Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King
Wellington rail commuters are facing another day of train service cancellations.
Staff shortages have affected the Hutt Valley, Johnsonville, Kāpiti and Melling lines, according to rail operator Metlink's website.
It was dealing with high levels of sickness and leave being taken among frontline rail staff, it said.
Buses are replacing some train services.
On Monday there were more than 30 cancellations - including 17 on the Johnsonville line, 11 Hutt Valley services and four Melling services - because of staff shortages. Technical problems on the Kāpiti line led to seven trains being cancelled.
Greater Wellington Regional Council chair Daran Ponter said the scale of cancellations was unusual and largely due to staff being Covid, flu and other illness.
"The train network is reasonably stable, ordinarily.
"We'd love to have more drivers, but it takes nine months to train a driver, so the fragility that we've got at the moment could be with us for a little bit longer."