A teenager with a train “obsession” took a stolen tram for a joyride through Australia’s second-biggest city at the weekend, picking up several unsuspecting passengers along the way, police said on Monday.
The unidentified 15-year-old allegedly stole two trams within the space of two days from a depot in Melbourne, they said.
In the first incident on Friday night, the boy only managed to drive the 27-tonne vehicle a few hundred metres.
But his second joyride on Sunday night took a tram around the Melbourne network for 40 minutes, during which he travelled about 30km, manually switched tracks and manoeuvred through major intersections, officials said.
The young driver picked up several passengers during the trip, and even put the tram in reverse at one point after he overshot a station.
The adventure ended only after tram company agents cut the electricity and police moved in to arrest the youth.
Police spokesperson Barry Hills said it is believed the boy, who has been released on bail to appear in court in June, stole the tram keys three weeks ago.
“He’s a nice lad, he’s a good lad — I think his obsession [with trams] just got the better of him,” said Hills.
Yarra Trams company spokesperson Dennis Cliche said the boy must have studied drivers for some time to learn how to operate the vehicles. Drivers normally undergo five weeks of training before taking over routes.
“There are safety systems built in that he would have had to study and know how to drive this tram without engaging the safety systems, which are designed to shut the tram down,” Cliche said. “So … this is someone who’s spent a lot of time and a lot of effort to go about this.”
Even though Yarra Trams was embarrassed by the stunt and the security lapses it revealed, Cliche said it will not be held against the boy if one day he applies for a job.
“We have a very good recruiting policy and anybody who passes the mustard for our recruiting policy we’d be glad to offer a job to, provided he’s old enough to hold a driver’s licence,” he said. — AFP