‘Delay all non-essential travel’: Commuters warned to expect more train chaos

Sydney train commuters have been urged to delay all non-essential travel or expect significant delays across most train lines on Wednesday morning as multiple services are cancelled following power supply issues at Strathfield station.

On Tuesday night, a broken overhead live wire that landed on the roof of a train in Sydney’s west trapped passengers inside carriages and triggered a power outage that crippled the heavy rail network, halting services to all but one line and causing delays for tens of thousands of commuters during the evening peak.

Services on the T1 North Shore and Western Line, T2 Inner West and Leppington Line, T3 Liverpool and Inner West Line, T5 Cumberland Line, T8 Airport and South Line, T9 Northern Line, Central Coast and Newcastle Line, and Blue Mountains Line remained impacted early on Wednesday.

“Please delay all non-essential travel or consider using other transport where possible,” Transport for NSW said.

“If you must travel by train, please allow plenty of extra travel time, listen to announcements, and check information screens and transport apps before getting on trains. Delays and gaps in service are likely to be experienced for the duration of the morning peak period.”

The affected train was near Homebush, when it became entangled in the wire, causing the power outage to ripple across most of the network shortly after 2.30pm on Tuesday. Emergency crews were called to isolate the power, clear people from the area, and evacuate the passengers trapped on the train. Crews were at the site until the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Sophie Jones, 18, was on her way back from a study session in Lidcombe when her train came to a standstill between Homebush and Strathfield. She said commuters inside her carriage had no idea what had happened for a couple of hours.

“We sat there for two hours just watching these men talk. Eventually, they had to … put up [safety] ramps at the front of the train because we couldn’t walk off the platform,” Jones said.

The lack of trains, and overcrowded buses, meant Jones had to walk from Homebush to Strathfield station, where she was waiting for her dad to pick her up for the trip home to the Central Coast.

“I don’t think there’s another way for me to get home,” she said.

Transport Minister John Graham said on Tuesday all passengers had been taken off the train that was caught in the wiring, as well as three other nearby trains that had come to a halt, by 6pm.

“This is a very serious incident in a critical part of the rail network and we apologise to all train passengers affected and trying to get home tonight,” he said.

“The position of the train at Strathfield [which] is a major artery of the network and has caused huge disruption.”

Graham said crews were working to cut the train from the wires and were assessing the recovery work required. He said authorities would provide updates on how that work was progressing, and the extent of any roll-on effects on the rail network for the Wednesday morning peak.

Earlier, Transport for NSW Coordinator-General Howard Collins said all passengers inside the carriages had been reported as unharmed.

“The most important thing here is safety, making sure we [evacuate passengers] under safe conditions and there’s no risk of the power being switched on by accident or other means,” Collins said.

Collins had emphasised that the live wire was a “life-threatening” situation.

“If you get very near or touch wires with that amount of voltage and amperage, it will kill you straight away.”

Workers near the site on Tuesday evening. Credit: Wolter Peeters

The peak hour incident follows revelations this week that one in five Sydney peak-hour trains has run late over the past two months, despite a decade-long project to improve the network’s reliability, and the cost of upgrading critical infrastructure has now blown out by $266 million.

Trains were first reported as having come to a halt at platforms on the affected lines shortly before 4pm. Frustrated commuters gathered at train stations faced delays of 45 minutes and longer.

Twenty replacement shuttle buses were ordered to transport commuters between Lidcombe and Ashfield. An Uber price surge cap agreement was also activated, however, this masthead was contacted by a number of people reporting Uber surge prices.

At Parramatta station, large crowds gathered out the front of the Opal gates as staff temporarily blocked access to the platforms to avoid crowding. Just after 4pm, passengers were told by station staff that there was “nothing happening between now and the next half hour or so” before replacement buses arrived. By 4.15pm, commuters were once again piling onto the platforms.

Collins insisted the live wire problem had nothing to do with an ongoing dispute with rail unions, or maintenance standards.

“The overhead wire is maintained to a very strict standard ... but like anything mechanical, there may be a reason why this has occurred,” Collins said.

“It is very unusual, but it does happen on overhead wire lines around every state and around the globe.”

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