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LONDON
Revolutionising the Tube Bombardier’s capital pedigree
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London’s transport network is one of the busiest and most complex in the world. As a global leader in rail technology, Bombardier plays a major role in keeping London moving. Our latest BOMBARDIER MOVIA metro trains on London Underground’s Victoria and Sub-Surface lines and widely acclaimed BOMBARDIER ELECTROSTAR vehicles on London Overground are transporting thousands of passengers daily. And the journey doesn’t end there. For the new landmark London Crossrail project, we will deliver state-of-the-art trains based on the BOMBARDIER AVENTRA product platform. With Bombardier’s latest trains and technology ofering market-leading performance, we are driving The Evolution of Mobility.
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Contents
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Deep thinking
Bombardier’s bid for New Tube for London will bring global experience to a very British institution
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Capital pedigree
Home run for Bombardier? his will be a major year for London - and for Bombardier as the first Crossrail Class 345 Aventra makes its debut. Expected to be unveiled in the first quarter of this year, the train is an innovative design that will move millions of people across the capital; something that Bombardier products have already been doing for a decade. Crossrail will add 10% to London’s rail capacity, which will help Transport for London (TfL) keep up with the city’s growing population - predicted to grow from today’s 8.6 million residents to 10m in less than 15 years. The new £14.9 billion railway will carry 200m passengers per year, all travelling on one of Bombardier’s 66 nine-car Aventras. These trains will not just support the capital, but the UK too. 760 jobs and 80 apprenticeships are being created for the contract, which will be completed in 2019. When the design was unveiled, Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “It’s fantastic to think that these sleek new trains will soon be transporting millions of people across our great city and beyond. “They’re feature-packed, eye-catching machines that showcase the best of British design and engineering. They’ll add vital capacity to our network and will help ensure our economy continues full-steam ahead.” At the same time, Rail Minister Claire Perry said: “I am delighted that these British-built trains have been designed with customers at their heart, with on-board facilities fit for a 21st century rail link. “The spacious layout and longer trains will be a boost to London’s rail capacity. I look
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forward to seeing the first train off the Derby production line next year.” They are the latest in a long line of innovative trains introduced by Bombardier into London, following the 2009 Victoria Line trains, the Class 378s for London Overground and the S-Stock. The original 1,395-vehicle order for the latter was completed on December 18 2015, with the last vehicle unveiled to invited guests at Derby. The train has revolutionised travel on LU, and the last trains will be introduced later this year. They are already running on all Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan Line routes and will be running on the District Line by the autumn. The success of the Victoria Line trains and the S-Stock fleets put the company in a strong position in its bids for the New Tube for London (NTfL) contract. TfL has also placed an order for Class 710s for the West Anglia Inners that LO took over in May 2015. But Bombardier has its eyes on other prizes. Its Electrostar design, first delivered in 1999, is still a strong seller, with Gatwick Express taking delivery of 116 vehicles this year, Great Western Railway taking on a fleet of 116 Electrostar vehicles plus an additional 32 all-new vehicles. And Porterbrook has ordered 80 for an as-yet unspecified contract. These are exciting times for the only company that designs and builds its products here in the UK.
RICHARD CLINNICK
Moving London
Images of Bombardier products in action in and around London.
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S-Stock has been a success for Bombardier. RICHARD CLINNICK analyses how it was done.
Mind the gap
Bombardier has raised the bar with its Aventra variants. How will it outshine the Electrostars?
Project at the heart of the nation
Find out what is under the skin of the new Crossrail Aventra trains.
Rise of the smart train
How Bombardier’s next generation of trains will reduce costs by diagnosing their own faults and maintenance requirements
EDITORIAL Managing Editor: Nigel Harris Assistant Editor: Richard Clinnick Sub-Editor: Richard Hampson Art Editor: Graham Copestake Production Manager: Mandy Brett Managing Director: Tim Lucas
ADVERTISING Commercial Director: Sarah Crown Group Advertisement Manager: Karen Gardiner Account Director: Julie Howard
RAIL Assistant Editor
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Deep
thinking T
he Tube has been transformed in recent years thanks, in no small part, to Bombardier’s innovative trains and Transport for London (TfL) will doubtlessly be hoping the New Tube for London (NTfL) project will bring about an equally significant change. Bombardier hopes to win the contract, and firmly believes it has the capability and capacity to deliver what would be the biggest deal of its kind, and one that is set to revolutionise the London Underground network. This project is a matter of necessity, not vanity, for London. The Capital is growing rapidly. By 2031 there will be an extra 1.8 million people living and working there. Every three days, about 800 people move to London - slightly more than the average Tube train capacity, by coincidence. By the 2020s the Bakerloo, Central, Piccadilly and Waterloo & City lines will be operating some of the oldest trains and signalling on the Tube. These combined factors have steered TfL’s approach to the development of a programme for a comprehensive modernisation of these ‘Deep Tube’ lines. There is strong and growing demand across the whole TfL rail network, including the Tube, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway and the trams, so the new Tube trains will need to address the need for ongoing increases in ridership and service frequency, with technology requirements not just for today, but for decades to come. On December 4 2015, LU carried 4.821 million passengers on the Underground - the most in one day. That week was also the busiest in the Tube’s history, with 28.76m passenger journeys. That beat the previous total of 28.69m, which itself was set in the week ending October 31 2015. Additionally, TfL says that 18 of its 20 busiest days ever on the Tube network occurred last year. The second busiest was November 27 2015, with 4.795m, while third was October 9 2015 with
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RICHARD CLINNICK finds out how Bombardier’s bid for New Tube for London will bring global experience to a very British institution…
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4.375m. Fourth was November 28 2015 with 4.734m while fifth was October 29 2015 with 4.719m passengers. These figures illustrate the sheer scale of growth in usage. Overall, demand has risen by a third since 2001, with the rate of growth accelerating significantly in the past five years. Nick Brown, LU’s managing director, said: “The Tube continues to break records for the number of customers it’s carrying, as London’s economy and population keeps on growing. The vast majority of the busiest days in the Tube’s 152-year history have been recorded this year [2015]. “The current work to improve London Underground is one of the largest programmes of infrastructure investment in the world. We will continue to invest all our income in modernising the service, improving reliability, train capacity and frequency, and upgrading major stations to provide a Tube network fit for the capital city it serves.” Already trains run more frequently and reliably on the Victoria Line, where Bombardier’s 2009 stock has helped TfL to increase the number of trains per hour from 32 to 36 this year.
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Overall, because of the modernisation on the Tube network, TfL claims that journeys are now quicker, that there is an average reduction of around two minutes per journey and that delays have decreased by 40% in recent years. TfL says: “Further upgrades are ahead, with new air-conditioned trains now serving the Metropolitan, District, Hammersmith & City and Circle lines, new signalling planned for those lines, and the radical modernisation of the Central, Piccadilly, Bakerloo and Waterloo & City lines in the 2020s. Major work on the Northern Line extension to Battersea started in November 2015, which will support thousands of new jobs and homes and enable major regeneration in the Vauxhall, Battersea and Nine Elms areas.” TfL has highlighted the ongoing priorities regarding the Tube which fall into four categories: safety and reliability, maximising capacity from the existing network, growing the network and meeting the growing expectations of its customers by providing excellent customer service. The aim will be to achieve a steady state of
renewal, where modernisation is a continual process that is built into the everyday operations of TfL. The first line to be rejuvenated under the New Tube for London programme is expected to be the Piccadilly Line. TfL admits the Edwardian-era tunnel infrastructure presents a massive challenge to the planned NTfL modernisation programme. The tunnels were not designed to dissipate increasing levels of heat from traction energy, leading to a steady rise in tunnel and station temperatures since the lines opened in the early-1900s (see feature on pages 100-103). Bidders will be expected to address these constraints while introducing air cooling and other features expected by today’s passengers. Such challenges are compounded by the confined Deep Tube infrastructure which includes 3.5m diameter bored circular tunnels, cast iron tunnel linings and the line topography. The tight curvature of some track sections in the central London areas reflects the arrangement of the street plan above ground. The fixed length platforms and their depth below ground, as well as struggling
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ventilation systems, will also have an impact on what can be achieved from a capacity enhancement point of view. However, TfL believes bespoke and unique applications for key assets such as rolling stock can get results. Talking about the NTfL scheme, Bombardier Head of Bids Engineering Niall Simmons says: “This project is for the Deep Tube rather than sub-surface lines. And, therefore, it requires some unique technical solutions associated with both the design and operation.” So what are the constraints? Is it a case of Bombardier looking at the products it has on the network currently, the Victoria Line which runs in the Deep Tube and the subsurface S-Stock that has air-conditioning, and fitting the latter’s capabilities in the former?
