Melbourne Trains

[ozbob]

Stories from the Frankston line --> here!

[ozbob]

From the Melbourne Age click here!

Train wi-fi promise goes off the rails

Train wi-fi promise goes off the rails
Jason Dowling
October 27, 2011 - 2:35PM

The state government has reneged on a promise to provide free wireless internet on new trains and said it has no plans to introduce the technology on existing trains, buses and trams across the public transport network.

Last November, then Opposition leader Ted Baillieu promised to purchase 40 new trains with wi-fi technology for Melbourne's public transport network — but the first seven X'Trapolis trains on order for 2013 will not be fitted with wi-fi.

A spokesman for Transport Minister Terry Mulder said "our promise was that new trains would have wi-fi, when we came to government we identified that there was an urgent need for the seven trains... these trains will not have wi-fi, however the government is determined that the other 33 will have wi-fi".

The remaining 33 trains have been promised by 2018.

Opposition Transport spokeswoman Fiona Richardson said public transport commuters would be expecting access to wi-fi given the government's pre-election commitment.

"This just sounds like one of those commitments they are doing all they can to break," she said.

A spokesman for the Department of Transport said it had "no projects underway" to introduce wi-fi to the existing public transport train fleet.

"The department does not have high level cost information available as there have been no recent studies carried out into the viability of providing these services on metropolitan and regional trains," he said.

But Mr Mulder said last week the government was investigating the possibility of providing wi-fi on V/Line trains.

It is also believed the Department of Transport has made initial investigations into the option of introducing wi-fi to Melbourne's trains and been deterred by costs.

A spokesman for Metro said a trial introduction of wi-fi at Flinders Street and city loop stations had proved popular and introducing wi-fi on city trains was a "long-term goal".

Public Transport Users Association president Daniel Bowen said "it would certainly make sense to roll out wi-fi on public transport".

He said free internet access made travel on public transport very attractive.

"A lot of people like to use that time productively, you can't browse the web when you are driving a car but you can on a train, a tram or a bus," he said.

A spokesman for Yarra Trams said there was free wi-fi provided on two trams as part of advertising agreements.

He said a wider role out of wi-fi "might be something that could be looked at in future but it is not on our radar at the moment".

Chris Lowe from the Bus Association said free wi-fi should be rolled out across the bus network.

"It is just another initiative that would encourage commuter mode shift out of cars and on to public transport," he said.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/train-wifi-promise-goes-off-the-rails-20111027-1ml48.html

[ozbob]

Twitter

metrotrains Metro Trains
Tomorrow, trains to take you to the Cup every four minutes from 9am-12.30, http://t.co/c7SfYeo0 #MetroTrains
29 minutes ago

[ozbob]

From the Herald Sun click here!

Train commuters riding on a high thanks to new timetable

Train commuters riding on a high thanks to new timetable

    by: Staff writer
    From: Herald Sun
    November 01, 2011 12:00AM

SATISFACTION with the city's trains has reached its highest level in five years.

New statistics reveal commuter happiness with the network jumped three points to 62.3 per cent in the three months to September.

The satisfaction rating was based on 12,000 interviews with passengers conducted independently for the Transport Department.

Transport Minister Terry Mulder described the result as significant.

He said the improvements followed introduction of a revamped timetable in May, resulting in 635 extra weekday train services.

Mr Mulder said punctuality on many lines, including Belgrave, Cranbourne, Frankston and Werribee, was higher in September than the 12-month average.

Lilydale line punctuality by contrast dropped by 0.1 per cent.

Mr Mulder acknowledged the battle was not over.

"Melbourne's trains need to show sustained, long-term improvement," he said.

While acknowledging things were better, Public Transport Users Association president Daniel Bowen said the satisfaction rating was still too low.

"It's an improvement, but 62 per cent satisfaction is not what you would call an outstanding result."

[ozbob]

From the Herald Sun click here!

