First weekday services commence through new stations Arden, Parkville, State Library, Town Hall, Anzac
Prime Minister Jacinta Allan has warned that trespassing into the live railway zone is “potentially fatal” after firefighters were reported to have entered the Metro Tunnel without permission yesterday.
“Anyone who trespasses into the live rail operating environment is committing a potentially lethal range of actions,” he said, speaking at Anzac station moments earlier.
“The live railway operating environment is not a place to play games. It is a place where you must always prioritize security, so intrusions into the railway network are taken very seriously and… so I would like to thank the operating staff for dealing with this matter very, very quickly.”
Transport Infrastructure Minister Gabrielle Williams (left) and Prime Minister Jacinta Allan on Sunday.Credit: Chris Hopkins
Earlier this morning, ABC Radio Melbourne presenter Rafael Epstein asked Allan whether the Victoria Fire Brigade team entering the tunnel had sabotaged its opening yesterday.
“Let me be clear: It absolutely did not happen that way,” Allan said. “We saw… tens of thousands of people enjoying the opening of the Metro Tunnel.”
Allan said the tunnel had received accreditation from the rail safety regulator “without qualification”.
Some firefighters were detained by Metro personnel, Epstein said.
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“It’s incredibly dangerous for the people doing it, and it’s incredibly dangerous for train drivers and other network staff, so it doesn’t matter who you are, if you trespass into a live railway environment you will be dealt with,” Allan said.
We have contacted Metro Trains regarding this incident. A Fire Rescue Victoria spokesman said the service was unable to comment as “the investigation into this incident is ongoing”.
Yesterday, passengers were unable to board the train at Anzac because a train overran the platform and prevented the platform’s screen doors from opening. It comes after a false fire alarm at the entrance to South Yarra delayed services for around 25 minutes.
The United Firefighters Association has continued its campaign against the Allan government’s infrastructure programme, claiming the Victoria Fire Service does not have the appropriate equipment or training to respond to the Metro Tunnel or the West Gate Tunnel toll road, which opens next month.
Allan and the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator strongly denied these claims, and the prime minister reiterated on Sunday that the project had received full accreditation from the regulator.
