Wellington Regional Council says it is not ruling out any possible causes of Saturday night's train derailment in Khandallah.
Train services in Wellington could be disrupted for days after a commuter train crashed into a concrete stop block over the weekend.
Six passengers were injured when the train was diverted onto a dead-end track near Khandallah, with investigators working to determine the cause.
"It's dreadful. It’s the call that everyone dreads having to receive within our industry and I can only take my hat off to emergency services," Greater Wellington chief executive Daran Ponter told Breakfast.
Asked about the cause of the derailment, he told Breakfast "we haven’t ruled anything out at this stage, as it could be a combination of things".
"It could be anything from a medical event, to a signal failure, or anything in between."
Ponter said it could be months before the cause was determined.
“If there is anything immediate that needs to translate to the network and how we operate out trains, that will be known and communicate by Transport Accident Investigation Commission. But generally these sites are treated like a crime scene and it is quite a forensic exercise to go through.
"If it is something deeper, a systemic issue etc, like something with the signalling system then that may take longer to get to the bottom of," he added.
Ponter said the line was closed until Wednesday or Thursday this week to allow for investigations and to move the train, with bus replacements on in the meantime.
“Effectively the train is fatter than when it started, so it can’t go through the tunnels. It will be pulled back to the Khandallah station and lifted off the track by road out of the area."
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