RailStaff December 2012 by Rail Media

RailStaff

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Winner Rail Team of the Year

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Issue 181 / December 2012

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Festive Cheer for Railways

Keith Ludeman joins Network Rail Consulting

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Croydon cross over complete A new 1000 tonne bridge which links all platforms slips into place.

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The government has signalled its determination to push ahead with railway development in the New Year. HS2 Ltd has been strengthened with the appointment of an overall Director General and a further commitment to extend the line to Manchester and Leeds. More immediately work will get under way next year on London Underground’s Northern Line extension as the Chancellor backed the £1 billion investment in his autumn statement and pledged to progress HS2 to the north. In a supportive signal to the private sector Virgin Trains is set to go on running West Coast express services for another two years. A busy Christmas on the railways heralds more of the same next year as Britain’s recession busting rail business powers ahead.

Passenger Focus A Critical Friend Marc Johnson reports on the passenger’s long term ally of the railways.

Continued on PAGE 4

working together... ...contact the experts IN rail sector support services on 0845 543 5953 or visit www.mcginley.co.uk

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Rail Team of the Year In 2012 a Stobart Rail Team was awarded the RailStaff Awards Rail Team of the Year for the work they carried out on the Manchester Metrolink Track Replacement Possession. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Stobart Rail successfully delivered the core works within a very demanding timeframe, both lead-in and delivery. Despite unforeseen circumstances affecting key aspects of their supply chain, they responded effectively by reworking their methodology just days before the core works began. Their level headed and proactive approach ensured

the track was handed back on time at operational line speed.â&#x20AC;? Clive Pennington Head of Engineering, MRDL Stobart Rail specialise in Bridge & Tunnel reconstruction, Track Lowering, Earthworks, Civils & Drainage projects, Plain Line Track Renewal and Replacement of Ballast under Switches and Crossings. If you would like some Award winning thinking and Award winning engineering on your next project contact us to discuss.

Rail Team of the year 2012

Keith Winnery Rail Director t. 01228 518 150 e. keith.winnery@stobartrail.com Andy Richardson Operations Director t. 01228 882 300 e. andy.richardson@stobartrail.com Kirk Taylor Managing Director t. 01228 882 300 e. kirk.taylor@stobartrail.com

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COMMENT

Publisher:

Paul O’Connor

Editor:

Andy Milne

Production and design:

Adam O’Connor

Senior Reporter:

Jonathan Webb

Writer:

Nigel Wordsworth

Track Safety:

Colin Wheeler

Pictures:

Colin Garratt

Advertising:

Asif Ahmed Craig Smith Paul Curtis

Contact Email Addresses News: news@rail-media.com Pictures: pictures@rail-media.com Adverts: adverts@rail-media.com Subscriptions: pat@rail-media.com

Contact Details RailStaff Publications Ltd Ashby House, Bath Street, Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire, LE65 2HF. Tel: 01530 56 00 26 Web: www.railstaff.co.uk Email: hello@rail-media.com Printed by Pensord. RailStaff is published by RailStaff Publications Limited. A Rail Media Publication.

SPECIAL FOCUS

A good year for Britain The rail industry stands right at the heart of such celebration

“The rail industry can look to the new year with conﬁdence and determination”

RailStaff

Cheerful, festive, news about railways is in marked contrast to the sombre headlines of war and cold weather elsewhere. For the third year running Britain faces a difficult winter full of rain and snow. Threats to the freedom of the press and increased pressure on the health service compound the continuing recession. Abroad concerns over Russia, the imploding Eurozone and the escalating violence in Egypt and Syria barely obscure Iran’s ominous advance to nuclear power. We live in a sad and violent world run in the main by people with little sense of responsibility or the historic freedoms that should be the birthright of all men, women and children. However, the doomsayers have their way most of the year. Amidst our celebrations we should raise a glass to what has been a good year for Britain. The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympics marked a return to confidence by the British. The rail industry stands right at the heart of such celebration. Her Majesty may apparently use a parachute when occasion demands, but is a long term supporter of railways - more at home in the Royal Train than in a traffic jam. Railways and railway staff made a major contribution to the Olympics of which they can be proud.

Her Majesty’s Government looks to railways to generate jobs and opportunities and is prepared to invest consistently to achieve this. For its part the railway needs more responsible structures to channel the enthusiasm and dynamism of its people. Railways themselves aim to be responsible and safe deliverers of

PAGE 20

the service, masters of customer care, ﬁnancial probity and industrial peace. The rail industry can look to the new year with conﬁdence and determination. In that spirit we wish all our readers and advertisers a Merry Christmas and a happy and peaceful new year.

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Training Matters In February’s RailStaff

Dr. Beeching’s silver lining

Rail Freight moving forward

Training and education are the sure fire ways to success, not only for individuals entering the rail industry but for railways as a whole. The skills gap could prove a real constraint as more major projects come on line and Crossrail, HS2, new tram ways and stations need ever more new staff. Please contact Paul or Tom on 01530 565701.

Hyperbole will flourish in the springtime as the nation commemorates the 50th anniversary of a butcher wielding his knife; the deeds of a mad axeman.

With the constant press attention on the passenger railway at present, it can be easy to overlook rail freight, says the Rail Freight Group.

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Christmas confidence boosts railways

“Making HS2 a reality is absolutely crucial to our country’s future prosperity and I am very pleased to have been asked to take leadership of this much-needed programme at this time.” DAVID PROUT, DIRECTOR GENERAL, HS2 LTD.

The appointment of a director general to an expanded HS2 Ltd, investment in London Underground developments at Battersea and the Olympic Park and the two year extension of the Virgin Trains contract on the West Coast spells out a further statement of faith in railways. The industry, which consistently outperforms its rivals in terms of cost, wealth generation and environmental responsibility, is poised for further much needed expansion next year. Strengthening HS2 Ltd as it ramps up preparations for the construction of Britain’s second high speed rail link will be David Prout. Immediate tasks include preparing a hybrid bill for the ﬁrst part of the project. Secondly, Mr Prout and his team will be taking forward George Osborne’s pledge, announced in the House of Commons, to take the line through to Manchester and Leeds expeditiously.

Planning hoops Building new railways in Britain is a tough remit. The engineering challenge is secondary to the planning hoops and slip-knot reviews common to all major projects. Happily the new Director General has a wealth of experience 4

of Britain’s labyrinthine planning and environmental laws. Mr Prout currently heads the Department of Communities and Local Government. Previously he was planning chief for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. A career civil servant Prout has worked in Brussels for the European Union. His ﬁrst hand knowledge of the inner workings of government and enthusiasm for the scheme will directly beneﬁt HS2. ‘Making HS2 a reality is absolutely crucial to our country’s future prosperity and I am very pleased to have been asked to take leadership of this much-needed programme at this time,’ says David Prout. ‘I look forward to helping to take the project through Parliament and continuing to demonstrate the very real need for more capacity for people and freight on our railways, which will help make Britain a more prosperous and less congested country.’ Teams at HS2 are progressing design and environmental work for Phase One. The race is on to present a hybrid bill to parliament during 2013. With expected cross party support this looks like receiving Royal Assent in 2015. The bill will request powers necessary to acquire land and construct the

line between London and Birmingham. To cope with the burgeoning popularity of rail travel the DfT has extended the Virgin Trains WCML contract for a further two years. An expanded Pendolino fleet and an hourly service between Glasgow and London will boost capacity on the line. 106 Pendolino carriages have been delivered on budget and ahead of schedule thanks to hard working railway staff at Alstom, Angel Trains, Network Rail, the DfT and Virgin Trains. In London news of the go ahead for the Battersea extension came as Crossrail stepped up tunnelling under the capital. The Battersea project involves substantial redevelopment around the old power station and the extension of the Northern Line to Nine Elms and Battersea. Capacity expansion has caught the attention of the government which has identified railways as reliable pilots of economic and industrial dynamism. As the Coalition Government contemplates further cuts to public services and welfare, investment in rail is being stepped up in a bid to generate wealth and jobs. Confidence in the recession busting rail industry remains high. www.railstaff.co.uk

NEWS

Graduates will play a key role in delivering Europe’s largest construction project.

Graduate call for Crossrail Crossrail is recruiting graduates to the project between now and the end of January. The ﬁrst successful applicants to the Crossrail Graduate Scheme will join the project in autumn in 2013. Says Andrew Wolstenholme, Crossrail’s Chief Executive (pictured), ‘Crossrail is transforming rail transport in

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London so this is a fantastic opportunity for graduates to join us and play a key role in delivering Europe’s largest construction project. ‘Graduates will receive unique frontline experience on a major infrastructure project, picking up transferable skills that will open the door to a range of future

projects and careers. The graduate scheme will help us develop the next generation of leaders in a growing industry where their skills will be in huge demand in future. ‘With a limited number of spaces available, we are looking for exceptional people to bring the talent and enthusiasm needed to help deliver this

unprecedented project.’ Training will take place on site and at the Crossrail supported Tunnelling and Underground Construction Academy. Graduates will work towards receiving professional chartered status in their relevant ﬁeld and will be supported by a Personal Development Manager.

NEWS

Leaders back Ordsall Chord Local leaders in Manchester and Salford are backing Network Rail’s plans to link Manchester’s Piccadilly, Oxford Road and Victoria stations using the new Ordsall Chord. The scheme will improve rail services across the north and forms the ﬁrst part of the Northern Hub strategy. At a meeting in the Museum of Science and Industry the new Ordsall Chord scheme was unveiled ahead of a pre-Christmas public consultation. The ﬁrst part of the Northern Hub programme will help ease a rail bottleneck to the south of Piccadilly station and enable more trains to travel through Manchester Victoria. This will enable two new fast trains per hour between Manchester Victoria and Liverpool; six fast trains, instead of four, an hour between

Siemens acquires Invensys Rail Siemens is buying Invensys Rail for £1.742 billion. At the same time, the company plans to divest itself of its baggage handling, postal and parcel sorting activities. Both planned transactions are part of the recently launched Siemens 2014 program. The move expands Siemens’ presence in the growing global rail automation market

Leeds and Manchester and better journeys between Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool. Network Rail has appointed a team of experts to design the Ordsall Chord. Two potential bridge options have been unveiled for consultation, including a bow string railway arch and an alternative ﬂat bridge. The feedback from the public will be

passed on to the design panel and used to inform the plans. Says Dyan Crowther, Network Rail’s route managing director, ‘Britain relies on rail and with demand for rail travel increasing it’s essential we invest in the railway to provide a better service for passengers with more trains, additional seats and fewer delays. ‘We thank those who have already

made a valuable contribution to the development of this vital project. Feedback from last year’s consultation suggests that the overwhelming majority of people support our plans to deliver faster, more frequent services across the north and helping stimulate low carbon economic growth.’ Final plans will be submitted for approval next year.

grown ten-fold in seven years and now comprises 2,300 professionals. Amey acquired two additional consulting teams recently including Transportation Planning (International) Ltd (TPi) and the rail consulting arm of White Young Green (WYG). Says Andy Milner, Managing Director of Amey’s Consulting division, ‘Amey is responsible for managing thousands of public assets across the UK and we’re investing in the very best

professionals to help us maximise potential time and cost savings for our customers. This is testament of our commitment to grow our consulting business on the national and international stage.’

