New Generation Rollingstock

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

2nd August 2017

Spin and denial does not hide NGRfail nor Railfail ...

Good Morning,

Fairly feeble attempt to try to bury the grim failure with our rail network and the New Generation Rollingstock (a.k.a Not Going Right ) trains.

Gold Coast Bulletin --> MP Bruce Sanders given dressing down over Commonwealth Games 'transport debacle' comments

The reality is this.  It is now 529 days since NGR701 was towed to Wulkuraka.

It is now 306 days since the first wave of cancellations associated with railfail happened on 30th September 2016.

Public has been suffering cancellations, delays and reduced service since then ..

To think that we are going to endure these reduced service rail timetables with constant train breakdowns and more cancellations and delays,  till the end of 2018 you need to think again.

Time the Government brought their union mates under control, and properly expedited crew training.  There has been more than enough time to allow for the restoration of full rail timetables by January 2018.  Nothing else is acceptable.

Best wishes,
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track https://backontrack.org

[ Attached: https://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=3706.msg196050#msg196050 ]

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/892431225842839553

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/892433020145213440

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/892433524548001792

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/892454629790818304

[#Metro]

WON'T GUARANTEE?

How is that possible?

I thought they were "stress testing" all of this?

Surely they would know that answers to the timetabling by now, no?

[ozbob]

^ utter shambles sadly  ...

================

SkyNews --> Qld Premier won't guarantee trains for Games

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk can't say for sure if planned train services for the Commonwealth Games will be ready on time.

Maryborough MP Bruce Saunders says he and other members of the 2018 Commonwealth Games committee are 'pulling their hair out' as they struggle to implement sufficient transport in time for the April event.

'We are going to have a transport debacle,' he told Triple M on Monday.

'These trains were supposed to be up and running before the Commonwealth Games.'

While a train from the set ordered to help with the Games has been set up, parts from 15 others were needed just 'to get one on the ground', he said.

Ms Palaszczuk sought to distance herself from the issue, saying the contracts for new trains, built in India, were signed by the former government and no more trains would arrive until problems with those already here were resolved.

:conf

[tazzer9]

The trains being built in india is not the problem.  They built them exactly to what we told them to.  It's an australian screw up.   

[ozbob]

Yes, we know.  A LNP / TMR botch!  The ALP haven't helped by sitting on it for so long either.  Maybe TMR were telling porky pies ...

Off with their heads!!

[BrizCommuter]

Rumoured from within QR that if the NGR trainsets are not available to operate the enhanced timetable that the intention is to have enough trains to operate the Gold Coast that there will be no reduction in the number of services operated on the rest of the network but services now operated with six car trains will become three car trains, the Government can then claim that they have not  broken the Premiers promise of not withdrawing services.

Doubt it. Lack of drivers will still force service cuts to other lines. NGRs are a secondary issue!

[#Metro]

Ding ding.

Attention passengers, I mean customers...

Due to operational issue...

Everybody get out and push the train. Heave! 

[ozbob]

Rumoured from within QR that if the NGR trainsets are not available to operate the enhanced timetable that the intention is to have enough trains to operate the Gold Coast that there will be no reduction in the number of services operated on the rest of the network but services now operated with six car trains will become three car trains, the Government can then claim that they have not  broken the Premiers promise of not withdrawing services.

Doubt it. Lack of drivers will still force service cuts to other lines. NGRs are a secondary issue!

Yes. That will not happen.

[ozbob]

Ding ding.

Attention passengers, I mean customers...

Due to operational issue...

Everybody get out and push the train. Heave! 

[ozbob]

Some correspondence re NGR and other matters, following on from the recent Parliament Estimates

>> https://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=12854.msg196160

[ozbob]

Couriermail --> Next Generation Rollingstock, train drivers on track for Commonwealth Games


The New Generation Rollingstock fleet will be rolling by year's end.

ALMOST 60 new train drivers will be on the job before the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games next year.

Transport Minister Jackie Trad said there would be enough train crews to operate New Generation Rollingstock trains in service during the Games.

"We will have almost 60 new train drivers behind the wheel of the trains, making sure we have got enough drivers in order to meet the transport task of the Commonwealth Games," she said.

