Hiring More Female Lorry Drivers Would Cut Accidents
The title of this post is the same as that of this article in The Times.
A study by the University of Westminster has shown that women drivers have less accidents.
This is a paragraph from the article.
Academics called for more women to be recruited to driving jobs in light of their better road safety record. They said that greater gender equality in positions that rely on motoring skills such as driving taxis, HGVs and delivery vans was needed to help cut deaths.
The article didn’t give any prediction about what will happen in the future.
So here goes!
We are already seeing taxis and delivery vans going zero carbon and I think within twenty years or even less, a large proportion of taxis, HGVs and delivery vans will be either battery-powered, or more likely, in my view, hydrogen-powered.
Look at the LEVC black taxi and compare it to its diesel forerunner.
- It is more environmentally-friendly.
- It has a lot of driver and passenger-friendly features.
But it is more expensive.
I suspect that the capital cost of a zero-carbon HGV bus or delivery van, will also be more expensive, than the current diesels.
- As to the fuel costs between diesel, battery and hydrogen, this would depend on the application, but fuel costs tend to even themselves out.
- There could be a saving with battery- and hydrogen-powered vehicles in terms of maintenance, just because they are less complicated.
Summing up I could say the following.
- I am fairly sure, that a zero-carbon taxi, HGV bus or delivery van will have an acquisition cost, that is higher than a diesel version.
- I also think that if the vehicle was run on a twenty-four hour basis, that the fuel costs would be comparable per mile, but maintenance costs would be less.
- So I think it likely, that vehicle owners would be more likely to want to run vehicles on a twenty-four hour basis, to get a better return on their capital.
Surely, this would require more drivers.
Consider.
- A lot of black taxis in London are shared between two drivers.
- There have been several instances, where I have read that a couple have both been London Underground drivers, as they can arrange shifts to fit in with child care and domestic duties.
- The partner of a driver, will surely know what the job entails.
- Driving a modern HGV or bus, is a lot less gruelling than it used to be.
Will more family-friendly methods of working emerge, that allows partners of existing drivers to join the profession?
London Underground certainly changed working conditions to get enough driver for the Night Tube.
Conclusion
Would employing more female drivers cut accidents?
It all depends on the quality of the drivers; both male and female.
But, I suspect that improvements in all vehicles in the future, will cut accidents anyway!
Porterbrook: Modified Trains Have A Role To Play
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Rail Magazine
Poterbrook are talking about reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
The problem is that building a new electric train produces around 146 tonnes of CO2, whilst maintenance produces around 2-3 tonnes of CO2 annually.
- CO2 produced in a 20 year lifetime in construction and maintenance is 196 tonnes or 9.8 tonnes per year.
- CO2 produced in a 40 year lifetime in construction and maintenance is 246 tonnes or 6.15 tonnes per year.
So if you can prolong the useful life of a train by modifying the train at say twenty years, you could save carbon dioxide emissions.
Surely, this calculation must work for cars, earth-moving equipment and food-mixers.
The longer something lasts, the less will be the CO2 emissions per year.
Varamis Plans Electric Freight To Carry Light Goods
The title of this post, is the same as that of an article in Issue 902 of Rail Magazine.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Freight trains using electric multiple units could be operating on the East Coast Main Line by the end of the year, in plans unveiled by Varamis Rail.
This is their promotional video.
From the video and the Rail Magazine article, the following can be ascertained.
The Route
From the video, the basic route is circular and the concept is explained in the article, by Phil Read; the Managing Director of Varamis Rail.
Our vision is to create a circular network around the UK via both the East Coast Main Line and West Coast Main Line, with a stop/go method of service delivery serving major towns and cities en route.
And we could move goods in both directions.
Longer term, there could be extensions to Bristol and South Wales and into East Anglia.
Note.
- From the video is looks like the main loop will start and finish in London.
- Trains on the main loop will call at Doncaster, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Carlisle, Manchester and Birmingham.
- Varamis have said they will stick to electrified lines.
I like the concept of the route.
- It covers a lot of the country.
- It can be easily extended.
- Extra stops could be easily added. Darlington, Leeds, Peterborough, Preston and Reading come to mind.
With dual-voltage trains, it could even be extended South of London.
The Trains And The Organisation
Varamis are certainly looking to keep the operation efficient and low-cost. This is said about the trains.
The plan is to remove all the internal furnishings in the umits we lease utilise them without altering any of the loading or dynamic characteristics that the trains had when formerly used as passenger trains. I’m in discussions with rolling stock leasing companies and the DfT at present to lease the trains.
The DfT owns all 40 Class 365 trains.
In addition, the following is said.
- Maintenance would be outsourced, with one of two likely companies.
- Operations Director will be appointed soon.
- Company headquarters would be in Doncaster.
