Sydney train delays: NSW Premier says chaos will last all day with massive queues, free fares announced

Commuters using Sydney’s train network are being warned to expect significant delays all day Wednesday following a major incident during Tuesday’s peak hour.

NSW Premier Chris Minns has spoken at a press conference today, confirming that shuttle services will be in place until Thursday morning.

He warned “we will not be returning to the normal timetable for trains in New South Wales in the afternoon peak. Unfortunately, that’s just the way it is.” He added, “There will still be disruptions into the afternoon.”

A 1,500-volt overhead cable fell onto train carriages near Strathfield station in Sydney’s west on Tuesday evening, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of passengers from the affected train as well as three others impacted by the resulting outage.

Crews worked overnight in challenging wet and dark conditions to assess and repair the damage. Despite bringing the “catastrophic event” under control by Tuesday night, the disruption is expected to continue, with knock-on effects impacting the morning commute and all day Wednesday.

Authorities urged passengers to consider alternative travel options on Wednesday morning.

“Most lines will be impacted this morning due to power supply issues at Strathfield. Trains will operate, but services will be reduced and will not run to a normal timetable. Please delay non-essential travel,” a Sydney Trains spokesperson said.

The incident has affected nearly all lines across the Sydney rail network, causing widespread delays and service changes.

Transport for NSW warned that stops and platforms may change at short notice, advising commuters to stay alert to announcements and check real-time service updates.

Passengers at Ashfield station were being greeted with blank screens, adding to confusion as staff direct growing crowds to unfamiliar platforms. All services are departing from platform 4, while express trains to Redfern and Central are leaving from platform 1, and many commuters are walking around looking lost.

Lines for replacement buses at stations across Sydney stretched into the hundreds of metres. At Lidcombe station, the queue was up to 300 metres long, with tempers flaring and some commuters reportedly yelling at staff as they waited for limited services.

NSW Premier Chris Minns has apologised for the disruption, telling 2GB, “We’ve let the travelling public down,” and acknowledged the government must “do better.”

He announced that fares will be waived on Monday to help compensate those out of pocket, saying, “In no way is that going to make up for the disruption of the last 24 hours, but hopefully it can go some way to alleviate the financial burden that families have had to deal with over the last day.”

Mr Minns also flagged an independent review into the network and urged people to work from home if possible.

Transport for NSW said train services are “progressively” returning to normal after significant delays and hours of queues for replacement buses this morning, but warned residual delays will continue for the rest of the day.

Power was restored to the affected areas around 7.20am and the first trains ran through just after 8am. The T4 Eastern Suburbs & Illawarra line has largely been unaffected, with regular services continuing as usual.

While the metro, light rail, and local buses remain unaffected, many stations have been overcrowded with frustrated passengers.

Transport for NSW and Sydney Trains have issued apologies for the inconvenience caused. Officials have also stated that the incident was unlikely due to maintenance issues or weather conditions and promised a full investigation to determine the cause.

Flooding continues to cause additional delays on the Central Coast & Newcastle and Hunter lines, with buses replacing trains in affected areas.

Commuters are encouraged to remain patient and monitor official channels for the latest information.