Train passengers on Auckland’s South-City Line faced delays and cancellations this morning after a track issue near Papakura disrupted services.
Auckland Transport (AT) issued an alert about the disruption at 7.27am, and it had been in place for about two hours by mid-morning.
In an update, passengers were warned the track issues were ongoing and that trains were running about every 30 minutes on the line.
The public transport agency urged passengers to “check live departures or digital screens at stations before you board.”
The disruption came on the first Labour Weekend in five years that Aucklanders have been able to catch a train. AT and KiwiRail said on Wednesday that services would return for the long weekend, and on New Year’s Eve for the first time since 2019.
Sunday’s problems near Papakura come after the City Rail Link’s underground stations in Central Auckland were shut twice in the past week.
On Monday, a false fire alarm at Karanga-a-Hape Station closed stations on the City Rail Link and threw the network off schedule, with AT first alerting passengers at 6am.
Delays hit again that afternoon due to a trespass incident near Waitematā.
On Friday, AT said a ventilation system issue in the underground stations had been found during pre-service tests, and it had been resolved by 7.15am.
Trains were initially unable to run through the CRL stations, and Te Waihorotiu and Karanga-a-Hape stations were closed
At 10.54am the same day, AT warned of delays and cancellations on the South City and East West lines because of an incident at Papatoetoe Station.
That afternoon, a woman died after being hit by a train at a rail crossing near Sturges Road Station in Henderson, West Auckland.
The incident caused delays and cancellations on the East West Line.
Trains ran only between Manukau and Henderson, skipping Sturges Road, Ranui and Swanson stations, while rail replacement buses ran between Henderson and Swanson.
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