'People literally falling over themselves': Sydney train breakdown causes commuter chaos

Sydney commuters were left battling crowds and long delays on Friday morning after a major breakdown on the city’s rail line.

A train suffering mechanical issues at Town Hall station left thousands of passengers temporarily stranded. The breakdown at one of the city’s main stations had major flow-on effects to the rail network during peak hour.

The issue led to the closure of the North Shore line between Town Hall and North Sydney.

“Delays may affect some Western line services due to a train requiring mechanical repairs at Town Hall,” Sydney Trains tweeted at 7:30am.

“Emergency technicians are on site resolving the mechanical issue.”

Passengers shared photos of crowded platforms and long queues as people waited for replacement services.

As commuters were redirected to busses, police were required to manage crowds as people spilled onto sidewalks to wait.

“No trains running over the bridge right now, the announcer at Wynyard suggested we walk over the harbour Bridge to North Sydney as the buses were too busy,” one Sydney commuter tweeted.

Shortly before 9am, Sydney Trains tweeted that the repairs were complete, although passengers were still advised to allow extra travel time.

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