Amey boosts asset team Amey has appointed seven experts in asset management to its strategic consulting team. Charles Oldham, Jon Jarritt, Adam McCullough, Chris Beedie, Owen Johnson, Tom Bedeman and Ian Gordon join Amey from Halcrow. The seven-strong team will focus on five areas of asset management; analytics, financial modelling and budgeting, business planning, scenario analysis and programme management. The team is engaged across the whole spectrum of Amey’s activities including rail. Team member Chris Beedie has already been seconded to Network Rail to support the Strategic Planning team with budgetary submissions to the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR). A qualified engineer Chris is currently studying towards an MSc in Software Development with the Open University. Amey’s Consulting team has

“The seven-strong team will focus on ﬁve areas of asset management…” www.railstaff.co.uk

Ludeman heads overseas

Cook goes British Pullman

Keith Ludeman, former chief executive of the Go-Ahead Group, has joined new international business, Network Rail Consulting, as a non-executive director. Network Rail Consulting, a subsidiary of Network Rail, aims to harness the vast range of skills and experience available within Network Rail. Britain’s rail industry has a long history of exporting knowledge and skills overseas. Mr Ludeman, 62, was most recently group chief executive of one of Europe’s biggest transport groups - Go-Ahead - from 2006 until 2011. Since his retirement from that post he has also served as a non-executive director of Network Rail. Says Simon Kirby, chairman of Network Rail Consulting, ‘Keith brings with him decades of

Andrew Cook has been appointed General Manager of the British Pullman train, part of the famed Orient Express. Cook will oversee all areas of the business for the British Pullman and will be based in London, reporting into Gary Franklin, Managing Director, Trains and Cruises. Andrew was previously general manager of The Westcliff, OrientExpress’ property in Johannesburg, since 2008. Before that he was at the Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town and has worked at leading hotels in Bahrain and Dubai. Managing a team of around 50, including stewards, chefs, managers and maintenance personnel, he will be responsible for maintaining the high service levels and looking at adding new trips to the train’s schedule.

experience of leadership in the transport industry, both in Britain and overseas. His addition to the board of Network Rail Consulting will provide ﬁrst-hand, commercial expertise and corporate oversight as we look to demonstrate the best of British

expertise around the world.’ Mr Ludeman joins chairman Simon Kirby and managing director Nigel Ash on the board of directors of Network Rail Consulting, along with Network Rail’s group ﬁnance director Patrick Butcher.

Top changes at Arriva

RAF man heads Crown Point

Bob Holland is the new managing director of Arriva’s UK business. Holland, successful head of Arriva UK Trains, will be backed up by Steve Murphy, who will lead the trains division. Murphy is currently managing director of London Overground Rail Operations Limited. He will become Chief Operating Officer for Arriva UK Trains, a new role, responsible for Arriva’s burgeoning rail business. Mike Cooper, currently an Executive Director at Arriva who has successfully led the Arriva UK Bus division since 2005, will be appointed Deputy Chief Executive from 1 January 2013. He will take on specific accountability for the Arriva Mainland Europe division. The moves have been precipitated by the decision by David Evans, Managing Director, Arriva Mainland Europe, to retire. Mr Evans is becoming more involved with the children’s charity he and his wife founded in Zambia. Says David Evans, ‘I have had the most amazing time working with excellent, talented people, building a successful business ten times as large as when we started our European development. I will miss my colleagues hugely but I am looking forward to a new phase in my life with new challenges.’ David Martin, Chief Executive of Arriva, said, ‘David has made a significant contribution to the success of Arriva. We wish David and his wife a very happy retirement, and success with their charitable endeavours.’ Arriva is one of the largest providers of passenger transport in Europe, employing some 47,500 people and is part of Deutsche Bahn.

Former RAF officer, Steve Chapman, has been appointed Fleet Manager at Greater Anglia’s Crown Point Depot, Norwich. Mr Chapman has a Royal Air Force engineering background and served 19 years in the RAF. He joined as an engineering apprentice and completed his leadership training as a commissioned ofﬁcer, before undertaking a variety of engineering management roles including overseeing operational maintenance of jet aircraft with his ﬁnal role being Head of Engineering on IX(B) Squadron at RAF Marham, Norfolk.

After leaving the RAF Steve became the Head of Business Management Systems at May Gurney where he was responsible for business improvements for Public Sector Services. He takes over from Acting Fleet Manager, Steve Mitchell, who returns to his previous role as Fleet Technical Engineer and deputy Engineering Director. Steve Chapman is 41, lives in South Norfolk and is married to Rachel and has three children. ‘I am looking forward to taking on the challenges of the role and helping the team to build on their successes.’ www.railstaff.co.uk

PEOPLE NEWS

Michael O’Higgins joins Network Rail Michael O’Higgins, former chairman of the Audit Commission and current chairman of the Pensions Regulator, has been appointed to Network Rail’s board as a nonexecutive director. Mr O’Higgins, 58, was a managing partner at PA Consulting Group for almost 10 years from January 1997 to September 2006, working mainly on public sector projects. He is also a visiting professor of economics at the University of Bath and was involved with the London School of Economics and Harvard. Says Richard Parry-Jones, chairman, Network Rail, ‘Our goal at Network Rail is to provide outstanding stewardship of our nation’s rail infrastructure and operate it with the levels of safety,

punctuality and efﬁciency that delight our growing numbers of customers and satisfy the country’s taxpayers who help fund the business. ‘Michael will be a tremendous asset, bringing with him decades of business experience and public sector expertise and will work with the board to see best value being realised and delivered.’

Mr Norris changes trains Steven Norris, former Conservative Minister of Transport and erstwhile London Mayoral candidate has joined the board of directors of Manchester-based Vital Services Group. The former Executive Chairman of Jarvis Plc has extensive industry experience and is currently a commissioner of the Independent Transport Commission. He is a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport and the Association of Project Managers. John Smith, chief executive and founder of Vital Services Group, said, ‘We are delighted to have someone of Steve’s calibre joining us as we expand our Group. He brings invaluable industry experience and is respected as one of the few politicians to also have a successful career in industry.’ Steve Norris is pleased at the new

move, ‘I am thrilled to be joining John Smith and his excellent management team at Vital Services Group. They are market leaders in the ﬁelds of transport, power and communications and have an excellent training division that is helping to improve our national skills base,’ he said. ‘I look forward very much to working with the team to help develop the business further.’ Originally from Liverpool Norris still supports Everton. His autobiography, ‘Changing Trains’ was published in 1996.

Armitt to chair National Express

Sir John Armitt, the man who helped set up Network Rail and oversaw the hugely successful Olympic Delivery Authority will become the next chairman of National Express from February 2013. Armitt replaces John Devaney who became chairman in 2009. The appointment of Sir John heralds a Christmas cracker shake up at the top of the company. Current managing director, Andrew Cleaves, is moving on to become

International Development Director. Tom Stables succeeds him, having joined National Express in 2010 as Group Business Development Director. Tom Stables spent eight years with FirstGroup. Says Dean Finch, Group Chief Executive of National Express, ‘I am delighted that Andrew and Tom have agreed to these new roles. Andrew has made a signiﬁcant contribution to the coach business and I look forward to drawing on this experience as we develop our international opportunities. I am also pleased that Tom has agreed to succeed Andrew. Tom has wide-ranging transport experience and recently led our Essex Thameside rail bid with distinction. I look forward to continuing to work with them both in the coming years.’

The widely respected Sir John Armitt is currently Deputy Chairman of Berkeley Group and a member of the Transport for London board. From 2001 to 2007 he was Chief Executive of Network Rail and its predecessor, Railtrack. In 1997 he was appointed as Chief Executive of Costain, a position he held until 2001. Before this he was Chief Executive of Union Railways, the company responsible for development of the high speed Channel Tunnel Rail Link. He previously spent 27 years at John Laing plc rising to become Chairman of the Laing International and Civil Engineering Divisions. Sir John will initially join the Board as a NonExecutive Director on 1 January 2013 and then take over as Chairman on 1 February. National Express has one remaining rail franchise, top performing, c2c.

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RAIL ALLIANCE NEWS

Join the Rail Alliance now Rail Alliance membership starts from just £500 per year

log on to www.railalliance.co.uk email info@railalliance.co.uk or call 01789 720026.

Rail Alliance sees busy year ahead © SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

The Rail Alliance wishes all its members and everyone in the Rail sector the very best for Christmas and hopes for a prosperous new year in 2013 for everyone. In January we will be announcing our 2013 Calendar of events. It will be even busier than this year and

will include Macrorail 2013 scheduled for September which will in effect be a “county show” for the rail sector and will be a cost effective, value-enhanced opportunity to demonstrate products and services to the industry.

Southeastern boosts depot security with Smart Access Management System

Southeastern carries around 570,000 passengers across 1,000 miles of track every weekday in south east England. The company serves commuterbelt Britain with 1,400 daily train journeys into London, and is under constant pressure to ensure passengers reach destinations on time and in comfort. This puts stress on Southeastern’s 3,500-plus employees, whether customerfacing or working behind the scenes. Southeastern’s maintenance ﬂeet includes a range of vehicles, from small vans to larger vehicles bearing heavy equipment or biohazardous chemicals, as well as expensive machinery such as drilling tools. 10

Each employee must have the right training and approval to use certain tools in order to comply with health and safety. However, ensuring that only the right staff were able to access equipment was a major challenge. To improve this, Southeastern decided to look at how to better manage access to its vehicles and tools. Until recently, keys for vehicles and tool storage units were kept in a basic key box. Staff logged keys removed in a paper logbook. When under pressure, or in a rush to get to a job, keys were sometimes taken without being logged out properly. This compromised security and also meant vehicles or machinery were not available

New Members

when needed. Southeastern needed an access management system that would let it quickly assess whether an employee was qualified to handle specific equipment, and also ensure keys were monitored and returned on time. Says Sam Cook, shift production manager at Southeastern, “We were impressed with Traka’s ability to design a system that perfectly matched our requirements. We are still heavily reliant on physical keys but manual processes were holding us back. Traka’s key management system is a way of combining old and new by bringing in twenty-first century automation and accountability.” Traka developed a bespoke

Pilz Automation Technology (Pilz is at the forefront of safety technology. Pilz has developed the PSS4000-R safety programmable logic controller (PLC) and I/O as an alternative to proprietary rail relay interlocking. The system can be used for SIL 2, SIL 3 and SIL: 4 applications) www.pilz.co.uk A V Coatings (Pioneering the application of polyurea and polyurethane coating in the UK. Polyurea and polyurethane are solvent-free coatings which can be applied to various surfaces.) www.avcoatings.co.uk

access management system in which keys are permanently attached to a Traka iFob, each with a unique identity. Keys can only be removed by the correct member of staff, disabling the removal of keys by unauthorised staff. The system automatically records when a key is used and by whom on a central database. Southeastern can generate a report for each key, showing when it has been used, by whom, and when it was returned. It can also alert management if a key is not returned or if an unauthorised user attempts key removal.

