If you have ever needed to commute, you'll be familiar with the heart drop when you see the dreaded 'cancelled' or 'delayed' notice at a train station or airport.
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It's just words, but my gosh, they hurt when you're trying to get to a meeting on time or, even worse, when trying to get home after a long hard day at the office.
Today that moment happened for thousands across the Illawarra and Greater Sydney when Transport for NSW announced that all services were at a 'standstill until further notice'. Derrick Peterson from the Traffic Management Centre told ABC that the digital train radio system had gone down at 2.45pm.
Patiently people sat at Wollongong Station waiting for the trains to return online, wondering if the wait would be an hour or a day. Would they splurge on an Uber or take the chance and sit tight? Some commuters were stuck in trains on the track, and if they were on the Illawarra line, they'd likely be without a mobile signal and facing the double whammy of being late and unable to let anyone know.
The service was back up and running by 4.36pm, but the message was clear on the day that nominations closed for NSW election candidates. Transport is at the top of a long list of priorities for Illawarra's voting public.
As one Twitter user said, "I'd encourage anyone stuck in train chaos in Sydney this afternoon to send their rideshare or taxi receipts to @Dom_Perrottet and @NSWLiberals_RB."
- Gayle Tomlinson
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