Car crash damages overhead wiring, shutting down Blue Mountains rail line

A vehicle falling onto train tracks at Blaxland has is still causing major rail disruptions on Thursday morning, with crews racing to repair damaged overhead wiring while thousands face delays.

Trains are still not running through Blaxland after a car plunged onto the tracks on Wednesday morning. Picture: Supplied

A dramatic incident in the Blue Mountains is still crippling part of Sydney’s rail network, with services between Springwood and Penrith suspended.

It comes after a car veered off a bridge at Blaxland and landed on the tracks, tearing down overhead wiring.

The crash occurred on Wednesday and triggered a major emergency response, with the driver managing to walk away despite the fall.

The damaged infrastructure forced rail authorities into a 24-hour repair blitz as commuters across western Sydney wake to significant delays.

Transport Secretary Josh Murray said workers had been on site since the incident, fabricating replacement parts in Sydney and transporting them up the mountain late yesterday.

Repairs are expected to be complete by mid-morning on Thursday. Picture: NSW Transport

Crews carrying out repairs in Blaxland overnight. Picture: NSW Transport

“Our crews have been working nonstop for 24 hours to get this line back up,” Mr Murray said on 2GB.

“We’re relieved the driver was okay, but the impact caused serious damage. The teams have been installing new equipment all night, including technically complex work on a big gantry across the tracks.”

He said replacement buses had been running since 3am and trains were operating normally on either side of the damaged section

“We anticipate returning to the timetable by mid-morning, subject to certification of the repairs,” he said.

A car plunged off a bridge and flipped onto its roof on the railway tracks at Blaxland on Wednesday morning. Picture: Supplied

NSW TrainLink West confirmed limited trains were running between Lithgow and Springwood, with buses replacing all services from Springwood to Penrith. Crews expect the line to reopen by about 10am.

“Repair crews are on site and working to restore services as quickly as possible,” a spokesperson said.

While the rail line remains shut, Sydney motorists are also experiencing heavy delays across key routes.

A four-vehicle crash on the M5 has brought citybound traffic to a crawl from Liverpool, with peak-hour queues stretching from Heathcote Rd to the Hume Highway and now building back towards the M7 interchange.

Further compounding congestion, the westbound M4 tunnel is closed after overnight roadworks ran past schedule, forcing drivers to divert and adding pressure to surrounding roads.

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Originally published as Car crash damages overhead wiring, shutting down Blue Mountains rail line