The Sydney light rail L2 service broke down within hours of its initial opening to the public.

A tram broke down due to a mechanical issue near Circular Quay, which led to the termination of all northbound services at Town Hall on 14 December. The vehicle reportedly blocked both lines for more than an hour.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported that the service began at 10am local time (GMT+11) and the tram broke down at 1:50pm. Services resumed at 3:30pm.

Another tram came to an immediate halt when the driver pressed the emergency breaks because the tram ran a red light.

Two trams also stopped for around five minutes at Royal Randwick racecourse, citing technical issues.

Another tram stopped for a short time in Haymarket as emergency services were called to attend to a passenger.

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The A$2.9bn ($1.99bn) tram line marks the return of trams to Sydney after almost 60 years.

The opening date of the light rail service was announced earlier this month.

At the opening ceremony, New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said: “George Street used to be a car park with hundreds of buses and thousands of cars congested every day. Now it is one of the best boulevards in the world.

“The new network will move up to 13,500 commuters an hour during peak time, with one coupled tram holding 450 passengers, which is equivalent to nine standard buses.

“The new pedestrian boulevard will create a vibrant new shopping and dining precinct, bringing people along the route to enjoy everything it has to offer.”

L2 Randwick Line has 14 stops and operates between Circular Quay and Randwick.

Stops include CBD, Central, Surry Hills, Moore Park and UNSW. Trams also stop near the Randwick Hospitals Campus on High Street.