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Govt launches review into 'embarrassing' KiwiRail train disruption

Author
Georgina Campbell,
Publish Date
Mon, 1 May 2023, 2:55pm
Photo / RNZ / Paloma Migone
Photo / RNZ / Paloma Migone

Govt launches review into 'embarrassing' KiwiRail train disruption

Author
Georgina Campbell,
Publish Date
Mon, 1 May 2023, 2:55pm

The Government is launching a rapid review into KiwiRail after a faulty piece of critical equipment led to major disruptions on Wellington鈥檚 rail network.

The review will look at whether KiwiRail is appropriately focused on the delivery of reliable commuter services, if KiwiRail鈥檚 engagement with stakeholders regarding this breakdown was adequate, and what changes are needed to prevent reoccurrence.

鈥漈he disruption of Wellington train services this week is not good enough and follows other similar instances of service disruptions to commuters on KiwiRail鈥檚 network,鈥 Transport Minister Michael Wood said in a statement this afternoon.

Starting this morning, all trains are operating at a 70km/h speed limit, and train services will be running at reduced timetables.

Thousands of passengers have been affected with one saying the situation they encountered this morning 鈥渨as beyond any worst-case scenario I鈥檇 imagined鈥.

This is after KiwiRail announced its only specialist track evaluation car, which measures tracks across the country so trains can operate safely, was broken.

It has since been fixed and will start assessing tracks tonight.

KiwiRail bosses were called to the Beehive this morning to explain the major disruptions. Wood asked executives of the state-owned enterprise for an explanation of what has occurred with the service and how they planned to fix it.

聽鈥淭he disruption of Wellington train services this week is not good enough and follows other similar instances of service disruptions to commuters on KiwiRail鈥檚 network.鈥 Wood said.

鈥淜iwiRail have accepted responsibility for the missteps which will result in further disruptions to services this week, and have reassured me they are acting quickly to restore fully functional services for commuters.鈥

National鈥檚 transport spokesman Simeon Brown said thousands of Wellington commuters have been left stranded or forced into overcrowded trains due to KiwiRail鈥檚 inability to plan for contingencies.

Earlier today, Brown called on the Government to launch an urgent investigation into the situation.

鈥淚t is unacceptable that our capital city will have reduced train services because KiwiRail can鈥檛 organise itself properly.

鈥淚t just beggars belief that this has happened. Why does KiwiRail have just one track inspection car? Why was it broken and why wasn鈥檛 it fixed earlier? Are other tracks at risk of speed restrictions too? Why weren鈥檛 the appropriate track inspections done earlier?鈥

National's transport spokesman Simeon Brown says it's unacceptable that our capital city will have reduced train services because KiwiRail can鈥檛 organise itself properly. Photo / Mark Mitchell

National's transport spokesman Simeon Brown says it's unacceptable that our capital city will have reduced train services because KiwiRail can鈥檛 organise itself properly. Photo / Mark Mitchell

A Wellington commuter who lives in Tawa and worked in the eastern suburbs said she didn鈥檛 drive and relied on public transport due to a medical issue.

鈥淚 knew that commuting today was going to be difficult, but the situation I encountered was beyond any worst-case scenario I鈥檇 imagined. I waited 40 minutes past the time Metlink鈥檚 website said a train would arrive.

鈥淲hen it did, it was already packed, far beyond what could possibly have been safe. I don鈥檛 think anyone who鈥檇 been waiting on the platform was able to board.鈥

The commuter managed to get a ride with a colleague and eventually arrived to work an hour and a half late.

KiwiRail national HR operations manager Paul Ashton told 九一星空无限talk ZB Wellington Morning鈥檚 host Nick Mills the fault is 鈥渆mbarrassing鈥 for the company.

Ashton told Mills the executives planned to take any criticism from the meeting with Wood 鈥渙n the chin鈥.

In an update this afternoon, KiwiRail听肠hief operations officer Siva Sivapakkiam said the track evaluation car has travelled down from Auckland and is currently in Palmerston North.

It will begin assessing one of the two tracks on the K膩piti Line tonight and look at the other track tomorrow night while trains are not running on the network.

鈥淜iwiRail infrastructure crews are ready to urgently repair any track issues that may be found. Later this week we should be able to lift the 70km/h speed restriction that was placed on the K膩piti Line today,鈥 Sivapakkiam said.

Over the course of the week, the evaluation car will be assessing the Hutt Valley/Wairarapa Line, Johnsonville Line and Melling Line to avoid the need for blanket speed restrictions being applied on these lines.

鈥淲e expect the entire Wellington metro network to have been assessed by the end of Friday 5 May,鈥 Sivapakkiam said.

鈥淚 apologise again to the people of the Wellington region for this disruption. We are working as hard as we can to get the work done, so that services can return to normal as quickly as possible.鈥

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