Dirty plug blamed for train door injuring man

A dirty plug and a lack of maintenance caused the premature closing of a train door, trapping a man's leg, The Transport Accident Investigation Commission has found.

The man, in his early 60s, injured an ankle when the door of the carriage he was boarding suddenly closed on him at Papatoetoe last year, the commission's report said.

Toll Rail engineers found "copious quantities of dirt and water" blocking a plug that connected door timer relays.

Staff reported numerous problems with the carriage doors in the two months leading up to the accident.

The problem with the dangerous door had been reported three weeks before the accident, but this was not fixed, the report said.

The train carriage, which was almost 40 years old, ran on the Papakura to Britomart line and was operated by Connex Auckland Ltd.

- NZPA