Community of Metros News

Community of Metros News: Nova Phase 21 Management Meeting in Montreal

The Nova benchmarking group convened in Montréal, Canada for the Phase 21 Management Meeting on 1st – 4th October 2018. Société de transport de Montréal (STM) hosted the meeting, with 15 members in attendance, including one of the newest members of the Community of Metros, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). Chairman of the Board Mr. Philippe Schnobb welcomed the group to Montréal and presented an overview of public transport operations at STM. The group also learned about the latest changes to public transport governance in Montréal.

During Nova Management Meetings, members develop the work programme for the upcoming phase. The topics selected for study in Phase 21 were absenteeism, signalling reliability, employee engagement and managing works during revenue service. The Railway and Transport Strategy Centre (RTSC) also presented the first Key Performance Indicator and Safety Performance Indicator results using 2017 data, as well as case studies on Escalator Management and Station Design Guidelines and Passenger Flow Monitoring. Results from the 2018 Customer Satisfaction Survey were also presented. Each of the 15 attending metros presented an update to the group about their metro’s activities and challenges over the past six months.

During the week, members had the opportunity to see STM’s facilities, including its new AZUR trains and bespoke train simulator; “Espace Client” customer service centre; and the Youville workshop, which is the largest metro maintenance facility operated by STM, handling the maintenance for its MR-73 and AZUR rolling stock.

The Community of Metros Welcomes Seoul Metro as its Newest Member

Seoul Metro has joined the Community of Metros as its newest member. With the exciting joining of Seoul Metro, the community now comprises 35 of the world’s metros. Seoul Metro is one of the oldest metros in Asia, having opened in 1974, and is now one of the largest systems in the Community of Metros, with similar demand to Shanghai and Moscow. Seoul Metro is one of the two major operators of Seoul’s metro system, which is jointly operated with Korail and Seoul Metro Line 9 Corporation. Lines 2, 5, 6, 7 and 8, as well as the Seoul Metro-operated portions of Lines 1, 3 and 4 will be included in benchmarking analysis. The current organisation was formed after a merger of Korail, Seoul Metro and Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corporation came into effect in 2017.

Source: TSC

Seoul Metro comprises just over 300km across 277 stations, similar in network length to Guangzhou Metro. The system has undergone steady expansion since 1974, with new lines opening in 1984, 1985, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996 and 2000. It now provides approximately 2.1 billion passenger journeys per year across the Seoul Metropolitan Area, which includes Incheon and Gyeonggi Province. Seoul is the capital of the Republic of Korea and is a major global city with a population of over 25 million.

Source: TSC

Seoul Metro is a notably innovative operator, providing internet connectivity in all trains and stations, a state-of-the-art customer facing mobile application covering journey planning, train status, incident reporting, a “favourites” tool and real-time information. Its future plans include the ongoing development and operation of two new lines opening in 2018: the 23.7km Gimpo Line (connecting with Lines 5 and 9) and the 23.3km Sosa-Wonsi Line (connecting with Lines 1 and 4). Seoul Metro will also open three extension projects: the 5.94km Line 9 extension (Phase 3), a 14.7km extension to Line 4 in 2020, and a 12.9km extension to Line 8 opening in 2022.

Research: Best Practices in Operating UTO Lines

In 2016, fifteen CoMET and Nova metros have experience in planning or operating automated lines. This study identified good practices in operating fully automated metro lines, known as Unattended Train Operation (UTO) lines. The majority of UTO lines are GoA4 and this trend is projected to continue, with a sharp increase in UTO lines planned for the next 10 years. Given this rapid adoption of UTO, this study was selected by CoMET and Nova members to identify how best to prepare for and eventually operate driverless trains.

The study identified a number of metros good and emerging practices for operating UTO lines from preparation stages to operation. Testing periods for UTO lines, for example, are carried out at three different levels: testing of components, of systems and of whole lines. Following this period, metros may assign on-board staff for fast response to potential service instabilities and passenger assistance. Ultimately for GoA4 lines, incidents are dealt with remotely, managed in practice by the OCCs. This requires a shift in practice from frontline to remote problem-solving. Also, the study determined that whilst UTO lines are generally more reliable, incident management can become a bigger challenge than with conventional lines.

Research: Station Design Guidelines and Passenger Flow Monitoring

The study explored the development process and current state of metro station guidelines, with a focus on vertical circulation, i.e. escalators, elevators, and stairways. The key factors in station design are current and expected passenger volumes, emergency and evacuation targets, accessibility requirements and space constraints. Within stations, platforms are identified as the most critical zone, and vertical circulation is the most critical element. Poorly designed vertical circulation leads to queuing customers and delayed journeys, and elements should be designed to maintain equal passenger flow.

