Auckland to Hamilton train service: Te Huia only service sanctioned for running red lights

Waka Kotahi is concerned the Te Huia train service is a safety risk after two reports of it running through a red signal. Photo / Gill Bonnett, RNZ

By Libby Kirkby-McLeod of RNZ

Despite being aware other passenger trains were running red lights, Waka Kotahi only sanctioned the Auckland to Hamilton service, Te Huia.

At the time Te Huia was sanctioned over safety concerns on July 11, Waka Kotahi knew of eight other passenger trains which ran red lights earlier in the year.

But Te Huia alone faced sanctions.

Waka Kotahi said it was concerned the train was a safety risk after two reports of it running through a red signal.

The train was forced to stop its service on the outskirts of Auckland in Papakura. However, two weeks later on July 28 the full service was told it could return from August 7.

Information provided by Waka Kotahi to RNZ under the Official Information Act showed between January 1 and the beginning of July, 27 other red signal events were reported across the network. Two of these were Te Huia, two were other Auckland metro trains and six were Wellington metro trains.

The other 17 incidents involved freight trains and maintenance vehicles in locations such as Tauranga, Mt Eden, Huntly and Dunedin.

During a Transport and Infrastructure Select Committee briefing this month, Waka Kotahi land transport director Neil Cook confirmed Te Huia was not the only train to report a safety issue on the Auckland network, even though it was the only service to receive a sanction.

He told the committee that “situations may be similar, they are never the same”.

Waikato Regional Council said it was surprised Te Huia was singled out by Waka Kotahi when eight other passenger trains had run red signals this year. Councillor Angela Strange said Te Huia might have been unfairly targeted.

“We were given the reason that it was a passenger train, and that’s why it was [sanctioned]. Knowing now that there were other passenger trains which were treated differently - yeah, we’ve got a few questions.”

Strange said the sanction affected Te Huia passengers, but since returning to its full route customer satisfaction and numbers were at an all-time high.

“The resurgence in numbers and feedback we’ve received shows how valued Te Huia is, and this is reflected in the excellent customer satisfaction survey results.”

At the time Te Huia faced sanction, questions about whether it was justified were raised by groups such as the Rail and Maritime Transport Union.