Rail Observations 2024

[Linto63]

I doubt many thought that Labor was going to extend the Sydney Trains network, it didn't give any indication in its election manifesto that it planned to. Rightly or wrongly the places where new lines will branch out from are, or soon will, be served by metro lines, so it is logical to continue down this path.

Just that progress will be faster under a Coalition government as the better money managers.

Or spend money on projects that you, but not necessarily everybody else, proritises. When it returns to government in 8 or 12 years time, the Liberal party will be very different from the one that left office. The days of big spending on infrastructure with borrowed money are over with interest rates having returned to a degree of normality.

[Glen]

I should point out though, that the Metro closes just as often on weekends as the suburban lines! Very often at the same time as other lines.

(And I don't mean just for the extension testing recently).

Having said that they do seem to make more attempts at short-workings or running a reduced train frequency instead of full bussing, which is an approach used more by other systems.

[Linto63]

Shutdowns are an unavoidable on a network that is over 150 years old in parts. Sydney Trains has upped its game in trying to operate reduced services in lieu of full bustitutions.

[boronia]

https://transportnsw.info/news/2024/wed ... sual-times

Tuesday 19 March 2024

NSW TrainLink has announced that the Bathurst Bullet train service will be reverting to its regular Wednesday timetable from Wednesday 3 April.

This change comes after temporary adjustments were made to accommodate a trial by the operators of the privately run Indian Pacific, which is set to conclude on 27 March.

This will mean some services will depart and arrive earlier or later on Wednesdays.

Plan your trip using the Trip Planner or other transport apps for real-time up-to-date information.

NSW TrainLink thanks passengers for their patience during the Indian Pacific trial.

[Transtopic]

Constance said not long ago that the previous government put over $2 billion into the suburban system and they never saw any results for it. It's not hard to see that governments of both sides would see the suburban system as a bottomless money pit and turn to favour metro as the way forward. There's now several decades of bitter experience that throwing more money into the suburban system doesn't produce any real benefit, but governments still have to grit their teeth and keep funding it because it's still essential to move people around.

Perhaps they didn't see any results because they hadn't invested enough in maintaining and upgrading it. $2 billion is chicken feed considering the size and complexity of the network. So in your mind, investing a bottomless multiple times more money pit in new metro lines, to supposedly provide relief to the existing network is an option, when that assertion is questionable? I think you summed it up in your last sentence.

I think the biggest surprise for many loyal supporters of the suburban system is that they thought a Labor government would back off on the metro program and move behind the suburban system, but they haven't, other than catching up on maintenance. I could see that coming a mile off because Labor were the ones (in their previous government) who started the metro ball rolling. They're aware of the broader issues too, just that they have the RTBU around their necks whereas the Coalition was able to ignore that albatross and push ahead.

I didn't expect the Labor government to back off on the metro projects already committed to, nor in fact some of the others. However, it's disappointing that they haven't so far committed to the further upgrading under the previous government's More Trains, More Services Program, which metro isn't going to address. They're separate issues. The final report of the Sydney Trains Review still hasn't been released, although it was supposed to have been completed last October. I don't think the RTBU has anything to do with it in terms of rail planning. The Coalition wasn't able to ignore the albatross of the RTBU to push ahead in the NIF dispute was it, but then that was an operational issue which the Fair Work Commision upheld in the union's favour?

The long term outcome is going to be continuing extension of the metro system, whichever government is in office, because of its overwhelmimg benefits. Just that progress will be faster under a Coalition government as the better money managers.

I've never denied the need for continuing extension of the metro system to service new rail corridors, particularly in the inner and middle ring suburbs, but that doesn't obviate the need for continuing investment in maintaining and upgrading the existing network. It's unrealistic to think that metro could replace the existing network, whether by conversions or duplicate lines. There are only limited opportunities to extend existing Sydney Trains lines anyway, such as the ESR and SWRL, with no other lines proposed.

Coalition governments are the better money managers? You're dreaming.

[Stonesourscotty]

A63 has some Roof Repair work done on the Yellow part of one of its cabs.

Sent from my SM-S916B using Tapatalk

[Linto63]

D6342, the Waratah carriage that collided with the buffers at Richmond in January 2018 and was replaced by one of the prototype carriages in set A42, has returned to service in place of D6415 in set A15.

[BAMBAM]

Tangara set T42, known for its derailment in 2021 at Kembla Grange had 3 Cars transferred from Mortdale Maintenance Center to Auburn Maintrain with locos at the front and end. It will be joined up for normal 4 car block and return to service in the future.

[Stonesourscotty]

Both misformed Waratahs are currently on T7 A15 and A42 I've somehow managed to be in the wrong end both times

Sent from my SM-S916B using Tapatalk

[boronia]

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/syd ... 5fmn7.html

A suburban passenger train travelling from outer Sydney to the CBD was in danger of derailing or tipping over last Sunday when it crossed from one track to another at four times the speed limit.

The train’s driver was thrown from his seat in the cab in the serious safety incident near Doonside about 2.30pm, but there have been no reports of injuries to passengers.

The Herald has seen internal documents that show the Waratah train was travelling at 99km/h on a section of cross-over tracks between Doonside and Blacktown where its maximum speed should have been 25km/h.

The train’s guard immediately reported the incident to controllers. They contacted the driver who said he was thrown from his seat in the incident.

A short time later, the driver was relieved of his duties at Blacktown station. The experienced driver has since been stood down from duties on full pay, pending the outcome of investigations.
The train was passing over a so-called turnout – which allows it to cross from one track to another – when the incident occurred. At the time, the Waratah train was travelling from Penrith, bound for the CBD and then onto Hornsby in Sydney’s north.

