Auckland trains back on schedule after ‘faulty’ track work fixed

Auckland trains are now running on schedule after “faulty work” by contractors in the Parnell rail tunnel was fixed overnight.

Auckland Transport had warned rail replacement buses would be needed but says that is no longer the case.

KiwiRail originally said trains on the Southern and Western line would be running every 20 minutes instead of every 10 minutes, and would not be running at all between Waitematā and Newmarket, with rail replacement buses running.

“Following successful testing and remedial work overnight, KiwiRail has cleared the Parnell Tunnel track for use this morning and trains are running as normal,“ KiwiRail chief metro officer David Gordon said.

“We made the call to close the tunnel last night as it was the safest option and to give Auckland commuters the best chance to make alternative plans.”

Gordon said that was “the right call” but turned out not to be necessary.

“We are delighted that any disruption was minimised and apologise for any inconvenience,” he said, thanking those who worked through the night to fix the issue.

Late last night Gordon released a statement warning the Parnell rail tunnel had to be closed after KiwiRail discovered “faulty track work” that had been done by contractors while the network was closed over Waitangi weekend.

The company was assessing the track overnight and would work “as quickly as we can” to repair it.

“We appreciate how frustrating this is for Aucklanders. Safety is our first priority and we will aim to have the tunnel reopened so that trains can run normally for the afternoon peak,” Gordon said at the time.

“KiwiRail is investigating how this faulty work happened.”

Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.