Miscreants set Australian metro rail in motion, raises safety concerns

In an incident that has raised alarm, a metro train in an Australian town that was put in motion by unauthorized persons collided with another train. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

The incident occurred in Hurstbridge town, Victoria, when unidentified persons started a train at the station yard at 1 50 am. The train moved about 50 meters before colliding with another train on a different track and damaged a portion of the security fencing, which is likely to cost the exchequer around $3 million.

No injuries were reported even though a member of the cleaning staff and a security guard were present when the incident occurred.  

The Victoria Police have initiated a probe and a lookout for the trespassers is on.

In a statement, police have said that they were aware that Metro equipment, including keys and uniforms, was available online.

A website quotes a railway official as saying that stolen metro train keys were being sold online and that a program to ensure further security is "in its infancy".

However, this act of trespassing has raised concerns about the lack of passenger security.

Marc Marotta​, the locomotive division secretary for Victoria at the Rail, Tram and Bus Union said, "They have got potential to do this with a train with passengers. They can disable a train while it's en route."