Transport for LondonTest driving the Underground of the future
Eighties pop sensation Mari Wilson, known as the 'Neasden Queen of Soul', was famous for her 60s beehive hairdo and retro sound, but just lately Neasden has become decidedly forward-looking.
London Underground's Neasden Service Control Centre finds itself on the cutting-edge suddenly, because it's here that the future of Tube travel is getting a test drive.
So far more than half of the 370 Jubilee line drivers have been trained using hi-tech cab simulators (the Tube's equivalent of an in-flight simulator), as a state-of-the-art signalling system is trialled.
The new signalling system being rolled out on the Jubilee line is the very latest version of a technology already successfully used in places as far flung as Kowloon-Canton Railway in Hong Kong.
For commuters, the most obvious benefit will be a better Tube service.
This is the first phase of the ntroduction of an automatic train operation system, which will go live in December 2009.
'This will allow us to offer passengers even faster journeys and more frequent trains,' says Penny Hazell, General Manager of the Jubilee line for LU.
'When the upgrade is finished,' she says, 'customers will experience a much improved service.'
Less waiting for passengers
Increased efficiency provides the motivation behind these improvements.
For a start, less time will be spent waiting on the platform by passengers because the frequency of trains will be increased.
The automatic train operation system will allow more than one train to occupy a stretch of track.
Each train will also be able to run closer behind the next, with a safe distance between the trains being monitored and maintained by computer.
Journeys should be quicker too, because the optimum travelling speed is constantly fed to the Tube driver via a graphic display on the control panel.
The computerised system even considers factors like weather conditions.
Trying out this new training apparatus is like playing with the ultimate train-set.
Each life-sized simulator is fitted-out just like a real Tube cab.
It comes complete with the dead-man's handle and even a small CCTV screen on which you can watch computerised passengers boarding and disembarking as you control the doors.
Avoid hazards
You have to keep your eyes peeled for hazards.
As you hurtle along the track you might have to apply the brakes suddenly because a stationary train appears ahead, or you find yourself approaching workers on the line, or perhaps a fallen tree.
Alternatively, the driving conditions might even take a turn for the worse and you'll have to adjust your speed accordingly.
In an instant bright daylight turns to dusk and then night, or there might be a sudden onset of dense fog, rain, ice or snow.
On your journey you can pull into any of 27 Tube stations along the Jubilee line, but making sure you don't stop short or overshoot the platform is another matter.
After mastering the simulator, drivers go on to hone their skills with the real thing.
A shadow version of the system is currently being tried out on a stretch of the Jubilee line between Kingsbury and Stanmore.
During normal service hours the shadow version of automatic train operation is used in parallel with the existing signalling system to ensure safety, while more rigorous check and rials are carried out at night and during weekend closures.
Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, said: 'My priority for London Underground is to ensure that the reliability of the Tube can be greatly improved over the coming years.
'An essential part of this is focusing upgrades on signalling and track,' he says, 'as these are the elements that will allow or a better frequency of services.'
Currently, more than 600,000 passengers use the Jubilee line on an average weekday, and the new system will allow a massive extra 3,000 people an hour to travel.
The Northern and Piccadilly lines will also be fitted with this new system as part of their upgrades.
