High-voltage wires landed on the top of the train, attracting 300 passengers and leading to the routes in and out of central Sidney, where Sydney's train network has been stumbled into chaos.
NSW Transport Coordinator Howard Collins told reporters the incident happened at 2.30 pm on Tuesday, with 300 passengers remaining trapped in Strathfield, in the west of Sydney, and other trains were stranded when the power was turned off.
The NSW team’s transportation is designed to allow passengers to leave the train safely, Collins told reporters: “If you are very close or touching the wires with that voltage and environment, it will be life-threatening – it will kill you right away.”
"The most important thing here is safety, ensuring we do this under safe conditions and there is no risk of turning on the power by chance or other means," Collins said.
New South Wales Transport Minister John Graham said on Tuesday night that passengers were “taken on stranded trains wrapped around the wiring and three other trains that were stopped by passengers on board.”
He said: “This is a very serious incident in a critical part of the railway network and we apologize to all affected train passengers.
"The team is now working to cut the tangled train and evaluate the required recovery efforts. We will update the progress of this work and any process impact tomorrow morning."
Due to the results of Theissue, there are expected significant delays in T1 (North Shore and West), T2 (Leppington and Inter West), T2 (Liverpool and Inter West) and T8 (Liverpool and Inter West) and services through Strathfield. The T4 (East Suburb and Ilawara) line is not affected.
There was a chaotic scene at Sydney's Central Station, with thousands of commuters heading to the home flood platform and boarding trains that were largely unrun.
Train services along the main western suburb line did not move, and as commuters boarded the plane, the crashed cars seemed unaware that their service had been cancelled.
Station staff erected a traditional tape festival to close the entrances to various platforms, but commuters still did not clearly closure, and many people continued to advance to the platform under obstacles.
Jordi Bradley, who had travelled to Central, thought it would be a quick transit for a fast train to Meadowbank, but soon realized that she would spend much more nights on Platform 19 than she expected.
"It's a good thing I don't have plans tonight because I don't think I'm getting on the train anytime soon," she said.
"Some people go to the airport where I'm going to go here, but they're now sitting in the center with their luggage"
She chose to wait on the platform rather than boarding a train and said "nothing moved."
Rose Bilyk took the train to the Fairfield area in the middle.
She lives on the T3 line, which used to rely on the Bankstown-Sydenham train line, which is currently closed to Metro, so her only alternative rail route in recent months is through Strathfield
“It’s crazy, they’re completely isolated Southwest Sydney because the only part we’re left is passing Strathfield.”
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“For me, there are no train substitutes, they have cut the bus route, so I have to go west and southwest as much as I can and get an Uber.”
As frustrated commuters at Central Station were tired of railway workers on Tuesday night, Hi Vis officials did not have clear photos other than transferring them extensively to the bus stop.
The Guardian Australia has observed several transport officials checking Google Maps to take commuters’ travel home by relying on data from internal communications.
Platform announcements also clash with the train information screen for each service. Once, as the platform announcement informed them that the train on the adjacent platform would be on the airport service, a train that seemed to be heading to the airport suddenly cleared the airport.
Collins said the issue should be resolved Tuesday night, but commuters are advised to check the news in the morning.
Transport in NSW recommends people plan extra travel time or consider using subway services between Epping, Chatswood and Central or other bus routes.
Collins said alternatives are very limited, so people should avoid using rail networks when possible, but lines can’t be restored until the wires on the top of the train become safe.
Collins said Uber has proposed a cap on price increases to prevent large-scale price increases for ride-sharing services.
Collins said it was too early to say what made the cable fall, but overhead wires “maintain very strict standards.”
"But like any mechanical thing, there's a reason for that," he said.
“It’s very unusual, but it does happen on elevated lines around every state and around the world.”