Essentially the answer is yes, but there’s a lot more to it than that. Says Simmons: “These trains have to fit into ten foot four tunnels. “As you know, S-Stock has air conditioning on the roof and wide gangways. I’ve got a picture that shows that a Victoria Line train would fit inside an S-Stock train. So the roof space isn’t available for Deep Tube vehicles. As an engineer you have to be very innovative in terms of where you locate equipment and how you locate it, while still making it reliable. There’s an art in doing that. We’re in a fortunate position. We know the characteristics of the infrastructure. And we understand how it is operated.” This experience is garnered from the Victoria Line and S-Stock fleets. Says Simmons: “We know the infrastructure very well from the years of testing and operation of our trains on it, and from studying the feedback for these vehicles. It isn’t through luck that the S-Stock and Victoria Line fleets have been made so reliable. “The most important consideration for the design and manufacture of the NTfL fleet will be to ensure that - even after the incorporation of cutting-edge technology and novel features - the vehicles are extremely reliable from day one.”
We’re looking at massively optimising the usable space within the vehicle. and that, again, comes down to clever design. Niall Simmons, Bombardier Head of Bids Engineering
Because of its experience, Bombardier is confident of achieving that goal. It has the experience of the LU network that, arguably, its rivals do not. The last non-Bombardier-built trains were delivered to London Underground in 1995 - 21 years ago, and during that time a lot has changed. Simmons says of the NTfL deal: “The project stipulates articulated vehicles. We have experience of producing them across the world. TfL wants high passenger capacity, so it’s also about optimising space in the vehicle. That is where our global experience of articulation can and will help Bombardier.” He says: “London Underground wants to move as many people as it can with maximum efficiency, and without increasing tunnel temperatures. At the same time, passenger comfort must be improved.” This must also be done while making the experience pleasurable for the passengers. The design is vital to this, says Simmons. “TfL are looking for an iconic design for this particular train. They’re thinking about the passenger environment and about maximising capacity. This project will represent an engineering challenge, but Bombardier has gained two million engineering hours of experience working on TfL projects, which we aim to use.” The number of vehicles will, of course, also dictate the capacity offered. The formations will vary, according to the maximum platform length on each of the lines set to receive new trains.
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Martin Rennoldson, Group Account Director at Bombardier, says of the varying train lengths: “There are a lot of variable factors affecting how you boost capacity and we have to solve that equation with an optimal solution.” Infrastructure will play a part in train size. The Central Line can take trains larger than the Piccadilly, while the line with the smallest clearances is the Waterloo & City. Yet the same train must be able to run on all of them. Can Bombardier increase the size of trains that are operating in terms of what’s in use now? Can they be designed to be larger or are they at their limits? Simmons explains: “We’re looking at massively optimising the usable space within the vehicle. And that comes down to clever design.” When he says ‘useable space’, what does he mean? “In the roof area, in the saloon, in the ends themselves, and in the design of the cab,” he says. Rennoldson elaborates: “It’s about the whole approach to the design of the vehicle interior - ensuring that space for passengers is maximised.” There is also experience from Bombardier’s worldwide portfolio. Simmons explains: “Because we’ve got people movers across the world, we’ve got driverless trains across the world. Because of the high levels of reliability that must be achieved, we’re using techniques from the aircraft industry to look at how we can predict when failures are going to occur so
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that they don’t actually occur on the network - or at all.” Reliability requirements will be exceptional right from delivery. When it comes to the NTfL contract, TfL stipulates: “higher performance capability is a core feature of a train system upgrade, and one which has been achieved on several Underground lines over the past two decades.” The NTfL feasibility stage has investigated provision of ‘more novel features’ for Tube trains. It envisages that: “additional capacity is provided with improved configurations, including walk-through rather than separate carriages, creating more floor area as compared with traditional designs. Passengers can easily transfer between carriages meaning they can distribute throughout the train, avoiding busier carriages where possible. This in turn, will help to reduce dwell times as a more evenly loaded train enables quicker boarding and alighting, passengers can move through the train so they are in the optimal
section of the train at their destination station, thus reducing the time spent exiting the system. The provision of a more continuous open space within the vehicle improves security and reduces the opportunity for antisocial behaviour.” TfL recognises that “the provision of through gangways on a Tube train with traditional configuration is very difficult, if not impossible, due to the dynamic behaviour of the vehicles. Tight curves, in particular, lead to large relative movements between vehicles ends. This means an inter-car gangway would not be possible without removing doors at the end of the carriages, due to the length of the gangway which would be required.” It has, however, “identified that it is possible to provide an inter-car gangway by altering the Tube train design so that the relative vertical and lateral movement of the carriage ends can be significantly reduced. This enables a shorter, wide gangway to be fitted without
loss of train capacity or a reduction in the number of doors. The re-positioning of the bogies allows all train doors to be double doors. Double doors allow for rapid access, which reduces dwell times. Controlling dwell times becomes a dominant factor for achieving high frequency service levels, due to reduced intervals between trains.” Returning to the issue of reliability, Rennoldson is keen to point out Bombardier’s testing plans: “We are looking at investing in further testing facilities in the UK and we’re also looking to make additional investments in our bid to win this contract. “This further investment would be crucial, because we need to run the trains extensively for long periods. Reliability will continue to be a key issue for new train projects, so we’re looking on this as an opportunity to prepare for the future and we feel that it’s a facility worth developing and investing in.” If Bombardier’s bid is successful, the trains will be built in Derby. Rennoldson points out: “They will be designed in the UK as well. We’re the only firm that can claim that a huge proportion of the engineering and design work will be done here.” Bombardier is also aligned with the way that TfL works. The industry has changed it says, and for the better, for example enabling suppliers to engage with their customer to gain feedback at an earlier stage. “We’ve been working on this for four years, and that experience has been priceless,” says Simmons. “It’s allowed us to work closely with the client and to scour the globe to ensure we understand the very best and latest technology so we know what is possible from the customer now, and what could be possible in the future. “We’ve spent the last two years looking at TfL’s requirements from the ITT [Invitation to Tender] and making further suggestions as part of their early supplier engagement. TfL understands that the supply chain has a lot to offer, and we know the Tube and rolling stock very well,” says Simmons. Knowledge of TfL’s requirements and delivery of its current, high performance
We follow a very structured System engineering approach to the design of our vehicles and our mature processes allow us to have confidence that the product will perform well on day one. Niall Simmons, Bombardier Head of Bids Engineering
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rolling stock is inherently advantageous to Bombardier, as Simmons explains: “This long term relationship has been invaluable in growing our experience.” As Bombardier has looked to push reliability levels even higher, so it has looked at how it might adjust some of its key systems to ensure even better durability going forward, rather than go through the risky and more expensive process of designing certain components from scratch. “Going through those learning curves is a big part of how we grow our experience,” says Simmons. So, is it fair to say that NTfL will be more of an evolution than a ‘fresh start’? It may be a case of developing components of existing trains to the next stage, but it doesn’t necessarily feel like TfL is starting again. S-Stock was something of a transformation, whereas this time TfL is taking S-Stock, taking VLU, taking what’s on the Jubilee Line
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We’re the only firm that can really claim that a huge proportion of the engineering and design work will be done here in the UK Martin Rennoldson, Group Account Director at Bombardier and making that into the NTfL concept. Simmons agrees, and says: “TfL takes a holistic view of the railway and doesn’t just focus on the rolling stock. So upgrading signalling systems, control centres and stations can speed up passenger flow and the train is one part of that system.” Eventually LU will go to overnight running on certain routes, which will make the window of opportunity for maintenance even smaller. Bombardier understands that and wants to make the train low-impact on the infrastructure. Simmons elaborates:
“The trains will have to be lighter, more track-friendly and more energy efficient, and we have already developed much of the technology to achieve that. We set the bar high with S-Stock, and there are a lot of passenger features TfL would probably want to see included in the new Deep Tube stock. “For us it’s an evolution, but for other suppliers it would take more of a revolution. We’re building on things we know work. Everybody buys our bogies for use in the global market - and for good reason.” Bombardier knows how to make reliable
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Interior design proposals, from October 2014. Priestmangoode carried out the design work. TRANSPORT FOR LONDON.
