Review: MTR’s inquiry may have reviewed faulty technology

Clashes continue in passenger trains. The worker may now reveal that an investigation based on cameras instead of train attendants may have reviewed the faulty technology of driver-controlled operation instead of driver-only operation.
– They have been doing it wrong from the start, says train driver Moa Friman from Rör inte min toagvärd.

Labor was last week able to reveal how WSP, a consultancy firm that reviewed and approved the investigation that underpinned the decision to remove train attendants from passenger trains, has strong links with the MTR. One that has been criticized by employees and unions for not being allowed to investigate.

But now there will be more information about the decision of the Transport Authority to replace train attendants with cameras. The investigations that form the basis of this decision are based on trains operated according to DCO technology, called Driver Controlled Operation, Driver Only Operation, instead of DOO technology.

Worker reviewed Implementation decision from the region This is the basis for the decision. It goes under the heading “Decision on Approval of Additional Contracts and Refit of Camera and Monitor Equipment in Commuter Rail Vehicles” and specifically relates to DCO trains.

– This is a completely different system than what MTR wants to introduce. In the UK, these DCO trains are always accompanied by a train guard, says a train driver at Arbetaren who wishes to remain anonymous.

Even in the latest report of WSP, it is mentioned in the Annexure specifically applicable to DCO trains. DOO is not mentioned anywhere in the report, instead the report refers to DCO on two occasions.

In a TCO train, the train driver does not work alone in the train but takes care of calling and closing doors.

In an implementation decision from the region, it is stated that there is no European or Swedish standard for how the technical systems for monitoring boarding and disembarkation in the Swedish railway network should be designed. Instead, MTR has seen how the British system works.

The judgment stated:

The transport operator has examined similar technical solutions used today in Great Britain with the regulatory standard “Driver Controlled Operation (DCO) OnTrain Camera/Monitors 8OTCM”.

– Those who made the implementation decision completely missed that just because the drivers can operate the doors doesn’t mean the train value is suddenly irrelevant. Train conductors have more duties than that. They miss that there are two separate investigations. One is to open and close doors safely. And internal security on the train is another, says Moa Freeman, a train driver and Roar Int’s train attendant.

Currently, no passenger trains with DOO technology operate in Sweden.

Mobile phones instead of radio connectivity

Reviewed employee regulations From the ORR, the UK’s equivalent of the Swedish Transport Agency and The Rail Safety and Standards Board, the RSSB, is the so-called DOO trains in the UK, meaning driver-only operation.

According to these, trains must be equipped with a secure radio link between the driver and the control system. On passenger trains in Stockholm, train drivers are expected to use chargeable mobile phones instead.

The train should also have a radio link connected to the speaker system so that the traffic management can speak if, for example, the driver falls asleep in the carriage. No such system is currently installed in passenger trains.

In addition, systems should be in place for the driver to check that the train doors are opening and closing safely. It is a controversial camera system that will replace train attendants.

The Railway Safety and Standards Board, RSSB, in a 2015 report admitted that DOO trains restrict access for people with functional disabilities.

Worker participated in films It shows how surveillance cameras installed on trains did not work properly during last week’s snowstorm. Cameras’ lenses were repeatedly bricked by snow and the monitors turned white and foggy. The MTR received several reports last week about vehicles not having sufficient visibility on the monitors.

Instead, “operational transport support” was called in to assist during passenger transfers and ensure safety was maintained.

– They simply call ex-railway attendants. Older colleagues may have to wait in their cars instead of taking a cab to work, sometimes traveling long distances to catch trains, says Moa Freeman.

Train drivers say British regulations for DOO trains are more suitable for underground trains.

– They are wrong from the start. MTR feels like we run subway trains, but there is a big difference. In the subway, it’s easy to drive according to DOO. It’s a closed system, low speed, radio communication that works for traffic control and more, says Moa Freeman.

In the UK, managing single occupants on trains has faced harsh criticism from the British Union RMT and has been a contentious issue for decades.

Worker searches for transport regional councilor Anton Fendert. His press secretary, Elena Johnson, announces that she will be back with an answer later in the week.