Safety warning for Alstom Aventra operators
TRAIN builder Alstom has issued a safety warning to all operators of its Aventra trains, following what it called a “significant failure” on Transport for London train 345003 at Plumstead sidings.
The warning, issued on May 19, stated: “There is a potential risk to maintenance staff.”
A capacitor in the traction system failed, which caused an “over pressure event” which blew off the 7kg converter casing.
Alstom said: “There is a risk of serious injury or death when adjacent to the traction converter cases along the sides of the train.”
The company said no one is allowed to work within two metres of the covers when the train is powered. If possible, trains should be shut down when stabled. However, there is no restriction to people working at platform height or above.
This applies “until further notice” to all operators of Derbybuilt Aventra trains: Crossrail, London Overground, Greater Anglia, West Midlands Trains, c2c and South Western Railway, where the Class 701 variant has yet to be introduced to passenger service.
Meanwhile, drivers have raised further concerns about technical problems that continue to prevent those Class 701s from entering service with SWR. Numerous faults remain unresolved across the £1 billion fleet of 750 vehicles, which had been due in passenger service in 2019 (RAIL 956).
Now, in a letter to drivers seen by RAIL, it has emerged that even the most well-prepared units still have 90 separate faults.
Written by ASLEF and SWR Company Council member Martin Dye, the letter states: “The last time we went to Wimbledon Park depot to carry out static testing to a unit, it had approximately 90 faults. This list was made up of 60 generic faults across the whole fleet, plus 30 individual unit faults, that the manufacturer (Alstom) brought to our attention.”
Dye added: “Some of these faults are pretty minor, but others are far more substantial.”
They include door obstacle detection technology, which “still doesn’t work correctly”. The trains will therefore not be accepted for driver training.
The letter also states that 300 platforms to be visited by the Arterio trains have not been riskassessed.
In early May, one of the trains was taken into Waterloo station. The company council suggests this was to imply that the trains were close to entering traffic, with a “final software drop” enabling depot driver training, followed by main line driver training.
Dye wrote: “I read a text message… stating the training had all been agreed with us. Well, it hasn’t. Our experiences with this train have not been pleasant.”
Other faults include the coupling and uncoupling process, issues with windscreen wipers, and cab doors that are difficult to open. They head a list of 23 failings that ASLEF believes must be resolved before the union will recommend acceptance for driver training.
The letter states that SWR is working hard to fix the issues. But it concludes: “Would you prefer to carry on driving a 1980s Class
455, rather than a brand new shiny Class 701? In a nutshell, yes, as it’s a better train.
“We will continue to work with SWR to ensure they’re fit for traffic, reliable and safe for you to drive.”
SWR has apologised to passengers for running an increased number of short-formation trains. It says some trains are shorter than before because of the continued failure to get 90 Alstom Class 701 Arterios into service.
SWR has taken carriages out of trains operating on Portsmouth, Alton and other routes to form additional units on suburban diagrams. It has done so by removing ten four-car Class 450s to run separately or to lengthen existing trains.
It is also covering the imminent transfer of Siemens Class
707 suburban trains working the Shepperton branch to Southeastern, as part of a wider rolling stock cascade.
The short-formations were planned as part of the May timetable change, but have been introduced gradually.
An SWR spokesman told RAIL: “Our new trains from Alstom aren’t ready yet, which is having an impact on fleet availability. We have been careful to maintain the length of our busiest services, and only shorten those trains that we expect will be less crowded.”