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Post by drainrat on Jun 6, 2017 22:37:42 GMT
An interesting point to make on this thread is the need for the driver on the central line at present, no driver and every time there's a light shower there would be major delays on the line. We can do something ATO can't and that is controlling the acceleration of the train, we can recognise wheel spin and drive accordingly so the train doesn't just stop suddenly, we can recognise earlier braking points and drive defensively so maximum braking isn't applied increasing the risk of wheel slide and possible SPADs and platform overruns. However, for us to retain knowledge and keep our hands on we need handle turning time in CM. It is so easy to plod along automatically, just flipping that mental switch means we have to do things more consciously Well, there is of course a solution that the powers that be have -- on the JNUP lines we simply have minimal brake rate in every open section. There does seem to be a lack of appreciation that whatever you do there will always be issues when one tries to have an automated system cope with changing adhesion conditions. My view is that if you're paying someone over 50k to be in charge of a train, I would be trying to get maximum value out of that investment. The snag is of course that you need to have a relatively skilled and well trained driver who can anticipate the conditions and operate the train in he most optimal way. This isn't the way the company seems to want to go at the present time, sadly. I don't think the company knows where it wants to go at the present time, it is so acquisition hungry, it's no longer a company that just runs an underground railway, top heavy with project managers, consultants with senior managers that you can find as directors on many railway consulting companies listed at company house. There's no money, apparently, yet there's a gravy train chugging along somewhere |
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