Rail workers in Wellington are preparing a petition for commuters in a bid to try to improve heating on some trains.
The Rail and Maritime Transport Union says defective power units have made some train trips a cold and miserable experience for both staff and passengers. It says commuters feel very angry about the situation.
Union spokesperson Brian Cronin says it hopes a strong public response will encourage management to fix the problem. He says passengers deserve to be comfortable in their travel.
The petition will be circulated at Wellington railway station and on board the trains this week.
Nigel Parry, from Tranz Metro, which runs the train services, agrees that some trains have faulty heating, but says they are few in number.
Complaints about cold and miserable carriages have prompted KiwiRail to offer some commuters free and discounted fares.
KiwiRail spokesperson Kevin Ramshaw says it is working on rectifying the situation, and has offered some free and discounted fares. He says the discount is a small token to apologise for the conditions.
He says KiwiRail welcomes "quick fix" suggestions from employees.
About 35,000 passenger trips are made on Wellington's commuter rail service each day.
