Sydney commuters are facing major traffic buildups following significant rail network disruptions and train delays of up to two hours.
A signal failure in the inner-west suburb of Ashfield on Friday morning has continued to cause disruptions into the afternoon peak hour.
The T1 North Shore and Western, T2 Inner West and Leppington, T3 Liverpool and Inner West Line and T9 Northern line are among the worst 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.
Replacement buses will also continue to run 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.
Stops may also change at short notice.
Sydney commuters are facing major delays amid Friday afternoon peak hour traffic following major train delays across the rail network
‘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.’
A spokesperson for Sydney Trains told Daily Mail Australia commuters should expect delays of up to two hours on affected lines.
While trains will continue to run, impacted commuters should consider alternative modes of transport.
Sydney Trains executive director of rail operations Jas Tumber said the train network had yet to recover from the Ashfield signal issues this morning.
‘The expectation would be that these delays will unfortunately carry on throughout the afternoon peak and into the evening, but we will definitely look to reset the timetable for tomorrow 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.’
Commuters have been told to expect two hour delays on affected lines while trains are expected to return to regular scheduled times from tomorrow morning.
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.
NSW Premier Chris Minns took to social media on Friday afternoon to acknowledge the recent string of rail disruptions.
‘It’s clear that rail services haven’t been up to standard in recent days,’ he said.
‘This morning, urgent signal repairs were required at Ashfield, which has caused delays across all train lines, with the exception of the T4 and the South Coast Line.
‘I want to thank everyone for their patience while these issues and delays were resolved. I know it’s frustrating when your journey isn’t on schedule.
‘I absolutely accept we all need to do better and that’s what we’re working on.’
A number of frustrated commuters were quick to criticise Mr Minn’s post, stating Friday’s delays were only the latest in a series of transport failures.
‘Not good enough… Sitting on a train now for 75 minutes for a trip that should only take 10 minutes,’ one Facebook user said.
More to come