Ms Trad said the Cabinet's Commonwealth Games subcommittee had been briefed on the progress of driver training.

A shortage of drivers was the major factor in last year's rail fail which forced the cancellations of hundreds of services and caused the Christmas Day network meltdown.

The New Generation Rollingstock trains have been plagued with problems, forcing the State Government to announce in February it was not accepting further delivery until the issues were resolved. It has previously said the new trains would be in service by the end of the year.

Ms Trad said major progress had been made on fixing the faults but issues remained.

"We are completely focused on making sure these trains can get into passenger service well before the Commonwealth Games," she said.

The former Newman government ordered 75 of the new trains – built in India by Bombardier – at a cost of $4.4 billion, including maintenance.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/893144807328980992

^

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/893145213710893056

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

4th August 2017

A gain of 60 new drivers?

Good Morning,

Is this good news or just more spin?

Couriermail --> Next Generation Rollingstock, train drivers on track for Commonwealth Games
(article text below)

Is there really a gain of 60 new drivers, or is this just a statement to the effect that 60 of the present train crew will be qualified for New Generation Rollingstock - NGR (a.k.a. Not Going Right) trains?  If it is a real gain then this is good news. No reason a full service timetable cannot be rolled out by late January 2018 then is there?  We have had enough of the worst train frequency in all of Oceania! The first wave of cancellations associated with #railfail happened on 30th September 2016. Public has been suffering cancellations, delays and reduced service since then .. 308 days ago!

Quote from the article:

Ms Trad said major progress had been made on fixing the faults but issues remained.

"We are completely focused on making sure these trains can get into passenger service well before the Commonwealth Games," she said.

Too right faults remain.  The NGR trains are not DDA compliant.  This will take months yet to resolve in our opinion.

In a related matter.  Yesterday I received advice from the Finance and Administration Committee Queensland Parliament that the record has been corrected with respect to the fact the we did request an audit into the NGR project and other matters.

Quote from the FAC correspondence:

The committee received and published a letter from the Auditor-General providing additional information to the committee with respect to your organisations' request for an audit of the new generation rolling stock trains. It has been published as a related document to the transcript.

The QAG letter can be viewed here > http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/documents/committees/FAC/2017/Estimates2017/Est-cor-21Jul2017.pdf

The NGR project botch demands a thorough investigation.  It is a scandal that a public transport advocacy group has to battle for the masses whilst our elected representatives do very little but obfuscate in the main.  Today is 531 days since NGR 701 was towed out to Wulkuraka by the way!

Best wishes,
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track https://backontrack.org

Reference:

Couriermail --> Next Generation Rollingstock, train drivers on track for Commonwealth Games

   

ALMOST 60 new train drivers will be on the job before the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games next year.

    Transport Minister Jackie Trad said there would be enough train crews to operate New Generation Rollingstock trains in service during the Games.

    "We will have almost 60 new train drivers behind the wheel of the trains, making sure we have got enough drivers in order to meet the transport task of the Commonwealth Games," she said.

    Ms Trad said the Cabinet's Commonwealth Games subcommittee had been briefed on the progress of driver training.

    A shortage of drivers was the major factor in last year's rail fail which forced the cancellations of hundreds of services and caused the Christmas Day network meltdown.

    The New Generation Rollingstock trains have been plagued with problems, forcing the State Government to announce in February it was not accepting further delivery until the issues were resolved. It has previously said the new trains would be in service by the end of the year.

    Ms Trad said major progress had been made on fixing the faults but issues remained.

    "We are completely focused on making sure these trains can get into passenger service well before the Commonwealth Games," she said.

    The former Newman government ordered 75 of the new trains – built in India by Bombardier – at a cost of $4.4 billion, including maintenance.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/893152463565471744

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/893156551313063937

[ozbob]

 

https://twitter.com/COBrienBris/status/892968432760532993

[ozbob]

" Fixing the trains " ...

[BrizCommuter]

Couriermail --> Next Generation Rollingstock, train drivers on track for Commonwealth Games


The New Generation Rollingstock fleet will be rolling by year's end.

ALMOST 60 new train drivers will be on the job before the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games next year.

