Commuter chaos caused by a “nowhere-near-good-enough” power outage on Sydney’s train network will continue into Wednesday afternoon’s peak.

Sydney residents have been urged to avoid unnecessary travel after a live wire suspended above train tracks near Strathfield station at Homebush hit a passing train on Tuesday afternoon, triggering a power outage.

The overhead wiring was repaired on Wednesday morning but authorities expected delays to last throughout the day.

“I regret to inform everybody we are expecting shuttle services for the rest of the day. There will still be disruptions into the afternoon. We will not be returning to the normal timetable for trains in NSW in the afternoon peak. Unfortunately, that is the case,” Premier Chris Minns said.

“It is not possible to promise a return to the timetable [today] … We expect to be in place as of the peak tomorrow morning but this afternoon it will still be disruptive.”

Commuters queued in their thousands at stations across Sydney for Wednesday morning’s peak, some waiting hours for a trickle of replacement buses, themselves hampered by increased traffic on the roads.

Bricklayer Mile Jovkovski waited 45 minutes trying to get a train from Lidcombe to Penrith in the city’s west before giving up and deciding to go home.

“I’m losing my whole day,” he said.

As a business owner, Jovkovski said he’d had to catch up on his lost work on another day.

Accountant MD Homayum, meanwhile, said a missed morning could force him to work late into the night.

“It’s been happening so frequently, especially for the past six months,” he said.

“It’s very disappointing.”

Homayum was told to take a bus, but it would not get him to his Parramatta office in time.

“That’s why I have to cancel my plan and go back home,” he said.

On social media, the reaction to the ongoing delays was vicious.

“I really can’t put my rage at Sydney Trains into words anymore. These constant failures are unacceptable and it’s deplorable that they all still think they are owed something more. Tear it all down,” one user said.

“Whoever is in charge of Sydney trains needs the sack and [to] revamp your workforce,” wrote another.

Transport for NSW said replacement buses were at full capacity trying to supplement for the lack of trains.

“It’s not like flicking a switch and getting the timetable operating instantly,” rail operations executive Jas Tumber said.

“We have to go through a gradual build-up of matching crew and trains to provide the frequency of service that we need.”

Transport Minister John Graham said the congested nature of the train service between Strathfield and Homebush caused the widespread disruption.

“The fact that power has been restored and trains will start to move through the Strathfield area will allow us to get the network moving again,” he told Nine’s Today.

Crews worked through the night to fix the overhead wiring, made tougher by dark and rainy conditions with the high-voltage power lines nearby.

At one point on Tuesday afternoon, a 1500-volt power connector was sitting on top of the train carrying 300 passengers.

Earlier, Minns said $1.5 billion a year was spent on rail infrastructure and maintenance and punters should expect a more reliable network.

“This is nowhere near good enough, we’ve let the travelling public down,” he told Sydney’s 2GB radio.

“I saw [media] today which was damning of the government, and it said it was a shame for Sydney – I have to agree.”

He also announced a “short and sharp” review of Sydney’s transport system.

Sydney Trains has apologised to affected commuters.

“We acknowledge how frustrating this has been for passengers and apologise for the disruption,” it said on Wednesday.

“Passengers planning to use the rail network today are advised to delay travel or use alternative transport. There will be reduced services on all lines, although trains will not run to timetable.”

The NSW government said Monday would be a fare-free day as compensation.

-with AAP