THREE V/Line passengers were caught off guard when a door malfunction trapped them inside a carriage on the Seymour line earlier this month.
Wallan resident Wendy Blair and her friend travelled on the 3.44pm Seymour service for a day out on Friday, April 10.
“It’s never happened to us before,” said Wendy, 82.
The friends boarded the train bound for Wallan from Seymour.
“[At our stop at Wallan] we ran from one door to the next, which were all jammed. We couldn’t get out until we arrived at the Donnybrook station,” Wendy said.
Trades consultant Damien Hutchins, a regular user on the Seymour line, confirmed Ms Blair’s account.
“We arrived at Wallan, we stood together [at the door]. There was no green light to signal that the doors were opening. I pushed the button three or four times, there was nothing. We moved to the next carriage and tried those doors too. We knocked on what we thought was the conductor’s window and there was no answer. The ladies phoned 000,” Mr Hutchins said.
“We could see passengers talking quietly [about our predicament.] Even though it’s not a crowded train, some people can get claustrophobic. Damien laughed with me when he heard me calling 000. We got out only because someone was trying to get in, and it was freezing cold waiting at Donnybrook for the next train home to Wallan,” Wendy said.
“It frustrated me to no end that [upon disembarking] the conductor was so dismissive.”
Mr Hutchins said: “I was literally an hour late for my son’s birthday. By and by the service is fantastic and it’s free at the moment.”
On the second return trip, Wendy spoke with a “learning conductor”, who suggested that a loose electrical wire may be causing the doors to malfunction.
A V/Line spokesperson said: “There was no fault identified with the train or its doors … we have a regular maintenance program for all our trains to ensure a safe and reliable service for passengers, with trains regularly rotated out of service to complete maintenance.”