Computer glitch causes chaos on morning commuter trains

Services back to normal only in the afternoon

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Tens of thousands of Helsinki region commuters were out of luck this morning as they waited in vain for a train.
      Computer problems caused a complete shutdown of the rail network across Southern Finland on two occasions.
      The first malfunction of the traffic control system came at around six a.m., and when things were more or less righted two hours later, the system crashed again after operating for only some twenty minutes.
      A back-up system went into action at around 8:30, and trains are running now, but normal services will not be resumed until well into the afternoon.
     
Those commuters who abandoned the station platforms in frustration had little better luck trying to catch a bus, as packed buses no longer stopped to pick up passengers along their routes into the city.
      Huge lines formed at taxi-stands, and once again many were right out of luck, even though all available cabs were hastily summoned into operation.
      It was an equally unpleasant experience for those who listened to the radio and decided to take the car in, as the main arterial roads leading to the capital rapidly went into gridlock-mode and cars crawled down Mannerheimintie.
      After around 10 a.m. the worst of the going-to-work rush had begun to disperse from roads leading into the capital.
     
The rail problems affected all lines in and out of Helsinki for several hours in the normally busy time from 6:00 to 9:00.
      To the north, the impact of the computer failure extended to Riihimäki, and the Helsinki-Lahti line was shut off south of Kerava.
      Trains to Vantaankoski in Vantaa and on the western route into Espoo and beyond were also stranded.
     
According to the Finnish Rail Adminstration (RHK), the difficulties first emerged in the early hours, but by 6 a.m. the problem had spread to the point where the entire Helsinki region's rail traffic control systems were paralysed.
      No commands could be sent through the system whatsoever.
      The original glitch that caused the entire system to crash is still being sought, but a workaround was put into effect by handling local traffic control functions in Espoo from Espoo itself. Normally these functions would be administered remotely from Helsinki.
     
Naturally, when the services started running again, the backlog of passengers who had NOT given up and found some other means of getting to work was so great that for instance the L commuter train into the city from Espoo was so jam-packed that some of those trying to board at stations on the way could not get inside.
      A good many commuters complained not just at the lack of service but also at the fact that Finnish Rail failed to provide enough information to passengers of what was going on.
     
The traffic control system that failed was introduced in stages at the beginning of the 1990s.
      The system has not been immune to such problems earlier. A similar glitch occurred last year, in which things were at a standstill for around an hour.
      The present arrangement will not be causing difficulties for much longer in any case: it is being phased out.
      The Finnish Rail Administration has begun work on constructing a new traffic and safety management system that should come into service by the end of 2010.


Links:
  Finnish Rail Adminstration
  Finnish Railways (VR)

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