Electric Train Fleet Grounded [updated]

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This Saga is fast becoming intolerable

 

I was going to do a post in follow-up to Transport Blog’s Why are the electric trains so slow? in light of Stuff’s article yesterday: New Auckland trains can’t speed up

There is no point doing that post any more when you see this:

 

I will give credit to Alex on Twitter who first raised the situation earlier this morning. I did notice when I went past the Westfield Yard on my way to Britomart this morning that all Diesel DMU’s were out which I thought would only happen if we lost another Electric Train again (see Our New Electric Trains Breaking Down in Peak Services? [Updated])

Well it was not a single EMU being out of service but the entire fleet ground due to issues I have recently raised on this blog and have been mentioned by others here: http://www.bettertransport.org.nz/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2460&start=2760

Also check here for the latest: http://www.bettertransport.org.nz/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1653&start=3520 in which is quoted:

The EMUs have been withdrawn from operating services indefinitely as of yesterday, due to ongoing problems with the overhead line power supply fluctuating and causing the trains to shut down.
ADLs have been operating most services on the Onehunga line since Sunday

Note: I have been told by a few people know that only three of the five (or six) substations needed to run the Electric Train fleet in Auckland were ever bet. I wonder if this shortcoming has bearings on the EMU faults and subsequent grounding

 

NewsTalk ZB have also picked up on the issue

Temporary replacement for faulty Auckland trains

By: Anna Cross, Latest News | Wednesday July 23 2014 13:27

Aucklandâ s new electric trains are being temporarily replaced by diesel trains on the Onehunga Line.

Auckland Transport says what appears to be an intermittent power fault has occurred twice in 24 hours.

Chief Operations Officer Greg Edmonds stresses there are no safety issues associated with the incidents.

He says they want to ensure services run reliably while they get to the root of the issue.

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Source: http://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/auckland/news/1539253294-temporary-replacement-for-faulty-auckland-trains

 

[Update] From TVNZ

Fault prompts electric train replacement on Auckland network

Published: 1:15PM Wednesday July 23, 2014 Source: ONE News

A power fault has led to Auckland’s new electric trains being replaced on the Onehunga Line.

Auckland Transport has stressed the faults had not resulted in any safety issues.

The power fault has occurred twice in the last 24 hours and while it could take several days to fix timetables will remain unchanged.

Auckland Transport chief operations officer Greg Edmonds says the organisation intends to get to the root of the issue.

“So as not to inconvenience customers we have decided to run diesel units,” he says.

Mr Edmonds also says issues such as this are expected while phasing in a new train fleet.

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Source: http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/fault-prompts-electric-train-replacement-auckland-network-6036157

Such an issue was expected while the fleet was running in revenue service? I thought that was what the tests were for so that we did not have the cancellations and fleet muck arounds that we have now…

 

More as it comes to hand

 

Our New Electric Trains Breaking Down in Peak Services? [Updated]

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I thought tests were meant to eliminate this?

 

I caught this Tweet last evening during the PM peak services:

 

I do expect faults to come up during electric train testing. I somewhat expect maybe one spitting the dummy in the peak services. But I do not expect two EMU’s to break down with apparently similar faults inside Britomart during the peak evening services (or morning if it was morning) causing the issues that happened (cancellations and apparent bus replacements).

 

So the question is Auckland Transport what will be done to prevent this kind of failure again. Especially as such failings or near failings have been noted as seen here: http://www.bettertransport.org.nz/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2460&start=2760

The last thing you want is two EMU 6-car sets fully loaded with 750 passengers each breaking down with that same traction fault but this time on the Southern Line (the busiest of all lines) during the peak services…

 

Come on Auckland Transport let’s get this sorted while the EMU’s are still on the Onehunga Line

 

[Update] Diesel Unit (and ADL Class) Replacing Electric Train for Onehunga Service tonight

It seems we are still beset with issues with the electric trains that should have been sorted in testing.

This from earlier this evening:

Looking at the replies to the Tweet it seems an ADL diesel unit (the predecessor unit that plied the Onehunga Line before the Electrics went into service late April) has been replacing the EMU’s on Onehunga runs owing to no Electric unit available.

September is when the Manukau Line is meant to get the electric trains running revenue services. I hope by then the issues are sorted…

 

 

Campaign Strategy?

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There is a reason why I don’t like the term Non Partisan

 

Mainly because when it is used in the USA it will usually refer to some Neo Conservative Think tank with strong ties one way or the other to the Republican Party.

Well it seems (after someone forgot to make a shared Google Document private rather than open for the World to see) we could have an issue with the Non Partisan term here in New Zealand as we draw close to the 20th September national elections.

I stumbled across this early this which comes from the Rock Enrol campaign team:

 

The Rock Enrol campaign is designed to get the youth vote maximised as it is stubbornly low in New Zealand.

 

I do not have issues with third parties getting out there advocating and giving people a nudge in doing their civic duties. I do it in a round about way with the blog on Auckland issues.

What I do take issue to is when the Non Partisan term is used but could be very clouded owing to where support or resources are coming from. Put it this way to be non-partisan to the point actually being Bi-Partisan (which the Americans are good at) Rock Enrol should have asked for help from (and as an example) the Employers and Manufacturers Association. At the end of the day the EMA represents business that hire youth and are no doubt keen to offer their insight as well as a low voter turn out is not that great for business (let alone Unions and so on).

As for my own political affiliations? I have had it always in the open and it is on my LinkedIn profile. Yes since 2003 I have been member of the National Party.

 

I will leave the rest to your interpretations.