KiwiRail has been fined $63,000 after an incident where the Te Huia Hamilton to Auckland train failed to obey a red signal and risked collision with another passenger train in Auckland in 2023.
The train, which was carrying 94 passengers at the time of the incident, passed a red light and continued into an area where two tracks converged, and an Auckland train had right-of-way.
An investigation by the Transport Accident Investigations Commission found the train damaged a set of points – moveable sections of track that transferred trains from one line to another – and came to a stop over the broken points in an area where an oncoming train could have collided with it side-on.
Te Huia was banned from operating in central Auckland for two weeks following the incident.
NZTA prosecuted KiwiRail as the operator/licence holder, and it pleaded guilty to one charge alleging it did not provide appropriate training of personnel.
KiwiRail chief infrastructure officer Siva Sivapakkiam said the state-owned enterprise regretted the “serious incident” and apologised to those onboard and those whose travel was impacted.
He said he wanted the public to know there was no likely collision between trains as all of the signals in the areas were switched to red.
“Since this incident, we have improved the training regime of Te Huia locomotive engineers to ensure they have more familiarity with the routes they use in Auckland.”
The Electronic Train Protection system, which activated the train’s brakes if it passed a red signal, was also now operating on Te Huia, he added.
NZTA Rail Safety Regulation national manager Gini Welch said the agency welcomed the sentence handed down at the Manukau District Court today.
“As the regulator for rail safety in New Zealand, NZTA’s prosecution was taken to address a specific, identified risk in order to protect public safety,” she said.
“NZTA will not hesitate to take action, including prosecution, in relation to breaches of the Railways Act 2005.
“We welcome the sentence handed down today as a reminder to all licensed rail operators of the importance of ensuring appropriate training for their staff as a critical part of managing safety risks on the network.”