Tube trains too. S-Stock trains are now achieving 110,000 kilometres between failures. Simmons says: “Because we’ve been developing S-Stock reliability levels, we have a headstart in terms of increasing reliability. Now, instead of it taking 12 months to perfect an improvement, we’re going to build that improvement into these trains before they even enter service. We follow a very structured System Engineering approach to the design of our vehicles and our mature processes allow us to have confidence that the product will perform well on day one.” Rennoldson adds: “With modern trains and all their systems, you have to do more system testing anyway. We’re increasing our investment in developing ways of testing these system designs.” Is that because passengers expect more from what they’re doing these days? Simmons
The London Underground roundel features heavily in the design for the new trains and their interiors. TRANSPORT FOR LONDON.
points out: “Customers want much more reliable trains. They want cleaner trains, they want faster trains. We have to create trains that passengers will really want to travel on, with as many seats as possible.” But is seating so important for the Tube? Journeys are, typically, short so fewer seats and more standing space is the answer, surely? Simmons explains: “Seats are important for London Underground. Most other places in the world have rigid plastic seats. But seats are incredibly important from a comfort perspective for TfL. NTfL will still feature strong, cushioned seats with its distinctive, time-honoured moquette.” The look of the train is crucial. TfL issued a design that it wants bidders to work with. The ‘face’ of the cab, for example, is of great importance because it’s part of LU’s brand identity. And TfL wants this heritage to be
respected. Simmons explains: “It’s really passionate about the level of comfort on its vehicles and retaining an iconic design inside and out.” No matter who builds the trains, retaining brand identity is a condition of the deal. Simmons elaborates: “Although the number of seats isn’t a factor, maintaining the style and comfort level is mandatory. And that’s true across all TfL trains.” TfL, Bombardier acknowledges, “is really proud of its brand.” “LU took great care in presenting their brand vision to us and all the other bidders. That included interior materials, and some of the colours or patterns you associate with London Underground.” NTfL will revolutionise the Tube in a bigger way than even the S-Stock and VLU did. Bombardier has the experience of those projects. It’s poised to use that in shaping the future of the Tube, too.
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A capital pedigree The S-Stock Tube train has been a resounding success for Bombardier. RICHARD CLINNICK looks at why it is so well liked by London commuters n December 18 2015, the final S-Stock vehicle from the initial order for 1,395 vehicles rolled off the production line. It was unveiled to the press and invited guests at Derby Litchurch Lane. It will enter traffic later this year and join the rest of the S-Stock fleet in transforming the travel experience for millions of London commuters each week. When the final train is delivered, Bombardier trains will operate on some 40% of the London Underground subsurface network, including the Metropolitan, Circle, District and Hammersmith and City lines. Some of the trains replaced by the new fleet dated from 1960 and the difference in both performance and appearance is nothing short of transformational. S-Stock trains are now recording reliability figures above 100,000
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kilometres per failure, and as signalling systems and power upgrades are completed, so their performance on the LU network will only continue to improve. Speaking about Bombardier’s completion of the train order, Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “These fantastic, air-conditioned trains are playing a vital role in the on-going modernisation of key London Underground lines. It is no wonder they have proven so popular with passengers as they keep them cooler, offer more space and are far more accessible. Their production at Bombardier in Derby is helping to support crucial jobs in manufacturing and I am looking forward to seeing the final trains roll on to the tracks.” Nick Brown, London Underground Managing Director, said: “Our new trains were an instant hit with our customers and
it is easy to see why. With air-conditioning, more space, improved accessibility and better customer information systems, they are a major part of the vital modernisation of the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines. LU’s successful relationship with Bombardier creates thousands of jobs in the UK and is providing superb new services for our customers.” Per Allmer, Head of Western Europe, Middle East and Africa region at Bombardier Transportation, said: “With the successful completion of the new SSL fleet, together with our previous build of the new Victoria Line trains, we have now delivered more than 1,700 vehicles to London Underground since 2009 and amassed over two million engineering hours’ experience. “As the only supplier currently providing
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air-conditioned stock on the Tube, we’re keen to capitalise on this experience in the future.” Passengers love the trains, and their fondness for the design will surely increase as the months and years go by and the performance of the trains improves. The first S-Stock train was delivered in 2009 for testing, and entered traffic between Wembley and Watford on the Metropolitan Line. London Underground initially placed an order for 191 trains, but in July 2015 that was increased by one extra train that was needed because of the Croxley Link extension. The additional order is for an eight-car train and one spare vehicle. It will operate on the ‘Met Line’, which was the first LU route to benefit from the introduction of a full S-Stock fleet. The trains replaced stock dating back to 1960-1962.
Bombardier’s S-Stock has revolutionised the London Underground network thanks to its vastly improved interiors that feature airconditioning and walkthrough gangways - a massive step-change from the 1960 A-Stock they replaced on the Metropolitan Line and the 1969 C-Stock that they replaced on the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines. Such is their impact on London that the S-Stock was voted the ninth most popular transport design in London in a survey published at the end of 2015. Sponsored by Exterion Media, the ‘Design Icons’ search is part of the ‘Transported by Design’ programme, an 18-month celebration of events, exhibitions and competitions highlighting the role of good design on the Capital’s network. The fact that S-Stock, at less than five years old, came ninth in a list
of 100 designs speaks volumes for the popularity of the trains. Mike Brown, London’s Transport Commissioner, says: “Through our ‘Design Icons’ search we want to showcase how, from the Tube map to the smallest detail of the new Routemaster bus, S-Stock trains and our multi-billion pound upgrade projects, everything is designed with our customers in mind.” Transport for London put the first S-Stock into traffic on August 2 2010. On that day, Mayor of London Boris Johnson travelled on the train saying: “There cannot be a better way to criss-cross North West London than in this smooth, state-of-the-art addition to London’s infrastructure. This train is literally the coolest ride in town.”
