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Topic: 1000th HST power car failure since Dec 06 time began - this week! (Read 3654 times)
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David Preston
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I've heard that FGW has experienced it's 1000th High Speed Train (HST) power car failure this week, in only a month or so of running the new timetable.
It would appear that FGW just aren't maintaining the FGW fleet to the same standards. If they do drop to a low point, we might have another 'Maidenhead fire' accident in 1995 in which a power car caught fire, and engulfed a few coaches.
In the rush to leave the scene, a passenger died after being hit by another train.
Last week I was returning from Paddington and came to a halt near Dauntsey bank on an HST because a new MTU powered HST train suddenly gave up the ghost.
I wouldn't be surprised if FGW have another accident due to their disregard for maintenance.
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Graz
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I'm surprised Wessex achieved a rating of 84%- considering the amount of problems FGW supposedly had with the fleet.
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Steve35
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What do you mean by a failure though? It certainly isn't a failure in the sense of a train breaking down and grinding to a halt. Reality check: 1000 'failures' in 1 month (say 31 days) is 32 per day. Which would mean for example every train from Bristol Temple Meads to Paddington 'failing' every day.... Hmmm.
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Nick Field
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Would I be right in thinking that many things recorded as a 'failure' not just on HST's but all trains very often mean that the train can carry on to its destination or can run all day until it get a chance to get to the depot for the fitters to look at it? A bit like my car really - its got some odd knocking sound coming from the suspension but I've taken the decision that it is fine enough to keep driving until I take it to the garage next week  I'll bet we have probably all been on a train that has developed or already had some sort of fault and not even been aware of it. |
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Lee
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I'm surprised Wessex achieved a rating of 84%- considering the amount of problems FGW supposedly had with the fleet.
Wessex didnt. 84% was Jacobs estimate. Preceding quote : "The following assumptions are made in calculating these values, based on our experience and knowledge of the businesses concerned." What do you mean by a failure though? It certainly isn't a failure in the sense of a train breaking down and grinding to a halt. Reality check: 1000 'failures' in 1 month (say 31 days) is 32 per day. Which would mean for example every train from Bristol Temple Meads to Paddington 'failing' every day.... Hmmm. I think David meant the 1000th train failure since First Great Western came into existance , which was quite some time before the new franchise / timetable took effect. |
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« Last Edit: January 17, 2007, 03:31:47 PM by Lee »
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Steve35
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Would I be right in thinking that many things recorded as a 'failure' not just on HST's but all trains very often mean that the train can carry on to its destination or can run all day until it get a chance to get to the depot for the fitters to look at it? A bit like my car really - its got some odd knocking sound coming from the suspension but I've taken the decision that it is fine enough to keep driving until I take it to the garage next week I'll bet we have probably all been on a train that has developed or already had some sort of fault and not even been aware of it. Yes, we're probably talking about defects, which can range from a torn seat cover to a blocked toilet to a broken window to a broken engine and anything in between. Most defects are pretty trivial in terms of safety. All things being equal the HST's will have more defects than smaller local trains just because they are much bigger trains. More carriages means more to go wrong. The industry is much more risk averse these days. This causes trains to be cancelled due to defects that wouldn't have caused a cancellation in days gone by. e.g. the Ladbroke Grove accident where the train was running without operational ATP and AWS safety systems. Wouldn't happen these days. If the ATP or AWS developed a defect en-route the train would proceed at a maximum of 40 mph to the next station where it would be cancelled. |
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David Preston
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I just heard this from a reliable source, someone who is working on HST2 or the intercity Express project as it is now known.
A failure could take many forms, just I heard they had a 1000 failures which seems a lot to me. Here are some definitions of a failure! I should know as I work in railway safety.
Equipment Reliability
The probability that, when operating under stated environmental conditions, process equipment will perform its intended function adequately for a specified exposure period.
Failure Frequency
The rate of occurrence of an event per calendar time or per distance travelled, as applicable.
Failure Mode
A symptom, condition, or fashion in which hardware fails. A mode might be identified as a loss of function; premature function (function without demand), an out-of-tolerance condition, or a simple physical characteristic such as a leak.
Failure Rate
The rate of occurrence of an event per hours in service or per distance travelled, as applicable.
Frequency
A rate of occurrence.
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