March 2023
Mike Bagshaw
Running a service that people can depend on Alex Hynes
Enhancing natural habitats
Steve Cere Renaissance of rail
Louise Mendham
“Providing high-quality, reliable service”
Making the seemingly impossible possible
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Welcome to the latest Rail Director. I hope you are all keeping well. I am certainly enjoying the lighter mornings, which must be especially pleasing to those of you working on the frontline in the UK rail sector.
As I write this it is very easy to get caught up in the negativity about the railways in the media. Headlines are dominated by the strikes, delays and ticket pricing, with very few column inches devoted to the incredible work the industry is doing day in, day out.
I’d like to start with a bit of good news and the Department for Transport figures, which show that national rail passenger numbers have reached 100 per cent of pre-COVID levels for the first time since March 2020.
From Friday, 10 February, passenger numbers on the national network hit or exceeded 100 per cent five days in a row, and on Wednesday, 22 February, 103 per cent was recorded. This is fantastic news and shows the recovery and demand are there.
To put this into perspective, passenger numbers have doubled in just over a year, with the figures showing that customers have been returning not just on weekends and the middle days of the working week, but also on Mondays and Fridays. This will be further helped by the various discounted tickets being trialled by train operators. The future looks bright for the industry.
Both here at Rail Director and in the daily news round-up at Rail Business Daily, we continue to shine the spotlight on the good news in the industry and the people that make it the success it is. No more is that evident than in the cover feature of the latest magazine, an interview with Network Rail’s Nick Millington MBE.
“Making the seemingly impossible possible” is a phrase relevant to the Wales and Borders interim route director, who has made some remarkable achievements during his career, but also the industry on the whole.
I was also delighted to speak with Mike Bagshaw, the recently appointed managing director of MTR Elizabeth Line. I’ve finally had an opportunity to travel on the line and it really is fantastic, from the trains through to the platforms. Mike spoke about his railway career and his aims and aspirations for the future. I can only see the line going from strength to strength.
These are two of a whole host of features in this month’s magazine which I hope you enjoy. Thanks again to everyone who has played a part in its publication, especially all the contributors and advertisers. April’s edition is already filling up nicely, so there is no time to waste should you wish to get your products and services in front of industry leaders.
All the best,
Headlines are dominated by the strikes, delays and ticket pricing
Nick Millington, Network Rail’s Wales and Borders interim route director, has been awarded an MBE in the King’s New Year’s Honours List for services to the railway, charity and the NHS. He shares his story
12
Mike Bagshaw has been appointed managing director of MTR Elizabeth line. He shares his journey and aspirations for the country’s newest railway
14
Hull Trains’ Louise Mendham has won two awards for her outstanding service to the railways. She shares her story and passion for customers and colleagues
Alex Hynes, managing director of Scotland’s Railway, discusses the most ambitious biodiversity enhancement project to take place on Scotland’s Railway
Steve Cere has been appointed director of rail strategy at Carlisle Support Services, provider of a range of facilities management and wider support services. He discusses his aims and aspirations
37
Northumberland County Council Leader Glen Sanderson says the scheme will bring benefits for residents, businesses and visitors for generations to come
40 Celebrating a remarkable 10 years
Women in Rail marked its decade anniversary celebrations with its annual conference
42
As the Chancellor delivers his Spring Budget and rail passengers return to 100 per cent of pre- COVID levels, now is the time to invest in network capacity, powering the economy and decarbonising the railway. That is the message from Railway Industry Association’s chief executive Darren Caplan in his latest column
An in-depth look at what is happening across the industry by those who make the decisions. This issue’s features include: A detailed look at the the world’s longest bridge slide, an overview of the Luton DART, a return of Great British Railways and the work involved in drying out Selling tunnel
In the technology industry, women make up just 19 per cent of the tech workforce and only 22 per cent of directors are female. Alexis Suggett of Cubic Transportation Systems has written about how embracing equity is crucial for making progress in such a male-dominated sector
50 International news
54 Bank station’s £700 million upgrade
Bank station’s new entrance on Cannon Street has been officially opened to customers, marking the completion of the major upgrade
Leading rail contractor, QTS Group, has appointed Lisa McKellar to its board of directors. The move to marketing and social value director follows Lisa’s five-year stint leading the marketing within the company.
58 Movers and Shakers
64 Stephenson’s iconic Rocket arrives at Locomotion in Shildon
Locomotive Rocket has arrived at the Locomotion in Shildon. Dr Sarah Price, head of the museum, is delighted to welcome the locomotive with such strong connections to the North East
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Nick Millington, Network Rail’s Wales and Borders interim route director, has been awarded an MBE in the King’s New Year’s Honours List for services to the railway, charity and the NHS. He shares his story
Helping others in need has always been a huge honour for Nick Millington MBE, especially during times of crisis. It has been a passion that has driven him to help build a hospital, send 1,500 tonnes of crucial aid to Ukraine, and raise thousands of pounds for charity.
That has been alongside more than 30 years’ service to the rail industry, starting as a teen on the British Rail (Mechanical and Electrical) Engineering Apprenticeship scheme, and currently as Network Rail’s Wales and Borders interim route director.
“It gives me great satisfaction to know that I’ve made a real difference to improving the lives of
others,” said Nick, who was awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to the railway, charity and the NHS.
“One thing I’ve learnt is that anything is possible if you turn your mind to it, and you don’t take no for an answer.”
At the start of the pandemic in March 2020, Nick volunteered to help the NHS and the British Army with the creation of the NHS Nightingale hospitals. He led an army of volunteers that worked day and night to transform a former DIY store in Exeter into a hospital. His leadership and coordination have been credited as being critical to the team’s success in
ensuring the hospital opened on schedule, and unlike some of the Nightingale hospitals, the Exeter Hospital is still operational now and has also been used to clear the backlog of cancer screenings in the South West.
Following the completion of the hospital, Nick led the design of a wheelchair-friendly garden at the Nightingale for staff and patients. In the South West, he also supported the NHS by coordinating a team of colleagues – including many Network Rail colleagues – in setting up a large-scale vaccination centre at the Westpoint Arena near Exeter, which opened in January 2021.
“At the time there was an overwhelming desire for the railway family to contribute to the efforts during the pandemic and this gave us a method for that to happen,” added Nick. “I’ve spoken to families who have benefited thanks to our efforts, with one whose mother had cancer and there was a backlog, but she was able to have the screening and the surgery at Exeter thanks to the hospital and she is now ok.
“I knew we had to do it and failure wasn’t an option when someone said about opening a hospital. It was an exciting project to be involved in, and although it gave me a huge sense of fear, it emphasised how resourceful we are in the rail industry, and I was very proud of what we achieved.”
Nick is an active Mental Health Champion and has been instrumental in generating fundraising ideas, including shaving off his hair and running the London Marathon, which raised more than £250,000 for CLIC Sargent, in memory of his friend’s daughter who died of leukaemia.
More recently, Nick led a team of rail industry colleagues to organise a relief train to Ukraine, five weeks after the initial Russian invasion. The train ran direct from London to Ukraine transporting 1,500 tonnes of crucial aid, including non-perishable food, hygiene and medical products, and basic living equipment, in total worth more than £1.3 million.
“20 years ago, we sent a train full of aid from here to Kosovo direct, so I thought we should do the same with Ukraine,” he said.
“From a linkedin post within five weeks, we managed to do it thanks to getting the right people and the willingness for people to help.
“Genuinely, at the start, I had no idea if we’d do it, but we did it and it set the blueprint. Since then, Network Rail has sent more aid and the British Army has sent modular bridge systems.”
Nick’s journey in the railways started when he left school aged 15, when he joined the British Rail (Mechanical and Electrical) Engineering Apprenticeship scheme, two weeks after his 16th birthday in 1990.
While his dad wanted him to go to university after secondary school, Nick didn’t fancy that and instead wanted to get a trade and get involved in engineering.
“I applied for an apprenticeship, and I got it and I’ve never looked back,” said Nick, whose career experience includes railway maintenance, asset management, project delivery and operations. “I’ve worked with some incredible people, and I take huge strengths from our people.
“If you look at what we do in the railways it is extremely worthwhile, we connect people with prosperity, families and friends, move goods and generate economic growth. It has got a real purpose to it, and I’ve loved that.”
As part of the ‘day job’, Nick has been instrumental in leading the Network Rail ‘Safety Task Force’, a partnership with key players in the industry, pulling together multiple programmes to improve track worker safety.
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20 years ago, we sent a train full of aid from here to Kosovo direct, so I thought we should do the same with Ukraine
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The trigger for formalising it was a tragic incident in Wales, in 2019, when two track workers were struck and fatally injured by a passenger train on the South Wales main line. A third track worker came very close to being hit, escaping by inches.
“The safety of track workers has been something that has been dear to me ever since I started on the railways more than three decades ago,” said Nick. “A track worker used to die every month on the British railway system in the late 80s, early 90s, with people taking risks that they were not aware of.
“To reduce near misses, there needs to be a collective safety mindset among the thousands of colleagues we have on the railway and a willingness to alter the way we work, and we have made huge strides in that respect, in recent years.”
In 2019 Network Rail launched the safety taskforce to target track worker safety, bringing together multiple strands of work from across the company aimed at improving safety for employees that work on the railway.
This genuine need for action was further emphasised by the Office of Rail and Road issuing two improvement notices related to improving track worker safety. Nick was appointed director of the safety task force, which since then has resulted in a 99% reduction in higher-risk ‘unassisted lookout working’ over three years and a 70 per cent reduction in ‘near misses’ between track workers and trains.
“I set three simple targets for the safety task force: no lookout working, 100 per cent additional protection or train activated warning systems and 100 per cent compliance to standard 019, which
applies to all people involved in the planning and delivery of work on or near the line,” said Nick. With this continued focus, near misses have dropped by 70 per cent.
“We’ve also deployed safety equipment and technology and deployed a new planning system. So part of the task force was a planning exercise, part was a safety equipment deployment exercise and another key focus was to increase leadership oversight in order to keep our workers safe.
“We also deployed an IT system, called RailHub, that we developed from scratch. The system was developed, trialled and rolled out in less than three years. It’s a collaborative, simple-to-use, paperless
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Speaking about the next steps for the safety task force, Nick says another list of objectives has been drawn up with time-bound action plans agreed with each of Network Rail’s 13 routes for the next five years. These include the provision of more protection equipment, provision of access points, site signage and wayfinding equipment, train-activated warning systems and cess walkways. Funding has also been secured to evolve RailHub to do incident response
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2023 also sees the simplification of ‘standard 019’, which describes how we plan and deliver work safely on railway infrastructure. This simplified version keeps all the important safety requirements but is far easier for our colleagues to understand.
Last June Nick, a chartered civil engineer, a chartered project manager and a chartered permanent way engineer, took on the role of interim route director, Wales and Borders. It is an exciting time to take charge of the route, which includes more than 1,487 miles of railway and a 2,000 strong workforce. The team is working closely with partners at Transport for Wales (TfW) to provide a better service for passengers with new trains, upgraded infrastructure able to combat the impacts of climate change, more frequent, greener services, and improvements to stations.
“The job is very rewarding, but it’s a challenging time in the industry and there’s a lot going on,” said the Fellow of both the Institution of Civil Engineers and the Permanent Way Institution. “We’ve experienced some pretty challenging weather and I walked into 40-degree heat, in Summer 2022. But our railway system must be able to withstand the risks brought about by climate change, in particular excessive rain and strong wind. We’re currently involved with the
introduction of TfW’s new fleet, and a new timetable and I genuinely think we are on the cusp of something brilliant, but we’re not quite there yet. The trains aren’t all here, the crew aren’t all trained, we’ve had a long period of industrial action and, at Network Rail, we’re in the process of modernising the way we work to make the railway fit for the 21st century – but we’ve got a plan and it is going to be a huge benefit to our passengers in Wales and Borders.”
Nick said: “One priority for Nick is service punctuality, with signallers and a new performance team among the recruitments made in recent months. The day before he spoke with Rail Director the region had seen its best ever ‘Time to 3’ spot measurement, which is the number of trains that were either early, on time, or less than three minutes late, at every stop on their journey.
“It was just one day, but it proves it is possible and, where things are possible, my journey now is to make it probable and a key part in achieving that is energising the collective talents in Network Rail to focus on keeping themselves and the assets safe, while delivering great performance risk.
“If you know what causes a train to be late, then the risk can be managed and mitigated. An example is the fact we have 40,000 dead, dying or diseased ash trees on the Wales and Borders network. We have removed approximately 20 per cent of these, and we now have a much more robust risk assessment and removal plan which is helping us to deliver a more reliable railway in a safe way.
“We’re underway with resilience work on the Cambrian line and on the Severn Estuary, and we’ve recruited 45 signallers now to resolve regular closures of the signal boxes at Shrewsbury and Hereford. Transport for Wales is renewing its entire fleet with more seats, and more frequent and reliable trains coming soon. We are also welcoming a new open access operator onto our railway, and it is all coming together with all of us playing our part to transform the railway in Wales.
“My current and ongoing priorities are to safely deliver the best possible railway service in Wales and Borders, while developing the next tier of people, who can take the rail industry in Wales forward.”
If you know what causes a train to be late, then the risk can be managed and mitigated
n April 2023 it will be exactly 10 years since I created our brand Jobson James Rail, The Rail Broker.
I set out to provide a quality insurance and advice service to the railway supply chain and we have come a long way in 10 years. I had worked for a range of railwayrelated and aggregate-related businesses for 10 years, including Aggregate Industries, Mendip Rail, Charcon, RFS and others, and saw a gap in the market for a true rail expert advisor with genuine railway contract knowledge to support the railway supply chain. It used to be just me as the sole rail expert with a couple of back office staff, but now I am blessed to have a team of highly qualified and highly knowledgeable rail expert Co-Directors, who many of you know.
So let me name them: Clare Brecknell, Tim Smith, John McNeill, Richard Allen and our Sales and Marketing Manager Antoinette Stevenson. I would like to thank all of the clients and other rail industry professionals that have supported us in that decade of hard work.
I would also like to thank our Trade Association supporters, namely the Railway Industry Association, the Rail Forum, the Permanent Way Institution and our marketing company Rail Business Daily. We have grown to become the market leading insurance and contractual advisor, and it’s been quite a journey. We now support 550 railway clients and are growing every month.
