Aussie commuters in awe over train guard's frank admission
The footage has emerged as Sydneysiders were again urged to work from home and avoid the city's public transport systems.
With the effects of last week's extremely wet weather still being felt far and wide around the country, footage has emerged showing just how badly public transport systems were disrupted, with one train guard revealing to passengers "I don't know where we're going".
Last week, much of the east coast of Australia copped an absolute drenching, with Sydney in particular recording its highest daily rain total in two years on Friday.
Commuters were urged to expect delays and work from home where possible, a plea that was delivered again on Tuesday as the consequences of the downpour continue to disrupt the network.
Guard's frank admission captured on video
One video taken on board a train bound for Hornsby via Central Station in Sydney has since gone viral online over a guard's honest announcement mid-ride, explaining she didn't know where the service was headed beyond Central, where it was approaching.
The woman's frank explanation has been praised by people all over the country, with those familiar with her "caring" tone branding the staffer "the best". Dozens said the announcement reflected a "culture change" within NSW Trains — a division of Transport for NSW (TfNSW) —claiming that guards had of late taken on a "pleasant and funny" tone.
"Next stop is Central, where this train is going beyond that, I don't know until we get to Central," the guard announced last week. "Just remain on the train and listen to the announcements please. I'm assuming it's probably going to be a Hornsby [line] again, but I don't know for sure.
"So just listen to the announcements and as soon as I know what's going on, you'll know what's going on.
"What a dog and pony show it is today, and I do apologise folks, thanks for your patience and understanding. Unfortunately the railway runs on electrics and with all that rain it buggered everything up signal-wise."
Transport NSW explains why rain delayed trains
TfNSW confirmed to Yahoo News Australia exactly what the guard meant when she said the rain "buggered up the electrics".
A TfNSW representative explained the whole of Sydney Trains is electrified, meaning it runs off the overhead wiring that can be seen all over the network. All of the signalling infrastructure is electrified as well — that's essentially a traffic light system that's used to make sure trains are safe — kind of like sections of a roadblock, to make sure there are no other trains in that section.
In the instance of serious storm damage to that infrastructure, if it goes down it's not safe to run trains without that traffic light system, until it's back up and running. If anything happens with the overhead wiring, then that means there's no power to the trains, and it's quite common to see implications of serious flood damage to infrastructure.
The wild weather over the weekend caused some significant flooding on the South Coast line.
Thanks to the local community for your patience as we work to clean up the damage, with buses replacing trains south of Waterfall while we work to restore services as quickly as possible pic.twitter.com/Es4BIy3CR4— Transport for NSW (@TransportforNSW) April 8, 2024
Aussies praise 'lovely' train guard
People responding to the video branded the NSW train guard "refreshing" and "so sweet".
"There must have been a culture change at NSW Trains," one person wrote. "The drivers are so much more pleasant, funny and caring. I had one tell us the other day to expect heavy rains and to stay indoors, stay safe etc."
"Is this during the floods? I think she is doing a great job updating you as she gets information," said another. "Bless her," another said. "I want to give this woman a hug," a user wrote.
According to TfNSW, guard announcements like the Sydney woman's have been receiving praise from commuters in recent times. The spokesperson explained the main purpose of announcements is to do with passenger information and safety, but the department is always happy for guards to put a bit of personality into them to brighten people's days.
Commuter warnings remain in place
On Tuesday commuters were again urged to work from home as major impacts are still being experienced across NSW’s road and public transport network after the weekend’s wild weather.
The state was lashed by a severe weather system that moved in on Friday morning dumping more than 250mm of rain on some suburbs with flash flooding overwhelming roads and homes.
Drivers and public transport users are both urged to consider working from home as "major impacts" are still being experienced across the state’s road and train networks, Transport for NSW said in a statement.
"Take extreme care on the roads and avoid all non-essential travel in affected areas, with the impact of heavy rain and flooding likely to be felt across the coming days," a spokesperson said.
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