Melbourne train nightmare: Three-year-old twins left stranded on Brighton Beach platform after train took off with their nanny still on board

A fun trip to the city turned into a nightmare after a young babysitter became separated from the three-year-old twins she was caring for while taking the stroller off a Melbourne train.

Toddlers Alice and Charlie were left stranded, alone and terrified on the platform of Brighton Beach station earlier this week after the train they had alighted from minutes earlier departed with their nanny still on board.

Krystal Lewis-Smith helped the twins get off the train onto the platform before getting back on to get the stroller, but the doors closed.

She frantically pressed the emergency button to raise the alarm, but during the agonizing 30-second wait for a response, the train departed.

A Good Samaritan who got off the same train rushed to the aid of the distraught toddlers and stayed with them until they were reunited with their babysitter.

“All I could hear was the children screaming, which broke my heart as they could see me through the glass and their little brains were saying, ‘She’s not coming back,’” Mrs. Lewis-Smith said. Seven news.

“The possibilities of what could have gone wrong are really scary to think about.”

The twins’ mother, Kristin Hamer-Ryan, does not blame the babysitter and believes the train driver should have seen her children alone on the platform.

“It’s quite negligent, I don’t think he looked because I don’t understand why he didn’t see them,” the mother of four said.

“I feel terrible for her (the nanny) because I know she did everything she could to keep them safe.”

‘It’s not about the risk of injury. It’s actually the risk of death.”

The twins are still traumatized by the harrowing ordeal.

‘They were a bit shocked yesterday. Alice has woken up quite a few times during the night, which is unusual,” Ms Hamer-Ryan told Sunrise on Friday.

‘They certainly understand that something happened and were upset about it. But I think we’re all trying to keep things as normal as possible and stay calm.”

The young babysitter is also still shocked.

“I feel sorry for her – she’s really traumatized by this and obviously has a lot of compassion, even though I really don’t think there was any blame on her,” Ms Hamer-Ryan said.

She held the children’s hands and walked them safely over the gap. And she literally had it safely on the platform, turned around, the stroller was on her hip and she went to push the stroller forward and the doors just closed.

‘She pressed the open button on the doors several times while the train was still at the station and when the train started moving, she immediately pressed the emergency buzzer.’

The mother and nanny aren’t the only ones demanding answers from transportation authorities.

Commuter John Nockles saw the stranded twins screaming and trying to run after the train.

The father of one child stayed with them until the nanny returned to the station.

“It was disturbing,” the father of one recalled.

“Something clearly went wrong and that needs to be looked into.”

Metro Trains says an investigation has been launched but would not comment on what steps would be taken to prevent a similar incident in the future.

“This is a distressing incident for those involved – our priority is to keep our passengers safe at all times,” a spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia.

‘As soon as station staff were made aware that there were unaccompanied children on the platform, staff followed safety procedures to ensure the children were safe, and all parties were reunited as quickly as possible.’

“This matter is under investigation and it would be inappropriate to comment further.”

Metro Trains is urging parents and caregivers with strollers to board the train at the front, where the operator is close by, and ensure children board and disembark with them.