Our rail clients like us because we talk rail language and have developed insurance products that provide much wider cover for railway companies. We also offer unique cover extensions tailored to their needs. Additionally, we provide free
contractual advice on railway contracts and commercial support through our rail industry networking events. Our claims service is in-house and managed by our qualified barrister. Our desk-based team also have good rail knowledge. Our clients can talk rail to us in their everyday speak, and nothing needs to be dumbed down. We can even introduce our clients to the biggest buyers in the rail industry through our Meet the Buyer scheme, hosted at our Rail Infrastructure Networking and Rolling Stock Networking events.
We are passionate to make a difference; we have no call centres, and every business relationship is personal to us. As I write this, we are about to hold our RIN London event at the Business Design Centre near Angel and have over 650 rail professionals from 380+ rail infrastructure companies registered. Some of the introductions we have made for our clients have enabled them to develop relationships with those major Tier 1s, leading to £m contracts.
I hope that we will continue to grow our business, to grow our events and make a positive difference to every client we act for. If you own or are a director at a railway supply chain business then consider what your insurance broker does for you. You are all very welcome to call me.
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It is a career that started with answering phones for British Rail more than 30 years ago. Working at college during the week, Mike Bagshaw spent his weekends at Reading Station flicking through manuals to find out train times for callers.
“Can you imagine, at the time you phoned your local station for train times and we had these computers, but you couldn’t go on them until you knew your train timetable inside out,” he said.
“If somebody said actually that job won’t exist and all the passengers will find out the information on their phones, I wouldn’t have thought it was possible. Back then you couldn’t have envisioned how technology and how we interact would have changed in the last three decades.”
The same can be said about the railway operation that Mike has just taken over managing, with the Elizabeth line bringing together a whole new set of technologies for operating and maintaining a railway, never seen together before in London or further afield.
Last month, he was appointed managing director of MTR Elizabeth line (MTREL), which has the concession from Transport for London (TfL), to run the UK’s newest railway which stretches from Reading and Heathrow in the west to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east.
“It’s very exciting to be back involved with MTR Elizabeth line and leading the organisation through its next exciting chapter, having previously held the position of performance and planning director,” said Mike, whose previous role on the line included overseeing the planning and delivery of the endto-end line.
“It was a fantastic, interesting challenge, but at times it felt that every time you worked through a solution another hurdle was thrown at you, or there was a technical solution that wasn’t going to be ready in time.
“There was also the COVID pandemic which had a significant impact on driver training, so we were constantly rethinking the best way to get the line open, and as quickly as possible.
“Working with industry stakeholders, with Network Rail and train operating companies, we had some fantastic cooperation and were able to recover about six months of the Crossrail project and introduce the service that passengers had been waiting for.
“The team and I led that piece of work from an MTR Elizabeth line perspective and put proposals to TfL on what the timetable should be and how the opening stages should work. We are part of the way through that process, with the next milestone in May this year as we increase the service frequency, reduce the journey times and move further forward to delivering the endstate Elizabeth line, which will reflect the growing numbers of passengers using the line.”
Mike spoke with Rail Director as the line celebrated passing 100 million journeys since opening in May 2022. TfL data also revealed that ridership on the line is above expected levels with around 600,000 journeys made each day, meaning the railway is one of the busiest in the UK and is on track to break even by the end of the 2023/24 financial year.
Particularly pleasing to Mike, the team and TfL
has been the news that the Elizabeth line has proven to be one of the most reliable railways in the country. Data from the most recent four-week period shows an overall industry performance rating of nearly 93 per cent, compared to the average industry performance of 78.5 per cent. Customer satisfaction for the line has to date also been extremely high.
“It was an easy decision to take on the role of managing director of MTR Elizabeth line because it is an opportunity to lead one of the newest railways in the UK and one of the busiest, with fantastic technology, brand new signalling and a really engaged workforce,” said Mike. “There is an enormous sense of pride in seeing the sheer volumes of people using the line and knowing it is helping them get to their destinations faster than they were previously.
“People like the service and some are doing journeys they wouldn’t have considered before. The stations also look fantastic, and I regularly see people filming and admiring the architecture. People are wowed by them, and the challenge going forward is in making sure people continue to feel that wow factor and that we are running a good reliable service that people can depend on.”
MTR was awarded the Elizabeth line concession by TfL in July 2014, initially operating services under the interim TfL Rail branding, connecting Liverpool Street with Shenfield in the east and later Paddington to Reading and Heathrow in the west. Last year the agreement was extended by two years to run until May 2025.
Mike, who replaced Nigel Holness as managing director after he stepped down to refocus his efforts on developing future business opportunities at MTR, will lead MTR Elizabeth line through the final stages of the plan, which will see a further timetable change in May, and the expansion of throughrunning across the Elizabeth line route.
“Very simply we need to deliver a very high quality, punctual railway and to do that safely,” he said. “It has been a great start and people like it and we’re one of the most punctual train companies in the UK, but our targets are higher, and we need to improve reliability. We need to look at all the things that do cause delays to passengers, working with our partners and teams to eliminate those things and to ensure we are constantly improving to deliver a worldclass railway.
“From May, we will be running 24 trains per hour during peak periods through the central core, and we will be reducing the journey times, taking five to seven minutes off some journey times in the west, so it will feel quicker, particularly if you are coming from somewhere like Reading. It is certainly not about maintaining the status quo; we need to be working hard to achieve the very highest of standards of punctuality and reliability.”
Mike first joined MTR in 2016 as bid director, before becoming performance and planning director of MTR Elizabeth line in 2018, and chief operating officer of its parent company, MTR UK, in 2021.
His railway career began in frontline customerfacing roles in British Rail. As a part of the initial management team that developed Chiltern Railways’ expansion to the West Midlands, Mike helped to deliver exceptional passenger growth, operational performance, and customer satisfaction.
At Arriva Trains Wales, he led the team that helped to transform performance, delivered high levels of passenger growth and introduced new routes and services, working closely with the Welsh Government.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed my career in the railway, and I wouldn’t change a thing,” said Mike. “I’ve always had an interest in transport and my time working part-time as a telephone bureau clerk thumbing through fares manuals and other frontline roles working on the station concourse at Reading was a great grounding for me on talking to customers.
“I do relate back to my early days working in the railways, particularly around the challenges of dealing with customers when things weren’t always running as well. It has enabled me to relate to some of the experiences our team deal with day-to-day. I thoroughly enjoy putting the orange jacket on and helping out at stations; it takes me back 30 years to what I used to do and I gain a lot from the personal interaction with customers.
“I am optimistic for the future. The railway has got more potential to grow than a lot of people think, but there are things that we should all be doing in the industry to encourage more passengers to travel. People want to use the railway and sometimes we don’t make it as easy as it should be for them, and if we can break down those barriers, we can see passenger growth. If I reflect back to my time at Chiltern Railways, we delivered double-digit passenger growth every year, and similarly in Wales. If we get the product right, the pricing right, and make the railway accessible and easy to navigate, then people will come.
“Overall we need to deliver the consistent service that people want. It sounds basic, but the train services need to be reliable and if we say we’re going to run it, we need to run it. It also needs to be affordable, easy to use and a pleasant experience and I think the Elizabeth line does that. It’s not rocket science, but it does take work. You’ve got to build and maintain great relationships with your colleagues and partners. The railway is an extraordinary collaboration, and our success is achieved through the efforts of a great team. It’s fantastic to see those efforts realised.”
I am optimistic for the future. The railway has got more potential to grow
Louise Mendham takes an enormous amount of pride in working for the open access train operator Hull Trains. It reflects in the service the delivery director has delivered in her two decades of working on the railways.
Her dedication hasn’t gone unrecognised. In October last year, she was named the winner of the Outstanding Personal Award (Management) at the National Railway Awards, while in February this year, she was awarded Outstanding Employee at the annual Hull BID Awards.
“I feel extremely proud for the recognition, but the awards are testament to all of the hard work our colleagues have dedicated to keeping people moving during a particularly challenging period,” she said.
“We have a fantastic team here at Hull Trains, every single colleague plays their part; it is one team where we all personally take on every challenge and celebrate every success that comes our way. “
In the case of her National Rail Award, Louise was described as being selected by the judges for going above and beyond her normal duties, utilising her leadership skills alongside sheer determination to create a lasting difference for team members and customers.
“I wanted us to be in a successful position in terms of the challenges that we’ve had, and it is now about moving onto a more exciting future with great plans ahead,” said Louise, who is modest about the awards, and keen to dedicate them to the whole team.
“It makes me feel excited for the future and the next phase of our recovery and building that confidence with customers and colleagues, bringing us all together for the next chapter.
“I really feel now is the time to celebrate our industryleading fleet, its reliability, and its green credentials. Our capacity is currently sitting at the highest ever level and our performance across the business is continuing to improve; everything is moving in the right direction to achieve those next results.”
We have a fantastic team here at Hull
Trains, every single colleague plays their part
Standards play a vital role in making our railways safer, more efficient and more sustainable.
As Great Britain’s independent rail body, the Rail Safety and Standards Board has been developing and maintaining industry agreed standards over the past 20 years. Our standards ensure compatibility and harmonisation across the UK railway industry.
And in our latest standards updates we have introduced changes for AC electrification that deliver benefits of at least £27 million to the industry over the next 5 years. The changes will reduce costs associated with new electrification schemes and provide confidence that trains and the electrification infrastructure are compatible.
For more information visit:
www.rssb.co.uk/ac-electrification-standards
We’re with you every step of the way
Louise, who was born in Hull, joined Hull Trains in 2004, in operational support, and has worked her way up the ranks. She has held roles including logistics manager, planning and performance manager and production director.
She said: “Reflecting back, the development for me personally has been incredible. In 2004 I was producing rosters and now I am service delivery director, leading the business day to day. It has been some journey and it hasn’t come without its challenges, but there have been more rewards and it has improved my personal resilience.
“I was attracted to Hull Trains because coming from the city I knew of its good reputation, and I wanted to be part of a team that was so friendly, and customer-focus driven. It did, and still does, give me a real sense of pride putting on the uniform with the Hull Trains logo on – local residents also share that sense of pride in Hull Trains and the impact it has on the city and the surrounding area.
“The company has also given me the opportunity to think out of the box to come up with solutions, an example of which was when we were one of the only operators able to divert services into London St Pancras during engineering works. This is an example of the whole team striving to find solutions to a challenging problem and putting the customers first, when the easiest option would have been to just cancel services.”
It certainly hasn’t been a smooth journey for Hull Trains, with Louise leading the company through lockdowns and hibernation, but now the future looks bright. It is running its highest-ever number of services and has recently won a national industry award for delivering the most reliable intercity fleet of trains following the introduction of the newest most energy-efficient bi-mode fleet.
“After the challenges of the last few years I am ready for whatever comes next,” she said. “As well as the impact of the COVID pandemic, we’ve also had to deal with some extreme weather and infrastructure challenges, which takes an enormous amount of planning, risk assessment and contingency plans; you have to have not just a plan b, put plans c and d as well.
“The challenge now is getting customers back onto the trains and adapting to different travel patterns. With talk of the new leisure four-day week coupled with people working from home among the changes, it is important to be agile and react quickly to customer demands.
“We have responded agilely by building up our timetable to levels previously seen before COVID, adapting to customer demands by providing extra capacity on key days in line with changing travel patterns. The focus has always been on our customers and making sure they’re at the forefront of everything we do when contingency planning. They have always been at the heart of our recovery plan.”
The future for Hull Trains looks bright, cemented by the Transport Secretary Mark Harper’s recent George Bradshaw address in which he said open access operators “will play an important role in the industry’s future, especially as we grow new markets and make best use of spare capacity on the network”.
For Hull Trains, leisure demand has returned much stronger than business demand since the pandemic, with the operator responding with 10 car services around peak leisure times, plus the launch of a sixth return Sunday path. The result of the increased timetable is now providing 33,000 seats per week for Hull Trains customers – the highest in its history.
“Everyone at Hull Trains is looking forward to a positive year with 2023 all about getting back to what we do best, which is providing high-quality, reliable services to the people of Hull and the surrounding communities,” Louise said.
“It is an exciting time for customers and colleagues. We’ve got a great team here at Hull Trains and pairing this with our increased capacity, improved performance, and internal plans for the rest of the year, we’ve all got a lot to look forward to.”
After the challenges of the last few years I am ready for whatever comes next
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With the current political and economic pressures facing train operators, anyone with responsibility for the leadership of the finance, procurement, IT and data strategy teams, could be forgiven for feeling a little stretched and concerned. That isn’t the case for Phil Leney, finance director at Trenitalia c2c.
“I’m not sure there’s ever been a harder time to be in finance in any industry than at the moment, but although it is particularly complicated and challenging, it is exciting and there is a real opportunity here for vital changes for the rail industry,” he said.
“It feels like it’s the first chance that business support functions that sit behind the operations can go to the front of the pile and drive much-needed culture and decision-making change, and really embrace the technologies that can put the sector on the right track to thrive in the future.”
At 39 years old, Phil is one of the youngest finance directors working at a train operator, having worked his way up the ranks at the organisation over the last 16 years. It was following an apprenticeship working for accountancy and business advisory firm BDO that he entered the rail industry.
“I got lots of audit experience and it was my time at BDO that highlighted how important it was to me to influence change,” he said. “I’d go in and do audits and as much as I could leave at the end of the two weeks thinking I’d done a good job, it didn’t give me the feeling of having really influenced the business.
“I realised pretty early on that I wanted to be a
financial leader, but not so much from a pure finance stance, I wanted to go and push change and be commercially innovative.”
It was on leaving accounting practice that Phil joined c2c, initially as a financial accountant, before working his way up through various analyst roles to become head of finance, before being appointed finance director in September 2021.
“I’ve always been someone passionate about challenging the status quo with anything and even in junior roles I used to look at every spreadsheet that I had inherited and rebuild it, creating a better way of doing it and always looking for ways to deliver automation,” he said. “I was always pushing change and that got noticed.
“As a finance director, I have a desire to prove myself, particularly as I haven’t got a degree and didn’t qualify as a chartered accountant until I was in my 30s. I surround myself with people who have a similar work effort as me, which is more important to me than their background.
“Although I don’t have that degree background, I have got the knowledge of having worked in every junior role you can possibly imagine through the finance function. I have experienced the struggles others go through and have made all the mistakes multiple times. Having worked all the way from the bottom to the top puts me in a really good position to understand and empower my team.”
Little over 18 months into the post and changes have already been made at the organisation to reflect the role of the finance department and reflect a cultural change to empower staff to have a greater say in driving the business forward.