Melbourne's great train robbery

Melbourne's great train robbery

by: James Campbell and Daniel D'Alfonso
From: Sunday Herald Sun
November 06, 2011 12:00AM

COMMUTERS are being robbed of promised extra trains with the vast majority of new morning peak services running the wrong way - from the city to the suburbs while thousands of passengers are trying to travel the other way.

The Sunday Herald Sun has found that under the new timetable each morning a total of 20 new peak-hour trains are travelling away from Flinders St virtually empty while only 11 new services were added to relieve packed city-bound commuters.

Across the whole morning period Metro added 40 wrong-way trains - nearly twice as many as the 24 new trains going into the city.

By shifting the percentage of trains running out of peak or against the flow of passengers, Metro has made it easier to hit performance targets of trains on time.

Metro spokeswoman Geraldine Mitchell confirmed the number of wrong-way trains, but said it was necessary to send the trains from the city out to the suburbs to provide the inbound peak-hour services.

"Limited stabling facilities in the outer suburbs means we need to run trains from the city in the AM peak to the suburbs to then become a city-bound service," she said.

"This is why there is a higher number of services departing from the city in the morning. Once a service reaches its destination, it then returns to the city as an AM peak service.

While the new timetable - which was approved by new Transport Minister Terry Mulder - has added 127 new trains each weekday, only 21 of them - or 16 per cent - are peak-hour services running in the right direction.

On some of the busiest lines in the network almost all the new services are either going the wrong way or running out of peak periods - or both.

For example on the Pakenham and Cranbourne lines 10 of the 16 new trains are going in the wrong direction - including the only new peak-hour service.

In the cases of the Craigieburn and Sydenham lines, each of the three new trains added runs the wrong way and out of peak hour.

Similarly the one new train added to the Alamein line runs in the wrong direction each morning.

Mr Mulder said when Opposition transport spokesman: "Melbourne's trains should travel to where commuters want to go, rather than where John Brumby wants to send them, as Labor forces train users to spend extra time in the morning travelling to work."

Labor transport spokeswoman Fiona Richardson said the new timetable showed the Baillieu Government had been outfoxed by Metro.

"Metro should never have been allowed to run most of their new services out of peak hour or backwards - or both - but unfortunately we're going to be stuck with it until the Minister decides to do his job properly."

President of the Public Transport Users Association Daniel Bowen said it was surprising that most trains were heading the wrong way.

"You would hope they were adding as many trains as they could to the peak period because that's where most of the overcrowding is," he said.

Overcrowding is one of the major causes of late trains - which cost Metro money - which is why it is in the company's interest to have as many trains as possible going in the wrong direction.

Commuter Heather Bennett, 56, of Frankston said the new timetable suited Metro and not passengers.

"They have their agenda and obviously those published punctuality reports mean more to Metro than customer satisfaction," she said.

[Fares_Fair]

I know it's not the gist of the story but ... wow, 127 new trains each weekday!

Regards,
Fares_Fair

[SurfRail]

Metro implements a timetable that (a) moves trains where needed to form inbound peak hour trains and (b) isn't completely oriented on funnelling people into the CBD. 

Problem?

Obviously people are disappointed that Metro is not able to teleport empty trains from Flinder Street to the suburbs.

[somebody]

Metro implements a timetable that (a) moves trains where needed to form inbound peak hour trains and (b) isn't completely oriented on funnelling people into the CBD. 

Problem?

Obviously people are disappointed that Metro is not able to teleport empty trains from Flinder Street to the suburbs.

+1

We need more of this here.

[#Metro]

I have to say I am impressed at the way Melbourne's heavy rail system is actually starting to convert over to something that comes very very close to a real metro. Every 10 minutes on the Frankston Line- that's just la la dream land in SEQ.

[Gazza]

Metro implements a timetable that (a) moves trains where needed to form inbound peak hour trains and (b) isn't completely oriented on funnelling people into the CBD. 

Problem?

