RailStaff April 2019 by Rail Media

APRIL 2019 | ISSUE 256

FOR THE INDUSTRY, BY THE INDUSTRY

PLUS NEWS PEOPLE HEALTH & SAFETY EVENTS COMPANY FOCUS FEATURES GEAR & TECH TRAINING CAREERS

PAGE 48 OSMAN RETIRES

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Easier fares for all

Rail industry publishes radical proposals for once-in-a-generation reform of fares system Following the biggest ever rail fares consultation, which found eight out of 10 of the almost 20,000 respondents wanted the system overhauled, Britain’s rail companies have published proposals to overhaul the country’s fares system, aiming to make it easier to use and bring it up to date with how people travel today. Reform would support: ‘tap-in, tap-out’ pay as you go being rolled out across the country; enable greater local control over fares in devolved areas; and better integration of rail fares with those for other modes of transport. With a new system, commuters working flexibly and travelling in off-peak hours could see savings while overcrowding could be reduced by up to a third on some of the busiest long-distance services. We want to work with government to begin reforming regulation.

Find out more www.bigchang.es/easierfares

CONTENTS APRIL 2019 | ISSUE 256

REAL PEOPLE, REAL STORIES | 20 Samaritans’ Nikki Mugford writes about its new mental health awareness and suicide prevention campaign.

TIME TO EMBARK ON A NEW JOURNEY | 32

As we step into April, the RailStaff Awards team is already working hard behind the scenes to put plans in place for the 2019 ceremony.

WARMING UP FOR RAILTEX | 34

Whether you’re a visitor or an exhibitor, if you’re in the middle of planning your strategy for the UK’s premier rail exhibition, you’re in good company.

CO-OPERATION OVER CRITICISM | 38

Mandy Geal, founder of culture change specialist Learning Partners, calls on the industry to drive out the blame games.

SAFETY GEAR AND TECH OF THE FUTURE | 40

Stewart Thorpe shines the spotlight on five innovative new safety products which could become commonplace in the workplace.

38 40

T H G I L T O P

n the 46 NS 10 |day chairs reflectyoear. R U T P tYR and presen tone a miles

ation’s organis

Former s it celebrates sa succes

AN EMOTIONAL GOODBYE | 48

LNER staff marked the end of an era on March 20 when train manager Osman Khatri, 69, bowed out after 43 years on the railway.

14th International Exhibition of Railway Equipment, Systems & Services

@railtex #Railtex2019

www.railtex.co.uk

14 - 16 MAY 2019 NEC, BIRMINGHAM, UK

The show for everyone involved in shaping the future of UK rail

Staff

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2019

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Putting passengers first

Paul O’Connor

Editor:

Stewart Thorpe

Production and design:

Adam O’Connor

Matthew Stokes

Track safety:

Colin Wheeler

Event sales:

Jolene Price

Advertising:

Asif Ahmed

Craig Smith

Keith Hopper

Contact email addresses News: news@rail-media.com Track safety: colin@rail-media.com Pictures: pictures@rail-media.com Adverts: adverts@rail-media.com Subscriptions: manda@rail-media.com

Next month will mark two years since I stepped through the doors of hall three at the NEC for my first Railtex. In fact, it wasn’t just my first taste of the UK’s biggest rail event, it was also my introduction to the rail industry – and I was thrown right in at the deep end too.

Contact details RailStaff Publications, Rail Media House, Samson Road, Coalville, Leicestershire, LE67 3FP. Tel: 01530 816 444 Fax: 01530 810 344 Web: www.railstaff.co.uk Email: hello@rail-media.com Printed by PCP Ltd. RailStaff is published by RailStaff Publications Limited A Rail Media Publication

Weeks earlier I had made the move from a daily newspaper into the rail trade press. From only the occasional story covering train stations, National Rail and service delays, I was now being introduced to rolling stock, ‘Team Orange’ and a dictionary of acronyms. At the time, online journalism was my bread and butter, so when I stumbled on PriestmanGoode’s radical seating design named ‘Horizon’, I couldn’t help but tweet a picture. As you can see above and to the left, the raised seating requires riders to perch a little higher than they normally would, to encourage a more upright posture that frees up space for more seats. It was one of a number of innovations at the show, some of which are revisited in this issue’s Railtex preview. Thinking nothing more of it, I put my phone away and returned to the show. An hour or so later, my phone was swamped with notifications. “Battery hens get more space.” “Boost capacity by alienating half the passengers or more?” “Appalling design, showing the contempt for customers that has become typical of the rail industry.” Within a few days the tweet had reached more than 30,000 people. Flicking through comments, the overwhelming reaction was dismay, people were (to say the least) disappointed that the idea of getting more paying customers into carriages was apparently being prioritised over their comfort. It may be two years too late, but those angered rail users will be relieved to hear that efforts are being made to create an overall more customer-focussed and friendly industry. Toilet charges are being scrapped at major

stations, train punctuality will now be measured to the minute and the fares system is being reformed. Leading the drive from atop, Network Rail’s Rail Partnership Awards, re-launched in 2018 to celebrate organisations that help to deliver a better railway, returns for 2019 with the slogan ‘putting passengers first’ at its heart. Transport Focus, the independent transport watchdog, recently highlighted another example from some work it conducted for East Midlands Trains, CrossCountry and Network Rail ahead of the Derby engineering and resignalling project in October. Prior to the works beginning, Transport Focus assessed passengers’ knowledge of the works and how this built up over time. The organisation then worked with the three companies to make sure passenger communications “hit the mark” in the run up to the planned disruption. During the resignalling work, discounted fares and compensation were proactively offered to passengers impacted by planned disruption, which Transport Focus said helped to “sugar the pill” and maintain trust between the railway and passengers. It is now working with the industry to ensure these lessons are learnt and built into upcoming major works at King’s Cross. When it comes to customer service, especially out of King’s Cross, we could all learn a thing or two from this month’s cover star, Osman Khatri, a humble train manager who bows out after 43 years on the railway. Speaking to RailStaff, the 69-year-old had nothing but praise for the British public and said he will miss meeting passengers and bringing a smile to their face. A prime candidate for a trophy at the RailStaff Awards if ever there was one. Good luck with whatever you choose to do Osman. I know you have plenty of plans to keep you busy but, if you do get the chance to put your feet up, do make sure you’re sitting down on something comfortable. stewart@rail-media.com

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Four amateur football teams are battling it out for the inaugural GTR Railway Football League title. Brighton Train Crews and South Western Railway Train Crews kickstarted the season with an entertaining 6-6 thriller at the Brighton Aldridge Community Academy on March 3 while rivals Great Northern Train Crews came up top in a 3-2 clash with Thameslink and Southern a week later. League co-founder Michael D’Santos, a Great Northern train driver, couldn’t make it to the league’s first game, but he wished he had. “Brighton and South Western Railway kicked it off with a proper Super Sunday game,” said Michael, who manages Great Northern Train Crews. “It was definitely one for the neutrals. Both teams have formulated from nothing, just train drivers, train guards and station staff from each company thinking ‘let’s give this a go.’” Over the last few years it had

A league of their own become traditional for a football team from Great Northern to play two or three games a year against a team from Southern. When a number of other train crews started joining in, with a series of friendly matches being played each year, Michael and colleague Mark Webb, a test and commissioning driver who, like Michael, is also based at Three Bridges depot, decided to set up something more official. “GTR’s quite a big franchise and since the 2018 timetable

Quiet Easter Although some routes will experience significant disruption, Network Rail said its Easter engineering work is “the quietest for many years” and will leave the majority of the country unaffected. Over the Easter weekend a workforce of 13,800 is expected to deliver more than £100 million worth of investment. Significant work on the West Coast main line will mean no trains will run to or from London Euston station from April 19-22. Line closures will also be in place near to Preston and Glasgow. Track renewal and the replacement of two bridges on the line between London Fenchurch Street station and Barking will also result in no trains running to or from London Fenchurch Street over the Easter bank holiday period. Services will instead be diverted to and from London Liverpool Street station while buses will replace trains between Barking and Aldgate East. Over the four days, buses will also replace trains between Bristol/ Chepstow and Newport as a result of electrification work between Cardiff Central station and Severn Tunnel junction. This includes the installation of foundations, masts, overhead line equipment and fencing. Work to upgrade the overhead wiring system on the Southend Victoria branch line will also result in buses replacing services between Shenfield and Southend Victoria/ Southminster. RAILSTAFF.CO.UK | @RAIL_STAFF | FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF

change we’ve been interlapping each other so we see each other more and more. I’ll now see more Southern colleagues and the Southern colleagues will see more Great Northern/Thameslink colleagues and there’s just a camaraderie between ourselves. It’s still very much competitive but friendly.” With the support of Govia Thameslink Railway, Michael and Mark approached the local football association for help in getting a league up and running for “a good bit of exercise, a social and a good laugh”. What was particularly important to them was to have a flexibility to move the fixtures because of the nature of the players’ shift work, which they’ve been able to put in place. Aside from that, the fixtures are standard 11-a-side games played across 90 minutes, with each team playing each other twice in the league. Plans are also in place to organise an end of season cup competition in November. “There is a half decent standard of fitness,” added Michael, who said there are more than 80 players in the league, including train drivers, stations staff, shunters, platform

staff, guards and cleaners. “We’re trialling this format this year. Some of our players have played football in the past but they’re in their 40s now so once every month or six weeks is absolutely perfect for them. It’s not something they could do every week because they’d be crippled. “Next year we’re looking into starting walking football, women’s 5 and 6-a-side and mixed 6-a-side. The possibilities are endless, we just need to get it out there, which is very much where GTR have come in, not by just giving us the backing and the professionalism but by getting the media out there.” There are other railway football leagues across the country, including the 12-team London Underground Football League, which was founded back in 1996, and Michael is hoping matches could be played between them in the future. “Hopefully something that used to regularly happen back in British Rail and the early privatisation years, where there were tournaments and football leagues all over the shop, could, hopefully, one day become quite big.” © James Richardson

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2019

NEWS

Tramway to Newhaven

Work on a 4.7km extension of the Edinburgh tram to Newhaven is set to begin after city councillors voted 36 to 26 in favour of it. A line to Newhaven was part of the system’s original plans but it was cut short and a temporary terminus established at York Place after a budget overspend. An inquiry was established to look at why the original Edinburgh Trams project, which was launched in 2014, incurred delays, cost more than originally budgeted and, through reductions in scope, delivered significantly less than projected. Controversially, this inquiry has not yet reported back. Cllr Karen Doran, vice transport and environment convener, said the city “couldn’t simply have stood still” with the challenge of population growth combined with the need to improve air quality in the capital. Cllr Lesley Macinnes, transport and environment convener, added: “Taking trams to Newhaven will allow brownfield development sites to be transformed, opening up the whole of north Edinburgh to a wealth of opportunities in terms of jobs, housing and local facilities. “Our city is growing faster than anywhere

else in Scotland,” she added. “And boosting our public transport infrastructure in a sustainable way is fundamental to catering to our expanding population.” A six-month early contractor involvement period will begin at the end of March with the infrastructure and systems contractor – a Sacyr, Farrans, Neopul joint venture – and swept path contractor – Morrison Utility Services – working closely with the council and other stakeholders to finalise plans. Physical works will begin once this stage has been completed. Reflecting lessons learned from the previous tram build, construction is planned to use a ‘one-dig’ approach, with each work site closing once and then reopening only when all works are complete. A £207.3 million budget has been allocated for the extension, funded through future tram fare revenues and a special £20 million dividend from Lothian Buses. Passengers should be able to take the first tram to Newhaven in early 2023. Edinburgh Council estimates that nearly 16 million people will use the completed Edinburgh Airport to Newhaven line in its first year of operation – double the number predicted for the existing Airport-York Place route in the same period.

Bridal tram A loved-up couple from Nottingham have turned to the tram as a way to show off the bride’s home city during their wedding celebrations. Toni Clay, 49, and groom Stuart Holman, 52, invited family and friends to join them on their big day and wanted the city’s NET light rail system to play a leading role in their plans. Toni, a manager at a local housing association, said: “The tram is now so closely associated with Nottingham it was part of our wedding plans right from the start, not just an afterthought, and we were delighted NET agreed to help us with our travel arrangements.” Around 40 members of the bridal party climbed aboard a tram at Phoenix Park on March 23 for a trip to Old Market Square in the city centre, where the couple ‘tied the knot’ at the Council House. The public transport theme continued when they took a vintage bus back to their reception at the Nuthall Pub and Kitchen, near to the couple’s home in Cinderhill.

