20-05-2025
Commuters warned to expect delays following 'catastrophic' Sydney train outage
Commuters relying on Sydney's train network are being warned to "avoid travel" after a train became entangled with live wires during Tuesday's peak-hour rush.
Early on Wednesday morning Transport for NSW said major delays would continue to plague services throughout Sydney.
"If you need to travel on the network there will be limited shuttles operating.
"If passengers must travel, plan ahead and allow extra travel time. We have trains running on all lines, but at a reduced frequency.
"Sydney Trains teams have been working hard overnight and have removed a defective train and completed repairs to the overhead wiring that caused major disruption on the rail network yesterday."
Teams will complete final checks on Wednesday morning before reinstating power to allow six tracks from Homebush to begin operating again.
There will be 13 shuttle buses between Lidcombe and Ashfield, with nine more starting at 6am on Wednesday.
"Sydney Trains apologises again to passengers for the inconvenience of the continuing disruption," Transport for NSW said.
"It's expected the work will be completed later this morning and we will look to transition to normal timetabled services for the afternoon peak services."
A 1,500-volt overhead cable came down on top of carriages near Strathfield station in Sydney's west, with hundreds of commuters evacuated from the affected train and three other caught up in an associated outage.
Overnight crews worked in wet weather to assess the damage, with Transport Minister John Graham describing the rainy and dark conditions as "difficult".
Although the "very serious" and "catastrophic event" was brought under control on Tuesday night, Mr Graham said the impact would flow through to Wednesday.
"The priority is getting the trains running," Mr Graham told the ABC, acknowledging the "knock-on effect".
"There will be impacts on the morning commute.
"So if people do have other options, tomorrow would be a good chance to exercise those."
Nearly all lines on the rail network were impacted by the fallen wires, with Transport for NSW issuing a warning for commuters on Tuesday afternoon.
"Stops and platforms may change at short notice and customers may need to change their trip," a spokesperson said.
"Passengers should listen to announcements and check information displays for service updates."
Sydneysiders were advised to consider different transport options if possible, with the metro, light rail and local buses not impacted.
Passengers were being told to keep across the latest updates via Transport NSW's information website.
"Sydney Trains apologises to passengers for the inconvenience this has caused," a spokesperson said.
Transport for NSW's coordinator general Howard Collins also apologised to impacted commuters, assuring the public that maintenance of the network's live wires was likely not to blame for the incident, nor was the rainy weather.
"We're asking people to be very patient I know it's very frustrating. We'll find out why this incident occurred," he said.
