London Midland’s new £1m driver simulator has been officially opened by Transport Minister Chris Mole MP on a visit to the company’s HQ in Birmingham.
Mr Mole, Parliamentary under secretary of State for Transport, unveiled a plaque and experienced driving the simulator first hand, as well as meeting drivers and staff, on his visit to London Midland’s training Academy.
The simulator is one of the first of its kind in the UK and incorporates state-of-the-art 3D graphics using shadows and sun glare to replicate actual driving conditions, as well as using all weather conditions.
It features a three-quarter built cab (enclosed on all sides except the rear of the driver’s seat) and also incorporates an ECO monitor, which uses a regenerative braking system to reduce energy usage.
The simulator is specifically designed to provide training for drivers on London Midland’s new fleet of Siemens Class 350/2 Desiro trains which operate on the company’s routes between London, Birmingham and the north- west.
London Midland recently took delivery of their 37th Class 350/2 train, completing their £190m order with Siemens. The Siemens fleet is maintained at the Kings Heath depot in Northampton.
Mr Mole said: “One of the Government’s key goals is to lower greenhouse gas emissions and tackle climate change and anything which helps us achieve this is to be welcomed.
“This simulator assesses a train driver’s energy consumption. This means that drivers not only learn how to drive in the safest way – they also learn how to drive economically in a way that is good for the environment.”
London Midland managing director Mike Hodson said the simulator brings cutting edge technology to enhance drivers’ skills and reduce environmental impact.
“The simulator team has done a great job in bringing this world-leading technology to London Midland. We’re delighted the Minister has been here to witness the positive impact this will have,” he said.
“The investment puts London Midland at the leading edge of driver training and development, with the aim of benefiting our passengers. Our drivers who are already highly skilled and experienced, will now have the opportunity to develop further as professionals in the most realistic training facility in the UK.”
The simulator is from CORYS T.E.S.S, world-leaders in train simulators from Grenoble in France.
It will improve the quality and effectiveness of driver training as well as improving the understanding of any faults, not only for drivers but also the maintenance department, which will significantly improve performance of the fleet.
One of the biggest impacts will be the ability to improve the environmental performance of London Midland's services, through developing new driving techniques which reduce electricity consumption, maximise the energy which is returned to the rail network through "regenerative braking" technology on the trains, as well as monitor the impact of different driving techniques.
The Simulator has a 3D geo-specific route between Wolverhampton and Coventry. There is a track builder tool allowing London Midland to amend and update the graphics as necessary to ensure it remains as realistic as feasibly possible.
Later in the year, London Midland will be installing a second simulator, based on the company's new fleet of Class 172 trains which are due to be introduced in 2010. This will bring the same leading edge technology to training of drivers on the company's new diesel fleet.