Several rail sources, who are not authorised to speak publicly, said it was lucky that the train did not derail and tip on its side in the incident given the speed at which it was travelling as it entered the turnout.

A XPT passenger train travelling from Sydney to Melbourne derailed at Wallan in Victoria in February 2020 when it entered a turnout, which was designed for speeds of 15km/h, at up to 127km/h.

Two drivers were killed, and eight passengers seriously injured in the crash.

Early investigations into the Doonside incident last Sunday have not shown any reports of injuries to passengers. The total number of passengers onboard the train at the time of the incident will not be determined until investigators comb through CCTV footage.

Sydney Trains said a full investigation into the incident was underway to ascertain the contributing factors, but early indications were that all points and signals on the line operated as intended.

“The driver in question was removed from duties, pending the outcome of this investigation which is normal process,” it said.

“Sydney Trains’ number-one priority is safety. We take any safety incident seriously and follow detailed reporting and investigation processes.”

The Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator said it had been informed of the incident, and a formal investigation had been initiated.

The serious incident at Doonside occurred two days after an intercity passenger train ploughed into a car which had become stuck on a level crossing at Woy Woy on the Central Coast.

[Transtopic]

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/syd ... 5fmn7.html

A suburban passenger train travelling from outer Sydney to the CBD was in danger of derailing or tipping over last Sunday when it crossed from one track to another at four times the speed limit.

The train’s driver was thrown from his seat in the cab in the serious safety incident near Doonside about 2.30pm, but there have been no reports of injuries to passengers.

The Herald has seen internal documents that show the Waratah train was travelling at 99km/h on a section of cross-over tracks between Doonside and Blacktown where its maximum speed should have been 25km/h.

The train’s guard immediately reported the incident to controllers. They contacted the driver who said he was thrown from his seat in the incident.

A short time later, the driver was relieved of his duties at Blacktown station. The experienced driver has since been stood down from duties on full pay, pending the outcome of investigations.
The train was passing over a so-called turnout – which allows it to cross from one track to another – when the incident occurred. At the time, the Waratah train was travelling from Penrith, bound for the CBD and then onto Hornsby in Sydney’s north.

Several rail sources, who are not authorised to speak publicly, said it was lucky that the train did not derail and tip on its side in the incident given the speed at which it was travelling as it entered the turnout.

A XPT passenger train travelling from Sydney to Melbourne derailed at Wallan in Victoria in February 2020 when it entered a turnout, which was designed for speeds of 15km/h, at up to 127km/h.

Two drivers were killed, and eight passengers seriously injured in the crash.

Early investigations into the Doonside incident last Sunday have not shown any reports of injuries to passengers. The total number of passengers onboard the train at the time of the incident will not be determined until investigators comb through CCTV footage.

Sydney Trains said a full investigation into the incident was underway to ascertain the contributing factors, but early indications were that all points and signals on the line operated as intended.

“The driver in question was removed from duties, pending the outcome of this investigation which is normal process,” it said.

“Sydney Trains’ number-one priority is safety. We take any safety incident seriously and follow detailed reporting and investigation processes.”

The Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator said it had been informed of the incident, and a formal investigation had been initiated.

The serious incident at Doonside occurred two days after an intercity passenger train ploughed into a car which had become stuck on a level crossing at Woy Woy on the Central Coast.

ATP would have avoided this outcome, but although the ATP trackside infrastructure on the network has been completed, the upgrade to the train fleet is way behind schedule, which includes the Tangaras and Millenniums. The Waratahs and Oscars have already been designed for conversion to ATP and ATO.

It's sobering to read the just released Sydney Trains Review Final Report, no doubt on Anzac Day to minimise any critical analysis. It has suffered significant under investment to maintain the network to an acceptable standard, with delays to upgrades to the Tangara and Millennium fleets which have also inhibited the proposed digital system upgrades.

Even with the Tangara upgrades, it will only be for ATP and not ATO to GoA2 standard as originally proposed. The prospect of ATO on the whole Sydney Trains network has been pushed back into the never never, and suggestions that existing lines could be converted to metro are wishful thinking. A more realistic option is to bring forward the digital system upgrades in tandem with upgraded fleet replacements, which would still be at least another decade away.

https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/system ... r-2023.pdf

[BAMBAM]

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/syd ... 5fmn7.html

ATP would have avoided this outcome, but although the ATP trackside infrastructure on the network has been completed, the upgrade to the train fleet is way behind schedule, which includes the Tangaras and Millenniums. The Waratahs and Oscars have already been designed for conversion to ATP and ATO.

It's sobering to read the just released Sydney Trains Review Final Report, no doubt on Anzac Day to minimise any critical analysis. It has suffered significant under investment to maintain the network to an acceptable standard, with delays to upgrades to the Tangara and Millennium fleets which have also inhibited the proposed digital system upgrades.

Even with the Tangara upgrades, it will only be for ATP and not ATO to GoA2 standard as originally proposed. The prospect of ATO on the whole Sydney Trains network has been pushed back into the never never, and suggestions that existing lines could be converted to metro are wishful thinking. A more realistic option is to bring forward the digital system upgrades in tandem with upgraded fleet replacements, which would still be at least another decade away.

https://www.transport.nsw.gov.au/system ... r-2023.pdf

That’s wrong, because the ATP wouldn’t let the driver go near 100kph near a 25kph crossover. They reason why this did happen because not all crossovers are ATP fitted, so the computer on board wouldn’t know and would not stop the train. This was purely driver error not responding to previous signals.

Believe it or not, ATP is not fully fitted on all the network because not all crossovers are ATP fitted, hence something like this was able to happen.