Driver fatigue

Kiwirail has been given a wake-up call after one of their fatigued drivers drove passed warning signs. On February 7, 2017, a train driver didn’t stop for maintenance work being conducted under a rail bridge on a single-line section of track between Mount Maunganui and Kawerau on the East Coast Main Trunk line. The driver ignored two sets of warning boards placed either side of the worksite to alert train drivers to work being done ahead. The driver was nearing the end of a 10.5 hour night shift. Nobody was injured and there was no damage. The driver was later diagnosed as suffering from a sleep disorder.