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Trains into Auckland city were brought to a halt soon after daylight today when a fire broke out in a commuter carriage.
The train stopped near the Mt Eden Prison as the carriage was evacuated and four fire appliances fought the blaze.
Veolia Transport customer service manager Steve Wade apologised for any delays caused.
He said several hundred people were affected by the stoppage, but things "could have been a lot worse".
"If it had happened an hour later it would have affected a lot more people."
The train's passengers were evacuated as a result of smoke coming from one of the carriages and they were put in taxis to complete their commute, he said.
A backlog of trains formed behind the evacuated carriages for an hour before the lines were freed up. Fire services say no-one was injured.
Tania Matthews, senior communicator from the New Zealand Fire Service, said both tracks which run past Mt Eden Prison by Boston Rd were closed after the first call from train control at 6.40am.
"The train was city bound and they stopped all traffic because we were working on the lines.
"The fire has been put out and we are ventilating. One of the lines has been resumed in traffic at a reduced speed," she said about 40 minutes after the fire was first noticed.
"It is essentially all over. We just have one appliance there."
Police also closed both ends of Boston Rd while firefighters dealt with the fire.
- NZPA and NZHERALD STAFF