Trenitalia c2c’s Phil Leney, one of the youngest finance directors at a train operator, shares his journey from an entry-level position, and his aspirations for the future
We want the industry to deliver a good service that is reasonable value for money and safe for all customers
Internally, IT and data has been moved across to Phil’s team, highlighting the way that innovation, using technology, and being smarter in how data is being used, feed into making the business and its people more efficient.
“Finance directors are evolving from the old school controller types who were very much about the numbers – controlling decisions rather than moulding ideas, with a reputation for saying no to everything –into innovators who are really starting to understand the value of investing in new ideas. I really believe senior finance professionals need to be seen as enablers of change,” said Phil, who has embedded the finance team into the business as partners to act as enablers.
“You are in a really blessed position in a finance role because you are the only department that by default cannot be siloed. We know a bit of absolutely everything that is going on in the business and we must sit over every department, so you really get a holistic view of the health of the business.
“A big change for me is that now by default I’ll try and say yes to an idea. This isn’t an easy thing to do when, as a commercially driven person working in finance, the default position is to say no and find many reasons to pull apart ideas. The modern finance director has to have a balanced view, listening to ideas and not suppressing colleagues’ innovative minds.”
Train operator c2c is the award-winning train operator running services between Fenchurch Street and Shoeburyness, serving 26 stations in East London and South Essex. Owned by Italian-based Trenitalia, c2c is one of the UK’s most punctual and popular train operators, with nearly 48 million journeys made on its services every year.
The train operator has recently had its contract extended by the government to run services up until July 2025.
“The short-term contract worked for a while, but now it is hindering progress and we need to get back to a longer-term management model, so you can come in with ideas and deliver investment upfront with payback time,” said Phil. “If we continue along with these one, two-year cycles, how are you ever supposed to develop the bigger initiatives?
“Crossrail would never have been delivered in a contract environment like we are in because you would sit down every year with no budget and have to re-budget from scratch again. We have got to take that model to the whole industry and if we want to rebuild this industry, we need to take a longerterm approach to it while recognising the immediate issues.
“I do feel though that this is the first time that there has been an industry acceptance of needing to think differently and of making the changes that are needed to get this industry going again. It is tough, but pretty exciting at the same time.”
The changes centre on the creation of Great British Railways (GBR), with Transport Secretary Mark Harper earlier this year committing to the transformation change which includes new Passenger Service Contracts, which he said, “will balance the right performance incentives with simple, commercially driven targets.”
He also said he wants the private sector to play “its most important role in our railways yet,” calling on it to reinvigorate the sector, drive innovation and ultimately attract more customers to the railway, working in partnership with GBR.
“We’ve all been forced together by red tape; what I’d like to see is the red tape disappear, but for us to still work closely together to deliver this change,” said Phil. “I have huge hope for this industry, but I do think there are a lot of blockers that are standing in the way in the form of policy, when actually we just need guiding principles.
“We want the industry to deliver a good service that is reasonable value for money and safe for all customers; there is no operational or executive team that isn’t going to fundamentally agree with that as a remit, so let’s go get on and do it. Trust is an important part of that, and although there is a lot of work to do, the fundamental principles of what we’re trying to do are not that complicated.”
Phil added: “The key for me at the moment is to focus on net zero, and I’m not talking decarbonisation this time, I am talking in respect of the subsidy from the government and in making this business profitable, so we’re not a burden on the taxpayer. We’re not going to reach that just by cutting costs, the only way is going to be by driving revenues up by ensuring we are catering for our customers going forward.
“We are going to continue to think about revenue versus cost because it is lunacy to disconnect them. We want to explore all avenues to improve our service; there is no point having the private sector here trying to drive a better railway if we’re not aspiring to deliver a better railway, regardless of the political or economic situation. It is a balance between right sizing where appropriate and delivering a world-class service.”
I really believe senior finance professionals need to be seen as enablers of change
The Black Country Innovative Manufacturing Organisation (BCIMO) is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee and the driving force behind a new state-of-the-art research and development facility based in Dudley in the West Midlands. This £32m multi-purpose centre, situated at the heart of the Black Country, offers a host of unique facilities including a Rail Development and Test Site, Engineering Laboratories, Serviced Offices and an Events Suite.
“Rail has an opportunity to become the transport mode of the future, driving economic recovery, connecting communities, and supporting the government’s net zero and levelling up agendas. Key to this will be lower-cost, more environmentally friendly transport technologies – and the facilities involved in their development and testing.”
That’s according to Neil Fulton, CEO of the BCIMO. BCIMO was founded to oversee the launch of one such facility, the VLRNIC in Dudley. Built on the site of the town’s former railway station, the £32 million pound centre of excellence comprises an engineering hall, a 2.2km test track, and a range of other one-of-a-kind features – all of which can now be used by companies looking to develop new rail products.
Two of these features – a 15m radius loop and a rapid battery charger – are world firsts, setting the VLRNIC apart from other rail development centres. The facility has also been awarded a licence exemption by the Office of Road and Rail, which means that clients can develop and test their innovations onsite, free of the constraints associated with the main line operating environment. And, in addition to state-of-the-art
facilities, VLRNIC can also provide independent, multidisciplinary project teams and expertise to support customers through the product acceptance process and onto commercialisation.
“Thanks to its integrated, ‘bigger-picture’ approach, the centre is already facilitating the development of new and emerging public transport industries – including Very Light Rail,” explained Neil.
This integrated approach is supported by a wide range of onsite features, including a three-storey innovation centre, complete with engineering hall. A triple-height building with a 26m track and pit, lifting equipment, electric and compressed air supplies and high-speed WIFI, it’s the ideal space in which to maintain, repair, operate, and even assemble vehicles and infrastructure.
When it comes to conducting confidential R&D activity, stabling prototype and test vehicles, and carrying out further assembly, maintenance and repair work, companies can take advantage of a secure and well-equipped workshop. This space is currently being used by the ground-breaking Coventry Very Light Rail project.
Neil added: “From June 2023, customers will also be able to access serviced office facilities and an events suite - including a 100-seater auditorium and large exhibition hall. The centre’s 10 engineering labs will be populated with specialist research equipment over the next year or so.
“It will eventually support projects right from proof of concept through to commercialisation (TRL 5-9).”
And, whether they’re looking to trial vehicles and equipment or conduct training, the VLRNIC’s 2.2km test track is available for use. Comprising continuous welded rail track laid to Network Rail’s 100mph standard, and with a walkway path running alongside its entire length, it enables innovators to ensure that their technologies will perform safely and efficiently on the main line. An 870m long ‘5 brick arch’ Victorian tunnel is ideal for dark-tolight autonomous system trials, communication transmission trials, and the testing of infrastructure and equipment.
Thanks to its 200m-long radius loop, companies can also test novel track structures and novel vehicle chassis/bogie systems designed to operate on ‘tight’ radius curves.
Neil added: “Testing isn’t confined to the track at the VLRNIC. We’ve provided a split-level platform (suitable for both heavy and light rail personnel access), which means that clients can conduct passenger access trials, carry out training, and test platform infrastructure, real-time train running information, and systems monitoring passenger numbers, behaviour and security, all without leaving the centre.”
A range of additional features facilitate and expedite innovation onsite, helping suppliers to overcome the challenges associated with product development. One such resource is a world-first battery charger for rail, which supports the highspeed charging of battery-powered vehicles, minimising downtime. A siding, complete with 45m buffer stop, can be used to stable vehicles and carry out staff training, while a CRAB1500E shunter and four safety-standard compliant lifting jacks are available to suppliers.
Neil concluded: “Ultimately, our goal is to serve as an unrivalled platform for rail innovation, bringing together the resources and equipment our clients need in a single location. And, with a range of new features (including a purpose-built mobility hub, mule vehicle and driver simulator) due to be unveiled in the coming months, VLRNIC is well on track to meeting this objective.”
To learn more about the VLRNIC and its facilities, visit https://bcimo.co.uk/areas-of-focus/transporttechnologies-of-the-future/facility-hire/
Rail has an opportunity to become the transport mode of the future
It’s no secret that the UK rail industry is facing a significant skills shortage.
In a recent article, the National Skills Academy for Rail (NSAR) predicted that almost 50,000 employees would retire by 2030, adding that the number of under-25s in the sector had “halved since 2016”. Coupled with the impact of Brexit, and the fact that project investment could create thousands of new jobs each year, these issues have left rail on the brink of a recruitment crisis.
It’s something SEP’s managing director Rikki Morrow feels strongly about. Following a period of rapid growth, the firm – which has gone from railway surveying specialist to multidisciplinary service provider in just a few years – is in the midst of a nationwide recruitment drive.
In a recent conversation with RailDirector, Rikki explained that he is committed, not just to growing his team, but to retaining existing talent.
The UK’s fastest-growing rail surveyor
Reflecting on SEP Rail’s journey to date, Rikki said: “When we founded the company in 2018, I knew we’d do well – but I never anticipated that, barely five years later, we’d be a 40-strong team with a turnover of around £6-7 million.”
“My ambition now is for us to be seen as the UK’s leading rail surveying firm and to continue to build on the huge growth we’ve seen since launching SEP Rail Services back in 2018.”
Today, the SEP Rail Group comprises five businesses: SEP Rail Services, SEP Rail Design, SEP
Rail Engineer, and SEP Culant and SEP Geotech. These distinct arms offer everything from surveys, design and engineering, to ground investigation, specialist access and more.
SEP Rail’s 360 approach sees it support clients (including Network Rail, Keltbray and Colas) for the full lifecycle of a project, helping them to make truly informed decisions. Since its launch, it has been involved in some of the UK’s most high-profile railway schemes – including the Midland Mainline Electrification and the Great Western Electrification Project (GWEP).
Experienced surveyor Rikki (who joined the rail industry after an injury cut short his semi-professional rugby career) attributes this success, not just to SEP Rail’s partnerships and processes, but its dedicated team.
SEP Rail Services’ people-focused approach is helping it to attract and retain talent, despite the industry skills shortage. Managing director Rikki Morrow explains how a holistic approach to recruitment and people development is driving the business forward
“We’ve built a fantastic team of multi-disciplinary experts, and everyone plays their part,” he explains. “Of course, having the right equipment is key, as is building long-term partnerships with trusted contractors.
“But our employees make SEP Rail what it is –which is why we’re committed to investing in and empowering them.”
Indeed, with rail’s skills shortage set to intensify, Rikki recognises the importance of talent retention. He and his team strive to foster a culture of health and wellbeing, offering a range of meaningful company benefits.
Rikki explained: “Surveying involves working in challenging environments, which can take a real toll. Our employees have access to online mental health counselling and can reach out to professionals 24 hours a day.”
“As a former rugby player, I’m also an advocate of the ‘healthy body, healthy mind’ approach. That’s why we offer staff 50 per cent membership discounts for any gym chain in the UK.”
While these benefits help to boost employee wellbeing, Rikki acknowledges that fair wages are a crucial piece of the puzzle.
“SEP Rail Services aims to pay fair and competitive wages across the business,” he added. “We believe that everyone should receive a living wage, particularly as we’re in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis.”
Listening to employees has also proved key, with Rikki encouraging all kinds of feedback from his growing team.
“It’s important that we understand our workforce’s needs so that we can meet, and even exceed, them,” he said. “I actively welcome feedback, and this approach has helped us to recruit new talent through referrals. If our staff feel heard and respected, they’re more likely to recommend us to friends and former colleagues.
“Ultimately, if we’re to address the skills shortage, we need to attract new talent and invest in our existing workforce.”
As with contractors and clients, SEP Rail has sought to forge long-term relationships with a handful of specialist recruitment partners, finding that this approach yields better results.
“We’ve worked closely with our partners, making sure they understands our ethos, as well as what we need and what we have to offer” Rikki commented. “It means we’re able to recruit talented, competent professionals who are already on our wavelength.”
It’s all part of SEP’s holistic, forward-looking approach to recruitment, which is underpinned by careful brand-building and strong marketing.
Indeed, skills shortage or not, the future looks bright for rail’s fastest-growing surveying firm.
We’ve built a fantastic team of multi-disciplinary experts, and everyone plays their part
his project will allow us to balance the removal of trees and vegetation elsewhere on the railway on a scale that would not be possible by replanting purely within our boundaries.”
That is the message from the managing director (MD) of Scotland’s Railway, Alex Hynes, on the launch of an industry-leading pilot project to enhance natural habitats near the iconic Glenfinnan viaduct.
Network Rail Scotland is committing £329,000 for Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS), which manages the land, to use in a two-year project which will help to compensate for biodiversity lost during safety-critical tree and vegetation management works across Scotland’s rail network.
“The project area sits within Scotland’s endangered Atlantic rainforest zone in the dramatic setting of the Glenfinnan viaduct, which can be seen by passengers travelling on the Mallaig Line,” said Alex.
“It will be the most ambitious biodiversity enhancement project that Scotland’s Railway has ever undertaken.”
The Glenfinnan sites are within Scotland’s rainforest zone, which is the focus of a new large-scale campaign to save this globally important habitat from extinction. Priority native habitats within the sites include the designated but threatened Caledonian pinewoods, Atlantic oak woods, ancient alder wet woodlands and recovering peatlands.
The removal of non-native plant species, management of deer browsing, fencing improvement work, wet woodland enhancements and tree planting will take place across approximately 200 hectares to protect, restore and expand rainforest and peatland habitats.
The first phase of work is now underway with the removal of non-native plant species, such as rhododendron and self-seeded non-native conifers, across the woodland and peatland habitats where the project is taking place. Invasive species which threaten native habitats will continue to be removed throughout the project.
“Seeds blow in from neighbouring gardens and plantations can quickly take over, blocking light, upsetting delicate nutrient and water cycles, and changing the ecosystem so it no longer supports the abundance, diversity and rarity of the species found in Scotland’s rainforest,” said Alex.
“In the short term, the scheme will help remove threats to vulnerable and internationally important woodland and peatland habitats. The long-term result of this activity is expected to be an uplift in biodiversity across the project area.
“It will have major benefits for biodiversity, communities, visitors, climate resilience and carbon storage for generations to come. The longer-term objective is to restore ecosystem processes over 10 years to support full habitat recovery and the ongoing resilience of Scotland’s rainforest.”
The project provides a route towards compliance with the recommendations of the Varley review – a paper which laid out how effectively Network Rail manages lineside vegetation on its estate – and has been endorsed by Transport Scotland. It will also meet Network Rail’s mandatory compliance standards.
