CBD crush after train disruption

CBD crush after train disruption

Date February 4, 2013 – 9:58AM 946 reading now

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Megan Levy

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Long bus queues occurred in the CBD this morning after trains to North Sydney were disrupted. Photo: Matthew Huckstepp
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Police had to be called in to keep commuters off roads in Sydney’s CBD after thousands of commuters had their Monday morning journey disrupted by an overhead wiring problem on the North Shore Line.

Officers set up barriers surrounding Wynyard railway station after an overhead wiring problem at Waverton stopped all north-bound trains on the North Shore Line between Wynyard and Chatswood.

Commuters faced long bus queues in the Sydney CBD today after North Shore Line trains were disrupted. Photo: Matthew Huckstepp

Buses replaced trains between those stations, but commuters reported huge queues and delays of up to 30 minutes to catch replacement buses on Clarence Street.

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While trains resumed running between Wynyard and North Sydney just after 8.30am, a replacement bus service was still operating between North Sydney and Chatswood as at 9.30am.

At 9.35am, one commuter, Michael Slezak, had been waiting at North Sydney for 35 minutes but said he had barely moved in the line to get on a replacement bus to Chatswood.

“It’s pretty nuts. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Mr Slezak said.

Mr Slezak said replacement buses had been arriving, but they had been delayed by peak hour traffic and struggled to move the volumes of commuters displaced from trains.

“They hardly make a dent,” he said, estimating he would face another one- to two-hour wait to get to work at Chatswood.

Flow-on delays of 20 minutes were reported in both directions on the Western, Northern, Bankstown, Airport and East Hills Lines, and the Newcastle and Central Coast Line.

Transport Management Centre spokesman Brett Moore said trains resumed between Wynyard and North Sydney just after 8.30am.

“City-bound trains on the North Shore Line are unaffected and continue to operate as normal,” he said.

“Shuttle train services are operating from Chatswood to Hornsby and from Chatswood to Epping.”

He said passengers could use their train tickets for travel on STA Sydney Buses and Sydney Ferries on Monday morning due to the disruption.

There was no forecast as to when normal train services would resume from North Sydney to Chatswood, Mr Moore said.

A NSW Police spokeswoman said officers were called to set up barriers near Wynyard station as a safety precaution to keep people from spilling on to the road.

– With Jacob Saulwick

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/cbd-crush-after-train-disruption-20130204-2dt8b.html#ixzz2Jskzks3p