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A small fire started by an electrical cable has hampered the launch of Auckland's long-awaited City Rail Link, forcing the evacuation of Waitematā Station and causing delays and train cancellations.
Fire and Emergency responded to the fire about 5.50am on Sunday.
The first train to use the new CRL stations left less than an hour before the fire broke out, departing from Ōtāhuhu at 4.57am.
The fire was quickly extinguished, but there were delays and cancellations on all lines. Service had mostly recovered by noon.
"These things happen. It's an active railway. You can't predict these things. What we were really impressed with was how the system responded, and it responded quickly," Auckland Transport chief executive Stacey van der Putten told media.
"How disappointing is it, though, to have something like this on the very first day."
Van der Putten said there had been no other hiccups across the network.
Auckland Transport said the fire was unrelated to any CRL systems and urged the public to not be deterred by the fire.
Passenger Josie Fitzhugh was understanding over the unexpected delays.
"I feel sad for everyone who's worked really hard to make the opening work really smoothly, actually, but I know that everyone's kind of got it on hand and they will be working through it," she told RNZ.
Excitement, chanting as CRL opens
More than 400 Aucklanders turned out before dawn to catch the first CRL train into the city, with about 14,300 people having travelled across the rail network so far.
Auckland Councillor Richard Hills was on board, saying he hoped the revamped train network would inspire more Aucklanders to leave their car at home.
"It's huge for our city, people don't realise what's coming and they're going to be demanding more after this."
He said it was "pretty special sitting on this train full of people, pretty excited to go through the tunnels for the first official time".
As the train approached the tunnel a chant of "tunnel, tunnel, tunnel" rang out.
Standing in the aisle - not even Cabinet ministers could get a seat on the first train - Transport Minister Chris Bishop said the CRL launch was not just about new stations, it was about "what it unlocks for the rest of the network"
It meant "significantly shorter journey times, a much more connected network from across the city both out to the west... the south and east as well - so it makes it easier for people to get around Auckland".
Director of urban transport lobby Greater Auckland Patrick Reynolds said the CRL was good value for money - and far cheaper than motorways.
Speaking on board the packed first train, he said no one would regret the network being built.
"Instead of a train full of very tired nerds, this will just be every day - it will be completely ordinary. Getting a train is just a thing you do.”
