Exploding train capacitors halt Melbourne Metro services

Exploding train motor parts caused by a series of electrical faults have forced Metro to pull three trains off the rails.

The fault is limited to Metro's fleet of Siemens trains that were introduced in 2003. The Siemens trains suffered major brake failures in 2006, when they were also pulled from service for safety reasons after a series of platform overshoots. That problem has since been fixed.

The faults all relate to the trains' static inverter units, which convert DC electricity from the overhead wires into AC power that drives the train motor. Parts of the units called capacitors have been exploding and blowing the covers off the units, which sit beneath the train carriage. Metro has used heavy-duty ties called grunt cargo straps to lash the units onto the undercarriages as a short-term fix.

Metro is also using recycled capacitors to replace faulty components.

An instruction notice written after Tuesday's crisis meeting states: "As we have no capacitors on stock, we are allowed to cannibalise units where the capacitance check reveals a faulty capacitor, but we are not allowed to take any capacitors from a unit which had a reported explosion!"

Public Transport Users Association president Tony Morton said it was surprising that a systematic fault such as this had emerged with trains that still have many years of service to come.

Makes you wonder whether the two recent fires on London trains were caused by a similar problem...

" said:

Makes you wonder whether the two recent fires on London trains were caused by a similar problem...

I seem to remember a message on another group saying the recent at Charing Cross was due to this.

" said:

" said:

Makes you wonder whether the two recent fires on London trains were caused by a similar problem...

I seem to remember a message on another group saying the recent at Charing Cross was due to this.

According to WNXX, the fire at Charing Cross was down to a blown pot (the things that connect the third rail to the sleeper), Denmark Hill was due to damaged shoegear.