Obviously people are disappointed that Metro is not able to teleport empty trains from Flinder Street to the suburbs.

under the old timetable these trains wouldve just ran out of service anyway right?

[ozbob]

Huh?

==> http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1404285&l=c7f42ceb1c&id=160263963987690

Be interesting to find out where this ends up ...

[ozbob]

Huh?

==> http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1404285&l=c7f42ceb1c&id=160263963987690

Be interesting to find out where this ends up ...

The article in the Melbourne mX

--> http://www.flickr.com/photos/ptua/6321180489/lightbox/

[ozbob]

Huh?

==> http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1404285&l=c7f42ceb1c&id=160263963987690

Be interesting to find out where this ends up ...

The article in the Melbourne mX

--> http://www.flickr.com/photos/ptua/6321180489/lightbox/

Twitter

danielbowen Daniel Bowen

@Robert_Dow  DOn't think it's clear if Erin got just a Report Of Non-Compliance or an actual fine.
2 hours ago

danielbowen Daniel Bowen
@Robert_Dow (The Authorised Officers issue the RONC on the spot; the Dept of Transport decides whether it incurs a fine.)
2 hours ago

danielbowen Daniel Bowen
Given MX p5 today, for reference: links to the Transport legislation covering fares, conduct, etc. http://t.co/Hl66Pv2l #MetroTrains
2 hours ago

[ozbob]

Twitter

mX mX
UNFARE: A wave of commuter woe has emerged after mX reporter Erin Michael's face-off with a Metro ticket... http://t.co/0miEHClk
48 minutes ago

[ozbob]

From the Melbourne Age click here!

Metro meets punctuality targets

Metro meets punctuality targets
Clay Lucas
November 9, 2011

MELBOURNE rail operator Metro has met punctuality targets set for it by the state government, with almost 90 per cent of the city's trains running on schedule last month.

Metro's Leah Waymark said there had also been a rise in passengers happy with the city's services, with 66 per cent of those surveyed who caught trains saying they were satisfied with performance levels.

It is the fifth month in a row that Metro has met its performance targets. Before a major timetable re-write in May this year, Metro consistently failed to meet its punctuality targets, first set in 2009.

The new May timetable added extra services, at a cost to taxpayers of about $7 million a year, but also made it easier for the operator to run its services on time.

In March, Metro told the government it would make train running times on key lines ''more realistic'', to improve reliability on the rail network.

Between one and four minutes were added to travel times on the Frankston, Cranbourne and Pakenham lines.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/metro-meets-punctuality-targets-20111108-1n5ku.html

[ozbob]

Opposition Statement

http://www.alpvictoria.com.au/news-events-media/news/south-east-suburbs-commuters-dudded-by-new-timetab/

South east suburbs commuters dudded by new timetable

Posted: Monday, 7 November 2011 | By: Fiona Richardson

The Baillieu Government's new train timetable for Melbourne's south east suburbs actually punishes commuters, Shadow Minister for Public Transport, Fiona Richardson said today.

An analysis of the Baillieu Government's new timetable reveals that passengers on the Cranbourne, Pakenham, Frankston and Sandringham lines have been dudded and don't receive the proclaimed additional peak services.

"On the Cranbourne line the Baillieu Government's new timetable has actually decreased the number of peak hour trains by cancelling an evening peak hour train," Ms Richardson said.

"The only new peak hour service on the Pakenham line is travelling in the wrong direction from Pakenham to the city.

"The Baillieu Government claimed to have added five new peak hour services on the Frankston line, however the analysis shows that of the five new services two are travelling in the wrong direction and the remaining three evening peak hour trains all leave the city before 5pm.

"Nearly 50 per cent of the new peak hour services on the Sandringham line are travelling in the wrong direction."

Ms Richardson said that across the network there were only 21 new peak hour services travelling in the right direction despite the Government's claim to have added 127 new services.

"That means that only 16 per cent of the Baillieu Government's new services are running in the right direction at the right time to help the majority of commuters," she said.

