An urgent investigation is needed into KiwiRail's equipment failure which will cause disruption for thousands of Wellington rail commuters from next week, National's Transport spokesperson Simeon Brown says.

“KiwiRail's one-and-only rail track evaluation car is now broken, meaning the track in Wellington doesn't comply with rail safety rules because inspections are overdue. KiwiRail has told the regional council that lower speed limits for trains are now required.

"Let's be clear - this will cause chaos. It will mean fewer trains on the lines and timetable chaos for Metlink.

“It just beggars belief that this has happened. Why does KiwiRail have just one track inspection car? Why is it broken and why wasn't it fixed earlier? How long will it take to fix the car, and are other tracks at risk of speed restrictions too? Why weren't the appropriate track inspections done earlier?

“This is a disaster for Wellington commuters, a disaster for tourism and a disaster for freight.

“Wellingtonians deserve answers, and they deserve them quickly.

“The Government needs to move heaven and earth to do whatever it takes to fix this problem and then urgently order an independent inquiry to get to the bottom of what has happened.

“A resilient and reliable public transport network is critical to getting people to use public transport. This failure does nothing to help achieve that shift.”

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