A major transport milestones was reached yesterday at T5, as the project nears the 85% completion mark.
Yesterday (14th Sept '06) saw six 15-tonne ‘automated cars', each with a capacity to carry up to 75 passengers, delicately lowered by crane down a 12 metre shaft into the tunnel system of T5's tracked transit system (TTS), ready for commissioning.
The TTS is a light rail system providing the essential underground link between the various terminal buildings which make up the T5 campus.
The stand-alone transport system – the most modern of its type in the UK - uses a high specification automated people mover that will shuttle passengers between T5A and T5B when the site opens in March 2008. It will then be extended to T5C in 2011.
Unlike traditional rail systems, the TTS uses rubber-tyre driverless 'cars' that run along a guideway. When in operation, trains will depart from the TTS stations through two parallel tunnels every 90 seconds with a journey time of 45 seconds.
Similar, but older systems are in use at Stansted and Gatwick airports, but the T5 system is the most modern of its kind.
The cars were built by Bombardier Transportation, based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and were shipped to the UK in July and August. T5 has worked closely with Bombardier at all stages of design and manufacture.
Rigorous testing of their propulsion and signalling systems has already taken place at Bombardier's automated test track where one vehicle has already clocked over 1000 miles, fault free.
Cityflo 650's moving block technology enables the cars to communicate continually with an antenna that is fixed along a guide-way, so the infrastructure knows exactly where every vehicle is at all times on the system.
This means that vehicles can operate safely and at speed much closer to each other than on the fixed block system that other train systems use. In order that the journey will be as smooth as possible the running surface has been constructed to very high tolerances.
T5 will have six cars initially but the system has been designed to take 16. The cars will now begin the process of being tested and commissioned ready for service in 2008.
TTS facts at a glance
• The system will move 6500 passengers per hour at a maximum speed of 31 miles per hour.
• The cars weigh 15 tonnes when empty and 20 tonnes fully loaded.
• TTS will transport more people between T5A and T5B daily than both the Piccadilly line and the Heathrow Express will bring into T5.
• The APM cars have been constructed to the highest standards required by new fire regulations for underground rail vehicles.
• BAA is only the second client in the world to use Bombardier's Innovia car model but were the first to select it.
• The TTS is designed so that departing and arriving passengers never have direct contact with each other
Please see pics in the Photo Gallery.
Yesterday (14th Sept '06) saw six 15-tonne ‘automated cars', each with a capacity to carry up to 75 passengers, delicately lowered by crane down a 12 metre shaft into the tunnel system of T5's tracked transit system (TTS), ready for commissioning.
The TTS is a light rail system providing the essential underground link between the various terminal buildings which make up the T5 campus.
The stand-alone transport system – the most modern of its type in the UK - uses a high specification automated people mover that will shuttle passengers between T5A and T5B when the site opens in March 2008. It will then be extended to T5C in 2011.
Unlike traditional rail systems, the TTS uses rubber-tyre driverless 'cars' that run along a guideway. When in operation, trains will depart from the TTS stations through two parallel tunnels every 90 seconds with a journey time of 45 seconds.
Similar, but older systems are in use at Stansted and Gatwick airports, but the T5 system is the most modern of its kind.
The cars were built by Bombardier Transportation, based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and were shipped to the UK in July and August. T5 has worked closely with Bombardier at all stages of design and manufacture.
Rigorous testing of their propulsion and signalling systems has already taken place at Bombardier's automated test track where one vehicle has already clocked over 1000 miles, fault free.
Cityflo 650's moving block technology enables the cars to communicate continually with an antenna that is fixed along a guide-way, so the infrastructure knows exactly where every vehicle is at all times on the system.
This means that vehicles can operate safely and at speed much closer to each other than on the fixed block system that other train systems use. In order that the journey will be as smooth as possible the running surface has been constructed to very high tolerances.
T5 will have six cars initially but the system has been designed to take 16. The cars will now begin the process of being tested and commissioned ready for service in 2008.
TTS facts at a glance
• The system will move 6500 passengers per hour at a maximum speed of 31 miles per hour.
• The cars weigh 15 tonnes when empty and 20 tonnes fully loaded.
• TTS will transport more people between T5A and T5B daily than both the Piccadilly line and the Heathrow Express will bring into T5.
• The APM cars have been constructed to the highest standards required by new fire regulations for underground rail vehicles.
• BAA is only the second client in the world to use Bombardier's Innovia car model but were the first to select it.
• The TTS is designed so that departing and arriving passengers never have direct contact with each other
Please see pics in the Photo Gallery.