Reaping the rewards of audited access management Since implementing the system two years ago, control over keys has been signiﬁcantly improved. Unauthorised personnel cannot access keys to equipment they are not allowed to use. “Accountability makes a big difference,” explains Cook. “Members of staff know that when they take a key, the system logs that to their employee record, so if they lose it, we’ll know. That encourages them to return keys on time and also to leave vehicles and tools in good condition. www.traka.com www.railstaff.co.uk

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London Overground has celebrated its fifth birthday, just a few weeks short of completing its final extension across south London, creating an orbital railway around the Capital. Says TfL’s Chief Operating Officer for London Rail, Howard Smith, ‘London Overground’s first five years have seen meteoric growth in both the railway network and passenger numbers. We’ve extended the Overground to West Croydon and Crystal Palace, we’ve linked Dalston Junction to Highbury & Islington and soon we’ll cross south London to the major rail gateway of Clapham Junction. ‘We’ve bought a new fleet of 57 new air-conditioned trains, we’ve built new stations, refurbished old ones with 21st century passenger facilities and we’ve put staff at every station while the trains are running. In north London, we replaced a signalling system and

Overground celebrates five years

tracks that had been in place since Victorian times. In short, London Overground is a perfect example of how - if you put passengers at the centre of everything you do - they will use the services you offer. Londoners want a safe, frequent and reliable service to get them around the Capital and London Overground provides it.’ In just ﬁve years passenger numbers have quadrupled, with

Croydon cross over complete

more than 100 million journeys now being made each year on the London Overground and more than 300 million to date. In December the ﬁnal link in the network from Clapham Junction to Surrey Quays will click into place making London Overground’s orbital network complete. London Overground is operated by LOROL, a joint venture between Deutshe Bahn and Hong Kong subway operator, MTR.

Festive cheer for Acton Diveunder Teams from Network Rail will be working over Christmas at Acton, west London, on the new train underpass needed to improve reliability. Engineers and track workers will be installing a new junction on the tracks at Acton. The works are essential to help increase capacity along the Great Western Main Line ahead of Crossrail services beginning in 2018. Says Jorge Mendonça, Crossrail programme director, Network Rail, ‘The works at Acton are an important part of the Crossrail project and will help bring longterm beneﬁts to passenger services. To minimise inconvenience as much as possible, the work will be undertaken at the least busy time of the year.’

A new 1000 tonne bridge which links all platforms at East Croydon station has been slipped into place. The 100 metre-long, 14 metrewide bridge was built next to East Croydon station. Moving at a speed of around six metres an hour, the bridge slid into place while trains continued to run underneath. Services were unaffected. Once opened, the new structure will provide step-free access to all six of the station’s platforms and a link with the new western portal on Dingwall Road. Costing £20m, the bridge has been paid for by Network Rail and the London Borough of Croydon. Says Mark Ruddy, Network Rail’s route managing director for Sussex, ‘East Croydon station is already one of the country’s busiest stations and is used by an ever-increasing number of passengers. By effectively putting the concourse area onto the bridge, this landmark improvement will ease congestion within the station and illustrates our commitment to providing better access and facilities. www.railstaff.co.uk

NEWS

New Media for YRP

First Class ticket for Maria

The Young Railway Professionals (YRP) has launched a brand new website with a social network at its heart. www.youngrailwayprofessionals. org – took its inspiration from social networks like LinkedIn and Facebook. The idea is to bring young people together from all over the rail industry creating a professional online community. Members can create their own proﬁles, link with colleagues and friends and post news and updates. Says Paul Cooper, Chairman of the Young Railway Professionals, ‘I’m really pleased to announce the launch of a new home of the Young Railway Professionals. We will shortly be entering our fourth year and, as our organisation has grown, we have been looking at

When railway staff heard Maria Rowe had been shortlisted for a St John Ambulance award for saving her father’s life but could not afford tickets up to London, First Great Western stepped in and donated railway tickets to Maria and her family. Maria, 11, from Redruth in Cornwall brought her father back to life after he suffered a heart attack. Maria was guided by a 999 call operator as she performed CPR on her dad, John, following a heart attack last July. On the third cycle of resuscitation Mr Rowe, 65, started to breathe again before an ambulance crew arrived and took over treatment. Says FGW’s general manager in the west, Julian Crow, ‘When a young girl like Maria has the presence of mind to remember her ﬁrst aid training and bring her father back from the brink - and you hear that the family cannot afford the trip to London, it is a privilege to be able to provide tickets for them to travel.’

ways of better meeting the needs of young people in our industry. ‘We have invested in the creation of a bespoke website, designed to provide young people with access to a calendar of networking events in the industry, as well as the YRP online networking community where our members can create their own proﬁles and begin to connect with peers from around the world.’

Elizabethan serenade Crossrail’s tunnel boring machine, ‘Elizabeth’ has started burrowing along its five mile route creating the eastern section of the new rail line between Docklands and central London. TBM Elizabeth will work forward to Farringdon, Crossrail’s longest tunnel section. Sister machine, Victoria, will also begin work on the eastern tunnels later. As the 150 metre long tunnelling machines advance, precast concrete segments are placed forming concrete rings which line the tunnels. All of the concrete segments are

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being manufactured at a new facility in Chatham in Kent. The concrete segments are then delivered by barge from Chatham to the east London site. Ships are also being used to transport excavated material from the tunnels to Wallasea Island in Essex. TBMs Elizabeth and Victoria will tunnel beneath the River Lea towards the new station box at Canary Wharf where work is already underway to prepare for their arrival. The machines should break through to the station next year.

After maintenance in the large station box the TBMs will continue their journeys towards Whitechapel, Liverpool Street and Farringdon. Elizabeth and Victoria

are due to arrive at Farringdon in late 2014. Across the whole Crossrail project, eight tunnelling machines will construct 13 miles of twin tunnels under London.

Andy Milne considers the success of the mix of individual staff power with private sector dash as the rail industry prepares for more change next year. Time and again the rail industry ﬁnds itself in a quandary when it considers the question of ownership. Everyone has a view as to what should be done about the railway. Popular prejudice reaches right up into the realms of show business and informs the counsels of opportunist politicians. Old battles between left and right are rehearsed with all the passion of sectarian loathing. However, the question of ownership is germane to the wider debate of what an economy is for, who should run it and why.

Dr. Beeching

We recommend taking that job with a railway company and investing in the myriad combines operating in the booming rail sector. For railways continue to confound the political polarities of our time. The industry has survived ill considered government intervention and the occasional private sector let down. To understand the future of railways it is helpful to place them in the context of our times.

A better society The late Michael Foot – arguably the least understood of the Labour Party’s post-war leaders - took as his starting point the planned economy of the Second World War. It is not just peppery colonels who regaled bored teenagers in the tap room with tales of how we pulled together; Foot believed it gave us a glimpse of how a better society might operate if people put the greater good above personal gain. The element missing from the post-war political settlement in Britain was the sense of needing to face a common foe. The Soviet Union, only recently an ally, was not perceived as an enemy on a

par with Hitler. In fact many in what passed for a ruling class felt communism was the true answer to mindless fascism and irresponsible big business. The Thatcherite reforms of the 1980s swept away much of the statist intervention espoused by the post-war Atlee administration. Everything from telephones to water and electricity was privatised. The Stock Market was deregulated and the energies of private capital set free. Thatcher based her politics on the belief that the individual knew best how to look after themselves. What neither politician grasped was the need to take risks in business as an individual. The sorry record of our recession is a catalogue of risk averse civil servants and their counterparts in the private sector. Whoever would have imagined a Labour administration bailing out a bank? Financial risk prediction is at the heart of the current franchising controversy.

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Next year marks three important anniversaries for the railway industry. In 1963 Dr Beeching published his ill starred ReShaping of British Railways report, recommending massive closures. Twenty years later came the Serpell Report; it was actually sent to Margaret Thatcher on 20th December 1982, proposing the

truncation of the industry to a handful of arterial routes. Then in 1993 Sir John Major drove through a bill to privatise the railways. In this issue Graeme Bickerdike takes RailStaff’s positive messaging to new heights by reporting on the good doctor’s inadvertent legacy of a network of cycle ways. Next year Colin Garratt of Milepost 92½, in an eight part series, looks at the passage of events since railway privatisation. 2013 itself will be a pivotal year for railways. High Speed Two, if it clears the ﬁnal appeals in court, will forge ahead. Reports by Sam Laidlaw and Richard Brown into what went wrong with West Coast franchising and what the trouble is with franchising more generally will set the industry up for further changes hopefully marking the end of uncertainty for railway investors - private and public. Many papers carry riders asking readers not to use what is reported as the basis of an investment decision. At RailStaff we always believed right from 1997 onwards in the future triumph of the railway industry.

Taking Ownership

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Edinburgh Waverley Station.

Railway staff take risks every day

Railways confound old fashioned views of class division. Moreover the thinking behind the Network Rail route management reforms is pushing power down from the top and out onto the actual railways. Local staff manage decisions for the good of the network. Similarly successful train companies are those where staff take the lead in developing new ideas and are encouraged to put them in place. Alliancing is the new watchword - controllers working together for the common good. This is a great industry to join if you come from overseas or have been bundled out of another profession. Railways draw upon the talents of 100 countries and cultures; we see school teachers, soldiers and students joining up bringing a well spring of new ideas, ingenuity and enthusiasm. It is this espirit de corps that has kept railways going through the dark times of the 80s and 90s and

has resulted in double the amount of passengers being carried on half the mileage of track. Perhaps Michael Foot would have delighted in an industry where staff so often put the common good and sense of purpose above personal gain. Sturdy entrepreneurs of years gone by would enthuse at a society where the ﬁxers and thinkers are out there leading from the front. Both would enjoy the RailStaff Awards which highlights the hard work and brilliance of our staff and the companies and organisations they represent. This is an industry with a future like no other. Therefore, at the least, railways must evolve a structure that makes better use of private sector investors and capitalises the inherent talents of the work force. It is right that the people in railways should take more decisions as Sir David Higgins, the head of Network Rail, has urged.

