An overnight train trip from Auckland to Wellington turned into a nightmare ride for 26 Tranz Rail passengers.
Northerner express passengers had to be transferred to buses at Ohakune, 25km northwest of Waiouru, early yesterday because a freight train derailment had blocked the line further south. Then, just after 5 am, the Mana Coach Services bus taking the passengers on to Wellington slid off the Rata Straight on State Highway 1 near Marton and toppled into a roadside ditch.
The bus was wedged hard against the bank, jamming the front door shut and briefly trapping the passengers. Volunteer firefighters freed them by pulling out part of the windscreen and a side window.
The only injury was to a 77-year-old Trentham woman, who was treated at Palmerston North Hospital for minor cuts and bruises.
Constable Konrad Tamati, of Marton, said the other passengers and the driver were shaken but unhurt. They were picked up by a Marton Coachlines bus to continue their journey south.
Police are investigating the crash.
- NZPA
Train trip turns into journey from hell
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