Entire city’s rail network thrown into chaos after just one person calls in sick

Sydney train network in disarray due to delays caused by one sick staff member (Image: Getty) Sydney’s public transport mayhem on Thursday (July 6) was blamed on a single employee who called in sick, causing significant delays on numerous train lines. T1 Western Line trains between Parramatta and St Marys and T5 Cumberland Line trains between Blacktown and Richmond were initially halted between 2.24pm and 3.37pm. However, the problems persisted and had a substantial impact on the majority of the train network. The T1 North Shore and Western, T2 Inner West and Leppington, T5 Cumberland, and T9 Northern lines were all affected starting at about 3.30pm. As a result, several passengers on trains that were just halfway through their scheduled itineraries encountered delays of up to an hour. Major delays across Sydney train lines result from the absence of a single staff member (Image: Getty) The havoc was caused by the absence of a critical signaller, a position similar to an air traffic controller who alerts train drivers to clear lanes. According to Guardian Australia, Sydney Trains had little time to recruit a replacement when the employee abruptly called in sick. Sydney Trains apologised for the inconvenience caused to the passengers but noted that there were no backup resources available that would have typically been used in such a circumstance. They admitted that the employee was replaced shortly before 4pm but did not explain how the absence of a single worker could cause such a large-scale disturbance. The company said: “Sydney Trains had late notice of resourcing issues at the Rail Operations Centre and the typical backup resources that would be deployed in this scenario were not available, “The staffing issue was rectified just before 4pm when the workforce management team mobilised a replacement to perform this operationally critical role. “Sydney Trains apologises to those impacted and we are working to avoid a repeat of this issue in the future.” Alternative transportation options in the form of replacement buses were provided to passengers and remained operational until 1am. John Graham, the Minister for Roads in New South Wales, expressed his apologies to the affected commuters and acknowledged the need for improvements in the rostering system to prevent a recurrence of similar incidents. He stated: “That roster work has been ongoing, which means we’re now more confident that this won’t be repeated.” Mr Graham also highlighted that the delays brought attention to the recruitment difficulties faced by the industry, shedding light on the challenges involved in securing sufficient personnel.