Wellington train passengers stuck for hours after overhead wire snaps
Porirua train commuters were stuck on board for about three hours after an overhead wire snapped this morning.
KiwiRail said the overhead infrastructure was not “that old” and it did not know why the wire had snapped, but there would be a full investigation.
Passenger Geoffrey Weal was travelling into Wellington about 8am when a cable snapped on the line, falling onto the top of the train.
“We had power but we just weren’t able to move, so [we’ve] just been stuck here for three hours,” he told the Herald.
The husband of a woman who was trapped on the train told Stuff that passengers had been offered plastic bags to use as a toilet.
He said his wife was holding up well but shared his concerns for younger people who found themselves stuck on the train.
Weal said the line snapping was unremarkable, with no obvious sign of what had happened until the train slowly began slowing down and came to a stop.
While the electrical wire was on top of the train they could not move, he said.
“We’ve just been looking at the weather. Nothing else we can do but just watch videos on Youtube,” Weal said.
Being a Friday, there were fewer people on the train than usual, which was fortunate, he said.
“Everybody’s fairly, I think, quite patient. I just think people are just a bit tired and ready to get off the train.”
He praised the staff, who had been regularly providing updates and were “very good and professional”.
Weal later said the train began moving again about 11am, about three and a half hours after he had boarded.
Metlink has alerted passengers to delays on its services due to the overhead wire issue.
In a joint statement from KiwiRail and Metlink, the agencies said they were moving a stranded passenger train before repairing a downed overhead electric cable that caused “major disruption” on the Kapiti Line.
KiwiRail Wellington Metro general manager Andy Lyon said a cable came down at 7.50am on the line near Wellington, requiring passenger services to be cancelled with bus replacements.
“Power was lost to three trains, causing them to stop on the line away from platforms. Two were moved earlier this morning, so that people could disembark. A diesel locomotive is currently moving the third service, which had been sitting on the rail bridge over Hutt Road with 152 passengers onboard, into Wellington Station,” Lyon said.
“We know how tough this has been for those stranded passengers, but we were dealing with high voltage electrical cables and we had to ensure safety.
“Wellington’s overhead infrastructure is not that old and we do not yet know what caused the wire to come down. This incident will be fully investigated.”
Metlink senior manager Paul Tawharu said passengers on the stranded service had been on board for just over three hours.
“Staff have ensured passengers were comfortable. Water was available, and we worked to get these passengers off the train as soon as possible. For other train users, buses are currently replacing trains between Wellington and Plimmerton, and passengers should expect delays until further notice.”
The Hutt Valley Line was closed for approximately 30 minutes this morning to allow crews to reach the train and tow the train back to Wellington Station.