Govind Tekale
A fire alarm at Melbourne Central Station triggered widespread disruption across Melbourne’s rail network during Thursday morning’s rush hour, leaving thousands of commuters scrambling for alternative routes.
The alarm sounded just after 7am, forcing an immediate evacuation of the station and causing all trains to bypass the City Loop, instead running directly to Flinders Street Station. The incident created delays of up to 50 minutes across 15 of Melbourne’s 16 metro train lines.
Fire Rescue Victoria crews responded promptly but found no evidence of fire. The incident was officially deemed a false alarm shortly before 8am, according to PTV reports.
“Trains on all metropolitan lines are resuming service through the City Loop, following an emergency services request and evacuation at Melbourne Central Station,” the Department of Transport stated in their official communication.
Similar Posts
Andrew Cook from the Department of Transport told 3AW radio listeners to expect delays of up to 30 minutes. “If you need to access other stations, I suggest hopping on a tram,” he advised commuters caught in the disruption.
Despite the all-clear, the morning’s train schedule was severely impacted. The Department of Transport requested passengers to “check station platform displays and listen for announcements, and allow an extra 40 minutes for their journey as trains get back into position for the normal timetable.”
This isn’t the first time Melbourne’s train network has faced similar problems. Previous incidents included a false alarm at Parliament Station and flooding from a damaged sprinkler system, pointing to ongoing challenges with the city’s train station emergency systems.
A Metro Trains spokesperson said trains have resumed running via the City Loop, however, warned of major delays.
Transport Victoria thanked passengers for their patience during the emergency investigation and subsequent service recovery efforts.
