Mushroom Management On TfL Buses
Transport for London or as all Londoners abuse them as TfL, are getting the masters at applying mushroom management to running the buses. Especially at the weekends.
For those of you not familiar with the last century term, it means keeping everybody in the dark and throwing in lots of manure. As in the 1970s, I used to live next door to a mushroom factory, I know it at least works with fungi, but I’m not sure of it’s effectiveness with fleets of buses about moving passengers.
Most Saturdays, I take a 141 bus to Moorgate and have a full English gluten-free breakfast in the Leon cafe there, as I like to set myself up for the weekend.
The 141 bus may be one of the least reliable buses in the capital, but last Saturday, I was dropped close to Liverpool Street station and yesterday, I was dropped under the Barbican.
No warning, advice or apology about the change of plan.
But then like the Mayor, TfL are never in the wrong.
Today was different!
After taking a 56 bus from near my house to the Angel I had another full English gluten-free breakfast in the Leon cafe there, before taking the Northern Line to Euston station.
I was hoping, I could take a trip somewhere, but there were extensive engineering works, so I just came home from Euston on the Overground via Willesden Junction station.
I ended up at Hackney Central station, where I did a bit of shopping in the excellent M & S Food shop.
Normally, I just get a 38 bus home from the side of the station, but there weren’t any around.
Again, there was no warning, advice or apology. Just loads of people looking for non-existent buses.
It was a full three hours before I completed my round trip.
Transport for London has no respect for its passengers.
Normal businesses would go bust, if they treated their customers like this.
HS2 Tech Incubator Bases Start-Ups On Site
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from HS2.
This is the introductory paragraph.
The latest cohort of the successful Innovation Accelerator initiative will base tech start-ups with project’s main civil engineering contractors to help tailor innovative solutions for the construction industry.
After discussing the aims, the press release then lists five SMEs.
Silicon Microgravity, a SME spun out from Cambridge University research, is developing non-invasive next-generation gravity sensors to identify underground hazards that could be deployed for ground investigation surveys and utility diversion planning.
EHAB is developing hyper-local weather forecasting and using A.I. to optimise daily works schedules according to when or if rain is due. Reducing weather-related delays helps to maintain programme timetables and control costs.
Immense Simulations will further develop its A.I.-based strategic and operational transport planning tool to de-risk the effects of works traffic on local road networks. The technology could also help plan for the effects future that HS2 stations could have on traffic movements in surrounding areas.
Consequence has developed “carbon accounting” technology that illustrates the full carbon content of construction materials used on HS2.
Mafic is developing technology to enhance productivity and protect delivery schedules.
My experience of science, data analysis and writing a lot of database and project management software, leads me to the conclusion, that these companies have been well-chosen and a majority will be a success.
Highview Chief Rupert Pearce On The Cold Batteries That Could Save The Planet
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Sunday Times.
It is an article very much worth a read, as it talks about former Inmarsat boss; Rupert Pearce and his new position as boss at Highview Power.
I have followed Highview Power for a few years.
I first wrote about the company in British Start-Up Beats World To Holy Grail Of Cheap Energy Storage For Wind And Solar, after reading about the company in the Daily Telegraph in August 2019.
They seem to have had good press in the last three years and have generated a steady stream of orders from Spain, Chile and Scotland.
But progress seems to have been slow to get the first full-size system at Carrington completed.
It does seem , that Rupert Pearce could be the professional boss they need?
Highview Power ‘s CRYOBatteries certainly have potential.
Highview Power CRYOBatteries Compared To Lithium-Ion Batteries
Highview Power ‘s CRYOBatteries do not use any exotic metals or materials, that are not readily available, whereas lithium-ion batteries use lots of rare metals and electricity in their manufacture.
CRYOBatteries can also be expanded in capacity by just adding more liquid-air tanks.
Highview Power CRYOBatteries Typically Cost £500 Million
This figure is disclosed in the Sunday Times article.
For that you probably get a power station, with these characteristics.
- 50 MW Output.
- Five to eight hour storage.
- No emissions.
- Well-understood maintenance.
- An environmentally-friendly plant.
- Long battery life.
But my experience tells me, that like large lithium-ion batteries used for grid storage, that CRYOBatteries could be an asset that will appeal to large financial companies.
- At present, Highview Power have not run a 50 MW CRYOBattery, but once they show high reliability, I can envisage the energy storage funds taking a good look.
- At £500 million a throw, they are a good size with probably a decent return for insurance companies and pension funds.
See World’s Largest Wind Farm Attracts Huge Backing From Insurance Giant for Aviva’s view on investing in massive green infrastructure.
I very much feel, that with his City connections and experience, that Rupert Pearce might be the right person to arrange financing for CRYOBatteries.
I will add a story from the financing of Artemis, which was the project management system, that I wrote in the 1970s.
Normally we leased or rented the systems, but some companies wanted to buy them outright, so we came up with a price of something like £125,000. Our bank were happy to fund these systems, when the purchaser was someone like BP, Shell, Bechtel, Brown & Root or British Aerospace. Later on, the bank would package together several systems and get us a better deal.
