Re: [melb]Swanston don't want W-Class

["James C" <jamesccj@optusnet.com.au>]

Does that means Swanston will order more Combinos for complete replacement
of W class on their route????


Cheers
James




W-Class <tram@ding.ding> wrote in message
3938ec83.504656@news.one.net.au">news:3938ec83.504656@news.one.net.au...
> Interesting reading in the Melbourne newspapers over the last few days
> regarding the W-Class problem at Malvern Tram Depot and the comments
> from National Express.
>
> In a few articles National Express said that the W-Class are getting
> to the end of their lives and should be retired. A cynic would
> say that they are using the brake issue to get the W-Class off the
> road, never to return.
>
> If the problem was the slack adjusters, they could simply remove them
> and adjust the brakes manually as they have done for the past 80+
> years..and then look into the problem of why the brakes are failing.
>
> Yarra Trams have had problems with the brakes as well, and 992 has
> been removed from service. Rumour is they have loaded the tram
> with weights to see how the tram brakes with a full load of
> passengers(or at least something that weighs the same amount) but they
> have left the other trams in service.
>
> It will be interesting to see how long it takes to get the Swanston
> trams back on the road, or if they are suffering fines from not
> providing the service (some would say they never "provide a service"
> but thats another story)
>
> I'm thinking that it will be a while, and even then National
> Express/Swanston will be gunning for the retirement of the exsisting
> fleet of W-Class.
>
> If the current One Person Operation (OPO) W-Class have a problem, why
> not just get another 30 trams out of storage (where they are currently
> rotting) wack a ticket machine on them and continue on as if nothing
> happen.
>
> Finally, I find it odd that Swanston are so willing to blame the tram,
> and the braking system. I thought the current policy of all PT
> operators over Australia was to blame the driver, and thus deflect the
> blame from the company. By blaming the tram for a change, they
> are undermining their own company, and give the passengers the
> impression that the trams are unsafe, thus making the passengers ask
> whether they should be scrapped....changing public opinion and getting
> the public to do their bidding for them?
>
> Maybe I've just watch the X-Files one to many times?
> Ding Ding
>
>