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Great Northern's 'Rolls-Royces' A retired train driver has described the introduction of Great Northern’s new Class 717 trains as Rolls-Royces replacing Mini Metro cars. Ian Twells (Below left), 74, rode in the cab of one of the new trains to celebrate the introduction of the first of the new fleet. He started his career as a steam engine cleaner and was driving trains when the first Class 313s, which are being replaced, were introduced in 1976. Joining Ian at the launch was 29-year-old Zornitsa Tsankova (Below right), who was one of the first drivers to take the new trains out in service. Zori, as she’s known, used to clean trains until she won a place on a driver-training programme. She said: “There really is no comparison with the trains these are replacing. They accelerate faster, brake better and are air cooled throughout. They’re so much better for passengers and if I have happy customers then I’m happy too.” The Class 313s – mainland Britain’s oldest electric rail fleet – are being replaced in a £240 million investment with 25 new six-car Siemens Class 717 trains. These will be introduced up until late summer on the Great Northern routes between Moorgate and Hertfordshire, to and from Stevenage, Hertford North and Welwyn Garden City. The new 717s have capacity for nearly 100 more people per journey than the rolling stock they are replacing. They feature airconditioning, wi-fi, plug sockets at every pair of seats and can reach speeds of up to 100mph.

Rolling stock roundup

New trains for new service

FirstGroup has completed a £100 million deal with Hitachi, financed by Beacon Rail, for five five-car Class 802 trains to run on a new London-Edinburgh service. In 2016, the transport group secured 10-year track access rights from the ORR to run a new open access service between the two capitals from autumn 2021. With Hull Trains, FirstGroup already has experience of running an open access operation. By promising customers an average fare of less than £25, onboard catering and free wi-fi, FirstGroup is seeking to attract business passengers who usually fly between the two capitals. Currently two-thirds of journeys between London and Edinburgh are made by air, according to the transport group. The service will comprise five trains a day each way from London King’s Cross

to Edinburgh, via intermediate stations at Stevenage, Newcastle and Morpeth, with journey times of approximately four hours. First Rail managing director Steve Montgomery said: “There’s a real gap in the market for truly affordable rail travel between the two capitals – our plans show we are serious about competing with low-cost airlines and opening up rail travel on this key route to thousands of new passengers.”

Azumas to enter service

LNER has announced that the first from its new fleet of Azuma trains will enter service on May 15. The first Azuma train will run from London King’s Cross to Leeds, with further trains being phased into service on the rest of the route over the coming months. The trains, which were originally due to enter service in December, have been tested by engineers and technical staff from Hitachi, Network Rail and the Department for Transport to ensure they will meet “the high standards LNER sets for outstanding customer service”. LNER managing director David Horne said: “This is what customers up and down the country have been waiting for and represents a monumental milestone for rail travel.”

New owner for Class 345s

345 Rail Leasing is the new owner of the Elizabeth line's Class 345 trains after completing a purchase and leaseback with Transport for London. As a result approximately £1 billion of capital will be released to TfL, which will be reinvested in London’s transport network, including the delivery of a new fleet of Piccadilly line trains. TfL also has the option to purchase the fleet back from the 345 Rail Leasing - made of Equitix Investment Management, NatWest and SMBC Leasing - at the end of the initial lease term. Since June 2017, the Class 345 trains have been gradually introduced on TfL Rail services between Liverpool Street and Shenfield, as well as between Paddington and Hayes & Harlington since May 2018. RAILSTAFF.CO.UK | @RAIL_STAFF | FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF

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Change New chief at Kier for awards host Andrew Davies, the former chief executive of construction group Wates, has been appointed as the new CEO of Kier.

Richard Salkeld, the host of the 2018 RailStaff Awards, has announced his departure from Great Western Railway to return to an old patch. As of March, the media and communications manager has been based in York heading up the news and media team at LNER. Richard had left its predecessor Virgin Trains East Coast back in August 2017.

Two join Myton

He took up the post on April 15. Andrew had been due to move to Carillion from Wates to become its new chief executive, but the troubled company went into liquidation in January 2018 before he took up the post. Prior to leading Wates, Andrew spent more than 28 years with

BAE Systems, undertaking a range of senior operational and corporate roles, including group strategy director and managing director of the maritime division. Andrew said: “Kier has established market-leading positions through developing long-term client relationships and delivering excellent client service. “I look forward to leading Kier in consolidating those positions and to bringing a renewed focus on simplifying the group, improving cashflow generation

and reducing net debt, whilst maintaining the group’s disciplined approach to risk management.”

Nexus' learning leader

Nexus has created a ‘head of learning’ post to lead on the delivery of Tyne and Wear Metro training programmes.

New starter Heather Blevins previously worked in learning and development for Coventry City Council and Warwickshire County Council. She will now play a key role in Nexus’ move to a new £9.8 million learning centre in South Shields, which is expected to open in the summer of 2019. Heather said: “Our new learning centre gives us an amazing opportunity to bring all of our training needs under one roof. When the facility opens it will be my job to ensure it meets

the needs of our staff and the wider community. “It gives our workforce a training base fit for the 21st century, and it will get us out of some of the old temporary classrooms that we currently use for learning and development. “If we value our employees then we have to value their learning and development. It’s the key to getting them out and delivering the best possible services for the people who rely on our services.”

Holmes made permanent Amy Jackson (left) and Jessica Mackenzie (right) have joined specialist rail law firm Myton Law. The appointments will support Mytons’s expanding business, in particular its commercial and property work for rail sector clients. Amy said, “Myton Law’s rail, shipping and logistics specialisms, for which they have strong national and even international reputations, and the quality of their clients impressed me, as did their modern, progressive way of working.”

Malcolm Holmes has been appointed as the executive director of the West Midlands Rail Executive (WMRE) on a permanent basis. Malcolm previously worked as a senior retail and customer service manager on the London Overground and has also spent time in Germany as customer service director at DB Regio during his 25 years in the rail industry. He has held the executive director post at WMRE – the public body which manages rail transport policy in the region – on an interim basis since 2017. Under his leadership, WMRE

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has published its 30-year rail investment strategy and played a key role in the award of the West Midlands franchise. With key projects such as University and Perry Barr stations, Snow Hill third access, new stations on the Camp Hill line and in Willenhall and Darlaston, WMRE said it is

delivering “a rail renaissance across the West Midlands”. Malcolm added: “It’s a great time to be involved in rail in the West Midlands as we are seeing an unprecedented level of investment in new lines, rolling stock and services that will make a real difference for commuters.”

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2019

Jacobs' new rail lead

Prosser to Angel

Jacobs has appointed Willie Fraser as the head of its rail and geotechnical business.

Train leasing company Angel Trains has appointed Matthew Prosser as its new technical director.

Willie will be responsible for leading around 900 rail and geotechnical specialists in the UK and Europe, helping to deliver major projects including the Western Rail Link to Heathrow, the Transpennine Route Upgrade and HS2. Donald Morrison, general manager of the company’s buildings and infrastructure division in Europe, said: “With a history of working on major rail infrastructure including Doha Metro, Crossrail and Dublin Metro North, Willie brings a great depth of rail and major programmes experience to this key role as we continue to support the UK and Ireland transport needs and make progress in Europe with

our clients.” Willie, who joined Jacobs in 2006 as rail director for Scotland, added: “Whether its improving mobility and connectivity to bring people, their skills and businesses closer together, or safeguarding the environment, we’re helping to create transport systems that are smarter and more resilient and enhance passenger experience.” Since joining Jacobs, Willie has held numerous roles and was most recently the head of rail projects for Jacobs in Europe.

Hynes handover to Smith Howard Smith, Crossrail’s chief operating officer, has taken over from Alex Hynes, ScotRail Alliance managing director, as chair of the Institution of Railway Operators (IRO). Alex joined the IRO board in January 2013 and become chair in November 2016. During this time he oversaw a period of growth with membership increasing from 5,500 to 8,000. He resigned from his post at the IRO board meeting in February. Alex said: “The board I leave behind is a true reflection of the diverse talent working in rail and I

have no doubt they will continue in their dedication to guiding and supporting the profession of operations to continued standards of excellence. I look forward to working in support of that.” Incoming chair Howard Smith, who is a fellow of the IRO, has served on the board since September 2017. He added: “With such an engaged, professional membership and knowledge network, I am confident that IRO is well positioned to meet the existing and emerging needs of the industry and look forward to leading continued growth during my period as chair.”

Succeeding Mark Hicks, Matthew will join from Chiltern Railways on July 8. In his new role he will be responsible for delivering key management initiatives, while simultaneously improving quality and fleet reliability. In total he has more than 23 years’ experience in rolling stock engineering, having previously held key roles in organisations across the rail industry. At Chiltern

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Railways he was the director of engineering and safety and was primarily responsible for leading the in-house engineering department. As a member of its executive team, Matthew also played an integral role in achieving an outstanding record of growth and customer satisfaction for Chiltern Railways - achieving the best overall NRPS satisfaction for a franchised operator.

Gartner joins Pandrol Pandrol, the rail systems, fastenings and infrastructure firm, has appointed Eran Gartner to the newly created position of chief executive. Eran has more than 20 years’ experience in international rail engineering, particularly in turnkey rail engineering, project management, services and sales from working for Bombardier, Adtranz and ABB. He joins from Megalim Solar Power as part of the reorganisation of Pandrol’s senior leadership team. Guy Talbourdet, CEO of parent company Delachaux Group, said: “We welcome Eran to the business to lead the continued growth and success of Pandrol as a leading rail infrastructure solutions provider, focused on track safety, availability and lifetime value.”

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Fast Trackers 2019

Newcastle College’s rail academy hosted the launch of Fast Trackers 2019 on March 15. During the morning, a group of 30 college students were welcomed by organisers Network Rail and Mott MacDonald and introduced to the academic routes into engineering by college staff. Learners donned PPE and took to the track where they were coached by the college’s students on how to remove fastenings and replace rails using manual tools and lifting equipment. A station and employer visit now awaits the group before they join learners from York and Leeds at an engineering challenge day at Bradford University on May 20, where they will design and present plans for a high-speed railway. Organised for the first time last year, Fast Trackers tasks students with developing a high-speed railway as a vehicle to give them an insight into a career as a rail engineer. Following the success of the inaugural event, organisers are planning to rollout a number of regional heats this year, which will see the programme reach around 500 students aged between 16 and 19 years-old. Winners will progress to a national final in July, which will be held at the National College for High Speed Rail. Regional heat winners will be offered an opportunity to take an educational ride on one of Network Rail’s measurement trains in the autumn, with a grand prize being arranged for the national final winners.

Explosive package at Waterloo Tuesday, March 5 is a day postmaster Kevin Beechey is unlikely ever to forget. What began as a normal morning for the Network Rail worker started to turn into anything but when he spotted a package addressed to ‘London Waterloo station’. “Straight away it didn’t look right,” said Kevin, who runs the post room at Waterloo station. “Something was wrong. It was just addressed to Waterloo station and that set the alarm bells ringing because there was no department, no one's name on it, no offices. I thought ‘Who sends a package to a railway station?’” Kevin took the parcel over to his desk and laid it down to take a closer look. “I had a light feel over the edges and could feel there was a package inside a package. I very carefully cut along the edge with my scissors and had a little peak inside and saw a jiffy bag that had masking tape all the way around the edges and a little piece of string sticking out of the bottom. That was enough for me. “The first thing that went through my mind was just to get away from it. I had two colleagues in the post room with me at the time and I just said ‘I think we need to go, I think we need to move away from this it just does not look right at all.” A colleague went into the station to grab a BTP officer. Soon after they arrived and inspected the item Network Rail’s Waterloo office was evacuated. “My legs were like jelly,” added Kevin. “Because we couldn’t really say what it was or anything, we were telling people to get up and go. “People were having big meetings in the meeting room and I just opened the door and said we had to evacuate. It was all done very calmly, it was all done very well, but I knew about this package and it was terrifying.” Once outside the full gravity of the situation hit Kevin when he heard police sirens and saw sniffer dogs being deployed. It was at this point that Kevin was taken away by police officers to have his fingerprints, handprints, swab and DNA taken, as well as a five-page statement recorded as part of their investigations. “It was quite the experience but not one I’d want

4LM milestone The first section of new signalling set to transform almost half of the Tube network has begun operation. The new Thales system, which will boost capacity on the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines, is now operating between Hammersmith and Latimer Road, the first part of the network to benefit from the improvements. The new signalling system will allow trains to run closer together from 2021, meaning the train

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to repeat again,” said Kevin. “The adrenaline kicks in on the day and you know you’ve got a job to do and we just did it. The team were great. It was the following days that I found a bit difficult because it’s not what happened, it’s what could have happened that really kicked in, and I was quite emotional for a couple of days.” Unbeknown to Kevin at the time, two other suspicious packages had been sent to transport hubs in the capital: one to London City Airport’s headquarters at Aviation House and another to Heathrow Airport’s administrative centre at Compass Centre. All three contained explosives which, according to the Metropolitan Police, appeared capable of “igniting an initially small fire when opened” as demonstrated by the device at Heathrow which caught fire when it was opened. Counter-terror police are investigating all three packages. Since the event, Kevin has been inundated with chocolates, cakes and thank you cards and, to top it all off, he even received a surprise award from chairman Sir Peter Hendy (pictured right alongside Kevin) and chief executive Andrew Haines. “For a couple of days my computer screen was just constantly moving,” he added. “I was just getting email after email from people and places that I didn’t even know just thanking me for my vigilance and it’s good to know that they can stay safe. It really has been a whirlwind of emotions really. I think I’ve experienced every emotion possible over the last couple of weeks.”

frequency will increase in central London from 28 to 32 per hour. Project completion is targeted for 2023, leading to a capacity increase of a third on the four lines. TfL said that, although there is a chance of some short delays on the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines as the new system gets underway, so far it has worked well.