Intriguingly, £125,000 in the late 1970s is about half a billion now. I suspect, I’m being naive to suggest that Highview’s problem of funding multiple sales is similar to the one we had fifty years ago.
Highview Power CRYOBatteries And Wind And Solar Farms
I discussed the use of CRYOBatteries with solar power in The Power Of Solar With A Large Battery.
As the Highview Power press release, on which I based the article has now been deleted, I would assume that that project has fallen through. But the principles still apply!
But surely, a wind farm paired with an appropriately-sized CRYOBattery would ensure a steady supply of power?
Could CRYOBatteries Be Used With Floating Offshore Wind Farms?
In ScotWind N3 Offshore Wind Farm, I described an unusual wind farm proposed by Magnora ASA.
- This page on their web site outlines their project.
- It will be technology agnostic, with 15MW turbines and a total capacity of 500MW
- It will use floating offshore wind with a concrete floater
- It is estimated, that it will have a capacity factor of 56 %.
- The water depth will be an astonishing 106-125m
- The construction and operation will use local facilities at Stornoway and Kishorn Ports.
- The floater will have local and Scottish content.
The floater will be key to the whole wind farm.
- It will certainly have an offshore substation to connect the wind turbines to the cable to the shore.
- Magnora may be proposing to add a hydrogen electrolyser.
- Tanks within the concrete floater can be used to store gases.
I wonder if CRYOBatteries could be installed on the concrete floaters, that would be used to smooth the electrical output of the wind farm?
Note that in the past, concrete semi-submersible concrete structures have been used to host all kinds of gas and oil processing equipment.
Conclusion
I feel that Highview Power have made a good choice of Chief Executive and I have high hopes he can awaken a company with masses of potential.
Highview Power Names Rupert Pearce Chief Executive Officer
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on business wire.
This is the first paragraph.
Highview Power, a global leader in providing long duration energy storage and essential grid services, has named Rupert Pearce as its new CEO. In this role, Pearce will leverage his expertise in guiding technology companies through significant transformation and globalisation to position Highview Power as a leader in accelerating the energy transition.
He certainly seems to be type of CEO, that Highview needs to succeed.
Would It Be Better To Run Some Suburban Trains With Two Drivers?
Reading an article about South Western Railway in the September 2017 Edition of Modern Railways, I read this statement from Andy Mellors of the company.
SWR does not have any intend to reduce staff numbers and sees a strong bernefit in having more than one person on a train, even if some specific duties change.
The plan is to have a second person onboard every train. We know that our customers appreciate that and from time to time regular customers as well as infrequent travellers need that reassurance as well. We plan to have a second person on-board our trains, and we are not committed to any particular method of operation through our bid.
Between Waterloo and Chessington South stations, trains currently take the following times using the current Class 455 trains.
- Waterloo to Chessington South – 36 minutes
- Turning train at Chessington South – 15 minutes
- Chessington South to Waterloo 38 minutes
For an efficient train service, it is essential that the trains can execute the route as fast as possible.
A modern train like a Class 720 train, will decrease journey times because of the following.
- 100 mph capability
- Fast acceleration and efficient regenerative braking.
- Efficient loading and unloading of passengers.
- Level access for wheelchair users, buggy pushers and those dragging large cases.
- Driver aids, so that time keeping and other measures are improved.
The trains will reduce the journey times, but how do you reduce the fifteen minutes to turn the train at Chessington South?
If the trains working the branch are ten-car units, a lot of the time at Chessington South will be spent walking from one end of the train to the other.
Supposing both members of the crew were qualified to drive the train and they shared duties as a team.
- Each crew member would drive one way, whilst the other looked after passengers, doors and safety.
- As SWR have said all suburban trains will have a toilet, there may be further efficiencies.
- The turnback time could probably be reduced by several minutes.
I believe that with the new trains and a well-thought out method of working, a complete return trip could be made within an hour.
With the current method of working, two trains per hour (tph) is possible and it needs three trains, due to the ninety minute return trip.
But with two crew sharing duties, four tph could be possible and it would need only four trains.
It should be noted that to speed turnround on the Underground, drivers walk back and then step up on the next train.
Conclusion
Obviously, it’s not this easy, but I believe management and unions can work together to find a working method, that is acceptable to all stakeholders.
Why Grayling’s Proposal For The East-West Rail Link Could Be Right?
I’m not saying it’s right that one company will build the line and then operate it, but I do think it could have advantages.
Track
With the exception of a few short lengths of existing track, most of the construction is a green field site or one where there is just rusty worthless track from decades ago.
This must give opportunities to design a future-proofed route, that in say the 203os or 2040s could run trains much faster, frequent, heavier and longer, than envisaged today.
The route can also be optimised for what is mow believed to be the likely scheduled service.
Stations
This line could have stations optimised for the modern level of working, that the line will.use.
