On 14/3/23 15:30, 'bblunt3473@yahoo.com' via TramsDownUnder wrote:
> I'm not conversant with the system or the failure, but if the problem is in the trains' equipment, how does a hand-held radio help? Most crews already have hand-held units for voice communications, which I imagine would be separate from the train control system.

>

> The problem appeared to have been network wide, it is hard to believe that a couple of hundred trains could fail simultaneously?

>

The DTRS terminals in the trains were all OK, they lost the central management system due to a networking fault. And for some reason the fail-over system failed to fail-over.

Presumably the branch lines that kept operating, the local SM made arrangements with the train drivers to use mobile phones. I think guards actually have a Sydney Trains issued mobile phones.

As the DTRS is basically a mobile phone network (if you tell your mobile phone to scan for carriers and you are near the railway you will see an extra network), they could have 'failed over' to a carrier network when they couldn't login to Railcorp network. Control wouldn't be able call to trains, but they should have been able to 'roam' to Telstra/Optus and make outgoing calls in an emergency.

Seems crews are so micromanaged now that the idea of operating with out a 'call all trains' and 'halt all trains' option is unthinkable.