16 Feb 2010

Day of disruption for Wellington commuters

8:40 am on 16 February 2010

KiwiRail says all train services in the Wellington region are running on time following electrical problems on Monday.

Two thousand passengers had to switch to buses on Monday morning after an electric wire fell on a train during rush hour. Ten trains were affected.

Some stranded commuters were asked to disembark down ladders before walking along the tracks to the closest station.

There were more problems for commuters on Monday evening, with delays on the Hutt Valley and Paraparaumu lines.

KiwiRail says it is not happy about train delays in the capital, but more are likely as it continues to work on a $550 million lines upgrade.

General manager of passenger services Ross Hayward says the number of services arriving late has risen from 8% to 20% as the company works on improving infrastructure.

However, KiwiRail says it will not compensate commuters for problems experienced on Monday and replacement bus services will be continued during the upgrade.

From Monday night until Thursday, buses will replace trains from 8pm until midnight on the Johnsonville and Hutt Valley lines, and on the Paraparaumu line from 10pm until midnight.