Entrepreneurial daring We have seen over franchising the confusion that results from entrusting too much power to inexperienced civil servants whose ﬁrst loyalty is not to the railways. It would be better by far to evolve a structure that was run by railway people for the railways. In this pragmatism the railway sees the joining together of individual responsibility with entrepreneurial daring. Our leaders may wish to reﬂect over the holidays that despite Beeching, Serpell and Major this industry travels an iron road, of its own construction, out of failure and despair. It is an iron-hard tough road but it shows us how industry and the economies of the future might work for the good of all. 2013 will be a good year for the railways depend upon it.

ve uc e, k s, , S R nt tu R a T Ra EQ ai l, s, re ol nd ec il l h , R In P in C n O , L ig ai f p o o g e r m l e h l o R Ev ast pl Sto po og rat y, io ai e ru e, c n us l B nts ct Ro k a en Ra tr us , I ur lli nd ts, il O n e n y i T s, N nes fra , Pe g S Co ec R ew s, st o to mp hn p m ail s, Ra ru le ck o n pa In R il ct , an en a n E u R pe ie dus il B ve re, oll d C ra s, R tr u nt Pe in o Tr tin a y N sin s, op g S i I e t l l ai g I ew ss nf e, oc l P n O Com nd s, , R ras Ro u p r p s R ai tr ll N oje era an try ail l E uc i ew ct ti ie N B v tu s n s e u en r ee s, R , Tr g C , R ws sin ts es , I d a a o ai , ge Ra il P in mp l In Ra s, n , H il, ro Op an d il B Ra ie us u i R je e H gh ai cts rat s, try sin er S l N , in R e N ita pe e Tr g C ail Ne ew g ed w ai w I o s, n e m n s hi s, H , H Ra Ra O p du se e ig il, il pe an str r ro Ne ita h S Ra Pr rat ies un w ge pe il oje in , R s e N c g , de d, F , H Hi d R ew ts Co rg ra er gh a s, , T m w ro nc ita S il, R rai p R ai n ay u n h ge e a l io s a d, ise , H ed il Pr ns nd F N ig R Ne o j r e h a T, , Su Un anc ws S il, ws St bw de h , H pe Ra , R il ati a rg ise er ed il F on ys ro N it R Ne r a a R eig s, an un ew ge il, ai h Su d d, s, , H R U l t H F i a H , R , S bw n de ran eri gh SE a a & il y r c ta S ra Q, Fr T, S s a gro his ge ti Li ei ta nd u e , H o g n g N ai ns ht ht tio Un d, e l O , H R , S ns de Fr ws a , , a r S no pe E il, & T Su gr nc lo rat Q, Ra , S bw ou h ts gy io Li il ta a nd , T , R ns gh F ti ys , e t re on a F a , nd ch il HS Ra igh s, nd no O E i U l t S C ll om log per Q, , R , S ubw in & L a a y a t g p , T i ig il y Pe St one Ra on ht Fr , S op oc nt il O s, H Ra eig ta uc le k s h S i tu , R an , Te per E l, R t, Q S d nt re, ol C ch ati , L ail s, Pe lin om no on ig F l s I g h r ai nfr opl S pon ogy , H t R l E a e, to S , e a B v str R ck nt Ra EQ us en u ol a s, il , in ts ctu lin nd Te O L w es , I re g C c p s, s, nf , St om hn era P r o R R a ai a a e c p ol l I il il str op k a on ogy l u B E n m d u v ct e, nd ent , pa us si en ur Ro C s, t T e n t n l o ti ie ry ess s, I , P lin mp ng s, N , n g e o R o O C Ra ew ai fra pl Sto n pe om il s, l st e c ra p In Ra Ev ru , R k ct o l ra ti an d e i n u l u l n i

By contrast railway staff take risks every day. A BTP ofﬁcer is at risk. A guard on a late service is at risk A track worker despite huge advance in safety management deals with risk as part of the job. The triumph of the individual over adversity is best attested by the RailStaff Awards and the stories featured in this magazine. These record people saved by railway staff on platforms, lifetimes spent helping colleagues and new ideas panning out for the good of the unknowing public. Building a career in railways is a life time commitment and immensely rewarding. However the work is often difﬁcult, lonely and time sensitive. This is also an industry were working people go right to the top. David Franks recently appointed to run Irish Railways started life as a platform clerk. Pino de Rosa head of Bridgeway Consulting started out as a railway bricklayer.

Alliancing

“Building a career in railways is a life time commitment and immensely rewarding. However, the work is often difﬁcult, lonely and time sensitive.”

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Sheffield honours for railway graduates Network Rail has seen 18 of its former apprentices graduate from Sheffield Hallam University with higher national certificates (HNC) in railway engineering this November. In total 64 Network Rail employees received honours and many attended a graduation ceremony at Shefﬁeld Town Hall on 16 November. There were 22 people who gained their undergraduate honours in

engineering. Says Ian Miller, 25, a former Signalling and Telecoms apprentice, now working in Plymouth as a works delivery team leader, ‘At times it has been a struggle to balance my studies and full time job. However, thanks to the fantastic support I have received from my colleagues in Plymouth delivery unit, I have been able to achieve the results I

hoped for. ‘I joined the Network Rail Apprenticeship after completing my A-Levels. I’d always wanted to go to university, however I wanted to be sure that what I choose to study would be relevant to my career path. Having found a career and job I enjoy, I look forward to returning to Shefﬁeld in September to continue my studies to Foundation Degree Level.’

The railway graduates took the two-year part-time course in addition to a busy professional life working at maintenance depots and out on track. Network Rail pays for the university fees, accommodation and gives them time off to attend classes and examinations. It now offers up to 40 places a year to both those who have come through the apprentice scheme as well as those who have taken a different route. Says Network Rail’s education programmes manager, Bill Templeton, ‘As the network continues to get busier and we face the challenges to get more trains (running) on time and increase capacity, we will need a more highly skilled workforce to achieve these. ‘It makes absolute sense for us to develop the excellent talent we have coming through our advanced apprenticeship scheme and I am convinced that this form of pipeline development will make us a more attractive employer for other bright men and women seeking a career in engineering.’

London Transport Museum inspires young engineers Rowan Joachim, a Transport for London Project Leader on the London Underground Crossrail Team, recently helped welcome sixty children from schools in Enfield to the London Transport Museum’s ‘Inspire Engineering’ day. The object is to get school students to think seriously about a career in railway engineering. Over 2,000 children have now visited the museum’s Acton Depot in west London. Students take part in a hands-on day making full use of the museum’s unique transport collection. Inspire Engineering aims to encourage Key Stage 3 schoolchildren (aged 11-14) to make exam choices relevant to an engineering career. Results and feedback are good. Demonstrating the practical applications of engineering really increases fascination in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects. As well as involving children in 16

practical experiments – such as the Breaking Eggsperiment, where teams work together to build a train track that can carry an egg passenger - they were also introduced to an Engineering Ace, an industry ambassador, to give them a better understanding of engineering. Rowan Joachim happily took on the role. Says Rowan, ‘At the start of the day most of the children have no real understanding of what engineering is or think it’s something to do with repairing washing machines or ﬁxing cars. But by the end of the session they start to see just how much engineering affects their everyday lives. ‘They are always amazed when they hear about the type of work that engineers get involved in and what a creative career it can be. It’s days like this that help to make children think about the opportunities available to them, whether they take up an

engineering apprenticeship after GCSEs, or stay on at school and continue to study science at A level.’ A study by the Institute of Physics showed that nearly half of all state schools in England do not send girls on to study A-level physics. A separate report from

the Royal Institution’s L’Oreal Young Scientist Centre claimed that one in two schoolchildren ﬁnd science and maths too difﬁcult or too boring to study; this despite seven in ten children deciding on science-based careers. The London Transport Museum is helping put that right. www.railstaff.co.uk

TRAINING

Women in Engineering Change the mindset to change the balance Following the NSARE inspection in the summer, it was made clear that expert training within the rail industry is of paramount importance. However, what is also of great importance is ensuring that we have new blood and a diverse workforce coming into the industry. It’s crucial that we address this issue and look to change the mentality of the industry and consider how training providers can engage with the potential engineers of the future. The engineering industry as a whole has an ageing, predominantly male workforce and we must look to tackle this issue if the UK’s engineering sector is to remain competitive. We must seek out, develop and harness the talents of potential engineers from all backgrounds.

Untapped pool of talent Women represent a largely untapped pool of talent that would provide huge beneﬁts especially to the rail sector where women hold a credible 23 per cent of the management positions. But the UK ﬁgures for the past two years show no change in the percentage of female engineering professionals; in fact the UK has the lowest proportion in the EU, just 8.7 per cent. More worrying still is the fact that the trend among younger women is for them not to choose engineering as a career. Can training providers assist in changing the mindset?

Skilled engineers During the Second World War women were trained to become skilled engineers, producing ammunition, planes and even tanks while men went onto the front line, demonstrating that females were more than capable of taking on roles that were previously the preserve of men. Then in the 1950s, time-served Apprenticeships took to the forefront of engineering where men once again were leading the engineering industry. Over seven decades later, gender attitudes towards women are changing. New generations of trainers are entering the marketplace who have different attitudes to women in the industry, which will undoubtedly lead to more women being encouraged into the sector.

We need a strategy However, despite the fact that the mindset is changing and opportunities are available for women, it appears that early on they are dissuaded or diverted from following the engineering career route. However, their apparent disinterest in engineering can’t be down to ability. In fact in China a third of the engineers are female, proving, if proof were needed, that women can be attracted into the profession. The reality in this county is that girls often close the door on career opportunities in engineering by the choices they make as young teenagers. The message is loud

Angelica Momodu, Vital Rail’s first female apprentice.

and clear; we need a strategy for reaching these young women before culture, tradition and misconceptions get in our way.

Female ambassadors Training providers understand that there is a need to target young women before their ideas about engineering are shaped by a culture that still believes engineering is off-limits. One of the ways we can do this is by using female ambassadors, visiting schools and careers events to show young women the modern face of the industry and the excellent training opportunities that are available to them. This is not just about opening up opportunities for women; there

We must seek out, develop and harness the talents of potential engineers from all backgrounds. needs to be beneﬁts for both parties. For them, of course, there is employment, security and progression. For us, having women in the workplace brings a new perspective and a different skill set that should change the workplace dynamics for the better, bringing with it increased productivity. If we all play our part now, the future of the industry will be protected.

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King’s Cross Remembered Relatives of the 31 people who died in the fire at King’s Cross Underground station on 18 November 1987 joined fire-fighters and railway staff at a memorial event at the station. Sophie Tarassenko, whose brother Ivan died in the fire aged 25 laid flowers. The blaze started on a wooden escalator and engulfed the London station. Aslef’s Mick Whelan said the tragedy underlined the fact that safety was the first priority of any public transport system. ‘This is a time for mourning and honouring the dead,’ he said. ‘But part of that process it to determine that nothing like this must happen on our railways ever again. We must never be complacent,’ he said.

An artist’s impression of the new Beaulieu Park railway station, which will be built once 2,500 homes have been occupied.

