Another headache as thousands are left stranded: [3 All-round Metro Edition]
Stapleton, John. The Australian [Canberra, A.C.T] 15 Mar 2007: 4.
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Abstract
Last night’s problems, coming just 10 days before the state election, resulted in severe delays for an estimated 35,000 people. A police spokesman said it had been “a nightmare with crowds trying to get home”. NSW Transport Minister John Watkins issued an apology, describing the power failure as unprecedented. “Unfortunately this one not only occurred right on peak hour, but in the middle of the Harbour Bridge, making it difficult to fix and almost even harder to move passengers safely,” he said.
Full Text
THE Iemma Government was last night battling its third transport crisis in three weeks, with more than 4000 commuters trapped on trains following a power failure on the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
An overhead wiring problem brought one train to a halt as it approached the bridge. The fault then cascaded through the system, stopping a further 15 trains, including two in tunnels and three between stations.
Some passengers were trapped for more than 2 1/2 hours, with ambulance crews called to treat those suffering panic attacks as a result of claustrophobia. On February 20, much of the city was brought to a standstill when tens of thousands of people flocked to the harbour to see the arrival of the Queen Mary II and Queen Elizabeth II cruise liners. The Government later admitted it had been caught by surprise.
The chaos was repeated two days later when a visit by US Vice- President Dick Cheney led to road and tunnel closures.
Last night’s problems, coming just 10 days before the state election, resulted in severe delays for an estimated 35,000 people. A police spokesman said it had been “a nightmare with crowds trying to get home”. NSW Transport Minister John Watkins issued an apology, describing the power failure as unprecedented. “Unfortunately this one not only occurred right on peak hour, but in the middle of the Harbour Bridge, making it difficult to fix and almost even harder to move passengers safely,” he said.
He described the failure to inform commuters across the network on what was happening as unforgiveable and said he was not satisfied that enough was done to help those affected.