1 day Ago By Heather McNeill
A rumour heard on 6PR’s Mornings program has been confirmed – a Metronet worker has had a lucky escape after he was instructed to cut through a large 600-volt power cable with a reciprocating saw. A caller into the program claimed the cable, which powered the Cale Street level crossing boom gates next to St John of God Hospital, was live at the time the man cut it, but thankfully he survived unscathed. They said the mishap took the boom gates offline for five hours, causing widespread traffic chaos in the area.
When asked about the rumour, a Public Transport Authority spokesman confirmed a conduit was cut at the crossing, which is near the new Midland station project site. He said the safety of workers was paramount and an internal review was commenced immediately to ensure to no similar incidents were repeated. “Work within the rail corridor has been paused since Monday,” he said.
Here’s what’s making headlines elsewhere today: Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell says the bank has made a “good start” with its half percentage cut in its key lending rate. Credit: AP Cool again today, with a top of 23 degrees following an overnight low of just 10 degrees. Good morning, and thank you for tuning into our live news blog today.
Making headlines today is the harrowing story of a WA woman who had to wait days for an MRI at one of Perth’s major public hospitals. Sophie McNeill in Fiona Stanley Hospital. Sophie McNeill’s story tells of a health system at breaking point , and, as Claire Ottaviano reports, delays for procedures such as medical imaging are worsening the pain of bed block .
Sticking with health news, and new data has revealed WA has the second-lowest number of fully immunised five-year-olds in the country. And in some areas, the vaccine coverage falls below the level needed for herd immunity . Meanwhile, in education news, a report released on Wednesday reveals more than 100 students were suspended from WA’s public schools every day on average across 2023.
So what’s behind the surge in suspensions? Thanks for joining us, and stay tuned as we bring you all the day’s headline..