New Station in Essex

A new town development proposal at Beaulieu Park has received planning permission from Chelmsford City Council. The 3,600 home community will include a new railway station on the East Anglian main line. The station will be built once the

houses are sold. The project which includes three new schools and a business park, should get underway next year. Says Graham Cherry, Chief Executive of Countryside Properties, which is progressing the project, ‘This decision is the

Cubitt returns to Square

With the old green canopy gone the historic frontage of King’s Cross station has been revealed for the first time in 150 years. Lewis Cubitt’s magniﬁcent Grade I 18

listed Victorian station façade takes the lead in London’s newest public space - King’s Cross Square. The demolition of one of the capital’s longest surviving temporary

buildings marks the start of the ﬁnal phase of the biggest transformation in the station’s 160-year history. The new square, designed by award-winning London-based

ﬁrst step towards new homes, new jobs, and new infrastructure which will really take the new City of Chelmsford to the next level. Our vision is of a sustainable community, designed to the highest standards, with a unique sense of place and landscape.’

architects Stanton Williams, will open in autumn 2013. Says Matt Tolan, Network Rail’s programme manager at King’s Cross, ‘We’re finally removing a building that’s almost universally unloved, restoring the station to its full architectural glory and creating a modern station fit for the future that gives passengers and the local community a huge new space to enjoy. ‘With the completion of the final phase of King’s Cross station’s redevelopment, we aim to bring a bit of the grandness and old-world charm of Europe’s city-centre railway stations right to the heart of 21st century London.’ The final phase of works follows the opening of the spectacular glass and steel western concourse in March. This provides threetimes more space for passengers than the old concourse. Improved links to the London Underground and St. Pancras International will help the 45 million passengers a year at King’s Cross. www.railstaff.co.uk

The eastern end of the tunnel suffered from considerable water ingress prior to the repair works.

Dr. Beeching’s silver lining Graeme Bickerdike reports Photography by Four by Three

Hyperbole will flourish in the springtime as the nation commemorates the 50th anniversary of a butcher wielding his knife; the deeds of a mad axeman. Brought in from ICI to stem the railway’s haemorrhaging losses, Richard Beeching’s initial proposals emerged in March 1963, accelerating the contraction of the network seen through the 1950s. Appendix 2 of his report listed ﬁve-and-a-half pages of line closure recommendations, representing about 6,000 route miles, although a fair proportion was ultimately reprieved thanks to vociferous campaigning. Known euphemistically as a “reshaping of British Railways”, analysis of Beeching’s broader impact can wait for another time. What’s beyond question though is that it has proved good news… for cyclists. Since completion of the Bristol and Bath Railway Path in 1986, many other forgotten trackbeds have resumed a transport role, connecting communities just as their railways once did. The National Cycle Network (NCN), now extending over 13,000 miles, continues to reach new places, often by railway.

Amongst its highlights are some iconic viaducts - Conisbrough, Glen Ogle, Derriton - and a collection of around two dozen tunnels. Wishful thinkers hoping to reverse the Beeching cuts might bemoan such development; pragmatists though will recognise it as safeguarding alignments against more substantial encroachment.

Making the connection Almost lost amongst the Appendix 2 entries was Bradford ExchangeBatley-Wakefield, encompassing a heavily-engineered section of line built by the Great Northern Railway in the 1870s. Now, 48 years after the last train ran over it, part of the route is returning to public service as a Greenway, accommodating both feet and bikes. This will connect two West Yorkshire towns - Ossett and Dewsbury - via the 179-yard Earlsheaton Tunnel, penetrating a hill that highways have to climb over. “There is some awkward topography there”, affirms Lynnette Evans, Kirklees Council’s Cycling Officer. “The road alternative on the A638 Wakefield Road is not at all cycle-friendly.

The disused railway provides a level route and passes many residential areas so it will give people an opportunity to make their journeys more sustainably. It’s a new green space, helping to improve health and quality-of-life. And we’re also hoping for an economic boost to both town centres by regenerating what was a derelict and overgrown corridor between them.” It doesn’t come cheap of course. The work is costing around £1.3 million, one-third of which has been secured from the DfT’s Local Sustainable Transport Fund. Additional support is coming via sustainable transport charity Sustrans which won lottery backing in 2007 for its Connect2 scheme, to bridge dozens of strategically unhelpful gaps in the National Cycle Network. Sustrans has been heavily involved in the Earlsheaton project, completing a feasibility study prior to the route’s development and undertaking one of the earlier construction phases, although the latest works have been carried out by in-house contract teams from the two local authorities involved, Wakeﬁeld and Kirklees. www.railstaff.co.uk

FEATURE

Turn back time Quite what John Fraser would make of it is difficult to gauge. As the Great Northern’s engineer, it was his enterprising vision that drove the railway from Ossett to Dewsbury in the first place. Tragedy inevitably visited the tunnel during its construction. A French miner, James Smythe (presumably not his real name), joined the workforce on the evening of Tuesday 17th December 1872. Shortly after his return from supper, heavy snowfall caused a landslide 20 yards from the eastern entrance. This triggered a collapse of the tunnel’s timber centring, entombing Smythe beneath the debris. His cries grew weaker over the half-hour that followed until silence prevailed. It was Friday before his body was exhumed. Another rock fall claimed a navvy the following spring. But on Tuesday 6th May 1873, a ceremonial keystone was inserted into the arch, following which a dinner was laid on at Dewsbury’s Man & Saddle Hotel. Goods traffic started to use the tunnel a year later. No significant toll had been inflicted on the structure by redundancy, imposed in February 1965. Bought by Dewsbury www.railstaff.co.uk

Corporation nine years later, it now falls under the maintenance regime of Kirklees Council. An inspection in March 2010 found the tunnel to be in good order compared with others of a similar vintage. Freeze-thaw action had caused localised spalling of the masonry sidewalls, comprising a rubble fill behind ashlared sandstone blocks. Loose brickwork and bulging was apparent to the south spandrel face of the east portal. Doing it no favours was a sapling which had taken root above the string course, pushing the parapet upwards. Water ingress afflicted both ends of the tunnel - particularly the section immediately beyond the east portal - but the rest was predominantly dry. Addressing these defects would form much of the works programme. Another major element involved taking the path over Preston Street, which the railway formerly crossed via an underbridge 40 yards beyond the west portal. Its deck was salvaged following closure; this has subsequently benefited the adjacent works as the structure offered very restricted headroom certainly too low for lorries to pass beneath. Like-for-like replacement was therefore not an option.

Light and shade The tunnel’s boggy eastern approach cutting had been cleared as part of a previous phase. Through here a 2.5m path had been laid comprising a recycled sub-base sitting on a starter layer of 100-125mm stone; above these are a Terram 2000 geotextile and a 60mm surface course. This effectively acted as the access road for all the tunnel works. Bats proved a signiﬁcant constraint, restricting interior activity to the period from April to October. They also inﬂuenced the lighting. Surveys found evidence of common pipistrelles using cracks in the south sidewall, both as a summer night roost and for hibernation. As a result, the initial plan was not to illuminate the tunnel, however Police concerns over antisocial behaviour caused this to be reviewed. Although relatively short, the structure incorporates a curve of 22 chains in radius, meaning that one end is not quite visible from the other.

(Right) Spalled stonework is broken out of the north sidewall. (Left) Repair work on one of the spandrel faces.

Finding the right solution proved an interesting technical challenge. The compromise was to install lighting but reduce its intensity at dusk to just 20%, and create a dark corridor along the south sidewall and at the crown along which the bats could navigate. Specialist contractor Philips WRTL helped to develop the design which was evolved through on-site trials. The starting point was to mitigate disruption to existing roosts while providing sufﬁcient light to ensure users would feel secure. Installed are nine directional units each incorporating 30 LEDs. The original intention was to ﬁx these at the haunches of the arch, with the path running directly below them to maximise sight

lines. However they are now supported on 4m-high posts, positioned 2m from the wall; the path is aligned down the centre of the tunnel. While expectations might be for consistent spacing, the posts have been located to avoid known bat roosts. Steven Hanley, Principal Engineer - Transportation, has overseen the project on behalf of Kirklees Council. “While the lighting design concept is fairly straightforward, we had to work hard to ﬁnd the right balance: getting the tunnel open, getting the right levels, getting the right design. We had to allay people’s fears and at the same time meet legal requirements in terms of not disturbing any bat roosts. So we had a couple of night-time visits

and made some adjustments to make it ﬁt for purpose. All parties got involved. As a result we’ve received approval from the bat specialists and West Yorkshire Police. It also meets British Standard lighting levels, so we’ve ended up with a good solution.”

Power shower Inspections revealed that the tunnel’s original p-way drainage running along its centreline on a falling gradient of 1:59 to the west - had deteriorated and partly collapsed. As a ﬁrst step to dealing with the water ingress, this was removed and a new drain buried at the foot of the north sidewall. At both portals, breakers were used to loosen the accumulated debris behind the parapets before being removed by a vacuum excavator. This allowed a concrete saddle to be poured at the west end, with a ﬁlter drain inserted. On top of the east portal, the work exposed an extensive brickbuilt collection system that discharged water from the cutting face into the railway drain. This was cleared and repaired. Whilst the result has been to reduce the intensity of the penetration, broken pipework within the cutting face will need investigation and reinstatement in

(Above) Due to root damage, a section of the east portal’s parapet had to be rebuilt. (Right) A concrete saddle is poured above the west portal, incorporating a filter drain.

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FEATURE

(Left) Backfilling work takes place over Preston Street’s old alignment, with traffic diverted onto its new one. (Below) The cycle path’s tarmac surface is laid through the tunnel.

order to improve things further. Overcoming the associated access difﬁculties will demand specialist involvement. Spot brickwork and masonry repairs followed over a period of three weeks. Scaffolds facilitated this work at the portals, allowing a number of bat boxes to be built into the parapet. Within the tunnel, portable platforms provided access to the sidewalls, for which a local source of reclaimed stone was found that closely matched the required dimensions.

Level crossing Several design options were put forward to take the path across Preston Street. However maintaining access to the nearby business and residential properties proved a constraining factor. Although a footbridge was initially preferred, this would have required considerable approach ramps - starting within the tunnel - in order to obtain the necessary clearances; it would also have proved visually intrusive. The chosen solution involves an at-grade crossing, with the road realigned horizontally to provide sufﬁcient visibility around the hillside and an existing bridge abutment, and vertically to minimise the path’s descent from trackbed level. www.railstaff.co.uk

The two intersect at the crest of the road’s new vertical curve; the path falling at a maximum gradient of 1:20 as is preferred for NCN routes. Considerable earthworks had to be formed in order to accommodate this arrangement as the land dropped steeply away on Preston Street’s west side whilst the former railway, having crossed the bridge, was carried on a 6m-high embankment. Trafﬁc was switched onto the new alignment during the course of one November weekend, allowing backﬁlling operations to take place above the old road and for the connecting path to be laid from the tunnel mouth. Still serving as a retaining wall, the abutment was reshaped and tidied up.

