Commuters unimpressed by broken-down trains

It began the week as an explosion of colour and celebration heralding a new transport era.

But yesterday morning Britomart's platform five was home to a broken-down train.

The Waitakere-bound 802 came to a shuddering halt in the underground concourse due to "mechanical failure".

Then a second train broke down on its way in from Henderson because of a gear problem.

Tranz Rail apologised again for the continuing delays.

"These things happen and we certainly don't intend them to," said spokeswoman Sue Foley.

"We appreciate people's tolerance and understanding."

To angry commuters, it was just another symptom of a sick rail service.

The Herald has been inundated by people complaining about late trains, signal failures, overcrowded carriages, a timetable bearing little resemblance to arrival and departure times and above all confusion and frustration.

The only saving graces are the quality of the transport centre itself and the fact that stressed conductors are refusing to charge passengers for their journeys.

Here are some of the emails we have received.


Britomart is all very well. A fancy new building for a train service that is nothing short of an embarrassment to Auckland. One instance was when the train from Newmarket was late by about 20 minutes. A train then turned up on the other side of the tracks. We were told that it was the Waitakere train. We all raced over to board but we didn't actually leave the station. About 5 minutes later another train turned up on the other side with a Waitakere sign. Everybody jumped off and ran towards it but we were shooed away and told to get back on to the first train. Total confusion and frustration prevailed. With a quiet sigh I continued to read my book and was late home yet again. - Ben Eaton, 13.

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Britomart is wonderful. Finally somewhere that is dry, safe and free of the bitter cold winds that surround Downtown Auckland. However, it is such a pity that the train service that is offered does not meet the standards that Britomart sets. It's great to provide a centre for people to stand and wait for a train, but you can only count the tiles on the surrounding surfaces so many times before you start to wonder: "Is this really worth it?" - Gail Richards, Ranui

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The new station is stunning but the service remains appalling. Fifteen mins late home on Monday, last night 40 mins late, this morning 20 mins late. Forget refurbishing the train stations, get the trains to run on time, which also means double-tracking the western line, and make that the priority. I resent being forced to wait at Avondale station for 30-40 mins almost every night. - Liz Fea, Waiatarua

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I have been catching trains for 10 years and the Britomart Transport Centre is really fantastic, but without modern trains and an efficient rail service I think it will become a white elephant. The trains are old and continually breaking down. And what's the point of a timetable if they are unable to keep to it? I really hope things improve and fast, as people will be put off by the delays and old trains and return to their former transport options. - Peter Bookhorn

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Last night, as I stood in the cold at Boston Rd station waiting for the 4.55 Waitakere train to arrive at 5.35, it warmed the cockles of my heart to know the ARC was defending our democratic process by insisting on following a transparent competitive tendering process that might deliver the trains we need today in another five years.

As a dedicated rail fan, it is very sad to watch the ARC destroy what little faith the public had in the rail system. As many predicted before Britomart, the ARC would get only one chance to make a good first impression, and boy have they blown it big time! - Bryan Miller

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How wonderful that Auckland City has a train station. How disappointing that Auckland's public transport service remains at the same sub-standard level: late, not regular and not on a Sunday. Hardly encourages people to use public transport and certainly not great for tourists. - Janet Simpson

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I had the pleasure of taking the 9.48am train from Papakura with a girl friend. As we turned towards the sea on the new track we all became very excited. What a great sight. The station, although not completed, is still awesome. We caught the 7.40 train back to Papakura. When we arrived back the parking lot was in darkness and we were the only car. The back quarter window was smashed and the car ransacked. The challenge is how to get local bodies to upgrade the stations so we can be safe. - Wendy O'Callaghan, Papakura

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Great that we have a lovely new railway station. Having experienced modern railway systems in a number of other countries I can't understand why we are using a manual ticketing system from the dark ages. Automated ticketing systems would be easier for commuters and surely would save on labour costs. - Chris Berryman