SSR signalling contract to be re-let (again)

I can only hope that we don't get some god-awful jerky uncomfortable system (cough cough seltrac s40 cough) but a nice smooth system.

So what does this mean from the point of view of passengers, if anything?

Only that the old kit is getting older and older so will give more delays. Still will get the good service message when ever one who uses the service knows there are delays.

Plus more of the fare paying public and the tax payers money has been wasted by the clowns at LUL and Tfl etc.

Yes the MD of LUL said its a world class metro, when really only 3rd class.

Very interesting development. Would be interested to know more in depth reasoning on the decision, especially as Bombardier's technology was chosen to reduce line closures.

This I think leaves Alstom, Thales, and Siemens (which absorbed Westinghouse/Invensys).

2018 completion is looking very unlikely.

A breathtaking case of cynicism, trying to bury bad news by putting out the bulletin on New Year's Eve!

This is an unmitigated fiasco, but a predictable one. A lot of eyebrows were raised when the contract went to Bombardier. Their bid may have been the lowest, but the risk was an untried (for LUL) system on a huge part of the network.

Meanwhile, on the Victoria Line we now have the excellent DTG-R system which is now delivering solid performance on a daily basis.

The whole SSR resignalling project has turned into nothing but a disaster, it's been going for over 10 years now and has failed to achieve anything at all on the ground. I would love to know how much the whole affair has cost.

Let's hope lessons are learned and when the contract gets awarded for the third time LUL chooses a tried and tested system, and doesn't just go for the cheapest option.

It's a pretty safe bet that the resignalling will not be complete by 2018. There is just no way you can choose, design, install and commission a system for such a huge part of the system in 4 to 5 years. Even if DTG-R was resurrected this would be unrealistic to achieve.

If a new system cannot be delivered in a sensible amount of time, it does beg the question, will we see enhancements utilising the current signalling system in the meantime? If the current system will be in use at a time when the SSR capacity will be stretched to its limit, surely we will have to see more feasible and short term improvements with manual signalling and control still in place. Long live the OP cabin at Edgware Road, its probably been on borrowed time for decades now!

I did hear TBTC being rumoured a few weeks ago but like everything just rumours.

Bring back semaphore

I wrote two articles about this story. The first was:

Modern Railways July 2011

and the second this month:
Underground News Jan 2014

More will appear in the Feb issue of Underground News.

Hitachi have a CBTC product; their web site today appears rather lighter on it than last time I looked a couple of years back, or they've shuffled their domains around and the gen is elsewhere.


There is also the Chinese Beijing Traffic Control Technology Company, they have a full blown CBTC ATC system with the right boxes ticked for all the ATO ATP ATS elements, the ATP element is named LCF300. Interestingly there is an item on this on Beijing Line 14 in the current IRSE News issued this week.

I say do not scoff at suggesting a Chinese system, the Chinese rail industry is edging into Europe, it was released this week they are trying to get in on main line HS2
www.ft.com/cms/s/0/003704a2-7897-11e3-831c-00144feabdc0.html

If UK can let them in on nuclear power stations - they are involved with the new Hinkley plant - then railway signalling is possible. I reckon at least they would respond to ITT.

--
Nick

Invitation To Tender

The first stage notice in the EU journal has been published

Link to EU Journal

Summary:

This notice is the first stage of a qualification process for the ATC system supply and will be open to individual companies to register their interest in the pre-qualification process.
The Pre-Qualification Questionnaire will be available from 27th January 2014, and will be issued only once the interested party has signed and returned a Confidentiality Agreement which will be issued with the notice. It is currently envisaged that the Contracting Authority will issue the Invitation to Tender to shortlisted tenderers around Week commencing 10.3.2014, and that a contract will be entered into with the successful tenderer no earlier than June 2014.

Whilst what you say is true, North End said in the northern line TBTC thread that Seltrac isn't really suited to complex track layouts, so how on earth it would cope with the complexities of the SSR, I don't know. Indeed are there any modern signalling systems that are suited to the massive complexities of the SSR, or will we eventually end up with the least worst option with various bodges and workarounds to ensure it runs?

Taking ATO/ATC etc out of the equation, just how much more efficient would a new signalling system be? I'm only curious as when I've missed a train at say Baker St and counted the seconds between the signal turning from red to green, it seems pretty quick! I wondered how much quicker a new system could be and whether its worth all these millions!!!