Systems Thinking and Common Sense

Occasionally I read forums/facebook groups on transportation(s) in Malaysia. I’ve noticed that the questions most often would be along the line, “Why aren’t we having this ______ in Malaysia, it’s super advanced technology!” I would sometime reply and mention the restrictions and constraints related to the technology proposed. Sometimes people would reply, still pushing and…

Passive and Active: Learning and Level Crossings

In railway signalling, one of the most problematic or challenging part is, subjectively, the level crossings. It is the part where the road meets the rail, where normal railway operation which is rigid and structured, meets the road operation that in some ways, very loose and has many variables. It’s an interface and interface always…

Santiago Rail Crash

02/10/2024 – Update: SARS is organizing a ‘repeat’ of this webinar, available for registration here. I joined a webinar yesterday, discussing the rail crash of a high speed train in Spain about 11 years ago. The presenter gave evidence during the court prosecutions, which resulted in the safety director being sentenced to 2.5 years in…

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IRSE Exam Module A

I am writing this ‘in conjuction’ to the closing date for the registration of the exam, which is tomorrow, but if you are reading it later than that, please take whatever you can from this. If you have been working in the railway industry for some time, I strongly suggest taking the IRSE Exam Module…

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GoA4

When I started working in the railway industry, during the first few weeks, I was told that the metro system I was working on was GoA4. Alright, I thought, this is GoA4. Whatever that means. Over the years that piece of information becomes embedded and is accepted as the universal truth. One of the first…

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Rail Report Discussion: Penkridge Track Workers Near Miss

Read the report here. There were 6 people involved, but somehow two was ‘separated’ from the group. The group separated with different understanding: As in the report, there are a few practices that is I think easily common, but not safe: During some of the track possessions I’ve seen, all of these happened. Fortunately no…

Rail Report Discussion: Freight Collision, Doncaster 2022

The RAIB Report can be referred here. All rights reserved to Crown copyright 2023. R082023_230803_Loversall_Carr_Junction The cause of the accident is that the driver failed to break, most likely due to micro-sleep (my guess). Previously he only had to drive to work for six minutes, but ‘new’ work arrangement needed him to drive for one…