Train services across the Melbourne’s Metro network have resumed Wednesday morning following a communication outage, understood to be linked to the nation-wide Optus outage.
There are major delays of up to 45 minutes across all lines, with PTV advising commuters to plan ahead.
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The entire network was forced to terminate services Wednesday morning due to what was believed because of safety concerns arising from the inability for drivers to communicate with one another and their depots.
Also in Victoria, the outage has affected hospitals and emergency departments, with Northern Health saying its phone lines were down at several of its locations.
“This includes phone lines into Northern Hospital Epping, Broadmeadows Hospital, Bundoora Centre, Craigieburn Centre, Kilmore District Hospital, and Victorian Virtual Emergency Department,” Northern Health said.
“We apologise for any inconvenience.”
For the rest of Australia however, Optus customers and businesses are still unconnected, with the first reports of the outage at about 4am.
It’s estimated over 10 million customers and 400,000 businesses across Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, and Adelaide are affected.
“We’re aware of an issue impacting connections for some Optus mobile and fixed customers,” the company said on its Optus Help social media account.
“We understand connectivity is important and are working to restore services as a priority.”
It is unknown when the service will return.
Optus reminded customers that their phones, despite having no service coverage, would work in emergency situations if Triple Zero (000) is required.