Article: Sabotage fears in rail delays prompt security review

[ozbob]

From the Courier Mail click here!

Sabotage fears in rail delays prompt security review

Sabotage fears in rail delays prompt security review
Article from: The Courier-Mail

Ursula Heger

December 09, 2009 11:00pm

SABOTAGE is suspected in a spate of major train delays that have caused commuter chaos across southeast Queensland in recent weeks.

The State Government has ordered an urgent review into Citytrain's computerised main control room, which co-ordinates the southeast's massive commuter network, after a series of system failures.

Hundreds of thousands of passengers have been stranded in recent weeks, including during peak hour on Tuesday which happened at the same time the Government was announcing its controversial Queensland Rail stockmarket listing.

The computer malfunctions have switched signals across the network to safe mode, forcing trains to stop on the lines or at the nearest station.

Bus passengers also were hit with a snap strike yesterday afternoon, with a third of Brisbane services disrupted when drivers from the Toowong depot walked off the job in support of a sacked colleague. Expected ongoing industrial action has been averted.

Transport Minister Rachel Nolan yesterday admitted sabotage was a possible cause of recent problems and that an external review would be launched into safety and security at the main control room.

"We have no evidence of this. We are advised that it is unlikely, but possible," she said.

The investigation will be headed by Queensland Transport director-general Dave Stewart in his role as rail safety regulator.

QR also has hired its own forensic investigations team.

Ms Nolan said there was no danger to passengers.

"We are talking about a system that ranks in importance with airports or ports here, so there is a wider issue of transport security at stake," she said.

"As you'd expect, QR has an internal investigation under way and has engaged independent experts and a forensic investigations team to review their software, their hardware and their systems.

"Importantly, Department of Transport and Main Roads, as the Rail Safety Regulator, has also engaged further independent expertise to ensure that QR's systems are safe and that transport security is not compromised."

On Tuesday, thousands of commuters on more than 70 trains were delayed following a computer malfunction at 6.20pm. Trains on the Caboolture, CBD, Ipswich, Cleveland, Caboolture, Ferny Grove and Gold Coast lines were stopped at the nearest stations, and passengers were forced to wait for almost two hours before services returned to normal.

Another 24 trains were delayed yesterday morning following a track fault at Roma Street station.

A QR spokesman said it was impossible to speculate on the causes of the computer shutdowns at this stage. "QR is investigating the cause of (Tuesday night's) disruption to Citytrain services after an IT issue caused signalling problems," he said.

"To ensure the safety of passengers and staff on the network, trains were halted between 6.21pm and 6.45pm while the fault was rectified."

Rail commuters have been forced to endure a horror stretch in recent months, with delays from a series of signalling, track and overhead faults compounded by a new safety regime.

[mufreight]

Another desperate ploy by the Transport Minister to avoid responsibility for an underfunded, undermaintained network due to funds that should have been allocated to rail being divirted to the amplicifation of Translink and to road works.
No one so inclined would have to sabotage the rail network the government, Queensland Transport, QR Network and Translink already have.

[Fares_Fair]

I agree mufreight ..

but what does one do when the saboteur is more likely the incumbent state government,
through lack of proper resources into the rail network infrastructure,
and who further hamper it's effectiveness via highly paid TransLink bureaucrats
who "fiddle" and fail to respond whilst Rome burns around them.

This government is seemingly only motivated into action by crises,
viz. electricity, health, water, education and on it goes.

Next up will be the go card transport crisis as everyone is forced into a dysfunctionally resourced and maintained system, where there are not enough readers to accommodate the masses it will soon convey, and where encouragement for its' use has been replaced by a totalitarian like coercion under the guise of
"it is so good we must force you to use it" type logic.

Regards,
Fares_Fair.

[Mozz]

The online media blogs I have been monitoring have pretty much been scathing of this apparent beat up and suggesting lack of investment and forward planning are more likely the culprits rather than internal sabouteurs. A byline of course being that I feel a great deal of empathy for the dedicated hard working qr employees tarnished by this brush .....

[ozbob]

http://blogs.abc.net.au/queensland/2009/12/sabotage-to-blame-for-qr-woes.html?program=612_breakfast

Today's "The Courier-Mail" carries a front page allegation that someone in the Queensland Rail control room is sabotaging the Citytrain network.

