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Waka Kotahi has banned Te Huia from entering central Auckland after the train twice failed to stop on a red light.
The train will need to be fitted with new technology which could mean the service is side-tracked for a year.
Instead, the passenger train which operates between Hamilton and Auckland will have to stop at Papakura and passengers will need catch a bus if they want to travel further.
Waka Kotahi’s Neil Cook said KiwiRail reported two incidents where the train didn’t stop for a red light.
The first was on June 17, when a Te Huia service carrying 94 passengers sailed past a red light and continued into a potential collision zone.
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It entered an area where two tracks converged and an Auckland train had right of way.
KiwiRail’s executive general manager of operations Paul Ashton said they had been told the train would have to have a predictive safety system installed before it could operate again in Auckland.
“It will take more than 12 months to design, install and test [the system] on Te Huia’s locomotives.”
Ashton said they realised the disruption this would cause passengers.
“It’s extremely frustrating that we are now back to stopping the service in Papakura.”
Ashton said the latest incident happened when Te Huia had no passengers onboard, just north of Hamilton.
There were no other train movements in the area and it was outside the Auckland metro region, he said.
Waka Kotahi calls these situations “Signal Passed at Danger Category A” events.
“Evidence shows that SPAD A events can create a significant risk to public safety and are potential precursors to a collision,” Cook said.
“We don’t take decisions like this lightly, but we consider that prompt action is crucial to ensure the ongoing safety of everyone using the Auckland Metro rail network.
Christel Yardley/Waikato Times
Te Huia may not enter metro Auckland, and will have to stop at Papakura where passengers can swap to buses.
“KiwiRail has assured us that they are taking urgent action to prevent further incidents.”
The ban will be lifted when KiwiRail proves to Waka Kotahi that it has taken measures to avoid future risks, he said.
KiwiRail is also investigating a separate incident which involved a hi-rail vehicle when a road vehicle fitted with special wheels allowing them to ride railway tracks entered the network without authorisation early in June.
“KiwiRail is treating this incident seriously and it is under investigation,” KiwiRail’s chief operations officer Siva Sivapakkiam said at the time.
“While investigations are under way, it is not appropriate to comment further.”
Simon Pleasants, Senior Communications Advisor of the Transport Accident Investigation Commission, said TAIC was aware of the July 10 incident.
“The Chief Investigator of Accidents and his team are gathering information to inform a decision (unlikely today) about whether to open an inquiry.”
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