A Seamless Journey

Next time you are sitting vacantly looking out the window of the Metro, spare a thought for the design of the operations that gives you that seamless journey into work each day. Sue Reay of Benchmark Communications, organisers of Design North East, went to investigate what went on behind the scenes of the Metro system. She asked Trevor Dowens, Operations Manager of the Tyne and Wear Metro system how design helped revolutionise public transport?

"The Tyne and Wear Metro was very innovative and quite revolutionary when it was designed",

says Trevor.

"It was the first rapid transit system to be built in the UK, prior to that we only had the London Underground and the Glasgow Clockwork Orange system, both heavy metro systems. The Tyne & Wear Metro called upon leading edge design and technology and still stands today as being the benchmark for light railway systems that many other UK cities have followed. What was so unique about it was that it formed the backbone of an integrated transport system, not just in operation but also its potential to interchange with other forms of transport".

A key difference from existing rail systems of that time was that only three controllers could ensure safe operation of the overall metro system, that is, stations, power supply and train operation from an integrated central control room.

"This was such a revolutionary idea back in the early 80s,"

says Trevor.

"I had come from a background in manual signalling in British Rail and when I first saw the control room I thought I had been transported to the 'Starship Enterprise'. Everything was computer controlled and greatly expanded the capacity and control of operation by so few people."

Another area where design played a key role was in the stations. Three different types of stations had been designed: the simple wayside halt with a platform and shelter such as Ilford Road; the purpose built Interchange stations where buses brought in passengers, such as the Regent Centre; and the major underground stations such as the Monument. The South Gosforth Control Centre, using close circuit television, public address systems and computer systems to monitor the station equipment, can safely control all the different types of stations without the requirement of high staffing numbers.

This integrated control of the train service is possible because of the built in Positive Train Identification System, which allows one controller to look after the whole Metro service. This, together with one driver on each train, ensures that safety, efficiency and reliability is maintained throughout the Metro service.

Safety is a key issue for any rail operator and the Metro has one of the best safety systems designed into it, this being the Automatic Train Stop (ATS) system. A train can be stopped in one of two ways, manually by the driver and automatically by the ATS. The ATS works via magnets located at signal points on the track that are set at either red or green depending on the signal displayed. If the driver fails to stop the train and it runs over the red signal the train is automatically stopped.

The design of the Metro not only allows for fully integrated control, but also integration with other transport systems. One of the key issues for the original strategy was to find a way to relieve congestion and pollution whilst still bringing people into the city centre. By designing a system to integrate with buses, passengers could get on to the Metro system at a point outside the city to complete their journey. This worked very well and employed the Interchange stations where passengers could transfer from buses onto the Metro system. However with the deregulation of buses in 1986 this integration was significantly reduced. Since then a measure of integration has remained through partnership agreements with some of the bus companies.

In the future this integration could go even further with a dynamic new feasibility project currently underway. This is looking at the development of a new tram system for Tyne and Wear. Under the title of 'Orpheus', the project is looking at hi-bred trams that are capable of travelling on road and rail. A passenger could board a tram outside the current Metro system and travel to an interchange where the tram transfers from road to rail operation to travel on the existing metro system which brings it into the city centre. This project is very much in the early stages of development but could be reality in 10 years time.

A Balancing Act

The Sunderland extension of the Metro, due to open January 2002, has set new design and technology standards. For the first time, a metro service will operate over Railtrack lines, which will be shared with 'heavy' rail traffic between Pelaw and Sunderland. The joint model, which has been put together with Railtrack, has had to comply with mainline safety standards. The use of the line for both heavy and light rail, different speeds and timetabling is a complex operation and has to allow, six metro trains travelling at 50mph stopping at all stations, two Northern Spirit express trains travelling at 70 mph plus two pathways for EWS freight trains an hour.

Our Past Heralds our Future

Transport and communication has always been an issue. Defoe, in 1724 complained "that the Northern Road from London was perfectly frightful to travellers." But what really caught the nation's interest in the need for good roads was the Duke of Cumberland's pursuit of the Jacobites to Culloden in 1746.

Then, four great men from the North East revolutionised transport and changed the world and the way that people travelled, which had never changed for centuries. William Hedley, George Stephenson, Timothy Hackworth and Nicholas Wood, all born in the late 18th century lay the groundwork for astonishing technological developments that led to railways.

And 150 years later Tyneside again led the way with the Metro, which in turn encouraged plans for similar systems in other UK cities.

Thinking of a career in transport?

The region has one of the top research centres for transport, at the University of Newcastle. Transport Operations Research Group (TORG) in the Department of Civil Engineering has an international reputation and offers courses for post graduate students in: Transport Engineering and Operation; Transport Planning and Policy; and Transport Economics and Business Management. For further information contact Alyson Green, 0191 222 6547.

Alternatively vehicle design may be where your interest lies and the Design School at the University of Northumbria offers a BA Honours in Transportation Design. For further information Tel: 0191 227 3157 or check the web site: www.unn.ac.uk

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This document is reproduced with he kind permission of The Journal and Benchmark Communications.