Auckland train passengers evacuated: New workers’ strike to cause further disruptions

Auckland’s railway network is facing myriad disruptions with two groups of workers now going on strike, coming off the back of a technical issue which saw passengers evacuated from a train and forced to walk along tracks to safety this morning.

Video footage supplied to the Herald shows passengers jumping from the doors of a train, helped down by staff, and walking along railway tracks on Monday.

A spokeswoman for Auckland Transport (AT) said passengers were forced off because a train lost power when an overhead powerline suffered an issue at Westfield, near Ōtāhuhu.

She said the correct protocol was followed: A rail incident controller went to the stranded train and advised staff onboard to evacuate passengers to nearby Southdown Lane. Taxicabs picked up the passengers from there.

The rail incident controller instructed trains to be blocked on either side of the stranded train to ensure the evacuation was completed safely, the spokeswoman said.

‘Some trains might not be able to operate’ - AT says of strike

Workers who maintain Auckland’s trains, employed by CAF, will take industrial action from Tuesday, AT said. Fewer trains may be operating while workers strike and commuters could be facing more delays and cancellations of services.

This was on top of another group of railway workers in the city, employed by Auckland One Rail, who announced they would be striking last Thursday.

AT said the unionised workers at CAF would not be working overtime and would partially withdraw their labour. Unionised workers would also only be doing scheduled checks on trains and would not do any other repairs or breakdown-related work, AT said.

AT’s rail franchise manager Craig Inger was disappointed discussions between CAF and the union representing its workers, the Rail and Maritime Transport Union, had broken down and no resolution had been reached.

Inger said: “We are very mindful of the impacts that this will have on our customers, and we expect services will begin to be impacted from next week. We need our trains to be safe and well maintained, and this industrial action may mean that some trains might not be able to operate.

“Safety is an absolute priority, and if trains cannot be repaired, we won’t be able to use them for services. This means we might see more cancellations.”

Inger encouraged commuters to check the AT Mobile App and Journey Planner to plan their trips.

Trains already down to 20 min timetables with first strike

The strike by unionised Auckland One Rail workers has already seen train timetables slashed to 20-minute frequencies during peak times, AT said.

The workers have refused to work overtime or altered rostered hours, as part of their industrial action.

“AOR has been in collective bargaining with the Rail and Maritime [Transport] Union of New Zealand and we are disappointed that it has come to industrial action, impacting many of our customers,” Inger said.

It was possible the action could go on for up to a month if an agreement cannot be reached, the union said.

“We understand how deeply frustrating this will be for our rail customers, who have already had to endure ongoing disruption while we work with our partners to prepare the rail network for the opening of the City Rail Link (CRL),” Inger said.

“We understand AOR and the union will be meeting for mediation next week in order to obtain a timely resolution.

Inger said there could also be additional cancellations due to staff shortages, even though off-peak and weekend services are still running at regular frequencies.

The union’s general secretary Todd Valster had said it had been bargaining with AOR for the last eight months and was still trying to reach a compromise.

Disputes included removing the clause guaranteeing train drivers the majority of their weekends off and workload issues.

AOR chief executive Martin Kearney said he was disappointed by the strike action.

Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.