A focus on road and rail recovery in Greater Sydney

Sydney Trains Chief Executive, Matt Longland, said train services will continue to be impacted as clean up and repairs ramp up across the network.

“We are working on over 100 at-risk sites across the network, including debris on rail lines and damaged high voltage infrastructure due to the strong winds and heavy rainfall over the past week,” Mr Longland said.



“After sites are cleared, crews will need to carry out geotechnical inspections and remedial work, so it will take some time before all repairs are complete.



“We have seen significant events across the network. Among the worst affected is the Blue Mountains line, with landslips at Emu Plains and Katoomba and a sink hole at Leura. We have also seen extensive flooding at Richmond and Campbelltown. A landslip at Casula caused part of the T5 line to shut while a landslip at Pymble affected services on the T1 North Shore Line.”



As a result, the T1 Western Line between Schofields and Richmond, the Blue Mountains Line between Penrith and Lithgow, and the Southern Highlands line between Moss Vale and Campbelltown are still closed.



In addition to regular scheduled maintenance on the T9 line between Strathfield and Hornsby and T1 line between Gordon and Berowra over the weekend, part of the T1 North Shore Line will be closed on Saturday from Gordon to North Sydney between 7am and 7pm to fast-track daylight-critical inspections and mobilise recovery crews to repair damage as quickly as possible.

“Even though the weather has cleared and floodwaters have begun to recede, our expert engineers need time to assess damage to tracks, bridges and other structures. I’m very grateful to our repair crews for working towards getting the regular train timetable up and running,” Mr Longland said.

With such extensive maintenance closures needed there will be limited supplementary bus services for rail commuters in key locations.

“Customers are urged to delay their travel if possible and if you must use the network, please expect delays and listen to stations and service announcements. The safety of our customers and staff is our number one priority and we will continue to run trains at a reduced speed until it is safe to do otherwise.”



“Thank you for working with us as we get clean up underway and please continue to show our frontliners your respect and understanding.”



Acting Transport for NSW Chief Operations Officer, Mark Hutchings, said unprecedented rainfall across the State has taken its toll across the road network.



“We saw waist-deep water in some parts of Greater Sydney over the past week which has caused widespread damage including landslips and sinkholes,” Mr Hutchings said.



“Geotechnical assessments are underway as our crews work to understand the extent of damage and what repairs will be needed.



“Some of the worst-hit areas in terms of flooding are the Richmond, Windsor area, Manly and Narrabeen on the Northern Beaches and Georges Hall and Liverpool in Sydney’s south west.



“Even with the sun coming out we need the road dry before we can start more complex and permanent repairs. Please stay vigilant on the roads and never drive through floodwaters.

“We are doing hundreds of repairs per night which means road crews on the ground. Please drive to the conditions and do not drive past barriers or signs closing off roads – you are putting yourself and our crews at risk if you do this.



“There are also significant impacts on some bus services due to localised flooding.



“A reminder for anyone out on the water, waterways are saturated and there is a risk of hazardous submerged debris making boating unsafe.



“In addition, some signage and navigation aids are expected to be missing or out of position so other hazards may not be marked.”



For the latest on public transport services: transportnsw.info

For real-time road updates check: LiveTraffic.com