Two Signal Failures In One Day & No Quick Help In Sight

A shocking day for signals. Two signals failures in one day. Unbelievable. A morning rush hour one at Newmarket. An afternoon rush hour one at New Lynn on the Western line. Both triggered frustrating delays.

Imagine if the ticket “leakage” survey had been conducted today, instead of yesterday at Newmarket when delayed passengers finally arrived. It could have turned ugly.

Signs announcing points failures & delays at Britomart tonight

And it’s the final straw for one reader as he details below.

The news is not good. There are improvements on the way but we may be in for up to two more years of this.

KiwiRail’s $90m contract with Westinghouse Rail Systems for the new signalling and train control systems is part of the electrification rollout. There are definitely no plans by Kiwirail to bring the project forward, despite the ongoing issues.

Key routes between Otahuhu and Britomart, Newmarket and Morningside will be the first to be resignalled and commissioned, with expected completion of those sections by the end of next year – a year away.

The full rollout won’t be completed until the end of 2011.

The new system will also include a  back-up computer control system.

After this morning’s signals failure at Newmarket, here’s one reader’s sad story today in an email to Aucklandtrains headed “Delays on Western line – the final straw”

“I arrived at Morningside station at 8:25 when a train was just pulling away – turns out this was the earlier 8:13 service running late.
Where was the 8:28 and then the 8:43? Nowhere to be found… there was an announcement about a quarter to 9 that there had been a points failure and that Western line services were disrupted.

At 8:55 I gave up entirely and went for the bus, which jolted and bumped me to Victoria Street which was still a good ten minutes’ walk away from work.

This was the first time in a month that I’d passed on the bike to use the train – the weather was bad, I was already a bit late, and I just wanted to take it easy for once.

Did the system come to the party and *not* fail on me on one day out of a month? Did it bollocks. I got to work a good half hour late, completely stressed out – exactly what I wanted to avoid – and worst of all I was humiliated in front of workmates once again when I had to explain to my boss why I was late.

The boss is very tolerant but at this point she wonders aloud why I have to be so ‘creative’ as to take the train and why I don’t get the bus instead. Erm, because the bus terminates miles away from the office and costs me more? But all decent reasons eventually start to sound like excuses when I am having to offer them this regularly.

Don’t mean to whinge but every second time I take the train I get figuratively dropped in it. It’s less embarrassing to show up in cycle gear dripping wet than to have to explain for the umpteenth time why the trains were running late.

I am just tired of getting egg on my face at work for trying to use public transport. I love rail, but I’m not getting much love back and will be staying with the bike for the foreseeable future… until next time I really want to keep out of the rain, I guess!”

Sorry to hear that, but from the grumbles I heard this morning, you’re not alone.
I could suggest you hang in there a bit but that doesn’t help you explaining it to an unsympathetic boss.

The new signalling does feel a long way away but it sounds the solution. The system will include several measures to improve signalling currently used at Britomart.  This will include a back-up computer control system that will run in tandem with the primary system, so if one failed the other would keep the signals working.

The new system will incorporate an automatic train protection system which will automatically intervene if a train is going to pass a red stop signal and ensure that the train is safely brought to a stop.

The project is needed because of electrification as the current Auckland signalling system is not compatible with the proposed electrification system and much of the equipment needs to be replaced or modified to immunise it from the high voltage overhead traction system.

There is money for signalling for the Manukau and Onehunga branch lines, enhancements to accommodate increased train frequencies across the network and give improved safety; and additional signalling at Kingsland to move large numbers of people to and from events at Eden Park.

As part of the contract all points machines and signal lights will be replaced and a sophisticated computerised train control system introduced.  The track circuits currently used to detect where trains are on the network will be replaced with a more reliable and cost effective system using axle counters.

The broken part has gone off to China?

And before I forget, an update on Day 35 of the Britomart Escalator Breakdown.
The troublesome part shown on this blog yesterday has now been taken away (right) and the sole maintenance man has left.
I’m still picking it’s been sent to China on a slow container ship for repairs.
Let’s hope it’s not further delayed by the ship being hijacked by Somali hijackers.