Melbourne peak hour chaos with trains delayed up to 80 minutes

It’s been chaos for commuters travelling on Melbourne’s Cranbourne and Pakenham lines, with a track fault causing major delays during the evening peak.

Passengers were encouraged to seek alternate transport options, after hundreds were left confused and waiting on platforms as services were cancelled.

“It’s damn irritating,” said one commuter.

“Nothing - no updates. I heard from one of my office colleagues that trains, that there was a delay on the Cranbourne and Pakenham lines.”

The trip home was dragged out by up to 80 minutes for many, with more than 60 buses deployed to try and get crowds moving.

Metro Trains released a statement apologising for the delays, saying it’s investigating what caused the problem.

The track fault was fixed just before 6.30pm but delays are ongoing, with citybound services in particular being delayed with trains out of position.

Some services on the Pakenham line have been cancelled and replaced with buses and trains are travelling at reduced speed between Oakleigh and Dandenong.

Buses are also replacing trains on the Sandringham line due to track work.