Re: Reporting Rail-related emergencies

[Neil Waller <nwaller@dehaa.sa.gov.au>]

arthur marsh wrote (and I refer you to his original post):
> 
> After the responses to Mr Walding of ASR's post I did some checking of how
> one can sensibly report a rail-related emergency.
> 

...

> 
> Mr Walding however in a telephone conversation I had with him went on
> about ASR's Public Liability insurance costs without giving due credit to
> the fact that the public can be a railway's asset.
> 
> Arthur.

Some good research, Arthur.   Both encouraging and not encouraging at the same
time.

The attitude of the SA Police is interesting:   a hot box, or broken rail that
leads to a derailment could have devastating effects threatening not only the
property of the rail operator and the rail track owner, but also nearby
properties and even life and limb.

The derailment in the Hunter that demolished one of the stations is a case in
point.

Consider the damage if an up freight came off north of the Wattlebury Road
crossing at Mitcham in Adelaide, and jack-knifed along the TransAdelaide
platform as passengers were waiting for a train in morning peak.   The SAPol are
not interested in hearing reports of hot boxes?   Perhaps not on 000 but on
11444?

Do the police not want to have anything to do with public safety?   Is there no
potential revenue involved by way of fines so they are not interested?

Would reporting a large truck with a loose load likewise be frowned upon?

ASR's attitude seems funny.   Understandably they are annoyed at unfortunate
incidents occuring to their trains and the potential costs to them resulting
from those incidents but surely they would be interested in receiving reports of
problems BEFORE they become emergencies rather than discouraging reports by
discouraging railfans.   They may be jumping to conclusions based on insuffient
evidence and blaming railfans unjustly. 

And quite frankly a south bound freight should not under any circumstances be
checked at signal NR2 particularly at peak traffic times.  It will block one,
and perhaps 2, busy level crossings.  And there is the matter of starting the
train again on that climb up out of Keswick.   It should be held in the Mile End
loop.   Still ARTC and TransAdelaide control the signals so its not ASR's
fault.   Presumably the driver came through Mile End on a caution and assumed
NR2 would clear.

I'm glad that NR have a different and much more open attitude.   After all it is
in their interest to ensure the smooth operation of the rail network, and an ASR
hauled Patrick's train running a hot box is a problem for the rail network in
general if it results in that wagon derailing.

A major problem.

I have taken a note of the numbers.

Cheers

-- 
Neil Waller	(nwaller@denr.sa.gov.au)
Department of Environment Heritage and Aboriginal Affairs
Telephone:	Oz: (08) 8204 9218; International: (618) 8204 9218
Mail:		GPO Box 1047, ADELAIDE 5001     Australia

Unless explicitly attributed, the opinions expressed are personal
and not those of DEHAA or the South Australian Government.