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CP6 ng plans spendi Network Rail has released its plans for CP6, which started on April 1. These show how the company intends to spend more than £42 billion over the five years between 2019-2024 on maintaining and renewing the railway with the aim of increasing reliability and improving performance. Earlier this year, Network Rail accepted the ‘final determination’, published by the ORR, that laid out how much money was being made available and what should be delivered in return. Publication of Network Rail’s delivery plans is the final step in that process and details how that money is to be spent. The plans have been worked up from a local level, with individual regions benefitting for the first time from their own budgets, designed in collaboration with local people. They focus on making improvements to what matters most to passengers and freight users, targeting punctuality and reliability through better assets, timetables and information, and working much more closely with train operating companies. Network Rail’s chief executive Andrew Haines said: “Performance has been nowhere near good enough and public trust in our industry has declined. This must change. “Our role is to deliver a railway that people can rely on, with trains that turn up and arrive at their destination on time, and where passengers have confidence they are in safe hands. This is what we must deliver daily and what we will,

and should, be held to account for throughout CP6. “Our plans for the next five years bring us much closer to train operating companies and local decision makers, they cut red tape and make it easier for others to work with us, and most importantly they put a real focus on the users of the railway.” These plans are broken down into the existing Network Rail routes and functions. So, there are nine route strategic plans, along with plans for functions such as finance, Group Digital Railway, and Infrastructure Projects. However, Andrew recently announced that the structure of the company would change, being devolved into five regions and thirteen routes. Infrastructure

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Projects will cease to exist, and Group Digital Railway will be devolved to the regions, when the time is appropriate – a process to be overseen by new managing director Stuart Calvert. The first phase of this devolution process, the formation of the routes and region, is planned to take place in the summer of 2019, with everything completed by the end of 2020. Therefore, the strategic plans just announced have to be based around the current structure. It’s not the only change, Network Rail’s plans include improving the public performance measure (PPM) punctuality figures from 85.7 per cent (2018-2019) to 87.5 per cent (2019-2020) and 89.8 per cent (2023-2024). However, recent

announcements, which postdate these plans, show that, in future, performance is likely to be measured in terms of actual lateness at all stops on the journey, not just at the terminus – the measure used to calculate PPM today. The railway isn’t static, so plans have to take account of these changes. In addition, the £42 billion that has been announced forms part of the total government funding available of £53 billion, £48 billion for England and Wales from the Department for Transport, and £5 billion from Transport Scotland. The higher, £53 billion figure also includes funding for enhancements, both committed schemes from CP5 and new projects in CP6.

East Midlands Railway

Transport officials have chosen Abellio to run the next East Midlands franchise. Beginning on August 18 under the name ‘East Midlands Railway’, the new operator will invest £600 million in improving stations and trains over the course of eight years. The entire intercity fleet of HSTs and Meridians, as well as the entire regional fleet of Sprinters, is set to be replaced, with the first of the new trains entering service by April 2022. Almost £17 million will be spent upgrading stations - including £6.9 million for accessibility improvements and the introduction of ticket buying facilities at all stations. Plans also include more flexible and convenient smart ticketing, free wifi onboard all services, enhanced delay repay compensation, the creation of four new community rail partnerships and the introduction of 30 ‘pre-apprenticeships’ each year. A boost to service frequency will mean that more trains will operate on Sundays and, on weekdays, services will start earlier in the morning and end later in the evening.

A greener railway

Announcing Abellio as the successful bidder, transport secretary Chris Grayling told parliament that the East Midlands Railway “will be at the forefront of the government’s commitment to deliver a cleaner, greener rail network.”

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A trial of hydrogen fuel-cell trains on the Midland main line and “zerocarbon pilots” at six stations along the route sit at the heart of these plans. While these projects were welcomed by transport body Midlands Connect, it did not see these plans as replacing electrification. The Midland main line electrification programme north of Kettering and Corby was cancelled in July 2017, which resultantly led to the East Midlands franchise competition process being restarted. Midlands Connect chairman Sir John Peace said: “We fully support the move towards a cleaner, greener rail network and we welcome plans to trial hydrogen fuel cell trains on the Midland main line. “We will also continue to make the case for the electrification of the [Midland main line] beyond Market Harborough, to support Midlands Connect’s ambition for direct conventional compatible HS2 services between Leicester and Leeds and Nottingham and Leeds, via the East Midlands Hub at Toton.”

Rail Review

Elsewhere, shadow transport secretary Andy McDonald was quick to point to the ongoing Rail Review and the potential impact it may have on the existing franchise system. A white paper from chair Keith Williams is not due until autumn and reform will not take place until 2020. Andy said: “How can Chris Grayling award Abellio the East Midlands rail franchise when the chair of his rail review has said the current system couldn’t continue, and rail operator Stagecoach has today said it isn’t fit for purpose?” Grayling acknowledged the review and said that the government will be “guided by the approaches that deliver benefits to passengers and other rail users soonest”, which includes this franchise award. He also provided updates on the South Eastern and West Coast franchises. With regards to South Eastern, a short-term agreement has been struck with Govia, extending its franchise up until November 10. This includes an option to extend it to April 2020. The West Coast Partnership franchise will be awarded in June.

Raising the Standard of Accident Investigation Training This new training course is designed for individuals conducting investigations into accidents, incidents and near misses. It meets the requirements set out in the Rail Industry Standard for Accident and Incident Investigation (RIS-3119-TOM). Course dates available from June 2019. Information on course fees and bookings can be found on;

www.rssb.co.uk For any other enquiries please email training@rssb.co.uk

A Better, Safer Railway

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Shirts, dresses and ties that were once used by rail staff in the West Midlands are finding a new lease of life as carpets, cushions and car seat stuffing. After completing the lengthy process of designing, manufacturing and issuing new branded uniforms to 2,000 staff, London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway – which began their operations in December 2017 – have agreed to donate old uniforms to The Salvation Army. Donated suit jackets and trousers will be debranded and made available to those who need them most, for example as work wear for people looking to get back into employment. Other items will be shredded and made into carpets, insulation or cushions. Andy Camp, commercial director for both train companies, said: “Issuing new uniforms across a company of our size is never a small task, which is why we have been working [with] our staff for over a year on getting the new uniform designed and manufactured. “However, this inevitably means a lot of old uniform items have become redundant. Many of our staff have worked on the railway for many years, and have collected dozens of items of clothing during that time. We wanted to make sure these items were recycled as far as possible. “By donating old uniforms to The Salvation Army, we want to give something back to the communities we serve. Our staff have been incredibly supportive of this initiative, as it is something they can really see making a difference.”

New home for old uniforms Million Hour Challenge The rail industry has announced the “Million Hour Challenge”, which aims to encourage staff to donate their time, energy and skills to help the Samaritans support people in emotional crisis. First revealed by ORR chief inspector Ian Prosser at Safestart, the campaign aims to see the industry give up one million hours to volunteer with the charity. In addition, it hopes to raise £2.5 million, reduce the stigma of mental health issues amongst employees and promote a culture of more supportive workplaces. The Million Hour Challenge is open to everyone in the industry. Organisations that have signed up so far include: Network Rail, ASLEF, RMT, ORR, RDG, TfL, RSSB, MTR Crossrail and BTP. Volunteers can get involved in a variety of ways, but to begin with they are encouraged to complete two online learning courses; including an active listening course, which aims to provide the knowledge and confidence to start a conversation with someone who needs to talk. ASLEF general secretary Mick Whelan said: “The Samaritans provide an enormously valuable service – a sympathetic ear and practical advice – to people who are distressed to the point where they are thinking of ending their lives. “Those of us who work on the railway, as drivers, guards, and station staff, are only too well aware of the traumatic effect that such actions have; not only on the families and friends of those who take their own life, but on those of us who have to deal with the consequences. “That’s why we welcome this new initiative, the five-year Million Hour Challenge, to help the Samaritans who, in turn, are always there for those who need them.” For more information, visit millionhourchallenge.com.

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Repairs to Falling Sands A National Lottery grant of £853,800 to repair the Falling Sands Viaduct in Kidderminster will “safeguard” Severn Valley Railway’s (SVR) future. Director Shelagh Paterson said the 142-year-old structure has suffered badly over the years, with water seeping deep inside, causing cracks and erosion to the brickwork. Thanks to the grant, combined with £397,000 in donations and a previous National Lottery Heritage Fund award, restoration work will begin in January. It is expected to be completed by the autumn. Shelagh added: “When the work is completed, we’ll be able to lift the current speed restriction on our heritage trains, and look forward to at least another century of service from the viaduct.” Falling Sands Viaduct stands half a mile from SVR’s Kidderminster station. Its impressive seven arches allow heritage trains to cross 64ft above the river Stour.

More than two thirds of the SVR’s annual 250,000 annual visitors begin their journey in Kidderminster, and the viaduct is an essential link between the town and the rest of the 16-mile line.

Holly and Ivy Vital maintenance work between Taunton and Exeter St David’s in Somerset has been sped up thanks to the use of concrete-spraying robots. ‘Holly and Ivy’ relined the walls of Whiteball Tunnel with 830m3 of a specialist concrete mix designed to safeguard against loose masonry and bricks falling on the railway. Specialist machines constantly stirred the mix to stop it from setting before the robots could get on with the job. Network Rail said it is one of the first times this cutting-edge technology has been used and meant the work could be done more safely and quickly than if it was done by hand. Programme manager Scott Pillinger, whose team had worked day and night during the three-week closure, said: “Whiteball Tunnel is over 100 years

old and this work will make sure that it stays safe for use for another century, ensuring passenger journeys won’t be affected by falling masonry inside the tunnel. “Everything we can do to get the trains back on track is great news for us.”

Springburn depot to close

Gemini Rail Services has announced that its Springburn rail depot in Glasgow is to close despite efforts to save it. The decision has been blamed on adverse market conditions, with the amount of preprivatisation rolling stock – which Gemini’s core business is based on – dropping from 6,648 vehicles in operation in 2018 to 1,407 in 2024 as a result of the industry’s train building boom, according to Gemini.

It said that compounding this is the fact that around 10 per cent of all accessible rolling stock is in Scotland and the North of England – the geographical areas which Springburn serves. Senior management told stakeholders that losses at the company amounted to £1 million per month throughout 2018. Gemini will now proceed with a gradual closure programme and complete existing projects before its final exit in March 2020.

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A spokesman for the company said: “We of course know and accept this decision will have an impact on our workers, their families, and the wider community. Our priority now is to fully support our employees, who have been informed of the decision. The company has raised the opportunity of enhanced redundancy packages. We hope to be able to agree terms with union and staff representatives shortly. “Following our initial announcement in December, the company held many meetings with key stakeholders to discuss ideas over the future of the Springburn site. This has included the Scottish Government, local politicians, Scottish Enterprise, Transport Scotland, ScotRail, industry experts, current customers and potential new ones, and the landlord of the Springburn site. “Unfortunately, despite this proactive and detailed programme of discussions, no solution was found and the board do not consider that there is any viable option to sustain the operation at Springburn.”

