Examination of Witnesses (Questions 19880
- 19899)
19880. Infrequent and intermittent, not at the
same times, very difficult to plan for, is that fair?
(Mr Thornely-Taylor) One
of the consequences of this arrangement that I have said I foresaw
being set up in very good consultation between the contractor
and those affected is that the contractor will know when the train
starts from the portal at Paddington and it will be possible if
somebody wants to know when it will arrive at Soho, it will be
possible to give a reasonable prediction of when that will be.
19881. Forgive me, Chairman, I recognise I am
labouring this point. I am trying to understand that, here we
are with an operation that leases out its resource on half an
hour units.
(Mr Thornely-Taylor) Yes.
19882. Bearing in mind they have some very expensive
people to undertake the tasks of recording, what they have got
to do is keep their eye very, very closely on a telephone, phone
up or look at a screen.
(Mr Thornely-Taylor) No,
they have not got to do that. My evidence was very clear that,
in fact, the effect of the operational and the construction railway
after the tunnel boring machine—
19883. I am talking specifically about construction.
(Mr Thornely-Taylor) After
the tunnel boring machine has gone through the operation of the
construction railway behind the tunnel boring machine when the
rails have been welded up will not take this, above NC 25 and
that is what Dolby say they need.
19884. I am talking about at this moment the
frequency of the trains that will carry very heavy loads because
they are carrying the concrete assembly units. How will people
who book a unit facility by the half hour with very expensive
performers to carry out the task, with all that intricacy going
on with sound recording, be able to plan their work with the work
of the train which may or may not come along at any given time?
(Mr Thornely-Taylor) If
they did need, for some extraordinary reason, to turn all the
equipment off in the control room, so that this became something
measurable then that is such an odd state of affairs they would
be able to be plan ahead. Normal use of the control room it does
not matter how frequent or infrequent the trains will be because
they will not exceed acceptability.
19885. That is your prediction.
(Mr Thornely-Taylor) We
are proposing to undertake it.
19886. Forgive me, let me finish my point. That
is your prediction and we have already heard from two statements
that you made that predictions are very difficult and relatively
imprecise at this level until you know the actual facts in a given
situation.
(Mr Thornely-Taylor) I did
say the contractor might do better.
19887. I notice the "might" bit. I
still do not understand how people who are focused on a very technical
and fine business in very limited periods of time are expected
also to keep their eyes and to understand when trains, which are
very intermittent, are carrying very heavy loads and so we do
not know what the impact of that will be on that studio even on
a minor stop, if the noises were not within the perimetres that
you said?
(Mr Thornely-Taylor) If
the noise is not within the limits the Secretary of State is proposing,
then action will have to be taken to put it right.
19888. Mr Binley: I am grateful.
19889. Chairman: Mr Taylor?
19890. Mr Taylor: Just put up the graph
that we were looking at yesterday. This is your forecast, Mr Thornely-Taylor,
of the impact on Studio 9, the temporary construction railway
with no rail joint beneath for the studio which was being proposed
by the Promoter and we can see the point that determines the NC
level is there, yes?
(Mr Thornely-Taylor) Yes.
19891. And we can see its bottom line is NC15?
(Mr Thornely-Taylor) Yes.
19892. So your model is forecasting NC15?
(Mr Thornely-Taylor) Yes.
19893. Take into account a plus five uncertainty,
we go up to the top of the peak there that you have put on to
NC20, so if we take into account a plus ten uncertainty we get
to NC25?
(Mr Thornely-Taylor) That
is correct.
19894. So by offering NC25, what is your view
of the extent to which an NC25 level takes into account uncertainty
in the modelling process?
(Mr Thornely-Taylor) There
is headroom for much more uncertainty than I have been using.
If Dr Hunt wished to add ten to the prediction we would still
achieve NC25.
19895. Thank you. In relation to the questions
that you were asked about train speed and why up to 5 kph is required,
is that a matter that you feel able to deal with or is that a
matter better put to Mr Berryman?
(Mr Thornely-Taylor) It
would be a very good matter to be put to Mr Berryman.
19896. The rail can be put behind the TBM as
it is passing. We need to clarify, for the benefit of my learned
friend in particular, precisely what happens behind the TBM. The
tunnel boring machine is moving slowly forward as it creates the
tunnel and behind it we have to have lining segments placed around
the tunnel to provide support. Those lining segments have to be
brought to the location behind the TBM.
(Mr Thornely-Taylor) Yes,
they do.
19897. And there has to be a sufficient number
of them to be able to keep pace as the tunnel boring machine moves
forward.
(Mr Thornely-Taylor) Yes,
they do.
19898. Am I right in saying that in order to
bring those very heavy segment lines you have to be able to get
close to the tunnel boring machine itself?
(Mr Thornely-Taylor) Yes,
you do.
19899. So if we were, say, to accept the idea
which was put to you that we provide a continuously welded rail,
which I think you said is 160 metres long?
(Mr Thornely-Taylor) Yes.
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