Nothing should be ruled out in station design, if it makes for a more efficient railway.
I would also hope that stations could be modular, so that improvements and new stations could be added by the operator as ttaffic changes.
Get the design right and the company, passengers and staff will benefit.
It would be easier to get the design right, if all stakeholders are in the same team.
Electrification
Parts of the route are electrified and it will have connections to existing electrified lines at Bedford, Cambridge, Milton Keynes, Oxford and Reading.
I believe that there could be considerable savings to be made, by designing the electrification so that it is integrated with the trains bought for the line.
For instance, I believe in a few years time that all new trains will have on-board energy storage, so could this be taken advantage of to perhaps?
- Enable regenerative braking on trains, rather than trackside
- Not put overhead wires in stations.
It could be difficult for freight trains and other electric trains, but there could be scope to simplify the electrification.
Signalling
Go digital to save money.
Operation
I have sat in the cab of a High Speed Train as it went between Edinburgh and Inverness. You see a lot and surely some that drivers see could be safety related.
Surely, if the same company is responsible for both trains and track, reporting and fixing problems must be much more direct.
Conclusion
Good design could really.make the railway cheaper to build and operate.
So if it’s one company, with everybody working to the same objectives, it must benefit that company, if someone has a good idea at any point.
If they have a bad idea, then hopefully it will.be ignored.
Meet Linda From Coventry: She’s In The Driving Seat At Citroen
The title of this post is from an article in the Business section of The Sunday Times.
How many ladies run car companies? And how many are English and run iconic quirky French ones?
According to the article she is the first British woman to run a big car company and only the third woman in ever.
She’s probably one of the first widows of either sex too!
I think it must be well done to Linda from Coventry!
Is There A Pattern In The Performance Of Train Operating Companies?
I don’t care about the politics of rail nationalisation, as I just want my train to be on time and be safe, clean and comfortable.
I think this article from Rail Technology Magazine is showing a pattern of good performance.
If you read the article, it looks like two groups of train operating companies (TOCs) are doing better.
Locally controlled TOCs like London Overground, Merseyrail, ScotRail and TfL Rail, all seem to be doing well.
Two other TOCs that have a close relationship with their railway lines; C2C and Chiltern are also at the top of the pile.
I do wonder that as these two types of companies give passengers a quick and easy and often political way to complain, that they know if they muck-up they’ll be deep in e-mails, phone calls and letters, if they don’t perform.
I think this shows that we should increase areas of the country, where there are more arrangements of these types.
For instance, should short distance metro services in areas like Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, London, Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham and Newcastle, be under more direct control from the local authorities.
And also, where the operator has a virtual monopoly of track use, as does First Great Western to Bristol and the South West and Abellio Greater Anglia does in East Anglia and North Essex, should there be a more direct relation between track and train companies.
My belief is that people on the ground, be they passengers or rail staff, see problems and opportunities that are best served by a strong degree of local control or lins to those, who are providing the infrastructure.
This is well illustrated by the performance of TfL Rail on the Shenfield Metro, since being under the control of TfL Rail. The article says this.
And despite its good performance, other TOCs were close seconds, with TfL Rail raising its PPM dramatically compared to the same period last year – up by 8.5% to 96.9%. TfL also reported significantly less cancellations and lateness, from 4.9% in period 5 last year to 1.5% this year.
Previously, this line and the service was managed by Abellio, who are headquartered in Norwich.
In some ways it’s probably more about having a good management and communications structure for the train operating company, the track on which the trains run and the stations to where the trains go.
I also feel that a lot of the smaller developments in the UK rail system are locally-based projects like the reopening of branch lines and the creation of new stations, are projects that are better managed through a devolved rather than a centralised structure.
A Disastrous Year
Not my words, but those of the the Chief Executive of the Co-Operative Group, Richard Pennycock, as reported on the BBC after the groups £2.5billion loss. He went on to add this.
These results should serve as a wake-up call to anyone who doubts just how serious the challenges we face are.
“The scale of this disaster will rightly shock our members, our customers and our colleagues,
The Co-Operative Group of 2015, will be a totally different organisation to what it is now! If it still exists! \which I seriously doubt!
There is one truism in any business that always applies. Unless you are totally professional in all things, then your venture will not succeed, as those that stick to professional principles will put you out of business.
Why All The Fuss About David Moyes?
The phone-in on BBC Radio 5 this morning, is about David Moyes and his tenure at Manchester United!
I have been following and watching football for sixty years and I can name probably ten or even twelve very good or great managers, whose successors had problems. Those at the top level, who were followed by one who was equally good are extremely rare and the only one I can name is Bill Shankly at Liverpool.
But it’s not just in football, that the succession is a problem. Look at Kings and Queens, politics, Presidents and prime ministers and business leaders!
The only rule that seems to apply is that the more charismatic the leader, the bigger the problems.
So all those angry Manchester United supporters, should just remember than David Moyes’s problems are par for the course. Especially, when they have the example of Matt Busby.
The Anonymous Widower 