Transport Minister Jackie Trad said there would be enough train crews to operate New Generation Rollingstock trains in service during the Games.

"We will have almost 60 new train drivers behind the wheel of the trains, making sure we have got enough drivers in order to meet the transport task of the Commonwealth Games," she said.

Ms Trad said the Cabinet's Commonwealth Games subcommittee had been briefed on the progress of driver training.

A shortage of drivers was the major factor in last year's rail fail which forced the cancellations of hundreds of services and caused the Christmas Day network meltdown.

The New Generation Rollingstock trains have been plagued with problems, forcing the State Government to announce in February it was not accepting further delivery until the issues were resolved. It has previously said the new trains would be in service by the end of the year.

Ms Trad said major progress had been made on fixing the faults but issues remained.

"We are completely focused on making sure these trains can get into passenger service well before the Commonwealth Games," she said.

The former Newman government ordered 75 of the new trains – built in India by Bombardier – at a cost of $4.4 billion, including maintenance.

What a pile of spin BS!
Trad still avoids the reduced services on other lines issue.
The Courier Mail are too dumb to ask questions.

[ozbob]

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/893660997684142080

^

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/893661661910806528

[Cazza]

Spotted NGR 704 in the Mayne Yard at about 4:30 this arvo

[ozbob]

Spotted NGR 704 in the Mayne Yard at about 4:30 this arvo

There is a track closure this weekend Roma St <> Rosewood, & Springfield.

Probably got some of the NGRs out of Wulkuraka and around the network to continue crew training ...

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/darthcaligula66/status/894388078978007040

[Otto]

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/no-new-trains-for-gold-coast-commonwealth-games/news-story/fd0f0172ecd8950e27f1bfdb99cd18c5

No new trains for Gold Coast Commonwealth Games

NEW trains planned to be running to help move thousands of people around at next year's Commonwealth Games will not be ready in time, Government consultants found.

And a lack of train drivers is putting transport plans for the April 2018 event at risk.

The bleak appraisal of the $4.4 billion New Generation Rollingstock program is contained in a July report by ­German rail operator Deutsche Bahn for the Citytrain Response Unit.

A section of the report, ­obtained by The Courier-Mail, reveals 18 New Generation Rollingstock trains would be needed for the Games.

The Government had previously insisted the NGR trains would be rolled out this year, but the report states that "due to the current blockages and high risk of 'juvenile failures' a conservative view would be that 18 NGR trains will not be ready by April 2018". It also identified a lack of drivers as an issue.

The DB whole-of-business review into Queensland Rail operations was recommended by the Strachan Inquiry into the Citytrain meltdown caused by a critical shortage of drivers.

It interviewed 78 QR managers and reviewed 250 internal documents reviewed.

Transport Minister Jackie Trad yesterday said the Government had been "left to fix the half-price trains the LNP ordered from India".

Opposition transport spokesman Andrew Powell said Ms Trad had "stopped the delivery of new trains at the behest of the unions".

Just 15 NGR trains have arrived so far, but none have yet cleared on-track testing.

The program to deliver 75 new trains is now more than a year behind schedule and beset with design problems.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/7NewsBrisbane/status/894469551630426112

[ozbob]

Sent to all outlets:

8th August 2017

NGRfail & Railfail - stark warning of collapse

Good Morning,

Oh dear, oh dear.  As we have been warning for years we are on the cusp of a transport debacle in SEQ.

' Fixing the trains ' is not going well.  And now this:

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/no-new-trains-for-gold-coast-commonwealth-games/news-story/fd0f0172ecd8950e27f1bfdb99cd18c5

No new trains for Gold Coast Commonwealth Games

NEW trains planned to be running to help move thousands of people around at next year's Commonwealth Games will not be ready in time, Government consultants found.

    And a lack of train drivers is putting transport plans for the April 2018 event at risk.

    The bleak appraisal of the $4.4 billion New Generation Rollingstock program is contained in a July report by ­German rail operator Deutsche Bahn for the Citytrain Response Unit.

    A section of the report, ­obtained by The Courier-Mail, reveals 18 New Generation Rollingstock trains would be needed for the Games.

