The show will return to Australian screens at 7.00pm on Monday, January 19, 2026.
Home and Away wrapped up its 2025 season with one of its most devastating cliff hangers yet.
Leaving multiple lives hanging in the balance after a party train bound for the Off the Rails music festival derailed inside a tunnel- fans were in shock.
As the show prepares to return, viewers are bracing themselves for heartbreak, twists and long-awaited comebacks.
When does Home and Away return?
Seven has confirmed that Home and Away will return to Australian screens at 7.00pm on Monday, January 19, 2026.
The season premiere will pick up immediately after the catastrophic derailment, launching what the network is calling one of the show’s highest-stakes openings ever.
Home and Away will be available to watch on both Seven and 7plus on January 19.
Who is at risk in the train crash?
The finale left several key characters unconscious inside the wreckage, including Justin (James Stewart), Mackenzie (Emily Weir), Remi (Adam Rowland) and Abigail (Hailey Pinto).
However, all four actors have reportedly continued filming since the finale was shot, strongly suggesting they survive the immediate aftermath.
Despite this, viewers know that someone does not make it out alive.
Actress Maddison Brown previously told TV Week, “we know someone dies, but we don’t know who.”
That revelation has fuelled intense speculation about the identity of the victim.
Attention has turned to Eddie Shepherd (Stephen Madsen), who proposed to Jo in the final moments of the season.
Madsen has not been spotted filming at Palm Beach in recent months and is credited as a guest character, raising doubts about Eddie’s long-term future.
If Eddie is killed off, it would mark another devastating loss for the Langham family, who have already endured the deaths of Kristina and Theo in recent years.
Inside the rescue effort
A promo for the 2026 premiere shows David (Jeremy Lindsay Taylor) and Cash (Nicholas Cartwright) racing to the crash site to help coordinate rescue efforts.
Back in Summer Bay, the gravity of the situation hits fast, with Tane (Ethan Browne) pushing past Leah (Ada Nicodemou) in desperation to reach the scene.
At the tunnel, Cash and emergency crews declare the site too unstable for civilians.
Levi (Tristan Gorey) and Tane both plead to help, but are refused.
When the series resumes, tensions escalate as the train threatens to collapse- and Tane ultimately defies police orders, entering the tunnel himself in a move that could have serious personal consequences.
Inside Sonny and Remi’s battles
Behind-the-scenes footage suggests Sonny (Ryan Bown) will suffer life-changing injuries, with filming confirming he remains in a wheelchair months after the crash.
Fan-captured scenes show Sonny struggling to accept help before eventually agreeing to attend rehab.
Meanwhile, Remi faces a shocking health crisis of his own. In scenes filmed outside Cash and Eden’s home, Remi admits to Sonny that he withheld crucial information.
Sonny lashes out, shouting, “Protect me? Oh, right, because I can’t possibly support you now that I’m some pathetic loser in a wheelchair!” The storyline strongly points to Remi being diagnosed with a brain tumour.
Who will return?
In a major surprise, fan favourites Brax (Stephen Peacocke) and Ricky (Bonnie Sveen) are set to return in a special Western Australia storyline, produced in partnership with Tourism Western Australia.
Although initially announced as a standalone arc, filming sightings suggest the pair may also return to Summer Bay itself.
Speaking to Mediaweek, Peacocke admitted, “I’m a bit nervous,” before reflecting on the milestone return: “I didn’t even realise it had been 10 years… it felt like the right time.”
He added, “I love playing that character so much… it felt like a homecoming of sorts.”