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Working on the Metropolitan Line, the eight-car train was the first of 191 trains to be delivered. The last trains enter traffic later this year on the District Line. Rollout was completed on the ‘Met Line’ first, with a full fleet of S-Stock trains operating by September 2012, followed by the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines by February 2014. Because of infrastructure constraints, such as short platforms on the Hammersmith & City and Circle Line platforms at Baker Street, the S-Stock is fitted with Selective Door Opening (SDO). Other platforms have been lengthened to enable the trains to operate. The decision to replace the Circle Line stock ahead of the District Line was also taken because of the condition of the older trains that they were replacing. D-Stock on the District Line had been refurbished in a programme that lasted from 2005 until 2008, and so had plenty of life left in it. To accommodate the S-Stock, 224 stabling sidings have been modified, and a new stabling facility has been created at Lillie Bridge. The trains travel on the 300km of Sub-Surface Lines (SSL). The introduction of the seven-car ‘S7s’ on the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines increased capacity there by 65%, while on the District Line it will rise by 24%. The longer ‘S8s’ increased Metropolitan Line capacity by 27%. The SSL deal cost £1.5 billion and represents the single biggest rolling stock order in Britain.
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We have now delivered more than 1,700 vehicles to London Underground since 2009. Per Allmer, Head of Western Europe, Middle East and Africa region at Bombardier Transportation The S-Stock design is part of Bombardier’s Movia train family. Not only are they capable of carrying more passengers than the trains they replaced, but their performance is considerably better, too. While their maximum speed (62mph) may be lower than the trains they replaced, their acceleration is better (2.9mph per second). Such was the difference that during periods of dual-operation S-Stock performance had to be limited to match that of the older trains because of the capability of the infrastructure. Overall there is an increase of capacity on the S-Stock. An ‘S7’ has capacity for 865 passengers while an ‘S8’ has space for 1,003 passengers. The latter has a reduction of 32% in the number of seats, but that is offset by the fact that many journeys are much shorter on these routes, hence more standing room is required. The headline feature of the S-Stock trains is the air-conditioning. This is the first time it has been fitted to an LU train. It was possible on the SSL routes because the wider tunnels allow hot air to disperse, plus around 66% of the SSL network runs above the surface. (See feature on pages 100-103). Additionally,
the ‘S7s’ and ‘S8s’ are fitted with regenerative braking, which can return 20% of energy that would otherwise be lost back into the power network. Another method of boosting capacity on the S-Stock trains, is the use of through gangways. This idea first appeared on TfL’s London Overground Class 378s (also built by Bombardier, in 2009) and is being carried over onto the S-Stock. This allows passengers to move easily between carriages, and creates extra room for standing passengers. TfL says that through gangways also make passengers feel more secure, as everyone can see along the entire length of the train. Seating arrangements vary, depending on the train. ‘S7s’ have longitudinal seating only, which reflects the nature of the routes that they serve. ‘Met Line’ ‘S8s’ feature a mixture of longitudinal and bay seating and dedicated wheelchair spaces. Speaking on December 18 2015, Peter Doolin, Bombardier Transportation’s Vice President Projects, Crossrail & London Underground, said of the S-Stock contract:
“It has been an absolute pleasure. We have turned the trains out faultlessly.” He praised the team at Old Dalby, where every train has undergone testing before beginning its LU career, and he highlighted the trains’ reliability statistics, stating: “They are now operating 110,000km between service failures.” This has risen from an average of 75,000km per failure, towards the end of 2014. Also speaking on the same day, at an event held in Derby, was London Underground Managing Director Nick Brown. He said: “It is a great privilege to be here. My first visit (to Derby) was to look at High Speed Train refurbishments, in 1995. “The most important people are the passengers, and we know that they enjoy travelling on these trains. The craftsmanship and reliability is so good.” He says the trains are so reliable that he no longer feels the need to attend performance meetings. “I have stopped going because I know they are performing well.” He also spoke about how the trains’ air-conditioning was improving travel for people during the summer heat and humidity: “People used them just to cool down.” He explains: “The last train is due to be delivered towards the end of next year. The D-Stock will then be a thing of the past.” The S-Stock is the perfect tool for Bombardier to demonstrate its expertise to LU. With 1,700 vehicles introduced onto the Tube since 2009, Bombardier can boast a considerable pedigree in the Capital.
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London Overground 378209 arrives at Canada Water on October 9 2015, with the 1119 Dalston Junction-New Cross. The East London Line opened in 2010, with LO Class 378s the staple traction for the line. These trains were four-car electric multiple units when delivered, and these have been extended to five-car trains due to the growth of the LO network. ANTONY GUPPY. The Victoria Line trains were delivered by Bombardier in 2009 and have been used to increase capacity on the Deep Tube route to 36 trains per hour. One of the VLU trains leaves London Euston on June 28 2012. JACK BOSKETT.
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Less than six years after delivery, Bombardier’s S-Stock has been voted the ninth best Transport design in London. On May 1 2015, an S-Stock train waits for passengers at Baker Street next to the iconic Harry Beck London Underground map. JACK BOSKETT. Southern 377616 at Clapham Junction on September 9 2014. The Class 377/6s entered traffic in 2013 less than two years after they were ordered at the end of 2011. The five-car Electrostars are used on inner London Metro trains from London Victoria and London Bridge. JACK BOSKETT/RAIL.
Farringdon will eventually be served by Bombardier Class 345 Aventras on Crossrail from 2018, which will connect with Bombardier S-Stock trains on the London Underground network. On May 1 2015, two S-Stock trains pass at Farringdon. On the left is the Thameslink network, which is currently home to 52 Bombardier Electrostars. JACK BOSKETT.
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Mind the generat he £1 billion-plus order for 66 nine-car Class 345s for the landmark Crossrail project was the first order Bombardier won for its Aventra platform. Aventra is the new electric multiple unit (EMU) offering the company is taking to the market; one that it believes will prove every bit as good as its predecessor, the Electrostar, the final trains of which will be delivered this year, 17 years after the first unit went into service. In 1999, c2c and Connex took deliveries of Class 357 and 375 electric multiple units. These marked the start of an Electrostar delivery programme that now enables 632 trains either in traffic or on order. That equals 2,517 vehicles by the end of 2016, an impressive testament to the success of these high performance trains. The final Electrostars are either on the production line for Gatwick Express, Porterbrook or Great Western Railway, and all will be in traffic by the end of the year. After that, production will switch to its successor, the Aventra. Bombardier Head of Bids Engineering and New Tube for London, Niall Simmons explains: “Aventra is the latest EMU development platform. Crossrail will be the first project to use that platform. Aventra has been evolving over the years, but Crossrail will be the first customer to operate these trains.” The Aventra has been in development since 2009, with the design finalised in 2013. Feedback from the industry has helped form the plan for Aventra, which, just like other manufacturers’ products, can be tailored to suit certain needs, be they metro, commuter, inter-regional or high speed. Bombardier is also taking its experience from Electrostars and incorporating that into the Aventra. Says Simmons: “We’ve proved the reliability of our EMU performance with the Electrostar, so we’ve carried forward and further developed that philosophy with the Aventra.” While there are 21 sub-classes within the Electrostar designs, there are certainly many similarities. After all, if it isn’t broken, why fix it? Simmons explains: “The ‘379’ vehicle [in use with Abellio Greater Anglia on Stansted Express and West Anglia routes, and delivered in 2011], is, in many respects, the same vehicle as a ‘376’ [a metro train in use with Southeastern since 2005] but you wouldn’t know it at first glance. From a purely mechanical perspective it’s an Electrostar. But you wouldn’t think it. Even if you look at a Class 379 versus a ‘377’, they are very similar, apart from the interiors. “You’ve got luggage racks in the ‘379,’ plus the great two-plus-one first class seats.
