Fallen Trees and Floods Bring NSW Rail Services to a Standstill Across the Hunter

newy.com.au – Train services across New South Wales have been severely disrupted after wild weather caused widespread damage to rail infrastructure on 2 July 2025, with impacts expected to continue into tomorrow.

The Central Coast and Newcastle line was the most affected, with trees bringing down overhead electrical wires in two separate incidents. At Dora Creek, high voltage lines came down on both a passenger and freight train. No injuries were reported and 60 passengers on the Newcastle-bound train were safely moved onto a replacement bus. Engineers are currently assessing the damage, with repair work to begin once conditions are deemed safe. Transport for NSW has warned that the line may remain affected later into the week.

A second incident occurred at Koolewong where a tree struck overhead wiring, halting services between Hawkesbury River and Gosford. Trains from Sydney are terminating at Hawkesbury River, while services from Wyong are ending at Gosford. A replacement shuttle service is running between Hawkesbury River and Central, stopping at all stations.

Flooding on the tracks at Sandgate has brought the Hunter Line to a halt, with no trains running between Newcastle Interchange and Scone or Dungog. On the Western and Blue Mountains lines, a tree smashed through a driver’s windscreen at Kingswood and another blocked tracks at Lapstone. Services between Valley Heights and St Marys are suspended in both directions.

Last night’s severe weather also left more than 30,000 homes without power across the state, as strong winds and heavy rainfall battered eastern NSW.

The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a further severe weather warning for today (2 July 2025), with damaging winds and heavy rainfall forecast across the Hunter, Mid North Coast, Metropolitan and several other regions. A vigorous coastal low is currently located off the northern Illawarra and is expected to move into the Tasman Sea later today, though dangerous conditions are expected to persist.

Travellers are being urged to stay informed and plan ahead, particularly in coastal areas impacted by the wild weather. Transport for NSW Coordinator-General Howard Collins said the situation across roads and public transport remained dynamic, and people should continue to avoid non-essential travel.

“We’re grateful people have listened to the advice to avoid non-essential travel today, and we’ve seen a significant drop in the number of vehicles on the road and passengers on the public transport network,” Mr Collins said.

“This has helped us with our work to provide connections and services for frontliners and essential workers who had to be on the network today.

“Trees brought down by the combination of drenching rain and very strong winds have had the greatest impact for roads and train services over the last two days.

“Our teams were prepared, and have responded quickly to deploy replacement bus services and clear road and train lines as needed.

“Some of this work on our train line, including damage to wiring caused by trees coming down on the line near Dora Creek will take longer to repair, and replacement bus services will likely need to continue for this section of the line into tomorrow.

“While rain has eased off for many areas – the return of strong southerly winds along the coast this afternoon means we could see new impacts emerging.

“Safety is always our top priority, and as rain continues for the Illawarra and South Coast we’re urging drivers to please take extra care, drive to the conditions and never drive through floodwaters.

“This evening, and even tomorrow morning, we’re asking people to allow extra time to get to your destination, and check for updates before you set off.

“Public transport passengers can jump online and check the latest timetables and disruptions at transportnsw.info/alerts, and drivers can check the Live Traffic app or visit livetraffic.com.”

Current Network Impacts:

Public Transport:

Buses continue to replace trains on the T1 Western Line between Penrith and St Marys due to overhead wire repairs at Kingswood. Passengers may also use local bus routes 770, 774, 775 and 776.

On the Central Coast and Newcastle Line, buses are replacing trains between Wyong and Fassifern due to ongoing wiring repairs at Dora Creek.

South Coast Line trains are running at reduced speeds due to wet weather.

F1 Manly ferries resumed this morning between Manly and Circular Quay after being suspended on Tuesday due to heavy swell.

Several bus routes around Sydney and regional areas are diverting due to flooded roads.

Roads:

Road closures are in place at Oxford Falls Road in Oxford Falls and Audley Weir in Royal National Park.

Drivers should proceed with caution where water is over the road, including the Illawarra Highway at Burrawang and Nelson Bay Road at Anna Bay.

Advice and Resources:

For road closures and live traffic updates, visit livetraffic.com or use the Live Traffic app.

For public transport disruptions, check travel alerts at transportnsw.info.

For weather warnings, visit the Bureau of Meteorology at bom.gov.au or download the BoM Weather App.

For emergency assistance, contact NSW SES on 132 500. In life-threatening situations, call Triple Zero (000).

Join the discussion on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1BHb2NryQb/?mibextid=wwXIfr