Trains between Wellington and Johnsonville remain suspended after crash

14 minutes ago

The derailed commuter train.

Photo: Baz Macdonald/RNZ

A Wellington local who was one of the first on the scene of the weekend's commuter train crash has described seeing "lots of blood" in the driver's cabin.

Buses would replace trains between Wellington and Johnsonville until at least Wednesday after Saturday's crash.

A train heading to Wellington city was diverted onto a short section of track and hit a concrete barrier about 7.20pm on Saturday night.

Two passengers suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries while the driver and another staff member have minor injuries.

The aftermath of the train derailment near Khandallah.

Photo: RNZ / Mary Argue

Witness Chris Myatt told Morning Report, he was at a friend's house near the train tracks that evening and heard a loud crash.

When he and his friends realised the sound came from a train they went racing to the tracks.

"We made a quick assessment to make sure there were no electrical wires down. We entered the train... we assisted people that were there.

"The most [visibly] injured were the two MetRail staff."

The train pictured on Sunday.

Photo: Baz Macdonald/RNZ

Myatt said he and his friends made sure the passengers were all still conscious.

"The full part of the front train had buckled so all the seats had been pushed up there, there was a lot of blood in the driver's cabin.

"We were keeping people conscious and making sure they were being talked to and not moving around with leg injuries."

He said within five to 10 minutes of arriving, first responders were at the scene.

'Could have been catastrophic'

Greater Wellington Regional Council chairperson Daran Ponter, told Morning Report, the train had been sent off on a very short run-off section of track after getting into "some difficulty" and hit into a stop block.

Ponter said the stop block, made of concrete, had been installed in 2025 and it prevented the train from falling down the steep slope into people's backyards or even living rooms.

"It could have been catastrophic in terms of tragic loss to life, the stop block has done its job."

In a post on X, rail minister Winston Peters said "if a train passes a red signal at Khandallah, it is diverted to a runoff line".

Ponter said the nub of the issue was why the train had diverted.

"The system is designed to protect a single track, the reason for the runoff track is to avoid trains colliding with each other. It's preferable to collide with a concrete block instead of another train."

Ponton assured commuters taking a train in Wellington was safe and there were "pretty rigourous" checks and balances in place.

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) wanted witnesses to the crash as it began an investigation that could take 18 months.

Ponter said despite the potential length of the investigation if immediate issues came to light, they would be known immediately.

TAIC's chief investigator Louise Cook described the train crash in Khandallah as a "serious incident", and said it was too early in the investigation to determine the cause.

"We will certainly look at all aspects of the investigation, we will look at the people involved, the system involved, we will gather data from the train and analyse it and determine what caused this accident in order to prevent it from happening again," Cook said.

Investigators at the scene on Saturday night.

Photo: RNZ/Mark Stevens

Cook expected investigators to be on site for the next few days securing and gathering evidence, which she said was the priority.

"The purpose of our investigation is to determine what safety lessons can be learned to help prevent a similar accident happening again.

"[The investigators'] priority is to preserve the evidence, particularly the evidence that could deteriorate. If we identify something that is an urgent safety issue we will release that immediately to those who can make a difference..."

TAIC Chief Investigator of Accidents, Louise Cook.

Photo: RNZ/Baz Macdonald

Greater Wellington Regional Council bought more than 100 electric commuter trains from South Korean consortium Rotem Mitsui in 2007.

The trains, called Matangi after the Māori word for wind or breeze, have been running since December 2010.

Rail and Maritime Transport Union general secretary Todd Valster said train crashes were incredibly rare and this was the first significant incident involving these types of train.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.