The Minns Labor Government has accepted every recommendation of the Independent Rail Review into Sydney Trains, announcing an overhaul to maintenance, incident management and passenger communications after the system's failings caused two days of chaos for commuters in May.
The Independent Rail Review is a sobering read. It makes clear the performance of Sydney's rail system is not where it needs to be.
It's important the community sees it in full which is why we are releasing the Review in full and acting on every recommendation.
The Review, commissioned after the 20 May 2025 overhead wiring failure at Homebush, was led by Dr Kerry Schott AO, Carolyn Walsh, and Trevor Armstrong.
It examined the cause of the incident, the impact of recent repair and fleet investment, and whether passenger communications were adequate during major disruptions.
The Review found that:
- The overhead wire which failed had been identified as a risk in 2020 but was never entered into Sydney Trains' defect management system and not repaired.
- The fault caused city-wide disruption, with the impact spreading across multiple lines.
- Recovery of services was far too slow, including a three-hour operation to detrain passengers.
- Communication with passengers and within the Rail Operations Centre (ROC) was inadequate, contributing to confusion and delay.
The Government has accepted all 12 recommendations of the Review and will implement them with clear timelines and accountability measures.
This will be supported by an investment of $458.4 million over four years.
Key actions in response to the Review include:
1. Maintenance overhaul and rapid response repair teams
- Sydney Trains will declare "maintenance critical zones" on the network, starting with the Homebush-Strathfield corridor where multiple lines converge.
- An additional four-year $423.4 million asset renewal program will upgrade track, signals, overhead wiring and drainage in flood-prone areas. Just over $41 million will be spent this financial year.
- A dedicated $35 million reliability program is being spent this financial year to fast-track repairs in these high-priority areas, covering overhead wiring, track, signalling and power systems.
- In a significant change, Sydney Trains will move from time-based to risk-based maintenance, targeting areas with the greatest impact on network reliability.
- Two new rapid incident response teams will be established, based at Redfern (by late 2025) and Homebush (by early 2026).
- Two teams of 32 skilled staff will be rostered from 3am to 10pm to cover both the morning and evening peaks.
- These teams will be deployed during major incidents and special events to minimise disruption and restore services faster.
TIMEFRAME: Underway. Next steps from October 2025
2. Technology upgrades
- Annual digital scans of the overhead wiring network have already been introduced, detecting 126 points of risk since May, all of which have been addressed.
- Sydney Trains will roll out new laser hand-held devices by December 2025. These devices check wire thickness and will replace binocular inspections and significantly improve accuracy.
TIMEFRAME: Underway. Next steps from December 2025
3. Reforming the Rail Operations Centre
- A new Executive Director of Incident Response and Service Recovery has been appointed
- A Crisis Management Team model is now in place, with simplified command structures to end "decision by committee".
- Incident management procedures are being simplified, and new contingency timetables will be developed to allow faster recovery when the system is disrupted
TIMEFRAME: Underway. Next steps from December 2025
4. Passenger communications and care
- Sydney Trains will implement a new systems so passengers receive clearer information on platforms, in apps and on trains when services are disrupted
- Opal Travel App alerts will be triggered automatically when major incidents occur, with a campaign to encourage more users to opt in
- Passenger Care and Support teams will be established to provide assistance at stations or on-board trains during incidents
TIMEFRAME: Underway. Next steps from December 2025
5. Fleet and workforce improvements
- The new Mariyung intercity fleet will enter service on the Blue Mountains Line in October 2025, followed by the South Coast Line in 2026, replacing older V-Sets
- The existing $447 million Tangara Life Extension Program will refurbish 445 carriages, extending their life and improving safety, disability compliance and onboard information systems
- Sydney Trains will also recruit additional train crew in 2026 to address staff shortages that have caused cancellations and delays on intercity services
TIMEFRAME: Ongoing
The Independent Rail Review is available here
Minister for Transport John Graham said:
"The people of Sydney expect a safe and reliable rail network - and right now, it's not up to scratch.
"The Review makes tough reading for the Government and will be disappointing for those 1.1 million people who rely on Sydney Trains every day. Even more so for commuters who were inconvenienced, or even stranded, on trains and platforms that day.
"This Review shows just how much work there is to do, and we're determined to get on with it.
"Incidents are inevitable from time to time on a rail network the size and age of Sydney's, but the missteps and mishandling of the response ensured two days of chaos on our city's public transport system when a well-managed response could - and should - have limited disruption to one day.
"A well-managed rail maintenance program could - and should - have fixed this fault after it was detected and prevented the disruption affecting so many.
"I want to thank the Reviewers for their work. The Government is accepting all their recommendations and Sydney Trains and Transport for NSW will now have specific timelines to implement the improvements needed.
