What the heck is signal fault?

strandroad · 09-10-2014 5:57pm #1

And more importantly, why does it happen a couple of times a week on the Dart? It sounds like it's all falling apart...

Captain Chaos · 09-10-2014 6:05pm

mhge wrote: »

And more importantly, why does it happen a couple of times a week on the Dart? It sounds like it's all falling apart...

It is what it says, a fault with the signals. Can happen due to weather effects, vandals, theft of cables etc. Same as traffic lights that stop working around my area a few times per year. It's the points failure at Howth Junction that regularly messes up the DARTs. It's failed about 4 times this year so far.

strandroad · 09-10-2014 6:23pm

Captain Chaos wrote: »

It is what it says, a fault with the signals. Can happen due to weather effects, vandals, theft of cables etc. Same as traffic lights that stop working around my area a few times per year. It's the points failure at Howth Junction that regularly messes up the DARTs. It's failed about 4 times this year so far.

Looks like there were two central faults today

Before noon and now.

h.gricer · 09-10-2014 7:05pm

The whole Dublin Area was effected, not only the dart, the IWT liner with 086 was stuck at Church Road for 90mins, from 10.10 till 11.40, the NW - Inchicore wagon transfer with 083 (2 Tara wagons) was behind it, 083 departed on a yellow @11.42 with the wagons.

Regards
h.gricer

Frank Lee Midere · 09-10-2014 7:59pm

There was a later fault at evening rush hour. Why isn't massive redundancy built in?

Rashers72 · 09-10-2014 9:47pm

I think there was a complete system shutdown around 17.45. We were stuck northbound at Skerries golf club halt for about 20 mins. Strangely the Belfast-Dublin due in 18.20 ish was running pretty on time.
I was on the 17.13 Pearse st to Dundalk, but the PA system also suffered a complete failure. We could hear driver clicking to make announcements, but could not hear him. Thought it was just our carriage but then a passenger came through from another carriage saying they could not hear anything. I checked website on smartphone. No mention of delays. The real time information showed my train running completely on time, and 30 miles north of where it actually was. Never had that happen before. A fellow passenger seemed to have twitter, so was informing us all of the delays.

Grandeeod · 09-10-2014 10:07pm

So IE's major communication line seems to be Twitter, when it should be a mere add on to more effective and broader ways of doing it.

Hilly Bill · 10-10-2014 1:56am

Rashers72 wrote: »

I think there was a complete system shutdown around 17.45. We were stuck northbound at Skerries golf club halt for about 20 mins. Strangely the Belfast-Dublin due in 18.20 ish was running pretty on time.
I was on the 17.13 Pearse st to Dundalk, but the PA system also suffered a complete failure. We could hear driver clicking to make announcements, but could not hear him. Thought it was just our carriage but then a passenger came through from another carriage saying they could not hear anything. I checked website on smartphone. No mention of delays. The real time information showed my train running completely on time, and 30 miles north of where it actually was. Never had that happen before. A fellow passenger seemed to have twitter, so was informing us all of the delays.

That happen yesterday ( Thursday ) ?

Young Blood · 10-10-2014 2:04am

It's what happens when a driver calls in sick.

Victor · 10-10-2014 2:13am

Frank Lee Midere wrote: »

There was a later fault at evening rush hour. Why isn't massive redundancy built in?

€€€

DART is a 175 year old system that has essentially been tweaked over that time with occasional upgrades. It has a certain amount of redundancy, e.g. the system can keep running with the complete failure of one electrical substation and in places trains can run on the 'wrong' track.

Luas is a new system, less than 10.5 years old, doesn't have power redundancy or much 'wrong' track running and it still gets failures.

However, not that adding more to the system potentially means there is more to go wrong.

goingnowhere · 10-10-2014 5:15am

The signalling system is a crazy jumble of equipment from the

1970's Drumcondra - Clonsilla
1980's Bray - Kilester
1990's Malahide - Dundalk / Bray Wicklow / Clonsilla - Maynooth
2000's Maynooth - Sligo / Wicklow Rosslare
2010's Malahide/Howth - Kilester / Clonsilla - M3 - Docklands

All from different vendors, different technology all patched together, it works fine until something goes wrong

The original DART equipment has a complete redundancy and can operate without the main signalling centre, but the back up generators are not exactly reliable. From 2010 onwards its full UPS+Generator so a total ESB failure is not impacting at all

Rashers72 · 10-10-2014 7:10am

I can handle the signal faults and door failures...it's the complete breakdown in customer communications during delays which kills me!