"The problem for Transport Minister Terry Mulder is that 16 per cent is a fail in anyone's language."

Ms Richardson said that Metro had been less than truthful by claiming that the peak hour trains running in the wrong direction were there to provide additional services during rush hour.

"In Opposition, Mr Mulder said: "Melbourne's trains should travel to where commuters want to go, rather than where the [government] wants to send them".

"It's time Mr Mulder took on board his own advice and acted to make sure commuters have access to the services they need.

[#Metro]

What goes in must come out.

Amazing how basic truths about the world (if you send a train into the city, it has to get back out again somehow doesn't it?) get lost for a crap media release.

[SurfRail]

Love to see that there is a "right" direction - this kind of thinking is what got Victoria and the rest of our major cities in the mess they are in now.

[somebody]

Love to see that there is a "right" direction - this kind of thinking is what got Victoria and the rest of our major cities in the mess they are in now.

So Vic used to have a poor counter peak service, like what persists in Brisbane?

[ozbob]

Herald Sun --> Vandals snapped riding on back of train

[ozbob]

Daniel Bowen blog --> Coke ads on the sides of trains

[ozbob]

The first suburban train on test to arrive at South Morang.

https://twitter.com/#!/vicsig/status/140567595555368960/photo/1

South Morang rail extension --> http://www.transport.vic.gov.au/projects/pt/smrep

[ozbob]

Ch7 3/4/2010 - The world's biggest cities and their metros

[ozbob]

From the Melbourne Age click here!

Train cancellations jump as fares set to rise

Train cancellations jump as fares set to rise
Jane Lee
December 7, 2011 - 1:39PM

More than 1000 trains were cancelled in the last month in the worst performance since February, as commuters prepare to pay more to travel on them.

Metro cancelled 1165 trains in the past four weeks, including 78 on Monday and 331 services last week. That's about 2 per cent of all the trains scheduled to run in November.

It is the highest number of cancellations since February, when storms and flash flooding across Melbourne damaged trains and sent commuters into chaos, with 604 trains cancelled in just four days.

This comes a day after Victoria's minister for public transport Terry Mulder announced the Baillieu government would hike fares for trains, trams and buses from New Year's Day, with increases of as much as 8.6 per cent - the biggest rise in almost a decade and more than double the current rate of inflation.

Metro spokeswoman Geraldine Mitchell said more drivers were tied up in training sessions off the tracks than usual, which was putting pressure on train services.

"A high number of drivers are currently undergoing training on the new section of track between Epping and Keon Park, new facilities at Newport as well as new train systems," she said.

Most drivers were busy learning how to drive on the newly laid railway line, she said.

Others were being taught how to use the Baillieu government's digital train radio system, which was being installed in all trains to aid services reliability.

The system is designed to help train drivers communicate better with a central control unit and give passengers more immediate alerts.

Mr Mulder said in June the project, which he hoped would be in "partial use" by the end of next year, would cost up to $166.3 million.

Ms Mitchell said Metro was working to reduce the number of cancellations on a day-to-day basis. It was unknown when drivers would complete their training and be able to return to regular work.

The Rail, Tram and Bus Union was not available for comment at the time of writing.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/train-cancellations-jump-as-fares-set-to-rise-20111207-1oi68.html

[HappyTrainGuy]

 

[ozbob]

From the Herald Sun click here!

Metro delivers top service after timetable changes

Metro delivers top service after timetable changes

    by: Staff Writer
    From: Herald Sun
    December 10, 2011 12:00AM

METRO has exceeded its performance targets for the sixth month in a row.

Trains ran on time in 88.8 per cent of cases last month, and 98 per cent of services were delivered.

It is the first time since 2008 that punctuality and delivery targets have been exceeded for six consecutive months.

The milestone coincided with Metro's second anniversary of running Melbourne's train network.

Metro chief Andrew Lezala said November was one of the busiest months.