Alex said: “Rail is already one of the greenest forms of transport and we are committed to working to reduce our industry’s impact on the environment through further electrification of our network and also by supporting innovative projects like this one.”
Simon Hodgson, chief executive of FLS, said: “We are looking forward to working with Network Rail Scotland over the next two years to deliver this important pilot project within Scotland’s Atlantic Rainforest zone.
“This support from Network Rail is helping to supplement our national rainforest restoration programme, funding activity to protect and enhance threatened habitats. Work has already started on site, and we look forward to seeing biodiversity at Glenfinnan flourish into the future as a result.
“The longer-term objective is to restore ecosystem processes over 10 years which will support full habitat recovery and ongoing resilience. Thanks to these initial interventions funded by Network Rail, as well as ongoing management and maintenance undertaken by us, we are on track to achieve that goal.”
An industry-leading pilot project to enhance natural habitats near the iconic Glenfinnan viaduct has begun.
been keeping rail moving for the last 150 years.
Our maintenance and asset management capabilities are second to none, taking care of every aspect of your maintenance requirements from service, parts management and overhaul through to innovative engineering solutions and life-cycle cost reduction.
Whether for passenger rolling stock or freight vehicles our skilled experienced operators combined with our envious range of nationwide services will ensure you stay on track.
The UK’s rail industry is rapidly evolving as new technologies become available and increased demand is putting pressure on the associated energy infrastructure. In addition to that are the challenges to create long-term value by scrutinising the way businesses operate and the impact that might have on the environment.
Through inspired thinking, assured solutions, integrated delivery and long-term expertise, UK Power Networks Services (UKPNS) is powering the energy transition and enabling the decentralisation of energy to a more sustainable, affordable and secure system. The organisation already has a proven track record in delivering energy solutions for the likes of Network Rail, London Underground, Docklands Light Railway and HS1. But that impact is only going to get greater in the years ahead.
“We have the experience and expertise to deliver for the railways, taking the problem statement and working for clients to provide the solution,” said director David Mitchell, who first joined the company as an apprentice in 1980. “We have the capabilities of consulting and design, through to actually building, operating and maintaining.”
Phil Heathcote, head of markets, said: “It would be remiss of me not to also mention our very strong safety ethos, with it being eight years since we last experienced a lost time incident in any sector.”
UKPNS is part of UK Power Networks which owns and maintains electricity cables and lines across London, the South East and East of England, providing power to a quarter of the UK’s population.
UKPNS provides energy infrastructure technology consulting, financing, major project delivery, design and build, operation and maintenance and asset management, with experience in distributed energy resources and the integration of new technologies such as electric vehicle infrastructure, battery storage, embedded generation and microgrids.
Its work in new technologies is helping the rail industry to reduce energy demand on the network, such as regenerative braking, and addressing the risk of energy loss through the network, with solutions like energy storage and renewable generation improving efficiencies and reducing carbon.
“Renewable sources of energy such as solar photovoltaic panels, solutions including combined heat and power generation and energy storage are presenting cost-effective ways to help businesses to transition to a low carbon economy,” said Phil. “The energy transition and the drive to net zero is a key space for us, looking at EV infrastructure, solar generation and energy storage in batteries.
“In addition to doing the physical works, we’ve got a very strong consultancy team and advisory team, helping people understand what the energy transition is and making the socio-economic case and the techno-economic case for various different pathways to achieving net zero. Unlike some organisations who would outsource their engineering work, we have a very experienced in-house design team of 50 plus, including many whose background is in the railway. We do much of our design work in-house.”
David added: “When it comes to power systems, we don’t just design and build them, but can also operate and maintain them, bringing that experience back from enduring the long-term maintenance of assets, which we own in many cases, making them maintainable and economic going forward.”
We have the capabilities of consulting and design, through to actually building, operating and maintaining
UKPNS has a long-standing relationship with the UK railways. It was commissioned to design, construct, operate and maintain the electrical infrastructure of HS1, more recently successfully introducing regenerative braking on that network onto the South East trains. It also helped modernise London Underground under a private finance initiative, running its power system for several years, worked on regenerative braking, 16 substation upgrades, and is currently midway through the design and construction work of several key electrical substations and the installation of new electrical infrastructure and control systems and cables along the Piccadilly line.
UKPNS’s work on the Great Western Electrification Project further highlights its focus on innovation, with the implementation of two ground-breaking initiatives: the Rationalised Autotransformer System and the use of polyfibre-reinforced concrete.
David said: “We’ve been involved in many highprofile projects; day-to-day we manage the power systems on HS1 and we are currently in the process of installing more monitoring equipment which allows for live diagnostics to be carried out, enabling us to find any issues before they become real issues.”
Phil said: “We’re currently working with Transport for London to operate the Beckton DLR Depot for the new CAF rolling stock. We are also carrying out several studies for train operating companies and a rolling stock leasing company around charging infrastructure for battery electric multiple units, which is interesting, and the trials are going well.
“Some of the studies for the train operating companies demonstrate that you can accommodate battery rolling stock without it being to the detriment of the timetable. I think it has a strong place in the South West, Wales, Scotland and particularly in those areas where it is prohibitively expensive for full electrification schemes.”
Even in a short conversation with David and Phil, you get their sense of excitement around green initiatives and helping organisations on their net zero journeys, particularly in creating that door-to-door, end-to-end journey that is electrified, while ensuring that the technologies replacing the existing ones are equally as resilient.
It comes as organisations are striving to hit commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with the twin effect of increased carbon taxes and levies coupled with the greater need for transparency and growing public expectations around corporate responsibility prompting them to think more deeply about their sustainability strategies.
For the rail industry, the changes to energy use are not limited to traction power. Renewable generation such as solar PV is becoming more common at stations and maintenance depots, and with the uptake of electric vehicles continuing to increase, customers and staff are expecting charging infrastructure to be available in station car parks.
“There is a lot of innovation going on in the rail industry and I don’t think a lot of the general public appreciates that, and that is something we will push, pushing the boundaries of innovation,” said Phil. “Particularly around stations, they are the nodes on the network so why can’t that be a part of an integrated transport network?
“You’ve got solar panels on the roof, energy storage, EV charging in the car park, and that transportation node becomes a green node with those renewables. Stations are fascinating and with some intelligent thought, they can be a lot greener. Especially with more stations being converted to community use, greener stations work for the railway and communities around the railway.
“UKPNS has an important role to play in this, as we can take a location and design the charging infrastructure for vehicles, design the right level of solar panels required and advise in terms of energy storage.
“There is particular potential in when cars are parking up all day that you can get energy from the car back to the grid.”
David added: “The aim is joining as much together as possible to keep energy loss low and to make the total journey as low carbon as possible. It is about optimising the solution with the investment needed from the output you get.
“Overall, it is an exciting time to be involved in UKPNS and the railways overall. We have come a long way since I joined as an apprentice – who’d have thought all those years ago about how the digital space would develop, with a lot of the work we do for protection schemes for the railways now involving a virtual digital model to test various scenarios.
“It really feels like we are helping shape what our world might look like and helping to make worthy progress in creating a bright energy future.”
Overall, it is an exciting time to be involved in UKPNS and the railways overall. We have come a long way since
I joined as an apprentice
“Iwant the private sector to play its most important role in our railways yet, to reinvigorate the sector, drive innovation and most importantly, attract customers to the railway.” That was the message from the Transport Secretary Mark Harper at the recent George Bradshaw address.
Ready to answer that call is Steve Cere, who has recently been appointed as the director of rail strategy at Carlisle, provider of a range of facilities management and wider support services.
“The UK rail industry represents a significant part of Carlisle’s client base, turnover and employee headcount,” he said. “We enjoy contractual relationships with 13 of the UK train operating companies and we have more than 2,300 employees engaged in this part of the country’s critical national infrastructure.
“Our involvement in the sector is varied and key to its operating success, with duties ranging from train dispatch and revenue protection, security, and travel safety to cleaning and wider facilities support services.
“As an industry, we hate it when things go wrong because it really creates a negative impression of the industry, but equally when things do go wrong, we’re really good at recovery and putting things right because we do all care about passengers.”
At the speech in February, Mark said Great British Railways (GBR) will be established, responsible for track and train, as well as revenue and cost. He said the private sector will work with GBR, helping to set the right commercial conditions across several areas.
Steve said: “Working alongside train operating companies, Network Rail and the Department for Transport, it is clear that there will be a need for all parties to collaborate and move forwards in the achievement of common goals that add value to all involved, none more so than the UK rail passengers.”
It is a challenge that Steve is looking forward to playing a role in. He has worked in the rail sector for more than 20 years, having previously worked for Virgin Trains within its station management community, before joining Carlisle as contract manager for its TransPennine Express cleaning contract.
More recently he led the company’s successful revenue protection and security contracts with Northern Trains and prior to his current role was managing director of its North division, where his teams delivered services on behalf of several other train operators.
“I joined the rail industry in the late 90s just post privatisation with Virgin Trains in an operational role in general purpose relief working on stations and I’ve been associated ever since,” he said.
“I find the industry fascinating, all the different moving parts around the industry and working on stations and being the first touch point for customers.”
“I came to Carlisle in 2010 having worked at Virgin Trains from frontline up into operational management, customer service management and running the booking office at Manchester Piccadilly. I really enjoyed my time there but fancied something different. Carlisle was known to me because it did the cleaning, through Alstom, for our trains.”
The transport sector is in the DNA of Carlisle Support Services, having been involved in the rail industry for more than two decades, providing cleaning, security and retail to the sector.
“Around 35 per cent of our turnover is linked to rail and if you walk on to a station today, pretty much every customer touch point you come across from the welcome host and revenue protection, to dispatch and station cleaning, Carlisle does that work somewhere for a train operating company,” he said.
As a railway employer we want to be seen as an employer of choice
“It keeps me busy and my focus with my new job is about how we can maintain and grow that standing in the industry, working collaboratively with the industry in coming up with more solutions. The railway is integral to everything and we’ve got to settle on what people want the industry to look like in the future.”
Steve has a strong track record to build on. Among the company’s successful partnerships includes train operator Northern, where they work together as part of a revenue protection solution.
“We’ve been working with Northern for nearly six years providing the boots on the ground,” he said. “We’ve supported the operator in the introduction of penalty fares and revenue enforcement and have seen ticketless travel reduce from 10 to five per cent in the last three years, generating significant returns for the government.”
An important part of the company’s success has been the importance it places on colleagues, with a real emphasis on being an employer of choice. The company is a Living Wage Foundation Recognised Service Provider and even offers an income streaming app so that once a shift has been completed workers can get their money the day after if they are having a tight week.
In February the company also held an innovation lab, bringing together people from the business, clients and suppliers to talk about innovation.
Steve said: “As a railway employer we want to be seen as an employer of choice. It is not a race to the bottom competing with other businesses like ours to cut costs at the expense of employees; we want them to add value. We want to be an employer that people come to and look to for sustainable jobs, development opportunities, further progression; that is where I want us to continue to go in the future.
“We do care about our people and recognise and celebrate the work they do at our annual superstar awards ceremony. The leadership team also meet those working on the frontline, talking to workers and looking at what can help them do their job better. Our turnover stats have reduced substantially over the last five years. Just taking our work with Northern as an example, five years ago turnover was around 25 per cent, now when you exclude people moving from us into rail jobs at Northern, it is now well below 10 per cent.
“Overall, I am positive for the future of Carlisle. The future is going to be dictated largely by what happens in terms of reform and I firmly believe Carlisle will play an important part in that.
“We know what we can do and what we can deliver and with that in mind the company will go from strength to strength alongside the industry in the renaissance of rail.”
Since 1988 the Aqua Group has been leading the way in product innovation for the UK rail sector. Among the manufacturer and supplier of drainage systems’ many achievements include it winning the Queen’s Award for innovation for its Derby GRP catch-pit frames.
The journey for the business started with plastic drainage pipes, soon followed by catch-pits, enabling Aqua to offer fully integrated drainage systems for use in the Permanent-Way (P-Way).
Its fabrication department uses the latest processes and techniques to manufacture standard track and off-track drainage catch-pits, UTX chambers and a variety of bespoke solutions to client base site-specific requirements. Managing director Stuart Smith said: “Aqua is a family run business started by my parents, Ian and Lynda Smith. Initially the company was doing fabrication work in telecoms and cable TV fittings and then started supplying material to builders’ merchants.
“My father was out and about and saw someone digging up the ground next to the railway line and installing drainage with clay pipe. At the time he was working for a plastics company and decided he would bring plastics to the railway industry. That’s where it started and since then we’ve continued to expand, providing a valuable service to the railways.”
Aqua Group’s extensive range of railway drainage products and railway cable management systems are widely accepted as market-leading products in the UK. Since 2005 it has supplied more than 22,000 GRP catch-pits through out the network, along with an array of pipes and geocomposites. The company also operates its own dedicated fleet of vehicles, ensuring it has control of deliveries and giving customers swift and extremely reliable delivery service.
“We offer drainage and the ability to supply everything you need for that job on one wagon, guaranteeing that it will be there when you want it ready to be installed,” added Stuart, who has been involved in the business for nearly 25 years. “We have built up that level of trust over the years and that is why people keep turning to us for their drainage solutions.
“We are dedicated to the rail industry and fully understand our customers and the challenges of working in the sector. That is embedded into all our staff who are dedicated to customer service and looking at those innovative ideas to develop our products further.”
Among just some of the successful projects it has been involved in include the supply of P-Way drainage and geocomposites as part of the Paisley Rail corridor in Scotland, as well as involvement in the modernisation of the Great Western route and Waverley Line route.
In 2016 the company won a Queen’s Award for Innovation for its drainage systems. The Derby glass reinforced plastic product replaced a previous product manufactured in concrete. It is a modular ring construction to line a catch-pit, with the new material and design reducing the weight of the component and the time and staffing requirement for installation.
Additional benefits have also included increased efficiencies in manufacture, improved performance and reduced damage in transit and handling.
“Over the course of the last three decades our relentless drive to innovate and solve the UK’s railway drainage and cable management problems with durable, lightweight and cost-effective geocomposite
formation membranes, plastic drainage piping and signal cable management products has seen the Aqua Group granted 10 patents and 15 trade marks on our bright ideas,” added Stuart.
