Articles: New train delays

[ozbob]

From the Herald Sun click here!

New trains off the tracks

New trains off the tracks

   * Matt Johnston state politics reporter
   * From: Herald Sun
   * February 14, 2010 9:09PM

THE first of Victoria's new trains that was unveiled last year as the answer to commuters' prayers is still not running full services.

Problems with CCTV and software on the new vehicles have meant the train revealed in December by the State Government hasn't been taking passengers since.

Premier John Brumby said the issue was being looked at urgently, with maintenance and industrial relations issues compounding delays.

The Premier has consistently said a new X'Trapolis train would be brought online each month since December, but none are on the tracks at the moment.

Public Transport Users Association president Daniel Bowen said the unveiling of the first X'Trapolis train in December was a farce.

"They had all the pomp and ceremony and then it did a couple of trips and went back in the workshop," Mr Bowen said. "It's better that they wait until the trains are ready for service rather than rush them in and have problems with them as they have with the myki system."

Mr Bowen said he hoped the problems could be resolved quickly because the system was "bursting at the seams".

Mr Brumby said he had received a commitment from Metro that one train would be rolled out each month, but that had been hampered so far.

"There were some issues with the first, and there have also been some related maintenance issues and some other IR issues," Mr Brumby said.

"My understanding is that the first one is in service."

But Metro spokesman Chris Whitefield said maintenance crews were still ironing out the X'Trapolis trains' software issues, so no new trains were on the tracks.

"The one that was launched in December still isn't running full passenger services," Mr Whitefield said.

He said that train should be starting full services shortly.

"There's another one due by the end of February."

[ozbob]

From the Melbourne Age click here!

Brumby rail promise stalls

Brumby rail promise stalls

PAUL AUSTIN, CLAY LUCAS AND SARAH-JANE COLLINS
February 15, 2010

PREMIER John Brumby's pledge to speed up government action to fix Melbourne's public transport system has been undercut by the revelation his election-year roll-out of new trains is falling further behind schedule.

The first two new trains, which the government had promised would be on the rails by now, are still not in service, and a third, due to start operating within two weeks, has not yet arrived in Victoria. It is due next month.

After the government suffered a swing against it of more than 12 per cent in Saturday's Altona byelection, Mr Brumby yesterday said he shared voters' frustration with the public transport system, and promised to move more quickly to implement Labor's 12-year transport plan.

''I've heard that message. They want us to do more, they want us to push ahead with these projects quicker, and I'm confident that we can do that,'' he said.

Under the $38 billion transport plan Labor promised the first of 38 new trains would be operating by the end of last year. But it was sent back to the workshop within hours of being unveiled in the last week of December, where it remains.

Labor also promised a new train on the system every month this year, but the train due to start operating in January has still not been deemed safe.

The train due in December has problems with its electronic communications and digital display units. Yesterday half of that first X'Trapolis train was at the Epping rail yards, having new windscreens fitted after they were scratched. The other half was at Newport rail yards, under constant guard by two security staff and a German shepherd.

The second train has been under repair for two months in Ballarat, having its floors resurfaced. It arrived with the top layer of floor lifting. It was immediately transported to Ballarat where French manufacturer Alstom and maintenance partner United have been doing repairs.

Rail, Tram and Bus Union divisional president Terry Sheedy said the trains, manufactured in Poland and Italy under contract to Alstom, had been made offshore because it was cheaper. ''They should have made them in Dandenong,'' he said.

The third of the 38 trains left Italy on February 2 and is due to arrive early next month.

On top of the delays in introducing the myki ticket system to trams and buses, the train delays are further embarrassment to Mr Brumby as he seeks to recover from the Altona rebuff before the November state election.

Labor held the safe western suburbs seat, but the Liberals achieved a swing after the distribution of preferences of 12.3 per cent. The Liberals need a uniform swing of about 6.5 per cent to win government in November.

Mr Brumby was privately criticised by some ALP insiders for describing the result on Saturday night as ''fantastic'' for the government.

Liberal leader Ted Baillieu seized on the comment, accusing the Premier of refusing to hear the message from voters and being in denial about problems in transport, hospital waiting lists, corruption and record levels of serious crime.

Yesterday Mr Brumby moved to limit the damage, saying he had ''got the message'' and accepted that more needed to be done to improve public transport and reduce violence.

But he said the government's plans in both areas were ''right'' and did not detail any new policies.

''You're going to see renewed determination, energy, vigour and action as we work through this year to get these plans on the ground and to make a difference to the people we represent,'' Mr Brumby said.

He said a weekend police blitz on drunken crime in the city showed the government was aware of the problem and acting to get on top of it.