"As well as carrying heavy loads of our regular customers, we also helped get more than 200,000 racegoers to Flemington racecourse for the Melbourne Cup carnival," Mr Lezala said.

"Our customers experienced a reliable service with trains departing Flinders St station as frequently as every four minutes on the major race days."

The turnaround follows a revamp of timetables.

"This is an excellent result, but we still have more to do and we're maintaining our focus on delivering a great Metro service for our customers," Mr Lezala said.

[ozbob]

From the Melbourne Age click here!

Metro on track for $2m bonus

Metro on track for $2m bonus
Adam Carey
December 13, 2011

THE Baillieu government has rewarded rail operator Metro with a bonus of more than $2 million for getting Melbourne's trains to run on schedule between July and September.

Metro received a $2.19 million ''incentive payment'' for exceeding its 88 per cent punctuality target in each month of the September quarter, when 90.3 per cent of trains were punctual - meaning they ran less than five minutes late.

It is the first time Metro has been paid rather than penalised for its performance since December 2009, when it received a bonus of $96,000, having just replaced Connex as Melbourne's rail operator.
Advertisement: Story continues below

''Metro has now met its punctuality and cancellations targets for six months in a row which is a good result,'' said Larissa Garvin, spokeswoman for Transport Minister Terry Mulder. ''The Coalition government wants to see ongoing improvement.''

But the opposition labelled Metro's improved performance a sham, achieved by changing the timetable to make it easier to hit punctuality targets without delivering a better service.

''You have to ask yourself, what's more likely - has Metro suddenly and miraculously improved train services or have the timetables and travel times been reworked to give the impression of improvement?'' said Fiona Richardson, the state opposition's spokeswoman for transport. She said the government had ''lowered the bar'' to make life easier for Metro, and taxpayers were wearing the cost. ''Not only are commuters being punished by these changes but now they are paying over $2 million for the privilege,'' she said.

In May, Melbourne's train timetable underwent a large-scale change. The number of services jumped by more than 100 each weekday, although some lines now experience increased travel times.

''The May timetable change added an average of three minutes to commuters' journeys on the Frankston and Cranbourne line, two to three minutes on the Pakenham line and one minute on the Sandringham line, allowing Metro to more easily meet performance targets without actually providing a better service,'' Ms Richardson said.

The government said the increased travel times were an unavoidable consequence of increased patronage and the new timetable better reflected this. ''Patronage across the metropolitan train network has grown by more than 50 per cent in the last six years. It now takes longer to allow all passengers to board or alight from trains,'' Ms Garvin said.

Metro has hit its punctuality target every month since June, the first full month after the new timetable. By comparison, it easily missed the 88 per cent target in April and May, for which it was fined $3.09 million at the end of the June quarter. It was fined $457,000 for missing targets between January and March. The September quarter figures were published in the Department of Transport's performance bulletin Track Record.

In the same period, Metro cancelled 1.2 per cent of train services, meeting its 98 per cent service delivery target.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/metro-on-track-for-2m-bonus-20111212-1orep.html

[ozbob]

Melbourne has had severe storms and rain this afternoon/evening.  Even a tornado alert at one point ...

Something you don't see often,  all lines except for Stoney Point have issues ...


Metrotrains Mobile Site Line Status  http://m.metrotrains.com.au/iPhone/Service-Updates.html

2000hrs 25 December 2011

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> Violent storms shatter the peace of Christmas

[ozbob]

Eltham Flood. Railway washed away. Xmas 2011

Main Road in Eltham on Xmas Day 2011.
Flood from Linear Park washes away section of railway embankment and floods Judge Book Elderly Citizens Home.
Underneath the railway embankment you can see the remnants of an old bridge? The old creek bed has reclaimed itself for the day!

[HappyTrainGuy]

Yeah, that's a smart idea standing on the railway tracks next to a washout...

[ozbob]

From the Melbourne Age click here!