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REAL PEOPLE, REAL STORIES SAMARITANS’ NIKKI MUGFORD WRITES ABOUT ITS NEW MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS AND SUICIDE PREVENTION CAMPAIGN

s part of its ongoing work to prevent suicides on the railway, Samaritans, supported by National Rail, has launched a new campaign called ‘Real People, Real Stories’, which sees men who have overcome tough times share their stories to encourage others to seek help by contacting Samaritans. Suicide is the biggest killer of men under 50 and 80 per cent of suicides on the railway are by men. This initiative aims to reduce the risk on and around the railway. By reaching out and interrupting men’s thoughts, it intends to encourage men aged 20-59 to seek help at crisis point, but also at an earlier stage when they are finding life tough.

Samaritans know that genuine human connection can make someone stop, breathe and think about their actions. They also know that real people sharing their experience is an extremely powerful and effective way of helping others who are finding life tough. Samaritans believe these authentic stories from real men and sporting celebrities - including former footballer Leon McKenzie and international rugby referee Nigel Owens - will help more people to stop, think and realise that Samaritans is there to listen. The campaign also reflects Samaritans’ updated brand essence of human connection, which is focused on being warm, life-affirming and hopeful, by telling real stories.

STIGMA A survey commissioned by Samaritans in March showed there is still a stigma around men seeking help when they are struggling to cope.

In England, Scotland and Wales, 41 per cent of men aged between 20-59 do not seek support when they need to because they prefer to solve their own problems. The survey also showed that men often don’t want to feel like a burden and don’t feel their problems will be understood. This survey found that some of the main reasons why these men find life tough and struggle with their mental health include: debt or financial worries (36 per cent), relationship breakdown or family problems (30 per cent), loneliness or isolation (29 per cent) and job loss or jobrelated problems (25 per cent).

CAMPAIGN DEVELOPMENT Samaritans began developing ‘Real People, Real Stories’ in 2018. Building on the research cited above, the charity approached men, who had been through tough times, aged between 20-59 to ask them if they would share their stories. These men - brothers, friends, sons and fathers - were open about their struggles and gave Samaritans handwritten words to sum up their story so that they could be included in the campaign to reach other men who RAILSTAFF.CO.UK | @RAIL_STAFF | FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF

may be going through a tough time. Samaritans has taken these words, and the stories behind them, to create an integrated, multi-channel awareness and behaviour change campaign that draws on this human connection. Samaritans also spoke to bereaved families and rail staff to get their feedback and, as the campaign will be seen by the wider public, the campaign was also tested with parents of children aged six to 16 years old. The feedback was very supportive of the Real People, Real Stories concept. People said that the campaign has “a sense of authenticity” and feels “positive, optimistic and forwardlooking”. Using stories from real people, the campaign’s message is that, when life gets tough, tell others and, if you need further help, Samaritans is there to listen.

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2019

HEALTH+SAFETY

POSTERS AND RADIO ADS The campaign posters are now on display at sites in and around Great Britain’s rail network. Members of the public will also see this campaign in and outside the rail environment on other printed and digital posters as well as in the media. A key element of this campaign is Samaritans’ new partnership with talkSPORT radio, the world’s biggest sports radio station, to reach more of its intended target audience. From March 19 until May 5, Samaritans’ adverts will run on the radio station and there will also be features as part of the Jim White and Gary Bloom shows. These presenters will be joined by sports stars who will candidly share their experiences of getting through tough times and let others know how they came through it.

SUPPORTING THE CAMPAIGN After its successful launch at an event in Waterloo station earlier this year, Samaritans is now calling on rail staff to build up momentum and keep the conversations on mental health going. You can share the campaign video on samaritans.org/ realpeoplerealstories with your colleagues, family and friends. You can also support by looking for new opportunities to share the campaign with passengers, such as on digital screens, and by ensuring any existing Samaritans posters from

the ‘We listen’ campaign near your place of work are updated. Please email railcompanies@ samaritans.org for replacement posters. You can also visit Samaritans’ website samaritans.org/ realpeoplerealstories to learn more about the men behind the words and view the campaign video. Finally, you can follow the hashtag #RealPeopleRealStories on Twitter and Instagram to see content relating to the campaign and retweet it to your networks. Samaritans can be contacted by calling 116 123 for free or visiting samaritans.org.

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TRACK SAFETY

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2019

REPORT BY COLIN WHEELER

TO AVOID A MULTIPLE FA ORR SAYS PLANNED RED ZONE WORKING MUST END!

asked Ian Prosser, chief inspector of railways and director of railway safety at the Office of Rail and Road for his views and was pleased to learn that we agree. He said: “We have seen so many near misses between track workers and trains. We have in fact been lucky not to have had a multi-fatality event. Network Rail’s “Planning Delivering Safe Work” failed to achieve its objectives. New technology has been developed in CP5 (Control Period 5). CP6 needs to be the period when it is deployed. We need to see less red zone working, none for planned work and the end of the use of 19th century technology”. For every serious accident a number of lesser ones will happen; and for every fatality there will be a large number of near misses. Last September I wrote about reported near misses at Dundee, Peterborough, Pelaw North and Egmanton. In December the Stoats Nest Junction fatality was reported and I wrote about the Waterloo collision following the publication of that Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) report. In

last month’s article I referred to a near miss at Gatwick Airport and another on Browney curve at Croxdale Viaduct. Now we have information about a near miss at South Hampstead where “unofficial working practices” were being followed. My hopes and prayers are still for a fatality free 2019.

Lewisham “detrainment”

RAIB’s report 02/2019 published on March 25 describes the “self-detrainment” onto live third rail electrified lines that happened last year in Lewisham. At 18:41 on March 2, after a train (2M50) had been held at a signal for over an hour, a passenger got off and walked to the station. The train (2M48) in front was not able to draw enough power to pull away due to ice on the conductor rail. 2M50 was across a key junction and a further seven trains had backed up behind it. Its driver informed the signaller of the detrained passenger and within three minutes the third rail traction power was turned off in the vicinity. Over the following 45 minutes, 30 more passengers left the two trains. © Four by Three

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No toilet facilities

The passengers were “getting increasingly uncomfortable in crowded carriages with no toilet facilities”. Ice forming on conductor rails had been forecast, but Southeastern’s arrangements were “ineffective”. Conductor rails in the area are not heated, no trains had operated over the tracks in the previous 90 minutes and 40 minutes elapsed before a nearby mobile operations manager was alerted to the problem. 2M50 was standing beyond the point at which it could be diverted to another platform but the signalling staff could have used emergency permissive working. Since the train was not declared as “stranded”, they could not do so! One short paragraph sums the incident up well. “Because the emerging situation was not recognised as a serious incident sufficiently quickly, key decisions were not made to define and implement plans to manage the circumstances”. Other factors included “informal communication using inappropriate channels, poor presentation of key operational information and ill-defined incident management processes”.

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ATALITY EVENT, Colin Wheeler.

Bradford RRV runaway

On March 14, RAIB published its report of the runaway of a Genie Z60/34 mobile elevating work platform (MEWP) at Bradford Interchange station at 01:40 on June 8 last year. It was being on-tracked at a road access point to the south of the station. It ran for 390m before coming to rest on level track. The operator and machine controller were able to run alongside it, warning other workers to stand clear. The cause was partially deployed rail wheels and RAIB found that the rail wheel braking system had not been correctly maintained. On numerous occasions the machine operator had failed to follow the standard procedure for on and off tracking. This had not been detected by his employer Readypower.

Qualifications not competency

The report notes that the industry focusses on qualification renewals rather than the demonstration of continuing competency! RAIB’s three recommendations address the competence management system for machine operators, management competence overall and the improvement of training and maintenance instructions for fitters. The MEWP was converted for rail use in 2007. Its operator and controller were both employed by Readypower with the controller also acting as plant operations scheme representative. The machine was modified in October 2014 by Hargreaves using their own direct wheel braking system. The brakes operate using friction transmitted through the tyres of the road wheels onto

Position of machine operator and machine controller at time of runaway. hubs fitted at the ends of the rail wheels (See picture on the next page). When the rail wheels are only partly deployed the road wheel may have no contact with the rail wheel hubs.

No brakes

Between January and June last year the operator had on and off tracked three types of MEWP, but had not worked at Bradford before. The report notes that machine controllers are not given training on how each RRV operates. Their role excludes supervision of the machine operator’s actions! Planned work included a structural examination by an Amey COSS (Controller of site

safety) to be undertaken from the MEWP basket. Permission to start came soon after 01:21. Two COSS’s on site went to brief their teams. The third waited for the machine to be on-tracked. Using the pendant-control, the operator began to deploy the rail wheels at the access point. He stopped when the road wheels were off the ground leaving the fixed end ones still not in contact with the hubs (See above). He repeated the process at the steering end, again stopping as soon as the rail wheels were engaged onto the rails leaving the road wheels off the ground and not in contact with the rail wheel hubs either.

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TRACK SAFETY

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When recommissioned, “track circuit clear” conditions were from the controls for an automatic signal. Consequently, the signal displayed the proceed aspect when trains were still in the section ahead. This was only discovered 11 days after the original wiring was re-installed and commissioned!

“Pressure to return railway to service”

Safety Central concludes that “perceived time pressure to return the railway to service” was a factor. Causes it states were: assumptions about compatibility of electronic systems and data, no planned contingencies re data changeover despite similar experience elsewhere, installation/testing independence compromised, testers assumptions re the extent of testing, lack of labelling or clear drawings, and diagrams removed from site before the works were completed. Older readers like myself may remember the Clapham Junction accident on December 12, 1988. I still have a copy of Anthony Hidden’s report in my bookcase. This incident reminded me of some of the lessons learnt from that tragedy.

“Proposal to improve track worker near misses”

That is the title of an initiative currently being pursued by Jon Shaw, acting director of safety technology and engineering at Network Rail. From my discussion with Jon I understand that reducing or eliminating near misses rather than “improving” them is the intent. I was assured that front line teams, including safety representatives, are being consulted in a root cause analysis. Reducing huge safe system of work (SSOW) packs down to a single sheet of site specifics is one idea. I reminded Jon and his team that in the days of Railtrack a prize was awarded for the best single sheet method statement with the aim of making the document useful to workers on the shift rather than lawyers after things had gone wrong.

Fitter checked

Consequently, the MEWP began to run away. Realising the engine had stalled, the operator jumped into the basket and attempted to re-start it; but the emergency button had been pressed so he was unable to do so. The machine came to a halt 40m from the buffer stop in platform 1. By 02:05 the engine had been restarted and both sets of rail wheels fully deployed. About 03:00 the checking by a fitter was completed. He found no faults with the machine apart from an oil leak. The same machine ran away at Brentwood in Essex on May 8, 2016, when its brakes failed to release before going over a set of points. In attempts to release the brakes, the rail wheels were repeatedly raised and lowered at both ends but could only be partially deployed. The machine stopped when it collided with an RRV pulling a rail trailer after running for several hundred yards.

One in 46 gradient

The operator had worked 75 shifts on his zero-hours contract between January and June, but was not subject to a monitoring programme. Indeed, RAIB found no evidence of his performance being monitored in the past six months. Readypower’s safety tours only checked tools and equipment together with the skills recorded under Sentinel to use them. RAIB also discovered that the braking system (with worn brake pads and callipers) was not able to prevent a runaway on a one in 46 gradient. They list other runaway incidents at Glen Gary and Birmingham Snow Hill in 2009; Raigmore Inverness in 2011; Bradford in 2013; and Queen Street High Level in 2014 as relevant.

Wrong side signalling failure

Network Rail’s Safety Central website details a wrong side failure that happened last August on the Up Doncaster line between Knottingley South and Haywood Junction. Four automatic half barrier level crossings were being renewed. During an overnight possession due to “problems with data changeover” the decision was taken to revert to using the original wiring instead of replacing it.

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Keep it local and relevant!

Jon reminded me that the hierarchy of red zone working protection now has eight steps with lookout protection the method of last resort. Red zone working with lookouts is still very popular and I have concerns that signaller workloads have, for many, become a reason for adopting flags, horns and whistles with lookouts in vulnerable places instead of undertaking signal protected working. This must be addressed by the current initiative. Proposals will be rolled out to routes for trialling. I asked about doing away with detonators and possession limit boards due to the dangers inherent in setting them out and picking them up. I was advised that 379 of Dual Inventive’s ZKL’s had been purchased and are now in use. These are essentially track circuit operating devices which can be fitted at any time prior to possession working and activated remotely. Their successful trial was explained a couple of years ago at a Rail Media Safety Summit. They have been successfully used in Europe for a number of years.

