Reported service disruptions rail - no longer in use

[ozbob]

erail 7.44am

5 Jun 2012

15 mins delay for services on Caboolture Line, Shorncliffe Line between Northgate and Albion due to track fault. Service to resume by 8:30 AM.

[Fares_Fair]

Not 1 announcement made on our late running train, the 6:14am from Nambour.
COMMUNICATION is the key to happy passengers.
10 minutes late to Northgate.

EDIT: Service time typo corrected from 6:24am to 6:14am.

Arrived Central 18 minutes late with NOT 1 announcement made by the guard, it isn't rocket science.


Kudos does go to Queensland Rail and TransLink for their tweets reporting the delays.

[ozbob]

Not 1 announcement made on our late running train, the 6:24am from Nambour.
COMMUNICATION is the key to happy passengers.
10 minutes late to Northgate.

I thought the general rule is once delay > 4 minutes pax should be informed.

Maybe the announcement system was having a 'track fault' too?   

[ozbob]

Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are all having regular issues.  I reckon it has to be something do with the ' modern signalling and communication systems '  they are just prone to constant failure, track faults are not really track faults most times I reckon, they are circuit/communication issues.  There appears to be little redundancy in the systems as well.

The other common issue is increasing failure rates of units eg. ' mechanical issues '. 

Melbourne was a major basket case yesterday PM peak,  this AM peak in Brisbane is not the prettiest.  Melbourne is funny, Metro Melbourne has virtually given up on timely tweeting which has given rise to a whole lot of fake accounts that just bash them unmercifully, eg @fakemetrotrains.  Metro Melbourne would be well advised to push out info via twitter.

[ozbob]

eg.

Twitter  1m

TransLink SEQ ‏@TransLinkSEQ

Gold Coast/Beenleigh line train delays <10min after earlier train with mech fault caused congestion.

[somebody]

Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are all having regular issues.  I reckon it has to be something do with the ' modern signalling and communication systems '  they are just prone to constant failure, track faults are not really track faults most times I reckon, they are circuit/communication issues.  There appears to be little redundancy in the systems as well.

A possibility, but I think it has just as much to do with the "liability culture" that pervades all aspects of our society these days.  These problems cannot be fixed without going through "the process" which needs to hold up in court.

[Arnz]

With the minor track fault, here's the current TL status along with Route 4xx Coronation Drive delays.

[Golliwog]

Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are all having regular issues.  I reckon it has to be something do with the ' modern signalling and communication systems '  they are just prone to constant failure, track faults are not really track faults most times I reckon, they are circuit/communication issues.  There appears to be little redundancy in the systems as well.

A possibility, but I think it has just as much to do with the "liability culture" that pervades all aspects of our society these days.  These problems cannot be fixed without going through "the process" which needs to hold up in court.

There is a thread on RBOT that has the link to the facebook comment on it, but someone recently queried one of the track faults on the Cleveland line, and eventually got quite a long and detailed explanation of what happened and why. I'll try and find it and put the link here. Either way, pretty sure it was right with Ozbob saying that there's not much redundancy in the current system, but saying that I don't think we want to go back to older systems.

I would certainly agree on the liability culture though. I recently had a plane flight which was delayed by 2-3 hours due to a fault. The delay wasn't anything to do with fixing the problem, rather waiting for them to fly an engineer to our airport so he could look at it, and sign off and say it was fine to fly with whatever the fault was, or that the repair they had done was acceptable. I do agree that making sure it was safe to fly is important, but the plane crew seemed to give the impression that the ground crew knew it was able to fly, but they needed the paperwork side done to be sure.

[somebody]

^ Fairly sure I've already seen that explanation you are referring to.

[HappyTrainGuy]

To answer your question regarding the cancellation and late running of services on the Cleveland line on Monday, the following may assist. Due to time constraints we don't typically seek this level of detail but we felt your questions were important and the followers of this post would appreciate the detailed and technical response you were seeking.

The issues were due to a signalling fault at Thorneside, and this affected services between Thorneside and Cleveland. The cause of the signal fault was due to the failure of a relay, and, as a result, the signalling set all signals to red. This is because our system fails 'safe', which is essential to the safe running of our network. Similarly, if there is an issue with a boom gate it fails safe, ie it comes down, so that it is safe until repaired.

Signal relays are electrically controlled switches that are used to provide information about the condition of the signalling asset. The information provided includes details such as the occupancy of the track, the colour of the signal aspects presently displayed and a host of other information. Signal relays are manufactured to a fail-safe design, utilising an international standard for their operation. Relay contacts are manufactured from silver and carbon to preclude welding (which would be an unsafe failure).

