Serious disruption on the Argyle and North Clyde Lines (07/02/2022)

[Scotrail314209]

Not a good start to the week for Scotrail as a complete failure of communication equipment between the driver and signallers mean absolutely nothing can run through Glasgow Central or Queen Street Low Levels.

https://twitter.com/ScotRail/status/1490560168463155200

NEW: Due to a major fault with the communication system between drivers and signallers, services have been severely affected on the following routes: Helensburgh Central – Edinburgh, Balloch – Airdrie, Dalmuir – Larkhall, Milngavie – Motherwell, Milngavie – Edinburgh via Airdrie, Motherwell – Dalmuir, Dalmuir – Whifflet, Larkhall – Milngavie. We strongly advise customers check to see if their journey is being affected before heading to the station and recommend making alternative arrangements if you possibly can.

UPDATE: We’re unable to run any services on the Argyle or North Clyde routes (see earlier tweets) and do not have a timescale for when services can resume. This is a major fault. We ask that you make your own arrangements if you can and apologise for the disruption.

Sounds pretty serious if it's enough to knock out the entirety of the lines. Services elsewhere on the Glasgow network are unaffected.

What could've caused such a massive knockout?

 

[trei2k]

It is a fibre break in GSM-R system. See: https://twitter.com/NetworkRailSCOT/status/1490563924797935616

There is currently a major fault with the GSM-R system which allows drivers and signallers to communicate with each other. This means train services can't currently run on the North Clyde and Argyle Lines until the problem is fixed. Follow
ScotRail for service updates.

Fibre cable failure has been identified as the cause of the fault. Specialist teams have been requested to make the necessary repairs. We're sorry for the disruption caused by the fault with the GSM-R system.

We're working to repair damaged fibre optic cables and reroute comms now. We're doing everything we can to fix this as quickly as possible.

Interestingly, there was a movement on the Milngavie line. I noticed a service going from Anniesland (sorry I didn't catch where it was before this) to Milngavie. Possibly this one: https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:W89955/2022-02-07/detailed#allox_id=0

 

[Scotrail314209]

It is a fibre break in GSM-R system. See: https://twitter.com/NetworkRailSCOT/status/1490563924797935616








Interestingly, there was a movement on the Milngavie line. I noticed a service going from Anniesland (sorry I didn't catch where it was before this) to Milngavie. Possibly this one: https://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/service/gb-nr:W89955/2022-02-07/detailed#allox_id=0

The West Highland line appears to be unaffected by this as the Oban services have gotten through just fine. Perhaps the Singer branch is unaffected?

 

[fraser158]

Excuse my ignorance but are there not signal post telephones as a back up, or were they removed?

 

[InOban]

Single Point of Failure! Seems like a system design fault. Perhaps drivers should have a standard mobile as backup?

 

[ld0595]

NRE suggesting disruption is expected until 15:00. Not a good start to the week!

 

[43096]

Single Point of Failure! Seems like a system design fault. Perhaps drivers should have a standard mobile as backup?

How would a standard mobile pick up an “all trains stop” emergency broadcast?

 

[Mag_seven]

How would a standard mobile pick up an “all trains stop” emergency broadcast?

How would it pick up anything in a tunnel!

 

[Ex-controller]

There was a survey carried out in the Argyle Line tunnel at Anderston last night. Could be unrelated but you do wonder.

Any movements either side of the tunnels will be an attempt to run a limited service. The contingency for the west is usually is Balloch to Helensburgh via Anniesland using Jordanhill West curve, and a Milngavie/Anniesland shuttle, and for the east a shuttle between Newton and Larkhall/Motherwell.

The person having to resource all that for several hours has my sympathies.

 

[Deltic1961]

On the same day the lead story on the BBC news website is about ditching 20% of car journeys by 2030.

Yes this is a rare incident but won't be helping people wanting to rely on rail services.

 

[najaB]

Single Point of Failure! Seems like a system design fault. Perhaps drivers should have a standard mobile as backup?

It is a single point, I'm somewhat surprised they don't have redundant fibre strands. But I guess that even if they ran in dual ducts there would still be places where both duct routes would end up running close to/next to each other. I've seen it happen before with fibre connections to data centres - even though you can pay for diverse routing there's sometimes no avoiding it.

 

[Ex-controller]

There was a survey carried out in the Argyle Line tunnel at Anderston last night. Could be unrelated but you do wonder.

Any movements either side of the tunnels will be an attempt to run a limited service. The contingency for the west is usually is Balloch to Helensburgh via Anniesland using Jordanhill West curve, and a Milngavie/Anniesland shuttle, and for the east a shuttle between Newton and Larkhall/Motherwell.

The person having to resource all that for several hours has my sympathies.

Although having looked a bit more none of this seems to apply today!

