Melburnians, turns out there’s a decent reason why your morning commute was particularly shitty this morning. Victoria Police were alerted to a suspicious package at North Melbourne Station, forcing the entire station to be closed, throwing City Loop trains into utter chaos.
Five of Melbourne’s train lines – Craigieburn, Sunbury, Upfield, Werribee, and Williamstown – were all suspended at about 8am after police ordered operating company Metro to halt all trains heading towards the station, effectively shutting down a solid portion of the city’s train network in the process.
The halt in services forced hundreds of passengers to either wait on crammed platforms in the city’s west as the police attended the scene, or switch to nearby bus transport. Photos show scores of people stranded on platforms and trying to cram into bus services not capable of taking everyone on board.
Chaos at South kensignton Station most are choosing to walk out find a bus … due to a “police operation” at North Melbourne Station. @abcmelbourne pic.twitter.com/HIIplYVwc4
— Dr Dominique Hes (@Dominique_Hes) May 2, 2018
Chaos at Footscray Station with trains not moving in either direction due to a “police operation” at North Melbourne Station. @abcmelbourne pic.twitter.com/8h5OGnwSZZ
— James Dean (@JamesDeanNOW) May 2, 2018
Police operation at North Melbourne. Trains suspended both ways on all lines. There’s about 500 people waiting at the bus stop now… #Footscray #PTV #Melbourne pic.twitter.com/QKRhxMsMIo
— Alfred Chan (@AlfredC91) May 2, 2018
https://twitter.com/briannatravers/status/991811775669534720
Folks attempting to grab rideshare vehicles to work instead were faced with an ugly slap in the face too; Uber’s surge pricing at one point had a trip from North Melbourne Station to Flinders Street costing a staggering $89.25.
#UberSurge #North #Melbourne @theheraldsun pic.twitter.com/IasNiBAl96
— Safety Third Uber Alles (@rustybroo) May 2, 2018
Trains were eventually allowed to pass through North Melbourne, with commuters faced with the eerie sight of the normally busy suburban hub station completely deserted.
North Melbourne station looks like a ghost town pic.twitter.com/1an7q5sM9b
— Megan Masters (@vera_metallum) May 2, 2018
Police confirmed that the device found at the station was not a threat to passengers at around 9:30am this morning. However a heavy police presence remains at the scene, including the bomb squad which was called in to investigate the package.
Metro is advising that significant delays will remain in place throughout the day as the network struggles to return to normal, due to scheduled drivers being knocked out of position as a result of the incident.
All lines affected by the station shutdown have resumed service.
Craigieburn/Sunbury/Werribee/Williamstown/Upfield line trains, delays clearing with trains operating to a normal service at all platforms through North Melbourne, following an earlier @VictoriaPolice request. pic.twitter.com/BN5jmCcjXP
— Metro Trains (@metrotrains) May 3, 2018