State President of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union Bruce Mackie was angry enough to phone in to 612 Breakfast.

Transport Minister Rachel Nolan responds (and renews her promise to take your calls on 612 Breakfast):

[ozbob]

From the Brisbane mX 10th December 2009 page 1

We are not rail vandals

[Jon Bryant]

I can only assume there must be some substance for an incident to be reported

Police to probe rail 'sabotage'
Ursula Heger and Patrick Lion
December 10, 2009 11:00pm

POLICE have been called in to investigate the circumstances behind a spate of delays on the southeast's Citytrain network.

A police spokesman confirmed yesterday a complaint about an incident at Citytrain's main control room was being looked at.

Unions have called for Transport Minister Rachel Nolan to resign, saying she made claims of possible sabotage to deflect attention from anger over the state asset sell-off.

Premier Anna Bligh yesterday backed Ms Nolan and said she would be shocked if the problems were deliberately caused but that it was correct to call the police in.

"The Minister is right to ensure that police are involved and investigate every possible cause of this problem," she said.

"We don't know what is causing it at this stage but if sabotage is involved the police will find out. The Minister is right to leave no stone unturned."

But Rail, Bus and Tram union secretary Owen Doogan said the government had put forward the suggestion in an attempt to deflect attention from widespread anger over asset sales.

"It is like a school yard game that Anna Bligh and her government are playing," he said.

"They tried to focus on a non-existent issue to try and get people's attention away from real life. Real life is that they are selling the assets of this state, and they will be selling them for way below market prices."

Mr Doogan said recent infrastructure failures had been the main cause of delays for commuters.

And he claimed the introduction of strict safety procedures by QR that were "away with the fairies" had compounded the problem.

He said the safety measures meant that a fault that could be fixed in 20 minutes was now taking up to five hours.

The shutdowns, the most recent of which occurred on Tuesday evening, caused widespread delays across the network with trains forced to stop on the lines while the system rebooted.

Electrical Trades Union secretary Peter Simpson also demanded the Minister's resignation.

But Ms Nolan said yesterday the government had to check whether the computer problems were caused by sabotage. "I think it would be irresponsible not to ask the question," she said.

The Rail Safety Regulator and Queensland Rail are conducting the reviews.

It is also normal practice under leading IT practices to conduct such investigations when a "critical" system fails.  The airline industry does this every day particularly the air traffic control systems.

[ozbob]

Opposition Statement

http://www.fionasimpson.com.au/Pages/Article.aspx?ID=626

Trains sabotage hysteria has to stop

Thursday, 10 December 2009

LNP Transport Spokeswoman Fiona Simpson has called on the Minister for Transport to back up her allegations the commuter rail network had been sabotaged or stop the hysteria.

"This is just one big furphy from a Minister searching for an excuse for the repeated rail failures — soon she will be blaming the possums up the power poles.

"Even the Minister has admitted there is no evidence that sabotage has occurred.

"It is completely irresponsible for Ministers to make unsubstantiated, inflammatory statements without proof.

"The Minister's comments walk a fine line and are almost defamatory of Queensland Rail staff.

"If the Minister really believed the ongoing failures were the result of deliberate sabotage of Brisbane's transport system she should refer the matter to the Australian Federal Police.

"In the meantime, Queensland Transport's Director General could get on with the job with examining the real cause of these failures and establish if the rail maintenance program needs an upgrade to halt the systemic problems."

[p858snake]

As someone with a limited IT background, I would be saying this is more likely a automated system action caused by builtin failsafes.

For example, computer systems depending on what is operating them and their hardware will automatically activate a "safe" shutdown to protect itself, this is common in say server areas that aren't properly cooled. I'm not saying that this is the same situation, but i'm predicting that the control system is detecting something wrong either within the train system or the local command center and automatically protecting itself.

And yes, I hate when the moment something wrong, someone cries hacker, because in the majority of issues it is not the case.

[stephenk]

Another desperate ploy by the Transport Minister to avoid responsibility for an underfunded, undermaintained network due to funds that should have been allocated to rail being divirted to the amplicifation of Translink and to road works.
No one so inclined would have to sabotage the rail network the government, Queensland Transport, QR Network and Translink already have.

You have hit the nail on the head with that post!