But Mr Baillieu said the ''strong message'' from Altona was that after 10 years in office, the government was taking Victorians for granted.

''By claiming that the byelection result was 'great' and the direction for the state is right, John Brumby has shown that he is still not listening and is out of touch,'' Mr Baillieu said.

He predicted the government would respond to the rebuff by spending millions more on taxpayer-funded advertising and ''spin'' in the lead-up to the state election.

Labor candidate Jill Hennessy retained Altona, made vacant by last month's resignation of public transport minister Lynne Kosky, but suffered a drop in the primary vote of more than 13 per cent, from 60.6 per cent at the 2006 election to 47.5 on Saturday.

Liberal candidate Mark Rose improved his party's primary vote by more than 11 per cent, from 23.9 per cent in 2006 to 35.95 per cent on Saturday.

The Greens increased their primary vote slightly, from 8.4 per cent to 10.4 per cent.

After distribution of preferences, Labor's vote was 57.9 per cent, down 12.3 per cent on 2006.

Labor state secretary and campaign director Nick Reece said Altona had registered a ''strong protest vote'', with implications for Labor across the state.

''It reaffirms that there is no scope for complacency on Labor's part, and we are going to have to work very, very hard to win the election in November,'' Mr Reece said.

Liberal state director Tony Nutt said: ''We will be working tirelessly to hold a tired, arrogant and incompetent administration to account.''

[ozbob]

From the Melbourne Age click here!

Metro at war with its drivers over new train

Metro at war with its drivers over new train
CLAY LUCAS AND DAVID ROOD
February 16, 2010

METRO will take its train drivers to the federal industrial tribunal after they refused to drive the first of Melbourne's long-awaited and desperately needed new trains.

Drivers refused to take the train out on its first scheduled run yesterday afternoon, citing what they called unresolved safety issues.

Union divisional president Terry Sheedy argued that chief among problems with the trains were emergency intercoms that could not be easily tested to ensure passenger safety.

Public Transport Minister Martin Pakula and Metro chief executive Andrew Lezala said this was not true.

The train - the first of the 38 new units manufactured in Italy and Poland by French train maker Alstom, at a cost of $18.81 million each - was ready to go, they said.

''There is nothing preventing it being on the network now taking passengers,'' Mr Pakula said.

The train delay has created further political pain for Premier John Brumby, who has admitted the government's transport record contributed to the 12.3 per cent swing against Labor at the weekend's Altona byelection.

The opposition seized on the botched roll-out of the new X'Trapolis trains, pointing to a statement on the Department of Transport's website that the first of the new trains was already in service. Opposition transport spokesman Terry Mulder said that with the second of the promised trains still out of service because of a faulty floor and a third still being shipped from Italy, Mr Brumby had ''totally and completely lost the confidence of the public''.

Mr Brumby said yesterday voters had sent the message that people wanted ''quicker progress'' on transport issues and dealing with drunken violence.

''In all of these areas I think our plans are the right plans but we've got to push faster,'' he said, adding he was ''immensely frustrated'' the first train was not operating.

Despite Mr Brumby's hopes that the train would be in service by last night, it sat unused at the Newport rail yards.

Mr Lezala said ''obstructionist'' union officials had refused to drive the train because of minor issues. He cited ''[unsatisfactory] arm rests, a flap over a switch, the third prototype of a seat'' as issues raised by drivers.

To illustrate this, Metro took journalists to the train at the Newport rail yards. But the media stunt backfired when it was gatecrashed by the union, whose officials outlined their concerns.

''They are telling you the armrests are the problem, but they are telling you bullsh%t - we couldn't care less about that,'' Mr Sheedy, the divisional president of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union, told journalists.

He said there were serious issues about how emergency intercoms could be tested by drivers at the start of each run.

The older Comeng trains, made in the 1980s, were more reliable, Mr Sheedy said, as drivers could easily test if emergency intercoms to protect passengers were working.

But Mr Lezala said there were no outstanding safety or mechanical issues. ''It has been approved by rail engineers as fit for service.'' There was a small number of drivers who had too much power to disrupt service, he said.

Mr Pakula, the former state secretary of the National Union of Workers, said the train was not in service because ''of a small band of drivers''. ''What I would describe as trifling issues ... continue to delay the train going into service,'' he said.

The national workplace relations tribunal, Fair Work Australia, will now decide the issue, after Metro requested urgent mediation last night.

Previous train operator Connex was successful after similar action against the rail union last February.

[ozbob]

From the Herald Sun click here!

New trains off the tracks

New trains off the tracks

    * Matt Johnston state politics reporter
    * From: Herald Sun
    * February 14, 2010 9:09PM

THE first of Victoria's new trains that was unveiled last year as the answer to commuters' prayers is still not running full services.

