Two charged after alleged vandalism creates Sydney train network chaos
Image: Photo: NSW Sydney trains/Facebook.
By ROBBIE MASON
Sydney trains returned to a regular timetable this morning after an Ashfield signal box was vandalised overnight, delaying frustrated Matildas fans going home from Sydney Olympic Park.
Police allege two men broke through security fencing just after 10pm, cut cables and damaged modems in a relay room.
The incident, which damaged critical signaling infrastructure, caused flow-on delays at stations across the Sydney network.
Sydney Trains Chief executive Matt Longland said, “it’s disappointing something like this could occur on the rail network during one of the biggest events our city has ever seen.”
“We would usually clear a massive crowd like the Matilda’s semi-final fans from Sydney Olympic Park Station within one hour, last night it took us two hours, I want to personally apologise to all our passengers impacted and thank them for their patience.”
Specialist engineers repaired infrastructure and brought train services back online within 90 minutes. Crowds had cleared Olympic Park Station by midnight.
The secretary for Transport for NSW, Josh Murray, told 2GB radio this morning that he had visited the site of the crime and that the government agency is supervising the tightening of security across the city’s train network.
NSW Transport Minister Jo Haylen said, “I want to make it very clear that this was not some minor act of vandalism, this act significantly damaged critical rail infrastructure.”
“Tampering with critical rail infrastructure has the potential to have significant safety impacts for passengers and is an extremely serious crime,” she continued.
“I want to thank all of the Sydney Trains staff who worked through the night to fix the issue and to make sure 45,000 people got home safely from the game.”
