A snapped wire that caused two days of bedlam across Sydney’s train network had been identified as an issue five years earlier but never repaired, a scathing report has found.
Sydney’s rail network was plunged into chaos in May when an overhead wire powering a train broke just before it reached Homebush station, causing widespread disruptions and leaving hundreds trapped on board for hours before they could be evacutated.
An independent review into the incident found the wire had been detected as “thin” as far back as 2020, but not logged in Sydney Trains’ defect management system.
Camera IconMore than 300 people have been evacuated after being trapped on a Sydney train near Strathfield station when high voltage wires collapsed on top. Nine News Credit: Supplied
Undertaken by Teksol International, the measurements detected the overhead wire as being close to the elastic limit of 10.1mm and that the defect ran for 630mm.
The measurements were not part of routine maintenance, the report found, and instead commissioned to “inform long-term asset management strategies”.
As such, it was not integrated into the defect management system and did not trigger a work order for repairs.
The report noted of “equal, if not greater concern” was that subsequent routine inspections since 2020 had also failed to detect the thin wire.
The most recent visual inspection of the wire at Homebush station was on April 8, just weeks before the incident.
Camera IconIssues with a wire which snapped causing chaos for two days across Sydney’s train network were detected five years earlier but not repaired. NewsWire / John Appleyard Credit: News Corp Australia
An internal investigation by Sydney Trains found the method for visual inspections was inadequate, requiring workers to use binoculars from a distance.
“Inspections are done in daylight hours, but the frequency of trains prevents workers from having access to the track and the inspection team simply cannot get an adequate view,” the report found.
“They must stand too far away and cannot view the full length of the wire from various positions and angles.”
The second form of routine inspection, a hands-on inspection, also failed to detect the thin wire when it was conducted in October 2024.
A hands-on inspection is required every four years at crossover points and every eight years over straight tracks.
Sydney Trains found, as per the report, that the job card used by inspectors did not provide specific direction to inspect the wire.
“It seems that staff were unaware that they needed to do so,” the report found
Camera IconMatt Longland, CEO of Sydney Trains, at Central Station, Sydney. NewsWire / Monique Harmer Credit: News Corp Australia
“This is because the job card used an abbreviated description of the tasks to be done.”
Communications during days-long chaos
The report found the time between the May 2025 incident and the recovery two days later was “far too long”.
“One of the main reasons for that appears to be a lack of management capability in dealing with an incident of this kind,” it stated.
“In this incident the leadership did not appear to be confident, strong or disciplined and the teams were not deployed by that leader as we would have expected.
“Part of the issue was a lack of qualifications in the operation of the railway and the safety procedures and rules that accompany that operation.
“The incident was managed as a sequence of tasks, with debates concerning the appropriate procedures even before those tasks commenced.”
The report noted the “disturbing feature” of the absence of effective communication on the day of the incident and the day after.
“The passengers stuck on the train did not know what was happening; the passengers expecting to get a train home did not know either; and neither did the general public.
“The government received some limited communication from Sydney Trains but not in detail and not reliable, especially about available trains running or when normal operations would recommence.”
The report found “no defensible reason” as to why it took so long to detrain passengers at Homebush.
More to come.