In this particular instance the relay that failed was used to provide information about the state of the bi-directional (two way) track between Thorneside and Birkdale. The contacts used for this information had become high resistance (through carbonisation or tarnishing, as occasionally occurs with all relays) forcing the signalling system to respond by failing to a safe mode, preventing the normal clearing of signal routes for trains and thereby preventing any possibility of collision.

Queensland Rail has many thousands of signal relays in service, all providing very high reliability. They do not contain any field serviceable parts and are only reconditioned. They are therefore not generally considered a maintainable item, and are replaced either on failure or at end of service life.
Worldwide experience has been that invasive early removal for predictive testing has introduced more failures due to disturbance of the relay base contacts (where they plug in) than are prevented by early detection of high resistance internal contacts.

Relays are just one part of a very complex system which makes up our City network. There are hundreds of points (which enable trains to be guided from one track to another), a few thousand signals, and our overhead electric traction system which covers a couple of hundred kilometres. We also have a train fleet of over 200 units, which require regular maintenance and safety checks.

Speaking of maintenance, in 2011 we introduced the Scheduled Corridor Access Scheme (SCAS), which helps us to reduce the number of ad hoc closures throughout the network. Each SCAS closure is planned and managed as an integrated shutdown, combining all construction and maintenance works. Under this program, the SEQ network is divided into seven zones and closures are scheduled in each zone four times a year on weekends to avoid affecting peak hour services on weekdays. We do this to improve the reliability of our network, but not at the expense of customers who rely on us to transport them on the busiest days of the week. We can't keep everyone happy with these closures (you can see other threads on our page calling for less closures), but we do our best to schedule them so they don't clash with major events on the calendar. A well maintained line will help to improve the reliability of the network.

Sometimes, though, as with the case of what happened on Monday, we can't prevent every single problem which occurs on the network. When an issue like a relay failure occurs, we try to get the problem fixed as soon as possible, including having teams in the right locations with the right equipment to do so. Our team in the control centre does its level best to ensure as many trains can get through during disruptions as possible, but safety is always the foremost consideration.

People who work at Queensland Rail understand the frustration our customers have when trains are delayed or cancelled, as often we are affected, as well. For commuters who choose to travel by car, there can be unforseen circumstances which affect their journey. Even the most well-maintained vehicle can have engine problems, flat tyres, or even be involved in a collision. People travelling by car can get caught in congestion, which, of course, isn't their fault, but it's a part of the daily commute. Train networks are the same, in that only a certain number of trains can get through certain areas at the one time in a safe manner.

While failures on our network can be due to Queensland Rail's infrastructure, there are occasions when delays occur due to issues which are completely out of our control. If there is a medical emergency or an incident require the Queensland Police Service to attend, then the safety of our staff, customers and emergency services is of the highest priority. Sometimes Mother Nature may be the cause of delays on the network, but that is something we have to live with and work around.

Stefan, you are correct that the responses we put out to customers' feedback are honest and follow a logical sequence of decisions and actions in order to minimise the inconvenience to Queensland Rail customers. As we have stated earlier, not every problem on our network can be prevented through maintenance, so when an issue occurs, the best way to deal with it is to come up with a solution which gets our customers moving as quickly as possible. We are always looking at ways to improve our communication when incidents occur, as we know our customers need to be informed when their services will resume.

As much as we are looking at ways of improving the maintenance of our network, we also feel it is important to make sure our customers have a comfortable journey when they are on trains. Quiet Carriages and our Train Etiquette program are just two initiatives which, from the feedback we've received, have assisted in making journeys on our network more comfortable for the majority of our customers. We have mobile presentation attendants working their way through our fleet of trains to ensure they are kept in a clean and presentable condition. I imagine you would prefer we didn't neglect areas like cleanliness, in the same way we don't feel it's appropriate to neglect the comfort of our customers on board our trains.

We know there are ways we can improve our service and feedback from our customers is always welcome. We only ever ask that customers understand it is a very large and complex network we run, and, much like every other form of transport, it is not perfect.

We wish you safe and smooth journeys on the Cleveland line in future, and rest assured, we will be doing everything in our power to ensure our lines in that area run as reliably as possible.

[Fares_Fair]

The above was an excellent response by Queensland Rail, detailing the issue with great specificity. 

[ozbob]

The above was an excellent response by Queensland Rail, detailing the issue with great specificity. 

I think they need to build better redundancy into the systems.  Is it really acceptable for the huge investment to come to halt so frequently?  It might cost a little more to build redundancy in at the outset but would pay off with a lot less disruption.  Aircraft of course have a high level of redundancy.  One system fails there is a back up.  There need not be complete duplication of systems, but there must be better improvements in the networks to improve reliability.  It is nonsensical.  How come MTR Hong Kong can achieve 99% + OTP?