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Bombardier has really raised the bar with its next generation Aventra variants. But will it overshadow Bombardier’s previous generation of trains? RICHARD CLINNICK finds out.
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But board a ‘377’ out of Victoria down to Brighton and there is three plus two seating.” And that’s the only difference? “Yes, essentially,” says Simmons. And the Aventra platform gives us that same flexibility of having a generic platform, that can be adapted to the needs of different operations. So why did Bombardier offer Aventra and not Electrostar to Crossrail and London Overground? Simmons explains: “As it stands, the Electrostar won’t be compliant with the next generation of Technical Standards of Interoperability (TSI) compliance, which come into force in 2017, so we took the opportunity and said ‘right, we can either modify Electrostars or we can take this opportunity to make a vehicle that’s lighter, more energy efficient and with a more flexible interior. Also we could reassess its cost base. It is the next generation of a more efficient Electrostar, if you like. But Electrostar taught us a lot.” However, as RAIL saw in Litchurch Lane at the end of December, Class 387 Electrostars are being built for Gatwick Express, with an order of 80 vehicles for Porterbrook for an as yet unspecified contract, to be followed by 32 vehicles for Great Western Railway. Why still build them, and indeed offer them for these contracts, if they aren’t compliant with next year’s standards? Simmons explains: “They’ll meet the current requirements. And they do meet some of those future Technical Standards of Interoperability (TSIs). But, for example, there’s a fundamental standard change for which the trains will be updated. This will mean a fundamental change to the car body design, and various other modifications. “The trains will be updated and ready to go prior to that date. The trigger for the update is when a unit comes in for service, so the trains are entering service before the change to the new TSIs.” This is similar to the emissions rules put into place in 2013, which stopped certain manufacturers from building diesel locomotives because of the emissions they produced. So, as it stands, the Porterbrook order for 80 vehicles should be the last ever Electrostar trains built, but there is a short-term option,
Simmons says, to buy more. But trains evolve. Plans evolve. Customer needs evolve too. Martin Rennoldson, Group Account Director at Bombardier says: “I think it’s fair to say that our platform focus for inner and outer suburban trains and 125mph trains going forward is the Aventra. “That’s where the investment is going now. And this site [Derby Litchurch Lane] is the global manufacturing centre for that platform.” That last statement is interesting. Is Bombardier considering building trains at
One thing about the Aventra platform is that it features a lot more infrastructure monitoring equipment, which means a lot more operational data for analysis. Martin Rennoldson, Group Account Director at Bombardier
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Derby and exporting them around the world? “Correct,” says Simmons. Is Bombardier actively looking at increasing the export of Aventras from Derby? “If the Aventra platform suits a particular order then yes. We look at the cost of the products that are available, what the customer wants, and from that we work out the right product. Aventra is certainly a contender for global opportunities.” Bombardier is investing heavily in the Aventra concept in any case. It spent more than £50m developing it, and when a company is looking at developing the next generation of product it needs to invest in its facilities. That involves a new ‘V Shop’ at Litchurch Lane that will be used for testing the trains, while new test facilities have been constructed to enable testing of the train before it is built. The ‘Train Zero’ system integration facility, officially opened by the Secretary of State for Transport, Patrick Mcloughlin and London Mayor, Boris Johnson, enables Bombardier to run tests using simulations and mock-ups so any faults
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or issues can be solved and, in principle, allow the train to enter traffic without the need for lengthy on-track testing. Crossrail is not the only order for the Aventra though. In June 2015 it was announced that 45 trains would be built for London Overground’s West Anglia Inner route and the Gospel Oak to Barking line. The deal involves construction of 180 Aventra Class 710 vehicles. They will be predominantly used on routes from London Liverpool Street to Enfield Town, Cheshunt (via Seven Sisters) and Chingford, the Gospel Oak to Barking line, which is to be electrified, and the Romford to Upminster line. Transport for London says that the trains will “transform the service experienced by customers on these routes, and will have similar features to the fleet that serves other parts of the London Overground network, including walk-through carriages, airconditioning and improved accessibility there will also be some enhancements such as live TfL journey information .”
Commenting on the order, Mike Brown, TfL’s Commissioner, says: “These 45 new trains will significantly improve the comfort, reliability and overall quality of train services for our customers when they come into service in 2018. “Ordering new trains for the Gospel Oak to Barking line and West Anglia route together, as well as including a provision to order more trains should passenger demand warrant additional capacity, ensures that we get best value for money for our customers.” Also commenting on the order was Per Allmer, President, Western Europe, Middle East and Africa, Bombardier Transportation, who says: “These important contracts demonstrate TfL’s continued confidence in our ability to provide high quality transport products and services. We look forward to not only delivering these new trains for TfL, but also providing ongoing maintenance and technical support.” The plans are for 31 new AC trains to replace the 35-year-old Class 315s and 317s
A London Overground (LO) Class 378 leaves Stratford. The trains were built by Bombardier at Derby, and will work alongside Class 710 Aventras ordered by LO last year. JACK BOSKETT.
on the West Anglia routes inherited from the previous operator by London Overground (LO) when it took over those services in May 2015. Eight ‘710s’ will be allocated to the newly electrified GOBLIN line to replace two-car diesel Class 172s (doubling the capacity) and six will be used to bolster other LO routes-these will be Dual Voltage variants. There is an option, too, to order more trains. Construction will begin roughly six months behind Crossrail’s Class 345 order. Rennoldson explains that while they are the same Aventra platform, and many skills, disciplines and designs are used across both the ‘345’ and ‘710’
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vehicles , there will be notable variations. “The lengths are slightly different, and there’s a slightly different percentage of motorisation for example. That means they will be built hard on the heels of the Crossrail Aventra but will go into service around the same time.” Class 345 will be a fixed formation nine-car train, but 710s are four cars long (operating coupled to form eight-car trains in the peak on West Anglia). What will help the introduction of the Class 710 is Bombardier’s experience with the Class 378s. These were built by Bombardier for LO and first delivered in 2009. Today there are 57 five-car trains in use. Some were originally delivered as three-car trains, but as TfL progressively invested in substantial upgrades to the infrastructure (including longer platforms) these were quickly extended to four-car, and in 2015 the entire fleet was lengthened again to five-car to provide the needed passenger capacity. How much of the ‘378’ platform can you put on the Aventra? Or has Bombardier gone back to the drawing board?
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Simmons explains: “Everything we’ve learned from the Electrostar is built into the Aventra.” Rennoldson elaborates: “From a technical perspective, we understand the operation of London Overground. When it comes to some of the decisions around maintenance periods for the Class 710 it’s already been optimised because we understand the operation.” Based at Ilford and Willesden for maintenance, the contract stipulates high performance targets for the trains. They will have similar interiors to the Class 378s, with a strong Overground ‘lookand-feel’ , distinguishing them from the Class 345s for Crossrail. This is evidence of Bombardier’s ability to customise Aventra to suit the different operations, and brands, of its customers. It is anticipated that the impact the ‘378s’ have had on the London Overground network in terms of reliability and attracting people into using the improved rail network will be replicated with the ‘710s’. Says Simmons. “The Class 710s will be operating on more than one part of the
Overground network- remote enough from each other to drive a maintenance strategy different from Class 378 which are maintained by us at London Overground’s New Cross Gate depot. The trains operating on West Anglia routes will be maintained at our Ilford facility, but those boosting capacity on the Gospel Oak to Barking line and other Overground lines will be based in Willesden. We will be expanding our maintenance operation quite substantially. “We’re going to be investing in Willesden Depot, Ilford and putting in some additional facilities at Chingford where a lot of trains are stabled overnight. When you look at London from a maintenance perspective, we’ll have fleet operation maintenance at New Cross Gate, Willesden and Ilford, and a light maintenance facility at Chingford. It will amount to quite a sizeable operation. “ This is on top of what TfL has already invested in additional stabling at Wembley C Sidings and Silwood (near Surrey Quays), and in extending New Cross Gate Depot for the longer Class 378s.
