FRUSTRATED passengers onboard a Seymour to Southern Cross train service were forced to wait over three hours after their morning train struck a number of kangaroos on Tuesday.
V/Line confirmed there were approximately 190 passengers on board the train which was forced to stop at roughly 7.30am just past Wallan Station.
A V/Line spokesperson said: “We thank passengers for their patience and understanding as coaches replaced Melbourne-bound trains between Seymour and Southern Cross for several hours on Tuesday due to an animal strike.”
It was confirmed that later services towards Melbourne were able to continue as soon as they safely removed the affected train. It is now undergoing repairs.
Multiple reports came from Facebook community pages demonstrating their anger at the lack of communication given to passengers.
Complaints saw people stranded at stations for close to an hour until it was announced that trains would be replaced by coaches.
Meagan, a passenger on the train who was on her way to work from Broadford, was excited to hop back on the services for its first day back in a month.
“People were really excited to be getting back on the train instead of the buses or having to drive all the way into the city,” she said.
The trains have been down due to the ongoing rail and infrastructure works on the line.
Meagan reflected that the staff on board were calm and well communicated but seemed frustrated on the overall communication from the control room they were communicating with.
She also raised the question of why the track hadn’t been fully inspected as a pre plan for the animals that got used to the tracks being abandoned for a month.
“The disruption caused a lot of stress for passengers who had to make a decision of going into work after midday or take the rest of the day off,” she said.
By Cooper O’Brien
