Saturday, 09 December 2023
KaitaiaWhangareiDargavilleAucklandThamesTaurangaHamiltonWhakataneRotoruaTokoroaTe KuitiTaumarunuiTaupoGisborneNew PlymouthNapierHastingsDannevirkeWhanganuiPalmerston NorthLevinParaparaumuMastertonWellingtonMotuekaNelsonBlenheimWestportReeftonKaikouraGreymouthHokitikaChristchurchAshburtonTimaruWanakaOamaruQueenstownDunedinGoreInvercargill
NZ HeraldThe Northern AdvocateThe Northland AgeThe AucklanderWaikato HeraldBay Of Plenty TimesRotorua Daily PostHawke's Bay TodayWhanganui ChronicleThe Stratford PressManawatu GuardianKapiti NewsHorowhenua ChronicleTe Awamutu CourierVivaEat WellOneRoofDRIVEN Car GuideThe CountryPhoto SalesiHeart RadioRestaurant Hub
Voyager 2023 media awards
Subscribe
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Auckland train halted by object on tracks, commuters endure three-hour wait

By Ben Leahy
28 Jun, 2018 10:04 PM2 mins to read
Saveshare

Share this article

facebookcopy linktwitterlinkedinredditemail
Trains halted after truck crashes into powerlines in Mt Eden. / Ezekiel Webster

Fifty-two passengers were trapped on an Auckland train for three hours without access to food or toilets after it struck an object on the tracks.

The city-bound train was halted at 8.40pm last night when the object, which Auckland Transport is yet to reveal more details about, badly damaged its undercarriage.

It could not be moved until 11.56pm when a second train arrived to pull it back to Meadowbank Station, a short distance away.

One commuter said at the time the initial crash was scary.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"We hit something that felt very big and there was a metallic grinding sound. It also seems as though the train is on a lean," the passenger told the Spinoff.

They said passengers were getting tired and had been kept in the dark as to what was going on.

"The staff have been walking up and down, getting increasingly agitated (at the passengers and in general). No one has provided us with any information," they said.

"People are hungry, tired and need the bathroom. The mood is very frustrated and people are clearly losing patience. The air is stale and it really stinks."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

However, an Auckland Transport spokesman said staff had told passengers "every piece" of information once it became available.

Passengers were also kept on the train partly because it was dangerous to walk along the tracks back to Meadowbank Station and partly because it was not known what the train had hit, he said.

"It was dark and the 700m walk along train tracks would not have been a safe way for the train manager to get 52 passengers back to the station," he said.

"Safety was our paramount concern. we understand this would have been incredibly frustrating for passengers and we apologise for the time it took to get the train moving."

Related articles

New Zealand

Simon Wilson: Why Hosking is dead wrong on cycle survey

28 Jun 05:00 PM
New Zealand

Council critics take another potshot at Phil Goff

27 Jun 11:27 PM
New Zealand

Government announces 99 per cent rise in road safety spending

28 Jun 02:30 AM
New Zealand

Rubbish truck and cars crash, block lane in Beachlands

28 Jun 09:01 PM

He said Auckland Transport would ensure "the comfort of passengers is given more priority".

Saveshare

Share this article

facebookcopy linktwitterlinkedinredditemail
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

New ZealandUpdated

Watch: Dramatic rescue at sea off Cape Reinga after man injured on ship

08 Dec 09:52 PM
New Zealand

Magnitude 4.4 quake shakes Christchurch

08 Dec 09:04 PM
New Zealand

Heart troubles: The horror of waiting for the health sector to save your life

08 Dec 09:00 PM
New Zealand

Kiwi video gamer spends $16k on loot boxes

08 Dec 08:55 PM

“Never been a better time to buy an EV”

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Watch: Dramatic rescue at sea off Cape Reinga after man injured on ship

Watch: Dramatic rescue at sea off Cape Reinga after man injured on ship

08 Dec 09:52 PM

First call for help came when ship was 550km northwest of Cape Reinga.

Magnitude 4.4 quake shakes Christchurch

Magnitude 4.4 quake shakes Christchurch

08 Dec 09:04 PM
Heart troubles: The horror of waiting for the health sector to save your life

Heart troubles: The horror of waiting for the health sector to save your life

08 Dec 09:00 PM
Kiwi video gamer spends $16k on loot boxes

Kiwi video gamer spends $16k on loot boxes

08 Dec 08:55 PM
9 big questions over an EV road trip
sponsored

9 big questions over an EV road trip

About NZMEHelp & SupportContact UsSubscribe to NZ HeraldHouse Rules
Manage Your Print SubscriptionNZ Herald E-EditionAdvertise with NZMEBook Your AdPrivacy Policy
Terms of UseCompetition Terms & ConditionsSubscriptions Terms & Conditions
© Copyright 2023 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP