Melbourne's computerised train brakes fail < From Risks list>

[Colm Donoghue]

from Risks digest, vol24 issue47
<Boyd Adamson <boyd-adamson@usa.net>>
Thu, 16 Nov 2006 09:13:50 +1100

Some of Melbourne's newest passenger trains have had to be withdrawn from
service after a spate of braking failures. Connex, the operator of the
suburban rail network, has reported 15 incidents involving trains
overshooting platforms since 13 Nov 2006 and is at a loss to explain the
problem. The most serious incident occurred on Tuesday night when a train
failed to stop at Brighton Beach station and traveled into the level
crossing at South Road. The boom gates still had not been lowered as the
train came to rest in the middle of the intersection. A rail system source
said cars were forced to break to avoid colliding with the train.

The problems involve a fleet of 72 German-built trains that were introduced
to the suburban network in 2003. Fourteen three-carriage trains have been
removed from service following emergency talks between Connex and the trains
manufacturer, Siemens. The withdrawal of the trains is expected to cause
some disruption to services, particularly on the Pakenham and Cranbourne
lines, until the problems can be fixed.

The source said the problems were connected to the trains' computerised
braking system. In several incidents, drivers were forced to apply emergency
brakes, push emergency stop buttons and activate handbrakes to bring the
trains to a halt. But even after activation of all manual braking systems,
some trains continued moving. One incident occurred while a driver was
undergoing assessment by a transport official. [...]

Since its introduction in April 2003, the Siemens fleet has been plagued
with controversy. The trains were initially too wide for suburban tracks and
have recently been repaired to fix faulty wiring. They have also been
criticised for having only two sets of doors on each side of each carriage,
causing bottlenecks for passengers.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/nation...266640138.html