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Re: Speed Restrictions & Enforcement



Adam Joyce wrote:

> I have always wondered how speed limits are enforced on Australia's
> rail
> system. Is the enforcement uniform across Australia, or differing
> according
> to state? Are there rail police with laser guns (joke)? And what
> happens to
> locomotive drivers if they are caught speeding?
>
> My second question is directed at people with some knowledge of
> Adelaide's
> metropolitan railways. When I travelled to Noarlunga Centre from the
> city a
> few months ago, the track was littered with speed restrictions...
> every few
> minutes the train would slow to pass one of these areas, it appeared
> as if
> the rails were slightly buckled. Firstly, is this due to the heat...it
> was
> just after a heatwave? And are these kinks repaired quickly? It seems
> that
> the Noarlunga line in particular often has speed restrictions. They
> certainly decrease the trains speed considerably and are quite
> annoying...very little speed can be built up between stations.
>

I am a bit out of my area, but I can give you some of the answers.

First, speeding is taken seriously by railways, but it is also taken
seriously by most locomotive engineers, who know well what the potential
consequences of speeding can be: derailments at curves, inability to
brake in due time for signals, etc. But for those who are a bit
foolhardy, there is a further disincentive. The movement of every train
is plotted in train control on a time-location chart. The speed of the
train can be judged by the slope of the line on the plot, and control
staff can tell if persistent speeding is occurring.

Most railways now have an electronic "black box" recorder, and in cases
of accidents or incidents, the railway can download speed and time data.

So far as I know, there is no statute in Aus or NZ making speeding in a
train an offence, or even being drunk in charge of a train! However,
both countries have general provisions about reckless use of machines
endangering the lives of others, so I guess the police could act if they
received a complaint and could gather evidence. Of course, the railways
themselves have staff rules against speeding, drink, and drugs! In the
United States, the Federal Railroad Administration has rules that do
make it an offence to drive a train at greater than the authorised
speed, or to have taken drugs or alcohol, etc etc.

In relation to Adelaide, I visited that attractive city in November
1995, and took a ride on the suburban service. I went right out on one
line. On returning about 2 hours later, the track had buckled in the
mid-afternoon sun and we were delayed. I was a bit surprised at the poor
ballast profiles and ballast quality that was apparent in several
places. Also I noticed that works had taken place (for signalling, and
for side drainage so far as I could tell) right besides the track in at
least three places, and the shoulders had not been restored.

Minor deviations of line suggested to me at the time that the railway
track staffhad a significant heat buckle maintenance management problem
on their hands.

BIll