Auckland mayor Wayne Brown and Auckland Transport chief executive Dean Kimpton. Photo / NZ Herald graphic
Auckland mayor Wayne Brown and Auckland Transport chief executive Dean Kimpton. Photo / NZ Herald graphic
Texts between Mayor Wayne Brown’s office and transport bosses reveal behind-the-scenes confusion as Auckland’s train network descended into chaos in February.
The region’s train network was shut down several times during the month due to issues including track heat and human error, causing mass delays. The texts, released in an Official Information Act response, show AT boss Dean Kimpton didn’t know if his agency or KiwiRail had shut down the network after the signal failure, which was caused by a KiwiRail IT staffer doing unsanctioned work.
In other texts, an industry leader reacting to the shutdown told Mayor Brown’s transport adviser that ‘I can’t overstate how incredulous I am’, while officials planned their response to the crisis ahead of a meeting with the mayor.
The texts are part ofthe response to an Official Information Act (OIA) request for correspondence from Auckland Transport (AT), Auckland Council, KiwiRail and Brown’s office during a dire month for the region’s train network, which was shut down several times due to issues including track heat and human error, causing mass delays.
Also among the correspondence obtained by the Herald were texts from AT chief executive Dean Kimpton, revealing he was unaware whether AT or KiwiRail had shut down the network after the signal failure.
The messages to Brown’s transport adviser Luke Christensen came from Greg Pollock - the former general manager of Wellington’s Metlink system and past managing director of the local end of Transdev Australasia, which runs Auckland and Wellington’s train operations.
“Luke, yesterday’s signal failure was incredibly serious. I can’t overstate how incredulous I am that KiwiRail IT can just login to safety critical signaling system, and muck around, with no oversight or checks. This is not [track] heat speed [restrictions] slowing down trains. These are safety critical systems - the most important. Happy to chat, but something needs to change,” Pollock texted.
Pollock also urged the mayor to seek answers on why the network had been completely shut down in the weeks prior, because of rail heat restrictions.
“Make sure Mayor asks each party what they think is the problems [sic] experienced recently. Hint: it’s not heat,” Pollock recommends to Christensen.
Pollock has since clarified to the Herald he was not suggesting a conspiracy over the hot track cancellations, but rather emphasising that if KiwiRail had properly maintained the tracks, they would not need the speed restrictions because of heat.
The texts from Pollock came a day after Auckland’s train network was shut down, on February 22, after signals across the Auckland network went down for 13 minutes - resulting in services being delayed for up to 40 minutes.
Auckland mayor Wayne Brown. Photo / LDR
Later that day, KiwiRail general manager Jon Knight said the signal failure was caused by an IT staffer doing unsanctioned work on the firewall that protects its train control system after a potential problem had arisen earlier that day.
“This type of work has to be done at night, when services aren’t running. There are clear processes in place but these weren’t followed,” Knight said.
Pollock also called out KiwiRail for not implementing his rapid review into KiwiRail’s handling of recent disruptions to passenger services that was commissioned in 2023 by the previous Labour Government.
“People are calling for a review. But I did one last year. KiwiRail just needs to respond and say they’ll implement it. But more is needed now I think. Their rail safety case must be under threat,” Pollock texts.
The OIA documents also appeared to reveal confusion among AT executives the morning of the signal failure.
AT chief executive Dean Kimpton texted AT director of public transport Stacey van der Putten, asking whether there had been a signal failure, and what had happened. The following exchange occurred:
Kimpton: “Do I understand all rail signals are down across the network?”
Van der Putten: “Were [sic] down for about 15mins. All of them. Not good - don’t know why yet.”
Kimpton: “When we get signal failures like the one we have had. I understand it is KiwiRail call to stop all services on tracks [until] safe system function is restored, correct?, or do we make the decision to stop things?”
Van der Putten: “Legally you can’t operate - could result in collisions”.
It is also clear from the OIA documents there were signal issues almost two weeks before the IT staffer’s unsanctioned work.
“Peter [Reidy, KiwiRail chief executive] mentioned changes to signalling at Britomart as one reason for the [track heat] issues. What do we know about this, apparently a comment made by Martin [Kearney - One Rail chief executive],” Kimpton texts.
Van der Putten responds: “Signalling re Britomart optimised over Christmas block for through trains - doesn’t work productively for terminus station.”
There was another exchange between the two AT execs questioning whether KiwiRail chief executive Peter Reidy had been provided with the full story around the track heat restrictions that had cancelled 35 Auckland train services on the afternoon of February 12, causing commuter chaos.
KiwiRail general manager for metros Jon Knight said temporary speed restrictions were put in place once the steel rails reached 40C and were lifted once the track dropped below that temperature.
Van der Putten referred to some undisclosed prior correspondence, stating her opinion that:
“It doesn’t say the full story. Nothing about points, nothing about signals. I’m not sure Peter [Reidy] has had the full message from his team,” she texted Kimpton.
The cancellations continued for three consecutive days, with AT announcing potentially one in three train services could be cancelled into March.
Auckland Transport chief executive officer Dean Kimpton. Photo / Jason Oxenham
KiwiRail chief executive Peter Reidy. Photo / Duncan Brown
It led Brown to call for a meeting with rail bosses at AT, KiwiRail, Auckland One Rail and the office of the Minister of Transport where he foreshadowed giving them a “bloody good bollocking”.
Brown publicly released his letter calling for the meeting with the above rail bosses.
“Aucklanders have reached the end of their patience with train cancellations due to weather, signal failures, crew issues or other excuses,” Brown wrote.
“You have often blamed each other, and it has been described to me as an ‘omnishambles’. I could use other language to describe it.”
The OIA correspondence also details the transport boss’ plans to prepare for their meeting with the irate mayor.
“Be good to plan our approach and get some content down - bullet points is all for sharing at MO [Mayor’s Office] meeting this afternoon,” Kimpton texted.
“At what point do we share [the memo] with KiwiRail and AOR [Auckland One Rail]?”
AT’s van der Putten also went to the unusual step of publicly laying the blame for the hot track cancellations on KiwiRail in a press release.
“It is enormously disappointing that AT is having to cancel train services today because of speed restrictions put in place by KiwiRail on the Auckland rail network due to hot tracks,” van der Putten claimed in the release.
“These speed restrictions would be unlikely to be needed today if the Auckland rail network was not vulnerable because of numerous known faults.”
In the OIA texts to Kimpton, AT director of communications and partnerships, Dan Lambert also indicated they intended to insist that KiwiRail front over Auckland’s track heat cancellations.
“More delays on rail from the ‘heat’ has sparked media interest. I’m asking KiwiRail to front as it’s their issue but may need call from you to Peter [Reidy] if they’re not forthcoming. Richard Hills [Auckland councillor] is critical of them but obviously still our customers feeling the pain,” Lambert texts.
Kimpton responds: “Good. This is KiwiRail needing to front. I will try calling Peter R soon.”
Tom Dillane is an Auckland-based journalist covering local government and crime as well as sports investigations. He joined the Herald in 2018 and is deputy head of news.