No need for a wheelbarrow

The current SSOW planner’s instruction booklet now runs to 19 pages. I recall the apocryphal Railtrack joke about a site safety audit. Allegedly the auditor asked about the risk assessment for the use of a site wheelbarrow and was told it wasn’t for the job, but was provided for ease of moving the mandated safety paperwork. Provided supervisors and workers have skills and knowledge, the only additional information needed is site and shift specific and should easily fit onto a single sheet. The lawyers may not like it, they make money from excessive words but safety will improve. Recent prosecutions by the ORR have been against companies and large employers rather than individuals. Large fines have even been paid by one government organisation to another. This makes little sense. Individuals with responsibility for the actions and policies of employers should be held personally responsible. Safer working will result.

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RAILSTAFF APRIL 2019

SUP P

TED BY OR

V FOR VITALITY

WHY ONE OF THE UK'S LARGEST SUPPLIERS OF SKILLED LABOUR HAS LAUNCHED A HEALTH MOT ROADSHOW

hen’s the last time you went to your doctor's surgery for a health check-up? In fact, have you ever been for one? According to the NHS, if you’re aged between 40 and 74 you should have a health check every five years, to check for conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and dementia. People under the age of 40 are still at risk but the older you are, the higher the risk of developing these conditions. The earlier these are detected by a healthcare assistant and managed, the better.

NATIONWIDE TOUR Busy lifestyles mean that a trip to the doctor is often pushed down the priority list. So, recognising the importance in early detection, Vital Human Resources is bringing health assessments to its workforce. Since February, the rail company’s specially-trained health and safety (H&S) advisors have toured the country offering health checks to not only its own workers, but any industry colleagues who can be encouraged to step forward. They’re not intended to replace the NHS health check, but they’re an important part of beginning initial conversations. Blood pressure, body fat, visceral fat, body mass index, bone mass and metabolic age are all measured using health testing equipment, which has been rented from service provider New Leaf Health, by having workers place their arm into one machine, step onto another and also input data such as height and age into a computer programme. After the five-minute test, results are privately fed back to the user by H&S advisors, who explain what the information means and what they should do to reduce potential health risks.

PUTTING ITS MONEY WHERE ITS MOUTH IS For Vital, which has supplied skilled staff to a number of industries since 1983, it’s about putting words into action, as H&S manager Mark Barrett explained. This year the rail company is planning three major health and safety campaigns: the health check roadshow; a focus on one of the industry’s biggest risks, fatigue; and another, which is yet to be decided. “You hear these things about health and wellbeing being at the forefront of everything but do we pay a little bit of lip service to it or do we physically do something about it?,” said Mark, who has a background working in human resources in the military and private security sectors. “I wanted to physically do something about it, to show we have the interest of our workers at heart. “Every month in our newsletter we’ve been putting a hot topic on - so diabetes, heart disease, nutrition, fatigue, mental

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health - and we’re going to carry on doing that for a couple more months. Although we can’t physically tell them what to do, it’s given them all the tools and information that may assist them, and that’s what we’re aiming to do.”

CONVERSATION STARTER

Mark said the machine is a great tool for starting some important but sometimes difficult conversations around worker health. “Some people can be very nervous. You say ‘Look, just come in and just have your blood pressure done, just come in and we’ll do that,” Mark added. “Then when you’ve got them there you say ‘Why don’t you jump on?’ The key thing for them is I don’t keep any results. They are personal to the individual. “I’ve had people saying ‘Oh, I didn’t really know that’. I’ve had people say it’s given them a kick up the backside, and I’ve had other people turn around and say ‘Well, I’m sort of where I thought I was’ but mostly people saying it’s given them a well needed jolt.” A particular draw for workers has been the calculated metabolic age, with some 40-somethings earning bragging rights for having the body of someone much younger. Such is the excitement surrounding the machine that Vital is in the process of purchasing a machine as part of its ongoing health and wellbeing programme.

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2019

HEALTH+SAFETY

SENIOR BUY-IN

More than 200 checkups have already taken place since the health machine first hit the road, including on senior leaders at a recent meeting of the Track Safety Alliance. Brian Paynter, project director at Network Rail, left a glowing endorsement of the machine and Vital’s scheme. He said: “Having this type of equipment available to our Orange Army helps them understand that we do care about their health and wellbeing and I see this as one of the many tools of free advice we offer to help them understand what they may need to do with their lifestyle choices to make themselves fit for work and fit for life in general.” Overall, the rail industry is determined to take on more responsibility for worker health and wellbeing, a drive Vital is committed to. “Vital’s senior management team have got well behind this,” said Mark. “We’ve generally got an interest because we want to look after our workforce not only on site but off site as well and we want people to arrive on site fit for work. The machine should help us to do that.”

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COMPANY FOCUS

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2019

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SET UP FOR

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TED BY OR

SAM BRUNKER RECALLS HOW NETWORK CERTIFICATION BODY WAS ESTABLISHED AND DISCUSSES WHAT HE’S DOING DIFFERENTLY AS ITS NEW MANAGING DIRECTOR

fter six years at the helm, James Collinson stepped down from the Network Certification Body (NCB) in August to join Network Rail’s Infrastructure Projects as one of its heads of design. The move sparked a four-month process to recruit a new managing director, which was concluded with the appointment of perhaps the most suitable candidate for the job: Sam Brunker, NCB’s founding father. Originally, Sam, who was also one of the certification service provider’s first employees, decided not to throw his hat into the ring but assumed the role of managing director on an interim basis. When a boost in performance followed, largely down to cost cutting exercises and product diversification, so did his mindset. By that point the recruitment process to source James’ successor had stalled and head-hunting had been initiated. Sam’s unrivalled knowledge of the company’s inner workings as well as its 60-strong workforce saw him finish ahead of the pack. A fitting appointment for a man who had been seconded from Network Rail six years earlier to establish the specialist subsidiary. “I realised that in fact I did have the new ideas that were needed to take the business forward, so I decided to apply,” said the chartered engineer. “I was also thoroughly enjoying it, and am now very pleased to be leading not only a great company, but a great team – our business is our people.”

ORIGINS Back in 2012, revised interoperability regulations were introduced by the European Commission to continue the promotion of a single market in the rail sector. The interoperability regulations require that new, upgraded or renewed structural subsystems or vehicles have to meet essential safety, reliability, health, environmental, technical and accessibility requirements. “The railway interoperability regulations had changed to introduce the concept of a designated body or DeBo,” said Sam, who headed up product acceptance at Network Rail prior to this assignment. “Network Rail decided they wanted to be the DeBo for the UK, so they asked me to go on a secondment to work out how to set it up.” RAILSTAFF.CO.UK | @RAIL_STAFF | FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF

Although he was the only employee dedicated to the project on a full-time basis, with the assistance of engineering, treasury, legal and human resources departments, as well as the Department for Transport and the ORR, Sam set up various workshops to brainstorm ideas of what the new organisation was to become. Network Rail had various subsidiaries at the time, but none were outward-looking and selling services like NCB was going to do. Although this complicated the process, NCB was created and began trading in April 2012. Sam joined as infrastructure conformance manager and later moved up to the technical leadership role of ‘professional head’ in 2015.

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2019

COMPANY FOCUS

NEW IDEAS

A NEW DEVELOPMENT STAGE Since its inception, NCB has completed certification work on a number of high-profile rail vehicles and rail infrastructure projects. This includes: Caledonian Sleeper carriages, Loram rail grinders, ScotRail’s Class 385s and projects such as Thameslink, Crossrail, EGIP and the Borders Railway, as well as hundreds of smaller schemes. But, according to Sam, that calibre of work will play a smaller part in NCB’s plans in the years ahead. “We really need to look at diversifying what we’re selling,” he added. “NCB has had big high-profile work but, in the future, apart from HS2 and East West Rail, there are less mega projects to speak of. It’s going to be much smaller pieces of work for a much larger group of clients because of the way enhancement work is going to be contracted in CP6.” The £20 million assessment service contract NCB secured in collaboration with French certification firm CERTIFER for HS2 is

one major exception. Sam said “I remember saying to James Collinson in the first few weeks of NCB’s existence that we will know if we’ve done a good job if we are eventually appointed as the certification body for HS2. And so it happened.” Although there is £35 billion of government funding for Network Rail in CP6, enhancements, which the bulk of NCB’s work is based on, will only be considered on a case by case basis. Sam added: “CP6 is quite an unknown for the supply base of the industry. The regulatory settlement does not include enhancements and this means that suppliers have much less certainty about the work that could come their way over CP6. “We think there’ll be greater certainty in about a year’s time so we’ve got a CP6 year one plan, which is fully detailed, but then we’ve committed to reissuing the CP6 business plan in about a year once we have better information.”

Looking ahead to the future vision of NCB, Sam said that he had been considering some “new ideas” to further enhance its role in rail safety. “NCB has an enormous amount of talent and experience with exceptional engineers in our teams. We’ve seen many opportunities to support the rail industry further during CP5, so we will be exploring this in more detail during the next 12 months. Our focus though remains on delivering high quality assessment and certification.” If his success so far as managing director is anything to go by, over the next few years Sam may not only be credited with the creation of NCB, but also its transformation.

What is certification? Clients, whether they work with infrastructure or rail vehicles, need to comply with various regulations and standards. They must instruct a body, whether it’s a notified body, designated body, assessment body or another, to review evidence of their compliance and issue reports and certificates for them.

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EVENTS

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2019

COME VISIT US AT RAILTEX 2019 AT STAND C60 FROM MAY 14-16, NEC, BIRMINGHAM

EVENTS

APRIL 2019

JUNE 2019

JULY 2019

MODERN ROLLING STOCK

RAIL PARTNERSHIP AWARDS (WITH NETWORK RAIL)

RAILWAY ELECTRIFICATION INFRASTRUCTURE AND SYSTEMS (REIS 2019)

14th-17th April Graz, Austria

www.schienenfahrzeugtagung.at/en

MAY 2019

EMC IN RAILWAYS 1st May Birmingham

events.theiet.org/emc-in-railways

IMECHE ATO SEMINAR 9th May London

www.imeche.org

RAILTEX 2019

14th-16th May NEC, Birmingham www.railtex.co.uk

NORTHERN TRANSPORT SUMMIT 16th May Manchester

www.placenorthwest.co.uk/events/ northern-transport-summit-2019

5th June VOX, Birmingham

www.railpartnershipawards.com

RAIL ELECTRIFICATION: REBUILDING CONFIDENCE 5th June London

www.imeche.org

RAILWORX 2019

11th-13th June East of England Arena

events2.theiet.org/reis

FUTURE OF INFRASTRUCTURE CONFERENCE 18th July London

infrastructure.co.uk

www.railworx.co.uk

OCTOBER 2019

PLANTWORX 2019

RAIL SAFETY SUMMIT

www.plantworx.co.uk

www.railsummits.com

SMARTRAIL CONGRESS

RAIL BIM / ASSET MANAGEMENT SUMMIT

11th-13th June East of England Arena

17th-19th June Munich

www.smartrailworld.com

RSSB RAIL SAFETY CONFERENCE 24th June London

www.rssb.co.uk

A GUIDE TO UPCOMING EVENTS IN THE RAIL INDUSTRY THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, AT A GLANCE

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1st July London

3rd October Addleshaw Goddard, London

10th October Addleshaw Goddard, London www.railsummits.com

NOVEMBER 2019 RAILSTAFF AWARDS 28th November NEC, Birmingham

www.railsummits.com

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RAILSTAFF AWARDS

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2019

RAILSTAFF AWARDS

TIME TO EMBARK ON A NEW JOURNEY

here does the time go? It seems like only yesterday that the new line-up of rail industry heroes was crowned at the 2018 RailStaff Awards for the difference they make to customers, colleagues, communities and the collective rail industry. Whether it was through exploring the enchanted wonderland, taking in the jaw-dropping entertainment or recognising an unsung hero, it was a night of making memories for so many people. If you wanted to turn back the clock, spend three minutes of your day watching the highlight reel from last year’s show to see for yourself how spectacular it was. Trust me, you won’t regret it. The video, masterfully woven together by the magicians at Inside Out Group, is available on the RailStaff Awards website. As we step into April, the RailStaff Awards team is already working hard behind the scenes to put plans in place. The date has been booked – Thursday, November 28 – and the awards ceremony will once more return to one of the 19 halls at Birmingham’s NEC, a fantastic central venue that is up there with the country’s very best. So far we have 12 supporters on board: Bolle Safety, Colas Rail, Freightliner, Great Western Railway, Heathrow Express, Land Sheriffs, Pulsar, Samaritans, telent Technology Services, Total Rail Solutions, Transport Benevolent Fund and Westermo Data Communications. The awards ceremony wouldn’t be possible without them so a heartfelt ‘thank you’ goes out to them all. We look forward to finding out more about them and exactly why they’re backing the industry’s only national people recognition scheme in the months ahead. A new year means a new theme and we’re excited to let you know all about it but I’m afraid we’re keeping it close to our chest for the meanwhile… More on that in due course.

