It's All On Line
Above is a picture of a "fully automatic" train on Wuhan Metro Line 5 - with driver!
Hmmmm?
Almost all of the Paris Metro is "fully automatic" but most lines still have drivers. Ditto London's Victoria Line.
The international railway magazines struggle with Wuhan. In articles about the opening of the first section of Line 12, we have this ...
... most definitely NOT a line 12 picture. Neither is this ...
... and fbb thinks it might not even be Wuhan! There are some spectacular bludners on-line with the sainted Alamy proudly telling us that this ...
... is Wuhan's "High Speed Metro Depot". Maybe they mixed up a depot for national rail high speed trains with one for the relatively low speed Metro!
Whoever captioned this one showed an astounding level of ferroequinological ignorance. It purports to be ...
... a picture of Wuhan Metro!
Line 12 A Closer Look
It is a challenge, sitting in the armchair of convalescence and faced with a massive language problem, to discover the essence of an large and complex Chinese Metro network.
Seaton to Wuhan is only 5,550 miles away as the fly crows!
But your perceptive and enquiring author has pieced together enough stuff to enable his loyal readers, and possibly some disloyal blog consumers as well, to sample the essence of recently opened Line 12.
Here, for example are the platform doors.
And then we have a driver of a fully autonomous train (!), but ...
... he is shunting in the depot - or going backwards, hence the red tail lights. Like the DLR, these automatic trains have a set of "slow speed" controls should manual intervention be necessary.
Note the centre door, not present on older stock. This allows for an emergency escape.
And if you are worried about a centre third rail, don't be. There isn't one. This is a Line 1 unit.
The yellow "bars" provide the power.
A collector shoe is pushed UP by a pneumatic contrivance to contact the underside of the power rail.
Ditto London's DLR!
Like the DLR, Paris Lines 1 and 14 etc., you can stand at the very front of the train, enjoy the view and pretend to drive!
Because it is all under ground, there us not much to see. But plenty choose to stand and watch.
Here just a short journey.
For those who crave more excitement, there are other longer (non)-cab rides on-line!
One Or Two Snippets.
All units on the Wuhan Metro are either SIX cars ...
... or FOUR cars depending on route.
All stations are kept surgically clean.
There is tight security at all main stations and vigilant cctv everywhere.
Staff work with a disciplined, almost military, precision.
There is plenty of information!
And a question.
Is the depot also.underground, like the rest of the line?
Tomorrow, a look at stations.
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For the next few days, in a snippet on each blog, fbb will outline the possible reasons, the experiences and the possible consequences of the last week or so. The squeamish or hospital phobic should not read this diary!
EIGHT DAYS INSIDE (Friday 29th May)
fbb did not enjoy breakfast! It felt as if he were forcing his two slices of toast and marmalade down his gullet.
Lunch (fish pie, peas and potato wedges) fared even worse. He managed hardly anything.
Summat was up!
In fact sumnat very nasty was very much down with a black explosion of the waste dispisal system similar to that previously occuring back at fbb mansions.
Melena was back for another attack!
Depressingly, there would be no going home on the Saturday!
But the Endoscope had found no signs of bleeding!