A Dub in Glasgo · 17-10-2014 9:41pm

goingnowhere wrote: »

The signalling system is a crazy jumble of equipment from the

1970's Drumcondra - Clonsilla
1980's Bray - Kilester
1990's Malahide - Dundalk / Bray Wicklow / Clonsilla - Maynooth
2000's Maynooth - Sligo / Wicklow Rosslare
2010's Malahide/Howth - Kilester / Clonsilla - M3 - Docklands

All from different vendors, different technology all patched together, it works fine until something goes wrong

That is relatively recent in railway signalling terms, I was involved in a project in Stirling putting up new upper quadrant semaphores a couple of years ago!

corktina · 18-10-2014 6:44am

they aren't allowed to say "leaves on the line" any more

n97 mini · 18-10-2014 9:53am

Rashers72 wrote: »

I can handle the signal faults and door failures...it's the complete breakdown in customer communications during delays which kills me!

It's only the twitter account which seems to have a backup generator.

Jamie2k9 · 18-10-2014 1:47pm

80% of the time its probably points switches which cause the "signal fault". Easier to tell passengers its single problem as most wouldn't have a clue what a points fault is.

Howth Junction is a prefect example where replacement points were installed and are just about as reliable as the old set that was there.

Rashers72 · 20-10-2014 9:28am

15 min delays to all southbound services into Bray around 8.30am. Not sure of reason.

strandroad · 03-11-2014 7:14pm

Network out again...

Captain Chaos · 03-11-2014 9:05pm

Yep still out, trains running up to 40mins late. IE have alot to answer for at this stage and with the fare increase too. Customers are being taken for right mugs at this stage. They are saying it's the same computer glitch that caused the last problems, so basically they can't fix what's wrong with it. Or don't know exactly what's cause the problem either.

Jamie2k9 · 03-11-2014 9:14pm

This has all the signs of lack of maintenance to the system. Such a failure on this scale should never happen.

Captain Chaos · 03-11-2014 9:17pm

I reckon they performed a software update to their system or something similar and there are some errors or bugs after popping up from time time. They are saying the issues is with Traffic Central and is only effecting signal on the DART network area.

Rashers72 · 03-11-2014 9:47pm

Yes but I think tonight was on the significant side. From what I can gather, all services from Drogheda to Greystones suspended from about 17.45 to 18.30. Not sure what happened if you were on a train out in the suburbs. I walked out of Pearse around 18.00. Huge numbers waiting. When I arrived in Connolly around 18.30, I was going for the 18.40 Connolly to Dundalk fast train, but when I checked online that train was stuck coming in. Then I spotted all the LED displays were turned off. Walked over the suburban/DART platforms, and there was an announcement that the train on platform 6 was a Drogheda train. Got onto it, only about 25% full. Waited a few more minutes, and when we reached 50% full, it just left. Not a single announcement from there to my local station, but we were slotted in directly behind a DART all the way to Malahide, arriving 46 mins late. another frustrating night on the trains. And again, complete breakdown in communications...

strandroad · 04-11-2014 6:54pm

Again today. What a show...

Rashers72 · 04-11-2014 7:05pm

Unbelievable. Stuck on a packed suburban train north of Connolly going nowhere. Nothing on website, pa system broken, but twitter saying signal failure., and Dublin bus taking rail tickets. 30 min delays per Twitter. Communication really bad again.

Kh1993 · 04-11-2014 7:08pm

Amazing. Exact same time as yesterday, something seriously ain't right. And they can go and sh*te telling anyone to get buses as every northbound bus on Amiens Street is already full.

Kung Lao · 04-11-2014 7:11pm

Delayed yesterday morning, yesterday evening, this morning and again right now. How long does it take to fix such a system critical failure?

Rashers72 · 04-11-2014 7:25pm

Twitter says back working, and we made good speed to Portmarnock, but assume now stuck awaiting a platform into Malahide....ggggrrrrrrrr!

matban · 04-11-2014 7:26pm

Joke, these people are not capable of running the rail network, useless bastards

L1011 · 04-11-2014 8:53pm

Just got on what I assumed was the 1941 ex Maynooth which turned out to be a massively delayed 1910 - won't get me in any quicker as I wanted Tara, train had no destination on the side boards

No announcements, platforms signs blank and showing a 6am time. Wonderful service as always...

Rashers72 · 04-11-2014 9:01pm

Noticed clock time was showing around 30 mins late when I arrived in..... Story now on Indo website www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/another-long-journey-home-for-dart-commuters-30718784.html

Mikros · 04-11-2014 9:52pm

Seriously what going on with the major signal faults? 2 evenings in a row a complete network shut down during rush hour. And down the road Ireland is showcasing itself to the world as a "modern place to do business" at the Web Summit. It would be almost have been funny if I wasn't freezing my ass off standing in Connolly station.

What the heck is signal fault?

Comments