And onwards January will see an official opening for the new section of path. The Council’s attention will then turn to a 600m missing link between the site of Earlsheaton’s former station and the local authority boundary, beyond which the Greenway has already been laid by Wakefield Council. The approaches to the tunnel will improve aesthetically when the scattered grass and wild flower seed disguise the bare verges, but users have already been enjoying the Greenway in numbers, welcoming

the local connectivity it brings. The second phase of Beeching’s railway reorganisation, published in February 1965, proposed a focussing of investment on around 3,000 miles of major trunk lines. Representing less than half the network, this underpinned his view that there was still too much duplication of routes. He returned to ICI four months later, the government having rejected his vision. Fifty years on, Beeching’s legacy can still stoke the ﬁre of many rail enthusiasts. Even his most ardent supporters could not argue that his surgery was unequivocally successful, but perhaps we will come to reﬂect more positively on it as discarded infrastructure is increasingly rehabilitated to play a positive social role.

What do they do

Passenger Focus – A Critical Friend Continuing our series looking at people and organisations in the rail industry, RailStaff asks the question: What do they do?

Marc Johnson reports on the passenger’s champion and long term ally of the railways A critical friend - that’s how the chief executive of Passenger Focus, Anthony Smith, sees the organisation’s relationship with the rail industry. Someone whose views you value even if it isn’t what you want to hear. It’s a relationship which dates back to 1947 and the formation of the Central Transport Consultative Committee (CTCC) - a body which with a network of regional committees was designed to give a formal voice to the views of passengers. Since then the organisation’s name and responsibilities have changed a number of times. Eventually the Rail Users’ Consultative Committee (RUCC) became Passenger Focus - the operating name of the Rail Passengers’ Council - in 2006.

Really annoying

Anthony Smith, Chief Executive of Passenger Focus.

‘I’m sure at certain times they ﬁnd us really annoying,” says Anthony Smith. “They probably think we’re focussing on the wrong thing or being too vocal about certain things, so it’s a funny relationship. ‘I believe they probably think we’re necessary because they realise that to a degree they run monopolies and you’ve got to have a counter balance theme of consumer interests.’ Passenger Focus has an annual budget of £4.7 million, employs around 40 people and seeks to get the best deal for passengers using research-based evidence to argue

for what passengers want. The remit includes bus passengers and tram passengers. It’s this focus on research which means the organisation’s National Passenger Survey is widely regarded as the most accurate measure of performance within the industry. The quality of service isn’t just measured by punctuality but by what passengers think of every aspect of their journey.

Independent viewpoint The National Passenger Survey, which polls more than 65,000 rail passengers each year, doesn’t just look at overall satisfaction for each operator but asks for views on the attitude of staff, car parking and even the toilet facilities. It also considers how well operators are catering for different types of passengers. ‘We work really hard to keep lines of communication open with the industry and we work very hard on the tone of what we do so we’re not shrill, and we’re not a campaigning organisation that’s shouting the whole time,’ says Anthony. ‘Everybody in the industry and the government says what’s very useful about what we do is the research because we do it from an independent viewpoint. We’ve got no axe to grind. We’ve got a very simple business model; we go and ask passengers what they think, we write it down and then we publish it.’

How effective is Passenger Focus? Aside from the battles over fares and ticketing, Passenger Focus has pushed the industry, the ORR and the government to focus more on how the railway manages disruption and how quickly it feeds information to the platform. Punctuality remains the key factor governing passenger satisfaction, but it’s poorly managed delays that continue to frustrate users the most. As well as pressuring operators to improve services, Passenger Focus acts as a translator of technical and often confusing data and terminology. Train punctuality data takes many different forms. What we’d call late might be considered on time by another measure. Passenger Focus acts as an independent watchdog which positions itself as a ﬁlter between train companies and the travelling public.

The West Coast debacle Traditionally franchise renewals give Passenger Focus an opportunity to lever the wants of rail users into formal proposals. The West Coast debacle has more than ever before brought the franchising process into question. The ensuing row has made passengers more aware of the processes which decide who is in charge of the country’s trains. The system can appear closed off to passengers. ‘With franchising you have a very www.railstaff.co.uk

FEATURE

big, very complex, very long-term decision, which frankly you’re not really going to get passengers focussed on,’ says Anthony. “They’re far more worried about whether they’re going to get a seat today or tomorrow, or whether the train is going to be punctual next week when they have to get to work on time for something special.’ Making sure long-term passenger interests are promoted in these complicated debates is important. ‘What is clear is that the process of franchising needs much more opening up so that passengers have a much clearer idea of what is being done on their behalf.’ Smith hopes this will give passengers a much better opportunity to inform the process.

In the organisation’s annual report, unpaid fares notices were highlighted as a major area of concern. Unhappily regular passengers who have forgotten their rail card are treated the same as those who are trying to defraud the railway. Passenger Focus has been asking for more rail staff to use consistent discretion day to day. Says Anthony, ‘Imagine you have been a customer of a train company for 26 years. One day you forget your rail card and bang you’re done. There’s no notion of: Hang on I’ve been a customer of yours for 26 years; why are you treating me like this. ‘The industry has to step back and think about this from a

consumer relations point of view as well as collecting revenue which is quite right and proper.’ After 13 years of gentle persuasion as a critical friend, Anthony believes the industry has been listening to their advice, even if sometimes begrudgingly. “It deﬁnitely has become more consumer focussed and I think the whole industry has become more passenger focussed. The government has and the ORR has as well. It’s slowly, slowly getting there.” Smith might have annoyed guards and rail chiefs alike but most agree the industry needs friends - and a friend in need is a friend indeed.

“We’ve got a very simple business model; we go and ask passengers what they think, we write it down and then we publish it.” ANTHONY SMITH, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, PASSENGER FOCUS

Make a difference Passenger Focus is a mediator. Every year it deals with around 3,500 passenger complaints usually from rail users unhappy about how a train operator has dealt with their initial complaint. ‘Our job is to make a difference for passengers. We aim to be useful.’ Passenger Focus produces research that is useful to the industry and government. The aim is to help them make rational and supportive decisions about the railways and their passengers. Importantly Passenger Focus sticks up for passengers, making sure their voice is heard in an industry which has a lot of large monopolistic structures. www.railstaff.co.uk

FOR SAFETY’S SAKE KEEP IT LOCAL, PERSONAL AND DELEGATE THOSE SAFETY RESPONSIBILITIES Specialists should advise: Locals with ballast scratched boots must be empowered, and accountable SAFETY Colin Wheeler colin@rail-media.com

Recent severe weather reminds us that mankind does not know it all and still makes mistakes, sometimes wilfully but often unintentionally. It is part of being human. As we approach the season of goodwill and “turning over a new leaf” for 2013 we need to re-balance our approach to track safety by returning to a human scale of work organisation. Continuously improving systems, processes and equipment is a waste of time if we lose the commitment of those who do the work. Arguably this is already happening. The weekend commitment of those working in cold wet and freezing conditions, especially just before the dawn breaks deserves the simplest of method statements and procedures. Are multi-sponsored PICOPs (Persons in Charge of Possession), Engineering Supervisors (ES’s) etc. the driving force behind the never ending changes we suffer? Are the details hammered out by them or by competence assessed professionals with clean unscratched boots sitting round tables in the break out areas of comfortable heated ofﬁces? Most of us know that the latter is the less safe norm these days.

Working on track for an hour with a Road/Railer and no possession! What is described by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) as a “Possession Irregularity” (but could easily have become a multiple fatality accident) at Dunblane on October 28th is currently being investigated. A reader has already commented that he ﬁnds the details unbelievable! 26

A fifteen mile long Saturday night to Sunday morning possession had been taken by a single PICOP between Stirling and Blackford Signal Box. When the drainage work of the gang was completed within the possession time their ES attempted to contact the PICOP to tell him that their road/rail vehicle and the gang were now clear of the tracks having finished their work. Having failed to contact the PICOP he rang the Signaller at Blackford who told him that the PICOP had handed the tracks back to traffic an hour earlier! I wonder how many work sites were set up that night and how well the PICOP knew the ES’s. Did the PICOP even know they were working? Was he in direct contact with each ES as the work details were planned? Is a 15-mile long single PICOP Possession the best way of doing work at that location? The final report will make interesting reading.

84 minutes ahead of schedule when it derailed I suspect similar detachment played a part in the derailment of a Class 90 locomotive owned by Freightliner but on hire to Virgin

Trains which derailed at Bletchley Junction around 0227 on the morning of 3rd February this year (pictured above). The RAIB report says that it was being driven from Crewe to Wembley when it “derailed as it was negotiating the diverging route at Bletchley Junction”. Its speed at the point of derailment was 65.5 mph though the speed limit was 15 mph. The driver suffered minor injuries but there was signiﬁcant damage to the locomotive, track and overhead line equipment. Although the signal changed from red to “F” for the diverging route the driver thought he was signalled straight through and applied full power before realising his error. He had booked his taxi home from Wembley Depot for 50 minutes before his scheduled arrival time and “several times he exceeded the speed limit for a light locomotive in one case travelling at 77 mph when the speed should have been no more than 60 mph”. The locomotive was 33 minutes ahead of schedule leaving Crewe and 84 minutes ahead when it derailed. The report commends

the signaller at Bletchley who put the last signal on the Down Fast to danger stopping a train just 550 metres from the derailed locomotive that was fouling the track in front of it. If the job could sensibly and safely be done in an hour less why didn’t the plan reﬂect this? If the taxi had been ordered early before why did no one question the early running?

Too fast but the speedometer was faulty The actions of the driver of the light locomotive that derailed at Bletchley Junction and the driver of the train that passed signal SD4-81 at danger on April 26th this year near Stafford bear comparison. The locomotive was en route from Washwood Heath to Crewe when it passed signal SD4-81 at danger on the Down Slow line south of Stafford on West Coast Main Line. The owners of the locomotive held their own Inquiry which established that the locomotive had a faulty speedometer and had been driven at speeds above those permitted. The incident was not reported to RAIB until September. It is now www.railstaff.co.uk

TRACK SAFETY

under investigation by RAIB who have already suggested that there is insufﬁcient evidence of the hired-in driver’s competence. His employer surely knew the details of his competences and recent driving and the owners of the locomotive checked it too, didn’t they?

improvements are a good thing but the zero statistics we all seek will only be achieved by ensuring those on track feel valued, responsible and supported by their engineers, planners and managers. We need a New Year resolution across the industry to take this forward in 2013 instead of constantly tinkering with rules and instructions all the time.

