Wellington missing out on Auckland train safety system, leaders warned
Wednesday, 10 June 2026
A train that slammed into a concrete barrier at 30kph could have been stopped in time if Wellington had the same safety system afforded to Auckland and much of Australia, a transport committee has been told.
On Saturday evening the Johnsonville to Wellington train was pushed into a run-off area when a signal was triggered that it had run a red light, and soon after it hit a concrete block, stopping it before it could have continued into Khandallah properties.
Metlink, Transdev and KiwiRail appeared before the Regional Transport Committee, made up of members of Wellington region councillors and mayors, on Tuesday when they revealed more details of the crash.
Tonia Haskell from Transdev confirmed it was the fourth train in a year to run a red light in Wellington.
Read more:
Why was the light red? Was it even red? Confusion around Wellington derailment
Ranked: The best places to work (and get paid) in the public service
Injuries after Wellington train derailment between Box Hill, Khandallah
It was confirmed four people were seriously injured. Two staff suffered concussion in the accident and one was expected to be in hospital for some time yet. Passenger injuries were understood to be less serious.
Both staff members, understood to be a driver and train manager, had been stood down until they were “absolutely ready to come back”.
The train was travelling at 30kph when it hit the concrete block but the train’s safety system absorbed the impact and stopped the rear car “telescoping over the front car”.
That also prevented more serious injuries.
Under questioning from Upper Hutt mayor Peri Zee, KiwiRail chief metro and capital programme officer David Gordon confirmed Wellington’s train control systems had automatic signalling but the ultimate decision to follow signals sat with people.
The European Train Control System (ETCS), installed in Auckland and much of Australia, was there to over-ride the person if the system detected the decision was wrong, he said.
“[The ETCS] would have definitely helped in my opinion,” Gordon said. It meant the Johnsonville train would have been automatically slowed or stopped before it hit the concrete block, which derailed it.
Installation would take up to four years if funding was approved and the cost would be $500 million to $750m, but Gordon warned the limited number of incidents compared with the cost made it a hard economic case to make.
“It is a big chunk of money for someone to spend,” he said. The systems would need Crown funding.
Greater Wellington Regional Council chairperson Daran Ponter said it appeared “the ball is just being kicked around the political system” for funding Wellington ETCS.
Zee said a modern signalling system “that doesn’t rely on humans making the decisions” was long overdue for Wellington. It was money that would have to be spent eventually, she said.
Waka Kotahi NZTA, the Ministry of Transport and Transport Minister Chris Bishop were approached for comment about funding.
A spokesperson for NZTA said: “We can confirm work is currently underway on this issue as part of the Rail Network Investment Programme (RNIP).
“The Government has allocated $20.6 million from the National Land Transport Fund for the development of a detailed business case for Wellington Resignalling and Automatic Train Protection.
“The business case is now almost complete and includes options to implement the European Train Control System,” the spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, a more detailed timetable was outlined to the committee for removing the train and reopening the Johnsonville train line.
The line was expected to reopen on Monday, after the train had been removed, but that was only if the lines underneath were OK.
The rear carriage would be shunted to the level crossing and craned to a truck to be carried to KiwiRail’s Hutt Valley this week, followed by the front carriage.