Would-be light rail commuters were met with ‘not in service’ notifications when they arrived on platforms this morning (Wednesday, 11 June). Photo: Facebook.
Ice on the overhead cables has been blamed for light rail service cancellations and delays this morning (Wednesday, 11 June).
Frustrated commuters had to wait until they reached the platforms to find out the services weren’t available.
“Glad I hear about this while waiting on the platform,” wrote one commenter after spotting a post at about 6:20 am from the general public online.
“Bit of a joke there isn’t a better notification system. Sounds like I’ll drive today. Thanks for the heads up,” wrote another.
It took Canberra Metro until about 8:30 am to put out an alert on its social media page, and even then it was only to inform people there was a “service interruption” between the Sandford and Gungahlin stops. This was then shared by Transport Canberra.
Services returned to normal at 9:50 am and the earlier alerts were deleted on both social media pages.
Transport Minister Chris Steel confirmed it was ice build-up that led to the issues.
“This is not uncommon, and it is usually addressed by Canberra Metro through icebreaker services and sweeping services,” he said.
“Today there was a particular issue where those icebreakers removed the ice but then, as a result of the precipitation, it reformed.
“So for safety reasons light rail services couldn’t run for a period.
“[The services] are now back up and running, and we thank the Canberra community for their patience.”
Canberra Airport recorded a low of minus 3.7 degrees this morning.
Shadow Transport Minister Leanne Castley said she was disappointed that people who use light rail were the last to be notified about the disruptions, but found it even more perplexing that the services were disrupted by ice.
“It’s no surprise to anyone Canberra gets cold in the middle of winter, it’s part of the charm about our city, but why did services get disrupted today?” she asked.
“I am sure Transport Canberra is aware of this but I think residents need an explanation.”
