A train wreck in Christchurch this morning blocked traffic in a light industrial area, and closed rail lines connecting Christchurch to Dunedin and the West Coast.
A long freight train apparently hit a stationary freight train at the Annex Road railway crossing, near Blenheim Road around 4 am.
One train ended up on top of the other.
Annex Road is closed from the Blenheim Road intersection and police are asking the public to stay away from the area as it is unsafe.
TranzRail says only three people were aboard the trains at the time of the crash. A locomotive driver suffered a broken finger and the two others were treated for bruising.
Many of the wagons were loaded with containers. In one area timber was strewn about, according to one witness.
One flat-bed wagon finished up resting partly on the industrial property of marine engineering firm CWF Hamilton & Co in Lunns Rd, which was closed at the time.
The senior fire officer at Sockburn, John Baxter, said the carriages of both trains were checked for hazardous materials and he confirmed there was no risk of fire or chemical spill.
Investigators from OSH and the Transport Accident Investigation Commission will be at the crash site later this morning.
- IRN and CHRISTCHURCH STAR
Trains collide in Christchurch
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