“It was a great honour for the company to receive the award and emphasised our commitment to be outstanding in our field and create new products to transform the railways for the better. This is a passion that will continue in the future and overall, we will challenge ourselves on service and quality, putting innovation and the customer at the forefront of everything we do, just like we did when the company was first formed more than 35 years ago.”
Visit www.aquafab.co.uk/ for more details
The Aqua Group supplies the rail industry with a comprehensive range of drainage systems. Managing director Stuart Smith explains more
Employing surveillance techniques honed in a career as a police detective, Aaron Rail’s Security Director Chris Gill and his team foil robberies and enhance clients’ security
Aaron Rail is a leading provider of civil engineering, maintenance and refurbishment services to the UK rail industry, including the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) West Alliance, and has its own specific challenges relating to theft and wilful damage to equipment and plant. This is where Chris Gill and his investigative team come in.
From his background and early career, Chris looked to be a shoo-in as a Security Director at Stockport-
based Aaron Rail. Even though he never aspired to actually join the police force, he was fascinated as a child by the notion of becoming a police dog handler; the concept never really left him, despite having several roles in the engineering industry after leaving school, and, in 1991, he took the plunge and joined the Greater Manchester Police Force.
His career progressed swiftly - if not necessarily smoothly, given the responsibilities of a uniformed foot patrol officer in some of the more difficult
parts of the Manchester area, requiring high levels of diplomacy to keep the peace and apprehend wrongdoers. As he says, “I was on uniformed foot patrol duty in some quite lively areas, where you had to keep your wits about you, or you didn’t go home in one piece!”
Self-protection was another significant attribute when faced with the threat of physical violence, and having a martial arts qualification as a First Dan black belt in kickboxing was an advantage.
Chris’s supervisors were quickly aware that he had a high arrest rate, and he was asked to join a Divisional Organised Crime Disruption Unit. It was here that his specialised police experience and training really began. Compared with overt policing on the beat, it was a secret world, and he ran numerous undercover operations, incorporating various surveillance techniques and covert optical evidence gathering, employing video and stills photography.
In the late 1990s, Chris began training as a career detective, taking a course run by the College of Policing and earned the accreditation of becoming a PIP 2 Investigator. A PIP 2 Investigator employs a range of investigative approaches to gather material, placing the victim at the centre of all actions in order to investigate complex crimes. Chris discovered that he had found a flair for this kind of work, and he was invited to join the Force’s Major Incident Team.
It was sufficiently involving for him to remain in post with the Unit for over twenty years, during which time he continued to accumulate nationally recognised policing qualifications.
These ranged from Tier 3 Suspect Interviewer to Data Telecommunications Investigations Officer, and he became increasingly well-versed in the various analytical roles within a major investigation room.
This case-building experience qualified him as a Force champion Advanced Disclosure officer – responsible for examining all unused material as it gets identified and ensuring it’s scheduled appropriately, that’s to say, the identified material gets properly recorded.
Having become immersed in the realm of homicide and investigation into Organised Crime Groups, Chris trained as a family liaison officer, working with victims’ families, and sometimes even with the offender’s family in the event of a homicide. Experience told, and he was promoted to family liaison co-ordinator, deployed within this role whilst still actively involved in incident investigation.
Chris’s current role as Aaron Rail’s Security Director evokes comparisons with his previous role as a detective. In terms of similarities, the skills he developed as a specialised Detective were easily transferred into the security world, where they’ve proved invaluable. It’s become second nature when conducting crime scene assessments, enabling him to assess and predict what type of precautions might have prevented a crime from taking place. When conducting risk assessments on rail compounds and deciding what security requirements should be implemented, this is an essential skill. In the wake of on-site incidents, Chris is adept at interviewing and statementing the people involved, whilst conducting a comprehensive investigation into the conditions surrounding the offence.
As he puts it, “having managed literally thousands of high- and low-level criminal investigations, you develop a second nature when conducting crimescene assessments, and this enables you to assess what precautions would have prevented a crime taking place.”
This also benefits his staff and colleagues’ working practices. It’s essential to know what type of behaviour and language is ethical and permissible to use during an internal investigation so that any possible forthcoming police investigation won’t be affected. Evidence-gathering is invaluable, and it would be easy to inadvertently damage the evidence chain through insufficient knowledge of investigation processes.
As Security Director for Aaron Rail, Chris’s priorities include the provision of highly-trained security staff on all security assignments. “Knowledge is power,” he says, “so I ensure my staff receive continuous training so that they provide a service that stands out above and beyond our competitors.” This is key to Chris assessing security requests from Aaron Rail’s clients and advising what security measures would be appropriate under the circumstances.
The main security challenges currently facing the rail industry - and specifically Chris’s security teams – include general trespass and theft of copper cable and equipment from station compounds and rail works. Consequent disruption to rail upgrades is very considerable, exacerbated by the increasing value of copper cable within the scrap metal industry, and the temptation to thieve, which that causes. Fortunately, Chris’s security teams have thwarted numerous thefts in this respect and have been integral to the arrest and arraignment of offenders.
Specifically, Chris’s experience in surveillance and covert detection, as well as interviewing high-profile suspects and working as a family liaison officer, has fine-tuned his facility to ‘read’ people via their responses and body language, and given him a sixth sense when a suspect is not telling the truth, or is stressed or emotionally upset.
As he says, “I assess a person’s response when I speak to them, and I can identify people who may be suffering with stress or emotionally within the workplace or within their home life.” When it comes to clamping down on cable theft and potential criminality through focussed detective work, Aaron Rail and the TRU West Alliance have the best possible operative at the helm in the shape of Chris Gill.
I ensure my staff receive continuous training so that they provide a service that stands out above and beyond our competitors
It was a momentous occasion when a train carrying 1,800 tonnes of material arrived at The Leyland Railhead in Lancashire in January. The sidings were originally built in 1953 to manufacture Centurion tanks at the outbreak of the Korean War, and more recently in 2018 by Network Rail for storage during the Blackpool electrification scheme.
Now, the railhead has been brought back into use by Fox Group – specialist in the supply and haulage of aggregates, recycled materials, muck shift and earthworks – as the platform for its expansion into the rail sector as they push towards road, rail and marine. On 10 January, the first Freightliner train arrived from Tunstead carrying material the equivalent of circa 95x8 wheeler loads. This has already increased to half a dozen trains now arriving every week.
“The takeover and opening of the railhead by Fox Group has been in the works for more than two years, with the teams working closely with Lancashire County Council and Network Rail to get the railhead back to its intended purposes,” said Fox Group’s chief executive Paul Fox. “Special thanks must also go to Tarmac, especially commercial director Richard Kerwin and head of rail Chris Swan, as it wouldn’t have been possible without them.
“The opening marks our expansion into rail and allows us to further enhance our sustainability initiatives, due to rail allowing larger amounts of material to be delivered in a much more efficient and greener way.”
The company was first founded in 1932 by Jack Fox as Fox Brothers, in which he operated two to three wagons out of the now-former brickworks building at Hoo Hill, Layton.
Already established in the road and marine sectors, Paul said entering the rail market made complete sense with the expertise and green vision the organisation has and complements Fox Marine, where it is also moving aggregates via ship.
Paul added: “Predominantly our business is plant hire, muck shifting, aggregate supply, quarries and tips, and it was always the ambition to add rail and ships, especially when looking at better ways of moving material around the country.
“Having the railhead has enabled us to bring large amounts of material and distribute it a lot quicker, without increasing the number of vehicles. It has already raised our profile and we’re bringing six/seven trains a week each with 1,800 tonnes, and we’re selling more stone, but with the same number of wagons.
“We can sell more tonnage, more volume with the same amount of trucks. If we wanted to sell another 4,000 tonnes of stone a week that would have been another 44 loads a day, another 10 trucks on the road overnight, but that isn’t the case with the railhead. Rather than 22 tonnes of carbon emissions released from the journey a wagon would take, via rail, only seven tonnes are released.”
As a responsible employer, Fox Group is passionate to minimise the impact of its operations on the environment.
Last summer it welcomed the UK’s first electric tipper wagons (two Volvo FE Electric 6x2 tippers), which are based out of the group’s neighbouring Leyland depot.
In recent years Fox Group has also made a conscious effort to cut its carbon emissions through multiple electric plant machinery.
Paul said: “Machine hire, delivering stone and moving muck off sites are our areas of specialism and as we continue to grow, I don’t want us to lose that quality of customer focus, but to look at doing our work in a more efficient way, which is why we are committed to using rail, ship, EV trucks and electric plant.
“We are always looking to push sustainability, particularly around carbon reduction, and the railhead has done that for us, particularly when that is linked with electric trucks, with more due to arrive in May. They are going to be allocated to running stone from the railhead.
“The track ahead for the Fox Group is to stick to what we understand and are good at, while at the same time looking to be more innovative in how we do it, continuing to increase our sales, but without increasing our carbon footprint.”
Visit https://foxbrothers.co.uk/ for more details
The Northumberland line reopens in summer 2024, slashing journey times in half, reconnecting communities to jobs and opportunities and growing the region’s economy.
The government has been working with Northumberland County Council, Network Rail and Northern Rail to restore regular services between Ashington and Newcastle, with brand new stations built and when the scheme is complete journey times slashed in half.
Transport secretary Mark Harper said: “Communities in Northumberland can get ready for regular train services that will better connect people to jobs, education and opportunities while growing our economy.
“Restoring lost railway connections will drive tourism, boost local business opportunities and encourage investment across our regions, which is why I’m pleased to say that we are on track to reopen this historic line next summer.”
Among the work includes six new, fully accessible stations being built, with the new line stopping at
Ashington, Bedlington, Blyth Bebside, Newsham, Seaton Delaval, Northumberland Park and finally Newcastle Central.
Northumberland County Council Leader Glen Sanderson said: “We are delighted to have reached this major milestone which gives the green light for the main construction works to start. This is such a transformational scheme which will bring benefits for residents, businesses and visitors for generations to come.
“We have been working so hard over recent years to make this scheme happen, getting all the necessary planning and stations approved and preparing the line for the major works.
“This is the moment we’ve been working towards and I am so excited we’ve reached this point as we prepare to get trains rolling again through this part of our county.”
Once complete, the journey time between Newcastle and Ashington will be reduced from 70 minutes to just 35, with services operating regularly seven days a week, providing easier access to jobs, education and tourism opportunities in the city centre for not only local residents but all those passing through too.
The line’s construction work alone has created almost 100 high-skilled jobs and apprenticeships. Congestion and air pollution are also expected to plummet as it’s hoped people will be encouraged away from their cars and onto trains.
Matt Rice, Network Rail’s north and east route director, said: “This is hugely welcome news as we get closer to delivering a transformed railway which will support the re-introduction of regular passenger trains and connect communities in Northumberland and Newcastle.
“We’re proud to be working with our industry partners on this truly revolutionary project, which will boost economic growth and bring a new lease of life to the region.”
The Northumberland line project forms part of the government’s Restoring Your Railways scheme, which has been reinstating local services and restoring closed stations and railway lines that were axed as a result of the Beeching cuts in 1963.
It has already seen the successful delivery of the Dartmoor line, which reopened to passengers in November 2021 and has since doubled its passenger services and benefitted students studying in Exeter.
Elite Project Services has entered an exciting new era in its mission to provide access planning, safety-critical staff, training and personnel services for the rail and construction industries.
Driven by a strong commitment to social corporate responsibility, and providing essential training and support for offenders both in and out of custody, the unemployed or those wanting to change career paths, the company has just opened a new training facility.
Stratford Gateway, opened in partnership with Nomadic Community Gardens & Hadley Property Group, is a fully functional training facility in Stratford, East London, located by Stratford International station.
“It is designed to offer courses for all rail and construction needs, including accredited and awareness courses,” said Martin Dunne, director of Elite Project Services. “As well as two simulation rail tracks it also has outdoor areas for training in small tools, small plant and other construction/rail requirements.”
The training centre includes designated practical areas for National Plant Operators Registration Scheme accredited machine operated training courses, as well as ones for EUSR CAT1/ CAT2 and abrasive wheel courses.
“We have the capacity to run small tools and de-vegetation courses as well as the means to put other training courses together for a desired package to suit customers,” said Martin. “The centre also has a fully functioning classroom with whiteboards and projection for learning presentations and a welfare unit.
“Not only are we able to run high-quality training on a commercial basis, but we are also a one-stop shop for the community, offering social value to the area and a place where those being released from custody, currently on probation, unemployed or wanting to change career paths, can access further training and IAG sessions with fully qualified advisors assisting them on their journey.”
Elite Project Services founding principle of giving ex-offenders a second chance is rooted in the firsthand experience of chief executive and founder Martin, who between the ages of 16 and 37 found himself in prison on several occasions. It was while serving time at a Category D institution that he took control of his future and very quickly gained a Personal Track Safety (PTS) qualification.
On release, he began working with many different rail companies before creating his own company, driven by a passion to support rail recruitment and service needs, while at the same time giving ex-offenders an opportunity to turn their lives around.
“For the past five years we have been running ‘On the Right Track’ courses to those in custody and currently operate within 10 prisons in London and the surrounding areas,” said Martin, who employs more than 40 staff, one-third of who are ex or serving offenders.
“The course consists of either a two-week or fiveweek programme and offers accredited qualifications in first aid, fire awareness, manual handling and Construction Skills Certification Scheme.
“Alongside this, we have created a Personal Track Safety awareness course which offers an insight into the world of railway working. The remainder of the training is completed once learners are released into the community, ensuring that they receive the relevant training and complete courses such as Personal Track Safety and Industry Common Induction. Learners are then ready to liaise with our resource team to secure work in the rail sector.”
RISQs-approved Elite Project Services works with several different government bodies, including the Ministry of Justice, HM Prison Service, Probation, Social Services and the Department for Work and Pensions.
“We pride ourselves on being able to help those that are sometimes hard to reach and believe that
which is why we work so closely with ex-offenders in custody and in the community,” he said.
“We are making great strides in transforming people’s lives, but I would like to see more Tier 1s in the rail industry playing their part in getting more people into the sector. There is a lot of work in the industry but we’re not utilising these people to support the railway.”
Visit eliteprojectservices.com for more details
the
hile much has been achieved, there is still more to be done.” That is the message from Women in Rail’s (WR) vice-chair Shona Clive. She was speaking at the organisation’s annual conference, which marked the end of its 10th-anniversary celebrations.
“We are now looking to the next decade and where we, as an organisation, can add most value and give best support,” she added.
