Rain adds to Britomart pain

By STUART DYE

Rain has brought new embarrassment to the Britomart transport terminal in downtown Auckland.

The glass roof above the entrance to the underground rail station began leaking yesterday.

Commuters arriving on trains during the rush hour saw water dripping on to the platform from the roof.

Staff rushed to put buckets and other containers under the water, and cordon off the area to stop passengers walking under it.

Construction workers have found that the glass ceiling, which is to form part of the central waterfall feature, will not seal properly.

Eric Hennephof, the project manager at the centre, said they were trying to seal together concrete, stainless steel and glass.

It was hoped a silicon seal, likely to be installed within the next couple of days, would solve the problem.

"It's a little bit embarrassing for everyone and we are trying to get it sorted as quickly as possible," Mr Hennephof said.

The Britomart station has been beset by problems since its opening less than two months ago.

Commuters have been disappointed by the rail service, and the station had to be evacuated two weeks ago after a workman accidentally chopped through a power cable cutting all power to the terminal.