[HappyTrainGuy]

$$$ and population/patronage. Oh and they've heard the words 'feeder service' and understood what it meant

[ozbob]

In part for sure in Hong Kong, but there has been some improvements on our network that enhance operational reliability.  Eg. Corinda - Darra  bi-di signalling and so forth, does build some redundancy into that part of the network.  Trains can run UP on the MAIN DOWN through Oxley (platform 3), have seen a couple of trains do that. 

The principle of redundancy needs extending ..

[HappyTrainGuy]

ATP and futher trackside equipment would help but $$$$$$. It has to come from somewhere. I spose you could put some blame on the last government for their lack of intrest in heavy rail for the last.... what seems like forever.... but still with some expensive heavy rail projects coming up with the current deflict it might not be that simple. Unless projects get delayed/changed/canned/money shifted to enable more built in redundancies.

[ozbob]

Darra to Richlands is bi-di.  Is the line Richlands to Springfield going to be bi-di would you know?

[HappyTrainGuy]

I can't say 100% for sure but I assume so as I remember hearing sections would be bi-di to allow minor maintainence/inspections on the elevated track with out closing the entire line.

[somebody]

The above was an excellent response by Queensland Rail, detailing the issue with great specificity. 

I think they need to build better redundancy into the systems.  Is it really acceptable for the huge investment to come to halt so frequently?  It might cost a little more to build redundancy in at the outset but would pay off with a lot less disruption.  Aircraft of course have a high level of redundancy.  One system fails there is a back up.  There need not be complete duplication of systems, but there must be better improvements in the networks to improve reliability.  It is nonsensical.  How come MTR Hong Kong can achieve 99% + OTP?

Indeed, the A380 is quadruply (sp?) redundant control-wise.  QF32 saw a triple system failure and there was little danger to life.

Obviously there are some systems which are less or not redundant, like wings.

It is clear that they need to do better.  Perhaps the life of the components is too long.  Perhaps the responsiveness to failures is insufficient.  I'm not sure what's wrong but something has to give.

[ozbob]

I can't say 100% for sure but I assume so as I remember hearing sections would be bi-di to allow minor maintainence/inspections on the elevated track with out closing the entire line.

Thanks, makes sense.

[ozbob]

Report 612 ABC Brisbane, bridge strike Long St Graceville.  Delays up to 15 minutes Ipswich/Richlands lines.

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[Fares_Fair]

The above was an excellent response by Queensland Rail, detailing the issue with great specificity. 

I think they need to build better redundancy into the systems.  Is it really acceptable for the huge investment to come to halt so frequently?  It might cost a little more to build redundancy in at the outset but would pay off with a lot less disruption.  Aircraft of course have a high level of redundancy.  One system fails there is a back up.  There need not be complete duplication of systems, but there

must be better improvements in the networks to improve reliability.  It is nonsensical.  How come MTR Hong Kong can achieve 99% + OTP?

Agree!

[ozbob]

Report 612 ABC Brisbane, bridge strike Long St Graceville.  Delays up to 15 minutes Ipswich/Richlands lines.

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http://jp.translink.com.au/travel-information/service-updates/details/1338877139

Delays due to truck hitting bridge: Graceville

Last updated: 4.21pm Tuesday 5 June 2012

Trains on the Ipswich/Rosewood and Richlands lines may be delayed up to 15 minutes due to a truck hitting the rail bridge at Long Street, Graceville.

[Derwan]

Just saw the 7:17 train leave about 6 minutes late as I arrived at Boondall. We've been advised that the 7:31 train will only be a 3-car service and will be extremely full.

With the following service not arriving until 7:57, people will be either extremely angry or extremely squashed!

Edit:

I managed to squash onto the 7:31.  Some already angry passengers were further incensed by my "Squish in people!" remark, not wanting to give up that precious little space around them.

A number of people didn't even bother trying to get on at Nudgee.

A few people somehow managed to board at Banyo.

As we arrived at Northgate, the guard announced that there would be an all-stations service immediately following our (express) service if people felt uncomfortable and wanted to get off.

We finally arrived at Bowen Hills where they changed crews.  It took a little while for the guard to help someone in a mobility scooter off.  In that time, the driver had walked up to the staff office door, which was right outside where I was.  The guard met him there, shook his head and said, "That was embarrassing!"

[Fares_Fair]

Delays to 6:14am Nambour service caused by boom gate incident at McKean Rd, just north of Caboolture.
Following services also delayed.

A force majeure incident of course, certainly no fault of QR.