The conference, hosted by London law firm Stephenson Harwood, brought together 120 in-person attendees and a virtual audience of almost 100. Tickets had sold out within 48 hours of their release.
It started with a fun and enlightening EDI-related icebreaker hosted by Lucy Dyer, an apprentice civil engineer at SLC Rail and member of Women in Rail West Midlands Committee.
Shona said: “In line with our 10-year anniversary celebrations, the conference reflected on WR’s journey so far and addressed the significant progress in EDI in UK rail, with a particular focus on how organisations and individuals across the sector have implemented EDI as a key business imperative and the benefits this has realised.”
Adeline Ginn MBE, who founded the charity in 2012, was keynote speaker at the conference. She shared WR’s remarkable journey and achievements to date, highlighting the passion and dedication of the WR team of volunteers who, for the last 10 years, have been working relentlessly to drive long-lasting changes within the UK railway industry.
Other speakers included Alexandra Batey, HS2 Ltd Phase 2b development director; Lydia Fairman, head of capability and skills development for Network Rail and Great British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT); Rachel Fullard, Rail Delivery Group national rail service analyst and chair of WR RIA EDI charter working group; Mark Johnson, Southeastern engineering and major programmes director; Leon Lloyd, director of Centrum Solutions and former England international rugby player; Nia Mellor, Detective Chief Inspector in the British Transport Police; Mandeep Singh, D/ Gauge marketing manager and vice-chair, WR RIA EDI charter working group; and Fi Westcough, Atkins consultant (Strategic Rail) and national chair Young Rail Professionals (YRP).
Presentations included the work carried out by GBRTT to attract new talent into rail, the link between fostering EDI and high-performing teams, the British Transport Police’s support of White Ribbon, the UK’s leading charity engaging with men and boys to end violence against women and girls, and the future of apprenticeships and YRP.
Shona said: “Our speakers provided valuable insight into the industry’s thoughts on what the next decade will bring in terms of EDI activity and how we can all contribute in collectively making change happen across the industry and that allyship will play a central role.”
A lively panel discussion considered a variety of EDI talking points, with a focus on the importance of allyship. Speakers included Shane Andrews MBE, Network Rail project manager and chair of Archway, Network Rail LGBTQI+ network; Jess Bates, Atkins
Network Rail client account director and Atkins Global EDI lead; Laura Donnelly, West Midlands Trains head of sales and marketing and chair of Engender, a West Midlands Trains group dedicated to gender-related topics; and Odis Palmer, GBRTT EDI project manager, I&D manager at GWR and Co-Chair of Rail Unites for Inclusion.
Shona concluded: “We would like to thank the conference’s corporate sponsors and the team at Nimble Media Ltd for supporting and delivering what was a hugely successful and well attended event.”
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per cent of prerailway.
As the Chancellor delivers his Spring Budget and rail passengers return to 100 COVID levels, now is the time to invest in network capacity, powering the economy and decarbonising the railway. That is the message from Railway Industry Association’s chief executive Darren Caplan in his latest column
By the time you read this, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will have delivered his Spring Budget. It is to be seen whether the Budget will contain much on rail, given his positive comments in last November’s Autumn Statement committing publicly to delivering HS2, Northern Powerhouse Rail and East West Rail.
Just days later, Transport Secretary Mark Harper backed this up, announcing in the Statement of Funds Available for Control Period 7 (CP7 – April 2024 to March 2029) a real-terms increase which broadly maintains the current funding levels in Operations, Maintenance & Renewals of CP6. This announcement was combined with a commitment
in the accompanying CP7 High Level Output Specification to better collaboration between government, Network Rail and the supply sector on a more certain and visible pipeline of rail work, which the Railway Industry Association (RIA) and its members have been regularly calling for in recent years.
However, judging by media reports, you would have thought these public commitments by the Chancellor and Transport Secretary were never made. Although it is fair to say the announcement on 9 March, that the Birmingham to Crewe leg of HS2 will be delayed by two years to cut costs, was disappointing and will likely actually increase the cost of the overall project. It should also be pointed
out, though, that Mark Harper again recommitted in the same announcement to building the HS2 scheme fully from Birmingham to Manchester. Concerningly, there are still noises of a managed general decline in rail, in clear contrast with the positive statements made by senior Ministers, including Rail & HS2 Minister Huw Merriman, about the positive future for a growing UK rail industry.
The publicly stated re-commitment by Mark Harper in the recent George Bradshaw Address to delivering rail reform also draws its own speculation. Pretty much every discussion by the railway industry includes the question, will rail reform and Great British Rail be delivered, especially with a General Election next year?
‘We
Yet no one has articulated a Plan B, so one would assume we should all plan for restructuring unless, sometime in the future, some ultimate decisionmaker comes along and tells us not to.
However, this speculation fails to account for the fact that rail passengers have been coming back in droves compared to a year ago. There is simply no question there needs to be more investment in rail capacity, to ensure we have a network which can deliver for passengers and freight both today and in the future.
The government needs a well-functioning and larger rail network, to provide the country with the connectivity it needs to support UK plc, levelling up and decarbonisation.
It also needs a vibrant rail industry, given the 710,000 jobs, £43 billion Gross Value Added (GVA), and £14 billion Treasury revenue it supports, and the £2.50 generated in the wider economy for every pound spent on rail.
So this return to rail and the implications for increased capacity needs to be taken seriously, even more so given the significant industrial action and poor service levels seen on some parts of the network since last summer; imagine the even higher likely levels of passenger and freight patronage were this not the case.
To evidence the buoyant numbers, in mid-January 2022 passenger numbers on the national network – according to Department for Transport data –were barely half of pre-pandemic levels. Yet by Friday 10 February, passenger numbers had risen to 100+ per cent of pre COVID levels for five days in a row, taking in the weekend and the alleged WHF days of Monday and Friday.
In London, by Wednesday 1 March the Underground saw passenger numbers up to 85 per cent per cent of pre-COVID levels during the working week for the first time since the start of the pandemic (with 86 per cent the following day), and over 100 per cent regularly being hit at the weekends (129 per cent was recorded on Sunday 5 February).
Passenger revenues have also been encouraging, given COVID restrictions were only relaxed barely a year ago, and even then, not in every part of the UK. Revenues are now reaching 90 per cent of pre-COVID levels, with opportunities for further recovery in the months ahead as people return to the more regular routines of pre-COVID life, as well as increasing leisure travel too.
There is increasing evidence that hospitality is staging a major recovery and UK citizens and tourists are now travelling more for fun activities and to visit friends and family. Given all this, rail is not a sector requiring managed decline – rather, it is bouncing back strongly following the years of the pandemic.
Of course, there is future uncertainty over many things in the railway industry, notwithstanding questions about the future of train operating companies, operations, ticketing, fares reform, and so on.
Will the government deliver major projects in full? Will the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline be updated and published, now we are in the fourth year of non-publication?
Will rail reform go ahead in its current form, should legislation not be passed ahead of the next General Election, and how would Conservative and Labour visions of reform differ? What will be the effect of high inflation on the costs of rail work, albeit with the rate forecast to come down in 2023?
And there are concerns over the government’s ability to deliver its rail decarbonisation agenda. If it wants to get diesel-only trains off the network by 2040 and deliver net zero by 2050, it and Network Rail need to massively step up the amount of electrification delivered on intensively used lines.
The current Transport Decarbonisation Plan envisages around 13,000 kilometres of electrification works carried out by 2050, yet we are nowhere near the rate required to deliver this. Office of Rail and Road data shows, incredibly, that there was actually a decline of 7km of electrified track between 2020 and 2022.
Additionally, there also needs to be a ramp-up of battery and hydrogen-powered trains for less intensively used parts of the network. We need decisions now about how these investments will be scaled up, including what is to be done with existing life-expired diesel rolling stock, to reduce carbon and maintain a high level of passenger experience. RIA’s RailDecarb23 campaign will have more to say about this in the coming months –watch this space.
In summary, it is clear that for reasons of capacity, the economy, and decarbonisation, we need to continue as a country to invest in rail. Recent political statements and the strong passenger return to rail make securing this more likely – though we all need to keep making the case to ensure that what should be a positive outlook translates into positive decisions in the months and years to come.
RIA’s full Spring Budget submission can be found at https://www.riagb.org.uk/RIA/Newsroom/ Publications%20Folder/Spring_Budget_ Submission.aspx
RIA published six ‘asks’ of the UK Government, ahead of the Spring Budget in March, calling on the government to:
1. Provide investment certainty and transparency. This incurs no cost to the Exchequer but is crucial for ensuring the right people, skills and equipment are in the right places to deliver effectively and efficiently.
2. Deliver investment in major infrastructure. Rail projects transform cities, towns and communities. Schemes such as HS2, East West Rail, Northern Powerhouse Rail, Midlands Rail Hub, Crossrail 2 and a number of other enhancements projects, need to be delivered in full to ensure the fullest possible benefits in the years ahead.
3. Accelerate decarbonisation and clean growth. A steady programme of investment in rail electrification and low carbon technologies such as hydrogen and battery will reduce carbon sooner, be more cost effective and will sustain high value jobs.
4.Get on with rail reform. While the government’s commitment to the Great British Railways restructuring of rail is welcome, we also need a long-term strategy for rail. A lack of clarity about the future of the railway hinders investment and makes it harder to secure the best talent.
5.Unlock innovation and private investment. Innovation is essential, not just for boosting efficiency and productivity, but for the railway to rise to challenges such as climate resilience. Private investment can bring finance and new technologies.
6. Promote rail exports. UK rail has a great international reputation. With government support there is potential to significantly increase exports – global rail markets are predicted to grow three per cent every year to 2027.
There is simply no question there needs to be more investment in rail capacity, to ensure we have a network which can deliver for passengers and freight both today and in the future
Equity is all about fairness, impartiality and giving everyone a level playing field. It’s about being aware of our own unconscious biases and actively working to eliminate it in our lives at work and at home. Sometimes, it can be easy to become overwhelmed in a fast-moving workplace and mindfulness of our actions is perhaps not always our top priority, however, it is vital that we all strive to be cognisant of how our actions impact others. Often it’s the small adjustments that can add up to significant change.
I believe the best-performing organisations attract, retain and develop optimal talent at every level, regardless of gender, however, there still isn’t gender parity in terms of behaviours, career progression and pay across most sectors, including transportation and technology. That’s why we need to help women feel confident in succeeding in what are often maledominated environments and ensure we are fostering a culture of respect and mutual support.
We only have to look at women leading the way today to explore possibilities of what can be achieved tomorrow. In the UK, Stagecoach made waves in 2020 by appointing Carla Stockton-Jones as managing director, making her the first woman to lead a private sector multimodal Public Transit Organisation in the country. The company has since raised female representation at its operations board to 42 per cent.
More companies must examine career paths to ensure there are equal progression opportunities with a diverse Leadership team to provide the appropriate gender perspective. To help in this mission, organisations should encourage a healthy work-life balance, removing structural and cultural barriers so women can excel in their careers and raise a family without having to make sacrifices.
Until there is a widespread acknowledgement of the gender disparity, there will always be bias against women, particularly in the workplace and education. Throughout my own career, I have faced multiple counts of discrimination. I have been referred to as emotional or bossy in situations where a man would have been seen as assertive; I have been told that shedding a tear in a 1-2-1 was a sign of weakness, not passion; and been advised
that becoming flushed in the face when presenting demonstrated that I didn’t know what I was talking about.
As a woman, people have assumed that I will be the one to order lunches during meetings. I have had people actively talk to my male colleagues, assuming they’re the decision makers, when it was in fact myself. These preconceptions and flippant remarks, the eyerolls when I do the occasional school run, all contribute to women’s experience of inequality in the workplace.
The biggest obstacle women must face is familial responsibility: the stigma surrounding women returning to work post-childbirth/adoption is particularly poignant. Businesses, therefore, need to be flexible with hours, workstyles and remote working to support all carers and parents.
Thankfully, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the needle has moved significantly when it comes to flexible working and our culture is shifting from the traditional ‘presenteeism’ of the past. Nevertheless, there is still an ingrained bias against hiring or promoting a woman who might want to start or grow her family. And yet, in my experience, new mums are some of the most effective workers around because we simply don’t have time to be inefficient. We need women like these in the workplace and therefore must create a structure that works for this talent pool.
We may live in a privileged society but there are millions of girls and women living much less fortunate lives. In a world where men still hold control over their wives and sisters, and where girls are denied an education it’s important to remember how much further we still have to travel.
Throughout my own career, I’ve had to push on many closed doors, prove my worth and argue my point. Every woman I have spoken to on this subject has experienced the same. Until we have parity, women will continue to contend with these obstacles. My advice to women is this: champion others, champion yourself and surround yourself with others that champion you. We all have control over how we react, and how we keep pushing and elevating ourselves and other women. To everyone in the Transportation sector in 2023, get on board and realise the innovation #EmbraceEquity could ignite.
In the technology industry, women make up just 19 per cent of the tech workforce and only 22 per cent of directors are female. Alexis Suggett of Cubic Transportation Systems has written about how embracing equity is crucial for making progress in such a male-dominated sector
Until there is a widespread acknowledgement of the gender disparity, there will always be bias against women
Alexis Suggett, director, contracts and data protection officer at Cubic Transportation Systems
The NIC (Non-Intrusive Current Monitor) is used as part of the preventative maintenance systems on wayside / Rail Infrastructure applications.
The DIN rail mounted NIC units are designed to measure AC/DC currents, using “Fluxgate Technology”, up to +/-600mA when the primary cable is passed through the hole on the side of the unit.
The NIC provides a scaled 4-20mA current output to the end users’ equipment. This may take the form of a data logger which stores the raw data that can then be remotely downloaded for analysis.
Data analysis allows for trends to be visualised for equipment that might show degradation, i.e. current variations outside normal limit, thus allowing targeted maintenance to be carried out before actual failure.
uilding long-term trusted advisor relationships with our clients is our number one focus,” says Martin Noguera-Fitch, principal consultant at TXM Consult. “Understanding their vision, ambition and appetite for risk is critical to shaping the right business strategy for their future. Simultaneously, we look to embed resilience and ensure sustainability at every level.
“One of our foundational clients, Transport for Wales (TfW) has a big vision for the future – to Keep Wales Moving. This means a mega transformation of the entire transport system to boost capacity, improve accessibility, make significant strides in sustainability, and provide integrated travel solutions to customers. This modern, customer-focused transport infrastructure and network will help reduce carbon emissions by promoting the use of public transport.”
