Day of drama: Your say

Manuel Belleza, Linden

Belleza said yesterday morning’s events were frustrating because he didn’t know in advance what was happening. Instead of taking the bus replacements, which appeared to be late, Belleza said his daughter drove them to the CBD instead.

It took them about 45 minutes because the traffic was so heavy with people taking their cars to work, he said.

‘‘Then my daughter has to pay for parking all day. She wouldn’t usually drive, she’d usually take the train.

However Belleza said in general, he was happy with the train services in Wellington. ‘‘I am very patient and I understand that they’re doing their best.’’

Matthew Walker, Upper Hutt

Walker said he was delayed only about half an hour. He had to catch a train from his home to Petone and then switch to a bus. ‘‘I got to work at about 9.30am and I’d usually get here by 9am.’’ He said he had got used to train delays with his train usually 6 to 8 minutes late ‘‘about everyday’’.

His boss was understanding. ‘‘It’s one of those things. At least they had buses on standby.’’

Carol Krishnan, Upper Hutt

Krishnan said she was up early enough to beat the commuter chaos and, like many others, ditched public altogether to take her car instead.

‘‘I realised at 6.30am there were no trains. I went round to the train station and got a few people, went to get a friend who usually rides [the train] with me and then got here at about 7.45am.’’

The city’s traffic issues were not as bad as they used to be, she said. ‘‘The fact is this wasn’t a maintenance issue. I think they try their best.’’

Jim Simmons, Masterton

Simmons regularly commutes from Masterton to Wellington for the day. Yesterday he planned to travel to the CBD for a dentist appointment and to meet a friend for lunch and was delayed by over an hour.

‘‘I don’t get the updates or anything like that, I just showed up at the train station and there were four buses so I knew there was something wrong.’’ He’d usually arrive in Wellington at 8.30am, but yesterday he arrived at about 9.45am, he said.

He’s taken the train from Masterton sporadically for several years, and this kind of thing happened every year, he said. ‘‘What are my options? Getting frustrated and getting an ulcer?’’

Phil Dinham, Waikanae

Dinham said he usually took the 6.30am train in to the city. ‘‘I got up this morning and I got the text saying there would be no trains. Luckily I had my car, but it took me two hours on the road to get in.’’

He said now he had to get to Wellington Airport for a flight. ‘‘I have to get home. Luckily I can catch a train, get my bags and get to the airport.’’

He understood the struggles of the morning, with the city running out of buses for the large amount of commuters. ‘‘It just shows how the infrastructure in Wellington is so fragile.’’