John Hardie was left stranded after dark after the train took him the wrong direction.
By NICOLE WILLIAMS
STRANDED and confused, a visually impaired man was left alone at Yarraman Railway Station for two hours last week.
John Hardie was on his way from his work in Dandenong at 9pm last Wednesday to home in Narre Warren when miscommunication had him travelling in the wrong direction.
He had confirmed the next train to depart Platform 2 at Dandenong Railway Station was a Pakenham-bound train with Metro ticket and station staff and it was verified by an electronic announcement, however when the train arrived and he had boarded, it started moving towards the city.
“As a visually impaired person I had done all that I could do to make sure I caught the right train,” he said.
“So when the train pulled up, I got in but as soon as it moved off, I knew it was going in the wrong direction.”
Mr Hardie also needed to catch the last connecting bus from Narre Warren station at 9.28pm.
On advice of the train driver, he got off the train at Yarraman Railway Station and was soon called by a staff member at Dandenong Station who told him to get on the next train bound for Pakenham but he had already missed the bus.
Mr Hardie said he was left stranded on an unfamiliar and unattended platform late at night and was quite frightened.
“I didn’t have enough money for a taxi and I was waiting in an isolated area,” he said.
“It is quite frightening not to know where you are and you never know the intentions of other people on the platforms.”
After using a phone number for a woman at Metro customer service, Mr Hardie was offered a taxi home but was concerned how his guide dog, who was untrained at Yarraman Station, would guide him to the road.
“The reality was I was stuck on the station with no staff and railway tracks either side of me,” he said.
“I have a Seeing Eye dog but he doesn’t know the station or where the road or shops are.”
The taxi driver found Mr Hardie on the platform and delivered him home about 11pm but it has shaken his confidence catching the train.
“It put a great deal of fear in me which is not reasonable for a person on their way home from work.”
Metro Trains did not respond to requests for comment.