Bombardier took to heart LO’s requirement for a high performing, high capacity train when bidding for the contract. Rennoldson explains: “When we were bidding for the West Anglia project it was clear TfL’s focus was on capacity, passenger comfort and reliability.” TfL’s specification is likely to have been influenced by London’s continuing growth and experience on the North and East London Lines, where the Class 378 trains prompted a huge surge in usage. Rennoldson elaborates: “LO put staff on stations, so people feel safer. The stations are very bright and clean. New trains are introduced and suddenly it becomes much busier. People realise that it’s a comfortable, reliable service and start to use it more.” Drawing on what has made Class 378 such a success, Class 710 will also feature wider doors and through gangways to help passengers board and alight quicker. He says of the technology built into the train: “One thing about the Aventra platform is that it features a lot more equipment for infrastructure monitoring, which means a lot
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Aventra has been evolving over the years, but Crossrail will use it first.
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Niall Simmons, Bombardier Head of Bids Engineering and New Tube for London more operational data is available for analysis. “The trains have overhead line monitoring as a standard feature, and track monitoring equipment is also standard. So the operators don’t need to come and ask us to include it – it’s part of the build now.” That can help Network Rail identify, and fix, any problems much quicker. Would the difference in capabilities between the ‘710s’ and the ‘older ‘378s’ cause complications? Is the ‘378’ already too old to be upgraded to current and future specifications? Rennoldson explains: “The ‘710’ features a system that is functionally very rich and provides an extensive reporting capability, which is very useful for operations. The ‘378’ still reports back a lot of information, but not as much as the Aventra, and operators have expressed an interest in getting additional higher quality data. “To that end we’ve been having conversations with operators about what else we can do to the Electrostars to start approaching the functionality of the Aventras. It’s a very hot topic for both passengers and operators.” He adds: “The Train Control Management System (TCMS) is eminently upgradable. “We already do a lot of work on the TCMS, which is fitted to all of the Electrostars. We
routinely install software updates to the TCMS to improve reliability, but we won’t necessarily develop any additional functionality. If operators require that then they discuss their particular needs with us. Passenger functions are a great example, where some TOCs [Train Operating Companies] will come to us and say we’re happy to invest to specifically develop a TCMS data feed or function, to enable key data to be taken off the train quickly. And you could upgrade the entire Electrostar fleet to do that. But is it required for reliability? No. Is it required for rail operation? No. Do operators like it? Yes. If they’re prepared to invest in those options, as it allows them to improve their passenger service, it’s not a problem. “It’s like the difference between an older car and a modern car. Modern cars have a lot of new features built into them. With older cars you can retrofit some of those features.” Is technology moving so fast that trains built five, six, seven years ago are already regarded as dated? Simmons elaborates: “We built the Aventra platform to accommodate various options, so there’s a degree of flexibility that allows the exchange and upgrade of equipment. We can install whatever the customer wants. It’s a matter of what’s specified in the contract.” So, the older, vastly successful Electrostar has now been superceded by a new design that will transform the lives of millions of passengers per year. It will be able to do everything expected of a modern train built in the latter half of this decade. Bombardier has invested heavily in the Aventra concept. It’s already paying off in London - and it’s not unlikely that Aventras could become as widely used as Electrostars too.
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A project at the heart of the nation RICHARD CLINNICK finds out what’s under the aluminium skin of Bombardier’s new Crossrail trains Images: TFL.
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ondon’s Mayor Boris Johnson has referred to them as ‘sleek’, ‘featurepacked’ and ‘eye-catching’ machines. The Class 345 electric multiple units (EMUs) on order for Crossrail are something, to quote Johnson, “that showcases the best of British design and engineering”. Ordered in February 2014, 66 of these 200-metre-long nine-car trains will enter service on the £14.9 billion cross-London scheme from 2017, including the extra train that was ordered following confirmation that Crossrail services would be extended to Reading. Peter Doolin, Bombardier Transportation’s
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Vice President Projects, Crossrail & London Underground, said: “Bombardier is delighted to be working with TfL in designing, manufacturing and testing these iconic new trains for London - all done here in the UK. “The Crossrail trains are based on our very latest Aventra product platform, which we’re proud to say has been designed and developed as a technology leading train for the UK. “We look forward to continuing to work together with TfL on this flagship project to deliver these new trains for London.” The Class 345s will be used, initially in 160 metre long formation, on the Shenfield-
Liverpool Street Metro services, replacing EMUs dating from the early-1980s. It will mark the beginning of a significant improvement in service quality. The design was unveiled in late 2015, the result of a close collaboration between Bombardier and Crossrail, and Johnson said of the Class 345s: “It’s fantastic to think that these sleek new trains will soon be transporting millions of people across our great city and beyond. “They’ll add vital capacity to our rail network and will help to ensure our economy continues to get stronger. The largest
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We’ve learnt so much from Electrostar, but this is the next generation of EMU, engineered for the future. Niall Simmons, Bombardier Head of Bids Engineering and New Tube for London
construction project in Europe is another tantalising step closer to becoming a new working railway for the Capital.” The Crossrail project is designed to help a city desperate for an increase in capacity. It will boost central London’s rail capacity by 10% while also supporting regeneration, and cutting journey times across the city. It is estimated that, annually, 200 million people will use Crossrail services. The railway itself will be more than 100km long, running from Reading and Heathrow Airport in the west to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east. It will run underneath
central London through new tunnels, and using existing infrastructure on the Great Eastern and Great Western Main Lines. A maintenance facility is being constructed at Old Oak Common for the new fleet, with servicing initially undertaken at Ilford where Bombardier already has a presence. Crossrail will bring an extra 1.5m people to within 45 minutes of central London, link London’s key employment, leisure and business districts, including Heathrow, the West End, the City and Docklands, and enable further economic development to the tune of £42bn for the UK’s economy.
While Class 345 will begin running on the Great Eastern route from May next year, the first through services under London will begin in late 2018. The new Class 345s are being constructed by Bombardier at its Derby Litchurch Lane site; cars are already on the assembly line and the first train will start its high speed testing this summer. The contract benefits not only London, but also employment in the East Midlands, directly supporting 760 jobs and 80 apprenticeships. It is estimated that when complete, Crossrail will
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have had a positive impact on 55,000 UK jobs throughout the supply chain. Each train has space for 1,500 passengers in the nine fully-interconnected, walk-through carriages. At over 200m in length, they are over one and a half times longer than the longest Tube train. They are around the length of two full-sized football pitches, or 18 new Routemaster buses. Initially they will enter traffic next year as seven-car trains because of capacity constraints at Liverpool Street. When those platforms have been extended, the trains will be extended accordingly. The first ninecar trains will run between Heathrow and Paddington in 2018, and all 66 trains will be running as nine-car trains by the end of 2019. Transport for London (TFL) said that Bombardier rose to the challenge to keep the Class 345 train fleet’s weight low and energy efficiency high while delivering high levels of performance and customer comfort. The trains will automatically adjust lighting levels and heating and air conditioning to suit the ambient conditions and will feed electricity back into the power network when braking, effectively using up to 30% less energy, as well as delivering faster journey times than the old Class 315 EMUs they are replacing between Liverpool Street and Shenfield. Crossrail’s Class 345s feature large, clear areas around the doors that will allow quicker and easier boarding and alighting. A mixture of Metro-style and bay seating will be available throughout the train which, TfL says, will provide choice and comfort for customers. This is different to the Class 378s in use with London Overground, built by Bombardier, which feature all-longitudinal seating like most Underground trains. The Crossrail Class 345s will be driveroperated, and will feature on-train passenger information systems delivering real-time travel information. This will enable passengers
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to plan onward journeys while on board. Free WiFi will be available on the trains as well as on the platforms, and people will have access to 4G networks too. TfL also says that the “interior design and colour palette has been carefully selected to provide an accessible and welcoming environment. The design includes darker floors and natural finish materials that will wear in, and not wear out, ensuring they retain their high-quality feel for years to come.” It adds that: “the light coloured ceilings also maximise the feeling of height and openness inside the new trains. The material and colour choices also align with Crossrail stations for a consistent customer experience.”
