According to government documents, senior transport officials warned a year ago that parts of the digital train radio system that failed last week in Sydney were outdated and urgently needed attention.
After the system failure, which disrupted 250,000 commuters during the evening peak, officials plan to give train drivers hand-held radios as a backup in case the technology fails again and communications are temporarily severed.
The digital train radio system crashed after a network switch or router failed, which took almost two hours to replace and reboot.
A confidential report by Transport for NSW had warned that the digital trains radio system “components are obsolete,” and the problem had been “identified as a priority.”
The components refer to switches, routers, and other telecommunications devices for the digital radio system, which was built using equipment from Chinese telco company Huawei.
Transport for NSW also ordered a stop on Friday to any non-essential work on signalling, operational technology, and control systems on the rail network to reduce the risk of system failures and train disruptions.
Additionally, the agency ordered a complete freeze to IT systems upgrades and other changes until further notice to avoid unplanned technology disruption.
Labor transport spokeswoman Jo Haylen said the Liberal government had been warned a year ago that components in the digital train radio system were obsolete.
Sydney Trains said it continually reviewed the lifecycle management of systems and identified in 2021 that parts of the digital train radio system would become obsolete over the next five years.
Transport experts and unions have warned that last week’s meltdown underscores an underinvestment in Sydney’s double-decker train network, especially on rail maintenance.
The Electrical Trades Union said Sydney commuters’ confidence in the reliability of the train network was hanging by a thread due to chronic underinvestment in maintenance.
The digital train radio system became operational in 2016 after years of delays and was the result of key safety recommendations from an inquiry into the Waterfall train disaster in 2003.
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