Melbourne commuters have experienced frustrating delays during peak hour after Metro Trains' entire network came to a standstill because of a computer fault.
Metro Trains said the computer problem had been fixed an hour and a half after the entire network went down just after 4:00pm.
But as services slowly resumed, commuters faced major delays as a result of the technical problems.
Metro Trains spokesman Marcus Williams earlier asked commuters to seek alternative transport.
"It will take us some time to get things back [up] and running and running to a timetable," he said.
"So unfortunately that means we will have major delays throughout the evening.
"But importantly we've managed to get trains moving and we'll be working to get people home safely as quickly as possible."
Mr Williams said there would be a full investigation into what caused the computer fault.
Metro Trains said crowd control measures were in place at Southern Cross Station and City Loop stations.
After the train shutdown, Yarra Trams also reported major delays on its lines due to demand.
Commuters try to make their way home
Frustrated commuters were getting on packed trains at major stations as Metro Trains tried to deal with the backlog of passengers.
One commuter at Flinders Street Station described the scene as "chaotic".
He said it was confusing as timetable screens were blank even though lines had resumed.
"The trains are being announced as they arrive," he said.
Linda Gray, who commutes on the Craigieburn line, described the shutdown and subsequent delays as "an absolute mess".
"It's not surprising, the amount of times in the morning that trains get cancelled," she said.
"But what choice have you got? Take the two hours by road to get here now - that's no better than the train line."
One passenger said he was on a train from Broadmeadows to the city when it stopped at Pascoe Vale for an hour.
"We were dumbfounded, it's ridiculous. I thought the trains were going well, but they're not."
Other commuters reported seeing Uber prices surge after the delays.
One Uber user tweeted a photo showing a 27-kilometre Uber trip from Southern Cross Station to Caroline Springs costing almost $200.
