man could be brought down.
All lines except the Southern Highlands were affected. Buses were brought in to ferry passengers between stations.
Major delay in #sydneytrains today as a man disrupt trains at Redfern pic.twitter.com/X2BKXvCk9S
— MyGreatCuz (@My_Great_Cuz) April 18, 2019
https://twitter.com/kypros1992/status/1118704373645762566
Major delays across the Sydney rail network after an earlier police operation at Redfern station. Some buses are moving passengers between locations. These photos were taken at Ashfield by 7NEWS viewer Manthan Shah. https://t.co/OF81oZFF1j #SydneyTrains #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/uafzMz3wss
— 7NEWS Sydney (@7NewsSydney) April 18, 2019
Passengers reported delays of up to 90 minutes as power was disconnected.
The ABC reported that city-bound commuters at Milsons Point were advised to walk over the Sydney Harbour Bridge, while the NSW Transport Management Centre confirmed some services had been delayed by more than an hour.
In a tweet, Sydney Trains said the man had been threatening to harm himself. There was no risk to other people.
“Customers are advised to delay their travel or seek alternative transport,” it said in a statement.
The delays were expected to continue for some time, even after the police operation had ended about midday.