Rail fault delays commuters

Wellington commuters face delays tonight following a power fault to train signals on the Tranz Metro network, spokesman Kevin Ramshaw says.

Train services were running half-hourly after the fault left signals, similar to traffic lights, out of operation.

KiwiRail staff had located the fault in the Wellington railway yards and were working to fix it.

Mr Ramshaw said the fault should be fixed by 6pm and KiwiRail was confident services would return to normal for tomorrow's morning peak.

KiwiRail apologised to passengers whose trains were delayed.

The entry to Wellington station was being upgraded, including the installation of a third main line, and improvements to overhead wiring and signalling systems.

The fault comes three days after a landslide derailed a passenger train near Upper Hutt, putting Wellington to Wairarapa trains out of action over the weekend.

The derailment marooned the 300 passengers on board Thursday's train and forced the cancellation of all services until last night.

- NZPA