Sex brings traffic to a standstill – minister has to laugh

A loving couple having fun in the stairwell of a train station. Doing so can cause flooding that affects the entire area. Australia's Transport Minister couldn't help but laugh.

Julian Severs/t-online

An unusual incident has caused major delays on Melbourne's public transport. Two central train stations – Melbourne Central and Flagstaff – were evacuated on Thursday night, according to reports including The Guardian.

The trigger for the evacuation and related delays was massive flooding caused by the station's stairwell sprinkler system being triggered.

Video from security cameras provides clarification

It was initially suspected that the flooding was caused by vandalism. But a review of security cameras by Metro and police revealed another unexpected reason: a passionate couple may have had sex in the stairwell. The man and woman may have damaged the sprinkler system, causing the flooding.

Victoria's Transport Minister Danny Pearson told reporters on Wednesday that the sprinklers were believed to have been triggered by the couple's careless behavior. Pearson commented on the incident with a wink: “Looks like the stairwell isn't the most appropriate place to be after dinner.”

The flooding not only caused the evacuation of two stations but also affected all train services in Melbourne. Flooding prompted automatic evacuations of train stations and blocked multiple platforms, The Huffington Post and Latin Times reported. This caused severe disruption to train services and continued into the night.

The minister smiled and said: “A serious matter”

Police have released photos of the couple who may be responsible for the incident and are asking for the public's help in identifying them. Both men could help advance the investigation into “criminal property damage,” as authorities stressed. In addition, the extent to which the couple can be held criminally responsible is still under review.

Pierson, visibly unable to contain his laughter during the press conference, assured that both police and Metrorail were taking the investigation seriously. “This is a serious thing,” he explains with a laugh. Although the campaign was humorous in nature, he made it clear that the floods had caused significant damage to infrastructure and would cause huge losses. Pearson laughed the whole time as he dropped these hints.

The incident caused quite a stir in Melbourne, not only because of the bizarre circumstances leading to flooding, but also because of the impact on traffic: thousands of people leaving the nearby Rod Laver Arena Olivia Concertgoers at Olivia Rodrigo's concert were affected by delays.

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