Smog hollow Metro opens for business

[aussiesteve]

G'day,
The smog hollow Sydney NSW driverless Metro is in action.
Fearing a repeat of the gala opening yesterday when the wheels fell off briefly, the NSW Premier was pleased with the morning peak hour performance today.
https://www.theguardian.com/australi...r-test-remains
And so begins the gradual privatization of the smog hollow commuter rail network.
One does wonder if any more platform overrun and door jamming incidents will occur.
But, it does please me that the gala was inflicted by some agro yesterday.
Cattle congestion at Chatswood station will remain a problem until the Metro sneaks under the harbour into the City.
I will be avoiding the Metro as me gold pass don't work on it, being a capitalistic venture.
The first railway here in NSW was also a capitalistic venture.
It soon became governmental when them capitalists went bust.
Steve.

[Beeyar Wunby]

Yo Steve.

So a driverless train had an Overrun. That's funny. I don't suppose they suspended it from duty whilst it underwent a drug/alcohol test? And I wonder what sort of an action plan it will be issued with? Will it be made to apologise to its line manager and promise to try harder? And will it have this incident etched on its safety record for the whole of its career ?

Of course not. It's only dangerous when humans make mistakes, but perfectly acceptable for machines to do it. hah.

We've seen this day coming for a long time. Driverless trains will cost less to run, but they won't benefit the passengers any. The cost savings won't result in cheaper tickets.

Train drivers don't just drive trains. We have spacial awareness, and are able to see and report problems out on the network that no one else will see. We are the eyes and ears of the Signallers. We also notice and fix the cock-ups that Rosters, Train Planning and Maintenance inevitably introduce. Driverless trains don't know when they're marshalled wrong in the yard and are stuck behind later departures, and they don't know when they've been double-booked.

The politicians are taking us towards a railway with no ticket staff, no platform staff, no despatchers - and a 17 year old kid with an ipad in charge of a train with 1200+ passengers on. To misquote an old saying, when it'll be good it'll be good, but when it'll be bad it'll be very very bad.

Cheers, BW.

[aussiesteve]

G'day BW,
I guess that they could do a breath test on the cattle standing at the front of the thing.
No drivers cab, so the cattle who dare to, can perch right up front to see their own impending doom.
I am still uncertain as to just how the thing will enter and exit Sydney yard.
Only four tracks enter the yard.
And, them four tracks get busy with OUR trains.
So, if her nibs in Macquarie Street has given the Metro mob two of them tracks, OUR trains will become even more delayed.
She has given the Metro mob platforms 13 / 14 / 15 in Sydney yard.
Naturally the thing is TOTALLY incompatible with OUR network, so can't share our network.
YES, smog hollow desperately needs additions to the existing network.
But, giving away OUR track and infrastructure don't accomplish the necessary additions.
The stupid Metro should have been built to be compatible.
Just me whinging as a life long socialist.
Yer calendar must have a swag of big red circles indicating them days remaining.
You will miss hogging trains, I know.
I do, even though I was totally fed up with corporate contrivances.
Steve.

[Beeyar Wunby]

Yo Steve.

Well it's gratifying to see that railway madness isn't restricted to the UK, as our press would have us believe.

You might be right, but I don't think think I'll miss the railway. It was a good place to work once, but there's no team spirit or job satisfaction now. Today's young drivers are only in it for the money, and openly fight each other to get the Rest Days in.

My diary has a weekly countdown, and when I hand my key in you'll probably find me messing about in music studios or down on the sea shore.

Cheers, BW

[aussiesteve]

Me is hoping that global warming will increase in progress.
I am looking forward to the sea shore moving closer to me.
I can only go "down to the river side" here.
And that river ain't got much water in it.
No surfing possible in the Macquarie River.
The stupid Metro will only venture to the sea shore if her nibs in Macquarie Street give them the ESR.
The Easter Suburbs Railway heads to Bondi Junction.
From there a short hoof down to Bondi beach.
Frigid here.
Snow tumbling down on the high bits down south.
So, yes not needing to crawl out of the cot at some ungodly hour to go and belt some train along the metals in miserable weather is the bonus of retirement.
Steve.