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00:31 I'm Alistair Dalton, transport correspondent of The Scotsman.
00:35 And we're inside the Falkirk Wheel,
00:37 which is undergoing its biggest upgrade since it
00:40 opened 22 years ago.
00:43 And this is what could be part of a public tour
00:46 that Scottish Canals are considering
00:48 so people could get right inside the structure like I am today.
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00:58 The project itself has been a full refit
01:10 of the original mechanisms that powered and ensured
01:14 that the operation was safe.
01:17 We've been now 21 years since it was built.
01:19 And it's probably similar to how we
01:22 would look at a Nokia 21 years ago.
01:24 This was a Nokia phone.
01:26 It was the most high-powered, expensive, and well-used piece
01:31 of equipment that we had.
01:32 It was unique.
01:33 It still is unique.
01:34 However, it's still a Nokia 21 years later.
01:36 We're now using iPhone 15s.
01:38 So in reality, we're looking at upgrading
01:40 to the modern standards that we would expect everybody else
01:43 to have today.
01:44 We've built a lot more resilience into it.
01:47 At the time, 21 years ago, we were still state of the art.
01:49 But it's moved on.
01:51 We've now brought in a lot more safety within the system.
01:54 So for example, we've got double sensors everywhere.
01:57 So if one does fail, we've still got the secondary sensors.
02:01 We've got a lot more sensors on, for instance, the gondolas
02:04 and for the doors opening and shutting, even the seals.
02:07 Everything is a lot better.
02:09 We've also got improvements within the control tower,
02:13 which is over the other side of the basin.
02:16 And it means that we're actually getting
02:18 a lot more use of the staff we've got here,
02:21 not literally working on the wheel.
02:23 We are, at this moment in time, looking
02:25 at bringing in a behind-the-wheel tours again.
02:28 It'll be sometime later on in the year.
02:30 We're not exactly sure when yet.
02:31 We're working with other stakeholders
02:33 and trying to make sure that we can get something that's
02:36 going to be achievable for us to deliver,
02:38 but also interesting for the public to come and see.
02:41 We'll be able to bring them in, let
02:43 them see where the control is, how we work the wheel.
02:46 It's unique.
02:47 It's probably the first one.
02:49 It is the only turning boat lift in the world.
02:52 It is very clever, but very basic in its operation.
02:59 When a boat goes into the gondolas,
03:01 it disperses the water that's there,
03:03 but it stays the same weight.
03:05 So when it spins, it's spinning very, very slowly, very, very
03:09 smoothly.
03:11 And I've been on it a few times now.
03:13 You don't even know you're moving.
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03:18 (upbeat music)
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