Two of Australia’s biggest cities are contending with alarming problems in their rail networks.
In Sydney, a passenger train hurtled through a known trouble spot at four times the speed limit. The incident was severe enough to throw the driver from his seat. That the section of track was already identified as a danger zone makes the over-speed event all the more troubling, raising questions about what safeguards are — or aren’t — in place.
In Melbourne, Southern Cross Station — the city’s second-busiest railway hub — has become a byword for dysfunction. Broken lifts, vandalised toilets, a persistent mysterious odour, and scores of commuter complaints have forced V/Line to close a booking office at the station. For the thousands of regional commuters who pass through daily, it paints a grim picture of infrastructure neglect.