    The Government had previously insisted the NGR trains would be rolled out this year, but the report states that "due to the current blockages and high risk of 'juvenile failures' a conservative view would be that 18 NGR trains will not be ready by April 2018". It also identified a lack of drivers as an issue.

    The DB whole-of-business review into Queensland Rail operations was recommended by the Strachan Inquiry into the Citytrain meltdown caused by a critical shortage of drivers.

    It interviewed 78 QR managers and reviewed 250 internal documents reviewed.

    Transport Minister Jackie Trad yesterday said the Government had been "left to fix the half-price trains the LNP ordered from India".

    Opposition transport spokesman Andrew Powell said Ms Trad had "stopped the delivery of new trains at the behest of the unions".

    Just 15 NGR trains have arrived so far, but none have yet cleared on-track testing.

    The program to deliver 75 new trains is now more than a year behind schedule and beset with design problems.

Let us be correct here. It was the previous Newman LNP Government that signed off on the botched design New Generation Rollingstock (NGR) a.k.a. Not Going Right trains.  These NGR trains are still not Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) compliant either.  When will the Government detail the DDA fixes that are required as well?

We are facing a transport collapse for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.   We have warned many times of this.  Real action has to be taken now to avert this.  Crew training MUST BE ACCELERATED.  No more pandering please.  Just do it!

Constant mechanical issues with the aging train fleet continue to cause cancellations, delays and more interruptions to our community's travel.
( See > https://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=1862.msg196286#msg196286  for examples of the disruptions ).

It is now 535 days since NGR 701 was towed to Wulkuraka.  It is now 312 days since the first wave of cancellations associated with rail fail on the 30th September 2016.  More than enough time to train crew in other jurisdictions.  What is wrong with Queensland?

Enough of failure!

Best wishes,
Robert

Robert Dow
Administration
admin@backontrack.org
RAIL Back On Track https://backontrack.org

[ Attached: https://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=3706.msg196085#msg196085 ]

[ozbob]

Latest: #NGRfail & #Railfail - stark warning of collapse
> NGRfail & Railfail - stark warning of collapse#qldpol
It gets worse ... OMG !! pic.twitter.com/gPKSVaF7E4

— Robert Dow (@Robert_Dow) August 7, 2017

Read all about it here
> https://t.co/0yD51hpLHH#qldpol

— Robert Dow (@Robert_Dow) August 7, 2017

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/894598608787431424

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/894600481854464000

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/894605770792116224

See here for this article >> https://railbotforum.org/mbs/index.php?topic=12852.msg196302#msg196302

[ozbob]

Days since NGR 701 towed to Wulkuraka

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/Robert_Dow/status/894634440042790912

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/COBrienBris/status/894695801774948352

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/COBrienBris/status/894716766621794305

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/COBrienBris/status/894716991218393088

[#Metro]

Great irony in all of this is that they hired Nick King from METRO Trains Melbourne and they got a private operator to review their

'business'. There are heaps of information, reports and statistics all around and yet, there is no incentive for anyone to comply with

any of it because the contract will get renewed no matter what.


Maybe they should have asked DB to submit an EOI in running the joint.


I also take issue with the constant mention of "half price train from India" by MPs, which implies that the trains were of poor quality

or manufacture because it is "India". An absolutely disgusting line. As if India had anything to do with the specific request from the

Queensland Government to build the trains according to lemon specifications approved by the Queensland Government itself.


It is like, if I ring up Bunnings and specifically ask for horse manure, and they deliver it, who am I to complain??

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/COBrienBris/status/892968432760532993

I still find this somewhat disturbing

[Golliwog]

https://twitter.com/COBrienBris/status/892968432760532993

I still find this somewhat disturbing

Depends what counts as an issue. Some could be serious in nature like the accessibility issues and others, others could be something that is trivial like "we specified the fabric of the seats to be lime green, you delivered leaf green" etc.

Others could be documentation issues around materials etc - i.e. the materials used were to specification but they hadn't supplied the correct documentation to verify it.

[ozbob]

Great irony in all of this is that they hired Nick King from METRO Trains Melbourne and they got a private operator to review their

'business'. There are heaps of information, reports and statistics all around and yet, there is no incentive for anyone to comply with

any of it because the contract will get renewed no matter what.


