File photo. Photo: RNZ / Felix Walton
Thousands of Auckland commuters were affected by train cancellations today due to heat restrictions and tracks reaching more than 40 degrees Celsius.
On the social media platform X, Auckland Transport said that some train services from 1pm to 8pm on eastern, western and southern lines were cancelled.
Train service have returned to normal this evening following the widespread cancellations.
KiwiRail, which manages the tracks, said the city has had high temperatures and heat restrictions in different areas for most of the last three weeks.
Its general manager for metros Jon Knight said heat on the track was not directly related to air temperature and steel rails can get hotter.
"If there have been warm nights, the rail may not cool enough from the previous day," he said.
Temporary speed restrictions are put in place once the steel rails reach 40 degrees Celsius and are lifted once the track dropped below that temperature, said Knight.
It means trains have to travel slower over these areas, due to the risk the track expanding due to hot temperatures.
"It is critical we apply these speed restrictions, so that passenger trains can continue running safely," he said.
Train services on the southern line between Ōtāhuhu and Papakura were the most affected today with track temperatures in Ōtāhuhu reaching 48C.
This triggered heat restrictions and added about five minutes to the journey, said Knight.
"Temporary speed restrictions can have a cumulative effect on services and, to maintain schedule integrity, some services can be cancelled," he said.
Knight said that was a decision for the metro operator.
Other factors, like the availability of train crews could contribute to decisions about cancelling services, he said.
'Aucklanders deserve better' - Auckland Transport
AT director of public transport services and active modes, Stacey van der Putten. Photo: RNZ / Rayssa Almeida
But Auckland Transport has hit out at the speed restrictions due to hot tracks, and saying it is "enormously disappointing" to resort to cancelling train services today.
"These speed restrictions would be unlikely to be needed today if the Auckland rail network was not vulnerable because of numerous known faults," said AT director of public transport services and active modes, Stacey van der Putten.
She told Checkpoint she felt for all Aucklanders.
"You're coming back, you're starting your year, you're getting into the stride of things and then your train services aren't working for you, so yes, we're very frustrated by it too," she said.
Van der Putten said the operator proactively cancelled services so that the timetable was reliable.
"It would be worse if you go to the station and it looks like your train's coming and it's not."
There would not be multiple cancellations in a row, so customers should not be left at stations for extended periods of time, she said.
Thousands of commuters would be affected by up to 35 cancellations today, she said.
Van der Putten said there had been a lot of maintenance done on the eastern line so it has been fairly consistent, while southern and western lines have had disproportionate disruptions.
Auckland Transport was working with KiwiRail to understand how to get through the issues.
She said the issues affecting Auckland's rail network today were decades in the making and it would take renewed investment and commitment to ensure Auckland had a reliable rail network in time for CRL.
"Aucklanders deserve better than a passenger rail network that can't run at capacity on a mildly warm summer day," she said.
Auckland councillor Richard Hills also took to X, saying "another day, another excuse".
He already voiced "serious concerns" about KiwiRail's performance for Auckland last week.
"Signal faults, crew issues, operational constraints & now heat? It was hotter last week?" he wrote.
Hills said he brought up his concerns at the Transport Committee last week.
Auckland Transport said they were in daily contact with KiwiRail and were disappointed with the service for Aucklanders especially after all the closures to upgrade the rail.
"Unreliable public transport puts users off," he wrote.