Beyond mitigating localised bottlenecks, total station capacity must also be assessed and this is approached through station planning and operationally-oriented design. The latter requires the capacity to collect and analyse data to inform decisions in real-time. The data includes information on passenger movements within stations and loading patterns on trains. Technological advances have the potential to enable the abundance of data required.

Combining a data-driven understanding of passenger flow information with planning-oriented guidelines will better ensure that sufficient capacity is provided and avoid legacy problems with passenger flow management.

Community of Metros News: Nova Phase 20 Annual Meeting in London

Nova celebrated its 20th birthday at the Phase 20 Annual Meeting, held in London and hosted by the Railway and Transport Strategy Centre (RTSC) at Imperial College London. 22 members of the Community of Metros (17 Nova members and 5 CoMET members) attended the Annual Meeting and Metro Leader Day, held on 8th – 11th May 2018. Representatives from new members at Bay Area Rapid Transit (San Francisco) and the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai were warmly welcomed for their first meeting.

The meeting focused on Phase 20 benchmarking results, including Key Performance Indicators, case studies on Escalator Management and Security on Metros, as well as wider studies from the Community of Metros on Enhancing Platform Safety Without Platform Doors and Using Data to Improve Maintenance. Members presented an update on their metro’s current activities and plans, giving insight into shared challenges and opportunities. The meeting also included the annual Nova Metro Leader Day, focused on strategic-level discussions on topics of interest, such as managing ageing assets and metro automation. The Group also celebrated Nova’s 20th birthday throughout the week.

Nova Phase 20 Chair Joubert Flores (Director at Metro Rio), RTSC Managing Director Richard Anderson and Head of Metro Benchmarking Alex Barron cutting the Nova Phase 20 birthday cake

As well as meeting activities, members visited London Underground facilities across two technical visits. These visits included a guided tour of Tottenham Court Road station, which has undergone significant works in preparation for the opening of the Elizabeth Line, and as part of an area-wide regeneration plan. Members also rode the new Elizabeth Line rolling stock from Liverpool Street to Stratford, where they heard more detail on the development of the line as it prepares to open. Members also visited Transport for London’s operational control centres where the Underground and surface transport networks are monitored and optimised.

New members from the Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai (Mohammed Yousuf al Mudharreb, Director of Rail Operations, and Amair Saleem, Director of Safety, Risk, Regulation and Planning), and Bay Area Transit Authority in San Francisco (Robert Powers, Assistant General Manager) participate at the Nova Phase 20 Annual Meeting

“The Operator’s Story” Open Session with the Government of India, World Bank and Community of Metros

During the CoMET 2018 Management Meeting in early March 2018, the Railway and Transport Strategy Centre (RTSC) at Imperial College London, Community of Metros and the World Bank hosted an Open Session focused on the findings from “The Operator’s Story” research project. This Open Session was kindly hosted by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and the Government of India. The day’s programme included sessions centred on the research into the government and operational requirements for metro success.

President of the Community of Metros, Philippe Martin (Deputy General Manager, RATP), introduces the session

“The Operator’s Story” research project included valuable contributions from Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona, Rapid Rail (Kuala Lumpur), Bangkok Expressway and Metro Public Company, Hong Kong Mass Transit Railway (MTR), Toronto Transit Commission, Guangzhou Metro, Metro São Paulo, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), London Underground, Metro de Santiago (Santiago de Chile). Interviews and fieldwork were carried out with each of these operators to form individual case studies supporting the research. These studies illuminate how new and developing metros can be successful and avoid mistakes of the past by highlighting upstream decisions that have facilitated, constrained or affected their operations.

“The Operator’s Story” report is distributed to Mukund Kumar Sinha (Joint Secretary & Officer on Special Duty, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs) and Durga Shankar Mishra (Secretary, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs)

The Open Session included presentations on key areas of the research findings, including government and operator actions for metro success, and a focus on Public Private Partnerships (PPP, 3P) for delivering metros. Two panel discussions were also held. The first saw senior managers from London Underground, Singapore SMRT and Metro São Paulo discuss their operational history, success factors and challenges. The second panel discussion comprised key figures from Indian metros to offer insight on the lessons learned through developing India’s current metros, and the plans for future systems.

