Re: guard/driver training (was: "Olympic Sprint Platform - Lidcombe")

[craigd@lios.apana.org.au (C. Dewick)]

In <19990514154950.13051.00000478@ng-fh1.aol.com> markbau1@aol.comQQQQyuk (MarkBau1) writes:

>Sure, considering that US RR's run many, many more tains 

I dispute this one! The Cityrail passenger network probably runs more trains
in any one weekday than Union Pacific or BNSF or CN runs in a whole week.

>and move MANY more
>tons than Australian railways the yanks can have a few more bingles and still
>come out lower on an incidence ratio. BTW, most prangs in recent years have
>been due to dispatcher error or fatigue. The way the new Australian operators
>are going it looks like fatigue may become a major issue in Australia too.

You don't need new operators for this to happen. There are moves afoot to
change our working conditions so that we work longer shifts, with higher
mileage limits, all with the same *20* minute rostered crib break between
the 3rd and the *6th* hour (not the 3rd and 5th as it is now).

Can you imagine getting on a train at the start of your shift, working on
various other runs up to the 6th hour, having a crib break, then working a
train home? 6 hours without a rostered meal break would be an abhorant idea
to any office worker, and so it should be to us as well.

Our working environment requires that there be a decent break in the middle
of each shift, otherwise many more train crewing staff will suffer health
problems as a result. Crew fatigue has always been the scurge of train
operations planning, and that's unlikely to change in the forseeable future.

>Having gone through both systems of driver/engineer training I know that the US
>system was much more extensive than my VR training, even though it only took
>1/4 of the time. 

And because most big US railroads have limitless budgets, they can afford to
use the latest technology and training methods which enable training schemes
to run through quicker. Most passenger rail systems in Australia are
government-owned, so the budgets are very thin indeed and they could never,
ever get funding for Qantas-style training simulators, etc.

You've got to take all these things into account before criticising
something and saying Australian rail training is inefficient.

Regards,

Craig.
-- 
            Craig Ian Dewick            |       Stand clear - jaws closing
 Send email to craigd@lios.apana.org.au |  Visit my Australian rail transport
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