Maybe they should have asked DB to submit an EOI in running the joint.


I also take issue with the constant mention of "half price train from India" by MPs, which implies that the trains were of poor quality

or manufacture because it is "India". An absolutely disgusting line. As if India had anything to do with the specific request from the

Queensland Government to build the trains according to lemon specifications approved by the Queensland Government itself.


It is like, if I ring up Bunnings and specifically ask for horse manure, and they deliver it, who am I to complain??

I think we have established that the trains ordered by the former LNP Government were of a design that was not DDA compliant and had other issues.   I think the ' half price ' stuff comes from the gloats made be Emerson et al. in parliament when announcing the order that they had saved half the cost.   It is just too tempting for the other side not to highlight that I guess.

As I understand it the modifications/approach to sorting out the NGR DDA issues is nearing finalisation, and we might hear by the end of August as to what is to happen regards to that.   This means though that the introduction of the NGRs is probably still many months away.  Hopefully late 2017/early 2018.

[ozbob]

https://twitter.com/ABCNewsBrisbane/status/894758178176487424

==================

ABC News --> Queensland Rail new train deficiencies delaying readiness for 2018 Commonwealth Games, report finds

Queensland's problem-plagued new trains still have "deficiencies" including door and braking issues and it is likely they will not be ready for the Commonwealth Games, according to a report into Queensland Rail (QR).

But Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the report was overly pessimistic.

German rail operator Deutsche Bahn prepared the report looking at a whole-of-business review of QR's operations.

"At the time of interviewing, there were 140 deficiencies, including door control and brake control, that needed to be rectified in the NGR commissioning process," the report said.

The State Government is refusing to accept any more for the Next Generation Rolling Stock from a Bombardier-led consortium until problems can be fixed.

So far, 13 trains have been delivered but none are in operation.

The consultants said 18 NGR trains would be needed — but would not be ready — for the Games in April, and pressure on the older existing fleet to meet demand, as well as a lack of sufficient crews, meant there was a high risk of delays due to failures.

But Ms Palaszczuk told Parliament the number of faults had now been reduced to 41, and Transport Minister Jackie Trad said new trains would be running by the end of the year.

"This report tells us what the Strachan Inquiry already has: there are challenges in Queensland Rail and we need to continue taking steps to address them and that's exactly what we're doing," Ms Trad said.

"I'm confident that [new trains] will be on the network by the end of the year. I'm also confident that we will have the staff required. There are currently 85 drivers in training."

QR at risk of cyber attack

However Deutsche Bahn also identified tension between QR and the Transport Department about the NGRs.

"QR considers that they are being pressured to accept the trains whereas in TMR's view the QR engineers are being overly cautious," the report said.

"Although QR has engaged its own independent verifier, [we recommend they] consider jointly engaging a verifier acceptable to both Bombardier and QR to assist the parties in resolving the remaining deficiencies."

Other issues identified included the risk of cyber security attacks against QR, of which "ICT maturity is not considered to be up to the current standards of other railways".

"Significant work is required in order to bring QR up to world class standards, prior to progressing to a digital railway," the report said.

In relation to maintenance, "the consultants identified a lack of standardised line categorisation for the QR network".

The report also criticised "silos" in QR's working culture, "where divisions are primarily focused on the achievement of their own targets".

"This lack of alignment, combined with the failure to share information between divisions, is preventing QR from fully addressing the challenges faced by the organisation."

However there was praise from the consultants for QR accepting the need for change and "working hard to overcome the crisis".

There was a positive impression, the report said, for acceptable performance, clean and modern station and train appearance and active and helpful customer service.

But shadow transport minister Andrew Powell said Deutsche Bahn had "panned Labor's rail fail".

"DB says that 18 NGR trains are required to service the Commonwealth Games timetable — a timetable that commuters still haven't seen," Mr Powell said.

"But in their conservative view those 18 NGR trains will not be ready. So much for optimism.

"There are only 15 NGR trains in the state, and only five of them have done on track testing."

[ozbob]

Even by Queensland standards, this is looming as the greatest CF of all time!