TRIPCOCK TESTING TIMES

RMT helpline 0800 376 3706 :: april 2012 :: RMTnews 19 London Underground Tube train maintainers have tested the tripcock emergency braking mechanism every night and carried out full examinations every two weeks for as long as anyone can remember. However LUL has seen fit to move the full tripcock examination out from 14 service days to 28 service days despite the fact that this is safety critical equipment. The tripcock is there to prevent a train passing a signal at danger (SPAD) in the event of human error. Tube driver and RMT tier two upgrade rep Gwyn Pugh makes it clear that the tripcock is by far the most important piece of safety equipment. “A red signal is there for a reason, either another train or a faulty set of points is ahead you. “So if you continue you are going to derail your train or crash into another one. “It is the last chance of bringing your train to a controlled stop before impact, nothing is more important than that,” he explains. The train stop system consists of two basic components: the trip stop mechanism, mounted on the ground adjacent to the rail, and the train-mounted trip cock that is connected to the train's braking system. And like any equipment it can fail. Leaked documents show that several tripcock failures have already taken place since the reduction of maintenance times. Yet the long-term plan, when the new S-stock trains comes in, is to move testing out further to 60 days and remove the 24- hourly testing of the tripcock and putting it onto the 60-day exam. This is despite the fact that the manufacturers recommend full inspections at least every 30 days. Gywn Pugh points out that while the S Stock are new trains they will still need testing. “You can’t just do less maintenance because they are new trains, they have teething problems and things still go wrong,” he says. Train maintainers that RMT News has spoken to have made it clear that this is safety issue for train drivers and the travelling public. “The bottom line is that these trains take a huge bashing when they go into service. “You have got uneven rails and all sorts of debris flying around causing damage all the time. “At the end of the day without nightly tests how would you know if anything was wrong,” says one train maintainer as he uses a tripcock stick to ensure it is in full working order. Train maintainers and train drivers alike understand the importance of knowing that the emergency brake system is working. “In a month trains may pass over a million signals and trains are in service for up to 20 hours a day,” says Gywn Pugh. “We rely on train maintainers, they are our friends,” he says. Train maintainers point out that lengthening service times to 28 days, let alone 60 days, is a false economy that could lead to larger problems further down the line. “A good example is the perfectly good brake blocks we now throw away because we must replace them early to allow the trains to run for 28 service days, it just doesn’t make sense,” he says shaking his head. RMT London regional organiser Steve Hedley says that it was clearly a bid to save pennies and cut jobs. “London Underground has increased the period between testing and it is shocking that they want to increase it further. “Even the manufacturers’ documentation makes it clear that tripcocks should not be left untested and unmaintained for over a month,” he says. Train maintainers usually work in four teams on a four week shift rota, including early days, late days and nights and two 12-hour shifts at weekends. At the start of each shift they receive safety briefings and are given their tasks. This could be involve maintenance, ensuring all trains enter service without any faults or delays, stocking all spare equipment racks, carrying out casualty work on trains stopped, shunting, train examination and safety critical training. What is clear is that they know these trains inside and out and when they say it’s not safe, you ignore them at your peril. TRIPCOCK TESTING TIMES RMT keeps up pressure to maintain the frequency of testing the tripcock braking system on London Underground trains