Safety concern regarding track conditions
The reporter has raised a safety concern regarding the condition of track on the northbound and southbound lines between [Location A] and [Location B].
The reporter states that trams are bouncing around, and in some instances, are hovering and do not touch the track in certain sections.
The reporter provided specific locations as examples of where they believe the track is most affected and that certain trams seem to be affected more than others.
Additionally, the reporter has raised a concern regarding the condition of the sound barriers alongside sections of the track. The reporter states that one has previously fallen onto a suburban yard, and there are several others that appear to also need repair. However, the barriers appear to have been propped up with temporary fixes rather than a permanent engineering solution. The reporter is concerned that if a barrier collapses onto a tram there would be catastrophic consequences.
Track inspections are carried out weekly and identify any issues with the track. The track is measured using a survey trolly on a scheduled basis and any sections identified in fault are rectified. The claim that Light Rail Vehicles (LRVs) are “hovering” is not possible unless a major track fault existed which would be identified in the aforementioned track inspection regime.
A possible explanation to the claim made would be that the section of track discussed is ballast track and not embedded track as is the case for the remainder of the network. Other factors that can affect ride quality of each tram:
In addition to applying the above, after receiving the ATSB report, [Operator] have ridden seven trams, including specifically the two identified trams raised in the report in both directions over the same section of track. There was no issue found with the tram ride, all the sampled vehicles ridden specifically in response to these complaints performed the same as any other trams. Also, it was noted there was no concern from other passengers travelling at the time, no-one was affected by the ride quality of the trams.
Noise Walls
An engineering solution has been implemented. Noise wall movement has been identified during scheduled inspection processes. A permanent certified engineering solution was developed for the movement of the noise walls and was approved by [Operator]. As part of the operations and maintenance works [Operator] continue to monitor all assets including the noise walls and will maintain accordingly.
ONRSR has reviewed the reporter’s concerns and the operator’s response. ONRSR is scheduling a site visit to make further enquiries including riding on board a light rail vehicle on sections of the network mentioned in the REPCON report. If there is any further follow up required, this will be managed in accordance with ONRSR’s regulatory approach outlined in the document “The ONRSR Way” available on the ONRSR website.