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.
Transport for NSW said major disruptions were expected to all trains running between Central and Strathfield as it urged commuters to delay unnecessary travel or find alternative ways of getting home on Tuesday. Frustrated commuters crowded train stations, filled replacement shuttle buses and packed Metro platforms, as authorities warned the delays were expected to cascade into the Wednesday morning rush.
The power outage disrupted services on the T1 North Shore and Western Line, T2 Inner West and Leppington Line, T3 Liverpool and Inner West Line, T8 Airport and South Line, T9 Northern Line, Central Coast and Newcastle Line, and Blue Mountains Line. The T4 Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra Line was the only route unaffected.
The affected train was travelling between Strathfield and Burwood stations, near Homebush, when it was struck by the wire, causing the power outage to ripple across most of the network shortly after 2.30pm. Emergency crews were called to isolate the power, clear people from the area, and evacuate the passengers trapped on the train. Crews were expected to be 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.
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“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.”
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