Friday night rush hour hell for weary commuters as train network grinds to a halt

By NICK WILSON FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA

Published: 06:06 GMT, 14 March 2025 | Updated: 06:33 GMT, 14 March 2025

Sydney commuters are facing major delays amid Friday afternoon peak hour traffic following major train delays across the rail network. 

A signal failure in the inner-west suburb of Ashfield on Friday morning has caused disruptions on several train lines throughout the day and into rush hour.

Commuters should expect major buildups on train platforms across the city into peak hour and beyond.  

The T1 North Shore and Western, T2 Inner West and Leppington, T3 Liverpool and Inner West Line and T9 Northern line are all among those affected. 

Intercity lines to the Blue Mountains and Central Coast are also experiencing major disruptions following the Ashfield incident. 

Buses will continue to supplement trains between Hornsby and Berowra on the T1 north shore line and T9 Northern line. 

Buses are also replacing trains between Olympic Park and Lidcombe on the T7 Olympic Park Line following a separate ‘operational issue’ at Lidcombe.  

Transport for NSW warned services along affected lines may be less frequent and trips may take longer than usual. 

Sydney commuters are facing major delays amid Friday afternoon peak hour traffic following major train delays across the rail network

Stops may also change at short notice. 

‘You should plan ahead and allow plenty of extra travel time and use other transport options where possible,’ Transport for NSW said. 

‘Please listen for announcements and check information screens before getting on trains.’

Five lanes on the Sydney Harbour Bridge will also be closed on Friday evening for scheduled maintenance and upgrade works. 

The closures will take effect from 9.30pm and are expected to last until 6am. 

A single northbound lane in the Sydney Harbour Tunnel will close from 10pm until 6am. 

Sydney Trains executive director of rail operations Jas Tumber said the train network had yet to recover from the Ashfield signal issues this morning.  

‘There’s been a cascading and compounding impact on the network which has resulted in a displacement of trains against the timetable and we’ve tried to restore where we can.

‘The key plan for the afternoon is to try and get a key frequency established across the lines.’

More to come

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Friday night rush hour hell for weary commuters as train network grinds to a halt

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