In the light of the recent spate of train disruptions, there is a need to rethink the prevailing approach towards rail maintenance. (“Rail reliability improvement has ‘some way to go’”; March 12)
Due to the complexity inherent in train network operations, it is a given that disruptions in train networks can be frequent yet isolated, and it is imperative that a maintenance regime be sufficiently rigorous to prevent system failures.
Our train operators adopt a night-time trackwork schedule to carry out maintenance. This window is only four to five hours long every day and is fraught with darkness and fatigue.
There may be inadequate time for thorough checks; engineers are also limited by visibility and alertness when identifying possible failure modes. Conversely, daylight hours can be advantageous in circumstances requiring visual inspection, intricate component replacement or increased focus.
Rail networks require regular maintenance for effective operation. It is no surprise, then, that many of the world’s oldest networks do planned maintenance work regularly in the late evenings and on weekends to ensure their networks’ long-term health.
Such daytime work occurs on all types of lines, including old services such as the Red Line in Boston, comparatively new lines such as the Jubilee Line in London and even busy routes such as the M3 in Budapest.
To quote the Transport for London body: “The weekend — when there are fewer customers travelling — is often still the best time for us to work. Weekend closures give us more than 50 uninterrupted hours.”
If we want to beef up our maintenance regime, we must have the operational courage to fulfil planned rail shutdowns during off-peak hours on selected sections in our network.
These shutdowns necessitate a functional, well-oiled and robust replacement bus schedule publicised well in advance to handle the affected passengers.
With the Bus Service Enhancement Programme, we have an augmented fleet of buses fresh off the production line.
Let us make good use of these new assets to enhance our old assets and beef up the reliability of our public transport network.
Due to the complexity inherent in train network operations, it is a given that disruptions in train networks can be frequent yet isolated, and it is imperative that a maintenance regime be sufficiently rigorous to prevent system failures.
Our train operators adopt a night-time trackwork schedule to carry out maintenance. This window is only four to five hours long every day and is fraught with darkness and fatigue.
There may be inadequate time for thorough checks; engineers are also limited by visibility and alertness when identifying possible failure modes. Conversely, daylight hours can be advantageous in circumstances requiring visual inspection, intricate component replacement or increased focus.
Rail networks require regular maintenance for effective operation. It is no surprise, then, that many of the world’s oldest networks do planned maintenance work regularly in the late evenings and on weekends to ensure their networks’ long-term health.
Such daytime work occurs on all types of lines, including old services such as the Red Line in Boston, comparatively new lines such as the Jubilee Line in London and even busy routes such as the M3 in Budapest.
To quote the Transport for London body: “The weekend — when there are fewer customers travelling — is often still the best time for us to work. Weekend closures give us more than 50 uninterrupted hours.”
If we want to beef up our maintenance regime, we must have the operational courage to fulfil planned rail shutdowns during off-peak hours on selected sections in our network.
These shutdowns necessitate a functional, well-oiled and robust replacement bus schedule publicised well in advance to handle the affected passengers.
With the Bus Service Enhancement Programme, we have an augmented fleet of buses fresh off the production line.
Let us make good use of these new assets to enhance our old assets and beef up the reliability of our public transport network.
