Person killed by train on Kapiti Coast

Commuters wait for transport in Porirua. Photo / Twitter @jamienilsson

The second person killed by a train in the North Island today was a 35-year-old man, police have now confirmed, as commuters north of Wellington are stranded as services are cancelled.

The death follows one near Palmerston North this morning.

The second death happened about 11.40am between Mana and Paremata, on the Kapiti Coast. Police said the man was struck by a southbound freight train.

Busses are replacing trains between Porirua and Paekakariki and suburban railway station platforms were full of affected commuters.

A KiwiRail spokeswoman said train services wouldn't resume until police gave the all-clear.

Police said the man's family have been told and victim support was also involved. Serious crash and CIB investigators were at the scene.

This follows a death early this morning, when a person killed after being hit by a train near Palmerston North went unnoticed for two hours.

The person was hit by the train as it travelled through Bunnythorpe at 3.43am.

But the body wasn't discovered until a second train came through around 6am, and police were called.

KiwiRail says about three trains have been stopped while police investigate.

Only one train hit the person.