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UPDATE
Rail services are returning to normal after disruption this morning following a fatality on the southern line near the Middlemore station. Buses replaced trains in both directions after the incident at about 7am. Buses will continue until 1pm. Police and Veolia are investigating the incident.
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EARLIER
At about 6.55am this morning, a person was struck by a train in South Auckland and died.
This incident happened about 200 meters south of Middlemore Station.
The person was struck by a North bound train and died at the scene.
Trains stopped running in either direction on this line while emergency services dealt with it.
Police say they expect delays on the line for most of the morning.
Police say they are completing their identification and crash investigation. Until identification is made they won’t be giving out any details about the person killed whom they have described only as a “pedestrian.”
12 Comments
Trains don’t hit pedestrians they hit trespassers.
thats what i thought too. theres no pedestrian crossing there, not til at least papatoetoe.
While this is awful and tragic, I have thought for a while that there need to be more crossings (hopefully automatically gated, or bridged). Maybe here, maybe in other places, but let’s bring communities back together, safely.
@George, Whilst I agree, I wish I could be as optimistic as you, I wouldn’t be surprised if this incident was either a case of laziness on the part of the “pedestrian”, not wanting to walk the long way to the station, or a (rather selfish) suicide event. Level crossings (both pedestrian and vehicle) are only useful if people actually use them properly. My thoughts go to the locomotive engineer, who will be experiencing quite a shock this morning.
William; yes, agreed entirely. If you’re on the tracks you’ve jumped a fence and are either wilfully dangerous, or you’re in need of psychiatric care.
I had the responsibility of calling emergency services in Melbourne last weekend to try and get a young woman off the tracks, as she walked in front of stopped and moving trains. Police arrived, followed by ambulance staff who took her for psychiatric evaluation. I really do feel for the drivers and conductors who have to deal with these awful events.
Although this is a sad event the response by the train company was poor. I was on the south east train to Papakura via Glenn Innes which left Britomart at 7.12. We got to Westfield station at approximately 7.40ish. Here we wait about 10-15 minutes on the train (without being told anything as to why) then told to go wait outside on the road for a replacement bus to pick us all up. 8.15 still no bus. A lady also waiting called maxx customer service and we learn that they were unaware that we were stranded there. 8.40 still no bus but a lot of unhappy customers. Poor service.
Lack of communication is very poor however when there has been a fatality there is so much that railway staff have to deal with in terms of sensitivity and what they are allowed to say to commuters. It can also be more traumatising for both passengers and staff alike when they are informed of a death caused by a train. You imagine being told that someone has been hit by a train, human nature and reflexes instantly make us want to look at what’s happening and mistakenly see the often messy incident. I understand more should be done in terms of communication but more often than not, it is not the fault of frontline staff who have to wear alot of flak for lack of information.
my wife works at the the hospital thank god she was on night shift other wise we would have seen the event unfold ourselves:( but what i know of the area there is no road to road access by crossing the line.. i am from sydney were it is almost impossible to get on the tracks unless you do so from stations because the line is completely fenced off. maybe the railway lines should be like this so this sort of thing does not happen. i have worked with and around trains and i have to stress no offence to anyone but you have to be completely deaf not to hear a train coming down the line. that’s what i feel in this sad and tragic case. i also feel for the train driver as a family friend is a train driver and he hit a young child 5years ago….. he is still driving but the accident still hunts him…. i dunno if i can say this but it was a women who was hit yesterday
It might be worth looking at where better fencing is needed. Things have improved massively in two decades though. I remember skipping the tracks to get to the Otahuhu station throughout the 1990s and into the early 2000s. I was young and stupid and movements were much fewer, but more importantly the tracks weren’t fenced. I used to walk down the tracks on Sundays (when no services ran except maintenance - remember that?).
So, things are better now. But I’m pretty sure the entirety of the length between Mangere Rd and Middlemore Station is unfenced, if I remember rightly. And someone has died. Putting fences on all track must be a priority.
It was not an accident, but a suicide. It is under investigation, but she left a suicide letter. My husband is a police officer and was on the scene that morning.
I was on the train that morning and wasn’t told by the staff what had happened, when I found out that we had hit someone. (MSN) I knew it was a suicide because there wasn’t any warning. Even though the staff didnt advise us what happened I think they handled the situation quite well. Passengers left the train calmly, there was no hysteria for the tragic circumstances.
So sorry you had to go this way bud… R.I.P my thoughts are always with you.