A multi-year engagement spanning 2020 to 2024, the team working in partnership to deliver the transformation comprises TfW, Network Rail and a framework of suppliers under a consortium known as the Integrated Delivery Partners (IDP). TXM Consult’s role is to partner at both a strategic and operational level across the whole transformation, with specific focus on the Technical Advisory for Rolling Stock, Depot and Layover Strategy and Signalling (ETCS) elements.
TXM Consult’s team of practitioner consultants, engineers, project managers, and technicians, provide subject matter expertise across all disciplines, including commercial management and safety assurance.
Operating at all levels within TfW, from strategic advisory at c-suite, through to on the ground operational excellence, they are advising and delivering on a revised strategy to enable the full impacts of the transformation to be realised with minimum disruption.
“We have partnered with TfW to bring their vision to life, transforming their network to bring it in line with 21st century standards,” said Martin. “Our team consists of people from multiple disciplines, leading, managing, delivering and supporting activities right from concept inception, through the detailed design phase, into production, through the testing and commissioning phase, and into acceptance and revenue service.”
TXM Consult is delivering a wide range of services and solutions for TfW, including:
The overall systems integration of the ETCS upgrade of the Cambrian Line, co-ordinating the delivery of infrastructure, rolling stock and systems projects.
Providing programme commercial strategy & management to both enable management of the existing fleet and provision of a new fleet.
Developing and leading the integrated programme and risk management for all new train projects and infrastructure enhancements, working with the PMO functions within organisations to create a single integrated view.
Delivering expert quantitative scheduled risk analysis of independent programmes in support of the delivery of a new train fleet, alongside the infrastructure requirements to validate interdependency.
Leading strategy and delivery on depots. Setting requirements, undertaking advanced computer and scenario modelling, land acquisition and business case proposals.
Delivering key outputs and impact
“TfW are already seeing huge benefits,” said Martin. “We’re changing the maintenance model from outsource to in-house through major contract negotiations, saving millions over the life of the train fleet.
“We’re establishing an operational, organisational, technical and delivery integration hub for the delivery of the Cambrian ETCS Upgrade project, and have simplified, streamlined and de-risked systems assurance, acceptance and authorisation, driving the critical path of the project.”
Having embedded lifecycle asset management best practice from ISO55000 standards into the systems integration approach, enabling continuous improvement and driving best whole life value outcomes, TXM Consult is creating consensus amongst project member organisations and stakeholders on project scope, aims, objectives and solutions.
Martin said: “The advice and support we provide is central to the whole transformation and an example of our ability and agility to provide integrated solutions for highly complex and diverse mega infrastructure portfolios. The end goal is still several years away, but our work today will leave the Welsh rail network with a legacy that will service customers now and for generations to come.”
Established in 2020, TXM Consult has more than 130 specialists who have worked with operators, manufacturers, maintainers, asset owners and partners on key projects in the UK, Australia, the Middle East, and North America.
TXM Consult are part of TXM Group, a global organisation providing consultancy and resourcing solutions worldwide, specialising in engineering, healthcare, and technology.
Visit www.txmconsult.com for more details
how TXM Consult is providing expert technical advice and integrated digital solutions to help transform the future of
Electrified railways are energy efficient, cost effective, and better for the planet than other rail systems. Leading the way in their installation is Pandrol, a specialist in electrification systems which puts the power supply for rolling stocks on track.
The company is one of the world’s leading railway electrification companies, providing innovative overhead electrification solutions and third rail for every setting, including aluminium conductor rail systems and rigid overhead catenary.
“We are leaders when it comes to electrification systems with our retractable and rigid catenary systems and third rail systems in use all over the world including Europe, Asia, and North and South America,” said Frederic Petrus, Pandrol’s electrification director.
“Pandrol is the leader in these products, with our experts working all over the world on the best and most exigent networks in coordination with all the Pandrol product family links, putting quality and safety at the heart of everything we do.”
Inventor of the rigid catenary system
Pandrol’s rigid catenary system is an overhead conductor rail that offers an alternative to the conventional catenary. More than 2,000km are installed in rail networks around the world, particularly in tunnels, with a specific retractable version for application in depots.
“We have a profile with our rigid catenary systems everywhere in the world,” said Frederic.
“It is a system which was invented by our company,
the Delachaux Group, in the late 1990s, to solve a technical issue in Spain.”
The rigid catenary system consists of an extruded aluminium profile clamping the contact wire. The profile is available in different lengths, which are connected electrically and mechanically with aluminium splices. It can be used to replace the contact wire with sustentation wire or the suspended bimetallic T-rail.
“Key benefits of the rigid catenary system include operational safety, low maintenance costs and extended product life,” added Frederic. “Its small dimensions make it extremely adaptable for use on smaller tunnels’ gauges. The rigid catenary system also reduces construction costs and involves at least 10 times fewer components than conventional catenary.
“Pandrol started the journey of the rigid catenary system and today the real added value we offer versus competitors is our expertise in its installation. We are able to train clients, or assist them during the installation, in order to be fully efficient.”
World leaders in third rail technology
Pandrol is a world leader in rail infrastructure for metro applications. With the Constellium Group, their combined expertise created the Railtech AluSingen (RAS) joint venture. RAS technology sees the aluminium and stainless steel conductor rail made with a coextrusion process, creating a long-lasting and reliable material.
Frederic said: “This is a game changer in the development and manufacture of complete composite conductor rail systems solutions. This revolutionary method delivers the highest levels of reliability and safety on the market, with no delamination (separation of the combined metals) and – because it works down to 0mm – no need to monitor the thickness of the stainless steel.
“It is one of the safest conductor rails you can find on the market.”
Pandrol’s third rail solutions are specifically designed with rolling stock, track works, power supply and civil works interfaces in mind, which means they can be adapted to work on all track types.
“We have extensive across-the-board experience and offer a comprehensive RAS support service, from product engineering and design, through to proof of concept testing, system design, installation supervision and bespoke training,” Frederic added.
“Like all Pandrol products, it has been specifically designed with the wider railway environment in mind. Every product and process are tested to meet the highest standards of safety, reliability and lifetime value.”
More than a century of mission-critical engineered solutions
Pandrol is part of the Delachaux Group, a familyowned global player in mission-critical engineered solutions created in 1902. Since then it has grown to define the industry standard across rail fastening systems and aluminothermic welding, creating rail infrastructure for more than 400 railways in more than 100 countries.
Its portfolio extends to equipment that makes constructing and maintaining railways more efficient, with its sustainable resilient systems extending the life of track, and its electrification solutions supporting urban transport across the globe.
“We are technicians, engineers, developers, and designers who solve complex problems using our unique history of innovation and an endless pursuit of new thinking,” said Frederic.
“Whether it is electrification or in the production of fastening systems and welding equipment, the notion of partnership with our customers is always extremely important in ensuring trains run safely and efficiently. We cannot be just a supplier of equipment but create products that are designed for a specific part of each track or railway.”
Frederic, who has been working for Pandrol for two decades, completed his first project in 2003, equipping the third rail system for the Athens Metro ahead of the Olympic Games.
“Almost 20 years after and I am still involved in this project for any technical issues that the client faces, any spare parts needed and any support that customer is looking for,” he said. “Globally speaking we never finish a project, we are always still involved in different types of the life of the product that has been installed, making sure the support is there.
“It is exciting for us to be involved in the railway, working all over the world, with access to the biggest cities in the world. For me, travelling to Asia for the first time was a dream and also very exciting.
“Another great part of the job is when you go to some countries like India and Taiwan and you can show what you are able to do for them to bring the system to the right level which has the right level of safety and quality.
“The future looks very bright for the electrification division of Pandrol and I am looking forward to expanding our products and projects worldwide, with the UK one of the target areas to experience the benefits of our expertise in the sector.”
Visit pandrol.com for more details
We are technicians, engineers, developers, and designers who solve complex problems
Alstom has delivered the first 8900 series train to ViaMobilidade, the concessionaire that manages lines 8-Diamante and 9-Esmeralda of São Paulo. It marks the beginning of a new journey in urban mobility in the greater São Paulo area.
Under the scope of its contract with ViaMobilidade, Alstom is manufacturing 36 eight-car trains at its rolling stock industrial plant in Taubaté (SP). For this, the company invested in a new industrial line that doubled the factory’s capacity and contributed to the
generation of more than 500 direct jobs.
Alstom’s Metropolis trains for lines 8 and 9 are made from stainless steel and one of the main advantages is their durability: the car shells last more than 40 years and are lighter compared to carbon steel models. In addition, they consume less energy and are therefore more energy efficient.
The trains, covered in the lines’ jewelled colours, can each carry 2,600 passengers and have doors and corridors that will offer excellent passenger exchange and freedom of movement, in addition to
spaces reserved for people with reduced mobility.
Pierre Bercaire, general director of Alstom Brasil, said: “Proud to be part of the modernisation of urban mobility in São Paulo, Alstom delivers the first train for lines 8-Diamante and 9-Esmeralda.
“This advanced train, with Alstom automatic train control technology, will allow for more fluid and comfortable circulation for the local population, and marks the beginning of a journey towards the continuous improvement of people’s quality of life through the rail network.”
NGE, with its rail expertise subsidiary TSO, has signed a contract to build 330km of high-speed line in Egypt. The distance of track allows the company to beat its own record, set in France in 2017 when it laid 320km on the South East Atlantic line.
This project will link 60 cities across the country, increase freight traffic and ensure approximately 500 million journeys per year.
NGE will provide its expertise, and human and material resources to local companies Orascom and Arab Contractors. Orso Vesperini, chief operating officer, international and major projects at NGE, said: “We are proud to make a significant contribution to this project, which will provide nearly 90 per cent of the Egyptian population with access to fast and reliable public transport.
“It will also make a significant contribution to sustainability by shifting freight traffic to rail and stimulating Egypt’s economic development. Building and renovating infrastructure to serve territories around the
world is our primary mission, our raison d’être, and this project fits perfectly with achieving this ambition.
“This new success is in line with our strategy to double our international business by 2025.”
Works start early this year and will require the
mobilisation of up to 500 people on the site. The latter includes the installation of a total of 330km of double track and more than 100 turnouts between the cities of Ain Al Sokhna and Borg El Arab, through the October 6 City.
For many years, the team at Serco Rail Technical Services (SRTS) have been well known for providing a range of services, including non-destructive testing, metallurgy, instrument test and measurement, safety-critical training and re-certification, data, document, and drawing configuration management, project management, and consultancy to the rail industry.
Continual improvement is one of the key drivers for evolution, but to succeed and progress it is imperative to listen and understand.
At SRTS we have listened carefully to the call for collaboration, and we have evolved (and continually evolve and align) so that we can directly support our customers and established cohorts to provide a truly independent and impartial technical service.
The Serco Group operates across the globe, with over 50,000 members of staff providing service provision to many industries. SRTS forms part of the Serco Transport Division and operates as an independent business unit.
For our customers, this means they work with a global organisation that provides a superior level of service assurance, yet they deal directly with a team of individuals that are empowered to operate independently to tailor any work package in almost any way to meet their needs.
The evolution that is underway at SRTS is firmly based on our past. Like many other industries, the rail industry has a great number of familiar names and faces that have been around for quite a few years; at SRTS we are no exception to that. But who are the new people that have joined the industry and our business; who are the ones that are realising the potential in a collaborative world and injecting new energy?
SRTS was proud to announce the appointment of Joel Sainsbury as its new director in May 2022. Joel started his career in AEA Technology Rail and then progressed in Rolls-Royce Submarines in various roles with an international assignment in North America before latterly being made commissioning manager of a chemical manufacturing facility in the UK.
On appointment, Joel soon identified that key to his vision of evolving the way services are delivered and meeting our customer needs would be the investment in fresh, industry-leading skills.
In the summer of 2022, Gary Miller joined as the engineering services manager to lead the instrumentation, test and measurement team, the metallurgy team, and the NDT field engineers. Gary joined the Royal Navy in 2002 on a career path that resulted in him becoming the head of primary electrical systems onboard a nuclear submarine. After a significant amount of time living and working beneath the waves, Gary went on to spend several years working alongside commercial partners to overhaul and commission submarines as part of their maintenance programme. He later joined Rolls-Royce Submarines in 2015 to continue his professional development and expand his horizons in a wide range of other engineering disciplines.
SRTS hasn’t stopped there, and late 2022 saw the appointment of Neil Lewis as the HSEQ manager. Neil began his HSEQ journey over 20 years ago and has spent 15 years of that time in the rail industry, having moved across from Electro Motive Diesel Ltd where he spent 11 years managing the HSEQ function for operations across the UK and Europe.
Then, in December 2022, Ana-Maria Stevenson joined SRTS as head of business development. AnaMaria started her career with Adtranz / Bombardier over 20 years ago, having worked for the OEM in both mainland Europe and the UK, followed by managerial roles in sales and business development working for Brush Traction and Vossloh Kiepe (the latter now known as Gemini Rail).
Joel said: “I am proud of the people we have in our business. Their skills and experience are invaluable and help us continue to provide our customers with the level of service and support they expect. We have a fantastic team of people with diverse, industry-leading skills, and together we have a great opportunity to evolve and grow.”
SRTS recognise that every project is unique, and that’s why we take the time to get to know our clients and understand their challenges. We work collaboratively to develop solutions that are tailored to their needs, ensuring that we deliver the best possible results. For more details visit www.serco.com/srts | enquiries.srts@serco.com | 0330 109 8852.
Neil Lewis, HSEQ manager
Ana-Maria Stevenson, head of business development
GPS technology is helping to improve everyone’s travel experience. Flight tracking services such as FlightRadar24 enable customers to share their flight details with friends and monitor plane journeys on a live map. And now similar developments are being rolled out for the rail industry.
Thanks to rail tech company Signalbox, it’s possible for rail customers to check exactly which train they are on (not as easy as some might imagine), and the route their journey will take, as well as share their travel details and ETA via SMS text message. New types of services are being trialled too, such as the ability to report an incident on board or to get help in the case of a medical emergency.
Signalbox is the UK-based firm at the forefront of this technological revolution. Founded in 2017 by Toby Webb, who has a PhD in navigation and positioning from UCL, Signalbox’s technology combines GPS data with advanced algorithms to provide train operators and service providers with new types of customer-friendly services via an API (Application Programming Interface).
