27 Jun 2014

Driver error behind train crash

12:03 pm on 27 June 2014

A commuter train crash at the Hutt Valley's Melling station last year was due to driver error, KiwiRail has found.

The Matangi-class train hit a concrete barrier at the Melling station in Hutt Valley on 15 April 2013. Nine passengers, one driver and a guard were on board.

The company said data from the train's black box showed the train's brakes worked properly.

KiwiRail passenger manager Deborah Hume said the company had run refresher courses and done a review of defensive driver techniques for train drivers since the crash.

She said it had also increased the number of safety briefings for staff, and is confident about the safety of its services.

The internal investigation into a similar accident at the same station last month is ongoing.