Problems with CCTV and software on the new vehicles have meant the train revealed in December by the State Government hasn't been taking passengers since.

Premier John Brumby said the issue was being looked at urgently, with maintenance and industrial relations issues compounding delays.

The Premier has consistently said a new X'Trapolis train would be brought online each month since December, but none are on the tracks at the moment.

Public Transport Users Association president Daniel Bowen said the unveiling of the first X'Trapolis train in December was a farce.

"They had all the pomp and ceremony and then it did a couple of trips and went back in the workshop," Mr Bowen said. "It's better that they wait until the trains are ready for service rather than rush them in and have problems with them as they have with the myki system."

Mr Bowen said he hoped the problems could be resolved quickly because the system was "bursting at the seams".

Mr Brumby said he had received a commitment from Metro that one train would be rolled out each month, but that had been hampered so far.

"There were some issues with the first, and there have also been some related maintenance issues and some other IR issues," Mr Brumby said.

"My understanding is that the first one is in service."

But Metro spokesman Chris Whitefield said maintenance crews were still ironing out the X'Trapolis trains' software issues, so no new trains were on the tracks.

"The one that was launched in December still isn't running full passenger services," Mr Whitefield said.

He said that train should be starting full services shortly.

"There's another one due by the end of February."

[ozbob]

From the Herald Sun click here!

Metro drivers face legal action if they continue to refuse to drive Melbourne's new trains

Metro drivers face legal action if they continue to refuse to drive Melbourne's new trains

    * Ashley Gardiner, Stephen McMahon
    * From: Herald Sun
    * February 18, 2010 12:00AM

DRIVERS could face legal action if they continue to refuse to drive Melbourne's new trains.

The Herald Sun believes Metro is considering having future action declared as unprotected industrial action.

This could see unionists exposed to fines if they defy orders to drive the trains.

Driver representatives and Metro management met for private talks before Fair Work Australia yesterday.

Metro will consider the demands of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union overnight before making a formal written response on Thursday.

Metro spokesman Chris Whitefield said the new X'Trapolis trains were ready to take passengers. "There is no safety or mechanical reason why the trains can't enter service," he said.

"We are preparing a written response to address the minor outstanding issues."

Metro will also introduce additional driver training.

"That will hopefully take us a step further to the trains entering service," Mr Whitefield said.

The union's locomotive division president, Terry Sheedy, said the trains would not be ready for at least a week.

Mr Sheedy said he was certain the union action was legal, but was keen to avoid court action.

"I don't want to put ourselves and our members in that position," he said.

For the action to remain legally protected, unionists would have to be taking action over an imminent safety threat, and not occupational health and safety issues.

Metro declined to comment on the prospect of taking legal action against drivers.

The Brumby Government has blasted union officials for working against Victorians.

Public Transport Minister Martin Pakula said the trains had been cleared by the independent safety regulator and the argument was more about driver amenities, such as the arm rests and drink holders.

"It is an unnecessary act.

"There is no safety-related issue that Metro is aware of that this train shouldn't be in service," Mr Pakula said.

The first two $18 million trains were due to begin service in December and last month.

Mr Sheedy said he was disappointed by Mr Pakula's stance. "I'm not very impressed with Mr Pakula hanging it on us union officials when he's an ex-union official," Mr Sheedy said.

Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu said there was no hope the Government would solve the state's public transport problems.

"They promised one train a month but it hasn't happened," he said.

"Victorians want to know when the trains will be on the track and will they be safe and reliable.

"All we have seen is one train on one track in six months. This doesn't give commuters any confidence," Mr Baillieu said.

[ozbob]

From the Herald Sun click here!

Chaos and expletives as Metro's' new X'Trapolis train pulls into Melbourne's Flinders St Station

Chaos and expletives as Metro's' new X'Trapolis train pulls into Melbourne's Flinders St Station

    * Lucie van den Berg
    * From: Herald Sun
    * February 20, 2010 12:00AM

IT could not have been a bumpier and more bungled ride for the first of Melbourne's multi-million-dollar train fleet.

After a false start, months of delay and a bitter legal battle, commuters were finally set to ride the first $18 million train.

But the roll-out of the so-called Brumby Express seemed destined to fail.

Not only did it arrive at Flinders St station later than promised, its abusive driver greeted the waiting media with some choice words.

"Get off the track, you bloody idiot," the infuriated man let rip at a TV cameraman trying to get footage.

Metro representatives initially told journalists the new train would arrive at 4.16pm on the Blackburn line.

When it didn't, they said it would be another 20 minutes, then another.

Finally they admitted they didn't know when it would arrive except that it would be during peak hour - 4.30pm and 6.30pm.