- Varamis will employ all their own staff, including drivers, fitters and logistics operators.
A small point is that Phil Read has worked for the Rail Operations Group.
Class 365 Trains
Class 365 trains have the following characteristics.
- Four cars
- Up to three trains can be coupled together.
- 100 mph operating speed.
- Two pairs of wide double doors on the side of each car.
- They are not a train with a reputation for unreliability.
This is a picture of a Class 365 train.
Note.
- They could probably be converted to dual-voltage, by adding third-rail gear.
- The trains could probably be made available at short-notice.
The company talks about an end-on cross-transfer system at their hubs, where goods can be moved through the train.
I will be interested to see what this means, but I suspect it will give a quick and easy transfer of pallets of goods between trains and the trucks doing the local delivery.
Green Logistics
Varamis are marketing their services as Green Logistics.
Conclusion
As someone, who needed this sort of system in the early days of Metier to distribute new copies of the Artemis software, I think the service will fulfil a large need.
I said earlier that I like the concept of the route.
But thinking about it more, I suspect it can be very easily extended.
- Brighton, Portsmouth and Southampton could be served by dual-voltage trains.
- Could for instance a hub in Edinburgh, distribute pallets and parcels to and from the North of Scotland?
- Could bi-mode trains serve the towns and cities on the Midland Main Line?
- A connection to Heathrow would be very valuable.
A large proportion of the country could be connected.
If it existed now, would it help in the fight against COVID-19?
Manchester Metrolink Opens Trafford Park Line
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
This is the introductory paragraph.
The 5·5 km Manchester Metrolink light rail extension to the Trafford Centre shopping complex was opened for revenue service on March 22, around seven months ahead of the original target date.
I had hoped to go up to Manchester on the day it opened to take a few pictures, but COVID-19 kyboshed that!
Short-Notice Spaghetti Trains Organised To get Pasta Across The Alps
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
This is the introductory paragraph.
DB Schenker has organised the transport of several hundred tonnes of pasta by rail from Italy to Germany, enabling 650 Aldi supermarkets to replenish supplies which had been depleted by customers stocking up during the coronavirus pandemic.
I can’t help feeling that this story pays homage to Richard Dimbleby‘s classic April Fool story about the spaghetti harvest in Switzerland.
Greater Anglia Completes Directly-Managed Norwich Victoria Sidings Project
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Greater Anglia has opened four sidings able to stable 12-car trains just outside Norwich station, with its first train using the facility on March 3.
Other information can be found in this and other articles.
- It was Greater Anglia’s biggest infrastructure investment to date.
- The sidings are on the South side of the Trowse Swing Bridge, that crosses the River Wensum.
- The project took nine months to complete.
- The sidings look to be fully electrified.
I would assume that each siding can take one of the following.
- A twelve-car Class 745 train, which are 236.6 metres long.
- A ten-car Class 720 train, which are 240 metres long.
- Two five-car Class 720 trains, which are 122 metres long.
- More than one Class 755 trains, which are 65 metres long (3-car) and 81 metres long (4-car)
They will certainly be able to pack in the trains.
Walking To Liverpool Street Station
I took these pictures yesterday, as I walked from my home to Liverpool Street station.
I had intended to buy the latest edition of Modern Railways at W H Smith’s in the station, but it was shut.
A New Stansted Express Train At Liverpool Street Station
I took these pictures yesterday of a new Stansted Express train at Liverpool Street station.
Note that it is numbered 106 on the front. The leading one indicates a Class 745/1 train or one for use on Stansted Express.
The Class 745 train data sheet is now on the Stadler web site, which gives a lot of interesting data.
For instance, it gives the train’s mean acceleration between 0 and 40 mph as 0.9 m/s².
This compares with the following.
The maximum acceleration for a Hitachi AT-300 train given on this page of their web site as 0.75 m/s².
The acceleration of a Class 345 train is given as up to 1 m/s².
Eversholt give the acceleration of a Class 321 Renatus as 0.6 ms².
It looks to me that Class 745 trains have a quick getaway, but not as quick as the Crossrail trains.
But they do appear to be faster off the mark than the Hitachi trains.
ETCS Tested Successfully On Heathrow Express Class 387s
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette International.
Once the Class 387 trains can use ETCS on Heathrow Express between Paddington and Heathrow, this must surely allow them to work more intensively with Crossrail’s Class 345 trains, which are also fitted with the same ETCS signalling.
An Interview With Sir Paul Nurse
The Times Saturday Interview is with Sir Paul Nurse and is entitled ‘Boris knows he’s out of his depth. Suddenly experts are useful again’.
It is a must-read and you may be able to read it on-line by registering with The Times, as that gives you a number of free articles.
It is people like Sir Paul, who will finally defeat COVID-19!
The Anonymous Widower 