Storm toll sparks rail safety fear

Storm toll sparks rail safety fear
Reid Sexton
December 27, 2011

THE destabilisation of parts of the Hurstbridge railway line in Christmas Day's ferocious storms has sparked deep concern about the safety and maintenance program of Melbourne's rail tracks.

Around four kilometres of the track between Hurstbridge and Macleod were left dangerously unstable after hours of rain and hail swept away ballast that supports it.

Metro spokeswoman Leah Waymark said yesterday the operator was alerted to the problem just before 8pm when one train without passengers left Hurstbridge station to be stabled.
Advertisement: Story continues below

After seeing water and debris near Eltham station, the driver obtained special permission from the control centre before moving to the other end of the train and driving it back to Hurstbridge.

The process of turning the train around took about 90 minutes, Ms Waymark said.

Public Transport Users Association president Daniel Bowen said the track would not have been able to support a train in places where the ballast was washed away.

He said it underlined the importance of regular maintenance and the need to improve the quality of Melbourne's tracks.

''We're lucky a train wasn't passing over it when that happened,'' he said. ''[It could have been] potentially a major derailment. It does flag that the government and Metro need to ensure that infrastructure is safe even in extreme weather events.

''The track alone is not going to support a train carriage on it.

''At the very least passengers are going to get a big jolt and potentially [they will get] something much more serious.''

He added that Metro must keep passengers informed about any changes to the timetable the incident would cause.

Ms Waymark said all rail services between the two stations were cancelled when the danger was realised.

All trains had been replaced by buses that would run on the same timetable as train services, with the line expected to be operating by tomorrow. This meant passengers would not be adversely affected, she said.

She would not speculate on what might have happened if a train had passed over the exposed track.

SES crews and Metro engineers spent yesterday repairing the damage.

Eltham MP Steve Herbert said it was vital repairs were made as soon as possible to cope with people returning to work.

A spokesman for Transport Minister Terry Mulder said the government was spending $100 million more annually on track maintenance than the previous government.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/storm-toll-sparks-rail-safety-fear-20111226-1paj3.html

[ozbob]

Melbourne Age --> Trains back after storms hammer Hurstbridge line

[ozbob]

Metro Trains has been accused of leaving passengers out of the loop after axing Twitter messages about minor delays.

[ozbob]

For those of us on twitter, this has been very interesting watching this unfold.  Queensland Rail / TransLink have seemed to have stepped up twitter, delays alerts seem to be coming all hours now which is good.  Some said that delays etc. are much better delivered as 'push' messages eg. twitter, SMS than 'pull' via a web page.

I have sent a few to metro myself,  like all good tweeps should do .. lol

eg.

Twitter

Robert_Dow Robert Dow
@metrotrains gone down twitter rankings bad @QueenslandRail now best practise, metro is shooting itself in the flanges .. @danielbowen
11 hours ago

Twitter
Robert_Dow Robert Dow
@metrotrains time to say, wrong move, and back on the tweets .... use the tools, use the tools ... @danielbowen
4 Jan

Looks like the very significant response from the punters in Melbourne may get Metro to change back to what they were doing, which was excellent in fact.  Strange move ..

[Fares_Fair]

For those of us on twitter, this has been very interesting watching this unfold.  Queensland Rail / TransLink have seemed to have stepped up twitter, delays alerts seem to be coming all hours now which is good.  Some said that delays etc. are much better delivered as 'push' messages eg. twitter, SMS than 'pull' via a web page.

I have sent a few to metro myself,  like all good tweeps should do .. lol

eg.

Twitter

Robert_Dow Robert Dow
@metrotrains gone down twitter rankings bad @QueenslandRail now best practise, metro is shooting itself in the flanges .. @danielbowen
11 hours ago

Twitter
Robert_Dow Robert Dow
@metrotrains time to say, wrong move, and back on the tweets .... use the tools, use the tools ... @danielbowen
4 Jan

Looks like the very significant response from the punters in Melbourne may get Metro to change back to what they were doing, which was excellent in fact.  Strange move ..