Alex Barron, Head of Metro Benchmarking, presenting at the Open Session

 

“The Operator’s Story” emerging findings can be found here.
Many thanks to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation for hosting this valuable Open Session and to Community of Metros members for their kind participation.

Community of Metros News: CoMET 2018 Management Meeting in Delhi

Members of the Community of Metros attended the CoMET 2018 Management Meeting from 5th – 9th March, hosted by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). The meeting was attended by representatives from 14 metros in addition to DMRC. Members received a warm welcome from India’s Honourable Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri, and from DMRC senior managers including its Managing Director, Dr. Mangu Singh.

Meeting attendees discussed and agreed on the research topics for the CoMET Work Programme for 2018. The Railway and Transport Stategy Centre (RTSC) from Imperial College London also presented findings from recent benchmarking research, including Key Performance Indicator benchmarking and case study presentations on platform safety, operational control centres and customer satisfaction.

Throughout the week, attendees were able to see DMRC’s facilities first-hand. These included visiting one of DMRC’s depot and staff training facilities, a metro museum at Patel Chowk station, and key interchanges on the network. Members also visited stations on the Red, Orange and Violet lines, as well as the Magenta Line, which was partially open at the time of the meeting and fully opened in May 2018.

Research: Using Data to Improve Maintenance

Ongoing developments in information technologies, specifically the ability to capture, store, and analyse large datasets, are creating significant opportunities to improve maintenance. The study explored the move towards predictive and data-driven maintenance within CoMET and Nova metros.

There is a clear trend in metros to move toward one asset information system. Integration of systems can bring benefits such as increased efficiency in management and data consistency. It is found that metros are adopting advanced technology (e.g. mobile devices, automatic monitoring systems) to collect data more efficiently. Collection of more detailed maintenance data and use dedicated staff to manage data are also used at the same time to improve data quality.

In order to acquire sufficient data for analysis, metros have initiated various pilot projects adding sensors to monitor asset condition. The study collected the good practices within metros in terms of data collection, analysis and applications, as well as the tangible benefits of data analysis. With the development of auto-monitoring systems and evolution of ‘big data’ analysis, there is a significant opportunity to unlock new understanding about asset performance and lifecycles.

Community of Metros News: First North American Sub-Group Meeting Held in Washington DC

The North American Sub-Group of the Community of Metros has officially been formed and its inaugural meeting held in Washington DC. The North American Sub-Group brings together metro operators in North America to collaborate on benchmarking and focus on challenges particularly affecting operators in the region. The group consists of existing Community of Metros members New York City Transit, Société de Transport de Montréal, Toronto Transit Commission and Vancouver SkyTrain, as well as new members of the community, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) and Bay Area Rapid Transit (San Francisco).

During this meeting, members heard benchmarking analysis with a focus on North America, and case studies of particular relevance including Measuring and Improving Customer Satisfaction and Best Practices in Driver Training. Members also participated in structured discussions on key topics of interest for North American metro operators, such as managing reliability, ridership trends and using performance data.

WMATA Chief Operating Officer Joe Leader explains WMATA’s rolling stock replacement programme

Members used WMATA’s network extensively, learning about station operational procedures and plans for future station works. The group also visited WMATA’s Greenbelt Yard facility to learn about its rolling stock replacement programme, including the logistics of the depot and customer-focused design elements of the trains. Its new 7000-series cars total 45% of its fleet and is reducing fleet-related delays.

Community of Metros News: Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Joins

Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) in San Francisco, United States, has joined the Nova benchmarking consortium as part of the North American Sub-Group. The North American Sub-Group brings together metro operators in North America to collaborate on benchmarking and focus on challenges particularly affecting operators in the region.

BART is a network of approximately 180km and 46 stations, transporting 124 million passengers annually. It opened in phases between 1972-1974 and now operates across five lines, as well as an automated guideway transit line serving Oakland International Airport. It runs a 24 Trains per Hour (TPH) frequency with a fleet of over 650 cars. Given its unique design and geography in the region, BART also continues to participate in the International Suburban Rail Benchmarking Group (ISBeRG).

BART has some exciting programmes underway, including the delivery of new train cars and managing extension projects. In 2018, BART opened the East Contra Costa County extension and its trains run on renewable diesel fuel. This follows the 8.6km Warm Springs Extension project, which opened in 2017, and serves as the starting extension towards Silicon Valley. BART is currently delivering its “Better BART” project, which aims to improve the system’s safety and reliability. This involves extensive projects such as track replacement, power line and structure repairs, infrastructure and station renewal, and delivering increased capacity through implementing Communications-Based Train Control signalling (CBTC).

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