Passenger train collides with abandoned car

Commuters bound for central Auckland were fortunate to escape injury when their passenger train collided with a car abandoned on tracks west of the city today.

The Auckland Regional Transport Authority said the passenger service travelling from Waitakere struck the empty vehicle between Sunnyvale and Glen Eden shortly after 11am.

Services on the western line were disrupted while maintenance crew removed the wreckage, while the train locomotive was also damaged. It was not known how fast the train had been travelling at the time of the accident.

An ARTA spokesperson said there were no injuries while police were attempting to trace the owner of the vehicle.

Normal service had resumed on the line by mid-afternoon.

- NZPA