Trains halted and motorists trapped as month’s worth of rain dumped

A heavy storm moving across parts of Sydney has triggered commuter chaos and cancellations.

Train travellers are packing onto buses as tracks are inundated with water while some drivers remain at a standstill on the roads.

The State Emergency Service responded to 14 flood rescues and 219 calls for help within an hour.

A severe weather warning was issued this afternoon for the city, with locals being warned an “unpredictable” thunderstorm had been fueled by humid weather and a trough in central NSW.

Milperra and Camden have been hit hard, with four cars trapped in flash flooding on the M5 off-ramp and the ceiling collapsing at one business.

Nearly 30mm of rain fell in Camden in just 30 minutes, and a huge 75mm over two hours.

That’s almost a month’s worth of rain.

Over in Rosehill, one southbound lane is closed on James Ruse Drive just past Grand Parade and Hassall Street after a car breakdown due to earlier flooding.

On the lower north shore in Artarmon, two of four northbound lanes of the Gore Hill Freeway were closed due to flooding, choking traffic badly.

Emergency services cleared a multi-car crash on Southern Cross Drive at Zetland and re-opened the road but traffic remained heavy in the area.

Motorists were asked to avoid the area or allow plenty of extra travel time.

Train tracks on the T7 and T3 lines have been flooded, further delaying commuters.

Trains are not running between Lidcombe and Olympic Park in both directions due to flooding on the tracks at Olympic Park, with commuters told to use bus routes 525 or 526 to finish their journey.

Those trying to get a train from Sydenham to Bankstown have also been asked to use alternate transport due to flooding at Marrickville.

“Customers wanting to travel to stations between Marrickville and Bankstown will need to catch a T2 Inner West and Leppington Line service and change trains at Lidcombe,” Sydney Trains said. 

City-bound services on that line were still operational. 

Commuters were asked to delay if possible and allow extra travel time.

While the weather system eased humidity around parts of the city, the heavy rain came as commuters made their way home from work.

The Bureau of Meteorology said a severe weather warning remains in place for western and southern Sydney.

“These thunderstorms are slow moving,” the bureau said.

“ … Heavy rainfall that may lead to flash flooding is likely.”

Meteorologists said the humid weather was impacting a trough in central NSW, leading to the “unstable” thunderstorm.

The SES issued a warning to avoid stormwater drains, unplug electrical devices and stay indoors away from windows.