Train services on the Kāpiti Line were thrown into chaos this morning after a truck scraped a bridge near Ngauranga Gorge, leading to a suspension of all trains between Waikanae and Wellington.
The incident occurred just after 7.25am when a truck travelling on SH1 struck a rail bridge at the bottom of Ngauranga Gorge and continued without stopping. While the road remained open and traffic flowed as normal—albeit with the usual morning congestion—engineers were required to inspect the bridge before trains could safely resume.
At 8.40am, clearance was given for trains to start operating again. However, Metlink has warned commuters to expect significant delays and cancellations as a backlog of trains attempts to move through the area.
Earlier, services had been completely suspended from Waikanae to Wellington. Bus replacements were being arranged, though availability was limited. Meanwhile, traffic around Tawa and Takapu Road was heavily backed up, adding to the commuter frustration.
The Capital Connection was halted at Plimmerton, and several other trains were stopped along the line, including in Tawa. Compounding the issues, barrier arms were reportedly stuck down on McLellan Street in Redwood, creating further disruptions for road users.
Metlink and KiwiRail are continuing to monitor the situation as services slowly resume.