The latest episode of Home and Away delivered a heart-stopping twist that has left Summer Bay viewers reeling — and this time, it wasn’t a finale, but a newly aired chapter that escalates the drama to frightening new heights.

What began as an exciting journey to the Off the Rails music festival quickly spiralled into chaos. Eddie Shepherd, newly embraced by the Bay and riding high on his breakthrough performance opportunity, chose the train trip as the moment to change his life forever. In front of Jo Langham, her sister Lacey and close friends from the Back on Track label, Eddie dropped to one knee and proposed — a bold, emotional move that stunned everyone in the carriage.

But the timing couldn’t have been more complicated. Jo, still torn between her rekindled connection with Eddie and unresolved feelings for Tane, was visibly shaken. The episode lingered on her hesitation, making it clear that while Eddie represents safety and shared history, her heart is far from settled. What should have been a joyful milestone instead became painfully uncertain.

Just moments later, the episode took a brutal turn. As the party train entered a tunnel, the driver was forced into a desperate emergency stop after bikes were left on the tracks by fleeing teenagers. The brakes failed to save them. In a horrifying sequence, the train derailed, screeching violently before emerging on its side.

Inside the wreckage, panic replaced celebration. Familiar faces were injured, trapped and calling out for help, as the reality of the disaster set in. The episode ended with chilling confirmation: someone will not survive the crash — but viewers were deliberately left without answers.

By positioning the proposal and the disaster back-to-back, the episode delivered one of the most emotionally jarring twists of the year. Eddie’s future, Jo’s choice, and the fate of several Summer Bay residents are now dangerously uncertain.

This wasn’t a goodbye episode — it was a warning. With rescue efforts only just beginning and lives hanging in the balance, Home and Away has launched a gripping new chapter that promises lasting consequences long after the wreckage is cleared.

One question now dominates Summer Bay: when the dust settles, who won’t be coming home?