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Speaker 1: All right, a huge step towards trains actually running through

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Speaker 1: the City rail Link. Last night a test train actually

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Speaker 1: went through the tunnel for the first time. It took

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Speaker 1: them two and a half hours to complete the journey.

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Speaker 1: The journey's three point five kilometers. They took it slow.

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Speaker 1: They did it slow so that the technicians could problem

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Speaker 1: shoot all the way. So City rail Link Chief Executive

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Speaker 1: as Patrick Brockey, and Patrick was there and he's here

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Speaker 1: and now Hello Patrick.

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Speaker 2: Hi Andrew, nice to be talking to you.

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Speaker 1: And congratulations. That must have been a buzz.

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Speaker 2: Oh the real milestone actually, and there was a small

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Speaker 2: party of staff and well Wish was down there too,

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Speaker 2: saying the train off from white Matar station. So no,

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Speaker 2: very exciting and proud maintainment for all of those that

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Speaker 2: have been evolved over many years, from our contractors through

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Speaker 2: to our partner's Kirawork and Transport orkan one. While. Yeah,

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Speaker 2: big milestone for us, so thank you.

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Speaker 1: Okay, So the very first you did it five times,

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Speaker 1: but the very first time you did it you did

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Speaker 1: three going four or five kilometers and two and a

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Speaker 1: half hours. You did it slow. Why it's just.

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Speaker 2: Being safe five kilometers an hour Initially and building up

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Speaker 2: from there. But we just need to check the tunnel

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Speaker 2: clearance and make sure the train runs through smoothly without

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Speaker 2: any interruptions. We were pretty confident about that, of course,

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Speaker 2: with all the work we've done, but you're never sure

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Speaker 2: until the day and then power supply. Just ensuring it's

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Speaker 2: continuous through the tunnels. We're also looking at all the

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Speaker 2: signaling that down there, that's that's ready out managed by

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Speaker 2: Kivy Rail, but making sure the signaling is all in order.

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Speaker 2: And it went very well. The test roll positive, so

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Speaker 2: we're off to a good start.

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Speaker 1: Did you get faster, I mean you did another four

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Speaker 1: trips and did you get faster? In which case, what

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Speaker 1: is the current speed record for the city routing tunnel.

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Speaker 2: Well, well, we did get faster, materially faster, and I

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Speaker 2: think over the next few days we would hope to

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Speaker 2: get up to about the maximum of forty k an hour.

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Speaker 1: And that's how fast it will run when it's in

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Speaker 1: regular service.

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Speaker 2: No, it can go faster. I can go up to

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Speaker 2: seventy kilometers an hour, but I think forty at the moment.

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Speaker 2: As we find out any sort of bugs in the system,

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Speaker 2: and there are a couple you know, we have some

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Speaker 2: some we're still work to do on the tracks, some

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Speaker 2: minor works, but they still have to be done and

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Speaker 2: it's just safer to run it at moderate speeds for now.

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Speaker 1: So what needs to happen from here? You've said you're

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Speaker 1: going to keep on testing, and I know that the

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Speaker 1: tracks obviously work, but the big problem is going to

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Speaker 1: be the systems that actually monitor and control the trains.

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Speaker 1: That can take quite a long time. So what is

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Speaker 1: going to happen next from here and how long will

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Speaker 1: it take?

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Speaker 2: Well, you definitely hit the name on the head of

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Speaker 2: the system's part. That's one of the most complex part

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Speaker 2: of the project with the testing and commissioning phase, with

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Speaker 2: the running of the trains. There's over eight thousand tests

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Speaker 2: andrew that we have to run over the course of

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Speaker 2: the year, so it's really just only just started that.

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Speaker 2: As you know, we've also got to complete the station.

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Speaker 2: So there's an examples the ceilings, the tiling works, some

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Speaker 2: of the ticket gates are actually in a couple of

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Speaker 2: the stations, which is great tunnel ventilation system. These are

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Speaker 2: massive tunnel events. I've given an example. They came by

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Speaker 2: up to eight tons, but they are just we're going

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Speaker 2: running full testing now and those that will continue for

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Speaker 2: some time. And then, as you pointed out, the other

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Speaker 2: systems involved the installation and commissioning of those systems, and

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Speaker 2: they cover examples fire heating, a fire emergency prevention, heating, lighting, CCTV.