“Forefront of everyone’s mind?” I recall taking part in Institution of Safety and Health Rail Conferences in both London and Cardiff some years ago. These are now well established with the 8th such event held on November 20th at Glazier’s Hall in central London. Chair of the Commons Select Committee on Transport Louise Ellerman MP spoke and gained the headlines with the claim that “health and safety can aid industry cost cutting”. I agree. Predictably Richard Price from the Ofﬁce of Rail Regulation stressed the need for “Health and Safety being in the forefront of everyone’s mind” and drew attention to regulation priorities – level crossings, workforce safety, occupational health and rolling stock. A new award for occupational health was presented to Crossrail at the Conference for their achievements. Since February 2010 no fewer than 6,000 of their staff have had health assessments and they have staged campaigns to raise awareness on sites. Crossrail claim that the beneﬁts are already being seen with “increased surveillance and engagement with sub tier contractors”. But I am surprised that this rail award went to an organisation which is still in the process of building its railway.

Seven cows and a calf killed On Thursday July 12th at 6-40 pm a two car Class 150 Diesel Multiple Unit travelling from Gloucester to Fishguard ran into a herd of cows at 52 mph. The driver saw them as he rounded the bend but his emergency brake application did not stop the train before he ran into them derailing all wheels of the ﬁrst coach. Both coaches remained upright when the train stopped just 190 metres from where the driver ﬁrst saw the cattle (and 60m metres on from the point of derailment). There were two staff and 28 passengers on the train but no-one www.railstaff.co.uk

Fatality

was injured, although seven cows and a calf were either killed or had to be destroyed. During the afternoon 25 beasts had gained access to the railway at Midland Farm footpath crossing. They had wandered half a mile towards Clarebeston Road. A level crossing inspection team inspects every six months. Their December 2011 report identified the downside hanging post as being “in poor condition, in need of replacement with repairs to adjacent fencing.” Their March 2012 inspection commented on the work not having been done, but work was carried out on June 13th. However, the new fencing straining post was 75 mm instead of the specified 100 mm section. The RAIB report says the cows pushed against the under sized post and simply broke it off at or just above ground level. Having identified this, the RAIB decided that a full investigation was not necessary. In the month between the repairs and the accident I find it difficult to believe that the patroller, local supervisor, farmer and others were all unaware of the inadequate repair. It is surely more likely that they all knew a specialist group were responsible and took no action. Keeping things local and working closely with adjacent farmers etc. is better and safer every time! With Network Rail’s current organisation in place it should be easy for Routes to build relationships between local maintenance people, train operators and their drivers and

neighbouring farmers and landowners. Local engineers and supervisors need to be empowered to take action and be responsible for the safety and reliability of all railway infrastructure on their patch. They will need access to specialist services but should remain responsible. Systems and equipment

Just as this article went to press I was saddened to learn that a 26year old SkyBlue subcontractor was struck and killed on December 4th by the 1119 train from Scunthorpe to Lincoln Central at Sykes Lane about half a mile Lincoln side of Saxilby Station. He was a member of a Network Rail maintenance gang carrying out kango packing when the train hit him at 1-55 pm. The accident is now under investigation by both the RAIB and Ofﬁce of Rail Regulation. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends for whom 4th December will now always be remembered.

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NEWS

Lest we forget

For the past seven years, Graeme Bickerdike’s website, Forgotten Relics, has been quietly recording many of the tunnels and viaducts that were abandoned by the railway as part of the industry’s restructuring through the 1950s and 60s. A mad thing to do you might think, but amongst them are some truly iconic structures: the 2,997yard Catesby Tunnel on the Great Central’s ambitious London Extension - known to many as “the last main line” - and “the other Forth rail bridge” which spanned the river near Alloa ﬁve years before its limelight was stolen by that famous cantilevered colossus downstream. With new material added each month, Forgotten Relics (www.forgottenrelics.co.uk) continues to grow in both scope and reach: more of the 140 tunnels and 120 viaducts now feature photographically and historically, and the site now consistently rates in the top 2% in terms of global website trafﬁc. According to top rail writer, Graeme Bickerdike, the popularity of Forgotten Relics is an indicator of just how much underlying 28

interest there is in Victorian engineering achievements. “If you explain to people how these structures were built and the conditions experienced by those involved, they suddenly see them in a different light. Viaducts are part of the landscape and, as such, easy to admire. ‘Tunnels though are different dark and hidden away. Each one represents a victory of human enterprise over natural and technological barriers. However much of a liability they might be to their owners, we shouldn’t lose sight of that.” As an example, Graeme points to the first Woodhead Tunnel which coaxed trains through the Pennines between Sheffield and Manchester. At three miles in length, George Stephenson condemned it to failure before it was built, declaring that he would eat the first locomotive that got through it. But seven years of exertion culminated in its opening in 1845. To aid progress, five construction shafts had been sunk from the moorland above it, the deepest being 590 feet. Shaft No.2 took four-and-a-half years to complete. Huge volumes of water hampered

progress, with 5.7 million tons of the stuff having to be pumped out of the workings. Yet despite all that, when the 12 faces of the heading were eventually joined together, the greatest inaccuracy in line and level was just three inches. “As Stephenson probably recognised, this wasn’t just a tunnel - it was a miracle!” asserts Graeme. It is for that reason that, as well as recording such relics, the website’s other objective is to celebrate them. There are desktop pictures to download, archive ﬁlms and reminiscences from former railwaymen. Also printed each year is a calendar featuring a dozen of the most striking structures, available through the site for £9.35 each. Says Graeme, ‘There is a sadness about these places - particularly when you consider the signiﬁcance of their former roles but dereliction can still be evocative and eye-catching. They’re certainly worthy of gracing a kitchen wall.’ Judge for yourself by ordering a calendar at www.forgottenrelics.co.uk/calendar. www.railstaff.co.uk

14th March 2013 Loughborough University

Fantastic speaker lineup announced soon.

Indietracks Rocks Buterley

Benchmark for Poet A statue of the poet, Philip Larkin, has proved so popular at Hull Paragon station that a bench has been put up around a pillar close by. Larkin lived in Hull and worked as a librarian at Hull University. The statue was erected in 2012. Five plates bearing examples of his work were put up in 2011. The statue shows the poet dashing for a train and is named ‘late getting away’ a quote from his poem The Whitsun Weddings.

themselves. Around 50 artists played this year. The festival hosts art and craft workshops for all the family and a selection of discos after the bands ﬁnish. Festival goers can have unlimited

rides on the railway over the weekend, as well as full access to other railway attractions and muse. Previous headliners at Indietracks have included Camera

Obscura, Allo’ Darling, Edwyn Collins, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Teenage Fanclub, Los Campesinos, The Wedding Present, Au Revoir Simone and Art Brut.

We’ll always have Paris Dubbed the world’s most romantic metro system, the Paris Metro has turned to an unromantic factory in Market Harborough to keep its passengers moving for the next three years. RATP, operator of the Metropolitan, has signed a deal to buy wheels for its escalators from Texane in Market Harborough, Leicestershire. Over the next three years, Texane will supply around 6,000 polyurethane wheels to the RATP group. It’s a major step forward for the manufacturer, whose secret system binds solid polyurethane tyres to aluminium or iron wheels so strongly that they last for years even under heavy strain – a crucial selling point for busy mass transit systems that can’t afford downtime. Says managing director Arnab Dutt, ‘Up to now, we were supplying RATP on an ad hoc basis but this contract gives us security that the business will continue, and we see it as a vote of conﬁdence in the robustness of our product.’ Unlike London, Paris’s subway is shallow at around 25 feet so most of the wheels will be used on travelators, rather than escalators. Running up to half a kilometre in length, these moving walkways are a crucial part of the network, connecting many of its 301 stations and platforms beneath the busy Parisian streets. Although predominantly ﬂat, some of the Metro’s travelators cover slight inclines, putting extra strain on

Dates have been confirmed for one of the rail industry’s most successful festivals. Indietracks 2013 tunes up for its seventh festival at the Midland Railway at Butterley on 26/27/28 July next year. This is later than last year when the dates were put back to the start of the month to accommodate the equally popular London Olympics. Indietracks hosts an inspiring array of independent musicians, many ﬂying just below the cusp of fame and fortune. The idea is the brain child of Stuart MacKay who once worked as a carriage restorer on the Midland Railway. Bands play on several stages – outdoors and indoors, in a nearby church and on the trains

the wheels. The Metro’s original art nouveau entrances are iconic symbols of romantic Paris. Dating from 1900, more than 80 survive - three of them featuring elaborate glass canopies - while the rest have a cast-iron balustrade, featuring plant motifs, and orange globes. www.railstaff.co.uk

NEWS

Olympic volunteers win rematch Passengers using the country’s biggest and busiest stations will get a helping hand from a new army of volunteers during the festive season and beyond. The move comes after the acclaimed success of the rail industry’s travel champions at the London Olympic and Paralympic Games. Almost 600 travel champions from across Network Rail’s business worked alongside station teams to provide travel advice to visitors from across the world as well as commuters last summer during the Games.

Carbon cut Train drivers at Northern Rail have helped reduce its carbon footprint by 23% since 2007. By limiting fuel consumption, Northern Rail has used 136,784 litres less fuel since 2009. The train company has also reduced utility consumption by 9.8 million kWh since 2008, the rough equivalent of electricity consumption by 3,000 households. Northern Rail measures its entire carbon footprint, encompassing direct emissions and indirect emissions associated with its suppliers. Strategies include pioneering eco-driving techniques and better training for drivers. Says Dr Karen Booth, Head of Sustainability for Northern Rail, ‘We have used a strategic

The travel champions are a visible part of the Olympic legacy for passengers across the country. Staff are released from normal duties to help out on platforms and concourses at 17 Network Rail managed stations. Network Rail intends to make the volunteers a permanent feature in its stations at busy

times, such as bank holiday weekends and during big sporting events. The decision was made after staff who had volunteered during the Games said they wanted to continue to help the travelling public in future. Says Olympic long-jump gold medallist Greg Rutherford, ‘Travel champions were a fantastic part of the Games. I had family coming to London who don’t use public transport that often – people like my dad, who had absolutely no

idea where he was going and was still trying to ring me on the day of the competition to ﬁnd out how to get to the stadium! ‘So for him to manage it perfectly just shows what a good job the travel champions did. I’d like to say a massive ‘thank you’ from me and all the other athletes, because without the travel champions it would never have been as smooth as it was and it wouldn’t have been the greatest Olympics in recent history.’

approach to achieve these fantastic results, starting with educating our employees, such as train drivers as to how they can directly have a positive impact on the environment. We have reduced the time that trains spend idle at stations, and we have our champions within the company that actively encourage our employees to change their behaviour. ‘We carry out many local projects around our network to reduce consumption and waste, working with charities and school children to get the important message across. We even have a policy of considering environmental elements when it comes to procurement decisions for the business, ensuring our suppliers reﬂect our beliefs and help us to reduce our overall impact on the wider environment.’