 

[InOban]

By single point of failure, it seems as if the same fibre cable controls both physical signals etc. and communication. Otherwise trains could surely operate as they did before GSM-R. At worst they could operate under visual rules.

 

[GB]

By single point of failure, it seems as if the same fibre cable controls both physical signals etc. and communication. Otherwise trains could surely operate as they did before GSM-R. At worst they could operate under visual rules.

What are “visual rules”? If it was safe and efficient to run trains don’t you think they would?

 

[najaB]

Otherwise trains could surely operate as they did before GSM-R.

I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure the NRN/CSR has been retired.

 

[43096]

By single point of failure, it seems as if the same fibre cable controls both physical signals etc. and communication. Otherwise trains could surely operate as they did before GSM-R. At worst they could operate under visual rules.

Before GSM-R there was SMA (Strathclyde Manning Agreement; similar Cab Secure Radio) radio in Strathclyde that was a prerequisite for driver only operation. SMA/CSR/NRN have been decommissioned so there is no “operate as before”.

GSM-R is a safety critical system and even more so in DOO areas such as Strathclyde.

 

[scotraildriver]

By single point of failure, it seems as if the same fibre cable controls both physical signals etc. and communication. Otherwise trains could surely operate as they did before GSM-R. At worst they could operate under visual rules.

Before GSMR there was NRN. You can't operate with no communication whatsoever. And what on earth are visual rules? Don't remember ever being taught them!

 

[westralian]

Disruption now expected until 18:00 per the Scotrail website.

 

[071]

I'll just add this for context.

In a professional capacity, I once paid for two diversely routed fibres for an important installation. Although the routes were supposed to be completely diverse, on the quiet the supplier had routed both fibres through the same duct under the railway... you can guess the rest.

 

[GB]

Just for added info, the signal post telephones in some of the areas are also not working in connection with the fault.

 

[najaB]

I'll just add this for context.

In a professional capacity, I once paid for two diversely routed fibres for an important installation. Although the routes were supposed to be completely diverse, on the quiet the supplier had routed both fibres through the same duct under the railway... you can guess the rest.

That's exactly what I was alluding to above. In that example I'm not surprised - crossing the railway once is expensive, doing it twice in different locations would be extremely expensive! And depending on location, using existing crossing points (e.g. bridges) might be even more so.

 

[Sirius]

While I’m sure there’s a good reason the shuttle service is going through Queen Street low level from Helensburgh to Carntyne (turning back at Shettleston but not stopping there) and a separate shuttle is running Bathgate to Edinburgh.

However nothing going on the straight track between Carntyne and Bathgate.

 

[MotCO]

That's exactly what I was alluding to above. In that example I'm not surprised - crossing the railway once is expensive, doing it twice in different locations would be extremely expensive! And depending on location, using existing crossing points (e.g. bridges) might be even more so.

I had a similar experience when working for a group of hospitals, when we asked a major comms supplier to provide two cable routes for resilience. Yes, they did route them the same way with the inevitable results!

 

[1955LR]

I had a similar experience when working for a group of hospitals, when we asked a major comms supplier to provide two cable routes for resilience. Yes, they did route them the same way with the inevitable results!

This is why specifying exactly what is needed is very important, even with the best will in the world my understanding of what is meant is often different to someone else. I have come across this too often in industry, even apart from some suppliers taking short cuts!

 

[Ex-controller]

Before GSMR there was NRN. You can't operate with no communication whatsoever. And what on earth are visual rules? Don't remember ever being taught them!

Visual rules apply to trams, not trains.

 

[68000]

The GSM-R system uses a number of BTS chains and it looks like one of those chains has gone down due to a fibre fault. The fault has also taken out the two signaller GSM-R terminals at Yoker and a number of SPTs in the low level tunnels

As these services are DOO services, secure emergency communication is required therefore a basestation chain going down means no train service

 

[InOban]

What are “visual rules”? If it was safe and efficient to run trains don’t you think they would?

It's quite normal in bad weather to run trains at a speed where they can stop within the distance the driver can see. It's applied on sections of the WHL over the last few days.

 

[najaB]

It's quite normal in bad weather to run trains at a speed where they can stop within the distance the driver can see. It's applied on sections of the WHL over the last few days.

So basically trains running at caution.

 

[Y Ddraig Coch]

Is this an actual fault or could it be somebody from outside of the railway has been during the night and "borrowed" some of the cables causing all this chaos?

 

[GB]

It's quite normal in bad weather to run trains at a speed where they can stop within the distance the driver can see. It's applied on sections of the WHL over the last few days.

It might be normal to have a blanket speed restriction during some bad weather, its not normal to be at a speed the driver can see to be clear (ie 20mph or less) How would you advise the driver anyway and how does the driver contact the signaller in the event of an emergency?