Hey there readers
I know it’s been a while since I posted an article on my website – that’s because I decided to wait and make a ‘roundup’ article of selected transport news.
So let’s start with an update on Crossrail:
Extracts from Department for Transport news
Discussions between TfL and government are underway as to how any additional funding will be provided, with London - as the primary beneficiary of Crossrail – bearing any additional costs via a financing arrangement.
Today (26 October 2018), as an interim measure, we are announcing that £350 million of short term repayable financing will be made available to the Mayor for the year 2018/19. This will ensure that full momentum is maintained behind Crossrail.
This project is already delivering benefits for the whole of the UK through its cross-country supply chain and its UK built train fleet. When open, Crossrail will be transformative and carry up to 200 million passengers a year, delivering £42 billion of investment into the UK economy.
Next up; Alexander Dennis has announced that cameras will be used instead of wing mirrors for their recently delivered buses.
From Alexander Dennis
The view from the SmartVision cameras is digitally processed to compensate for lighting, shadows or glare while it is transmitted to the displays, which are mounted inside the cab to eliminate reflections from windows. The system offers the driver a normal mirror view at the top of the monitor and a wide angle view in the lower half. Screen brightness adjusts automatically to give excellent visibility day and night.
The offside display is mounted on the A pillar, with the nearside display located centrally to avoid obstruction by an open door. The placement in similar locations to normal mirrors allows drivers to adjust easily.
SmartVision maintains image quality in all conditions. Software removes any distortion from rain drops or dirt on the lens, while an optional camera heater clears ice or fogging.
In addition to improved visibility for drivers, operators benefit from reduced risk of mirror damage or injury to passengers or pedestrians, potentially saving up to £25,000 per bus. A reduction in aerodynamic resistance is additionally expected to deliver a small fuel economy benefit, especially at higher speeds.
SmartVision is an internationally proven technology supplied by French company Vision-Systems through its UK distributor 21st Century Technology. It is mounted during vehicle assembly and fully supported by ADL’s best-in-class Aftermarket network. It is fully VCA certified for both the Enviro200 single decker and Enviro400 double decker.
First Glasgow and trentbarton have become the first operators to use the system. One Enviro400 for Glasgow’s service 75 is equipped with SmartVision, as is one Enviro200 for the i4 route in Nottingham.
I have one concern with SmartVision -, there could be issues with the camera system not working properly which could prevent the driver from viewing the rear and sides of the bus. Hopefully there won’t be any errors if that occurs.
Early in October, Govia Great Northern announced the rollout of their new Class 717 trains for their service; this will eventually replace their aging Class 313 trains for their Great Northern services.
Extracts from Great Northern
Great Northern gave passengers on its suburban route a sneak preview of their new £240 million air-conditioned train fleet on Friday morning (28 September).
The 25 six-carriage Class 717 trains will replace mainland Britain’s oldest electric trains, the 40-year-old Class 313s, with a phased introduction due to run from late autumn this year to spring next year.
As well as air conditioning, Wi-Fi and power points, the new trains, built by Siemens with innovative funding by Rock Rail, will provide a 27% increase in capacity to address the near-doubling of passenger numbers on Great Northern in 14 years.
The new fleet will operate between Moorgate and Hertfordshire, to and from Stevenage, Hertford North and Welwyn Garden City. Friday’s trip left Moorgate from Moorgate to Gordon Hill.
First passenger on board, Samantha Radford of Gordon Hill, said: “This is better for commuting, it’s so spacious. I will probably favour this with its air conditioning and better layout over the Underground; I think the air conditioning is a huge comfort issue, especially for anyone with small children or a health condition – it is going to make a massive difference. I also like the Wi-Fi and the fact you can charge your phone.”
Gerry McFadden, Director of Engineering at Great Northern’s operator Govia Thameslink Railway, said: “These spacious new trains are a key part of our RailPlan 20/20 programme to modernise services in the South East. The Class 717s will transform journeys for passengers on our busy metro services into Moorgate.
“They will all be the maximum length for this route and feature air conditioning as well as power points, Wi-Fi and real-time passenger information screens to make travelling with Great Northern a much more comfortable and convenient experience.
“Wide doors and spacious interiors will help address the huge increase in passenger numbers into Moorgate, and also help passengers board and alight promptly, helping us keep trains running on time.
“We will maintain these trains at our Hornsey depot, where a multi-million pound investment is providing the new facilities and equipment.
“We took the first units on lease only the day before, and we are delighted to have achieved this important milestone of our first preview passenger service within a day. Doing so is a testament to the incredibly good collaboration between Siemens, GTR and Network Rail on this project and the very effective new train introduction project management team we have in GTR.”
GTR has introduced more new trains into passenger service in the past three years than all other operators in the UK combined.
William Wilson, Managing Director of Siemens Rolling Stock UK, said: “Siemens has built these trains with one goal in mind – to transform passenger journeys to and from London by ensuring that services are reliable, and offer as much pace as possible. The Class 717 has modern carriages with increased capacity for passengers and is equipped with air conditioning, Wi-Fi and power points.”
Mark Swindell, Chief Executive Officer of Rock Rail, said: “This first preview run of the Class 717 train with passengers represents an exciting milestone in the successful delivery of the first of the fleets owned by Rock Rail and equity partner Aberdeen Standard Investments.
