Fwd: [TramsDownUnder] OTSI final report on CAF failures released

On 07/09/2025 00:53, 'TP' via TramsDownUnder wrote:

I've been reading the report in depth. The more you read, the worse it gets. The level of incompetence is breathtaking, 

I have read the report, but not analysed it in detail, however, I think I have got the core of the findings from a technical point of view.

I concur with TP's analysis of the management failures.

Several of us have looked at this topic over the years and have generally agreed that the likely core issue was that the CAF Trams could not handle the track geometry - especially where the tracks leaves the railway concourse and turns into Hay St.

I think that is confirmed, but not named in the report.

What the report does say is that:

• TfNSW gave CAF the 'loading gauge' only and told them where to look up details of the track geometry.  
• CAF didn't bother to download the track geometry, but confirmed that the tram would fit.
• CAF advised that the tram would operated safely and for the contracted 30 years as long as it was operated within their specifications.
• One of those specifications was that bogies would not normally be swapped, but if they were swapped they have to be carefully aligned using shims to centre them in the bogie box.  The shims are shown in Fig 19 on page 38 of the report.  As there is no 'king pin' they are all that keeps the bogie in position.
• That does not seem to have been made clear and certainly not implemented.
• Some of the welding and some of the design was not done to the required standard.

All of those contributed to a situation where the bogie bashed the car frame and eventually broke it.

The report makes it clear that these problems are mainly due to the complexity of the low floor 'semi fixed truck design.

Mal Rowe in a city where tram bogies usually have king pins.