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RAILSTAFF APRIL 2019

RAILSTAFF AWARDS

To make a nomination or find out more about the RailStaff Awards head to: www.railstaffawards.com

NOMINATIONS ARE NOW OPEN

The categories in full: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Apprentice of the Year Award for Charity Customer Service Award Depot Staff Award Digital Railway Person or Team Award Graduate or Newcomer Award HR, Diversity & Inclusion Person or Team Award Learning & Development Award Lifetime Achievement Award Marketing & Communications Team Award Rail Civils / Infrastructure Team Award Rail Engineer of the Year Rail Manager of the Year Rail Person of the Year Rail Project Manager Award Rail Team of the Year Recruitment Person or Team Safety Person or Team Award Samaritans Lifesaver Award Station Staff Award

The time is also upon us to announce that nominations are now open! Think of those colleagues who have done something extraordinary in the months since October last year. If they deserve some recognition, spend a little time telling us why, it could make a huge difference to them knowing their efforts are appreciated. If you should need it, we even have a handy guide to help you through the nomination writing process. Eagle-eyed readers will notice there have been a number of changes to the 20 award categories this year. Some have merely had their titles tweaked but others have faced bigger change to reflect wider industry trends. The RailStaff Awards engravers will no doubt be grateful to hear that Control, Signalling & Telecoms Person or Team of the Year has become the Digital Railway Award, taking on the remit for an area that is so important to the future of our railways. ‘Graduate of the Year’ will have ‘Newcomer’ once more added to the category to reflect the number of career changers who enter the rail industry and not just those starting out in their career. Trainer or Training Team of the Year Award becomes the Learning and Development Award to increase the focus of a category that covers so many different types of job roles. Finally, perhaps the most fundamental change is the launch of a new category. HR, diversity and inclusion is a topic that has been recognised multiple times in other categories but, we feel, it now deserves its own to recognise the industry’s efforts to create a workforce that better reflects society. The most important part of the awards night has not and will never change, however, and that’s the focus on the hundreds of thousands of people who work in the rail industry, including you. With the countdown now beginning, we're looking forward to reading through your nominations, meeting so many more of you and, in November, revealing the rail industry heroes of 2019.

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EVENTS

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2019

WARMING UP FOR

RAILTEX W hether you’re a visitor or an exhibitor, if you’re in the middle of planning your strategy for the UK’s premier rail exhibition, you’re in good company. If 2017 is anything to go by, almost 10,000 people will make the biennial trip to the NEC, Birmingham, between May 14-16 this year for Railtex. Such is the show’s draw that hundreds of these will have travelled from overseas to be a part of the hive of activity, with dozens of non-UK companies also exhibiting their products and services. Despite living in an increasingly digital world, the show offers the invaluable opportunity to network, make new connections, spark new ideas and build on existing working relationships. Put in context of Network Rail’s plans to spend more than £48 billion for CP6 and you start to understand why there is an excitement surrounding this year’s show.

RECAP Wind the clock back two years and Stephen Brooks, chairman of organisers Mack Brooks Exhibitions, opened Railtex by revealing that it featured more exhibitors than at any other point in the last decade. Numbers have steadily risen from 424 to 470 since 2011, so it'll be interesting to see how many 2019 attracts. Less than a month before the 2017 show, a general election was called so, with purdah in full swing, politicians stayed away and speakers such as Francis Paonessa, Network Rail’s managing director for Infrastructure Projects, were limited in their presentations. Nevertheless there was much to discuss in the exhibition space. Innovator 42 Technology had a working prototype of its adaptable train carriage system on display. This system condenses unused seating capacity to free up room for

cargo. On a similar theme, Priestman Goode’s stand showed its flexible seating solution which provides a regular seating configuration for off-peak that can be transformed into a higher density configuration at peak times to increase seating and standing capacity by up to 20 per cent. Rolling stock products were exhibited by many of the major players, including Talgo, CRRC and Hitachi, which both showed concept trains for HS2. Alstom also launched a new EMU for the UK - as well as its new CLever cantilever - blissfully unaware that transport secretary Chris Grayling would scrap electrification plans in the Midlands, Wales and north of England in favour of bimode trains months later. Looking ahead, with 20,000m2 of hall space bursting full of exhibitors, technical presentations and keynote speeches across three days, RailStaff has picked out some of the presentations and stands which could prove to be highlights for Railtex 2019.

INDUSTRY INSIGHT For those wanting to add to their rail industry knowledge, a visit to the show’s three presentation areas is a must. Rail Engineer will once more host a selection of technical presentations at the CPD-certified Seminar Theatre (D61), including Baroness Fairhead, Minister of State at the Department for International Trade, who will kickstart the programme on the show’s opening day. Gordon Wakeford, the head of Siemens Mobility in the UK, will speak on the Wednesday at 10:30. He is also co-chair of the Rail Supply Group and as such he was instrumental in developing the Rail Sector Deal, which he will discuss as one of three keynotes in the Seminar Theatre. Joining them as a keynote speaker is Stuart Calvert, interim managing director of the Digital Railway. Stuart recently replaced David Waboso and will talk about Network Rail’s reorganisation and how further devolution will impact the Digital Railway programme.

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RAILSTAFF APRIL 2019

EVENTS

Elsewhere, in the Railway Industry Association’s (RIA) Knowledge Hub (P81), a selection of project updates, industry briefings and forum discussions with influential industry leaders will take place. This includes presentations on: • Opportunities for the supply chain, by Morgan Sindall (Tuesday, 10:30); • The Shape of Things to Come from Mark Lomas, the head of equality, diversity and inclusion at HS2 (Tuesday, 14:30); • International opportunities for UK rail companies in the Baltics and Turkey (Tuesday, 15:15 and Wednesday, 15:15); • RIA’s electrification report, which sets out how costs could be lowered by as much as 50 per cent (Thursday, 10:30). The speaker programme for the third conference area, the Future Focus Conference, is yet to be confirmed. It will focus on high-speed rail, sustainability and digital rail and will be headlined by a keynote speech from rail minister Andrew Jones. This conference will take place on the Wednesday. Before we went to press, Mack Brooks Exhibitions confirmed that 420 exhibitors had now booked stands for Railtex with only a few spaces remaining. Full details on all of them are available on the Railtex website. On the following pages we have highlighted a few of the household names and what they’re planning to promote.

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EVENTS

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2019

Alstom (S41) A feature of Alstom’s exhibition will be a new hydrogen train for the UK market. Codenamed ‘Breeze’, this will be a conversion of existing Class 321 trains, reengineered by Alstom and Eversholt Rail to create a clean, green train for the modern age. Alstom will also showcase its Widnes modernisation facility, its experience in electrification as well as its Atlas family of ERTMS products.

sponsor, supplying 30m of rail track, which will be used by exhibitors to display and demonstrate tools and equipment in an authentic setting. British Steel will also be demonstrating some of its products: • HP335 - designed for improved wear and rolling contact fatigue resistance; • Zinoco - the most durable system available to combat rail corrosion; • SilentTrack - tuned rail damper system to help reduce pass-by noise.

HS2 (U35)

HS2 will be giving delegates an understanding of the pipeline of opportunities on the project, both directly and through the supply chain. In particular, it will be focussing on its rolling stock procurement for 54 new high-speed trains, which has a total budget of £2.4 billion, and the upcoming rail systems procurements which cover the range of services to operate the railway, including signalling and telecomms.

• • •

Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education (BCRRE) (G60)

•

BCRRE will showcase fundamental university-based research and more developed concepts that are ready to take to market. Visitors will have the opportunity to discuss their research needs and ideas with BCRRE to see how the team could support their businesses. A key part of BCRRE’s stand will be to showcase DIGI-RAIL, an ERDF-funded project designed to help SMEs in the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership and Coventry and Warwickshire areas get access to world-class expertise to develop in the rail industry.

•

Rail Media (C60)

Hitachi (J11) New trains, innovative digital solutions and signalling technologies will all be on this display. There will also be a range of interactive experiences and competitions throughout the event to showcase how Hitachi will continue to innovate and deliver industryleading technology for the railways of the future.

Rail Forum Midlands (RFM) (T61)

British Steel (R50) British Steel will promote its wide range of premium steel products and associated services. It is also once again the official ‘On-Track’

suitable for use on rolling stock and/or trackside applications; SET Limited, innovative engineers specialising in problem solving and root cause analysis; Replin by Hainsworth, which will exhibit its latest range of materials for rail and aircraft interiors; J-Flex, which will be exhibiting the Railflex range of low smoke, low toxicity materials compliant to EN 45545-2; Elastacloud, is a leading data science and analytics consultancy which entered into a strategic partnership with Porterbrook last year; Inside Out Group, specialists in time lapsed films, high end, on ground or aerial filming and photography, CCTV and access control installations.

RFM will repeat the success of Railtex 2017 by inviting a number of members to share its stand space to create a ‘Rail Forum Midlands Hub’. Visitors to the stand will be able to meet: • Birley Manufacturing, one of the leading UK manufacturers of rail interiors; • Datum Composites, which will be displaying one of the latest generation composite cab fronts manufactured in its Derby facility; • Design & Analysis, which will be pleased to discuss questions relating FEA and structural analysis; • CHH Conex showcasing the Sichert range of reinforced polycarbonate electrical cabinets -

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Rail Media will, as usual, be heavily involved in Railtex. RailStaff - the industry’s most popular read that covers the extraordinary achievements of its people as well as the latest developments in health, safety and training - will also be on the stand, so it is well worth a visit, particularly if you have some good news to share! Sister title Rail Engineer, the magazine written for rail engineers by rail engineers, will be hosting the Technical Seminar. RailwayPeople.com, the industry’s biggest and most productive job board, will be powering Railtex’s own Recruitment Wall, so you can see the recruitment team there - stand C65. Rail Events staff will also be on hand to discuss industry conferences

and awards that are very different from the formal gathering at Railtex. The Partnership Awards, at which Network Rail will recognise the excellence of its supply chain, Rail Summits on Safety and BIM & Technology, RailWorx, where civil and systems engineering companies can show off their latest ideas outdoors and working, and the RailStaff Awards, the only industry awards evening that celebrates the industry’s people and champions, will all be represented, so drop in to find out more.

RIA (P61)

For the first time in the show’s history, RIA will bring its members together in a dedicated hub to offer a platform for SMEs. RIA is also organising the Knowledge Hub and the Future Focus Conference.

RSSB (E91)

Rail industry body RSSB will be profiling some of its most popular products and services, including the Railway Industry Supplier Qualification Scheme (RISQS) and the Rule Book app. The team will also be on hand to talk about how RISQS can help suppliers access the GB rail market, and scheme members can arrange to meet the RISQS team on the stand by appointment. Staff will be there to talk through the wider product range and benefits of joining RSSB as a member or an affiliate.

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2019

EVENTS

Safety in Numbers (B31) Three leading PPE companies: Polyco, JPS and Pulsar, which have a combined experience of more than 150 years, will be exhibiting together as ‘Safety in Numbers’ at Railtex 2019. Included in the joint display will be JSP’s Powercap Infinity - a fully integrated TH3 powered air respirator providing eye, face, hearing and respiratory protection in one compact, head-mounted unit, which has engineered out cumbersome and restrictive waist-mounted units and hoses.

