RAIL commuters from Cardinia and Casey were left stranded as soaring temperatures buckled Melbourne’s railway lines.
The system melted as the mercury rose with 80 trains on the Pakenham line cancelled from Wednesday to Friday.
Commuters were hardest hit when the temperature reached 45.1 degrees on Friday, Melbourne’s second highest temperature on record, with 36 Pakenham-line trains cancelled.
Heat-related issues, lack of available trains, power shedding and a car crashing into a train on the Dandenong line caused the trains not to run, a Connex spokeswoman said.
Connex handed out free ice-creams to its customers during the heatwave and Public Transport Minister Lynne Kosky declared Friday as a fare-free day. Despite such efforts, Eastern Victoria Liberal MP Edward O’Donohue slammed the State Government for not ensuring the rail system could cope in extreme heat.
“Not only are the trains being cancelled but when they do arrive they are often late, overcrowded and the airconditioning is either poor or not working,” he said.
“Melbourne’s rail network has been deteriorating after years of neglect by the State Government.”
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