At 4.57pm, there was word it would cruise into platform six.

With seconds to spare there was a last-minute change of track. Confusion reached fever pitch as the train pulled in.

Then the driver appeared at the door - yelling expletives.

An hour earlier Metro CEO Andrew Lezala issued a statement that Metro was delighted to reach a "mutual agreeable outcome" with drivers. The dispute began in late December when drivers refused to use the first of 38 X'Trapolis trains. The parties reached an agreement yesterday afternoon.

"Ultimately it is the passengers who are the winners now the new train is out on the tracks," he said.

One commuter said nothing had changed.

"Should we be excited?" she said. "How hard is it to put a train on the tracks?"

But a Metro spokesman defended the handling of the situation, pointing out no services were delayed.

He said they were trying to help the media, and the train's arrival was at the discretion of controllers, who decided where trains went based on availability and congestion.

He added that the driver was rightly concerned about safety.

[#Metro]

Ahahah!

Wow, it could have been much worse. Someone could have died then and there.
Stay off the tracks...

[ozbob]

From the Melbourne Age click here!

January train starts in March, lasts a day

January train starts in March, lasts a day
CLAY LUCAS
March 23, 2010

THE second of 38 new trains being delivered by the state government for Melbourne's overcrowded rail network began yesterday, two months later than Premier John Brumby had promised it would be running.

The X'Trapolis train - the ''January train'' - made in Poland and Italy by French manufacturer Alstom, departed Flinders Street Station on its first journey for Metro at 7.49am yesterday.

It ran on four different lines over the day, before being pulled out of service because of a faulty battery charger and shunted to train yards in Glen Waverley.

The December train just managed to arrive within its deadline of 2009 - but also managed to run for only a few hours before it was retired for repairs. Premier Brumby has promised one new train a month this year.

Yesterday's retirement came as Andrew Lezala, chief executive of Metro, announced the train operator would offer 10 new rail maintenance apprenticeships.

''We've seen the impact that failing infrastructure has had on train services in recent months, and boosted maintenance will bring improvement,'' Mr Lezala said.

The jobs will be advertised on Metro's website, and commence in the second half of this year.

[ozbob]

From the Herald Sun click here!

Second X'Trapolis train one and a half months late; out of service by 4pm

Second X'Trapolis train one and a half months late; out of service by 4pm

    * Amelia Harris
    * From: Herald Sun
    * March 22, 2010 12:10PM

UPDATE 9.51pm: IT was billed as the answer to commuters' woes, but the second of the new X'Trapolis trains was pulled from service on its first day.

Operator Metro said the train developed a fault about 4.15pm as it prepared to run empty from Glen Waverley to Flinders St.

The train was expected to remain at Glen Waverley overnight and undergo a maintenance inspection.

Metro spokeswoman Lanie Harris said the train, which was a month-and-a-half late, spent its first day taking passengers on the Lilydale, Belgrave, Epping and Glen Waverley lines.

But she wouldn't comment on the timing of the glitch.

"Part of getting a train fully commissioned and tested is putting it through its paces," Ms Harris said.

Public Transport Minister Martin Pakula said the train had to go through 25 hours of fault-free service before Metro accepted it from manufacturer Alstom.

Opposition public transport spokesman Terry Mulder said Melbourne's train woes couldn't get much worse. "You'd have to ask the question, if there is an enormous amount of pressure to push the trains out before they're ready," he said.

Public Transport Users Association president Daniel Bowen said yesterday's drama was an embarrassment for the Government and Metro.

"The train is two months late as it is and now it's broken down," he said.

The next X'Trapolis carriages are also running late, with some parts at sea on the way from Italy. The second half of the third train, which was supposed to be running by the end of February, should be in Victoria within the week, along with the first half of the fourth train.

The Brumby Government had promised a train a month from December last year.

Mr Pakula said more carriages were on the way and would be delivered shortly.

"The second part of the fourth train and the first half of the fifth train is on the water at the moment," Mr Pakula said.

Four of the Siemens trains that were removed for brake testing are still off the rails.

Metro says it is working through the night to test the carriages, and has successfully tested a system to drop sand in front of the wheels as the trains brake, to increase friction.

The State Government was out with Metro yesterday, spruiking its maintenance schedule. More than $140 million will be spent upgrading parts of the system to ensure trains run more smoothly.

This includes the replacement or laying of 10km of new rail lines, 16km of overhead wires and 28,500 sleepers.

[Dean Quick]

   This is just laughable. All those who want cheaper and inferior imported sets take note!!!

[#Metro]

I'm not sure that there are any manufacturers that make everything here.
What companies do we have here?