Except for the Sunshine Coast where eRail alerts and Twitters are NOT being issued consistantly, possibly in order to protect the reputation of the Sunshine Coast line.
2 recent examples.

Case 1
Sunday 18 December
At approx. midday a freight train caused a major disruption to the line, buses were brought in as a substitute for trains.
No eRail alerts or Twitter tweets were issued for this major disruption.
A message was posted on the TransLink website but no further information was issued.

Case 2
Thursday 5 January, 2011
5:04pm Nambour train departed Central station 25 minutes late, again no eRail alerts or Twitter tweets were issued and no announcements were made on the train according to the concerned 'customer'.

Regards,
Fares_Fair.

[HappyTrainGuy]

I still think the QR twitter feed is looked after by the marketing department. All their delay tweets are just retreets from the translink account.

[ozbob]

From the Melbourne Age click here!

Metro on track to beat the heat

Metro on track to beat the heat
Adam Carey
January 6, 2012

METRO is counting on cruising through the rest of summer without any heat-related train cancellations after fixing the airconditioning on half its fleet.

The state government has spent $18.7 million retrofitting its ageing fleet of Comeng trains so that they continue to run in temperatures up to 45 degrees. Previously the airconditioning units on these trains failed at 36 degrees, which has caused mass cancellations on hot days. Metro contributed $1.2 million to the upgrade of all 93 Comeng trains, which was completed in November and follows previous works on the train tracks to stop them buckling in the heat.

Melbourne's train network failed to cope with the hot summer of 2009, when almost 4000 metropolitan trains were cancelled due to heat in January and February.
Advertisement: Story continues below

The trains passed their first big test of the summer during Monday's 40-degree heat, when just one train was pulled from service because of malfunctioning airconditioning.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/metro-on-track-to-beat-the-heat-20120105-1pmwi.html

[ozbob]

From News.com.au click here!

Coroner urges alarm upgrade over train door failure fatality

Coroner urges alarm upgrade over train door failure fatality

A CORONER has recommended Metro trains be upgraded after the horrific death of a passenger at Melbourne Central station.

Paul Johnston was dragged 120m along the platform before falling beneath the train in front of shocked onlookers who had scrambled to the train's emergency intercom systems in failed attempts to alert the driver.

Coroner Iain West found last month that problems with the intercom system and a fault involving a door monitoring system contributed to the death, along with the actions of Mr Johnston, who was drunk and abusing prescription medications at the time.

The 36-year-old ran into trouble when he forced open the train's doors to let him and his girlfriend off as it pulled away from the underground station at 11.51pm on October 22, 2009.

The inquest heard the door warning system failed to alert the driver that the pair were trying to get off the train and he continued to Parliament Station before stopping.

As Mr Johnston held the doors open, his girlfriend Lisa McGuire fell over the top of him and on to the platform, causing his left leg to fall between the platform and the train.

Mr Johnston, who was holding a bottle of alcohol throughout the ordeal, was then dragged in a seated position for 120m until he struck a post at the end of the platform and was knocked under the train, which by then was travelling at 50km/h.

He died instantly.

Train driver Stephen Norrey, a 23-year veteran, told investigators that he followed correct procedures to ensure the doors were clear before pulling away from the station and did not receive a door warning alert to tell him the doors had been forced.

Passengers' attempts to warn him of the unfolding tragedy failed because the intercom button was pressed repeatedly, causing a warning tone in the driver's cabin to override the passengers' voices.

Mr West recommended that all Metro trains be fitted with a system alerting drivers to any defective door monitoring switches by March this year.

Mr West also recommended the train operator install an audible alarm system to alert drivers to doors forced open after departure.

Metro spokeswoman Geraldine Mitchell said the passenger emergency intercom system was being reviewed because of the coroner's findings and past incidents.

"Safety on the network is our priority and this includes running safe train services, as well as the personal safety of our customers and staff, both on trains and at stations," she said.

[somebody]

Sounds like he died largely due to his own actions.