Metro could be forced to cough up after Melbourne morning rail chaos
Commuters are in chaos in Melbourne after a control room fire alarm shut down the city's rail network. (9NEWS) 9NEWS
Questions of financial compensation have been raised after a forced evacuation of Melbourne's Metro railway control centre caused commuter chaos throughout the train network this morning.
The centre was evacuated for 15 minutes from about 8.30am after a biohazard alarm went off.
Staff have now returned to work, however, Metro has said there will be major delays of up to 45 minutes as operations resume.
Twitter has erupted in frustration, with some users saying Melbourne had squandered the goodwill generated by last night's record State of Origin crowd.
It is also possible Metro could be forced to issue compensation, The Age has reported.
Public Transport Users Association spokesman Daniel Bowen told the newspaper it could depend on whether or not Metro was responsible.
A spokesman for Transport Minister Jacinta Allan said it had not been determined if Metro was at fault, however, a senior train driver said it was possible.
"The last time (the control centre) was evacuated, the smoke alarms went off because someone overcooked something in the microwave," he said.
Have you experienced delays this morning? Send an email to contact@9news.com.au
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