In a similar way to Shazam, which recognises a song and gives the user its title and artist name in a few seconds, Signalbox’s algorithms can detect a train journey a person is making instantly. And it can do so without having to use identifiable personal information or tracking their movements.
“With enabling technologies like GPS you don’t really understand the benefits until you are without them,” explains Toby. “At first, people thought why do you need GPS when you’ve got maps? Now they realise just how useful it is to have extremely accurate GPS that allows your smartphone to know instantly the journey you are making.”
Major rail franchise operators and service providers use Signalbox’s technology in their apps, on the web and on digital displays. Leading rail ticketing apps use Signalbox’s API to power a ‘Find My Train’ feature (handy if the onboard displays on the train aren’t working) while Signalbox was recently announced the winner of LNER’s accelerator programme, FutureLabs 3.0, for a trial available via a custom URL: lner.signalbox.io. “For the first time we were able to provide our live train map, find my train tool and ETA functionality in one place,” explains Toby. “It’s a more user-friendly way of letting passengers access real-time information personalised for their journey.”
However, this is only the beginning of what the
technology can offer, Toby explains. “Millions of people use their smartphones on public transport, but the devices don’t automatically understand where the user is in their journey,” he says. “Once that capability is unlocked then it releases a huge number of potential applications.”
For example, Signalbox’s technology provides occupancy estimation (how many people are on a train), more accurate prediction of arrival times and verification for delay repay compensation. With the help of a community of hobbyists and train enthusiasts, it has also been able to optimise its recently introduced Signalbox Routes service. This shows the direct train routes from any station in Great Britain – useful if you want to plan a scenic journey.
Finally, one area where Signalbox has worked with the Department for Transport is helping to reduce incident response times. Usually when a call is made, Advance Mobile Location (AML) technology built into all smartphones enables emergency services to locate the caller’s position. However, positioning data that’s transmitted from a train is usually less accurate and less useful because it doesn’t identify the train a passenger is on.
Toby concluded: “What Signalbox’s solution does is it provides context, automating the location identification process, saving time and ultimately helping to save lives.” That’s just one real benefit of geospatial technology. Visit www.signalbox.io for more details.
Below: Signalbox’s live train map showing real-time locations of all passenger trains in Great Britain. The map uses data from Mapbox and OpenStreetMap and their data sources. To learn more, visit https://www.mapbox.com/about/maps/ and https:// www.openstreetmap.org/copyright.
Geospatial technology has a vital role to play in making rail travel a more user-friendly experience and could even save lives, explainsAbove: Signalbox’s founder and CEO, Toby Webb
“These extensive works have transformed Bank station into a world-class station, fit to serve a financial district of international renown.”
That was the message from Mayor of London Sadiq Khan on a visit to the new ticket hall at Bank Underground station to mark the completion of its major £700 million upgrade.
The new entrance on Cannon Street gives customers easier access – via six new escalators – to the Northern line and DLR and it also includes two new lifts. The station now has 40 per cent greater capacity as a result of the upgrade, with the opening of the new ticket hall the final milestone in the project which started in 2016.
The Mayor of London said: “Londoners can now benefit from a station with 40 per cent increased capacity, a new entrance on Cannon Street and two new lifts, which will deliver step-free access to the Northern Line for the first time.
“London’s Tube network is key to the capital’s wider economic recovery. These updates to Bank station are just one of the ways I am continually improving London’s transport network to build a safer, more accessible and more prosperous city for all Londoners.”
At the peak of construction, around 550 people worked on the Bank Station Capacity Upgrade project each day, and 38 apprenticeships were completed during the lifetime of the project.
More than 1,000 metres of new tunnels were dug, including the new southbound Northern line running tunnel and the pedestrian tunnel which houses the two new moving walkways between the Northern and Central lines.
Following the work, Bank station now has:
A new, spacious southbound Northern line platform and concourse (opened in May 2022)
A new, more direct interchange route between the Northern line and DLR with three new escalators, shaving up to nine minutes off the journeys of those interchanging between these two lines (opened in October 2022)
A new, quicker interchange route between the Northern and Central lines, with the opening of two new 100-metre moving walkways and three new escalators (opened in October 2022)
A new station entrance – including two lifts – on Walbrook, at the Bloomberg building, giving easier access to the Waterloo & City line (opened in November 2018)
Andy Lord, London’s transport commissioner, said: “The completion of this major upgrade of one of the Tube network’s busiest interchanges is a hugely important moment for the Square Mile, which is now served by a modern, accessible station with vastly improved capacity.
“Customers have already told us how the new interchanges are making their journeys quicker and easier, and the new entrance on Cannon Street is set to further improve the passenger experience.
“It’s a great reminder of how investment in our Tube network, which celebrates its 160th birthday this year, supports the growth and success of the capital and wider country, and is playing a pivotal role in helping London continue to recover from the pandemic.”
September 2014
December 2015
Apply for Transport and Works Act Order (TWAO)
October 2020
TWAO granted
April 2016 Construction work starts on site
15 January to 15 May 2022
Tunnelling work finishes at the Bank construction site
Planned closure of the Bank branch of the Northern line to enable essential works to be completed
May 2017
November 2018
March to May 2020
Tunnelling work starts to create a new southbound running tunnel for the Northern line, three new escalator barrels and a new link tunnel
16 May 2022
October 2022
New station entrance opens – including two lifts
Work at the site stops temporarily because of the coronavirus pandemic, in line with government advice
27 February 2023
New southbound Northern line platform and customer concourse opens
New, more direct interchange routes open between the Northern line and DLR, and the Northern and Central lines
BSCU project completes with the opening of a new, street-level entrance on Cannon Street with two new lifts and improved access to the DLR building
Leading rail contractor, QTS Group, has appointed Lisa McKellar to its board of directors. The move to marketing and social value director follows Lisa’s fi ve-year stint leading the marketing within the company. In her new capacity, Lisa will continue to lead QTS’ marketing offering and will also take responsibility for driving the company’s social value work – an instrumental part of its offering
How does it feel to be appointed to the board of directors and what opportunities will this give you?
It’s a real honour to be appointed to the board of directors. I think it highlights the commitment of the business to progressing members of staff and promoting internally. I joined QTS in 2018 as marketing manager and have been given so many great opportunities in the last five years.
Through this new role, I hope it will give me the opportunity to continue to raise the profile of the brand and the work that marketing does behind the scenes to the rest of the board members and across
the wider Renew group. It’s also great to see that the business recognises the importance of the marketing function and the value it can bring to the overall growth of the company.
What are your aims and aspirations?
As we move into CP7, I am keen to continue highlighting the fantastic work that QTS does for our clients and the great people who make it happen.
I’m also looking forward to getting into the communities we are working within to develop our social impact, be it through outreach to schools and
colleges, or carrying out voluntary works for local charities to help make a real difference. This social value work is a core part of what we do, and I look forward to continuing to support this area of the business.
What have you learnt from the last five years leading the marketing team?
That I love getting out onto site! Being able to meet the teams on the ground, having the chance to speak to them and actually seeing first-hand what they do gives me a much better understanding of the work we carry out for our clients.
It makes it much easier to write about it and to put together briefs for photography and video work. I’ve also recently passed my PTS, so I’m looking forward to spending more time on site with the teams across the UK.
Last year, we hosted our inaugural Future of Rail event, with the first day dedicated to young people and raising the profile of rail as a positive career choice, and the second as a day for our industry, where we welcomed Alex Hynes, Kris Kinnear and Laura McWilliams from Network Rail, along with QTS operations director, Andy Steel, and vice president of COWI, Eva Macinnes, onto a panel discussing a variety of issues, including the challenges of bridging the skills gap.
The positive feedback we received from it was fantastic and we’re looking at ways that we can expand the premise into England and, of course, host another event back at Rench Farm in the future.
Through these five years at QTS, I had the opportunity to work closely with the team at The Wood Foundation as the principal sponsor of the Youth & Philanthropy Initiative in Ayrshire. Throughout these years, QTS not only provided the funds for each school and attended to judge at the finals, we pioneered a mentoring scheme for schools which needed additional assistance, that the Wood Foundation now use as a template for other businesses to get involved.
How important is the social value work and how will you drive this forward in the future?
QTS has always been a very socially-conscious business and I would say we are well known for the charitable and volunteer-led work we do, and for our sponsorships of young sports people across the UK. Last year, we became the first dedicated rail business to achieve the Social Value Quality Mark, which we’re incredibly proud of. We’ve worked hard to identify the ways in which we’re keen to get involved and generate social value that truly helps the communities that we live and work in across the UK and are committed to making sure that our team get involved to deliver these initiatives.
How important is it to you to be a member of Women in Rail Scotland Regional Group and working with young people through QTS’ school partnerships?
It’s so important for me to continue the work that QTS has been doing to support young people, especially young women, into finding a career within the rail industry. There are so many incredible opportunities and routes into rail and it’s just about getting out there to make them known. Women in Rail is a fantastic support network for women, and men, already in the industry, and it’s been a privilege to sit within the Scottish steering group for the last five years. I’m looking forward to working with the team to deliver some more fantastic events throughout 2023 and beyond.
It’s so important for me to continue the work that QTS has been doing to support young people, especially young women, into finding a career within the rail industry
Global Centre of Rail Excellence Ltd (GCRE) has further strengthened its company board with the appointment of experienced industry executive Will Wilson as an independent non-executive director.
The former Siemens Mobility chief executive said: “It’s a great pleasure to be taking on such an important and exciting role with GCRE Ltd. The facility the team are constructing is truly unique and I believe will have significant benefits not just for rail in the UK, but across Europe.
“Rail faces a significant challenge in the coming years of decarbonising the network and supporting the UK’s path to net zero. That means we must increase the pace of innovation and bring new ideas and new technologies to market faster. That’s one of the critical areas in which the GCRE facility can help and one of the major attractions for me of joining the board.
“As a new entrant to rail, GCRE has the ability to do things differently and develop its structures and its business in a way that better reflects both the customers it represents and the wider world outside. That opportunity to help embed equality, diversity and inclusion in everything it does is something I know the team are keen to do and a key area where I am keen to provide support and experience.”
Northern has appointed John Khatri as its head of engineering transformation delivery.
The former easyJet executive, who has also held a number of senior roles at TUI Group, will be responsible for driving forward a multi-million-pound change programme.
That programme will focus on enhancing ways of working and processes, new technologies and improvements to facilities.
Khatri, who grew up in Blackpool and was a student at King Edward VII School in Lytham (now AKS Lytham), studied chemistry at The University of Manchester.
He said: “I’m delighted to have joined Northern at what is a very exciting stage of their transformation journey.
“Their ambition and commitment to engineering excellence is well known and I look forward to working with colleagues across Northern to improve the service we provide to our customers.”
Sir Jonathan Thompson will be taking on the mantle of HS2 Ltd chair and the responsibility of driving forward Europe’s largest infrastructure project.
Sir Jonathan’s appointment, which follows almost a year as deputy chair, comes at a pivotal time for the HS2 programme as the Crewe-Manchester Bill moves through Parliament and work at Euston continues to progress and regenerate the surrounding area.
In his role, Sir Jonathan will be providing strategic leadership, oversight and accountability for the HS2 programme, ensuring it is delivered on time and within budget while continuing to create jobs, boost local economies and provide much-needed capacity on our railways.
He said: “I am delighted to have been appointed as HS2 Ltd chair. During my time on the board, this monumental project has already achieved some incredible milestones and I’ve seen first-hand how it will transform not only journeys but the lives of people across the country.
“I look forward to working with our first-class stakeholders and partners in my new role, to ensure this oncein-a-lifetime opportunity fulfils its pioneering potential.”
Kier Group plc has announced that Louisa Finlay, currently Kier Construction’s clients and markets managing director, has been appointed as chief people officer and is also part of the group’s executive committee
The former Siemens Mobility chief executive Louisa will take over from Helen Redfern, who will be leaving Kier after 10 successful years to take up a role as chief people, sustainability and communications officer outside of the industry.
Louisa has worked for Kier for over 30 years since joining as a trainee engineer on a sandwich degree. She has worked in numerous sectors and roles in the national and regional construction businesses, including as managing director of the Kier Southern Construction business.
Will Wilson
John Khatri
Louisa Finlay
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Specialty lubricants from Klüber Lubrication for train maintenance and infrastructure prove their worth worldwide every day. From lubrication of traction systems and doors to many other components. info@uk.klueber.com
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Spencer Group specialises in the design and build of complex engineering projects across the UK’s rail network, constructing, maintaining and extending the lifespan of bridges, materials handling and bulk storage solutions. think@thespencergroup.co.uk https://thespencergroup.co.uk/ 01482 766340
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TRB Lightweight Structures has been designing and manufacturing quality train components for over 40 years.
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The world-renowned locomotive, Rocket, has gone on display at Locomotion in Shildon, County Durham, joining legends of the steam age such as Timothy Hackworth’s Sans Pareil and Locomotion No. 1 – the first time the trio of early locomotives have been on display together.
The original 1829 locomotive, designed by George and Robert Stephenson and built in Newcastle, travelled by road earlier this month, temporarily leaving its former home at the National Railway Museum in York, while station hall work is completed.
Rocket was entered into and won the Rainhill Trials, a competition held to find the best design of steam locomotive for the historically significant Liverpool & Manchester Railway.
Dr Sarah Price, head of Locomotion, said: “We are delighted to welcome such a well-known locomotive to the museum, especially one with such strong connections to the North East. I am excited for our visitors to see Rocket here in Shildon and I’m sure it will become a star object for our visitors very quickly.”
The delicate move was carried out by the museum’s conservation team and specialist contractors, Constantine, who also moved Rocket to the National Railway Museum in 2019.
Rocket’s chimney was first removed before the locomotive and chimney were carefully packed into a wooden crate, which then travelled on the back of a lorry to Shildon.
On arrival, the locomotive was slowly unloaded and moved into Locomotion on a skate designed to spread the engine’s load and minimise the chances of any damage. The locomotive move took place while the museum was open to the public with visitors getting the chance to see Rocket, from a safe distance, as it arrived in its new home.
The move comes at an exciting time for Locomotion with the beginning of construction work on its 2,000m2 ‘New Hall’, which will house an additional 46 vehicles from the national collection. The vehicles will include carriages, wagons and locomotives and will celebrate the North East’s role in the development of the railways. Rocket will be located in Locomotion’s existing building, alongside more than 50 rail vehicles already on display.
Dr Sarah Price, head of the museum, is delighted to welcome the locomotive with such strong connections to the North East
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