Sydney 10/10/99 Mishap or Stupidity?

["Bill McNiven" <wmcniven@gunzel.ozemail.com.au>]

All day, I've been hearing very loud Kogarah announcements (at a range of
about 200m) telling the entire suburb that the train to leave platform 1
goes to the City Circle ... change at Town Hall for a bus service to Bondi
Junction.  So I guess that the Illawarra Line may have been closed at
Erskineville Junction.

I read in another thread that the 3801 Limited special (8.04 am Ashfield -
Maitland) was cancelled by SRA Network Control at 9.00 am.  I read in
aus.loco that SP19 (7.45 am Sydney - Canberra) and NP23 (11.05 am Sydney -
Armidale) were cancelled as the Explorer sets were trapped in Eveleigh by
trackwork.

I guess that if the Up and Down Illawarra were closed from Loco Jct to
Erskineville Jct (inclusive) and Up and Down Main were closed Illawarra Jct
to Tunnel Jct (inclusive) then it would be impossible to get a train in or
out of Eveleigh.

What's the whole story?  Mishap or stupidity?

TIA

Bill