“We are proud to be part of a collaboration with Govia Thameslink Railway and Siemens and with our investor partners to drive better value for the UK tax payer and government and to deliver step changes in improved capability, services and travelling experiences for passengers on the Great Northern services between Moorgate and Hertfordshire.”
At least the former London Underground section of the Great Northern Line which runs from Moorgate to Finsbury Park will be getting new stylish trains. It will be a shame to see the vintage Class 313 trains removed from the Great Northern services though.
Over in Hong Kong, a bus company announced they will be using solar panels on the roof of their buses to make the interior of the buses cooler and save 3% on their fuel consumption.
Extracts from KMB News
The Kowloon Motor Bus Co. (1933) Ltd. (KMB) has introduced the second generation of the in-house developed solar panel double-deck bus. The “solar panel bus 2.0” reduces the saloon air temperature by around 8-10°C compared to a bus with no solar panel. The cooling time will be 50% faster compared to the first generation of the solar panel bus, and it is estimated that the bus will save 3% in fuel consumption. The bus passed the Transport Department’s Vehicle Type Approval, and the solar power system will become standard on all newly purchased buses delivered from the second half of 2019. The new system is pending patent approval.
First, KMB’s engineering team has modified the design of the solar panel system and increased the number of solar panels from 20 to 28. The efficiency of each solar panel has also been increased by 10%. The solar panels cover almost the entire double-deck rooftop, contributing to a 40% increase in coverage area and a 54% increase in the total amount of solar energy captured compared to the first generation solar panel bus. The team has also tailor-made aluminum frames to attach the solar panels onto the rooftop, providing a thin layer of air as heat insulation to reduce temperatures in the bus compartment.
Second, the team has enhanced the air ventilation system and subsidiary solar power supply. The solar panel bus works in two ways. When the engine is turned off, the solar energy captured will drive the air ventilation system to extract hot air from inside the bus compartment though a specially designed duct. Blower motors in air-conditioning system also enhance air circulation. When the engine is turned on, the system supplies electricity directly to the USB chargers and also drives the ventilation fans of the air-conditioning system and the engine compartment.
With this technology, the saloon air temperature can be reduced by around 8-10°C compared to buses without solar panels. The time needed to reduce saloon air to the ambient temperature will also be reduced by half compared to the first generation, creating a more comfortable environment for bus captains and passengers, while saving an estimated 3% in fuel consumption and reducing emissions.
It would be interesting to see TfL taking an interest in this technology and test buses with solar panels.
Lastly, Alexander Dennis has announced they are building tri-axle buses for Berlin’s transport services.
From Alexander Dennis
The Enviro500 for Berlin will be 13.8 metres long with three doors, two staircases and 80 seats. They will be comprehensively tailored to the requirements of operation in Berlin, and will enhance passengers’ journey experience through new specification features. The first new buses are due to arrive in Berlin in 2020.
An initial delivery of two pre-series vehicles has been agreed. After successful tests and trial operation, the acceptance of a minimum of 70 vehicles is guaranteed. In a further step, BVG’s current plans envisage a fleet of 200 Enviro500 on the streets of Berlin in the near term. The present decision of BVG’s supervisory board allows the order of up to 430 buses from the framework contract. The maximum investment volume is €220 million.
BVG operates around 1,500 buses which last year alone transported 441 million passengers. More than 400 double deckers are used on BVG services in Berlin. This is the largest fleet of its kind in continental Europe and one of the largest in the world.
Dr Sigrid Evelyn Nikutta, BVG Chairwoman of the Management Board and Operations, said: “Yellow double deckers are a well-known landmark of Berlin. This tradition will now continue with the buses built by Alexander Dennis. Thanks to the flexible contract we will be able to adjust our purchase volume depending on how the electric bus market develops. It is part of our plan to electrify our bus fleet by 2030.”
Colin Robertson, Chief Executive at Alexander Dennis said: "We are delighted that BVG, as a leading and innovative European transport operator, has chosen Alexander Dennis as the sole supplier of Berlin’s new double deck buses. Our state-of-the-art Enviro500 vehicles offer benefits for BVG, its drivers and its passengers, as Alexander Dennis has already demonstrated with over 17,000 Enviro family double deckers for customers around the world. This new partnership with BVG is a significant step forward in our European expansion strategy.”
Alexander Dennis’s Enviro500 vehicles are the world’s leading three-axle double deck buses, offering fuel efficiency thanks to a lightweight aluminium body structure. An Enviro500 double decker was trialled in service in Berlin in October 2015. Alexander Dennis subsequently participated in BVG’s multi-stage tender process, as a result of which the company has been chosen to supply the new double decker fleet for Berlin.
The three-door and two-staircase concept is based on London’s New Routemaster bus; these new Enviro500 buses will feature the glazed stairwell design which is based on the New Routemaster, Wright Gemini 3 and Enviro400 City. I would like to see the Enviro400 MMC design feature the glazed stairwell too.
In my view, when the New Routemaster buses complete their 14 years in service, I think the replacement should be the tri-axle Enviro500 City bodywork design with the BYD electric bus system, and it should continue to use three-doors and two-staircases.
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