Article: Truck breakdown on crossing halts Connex Frankston line services

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Truck breakdown on crossing halts Connex Frankston line services

Truck breakdown on crossing halts Connex Frankston line services
Article from: Herald Sun

Shannon Deery

January 28, 2009 10:28am

CONNEX has been forced to suspend all services on a major line after a truck broke down at a railway crossing this morning.
The truck broke down over the Station St, Chelsea, railway crossing on the Frankston line about 8.30am.

All citybound trains from Chelsea have been suspended.

Connex spokesman John Rees said while the truck had been moved, services would continue to be delayed.

?It caused a lot of delays down there this morning, so it will take a while to get everything back to normal, but it well on the way,?? he said.

Police spokeswoman Melissa Seach said buses would replace morning train services.

?The truck can?t be towed due to mechanical reasons, so we don?t know how long that will be, but the delay could be longer than initially expected, she said.

Meanwhile, thirsty commuters could again be given bottled water as Connex braces for a string of cancellations under extreme temperatures forecast this week.

A total 44 trains were cancelled yesterday as the mercury hit 35C - three degrees lower than forecast.

This morning nine trains were cancelled before 8am, and there were 15 minute delays for Epping/Hurstbridge services near Clifton Hill after overhead power problems.

According to Connex afected lines included the Oakleigh, Eltham, Glen Waverley, Weribee, Hurstbridge, Broadmeadows and Cheltenham services.

The rail operator has buses on standby and maintenance crews working around the clock to minimise disruptions as Victoria prepares for its hottest week in a century.

Connex spokeswoman Lanie Harris said buses were on standby at various locations across the city and would respond according to demand.

V/Line also has 20 buses on standby at Southern Cross Station and several others at Swan Hill and Shepparton as it braces for top temperatures of 40C each day this week.

Ms Harris said all available staff were working at stations across the city to help commuters and reserves of bottled water were fully stocked in preparation for the heatwave.

"We are always planning ahead, hot weather or otherwise, and all the mitigation measures are still in place," she said.

V/Line has begun enforcing speed restrictions as a safety measure for heat-stressed tracks and is warning commuters to expect delays of up to 30 minutes.

Public Transport Minister Lynne Kosky yesterday admitted the delay in infrastructure upgrades was frustrating.

"The frustration certainly for me, for government and for commuters is the work does take some time to put in place," she said.

"That's a frustration. If we could do it quicker we would, but once the work's complete we will get much better service delivery."

Premier John Brumby said he also understood the frustration surrounding the number of train cancellations this month but told commuters to brace for a difficult week.

"I know, and the minister knows, the cancellations that have occurred through January have been very frustrating if you're a commuter, and very disappointing to me and the minister.

"We look to improvements as we move through the course of the year and we will see significant improvements as we move through the course of the year."

- with Geraldine Mitchell and Nick Higginbottom