Updated August 14, 2026 — 7:07pm,first published 5:52pmSydney peak hour train commuters are facing “significant disruptions” as crews urgently repair overhead wiring near Redfern train station, leaving some passengers stranded on trains while others are warned of delays expected to continue for the rest of Friday.Wiring has come down in the corridor between Central and Newtown and two of the six tracks are unable to be used while repair crews assess the damage.Commuters at Redfern station on Friday evening.Thomas WieleckiTrains are still operating on the other four tracks, but the loss of capacity is causing significant congestion as services are routed around the incident. There are gaps in some services and delays up to 45 minutes.Impacted services with expected delays include the T1 Western, T2 Leppington and Inner West, T3 Liverpool and Inner West, T9 Northern Line and Blue Mountains services. The T4 Eastern Suburbs and Illawarra line is operating as normal.“Travel times will be longer than usual,” Transport NSW warned.Overhead wiring came down near Redfern station just before peak hour on Friday.Thomas Wielecki“Delays and gaps in service are expected for the rest of the day. Stops may change at short notice.“There is no forecast for restoration of normal services at this time.”Passengers were stranded on three trains stuck in the corridor. Two have been “detrained”, with work continuing on a third.One passenger told the Herald they were stuck on a stranded train for about two-and-a-half hours, before being escorted along the corridor to Newtown station.Medics earlier boarded the train and handed out water to stranded passengers.An image captured as passengers were escorted along the rail corridor after their train was stranded.Buses are being organised to supplement trains at Central, Lidcombe, Sutherland and Campbelltown stations.Most Blue Mountains line services are starting and finishing at Strathfield, with passengers advised to change trains there. Central Coast and Newcastle commuters are being advised to change trains at Strathfield and Epping, where services are starting and finishing.Passengers have been advised to consider alternative transport including Sydney Metro services.Rugby league fans trying to get to Sydney Olympic Park to watch the Bulldogs play the Rabbitohs are likely to face significant disruptions.Transport Minister John Graham thanked commuters “for their understanding and patience”.“Our immediate priority is the safety of passengers and ensuring those on the impacted trains are assisted safely,” Graham said.“Sydney Trains crews and engineers are on site assessing the damage and working to restore infrastructure and resume normal services as quickly and safely as possible.”The wiring came down on Friday less than a year after a scathing review of Sydney’s train network, sparked by another wiring fault in May 2025 which caused days of delays. The review found the issue behind that fault had been identified as far back as 2020 but was never fixed.Crews responding to the May 20, 2025 incident.Wolter PeetersThe government announced a $423 million injection into the heavy rail network following the review’s release.The funds – stretched over four years – were set to go towards upgrading rail tracks, signals, overhead wiring and drainage in flood-prone areas.Get the day’s breaking news, entertainment ideas and a long read to enjoy. Sign up to receive our Evening Edition newsletter.Jack Gramenz is a breaking news reporter at The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.From our partners