Vandals steal, crash Melbourne train causing millions in damages

Vandals in Melbourne have stolen a Metro train and quickly crashed it, causing millions in damages and delays for commuters.

Police said the offenders broke into Hurstbridge Railway Station around 2am.

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They were able to start the train and drive it forward about 500 metres before derailing the locomotive and crashing into carriages of another train, a security box and fences.

Police have estimated the criminal damage to be around $2 million.

Victoria Police Sergeant Mark Chetcuti has appealed for witnesses to come forward.

"It's a large amount of damage, so it's possible that someone may know who is responsible," he said.

"We'd like to hear from anyone who saw any suspicious activity in the Heidelberg-Kinglake Road area between 1:00am and 2:00am this morning."

Services on the Hurstbridge line northeast of the city between Hurstbridge and Diamond Creek have been suspended as crews clean up the damage.

Metro Trains said in a statement buses would replace trains along affected, upper portion of the line.

"Vandalism affects all our customers," a spokesperson said.

"Every time a train is vandalised, we have to pull it out of service, thereby delaying our customers with wherever they are travelling to.

"We advise customers to check the Metro Trains website or the MetroNotify phone app for the latest information."

Morning news break – November 11