Sydney’s rail network has been hit by major disruption after overhead power wires came down onto a passenger train between Redfern and Erskineville on Friday evening. Power has been isolated on part of the network and passengers are being removed from multiple trains, with significant delays expected for the rest of the day.
Major delays are affecting Sydney’s train network after overhead electrical wires came down onto a passenger servicein the inner west.
The South Coast Line train was travelling between Redfern and Erskineville when the incident occurred at about 5pm.
Transport authorities immediately isolated power to the affected area and emergency teams began working to safely remove passengers from trains caught in the disruption.
The exact cause of the incident is not yet known.
“A really significant disruption”
Sydney Trains head of rail operations Jas Tumber described the situation as a major incident with widespread consequences across the network.
“This is a really significant disruption that’s causing really wide ripple effects,” he said.
Authorities are still investigating what caused the wires to come down.
As part of the emergency response, electricity has been switched off between Central and Newtown on two of the six tracks that carry trains into and out of the Sydney CBD.
That has dramatically reduced the capacity of the network during the evening peak.
Passengers evacuated from trains
One passenger, Sean Murphy, said he was travelling from Redfern towards Sutherland on a Kiama service when the train suddenly lost power.
He said the train became “basically dead” several minutes after departing Redfern.
Passengers were initially told that a train ahead had brought down powerlines and were asked to wait for further instructions.
They were later directed to move towards the centre of the train.
According to Murphy, passengers were eventually evacuated through the driver’s compartment and had to climb down a steep ladder before being led safely to the side of the tracks.
Multiple train lines affected
The incident has caused disruption well beyond the immediate Redfern-Erskineville area.
Services affected include:
T1 North Shore and Western Line, T2, T3, T8 and T9 services, as well as intercity trains travelling west and north from Sydney.
Sydney Trains has warned passengers to expect delays, service gaps and timetable changes for the remainder of the day.
Intercity services disrupted
The power outage has also affected passengers travelling outside Sydney.
Intercity services heading west and north from Sydney Terminal are unable to operate normally through the affected section.
Passengers have been advised to use suburban trains where possible and travel to locations such as Blacktown or Parramatta to connect with alternative services.
Some inbound trains from western and northern areas are being turned around at stations including Parramatta, Strathfield and Hornsby.
Evening peak severely affected
The timing of the incident has made the disruption particularly serious.
The wires came down shortly before the busiest part of Sydney’s evening commute, when tens of thousands of passengers are travelling out of the CBD.
With part of the rail corridor without power, even trains operating on unaffected tracks are experiencing delays because of congestion and reduced capacity.
Transport authorities have warned that the knock-on effects could continue for hours.
Passengers urged to find alternatives
Sydney commuters are being advised to allow significantly more travel time and consider other transport options.
Depending on the destination, passengers may need to use buses, light rail or alternative train routes.
Those already on the network should pay close attention to station announcements and real-time transport updates.
Cause still unknown
Engineers and response crews are now working to establish exactly what caused the overhead wires to fall.
There is no indication yet of how long repairs will take or when full services will resume.
For now, Sydney’s rail network remains under heavy pressure.
Passengers travelling across the city tonight should expect major delays and significant disruption until further notice.
