Footage showing a man crossing a railway line in South Auckland while the barriers were down.

An Auckland man says he watched in "disbelief" as 10 cars crossed a railway line while the safety barriers were down.

The man, who did not want to be named, was waiting at the level crossing on Opaheke Rd in Papakura about 5pm on Sunday.

The barriers at the level crossing - which has both north and south bound tracks - were down while the train was sitting on the tracks.

Supplied The man who captured the footage said at least 10 other cars crossed the lines while the barriers were down.

During the 15 minutes he waited at the crossing, the man said he watched a number of people risk their lives by driving across across the tracks.

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"About 10 cars drove across the lines while the barriers were down... I was in disbelief."

KiwiRail has been approached for comment.

After waiting awhile for the train to move, the man got out his phone and started taking photos.

At this point another driver from the opposite side of the tracks crossed them on foot and told the man to put away his phone.

In the video, the man can be seen crossing the lines on foot before a voice says:

"I am going to drive through there and you are not going to video me or else I am going to come and take your phone off you."

The man then runs back to his vehicle before driving across the lines.

Despite putting away his phone, the man captured the interaction on his dashcam recorder.

The man said he was shocked the driver walked and drove across the lines while the barriers were down - especially given there was poor visibility.

"One train was stationary, but there easily could have been another coming from the other direction.

"Where he was he would not have been able to see a train coming.

Megan Drayton from Tracksafe NZ said the video showed "extremely dangerous behaviour".

"We strongly recommend all motorists obey the signs and signals at railway level crossings, that are there to protect them.

"Even though the freight train was stationary, with double tracks it was likely another train - either freight or passenger - could have been coming from the other direction.

"The results of this action could have been very serious."

Motorists who drove across railway lines while the barriers were down were also putting train passengers at risk, Drayton said.

"Take another route or wait for the alarms to stop - it's as simple as that."

Katie McMahon from KiwiRail said it was illegal to drive around railway barriers.

"While it may appear that a train has stopped and the way is clear, with double tracks there may well be another train coming from the other direction.

"Trains may also have to halt for operational reasons."

McMahon added that while waiting for a train could be frustrating, that did not mean people should drive past the barriers.

"There is information at the crossing on who to contact should there be a fault, but there is no excuse for driving around barrier arms."