An independent review into an overhead wiring failure that crippled Sydney’s train network for days is scathing of the response from authorities, saying it could find “no defensible reason” why it took so long to get passengers off a stranded train.

The analysis - released on Tuesday morning - pinpoints failings in the passenger rail network and was highly critical of the time that passed between the incident on May 20, and its recovery two days later, which was “far too long”.

The latest independent review was commissioned after a single train became entangled in overhead wiring at Homebush on May 20, triggering a widespread power outage and crippling most of the passenger train system for 38 hours.

“A confusion about safe rules for detraining in this type of incident occurred even

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