The trains will be wheelchair accessible too, with four dedicated wheelchair spaces per nine-car train. Additionally there will be multi-use spaces available where seats can be tipped up for pram and pushchair storage or bulky luggage. Rail Minister Claire Perry says: “I am delighted that these British-built trains have been designed with customers at their heart, with onboard facilities that are fit for a truly 21st century rail link. “The spacious layout and longer trains will provide a significant boost to London’s rail capacity, meaning better journeys for passengers, and transforming the way people travel between east and west. I look forward to seeing the first train off the Derby production line, where this contract is supporting hundreds of jobs and apprenticeships.” Howard Smith, TfL’s Operations Director of Crossrail, says: “The trains will have walk-through carriages, each with three wide doorways to enable people to get on and off quickly at stations. They will have air-conditioning and use the latest technology to provide customers with real-time travel information to help them plan their onward journeys.” Edward Barber & Jay Osgerby, design advisers for the Crossrail train, said: “This is an exciting civic project and a key component of London’s transport future for the next 100 years. We are honoured to be making a contribution to its design.” The project itself is making good progress, according to Bombardier Head of Bids Engineering and New Tube for London
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Aventra is a platform for the future. We’ve been working on it and refining it for a number of years, but Crossrail will be the first railway to use it. Niall Simmons, Bombardier Head of Bids Engineering and New Tube for London Niall Simmons. He says that cars are now being assembled for the first train. “We’ll be starting to test the trains in the first quarter.” Initially, they will be tested in Bombardier’s factory before being moved to Old Dalby for high speed testing, as per the S-Stock, before being dispatched to the capital for more test running. They will be maintained initially at Ilford, before moving to their bespoke depot at Old Oak Common in West London from 2018. Simmons continues: “From the long-term maintenance perspective, Old Oak Common is the only facility we’re planning to use.” The Class 345 Aventra being delivered for Crossrail is the first of the new design of EMU that will be delivered to the UK following a significant evolution of the company’s previous mainstay product, the Electrostar. Simmons explains: “Aventra is a platform for the future, which is the culmination of consultation and evaluation of the requirements of the market place. We’ve been working on it and refining it for a number of years, but Crossrail will be the first railway to use it.” So, can Bombardier adapt its new standardised train platform to suit TfL’s specific passenger-environment requirements, including a ‘look-and-feel’ that uniquely identifies it with Crossrail? Simmons knows they can: “We’ve proved
that we can do it before, so we’ve taken the philosophy from the Electrostars - a fantastic product. You wouldn’t believe that the Class 379 vehicle was intrinsically the same vehicle as a Class 376. Even if you look at a Class 379 versus a Class 377, they are very similar, apart from the interiors. There are luggage racks in the Class 379 and the spacious two plus one first class seats. But then you jump on the Class 377 commuter EMU out of Victoria down to Brighton and you will find three plus two seating. From a mechanical perspective they’re all Electrostars, the point being that you can have the same reliable product and good flexibility on how the train can be configured to suit ridership requirements. The Aventra platform allows us to have that same flexibility.” The decision to offer Aventra as opposed to the Electrostar, was down to compliance regulations. Simmons explains: “Electrostar would need to be compliant with the new generation of European Technical Standards for Interoperability (TSI) that have come into force. Taking into account the design changes we would need to make to Electrostar to be compliant it made sense to take this as an opportunity to make something even more energy efficient, with a more flexible interior. We’ve learnt so much from Electrostar, but this
is the next generation.” Bombardier has invested hugely in its Aventra product for Crossrail. While all most people will see will be the new trains, there are other investments and benefits, too; an all new ‘V Shop’ and Test facility is being built on the Derby site, a Crossrail legacy that will live on for future projects, and a positive impact on employment and apprenticeships as well, not just at Derby but also London at the new maintenance depot. As Secretary of State for Transport Patrick McLoughlin said when Bombardier unveiled the prototype Class 345 bodyshell: “It is great to see Bombardier’s progress in delivering the first test train carriage. These new trains showcase British engineering at its best. They will transform travel across the capital. But our investment in Crossrail is also helping to boost local economies by creating jobs and apprenticeships around the UK.” Crossrail is exciting for the UK, and, just like the new Tube trains transforming travel beneath the streets of London, Bombardier will design and build the trains in the UK. And that in itself is something to be proud of.
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RICHARD CLINNICK finds out how Bombardier’s next generation of trains will reduce maintenance costs by using condition based data to diagnose their own maintenance requirements.
