Home and Away reveals who dies in the 2026 Season Return

Tonight saw Home and Away return to Australia screens after over 8 weeks off, and revealed who died in the aftermath of the train crash.

Things picked up where we left them back in November, where a train full of our Summer Bay favourites derailed as it headed to the aptly named Off the Rails music festival in Broken Hill.

On the train were the members of Remi’s (Adam Rowland) Back on Track record label – Remi himself, hype man Sonny (Ryan Bown), manager Justin (James Stewart), and their new signing Eddie (Stephen Masden), who was due to play his first set at the renowned music festival.

The Back on Track gang also invited their friend and loved ones to watch Eddie perform, and joining them on the train were Dana (Ally Harris), Mackenzie (Emily Weir), Jo (Maddison Brown) and Lacey (Sophea Pennington).

With the festival taking place some 1000km west of Summer Bay, near the border of New South Wales and South Australia, a specially commissioned train had been put on to pick up the festival’s attendees at regional stations across the state before beginning the long journey to Broken Hill.

Before the train departed from Yabbie Creek Station, there was a raucous ‘platform party’, where the Summer Bay residents got to mingle with the other guests who’s already been picked up from other stations before their journey west began.

Abigail (Hailey Pinto) joined the group for the platform party, but unexpectedly found herself caught up in the disaster when she got too drunk at the party and woke up to find herself on the moving train.

The platform party also gave us an introduction to two new faces – Holden Dwyer, played by Lach Millar, and his flirty friend Isaac, played by Jordan Dulieu.

Isaac spent much of the journey flirting with an amused Mackenzie, before she made it clear that not only did she have a surgeon boyfriend, but that they were trying for a baby.

After being rejected by Mac, he then turned his attention to Lacey – before being told to cool off by Holden – and then tried it on with Dana, but got short shrift and quickly found himself with his third rejection of the afternoon.

As the group set off on their journey and continued the party on board the train, none of them could imagine the tragedy that awaited them.

Before tragedy struck, Eddie got down on one knee and proposed to Jo, hoping for a second chance at a future together some two years after they broke up.

However, with Jo still harbouring feelings for Tane (Ethan Browne), who was safely back in Summer Bay, she hesitated and couldn’t give Eddie an answer.

Shortly afterwards, the train headed towards a tunnel, where a small group of teens were spraying graffiti. Spotting the train, they fled, leaving their bicycles sprawled across the track.

As the train struck the bikes, it derailed, sending the passengers flying.

As the season came to a close, all of the passengers on the train were flung to the floor, their conditions unclear, as the train – now on its side – came to a stop just outside the tunnel.

Before the dramatic season finale, Maddison Brown revealed to Aussie magazine TV Week that someone wouldn’t survive the derailment.

“We know someone dies, but we don’t know who,” she teased.

As the season came to a close, Back to the Bay theorised that the new arrival Eddie could be the one to die, as actor Stephen Madsen hasn’t been seen filming at Palm Beach – the real-life home of Summer Bay where the external scenes are filmed – in recent months.

However, we also pointed out that Eddie’s death might be one tragedy too many for the Langham/Miller family.

David’s (Jeremy Lindsay Taylor) wife Kristina (Fiona Noonan) – mother of Jo and Lacey – died some two years ago, while Lacey’s boyfriend Theo (Matt Evans) died in early October, and we suspected that Home and Away‘s writers wouldn’t be cruel enough to inflict a third tragedy on the family in as many years.

We also speculated that flirtatious Isaac could be the victim, as he had an unusually high amount of screen time in the finale for a guest character.

While his friend Holden was also prominent in the finale, actor Lach Millar has been seen filming alongside Sophea Pennington at Palm Beach in scenes which haven’t yet aired, ruling him out.

As suspected, tonight’s return episode confirmed that Isaac was indeed the character to perish.

At the beginning of the episode, Remi and Dana awoke and found Isaac lying next to them. Dana checked his pulse, before giving Remi a concerned look, making it clear that he had died.

Meanwhile, Isaac’s friend and fellow newcomer Holden had managed to get his way out and onto the top of the train. He was met by one of the rescuers, where it was revealed that he was suffering from an injured shoulder but seemingly otherwise unharmed.

As more passengers gradually made their way out of the tunnel to be examined by nurse Dana, Lacey emerged, and was asked by Holden whether she’d seen his friend inside the train.

Dana, overhearing their conversation, then faced the difficult task of telling Holden that Isaac didn’t make it.

While we’re not expecting any more deaths, tonight’s episode did leave multiple lives on the line, with Jo, Justin and Sonny all in a bad way.

Justin was bleeding internally and rushed to Northern Districts, while Sonny revealed to Remi that he was unable to feel his legs.

As we already revealed in our 2026 Home and Away Spoilers article, Sonny ends up in a wheelchair as a result of the accident, with actor Ryan Bown having been spotted filming in a chair on numerous occasions in the latter half of last year.

While recent filming has seen him on crutches, suggesting that he’ll eventually recover from the injuries he sustains, he’s set to struggle with his reduced mobility, resulting in tensions between him and Remi, as they both battle with health problems in the new year.

Meanwhile, Tane (Ethan Browne) and Levi (Tristan Gorey) jumped into action to save Jo, after being informed by Lacey that she was trapped.

After being informed by the police rescue team that they weren’t allowed to get involved, they snuck into the tunnel from the opposite end, determined to help.

Inside the train, Eddie was unscathed, and raced through the carriages to find Jo, who was trapped under debris inside the train after part of the roof collapsed on top of her.

When Levi arrived, he confirmed that Jo was most likely suffering from crush syndrome and that they needed to act fast.

He haded back out of the tunnel to get medical supplies, but when he tried to re-enter, he was prevented from doing so by the rescue leader. He shouted to Tane from a megaphone, ordering him to get Jo out of there now.

Tane asked Eddie to help him move the debris so he could get Jo free, but when the carriage shifted and caused more debris to fall from the roof, Eddie decides to save himself, bolting and leaving Jo and Tane alone.

As the episode came to a close, we were left wondering whether Tane would be able to get Jo out before it was too late.

Spoilers for tomorrow’s episode have already revealed that Tane does successfully free Jo, with photos showing him carrying her in his arms away from the train.

However, TV Week reveals that as soon Tane gets Jo outside, her condition takes a turn for the worse as she falls unconscious and goes into cardiac arrest.

Will she pull through? In short – yes! All of the current full time Home and Away actors are believed to be still filming, so we won’t be saying goodbye to any major characters as a result of the crash.

However, whether Eddie will stick around for long after abandoning Jo and Tane in the train to save himself, somehow we doubt it.

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Here’s the full spoilers for this week’s Home and Away episodes in Australia:

Monday 19th January (Episode 8636)

David leads a rescue operation. Tane and Levi risk their lives for love. Who will make it out of the trainwreck alive?

Tuesday 20th January (Episode 8637)

Multiple lives hang in the balance. Tane’s in a life-and-death race against the clock. A Summer Bay favourite receives life-changing news.

Wednesday 21st January (Episode 8638)

Leah calls on Alf. Levi delivers shocking news. Eden worries for her friend.

Thursday 22nd January (Episodes 8639-8641)

Harper’s honest with her mum. John is the bearer of bad news. Mali confides in Levi.

Kerrie expresses remorse over her past mistakes. Tane’s trust in Harper wavers.

Tane and Harper go head-to-head. Kerrie’s lies cause friction. Mali extends an olive branch.

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