Wellington train services slowly recover after power outage

Crowds at Wellington train station due to suspended trains. Photo / Ruby Spink

Wellington trains are slowly coming back online, after a power outage saw most taken out of commission during peak traffic.

The lines through Kapiti, Hutt Valley and Melling Line services were all suspended from around 3.30pm, and are only just coming back from 7pm tonight.

A Transdev spokesperson said there was a power failure caused by a fault in the overhead lines, just outside the Wellington railway station.

"We're not sure on the cause. We'll have a full investigation on what's caused this.

"It looks like it's likely to affect services through peak this afternoon.

"We do recommend passengers look for alternative transport where possible."

The spokesperson said they were arranging buses to cover some services, but there were not many available.

Southbound services on the Hutt Valley Line were terminating at Petone while southbound services on the Kapiti Line were terminating at Porirua.

Limited buses were running between Wellington and Petone, and Wellington and Porirua.

Wellington commuters have been thrown into chaos, with most trains offline through tonight's peak traffic. Photo / Ruby Spink

Services on the Johnsonville Line and Wairarapa Line continued but with delays.

Metlink has just confirmed trains are starting to come back online from 7pm, however, it is warning there will be "substantial" delays as they catch up with the timetable.