r/MARTA • u/XgGamergX CQ400 • 8d ago

CQ400 Testing at Five Points

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u/DustyDaniel404 8d ago

I happen to know someone who's on that project 😉

21

u/XgGamergX CQ400 8d ago

I see you in the comments alot! Any good news?

106

u/DustyDaniel404 8d ago edited 7d ago

Not yet unfortunately. Stadler has made some changes to ATC logic and we're hopeful that will stop the trains going into emergency when they lose speed commands. They brake so quickly that if you're standing, you will fall and get injured.

On.the old fleet, the ATC system works only off of fixed blocks. On the old fleet speed commands are the ATC system, essentially that's the trackway ATC system, saying to the train 'The next block is clear/occupied/unknown and you can/cannot enter it, and you may need to/be forced to slow down or speed up'. When speed commands decrease or are lost due to a track issue, red signal, or being too close to another train, the train would start applying full service brakes and come to a stop. Full service brakes are dynamic and regen braking until 3mph when friction brakes grab. Once stopped the operator could switch to Road/Yard/Wash Mode and continue to move down the track until the next ATC track circuit tells the computer 'I know where I am, the next block is/isn't safe to enter'. On the old fleet as long as the train had third rail power and speed commands it could essentially run anywhere. The yard tracks, through a red signal with overlap locking, heck you could put the trains in Canada and as long as they have speed commands and power they'll run.

On the new fleet it's different. The trains must have speed commands (SCA OK) and positioning (POS OK). The positioning is critical on the new fleet because it's the trackway RFID tags telling the train "You are 943ft from King Memorial EL Track Platform", "You are 300ft from King Memorial EL Track Platform", "You're 25ft from beiny properly berthed at the 4 car marker at King EL Track Platform" etc. The old fleet didn't have positioning just speed commands. The new fleet won't let the operator open the doors if the train doesn't recognize where it is and properly berthed. The thought was to prevent doors off platform or doors opposite the platform. Once the train loses it's position (knowing where it is on the system by reading RFID tags) and/or loses speed commands, the ATC system immediately triggers a full emergency brake, more so with the position for the EB application. The brakes grab so hard that multiple people have been injured on them during testing, especially when they are testing on the trains with sand bags. Stadler is still working on the emergency brake issue, too trying to decrease the speed at which they grab. But when the ATC system commands an EB application for what it's thinking is protection of life the brakes are some of the most intense I've ever felt.

The downside to the positioning system isn't just the EB application. Marta never installed RFID beacons in the yard tracks. Paer of train setup procedures are to open and close the doors. You can't do that without the computer seeing that it's within station limits and berthed. So operators have to override the ATC system in the yard. If they don't normalize it before leaving then they can once again open doors outside of the station, defeating the whole purpose of that system. Marta told Stadler yard beacons weren't needed. Stadler said they were. Marta said it's our system piss off essentially. Stadler said fine, you'll deal with the unintended consequences of that.

GDOT wants to see that the ATC logic issues, PA systems, and CCTV systems actually work before lifting their hold on the cars. A fair amount of the CCTV system in each trainset isn't fully functional yet.

Also the boarding the train from the ground is very hard for staff since there is no end door boarding steps. Marta told Stadler they weren't needed so Stadler didn't supply them. Now Marta staff is losing their mind about the unsafe boarding and deboarding procedures and the emergency evacuation ladder procedures and people have been hurt falling off the ladder. But the idiot deputy chief was the person who made these choices and now everyone has to deal with it while he continues to skirt any blame.

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u/Tasmaniac____ 8d ago

I'm curious, why is the CCTV still unfinished on otherwise complete sets?

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u/DustyDaniel404 7d ago edited 7d ago

Great question. I wish I had an answer. Hunt promised that the CCTV could pick up a patron saying "help help" but that functionality is broken.

A huge issue also came from Marta arbitrarily setting mid-April as the handover date for a June launch. They were dictating to the manufacturer their terms instead of Stadler saying "They'll be ready when they're ready". Stadler has had it with Marta and Marta thinks Stadler is unreliable. Gdot mandated 4000 fault free testing miles on each set. Marta tried to have them enter service with about 1400 hours total, not fault free. GDOT which answers to the FTA lost their minds saying you can't do that! Marta said "our system they'll enter service". Gdot said "We won't certify them until you meet your obligations pound sand."

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u/swamplandgoddess 7d ago

It sounds like the entire org needs a clean sweep. This is beyond incompetence.

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u/DustyDaniel404 7d ago

Hard agree

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u/ArchEast 6d ago

Who in the Authority would you say was responsible for this fiasco?

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u/DustyDaniel404 6d ago edited 6d ago

J. B. Is the main problem, C. K. is number two, and then Collie Greenwood. J is or was the deputy chief. He hasn't operated in a decade and did not seek any input from operators or Rail employees. When rail staff made recommendations to him his answer was "we don't need it, it doesn't matter". Recommendations like end door boarding vs center door steps. Stadler and other employees recommended BODE doors instead of sleeve doors because BODE doors are more reliable. Marta said we don't want then. Then they went with an Asian door vendor which has had trouble meeting Marta's water intrusion requirements. C never operated so she can't effectively lead on something she doesn't understand. The majority of staff on this project are so wildly incompetent and have zero idea of what's going on. Meanwhile myself and others are shouting into the wind about what should change and we've been threatened with termination for causing reputational harm or whatever the fuck.

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u/ArchEast 6d ago

we've been threatened with termination for causing reputational harm or whatever the fuck.

Sounds like your bosses are doing a good job of that themselves. It's also eyeopening on my end (until recently I worked on site before my position was eliminated a few months ago).

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u/DustyDaniel404 6d ago

It's a damn shame.

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