Mysteries in rail deaths

Police have yet to publicly identify a man killed by a train in Takanini, Manukau City, on Friday afternoon.

The man, believed to be in his 50s, died when he crossed the railway line to dump garden refuse.

Acting Senior Sergeant Wayne Lambie said the man's house backed on to the railway lines.

"It's just bizarre - not being able to hear [the train]. I don't know if he had a hearing problem," he said.

The man is understood to have relatives in Australia, but none in New Zealand.

Mr Lambie said he believed the man was a sickness beneficiary.

Meanwhile, publicity about a gold watch and necklace taken from an unidentified woman killed by a train last Tuesday has prompted two different families to contact police saying the pieces belonged to their missing mother.

The victim, a Maori or Pacific Islander in her 40s or 50s, was hit by a train at the Puhinui railway station near Manukau City. Mr Lambie said he expected one of the claimants to be the victim's family.

- NZPA