uilding trains at its Derby Litchurch Lane site is just one of many facets of Bombardier’s business in the UK. Maintenance and engineering also feature heavily in the company’s portfolio. Today, contracts between train operating companies and manufacturers often encompass both train manufacture and maintenance, so having these capabilities ‘under one roof’ is a major asset for a supplier hoping to secure more deals. Bombardier has been busy developing its Services portfolio to offer a range of complementary fleet management and maintenance packages to support its new trains. One such solution, which has been deployed to good effect at its Central Rivers depot is AVIS. Martin Rennoldson, Group Account Director at Bombardier, explains: “AVIS stands for Automatic Vehicle Inspection System.” The Central Rivers depot, located just outside Burton upon Trent, is home to the CrossCountry fleet of Class 220s and 221s, as well as Virgin Trains’ fleet of ‘221s’. These intercity trains were built by Bombardier in 2001/2002 and can be found running on routes from Scotland to the SouthWest, travelling as far north as Aberdeen, as far south as Bournemouth and as far west as Penzance. The VT fleet runs from London Euston to Shrewsbury, Holyhead and Glasgow. These trains, like the XC fleet, cover huge distances per week and reliability is paramount for both train operating companies in maintaining acceptable service levels. AVIS is a cost-effective train inspection system that supports condition-based maintenance. It can be used to inspect a range of train systems and components
including brake pads, wheels, pantographs and collector shoes. The system delivers accurate information to Bombardier’s award-winning Orbita system to drive maintenance interventions and forward planning. Bombardier describes Orbita as “maintenance with intelligence”. It combines real time asset condition data with cross-fleet engineering knowledge to provide operational intelligence. Orbita gathers data from Bombardier’s fleet knowledge and engineering expertise and is used to enhance the active management of vehicle maintenance, performance and operation. This has enabled Bombardier to move from a period-based maintenance regime to an approach whereby a significant proportion of maintenance tasks are condition-based. This, the company says, reduces unwarranted component replacements and means trains are out of traffic for a shorter period of time. Through tools such as Orbita and AVIS – which combined form Bombardier’s AIMS (Asset Information Management Services) the trains themselves can be used as tools for monitoring operations and ultimately can provide data for fuel usage, passenger demand, delay analysis, infrastructure and environmental conditions. Analysing this data allows Bombardier to optimise fleet maintenance through the reduction of manual inspections, material usage and therefore cost. In addition, optimising both preventative and corrective maintenance activity through the use of condition based prognostic data improves availability and performance. Bombardier can also use AIMS to optimise fleet performance for energy management, smart stabling, energy metering, driver advisory services, monitoring environmental impact
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through track condition, overhead lines, weather and temperature. It can also analyse passenger loadings, assessing dwell times and examine congestion warnings. Following the successful roll-out of AVIS at Central Rivers, Rennoldson says: “We are actively looking at using it on the London Overground.” He says it is “very applicable” to the London Underground system as well. “Over the next couple of years we’ll be making major investments to enhance our maintenance services for London Overground”. Rennoldson explains: “AVIS offers a major step towards automating some of the standard maintenance activities.” Bombardier will shortly start similar work at its new Willesden depot, using lasers to monitor the condition of the new Class 710 trains and their components. “Central Rivers is a great example of how AVIS is making a difference. The technology is so accurate in measuring wheel wear that we’re getting more wheel life out of the fleet,” says Rennoldson. This, he says, creates a major cost saving. It also removes the chance of human error, and invariably provides a wealth of consistent/ repeatable data at a more regular frequency than with manual inspection. By monitoring wheel wear, and by using condition data alongside data from wheel lathes, other lineside condition-based maintenance systems (such as Gotcha® and RailBAM®), coupled with engineering analysis, Bombardier can optimise the point at which wheels are re-profiled to predict (and thus avoid) failures, and to ensure that excessive wheel flats across an entire fleet can be avoided. “This means that only necessary maintenance needs to be done to keep the fleet performing. And maintenance can be carried out at the right time, in a proactive manner, rather than reacting to something after it’s failed.” “By monitoring and managing wheel wear, for example, you’re not only improving reliability, but you’re saving a substantial amount of money, because you’re not replacing the wheels as frequently. And when you are carrying out that work, you’re doing it in a far more measured and planned fashion.” This really is a case of using ‘on-train’ and lineside ‘intelligence’ in terms of advising what maintenance is needed. Rennoldson nods: “AVIS is not only an automatic inspection process. There is an automated interface with our Orbita monitoring system. Those two systems
work together, so in the Central Rivers case you have a combined system that not only measures the wear of critical components, also recording visual indicators such as external pressure gauges, but also processes data taken from on-train systems, to (where necessary) trigger events and alerts. Therefore, using AVIS and Orbita as a combined system, the user can visualise fleet status and plan condition-based maintenance interventions. By looking at Orbita, the user can assess condition of all components ‘measured’ by AVIS and also check train condition related to train systems, looking at variables such as door opening times, traction motor power consumption etcetera. By using the knowledge gained from the retained data from the whole fleet, Orbita is programmed to assess and intercept ‘outliers’ before they cause service disruption. By using this information the user can schedule condition-based and corrective maintenance work, ensuring that performance is optimised while maintenance is executed efficiently and at the right time.” Orbita combines the data gathered from rolling stock, AVIS and engineering expertise to enhance the active management of vehicles and infrastructure maintenance, performance and operation. This enables operators to proactively identify problems and convert data into meaningful information, which
It’s a major step towards automating some of the standard maintenance activities. Martin Rennoldson, Group Account Director at Bombardier
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enables better maintenance planning. Quicker investigation times can significantly reduce operating costs and maximise fleet utilisation and availability. Rennoldson affirms: “The key difference is that it is an integrated solution, so it’s no longer about someone sitting at a terminal determining that there is a problem, then filling in a work order on another system and finally sending it to the depot for attention. As soon as Orbita captures and identifies any data indicating system degradation, it generates an event or alert and, if necessary, it automatically generates a work order. “London Underground remarked upon the level of automation when they visited Central Rivers. They had seen various elements of the system, but this was the first time that the entire system could be shown working as one. And that’s where, from an operator’s perspective the efficiency and the time to react is so much better. It means you can start to reduce operational costs. Plus you don’t need engineers or technicians to carry out basic inspections any more.” Bombardier Head of Bids Engineering, Niall Simmons, expands on the implications of this: “This means existing staff can be deployed elsewhere. You can up-skill the workforce, deploy them to higher value activities, such as system diagnosis, rather than more routine tasks such as determining whether a wheel profile is compliant or not.” Rennoldson says that these systems adhere to a predict and repair philosophy. “This is the first time we’re taking this proven concept into London. It will mean a lot of work over the next couple of years.”
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Is Bombardier looking to introduce these solutions into London because that’s where the major demand for enhanced reliability is? Rennoldson says London’s fleets in particular require “reliability and frequency, due to the exceptional levels of passenger ridership.’ Nevertheless he qualifies, as long as it can be justified due to fleet size and usage, there is a business case for it.” Does this mean that trains are getting closer to diagnosing and engineering themselves? “Yes,” is Bombardier’s answer. Rennoldson continues: “You don’t, in theory, need maintenance teams on site if a problem comes up - it can be remotely managed. This means that you can concentrate your efforts on an expertise in one or two key centres. “While you will still have to send an engineer to fix things, sometimes the problem can be managed and circumvented remotely.” Using these new systems, the train can tell the driver what is wrong (so that the driver can make a positive intervention), and remotely alert the train operator, or depot so that maintenance can be scheduled at the most appropriate time. Rennoldson says: “If the driver can fix the fault, or keep the train in service, then you end up with less dissatisfaction for passengers as well.” The need for these systems is growing as the capital’s reliance on the railway grows. London Underground Managing Director, Nick Brown, says passenger numbers on the Tube are higher than they were at the time of the 2012 Olympics. Now levels of ridership experienced on ‘Black Friday’ on November 27 2015, are the norm, yet passengers expect their trains to run consistently on time. It is up to
AVIS is used on Voyagers maintained at Bombardier’s Central Rivers depot. RICHARD CLINNICK
A Bombardier-built London Overground Class 378/2 arrives at Clapham Junction. JACK BOSKETT
the maintenance teams (in many cases in and around London supported by Bombardier staff), to ensure trains are service-ready. Stratford, which played such an important function in the London 2012 Olympics, is now the tenth busiest station in the UK, with the Tube, the Docklands Light Rail, London Overground, TfL Rail, Abellio Greater Anglia and High Speed 1 all converging there. It also serves Westfield shopping centre and the City. Eventually it will serve Crossrail too. Says Rennoldson of Stratford: “It is a hub. Many businesses are planning to move near to it - it will become a hot bed of commerce and shopping.” When it comes to developing rolling stock to serve the new hubs of London and in response to demand for more frequent and reliable train services across the city. Simmons advocates a team-based approach. As well as prognostic tools such as ORBITA and AVIS, which can ensure that trains run for longer between
maintenance intervals, the rolling stock can be designed from the outset to minimise maintenance. He explains: “We took a crossfunctional team approach with the development of the Aventra platform, involving maintenance teams and key suppliers to ensure that the train was optimised from a maintenance perspective, which is now our standard approach to new train design. Getting the maintenance people, the manufacturing people and procurement staff all together in the same room makes it all so much more of a collaborative effort.” This approach, combined with Bombardier’s innovative train management and prognostic systems, will ensure London’s railway is fit for the future. London is growing, and Bombardier is evolving to meet the demand.
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AVENTRA is Bombardier’s next-generation EMU - designed for the UK to deliver optimised performance through innovative design. With the capability to serve many different market requirements from metro to intercity, this new light weight EMU will provide optimised energy consumption, reduced maintenance costs, high reliability and an improved passenger experience.
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