Planned track work, long weekend and drone show expected to cause vivid crowd chaos
Vivid visitors, brace yourselves. Combine public holidays, a flagship drone show, and public transit delays and you have the perfect recipe for a sardine-worthy crush.
Those planning to attend the festival on Monday night have been warned to prepare for record crowds, with thousands turning to the festival for a glimpse of the increasingly popular drone show. are expected to attend.
At the same time, major disruption to rail commuters is expected as work is underway to remove more than 60 “high priority defects” on 150 kilometers of track as part of Sydney’s rail network rehabilitation plan.
Work on the track will take place from Saturday, June 10th at 2:00 am to Tuesday, June 13th at 2:00 am. Over 150 kilometers of track will be constructed, affecting the Central Coast and Newcastle, T1 North Shore, T1 Western, T9 Northern and The Blue. Mountain.
However, some routes will only be affected from 2am to 4am on Saturdays and Sundays.
NSW Transport Authority said the track work was planned to have “minimum” impact on Vivid Cloud.
“Work will be concentrated in quieter sections of the network and during off-peak hours, but we encourage passengers to plan ahead.
“Additional services into the city are being operated on the T2, T4 and T8 lines to help people move to and from Vivid,” said Track Warning.
“We have plenty of capacity for trains entering the city from the Blue Mountains and the South Coast.”
In recent weeks, Vivid has come under fire for crowd control. The iconic festival has already recorded more than 1.8 million attendees, and that number is expected to rise further this weekend.
Footage shared on social media showed thousands of people crammed in, with shocked commenters describing the sight as “dangerous” and “terrifying”.
Vivid has always drawn huge crowds on weekends, but the introduction of drone shows has caused some disruption mid-week. A video, shot Wednesday night after the show ended, shows a thick wall of people struggling to move.
“This is a big risk of crowds being crushed,” said one commenter, while another said “certainly this is a big risk of crowding.”
Some advised visitors to wait an hour in the city before returning home to avoid crowds.
Another drone show is scheduled to coincide with Monday’s holiday, raising fears that attendance numbers will reach record highs.
Enthusiastic organizers reassured visitors that additional police, security and event staff would ensure their safety.
“Because of the large crowds, please allow extra time for walking and remain calm and patient during your trip. Expect long queues for some services, especially after popular drone shows.”
Superintendent Martin Feilman, Sydney Police Area Commander, said a multi-agency operation was working to control the crowd.
“A large crowd is expected and attendees are urged to be mindful of their own safety and that of others, but additional police officers will be deployed to ensure everyone’s safety,” he said.
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/planned-track-work-is-expected-to-cause-chaos-at-vivid-this-long-weekend/news-story/af5fac94f143599a82e55dbe8f2996ab Planned track work, long weekend and drone show expected to cause vivid crowd chaos