Frustrated passengers stuck on a Melbourne train that was stopped due to a brawl on-board caused further delays and chaos by forcing open the doors and exiting onto the tracks.
Passengers forced their way out of the train about 7.30pm on Saturday following the Stakes Day races at Flemington after it had been halted for nearly an hour within walking distance of Southern Cross Station.
A Metro Trains spokesperson condemned the behaviour of the impatient passengers.
“While we understand passengers’ frustration when trains are delayed, forcing doors open is incredibly dangerous behaviour,” they said.
“(It) means that all trains in the area must stop, further inconveniencing passengers trying to get home.”
Two passengers were injured in the exodus, though the severity of their injuries are unknown.
Public Transport Users Association spokesman Daniel Bowen agreed that passenger behaviour was unacceptable but said more needed to be done to help the frustrated people stuck on-board.
“Metro and police need to look at what they could have done to deal with the delay,” he said.
“But ultimately passengers need to stay on-board the train because it is incredibly dangerous.”
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The fight involved two men aged 48 and 51 – the latter sustaining serious head injuries and the 48-year-old being questioned by police.
Passenger Maks Karmalita told 9 News that “people weren’t happy” having to wait due to the men’s behaviour,
“They were complaining, like, ‘Well, why do we need to stand here?’” he said.
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