Siemens (D51 & E51)

Visitors will be able to experience the benefits of digital rail technology through an automatic train operation rail simulator and other applications that Siemens has developed in this area. There will also be displays of the low-cost, digital-ready technology deployed for the first time on the North Wales Coast upgrade programme. Solutions developed for smart ticketing, passenger information systems, passenger flow and station information systems will also be presented Siemens Mobility’s latest high-speed train, the Velaro Novo, will be on display. Finally, there will be an ‘innovation station’ for visitors to explore. This area will showcase some of the research projects and plans that are in development plus concept products for level crossings will sit alongside new grab handles, best practice across equality diversity and inclusion, careers and education.

Talgo (Q10)

Following on from announced proposals to build a factory in Longannet, Scotland and an innovation centre in Chesterfield, England, should it secure a major order, Talgo returns to Railtex. Already it has a presence in 28 countries and hopes to significantly step up its UK footprint.

The above is but the briefest of introductions to the hundreds of companies which will be exhibiting at Railtex. Make sure you plan in advance, pack those business cards and don’t forget to register before you get there. Entry into Railtex 2019 is free for all visitors who pre-register their attendance before the May 13 cut off point, from which point it will cost £20. For more information, go to: www.railtex.co.uk/2019

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FEATURE

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2019

CO-OPERATION OVER CRITICISM

MANDY GEAL, FOUNDER OF CULTURE CHANGE SPECIALIST LEARNING PARTNERS, CALLS ON THE INDUSTRY TO DRIVE OUT THE BLAME GAMES

ave you ever been blamed for something at work that you felt was not your fault, or something you didn’t do? Maybe you received an email that made your blood boil, or encountered disparaging comments, aggressive questions or finger pointing in a meeting. What did you feel like doing in response? It’s likely that you did one or more of the following: You blamed someone else. You got angry with the person and had a row. You complained about the unfairness to anyone who would listen. You gathered information to justify your position and defended yourself in long detailed emails. Maybe you looked for opportunities to get back at the person who accused you. You might have emailed lots of people to cover your back just in case. You might have kept

information to yourself so that you couldn’t be accused of doing the wrong thing. Or maybe you felt powerless to do anything about the injustice of the situation and worried what people would think of you. All these reactions use up time, attention and energy, but for what result?

CAUSE OF BLAME The reactions described above are created by the brain’s hard-wired survival mechanisms of fight, flight and freeze in response to perceived threats. They have been natural human reactions for the 3.4 million years that humans and their ancestors have been on the planet. Our evolved human brain monitors the environment both for physical dangers and psychological threats, which are experienced through our thoughts and emotions. Being blamed constitutes a number of psychological

threats at a fundamental level of personal security, and as a result generates strong emotions. Thoughts such as: What was I supposed to do? Who’s in charge here? Do I have the power to do anything about this? Blame generates feelings of injustice, anger, revenge, guilt, and hopelessness. Blame damages trust, which is essential for successful collaboration. Blame is a widespread problem in the rail industry, and affects people at all organisational levels. Punitive key performance indicators (KPIs) designed to attribute fault create reporting structures that take up extra time and cause frustration. Blame occurs when people are working under pressure within tight timescales to find out what’s gone wrong, in order to solve problems quickly. The intention is positive but the human response is frequently negative, leading to wasted time, poor information, and delays.

THE ALTERNATIVES In contrast, there are many instances where people in the rail industry pull together in difficult circumstances to solve challenging problems above and beyond their day-to-day responsibilities. These successes occur when people trust and support their colleagues, work together to solve problems, and deliver the service that passengers and freight users require. RAILSTAFF.CO.UK | @RAIL_STAFF | FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2019

FEATURE

Neuroscience demonstrates that human beings experience trust and support in the brain’s reward system rather than the threat system. The reward system reduces psychological threats and enables people to think with a broader perspective, complex reasoning and balanced judgment. People feel confident and more open to sharing information and admitting mistakes. They solve problems quickly with better data and achieve wider-reaching solutions. When organisations share KPIs that are designed to measure success, they promote a positive and collaborative culture of problem solving. When people

have sight of what work is like for those in different parts of the rail industry, they tend to show more empathy for them and have realistic expectations of what can be done.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO DRIVE OUT BLAME? Passengers see the rail industry as one integrated transport service and have little understanding of all the different organisations involved. They want problems and delays sorted quickly, and to know when this will happen, rather than who is to blame. We have seen many examples where people have

changed behaviour to focus on collaboration rather than blame and have achieved significant improvements in performance because they work more efficiently. When people change the processes of measuring and reviewing results to include some recognition of people’s contribution and successes, as well as discussing outstanding problems, motivation and levels of engagement increase. In this culture, opportunities for people development arise, and for crossfertilisation of ideas, benchmarks and best practice. As a result of making these changes, organisations have reduced cost, improved revenues, increased quality, and developed better relationships with customers and partners. Collaboration makes good business sense. So, what can we do? Driving out blame is not the kind of change the rail industry can make in a day, but on an individual level you can make an immediate impact on the people around you.

Take a breath before blaming others. Find out more information. Try to understand the situation from the other person’s perspective. Think about the outcome, find some common ground, and make a suggestion to move the situation forward. Your differences will be minimised and easier to reconcile. Leaders in the rail industry could harness the pride that people working in the industry feel and use this as a motivation. First, praise success, acknowledge hard work, recognise the dedication to deliver and then be clear about the challenges of improving, which are significant. Blame wears people out; pride energises them. The traveling public could recognise that improvements to the network are necessary. They could be more tolerant of delays and closures caused by bad weather. These are outside the control of the people working hard in the industry to keep the railway going.

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GEAR+TECH

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2019

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RAILSTAFF APRIL 2019

GEAR+TECH

SAFETY GEAR AND TECH

OF THE FUTURE

STEWART THORPE SHINES THE SPOTLIGHT ON FIVE INNOVATIVE NEW SAFETY PRODUCTS WHICH COULD BECOME COMMONPLACE IN THE WORKPLACE BRIGHTBOOT - HI-VIS WELLINGTONS RailStaff first reported on Brightboot’s new wellington boots in March when they were showcased at Safestart. The boots combine the traditional protection offered to a wearer’s feet with the use of hi-vis materials to increase visibility. Marcus Aldred, managing director and founder of the UK-based manufacturer, said that when trousers are tucked into boots, a significant amount of the lower body can be left unmarked by hi-vis. He has overcome this problem with this new range of boots for men and women, which was launched in 2018. Whilst there are some safety boots that do increase visibility, Brightboot research found no such product that provides 360 degree hi-vis, day and night, existed in the UK. No standard currently exists for hivis footwear but the neoprene material incorporated within the boots is compliant to a number of standards, including EN ISO 20471, the European standard for hi-vis workwear, and the orange boots also meet the specification of RIS-3279-TOM, the rail industry standard for hi-vis clothing. Marcus said: “If you can increase visibility in the workplace, in any way, shape, or form, you’re going to lower the risk of injury to the wearer and enhance their visibility, which will contribute to a joint goal within industry to attain zero harm in the workplace.” Marcus worked in the textile industry for 25 years, mainly out of Asia working with hi-vis yarns and fabrics, before joining the family wellington business Rockfish around five years ago. The decision was later made to enter the PPE market, combining the two things Marcus had great knowledge in: hi-vis materials and rubber, to produce Brightboot.

After two years of development, a soft launch took place at the Safety & Health Expo in 2018, although this was largely an information gathering exercise. An official launch took place mid-January. Already Brightboot is in conversation with suppliers such as Arco and Hayley Group and the product has been shortlisted in the British Safety Industry Federation’s (BSIF) Product Innovation Award. The boots come in three different sizes: tall, mid and low, and in three different colours: orange, yellow and pink. They are also 100 per cent waterproof and metal free. Although Marcus was remaining tight-lipped, he said other versions of Brightboot will be released later in 2019.

EAVE - INTELLIGENT EAR DEFENDERS Last year’s winner of the BSIF Product Innovation Award was Eave’s Work Mk1 communication headset. The product, which - similar to Brightboot - was also its launch product, builds on the protection offered by traditional ear defenders by allowing workers to communicate to each other without removing the headset by speaking via Bluetooth connected headphones and mics. The Bluetooth connectivity isn’t the innovative part however, it’s the noise reporting system which measures, maps, monitors and records the user’s exposure to dangerous levels of noise, as well as the location and time to help employers mitigate noise risk.

Founder David Greenberg explained the product goes back to solving a problem he regularly encountered working as a clinical audiologist for the NHS with people who had lost their hearing. He said there are two main reasons people lose their hearing: old age (although this is a bit of a misnomer) and through working in noisy environments. “I would say ‘Surely you had hearing protection? Were you not wearing it?’” he added. “They would say that I can’t really wear hearing protection if I need to communicate with colleagues. So that was a bit tricky. After that I got involved with the medical legal side of noise induced hearing loss related to the control of noise at work regulations and understanding the liabilities of employers and employees. “Being an expert witness for these kind of things you suddenly find you don’t have any data as to was this person working for employer A or B, were they wearing ear protection, what was the noise they were exposed against to 10 years ago, 20 years ago, 30 years. Equally, is the hearing loss due to what they were doing at work or what they were doing in the evenings and weekend. There was no information on this sort of stuff, it was impossible. “The idea was, after working as a clinician, I got a bit fed up with people not wearing their ear protection because they can’t communicate and then decision makers not having any information to where the problems really are

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GEAR+TECH

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2019

and the scale of the problem. So then the product kind of designed itself, that it should allow people to communicate in noise while also protecting their hearing and also collect data on noise exposure and wear rate. That was where the product came from.” Much-like how hand arm vibration syndrome has attracted more and more attention in the industry, David sees hearing loss gaining traction to become a more important issue. He appreciates, however, that it is more difficult to notice the damage being caused by loud noise. Launched back in June 2018, and having been tested by BAM Nuttall, a new version of the product is already being developed, but Eave is keeping it under wraps.

INTELLIGENT FINGERPRINTING FINGERPRINT DRUG TEST Sweat instead of urine or saliva is used in a new portable fingerprint drug test developed by Intelligent Fingerprinting, which is

being marketed by Rowe Hankins. The test analyses sweat from fingerprints to determine if someone has recently used cocaine, opiates, amphetamines or cannabis and can be used to support non-regulated drug testing. Rowe Hankins managing director Mike Hankins said the fingerprint drug test - which was launched in August 2017 - can provide results in minutes. He added: “The UK railway sector, quite rightly, has a zero tolerance on employee drug and alcohol usage. This is to ensure the safety of passengers on public transport as well as staff across the networks. Drug testing is widespread, however current testing relies on potentially invasive and biohazardous approaches that use urine and saliva. Additionally, common testing practice is highly disruptive and this has an impact on efficiency. “In contrast, the Intelligent Fingerprinting test is non-invasive and is a portable solution so can be taken to different locations and deliver results in minutes on site – enabling less disruption to working schedules, unlocking efficiency savings and potentially allowing more tests to take place.”

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FHOSS - EXCLUSION ZONE LIGHT Many accidents occur from workers stepping too close to vehicles or plant. Fhoss’ exclusion zone light is a safety solution created to curb this problem, creating a clear visual prompt of where an exclusion zone begins around the moving vehicle. The light beams are hard wired into the vehicle or plant and come in three different colours: red, green and blue, as well as three types of halo zones: spots, strips and directional arrows.

SOLDAMATIC AUGMENTED REALITY WELDING TRAINING Back at Infrarail in 2018, engineering solutions firm Flamefast exhibited Soldamatic, an augmented reality training system that aims to reduce costs while increasing the training efficiency for welding.

The system allows welding trainees to repeatedly practice their technique in the virtual world without any additional costs, as they’re in essence ‘welding’ pieces of plastic with a simulated welding torch. What the trainee and instructor see is a 3D image of what a real weld would have looked like. By training in the simulated environment, it minimises the risk to things such as welding flash and extreme heat, as well as minimising gas emissions. Soldamatic can enhance the learning process for students so they are skilled enough before going to the real workshop. Soldamatic also claims that, compared to traditional techniques, the augmented reality training reduces a trainee’s learning time by more than 50 per cent and results in significant reductions in accidents (84 per cent) and lab costs and environmental impact (68 per cent).

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COMPANY FOCUS

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2019

NEW PROBLEMS REQUIRE

NEW THINKING

he UK rail sector is currently in the midst of a conflicting way of thinking that we have not experienced since the automotive boom in the 1990s. It is one that sees operational managers crying out for additional staff to meet performance targets or take advantage of growth opportunities, pitched against purchasing or HR departments that are charged with reducing the cost of recruitment.

