Safety concern regarding the overuse of emergency/distress calls
The reporter has raised a safety concern regarding the overuse of emergency/distress calls by [Operator]'s suburban train drivers to network control.
The reporter advises that emergency calls have been made for incidents such as faulty doors (whilst the train is stationary at a platform), tripping on debris (applies brakes which brings train to a stand) and being unable to release brakes whilst a train is stationary. While these situations are operationally inconvenient, there is no immediate safety threat to passengers or staff and does not warrant making an emergency call.
The reporter is concerned that drivers are not being discouraged from making emergency calls and there is a belief among drivers that they can use the emergency call as a means of jumping the radio queue to avoid delaying their service. The reporter states that drivers refer to the emergency call button as the 'jump the queue’ button.
The reporter provided a recent example where a radio operator, who was on hold while a driver was obtaining further details from passengers via the passenger emergency intercom regarding an injured passenger, had to terminate the call to take another emergency call. The second call was in regard to a faulty public announcement system from a train that was stationary at a platform. The reporter also provided another example where multiple trains had tripped due to raised bitumen on a particular pedestrian crossing resulting in the radio operator receiving an emergency call every 15 minutes. The reporter is concerned that the overuse of emergency calls will result in a legitimate emergency call going unanswered due to congestion from calls regarding operational inconveniences.
In response to the concern regarding the overuse of emergency/distress calls by [Operator]'s suburban train drivers to network control, [Operator] has investigated the allegations and could find no evidence to support the claims put forward.
[Operator] has in place a standard operating procedure for the use of Digital Train Radio System (DTRS). This procedure nominates the priority of the calls, ranging from a Rail Emergency Call (REC) through to a Train Emergency Call (TEC) to a standard point to point call. Train drivers have been trained in the use of the system and to the examples in the procedure.
If and when a REC is made in error by a driver, this is logged in a system and there is then a follow-up conversation with the driver. These instances are rare and are mostly due to the driver accidently pressing the REC button on the DTRS instead of the TEC button.
There have not been any reports of incorrect RECs being made related to the situations raised in the report. It is more likely that a TEC will have been made to the Train Controller instead.
ONRSR has reviewed the reporter’s concerns and the rail transport operator’s response. ONRSR will be making further enquiries with the rail transport operator to seek additional information which will be evaluated and if required, considered in the planning of future regulatory activities as part of the ONRSR National Work Program.