8.29am Victoria’s entire regional train network downBy Eliza SumAccording to the V/Line website, the state’s entire regional train network has shut down due to the Telstra outage.V/Line passenger Brodie Goss was stranded at Southern Cross.Paul Rovere“Due to a radio network fault affecting the network, services are currently unable to operate,” the website states. “There is no estimated time for rectification at this stage. Very limited coach replacement services will be available.”Passengers are advised to defer travel where possible.8.21amGovernment warns Telstra over emergency accessBy Brittany BuschThe federal government has issued a statement reminding Telstra of its responsibilities to ensure that customers can reach emergency services amid the ongoing network outage.“The Australian government has been advised by Telstra that there is an outage affecting a large number of mobile calls and connections,” a statement from the office of Emergency Management Minister Kristy McBain said.Emergency Management Minister Kristy McBain.Alex Ellinghausen“Like all telcos, Telstra must notify customers and emergency services of any major outage. Australian phones are also required to fall back to other networks for 000 access.”The government was aware of the halting of Victoria’s regional train network, the statement said.“We understand Telstra is working on resolving the issue, and arrangements are being made for affected rail passengers.”8.15amPhotos: Stranded at Southern CrossBy Paul RovereA notice at Southern Cross station displaying information regarding the V/Line train services delayed due to the Telstra outage.Paul RovereA commuter walks past the arrivals and departures information board at Southern Cross station.Paul Rovere8.10amIs this outage affecting you?By Eliza Sum8.04amThe last time this happenedBy Alexander DarlingOn November 8, 2023, an Optus outage knocked out Melbourne’s train network.Metro Trains’ systems failed and it was unable to rely on its backup system.Back then, it took nine hours for services to begin to return to normal.8.04amVictorians stranded as outage disrupts commuteBy David Swan and Jack GramenzTelstra’s mobile network has been hit by a widespread outage, leaving thousands of customers across every mainland capital unable to make calls or use mobile data, with some reporting their phones had dropped into SOS-only mode.A commuter travelling to Traralgon looks at the delayed V/Line train services on the arrivals and departures information board at Southern Cross station.Paul RovereThe telco, which runs Australia’s largest mobile network, confirmed it was “looking into an issue affecting some mobile calls and data connections” but had not identified a cause, given an estimated fix time, or said how many customers were affected.Outage-tracking site Downdetector recorded a sharp spike in reports from about 5am AEST, with more than 7000 lodged by early morning. Complaints were coming from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Canberra and Adelaide, as well as regional centres in Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania.Read more here.8.00amRegional trains down in VictoriaBy Alexander DarlingThe widespread outage is affecting mobile calls and data connections, and has even prevented some businesses from processing payments.In Victoria, the 70,000 Victorians who use V-Line trains each day have been told to put off travel if possible.Thousands of Telstra customers have reported outages and issues.Eamon GallagherDozens of train services have stopped dead on the tracks and remain stationary at regional and suburban Melbourne stations.In an update at 7.18am, V-Line said: “A radio network fault affecting the network, services are currently unable to operate. There is no estimated time for rectification at this stage. Very limited coach replacement services will be available. Passengers are advised to defer travel where possible.”A Department of Transport spokesperson confirmed on 3AW: “A Telstra outage [is] affecting V-Line services right across the state.”This masthead has contacted V-Line and the department for comment.1 of 1