|
|
|
|
The eBearing News
April 16, 2004
Sydney Commuter Train
Bearing Failures Investigated
copyright © 2004 eBearing Inc.
CityRail (a subsidiary of state-owned Rail Corporation New South Wales, Australia) and Australian
transportation authorities are investigating the growing number of
gearbox bearing failures now plaguing Sydney's widely-used Tangara commuter trains.
Across Sydney and New South Wales, CityRail service carries over 900,000 passengers between
306 stations every day.
|
|
Tangara (courtesy NSW RailCorp)
|
The Tangara is a four-car setup, two double-deck drivers and two trailers, carrying up to 1,060
people in that configuration. Each motor car unit is driven by eight traction
motors, putting out 170kw. Tangaras are capable of speeds up to 130 km/h. Built and maintained by United Goninan,
the first of 450 Tangara units (370 suburban, 80 outersuburban) was delivered in 1987.
Since August 2003, at least 19 -- and probably more -- bearing failures have
occurred in Tangara gearboxes. The traction motors and gearboxes are supplied to
United Goninan by Mitsubishi Electric.
All of the 19 "high speed ball bearing" failures, however, were discovered only during routine scheduled
maintenance inspections, and the number has been rising.
Australia's Independent Transport Safety and Reliability Regulator has ordered an investigation
into what is causing the failures. The investigation was ordered after the agency independently
identified and verified an escalating number of Tangara traction motor gearbox bearing failures.
In February, the NSW Parliament formally censured the NSW Minister for Transport Services
for these and other problems and, "his failure to remain accountable to the community for the
efficient management and delivery of safe and effective transport solutions for the people
of New South Wales."
Gearbox bearing failures can and have in other cases caused fires, derailments and collisions.
In early February, a failed Tangara gearbox bearing caused "chaos" in the Sydney underground.
An empty Tangara, on a test run after service, suffered a gearbox bearing failure as it
traveled through Sydney's busy Town Hall station. The smell made by six liters of overheated gearbox oil
was misdiagnosed as an underground natural gas leak, leading to the immediate shutdown and
evacuation of the Sydney underground's busiest section.
Tangaras are equipped with bearing failure temperature sensors and indicator lights for the
operator, but there was no indication the system was working properly in the February incident.
Trains on maintenance runs are now banned from critical sections of track.
In addition to the onboard system, trackside boxes -- becoming standard around the world -- are set
up to detect so-called "hot boxes" usually related to bearing failures. Over the past few months,
there have been five instances of Tangara axle bearing failures which were detected and serviced
before any damage could be done.
The NSW train operators have been under particular scrutiny, as are the Tangara trains, after seven
people died and over 45 were injured in January 2003 when a four-carriage train derailed at high
speed, hitting a sandstone retaining wall just south of Sydney. The crash was Australia's
worst train accident in 26 years.
|
|
|
printer-friendly version
|
|
- by Bruce A. Carr
from individual research,
tips and commercial sources.
Copyrighted material; unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
|
|
eBearing.com ... for everything that moves™
Copyright 1999-2010, eBearing Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright information is on www.copyright.com
Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.
eBearing Inc, eBearing.com, and "... for everything that moves" are registered
trademarks of eBearing Inc.
|
|
|
|
|
| |
eBearing.com ... for everything that moves™
Entire contents Copyright © 1999-2010, eBearing Inc. All rights reserved.
eBearing.com and "... for everything that moves" are registered trademarks of eBearing Inc.
|
|
|