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Speaker 2: We've also got works outside of the stations, some urban

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Speaker 2: realm or footpath and paving works. So there's quite a

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Speaker 2: lot left to do. We have just under nine hundred

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Speaker 2: staff still working on at the stations, and so it

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Speaker 2: would give you a sense of the scale of work

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Speaker 2: that we still have to complete this year.

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Speaker 1: So you're hoping to open in twenty twenty six. Do

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Speaker 1: you believe you're on track?

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Speaker 2: Yes, we do.

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Speaker 1: Would you like to give a date.

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Speaker 2: Right? Twenty twenty six?

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Speaker 1: Is twenty six?

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Speaker 2: Not be vague, Andrew, but I think we'll I think

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Speaker 2: twenty twenty six is about as specific as we can

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Speaker 2: be right now, just because and it's not again not

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Speaker 2: being evasive, but the last year is complex and we've

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Speaker 2: got a lot to do still, and it can be

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Speaker 2: the unknowns. But look, we're working as hard as we

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Speaker 2: can to open as early as possible.

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Speaker 1: We're so keen to see it, I have to say,

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Speaker 1: and I have read about the Elizabeth Line in London

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Speaker 1: and just how long it took to get that just

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Speaker 1: good and safe and working properly. Is the signaling you

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Speaker 1: don't want trains going down the wrong tracks. Just when

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Speaker 1: you were talking about all the infrastructure down there, there

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Speaker 1: must be an enormous drain of electricity.

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Speaker 2: No, there's there's a power place, pretty important for a

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Speaker 2: railway for sure, and of course we're running the station

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Speaker 2: systems and so on. So no, that's that's that's definitely

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Speaker 2: the case. But we were that's well catered for and

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Speaker 2: in place, so we we don't expect to have problems

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Speaker 2: in that area.

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Speaker 1: When do you get to take the mayor for a

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Speaker 1: bit of a tour on a train.

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Speaker 2: That's a good question, not one we've covered yet, but

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Speaker 2: when it's safe to do so. Andrew, I think, look,

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Speaker 2: we'd like the general public about to see the project

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Speaker 2: as soon as possible, and the only substitute at the

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Speaker 2: moment is we've got some really good comms on our website,

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Speaker 2: drone footage, we've got monthly newsletters with updates on the

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Speaker 2: station works, and encourage your listeners to look at that

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Speaker 2: because I think it's very that's very helpful and getting

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Speaker 2: some visualization of how the stations are coming along. Hopefully

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Speaker 2: we can we can do more than that at some

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Speaker 2: point during the year when it's safe to do so.

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Speaker 2: But in terms of the Mayor and the Minister writing

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Speaker 2: the first train or for riding a train, that's not

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Speaker 2: on the plans right at the moment, but I'm sure

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Speaker 2: that will be.

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Speaker 1: Patrick, Patrick, it's good politics if you know what I mean,

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Speaker 1: and you talk about the public, I mean, I've walked

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Speaker 1: through every tunnel that's been built in this city, and

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Speaker 1: I've walked over every bridge, including over Spaghetti Junction when

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Speaker 1: it was built back in the seventies. So will is

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Speaker 1: there any possibility that we could come for a bit

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Speaker 1: of a wander through the tunnels for the public at

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Speaker 1: some stage of the future.

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Speaker 2: I think the stations is more likely entered than the

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Speaker 2: tunnels themselves because we have energized so there's power running

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Speaker 2: through the tunnels. But when the time is right, if

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Speaker 2: we can do something with our stations and giving the

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Speaker 2: public a glimpse of how they're going to look, and

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Speaker 2: they will lock stunning, we'd love to do that.

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Speaker 1: Can't wait. Patrick, congratulate your team and I thank you

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Speaker 1: for your time tonight and all the very best.

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Speaker 2: Okay, thank you, Andrew, good talk to you.

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Speaker 1: There's Patrick Brocky who's in charge of the c L.

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Speaker 1: Remember it was supposed to be finished in twenty twenty five.

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Speaker 1: It was supposed to be opened in twenty twenty six.

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Speaker 1: Now he's talking about finishing it in twenty twenty six.

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Speaker 1: So will it be opened in twenty twenty seven. It's

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Speaker 1: a long time to watch a pot of kettle boil,

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Speaker 1: doesn't it.

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Speaker 2: For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to

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Speaker 2: news talks. It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow

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Speaker 2: the podcast on iHeartRadio