FOR WANT OF A NAIL Back in 2007, the Daily Telegraph ran a front page lead on its business section on some ‘whistleblower’ research we had compiled from submissions made to us by employees of UK companies. Those case studies showed the real cost of recruitment and revealed hidden losses to UK businesses of such eye-watering proportions that the famous ‘For want of a nail’ poem by Benjamin Franklin represented a perfect analogy.

EXAMPLE ONE There was the case of the first-tier parts supplier whose faulty products halted the production line of an automotive manufacturer for so long that, along with the cost of the vehicle recalls, the company was fined the equivalent of two years’ worth of net operating profit. Whilst the incident was apparently reported in the company accounts as a quality problem, the truth was that its recruitment policy prevented it from using external recruitment suppliers. In a skillsshort market this led to the failure to recruit four quality engineers, which in turn led to a serious product fault being overlooked until it was too late.

EXAMPLE TWO A civil construction company was reportedly prevented from tendering for around £22 million per quarter because they were unable to recruit the site agents essential for the environmental, health and safety elements of the bids. Whilst HR blamed skills shortages, the reality was that the policy of paying no more than 10 per cent agency fees meant

that the capable agencies chose instead to supply to this company’s competitors at a more realistic market rate. The ‘saving’ was apparently in the region of £230,000 per annum, but the conservative estimate from the operations director who blew the whistle was that the company was losing at least £7 million worth of work over the same period.

“WE HAVE A TARGET OF 95 PER CENT DIRECT SOURCING” This is a statement we are hearing again now, this time in the rail sector. Given the headline cost of recruiting, such bold initiatives sure are alluring and noble; particularly where high volumes of agency recruitment are involved, and that headline cost becomes a significant number on the balance sheet. And that lack of ‘accountability’ is the real issue. There is no section in any company’s accounting procedures called ‘cost of poor recruitment practice’. The benefits of recruiting well are never compared against either the cost of recruiting or, more relevantly, the cost of recruiting the wrong person or the business impact of waiting too long for candidates to be directly sourced.

Whilst purchasing departments hypothetically receive bonuses for hitting their recruitment cost reduction target, there’s every likelihood that operational managers are left having to explain why their performance targets are being missed or why the company is paying late delivery or quality penalties. Meanwhile, HR is looking for ways to reduce unwanted staff churn, as over-worked staff walk to competitors who are better resourced and have more realistic talent attraction and retention strategies.

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RAILSTAFF APRIL 2019

COMPANY FOCUS

Solution

SUP P

FORD & STANLEY CHAIRMAN PETER SCHOFIELD ASKS WHETHER TALENT POLICIES ARE COSTING RAIL COMPANIES MORE THAN THEY SAVE TED BY OR

ARE YOU COMPROMISED? There are three points you should consider when evaluating the true cost of © istockphoto.com direct sourcing. The first is that, in a skillsshort environment that currently shows some 800,000 unfilled vacancies in the UK, are your direct sourcing teams compromised or prevented from proactively approaching employees of certain competitors for skills due to non-solicitation agreements? Secondly, does your in-house team have the skills to proactively approach target individuals with a compelling and detailed opportunity pitch, rather than mailing people with “We’re recruiting” messages? If not, considering that skilled people are now consumers of employment opportunities with multiple choices of where to ply their trade, it is unlikely that you are going to be interviewing the cream of the crop; rather, just the best of a bunch that happen to respond. Finally, as a statement of fact rather than a question, as the employer you ARE compromised in the eyes of the prospective employee. They know that your resourcing team are not in any way neutral, because they have recruitment quotas to hit and cannot represent them with any other employer. Ford & Stanley recruiters are trusted for being very honest with employers and candidates, but ultimately, we know we are compromised because, unless the employer and the candidate says yes, we do not get paid. The new employer is compromised because it wants the person to join, just as the current employer is compromised because they want them to stay. Who does this person go to – their partner, their friends?

NEW PROBLEMS REQUIRE NEW THINKING One of the fastest growing areas of the Ford & Stanley Group is our neutral SoundingBoard service. Launched several years ago as a bridge between our recruitment brands and GENIUS performance consultancy, it was designed specifically to support employers and individuals with this new conundrum brought about by skills shortages and demands for keeping costs down. One client in particular with a strong direct sourcing platform saw its offer-to-acceptance ratio shift from 70 per cent rejection to 70 per cent acceptance as a result of introducing SoundingBoard. If you are saving money by direct sourcing, then of course it is the correct thing to do. Giving you the benefit of some 30 years’ experience of improving business performance through people, I would urge you to consider the bigger picture and sense-check that it is not a false economy. Whilst easiest to legislate and administrate, it is rare that the ‘one size fits all’ approach is the right one. FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF | @RAIL_STAFF | RAILSTAFF.CO.UK

YOUNG RAIL PROFESSIONALS

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2019

S L A N IO S S E F O R P L I YOUNG RA

TURNS 10

FORMER AND PRESENT-DAY CHAIRS REFLECT ON THE ORGANISATION’S SUCCESS AS IT CELEBRATES A MILESTONE YEAR

019 marks the tenth anniversary of four young leaders coming together to start a new rail industry association. At the time, the IMechE’s Paul Cooper, IET’s Martyn Chymera, IRSE’s Martin Fenner and the IRO’s Rob Mullen were all heads of their institution’s respective youth divisions. Each attended events and networked within their own circles and felt something was missing. And so, like many good ideas, the notion of setting up a body to unite the fragmented youth memberships was born over a drink in the pub. It didn’t happen overnight but, gradually, week by week, month by month, with mates pulling in favours and scraping together enough money, Young Rail Professionals (YRP) was formed. “All four of us were I guess what you’d call upwardly mobile in terms of our career, we were doing quite well,” said YRP’s inaugural chair Rob Mullen picking up the story. “But every event that we’d go to was full of white, middle-aged, grey-haired blokes – I mean, I’m going to be one of these people so there’s nothing wrong with those types – but there was no youth there, there was no diversity. “We got together and said ‘Let’s do something different’ and ‘How do you start that?’ So we picked a black tie dinner because it was a classic example of something that none of those young people would get to go to and have a good time.

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“Whilst it was difficult to scrape a couple of hundred quid here and a couple of hundred quid there for the start-up, I think we’ve pretty much sold out every dinner since.” The very first YRP Annual Black Tie Dinner was held in the IMechE’s library at its London headquarters on February 4, 2010. Around 150 guests were greeted with a champagne reception and ushered up the building’s grand staircase to the library, which had been transformed into a formal dining room for the night. Figureheads from Atkins, Cogitare and Hitachi spoke between courses and the bill was topped by a keynote from the then-transport minister Chris Mole. A precedent was set and the dinner has become a regular fixture in the industry’s calendar ever since.

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2019

YOUNG RAIL PROFESSIONALS

A KNEES-UP IN THE BREWERY For 2019, organisers pulled out all the stops to mark YRP’s milestone anniversary. At the site of the former Whitbread Brewery in east London, in a venue simply referred to as ‘the Brewery’, hundreds of people slipped into their finery for one big celebration. As is traditional, Michael Charteris, a scheme project manager for Network Rail, passed on the mantle of the chairmanship to David Westcough, a project engineer for SNC-Lavalin, and the new committee was announced. Speaking to RailStaff ahead of the Black Tie Dinner, outgoing chair Michael Charteris said the key to YRP’s success over the years has been the enthusiasm and motivation of its people. He added: “We’re all volunteers, so we do it on top of our day jobs, but every year there is a really committed committee both nationally and in each of the regions, who help to arrange events and set the strategy for the year. Every year we’re getting bigger and bigger with more exciting events, and it’s definitely still growing. The next 10 years are hopefully going to be even more exciting with loads of new things planned.” Michael, who has been a YRP member since joining the industry in 2013, referred to discussions to take YRP abroad and plans to bolster its awards as two such upcoming projects. “We’re reaching the point in the development of YRP that it is now getting so big that we’re having to consider whether we need to start getting a paid resource to help with managing the admin and back office stuff that we have to deal with,” he added.

GROWTH

When it was formed all those years ago, YRP was grounded on giving young people a platform to air their views as well as organising events to inspire and support further learning and development. Despite growing from four members to more than 6,000, with a network that sprawls all over the country and not just in the capital, those values are still intrinsic to the organisation today. As well as the Annual Black Tie Dinner, major events now also include Rail Week and, for the first time, last year YRP visited the Netherlands for an international study tour. “I think the biggest benefit of YRP is that it puts young people who work in different parts of the industry together,” said Michael. “It’s a good grounding for future leaders, to develop a wider knowledge base of how the industry operates and functions. “We’re at the point now where you can see the impact it has had on the careers of the founding members. In the early stages it was too early to tell, but you can see now a lot of people who have been involved in YRP are now doing really well in their careers, whether that’s through the networks they’ve made or the fact the industry is recognising their efforts and motivation.” 2.

Where are the four founding members now?

Rob Mullen (1), then a senior driver manager for c2c, is now operations director at Great Western Railway. He looks after train drivers, performance as well as control, operations standards and negotiations with ASLEF. Martyn Chymera (2) worked for Cogitare on its London Underground line upgrade contracts in 2009. He now works for Keolis Amey Metrolink as an electrical and mechanical maintenance manager. Along the way he helped to instigate and champion the Elizabeth line’s maintenance apprenticeship scheme. 4. Martin Fenner (3) was a signal engineer for London Underground ten years ago. For several years he worked on a resignalling project at Neasden depot as part of the sub-surface upgrade programme, which enabled the introduction of new S Stock trains. Martin left London Underground in 2012 to start a new team within Interfleet (Now SNC-Lavalin) in advanced rail control systems. In January he become the director of rail control systems. Last, but not least, Paul Cooper (4) still works for Hitachi 10 years on. Previously he worked on the Class 395 delivery for HS1 but has worked in Tokyo for the last four years in its railway systems business unit.

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CAREERS

RAILSTAFF APRIL 2019

Osman Khatri.

EMOTIONAL GOODBYE

NER staff marked the end of an era on March 20 when train manager Osman Khatri, 69, bowed out after 43 years on the railway. Osman and his brother arrived in England from the former British protectorate Aden - modern day Yemen - on November 9, 1975 in search of a better life. Conditions “weren’t very good” in his divided home country, said Osman in an interview with RailStaff, but, as Aden was a former British colony, Osman held a British passport and was able to move to England after completing his studies in Pakistan. During a trip to the capital, Osman spotted a job advert for a train guard at King’s Cross station. He hopped off the bus he was travelling on, applied for the post and was offered the job, starting work on just his second day in the country. From British Rail to GNER, National Express East Coast, East Cost, Virgin Trains East Coast and now LNER, there have been many train companies on the InterCity East Coast route over the years. Although his job title may have also changed as many times, one constant has been Osman, who has always been based at King’s Cross depot. He has seen major changes to the station, its platforms and booking offices, so it was fitting that he also celebrated his final day with colleagues and senior management with a send off at King’s Cross too.

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“It’s been very nostalgic for me. Very emotional as well,” said Osman, speaking about his final working day on the railway. “On the train, because the previous train manager had announced that Osman is getting on and that this is his last train, this old lady got up and hugged me and said ‘I have seen you many times on the train’. It was really very, very emotional - the British public are absolutely amazing, every single one of them.” Ken Begol, who is head of the South region, where Osman was based, said: “Osman is seen as an absolute legend within the teams at King’s Cross. Not only does his passion for rail and customers radiate into everything that he does, he is also a genuinely humble and very nice man. His presence will be missed by all. We wish him a very well deserved rest.” Osman can look back proudly on his career. He was the first manager to work a HST, Mark 4 and White Rose train service on the East Coast main line and hasn’t ruled out the idea of returning to be the first train manager to work an Azuma if the opportunity arises. He also recalls preventing a potential disaster in the 1980s near Grove Road in Retford when he prompted a driver to perform an emergency stop after feeling a train derail. As it happens, safety is the area in which Osman has seen the most change in the industry since the 1970s. Reflecting on his career, Osman added: “If you love the job, if you love the work, the work will love you, and that is what has happened. I have loved this job. “I will miss meeting people on trains and bringing a smile to their face. It really makes me very happy when there is a problem and I solve it on the train, either a ticket problem or by helping an old lady or old man, anything that brings a smile, it brings me great satisfaction.” Osman and his wife were planning a trip to the city of Mecca in the weeks after his retirement. On his return he said he was planning to turn his attention to his four kids, 14 grandchildren and 4.5 acres of garden.

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CAREERS

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