Metlink train services running again on Hutt Valley and Wairarapa lines

About 6000 commuters had a tough commute on Thursday after Hutt Valley train services were suspended following damage to the tracks that occurred during maintenance. 

About 8.30am Metlink spokeswoman Emily Liddell said train services had resumed on the Hutt Valley line and Wairarapa lines, but there would still be delays.

The damage to the track and signalling machinery was caused by an excavator working on scheduled maintenance overnight. The excavator derailed near Taita, closing the track. 

A reporter stuck at Petone station said the platform was packed about 7.30am on Thursday.

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A train stopped but only about half the waiting passengers could board, she said.

Commuter Ariane Madgwick, who usually catches the train from Silverstream station, instead drove to Melling station to catch the train after waiting for replacement buses that all drove past without stopping.

"It's going to take me two and a half hours to get to work when it normally only takes me an hour.

"The replacement buses just drove past because they were really full and there was about 50 people waiting in line to get the next one. It was ridiculous, I waited half an hour and then just decided to drive here [to Melling Station]."

Epuni resident Gray Wilkinson estimated the train chaos will have him arriving two hours late to work. 

"It's annoying - I've already missed a few meetings."

Liddell said Metlink maintenance staff were on site and estimated the issue would take possibly until 9.30am to fix. 

Metlink was scrambling to source buses to take passengers from the affected stations.

"We have very limited buses available but passengers can use their rail ticket to take any Metlink bus into work."

About 6000 commuters were impacted, she said.

The trouble started when the 4.30am and 5.30am trains travelling from Upper Hutt to Wellington got stuck in Trentham.

Power has been cut off to the line while maintenance was underway. 

"If we have a disruption on the track we have to cut off power as a precautionary measure."

In a statement on its website, Metlink advised people to delay their travel.

Commuters have been faced with fewer train carriages than usual on many of the lines over the holiday period.

Unforeseen maintenance meant more than a dozen carriages were out until the first week of January. 

The maintenance is part of the ongoing Hutt Valley Traction Upgrade project, scheduled to finish in 2021.