A significant outage experienced by Telstra has disrupted some regional train services due to the reliance of the freight rail operator, ARTC, on 4G technology.
ARTC emphasized that safety was its primary concern during the service interruptions.
Telstra has been urged to work on restoring trust within the community.
The recent Telstra outage, which frustrated millions of mobile users and forced retailers to revert to cash transactions, also left some train passengers stranded.
While commuters in the Sydney metropolitan area may not have noticed any alterations to their schedules, those in regional New South Wales were left puzzled by how the technical difficulties of a telecommunications provider could effectively halt train operations.
Mark Gregory, an associate professor at RMIT University specializing in telecommunications networks, informed ABC Newcastle Drive that cellular networks are essential for linking trains with control centers to ensure safe operation.
He explained that when the 4G network failed, it jeopardized safe train operations, leading to the suspension of services dependent on this technology.
“Systems in the data center will signal that they are not receiving expected messages,” Dr. Gregory stated. “Eventually, they reach a threshold where they determine that conditions are unsafe, prompting a halt in operations.”
In anticipation of the upcoming 3G shutdown scheduled for late 2024, the Australian Rail Track Corporation had updated its National Train Communications System to incorporate 4G technology.
As of Thursday morning, the outage continued to disrupt communications across ARTC’s extensive 9,600-kilometer network, affecting passenger services on routes such as the Southern Highlands Line and the Hunter Line. However, Sydney Metropolitan services, which do not depend on ARTC’s 4G network, were unaffected.
In a statement addressing the outage, ARTC reiterated its commitment to safety. “As a precautionary measure, ARTC has initiated established emergency protocols to safely suspend rail services while the telecommunications issue is addressed,” a spokesperson remarked.
Calls for an explanation have emerged from government officials.
Telstra’s Chief Financial Officer, Michael Ackland, stated that the outage resulted from malfunctioning nodes responsible for time synchronization within certain data centers of the network.
However, telecommunications consultant Paul Budde, who has extensive experience in the Hunter region, pointed out deficiencies in the configuration of Australian networks. He noted that a single fault or synchronization problem could have widespread repercussions given the operational structure of these networks in the country.
“We need to enhance the resilience of our networks, not just their reliability,” Mr. Budde asserted. “The concentration of our network means we must ensure that issues can be contained to specific areas rather than allowing them to affect the entire system.”
Federal Minister for Communications Anika Wells indicated that Telstra has significant work to do in regaining customer trust. “Currently, telecommunications companies rank among the least trusted industries in Australia, and incidents like this highlight the reasons behind that sentiment,” she remarked. “It is Telstra’s responsibility to rectify the situation for their customers.”
Telstra has issued an apology and confirmed that there is no indication of a cyber attack or malicious interference, while vowing to investigate all potential causes of the outage.