Ironically, it's International Level Crossing Awareness Day
"Oh the irony, if only it was yesterday!"

We were delayed by level Xing incident, 24 minutes late arrival into Central station.

[HappyTrainGuy]

A minor issue relating to the Nambour/Caboolture line. Slight chance it would impact the first few services tomorrow. Shouldn't be much of a delay as its a public holiday.

[ozbob]

A minor issue relating to the Nambour/Caboolture line. Slight chance it would impact the first few services tomorrow. Shouldn't be much of a delay as its a public holiday.

Yes, erail 11.13pm last evening ..

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10 Jun 2012

Disruptions on Caboolture Line due to track fault. Expect 1 hr delay. Service to resume by 11 Jun 2012 10:00 AM.

Alt. transport operating between Bowen Hills and Petrie.

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The holiday weekend was stuffed up for most northside anyway, more delays won't matter, most have given up ...

[HappyTrainGuy]

10am...  I didn't think it would be that late. Maybe the 5am service but not the 10am service 5 hours later 

[ozbob]

Twitter

ABC Radio Brisbane ‏@612brisbane

Buses in place of trains Bowen Hills to Gympie North & Bowen Hills to Shorncliffe (till lunchtime)

[ozbob]

erail 9.00am

10 Jun 2012

Disruptions on Caboolture Line due to track fault. Expect 1 hr delay. Service to resume by 11 Jun 2012 11:00 AM.

Alt. transport operating between Bowen Hills and Petrie.

[p858snake]

erail 9.00am

10 Jun 2012

Disruptions on Caboolture Line due to track fault. Expect 1 hr delay. Service to resume by 11 Jun 2012 11:00 AM.

Alt. transport operating between Bowen Hills and Petrie.

So that is separate from the Shorncliffe stuff that was for "extended maintenance work"?

[ozbob]

http://jp.translink.com.au/travel-information/service-updates/details/1339369279

Track closure - buses replacing trains

Last updated: 9.03am Monday 11 June 2012

Due to ongoing track maintenance, buses are replacing trains between Bowen Hills and Petrie and Shorncliffe.

Customers should allow extra travel time of up to 60 minutes.

[ozbob]

Twitter

1m TransLink SEQ TransLink SEQ ‏@TransLinkSEQ

Train services have now resumed between Bowen Hills and Petrie and Shorncliffe. Expect delays as services return to normal.

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Three cheers for Her Majesty and the resumption of services  ....

[Derwan]

I received erail alerts for both Shorncliffe and Caboolture lines.  I'd say the track work ran longer than expected.  No doubt they planned it for a long weekend in case that happened.

[HappyTrainGuy]

They ran a little overtime because of the heavy rain on Saturday night delaying a few things. The rain last night also didn't help too.

[p858snake]

I received erail alerts for both Shorncliffe and Caboolture lines.  I'd say the track work ran longer than expected.  No doubt they planned it for a long weekend in case that happened.

Would have been better to advertise it as the whole weekend then, and reopened early compared to messing around like this.

[Fares_Fair]

I wonder if this was a result of the line closure, or a contributing factor?
http://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=8500.0

[HappyTrainGuy]

I received erail alerts for both Shorncliffe and Caboolture lines.  I'd say the track work ran longer than expected.  No doubt they planned it for a long weekend in case that happened.

Would have been better to advertise it as the whole weekend then, and reopened early compared to messing around like this.

That makes more issues when it comes to assigning drivers/guards job cards. It was intended on being a 2 day job but due to the weather parts of the job were delayed due to the rain such as poor drainage, water pooling in areas and rewiring signaling/trackside electronics. Having a public holiday following just gave an extra buffer incase something happened such as rain delays.

[ozbob]

Farce ...  uni exams on too ...

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http://jp.translink.com.au/travel-information/service-updates/details/1339444998

Ipswich Line services suspended (Bundamba area)

Last updated: 6.08am Tuesday 12 June 2012

Train services on the Ipswich Line travelling between Ebbw Vale and East Ipswich are currently suspended due to a signal fault at Bundamba.

Currently affected services:

    The 5.46am Ipswich - Bowen Hills service is 9 minutes delayed.

Queensland Rail electricians are en route to investigate the fault.

[ozbob]

Twitter

TransLink SEQ ‏@TransLinkSEQ

Ipswich Line trains resumed after signal fault has been repaired. Two residual train delays only.

[ozbob]

http://jp.translink.com.au/travel-information/service-updates/details/1339488604

Lindum train delays

Last updated: 6.10pm Tuesday 12 June 2012

Trains travelling in both directions on the Cleveland line may be delayed due to a track fault at Lindum.

Customers can expect delays of up to 15 minutes.

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