Better fuel management makes environmental sense.

www.railstaff.co.uk

NEWS

Rail vision for Stansted Supporters of Stansted Airport want to see more use made of the railway as well as a link to the proposed Crossrail 2 line and faster journey times. ‘We have the spare capacity and infrastructure in place to support 35 million passengers a year and with faster rail links we can attract the airlines whose passengers value quick and reliable links to London,’ says airport chief, Nick Barton. ‘That’s why we launched our new rail campaign - Stansted in 30 - to persuade Government and the rail industry to commit to reducing journey times from London to Stansted to around 30 minutes.’ As controversy rages over the third runaway at Heathrow, air chiefs at Stansted believe the time is ripe for expanding the airport. With better transport links the airport could handle an additional 1.4 million passengers a year. ‘We believe there is a strong case

Rail staff carol service It’s held every year and this year the Rail Staff Carol Service, supported by the Transport Benevolent Fund, will take place on Wednesday 19th December 2012 at St Mary’s Church in Somers Town. The church is on Eversholt Street to the right of Euston station looking in the direction of travel. Says editor Andy Milne, ‘This is a real chance to catch up with old friends and help support the Transport Benevolent Fund which does so much to assist railway staff less fortunate than ourselves.’ Refreshments will be served in the vestry afterwards. 32

Airport chiefs want to see London – Stansted journey times reduced to 30 minutes.

to link the airport to high speed rail and support the proposals to extend Crossrail to Stansted. The East of England has suffered for too long from the effects of underinvestment in the rail network and these improvements would have a signiﬁcant impact on the local economy, jobs and long term growth. ‘Our vision is for Stansted to be the best connected air-rail hub in the UK, delivering fast, frequent and more reliable services for our

passengers and the local community. The case is clear for investing in the railway to Stansted,’ Mr Barton said. The Crossrail 2 scheme involves building a north-south rail link across London between Wimbledon and Leyton using the disused track between Chelsea and Hackney. Ruud Haket, managing director of Greater Anglia, wants to see more investment in rail access to Stansted.

‘At Greater Anglia, we are committed to working with regional stakeholders to help secure greater investment in rail services on the West Anglia route to Stansted Airport. ‘Passengers are already seeing the beneﬁts of high quality new trains on airport services, but to achieve future aspirations such as quicker journey times, more capacity on the route and more late night and early morning trains, will require signiﬁcant investment in additional infrastructure.’

owner on the north bank who opposes the idea. Now BR’s planning application to put temporary fences at each end of the viaduct has been opposed. Locals want to see a right of way order introduced. Says David Ramshaw of the ‘Save the Waverley Viaduct’ campaign, ‘Reopening it would

make an enormous difference to a lot of people, especially in Belle Vue. It would provide a link to the nature reserves, provide a trafﬁcfree crossing of the Eden and improve the footpath network of the city.’ The viaduct carried the CarlisleGalashiels-Edinburgh railway, which closed to passengers in 1969.

Don’t blame British Rail Carlisle’s Waverley Viaduct remains closed to pedestrians despite plans by locals to open the disused structure to cyclists, runners and walkers. The British Railways Board (Residuary) Ltd is responsible for railway properties no longer in use by the operational railway. The grade II listed structure spanning the River Eden is a popular local feature. However local authorities are not prepared to take on the structure and keep it safe for the public. BR says fences are needed either side of the viaduct to protect people. Although city leaders are sympathetic, progress has been slow because of a private land

www.railstaff.co.uk

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RAIL STAFF

Christmas Carol Service with

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The Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin Eversholt Street, London NW1

Lunchtime service at 1230

Wednesday 19 December 2012 Light refreshments in the vestry afterwards Supported by

Sponsored by

Transport Benevolent Fund The Transport Benevolent Fund (known as TBF) is a registered charity in England and Wales (1058032) and in Scotland (SC040013)

Ambassadors needed After their first few Christmases children will start to question the phenomena of Father Christmas. Just how does one elderly man in a sleigh get round all the children in the world? Even allowing for the long night and the turning of the earth it’s a lot of work to do. The answer of course is that Santa Claus functions by magic and the help of a small army of nimble elves.

rise of intermodal rail freight has been met with hard work and ingenuity by Britain’s railway industry. Lineside structures, bridges and station canopies have been pulled back allowing the bigger 9’6” containers to use the railway. Like the portly ﬁgure in red, continental sized freight can now slip gracefully through the narrow straits of the home counties.

Challenging feats

Relatively unknown

Magic seems to be the watchword in the wider rail freight industry, which performs equally challenging feats every night all the year round. The extraordinary

However, the main disadvantage rail freight faces in Britain is that wider industry does not know how to use it. Very little news of what rail freight is achieving commands

press interest. Despite the hard work of the Rail Freight Group and perspicacious press ofﬁcers at the major freight companies the whole network of terminals, trains and depots remains relatively unknown to anyone outside the immediate rail freight industry. Frank Roach, now partnership manager at HiTrans in Scotland, tells a story of a company wanting to move timber from the north of Scotland. Had they thought of using rail? No they hadn’t. Frank worked out where the timber was being felled, how much hook and haul would cost and whether there was a suitable rail head nearby - there was. He then sowed all the elements together, shouted timber and the trains headed south. It took more effort than described but worked well.

Door to Door DB Schenker Rail UK has launched a new door-to-door intermodal service, D2D. Ease of use is the watchword. Customers will be able to a book a freight movement for a container irrespective of mode, road or rail. That’s all taken care of by D2D, billed as an integrated transport service from the quayside direct to the warehouse. The service will utilise road and rail haulage as appropriate to ensure goods are delivered on-time. Says Carsten Hinne, Managing Director Logistics for DB Schenker Rail UK, ‘Rail freight is easy to use and our job is to ensure we make it so for customers. D2D allows ease of access to rail freight services for customers in the knowledge that handling within ports and ﬁnal deliveries by road are already connected. Our aim is to help retailers and manufacturers increase their use of rail freight and with D2D we are conﬁdent we have a product that meets their needs.’ DB Schenker Rail’s door to door service makes it easy for customers to switch to rail freight.

Far more needs to be known Most rail freight companies have excellent sales and marketing staff well attuned to their customers needs. What is needed are more ambassadors for rail freight. Railway staff in the industry generally are good ambassadors for railways - and rail freight. However, far more needs to be known about the potential for rail freight and how it is organised if we are to emulate the inspired example of Frank Roach more widely. Communications are important. Every year 1000s of children send notes to Father Christmas. The idea seems to work. Would that the rail industry could speak with authority on rail freight with similar informed conviction.

Long Haul for Shortliner

Freightliner is carrying more 40 foot containers than before.

Freightliner has taken delivery of the first of its new ‘Shortliner’ wagons from VTG. The ﬂeet of twin platform Shortliner wagons is designed to meet the demand of the evolving deep sea container market for 40ft containers. Historically the industry made greater use of 20 foot long containers and still deals in 20 foot equivalent units or TEUs. The 40ft deck length, two platform, wagons are designed to maximise the amount of 40ft containers that can be hauled per service minimising under-utilised 20ft space. Through the use of these new wagons, Freightliner can haul longer, heavier trains using PowerHaul locomotives. Shortliner services increase the number of 40ft containers hauled per train by over 42% in comparison to a standard Class 66

service hauling 24 wagons. Shortliner services commenced at the end of October, running eight twin wagons (16 platforms) on its services between the Port of Felixstowe and Manchester. To date, each platform has been fully utilised with a 40ft container. Freightliner will have completed its initial delivery of 86 (40ft) platforms by the end December 2012. Says Adam Cunliffe Managing Director, ‘Freightliner’s investment in the new Shortliner wagons demonstrates continued commitment to understanding and then meeting our customers’ needs in a market which is increasingly dominated by 40ft containers. The new wagons complement Freightliner’s existing 60ft wagon ﬂeet ensuring a dramatically improved utilisation of both 40ft and 20ft containers.’ www.railstaff.co.uk

FREIGHT FOCUS

Rail Freight moving forward The sector which has undergone the most transformation is the movement

of intermodal containers by rail.

With the constant press attention on the passenger railway at present, it can be easy to overlook rail freight, says the Rail Freight Group. From time to time a story hits the headlines, such as this year’s concerns over track access charges but, for the most part, rail freight is busy getting on with running trains, and growing business. The rail freight statistics show that there has been continued growth in volumes, the last full year showed 10% growth. Underlying the headlines though, the individual markets are showing different trends and facing different issues. Moving power station coal has long been the bedrock of the rail freight sector, and even now makes up around one third of all business. Demand for coal depends on the generation mix at the power stations, and critically the price of gas, which has fluctuated significantly in recent years. Emissions controls, which come into force in 2015 are expected to see a number of coal fired plants, including Didcot, close down, with associated loss of traffic. Yet other sites do have a longer term future and are likely to continue receiving significant volumes of rail-fed coal. www.railstaff.co.uk

Biomass Some generators are also looking to invest in biomass generation, either completely or ‘co-fired’ with coal. Biomass offers a big opportunity for rail freight as volumes will necessarily be higher than the equivalent coal movement, but there are also challenges with equipment, and transit conditions, as well as with rail capacity. This is an important market for operators, and needs development in coming years. The aggregates sector also makes significant use of rail freight. Its fortunes are tied closely to construction activity, and traffic levels tend to rise and fall with the twists and turns of the economy. Nonetheless, rail has continued to consolidate its position in this sector, including to serve Olympics construction and now in the movement of Crossrail spoil.

Intermodal containers However, the sector which has undergone the most transformation is the movement of intermodal containers by rail. In the last decade, volumes have increased by some 78%, and now comprises the largest business sector for the freight operators.

The majority of this traffic is moved from the major deep sea ports which receive imported goods from the Far East and Americas, as well as European destinations. Felixstowe and Southampton are the two largest generators of traffic, with Felixstowe seeing some 30 daily return rail services, and Southampton not far behind. These trains operate to a range of inland destinations, including terminals in the West Midlands, North West, North East and Scotland. As well as services from ports, so called ‘domestic intermodal’ is also growing albeit from a small base. These rail services are running between UK-based distribution centres often moving traffic for retail customers, and replacing trunk hauls by lorry on the motorway network. The rail linked interchange at Daventry has been at the forefront of these developments, with regular services to and from Scotland operating on behalf of logistics companies and major retailers. Indeed, some companies have now relocated their warehousing onto the site, to reduce the need for local road legs to the terminal. Other sites are also being developed, including new facilities

near Castle Donington in Leicestershire, and across the country. And what of the future? Well, rail forecasts predict strong growth, particularly if the development of rail linked interchanges and warehouses can keep pace with the aspirations for a greater use of rail. There is still market share to be won from the deep sea ports, and general growth in this sector, including from new developments which should feed through into increased rail movements. Biomass, and waste by rail offer new bulk opportunities alongside traditional markets. Delivering growth has plenty of challenges for the sector, in rail capacity, in continuing to improve efﬁciency and in meeting the ever changing demands of modern logistics. There needs to be a stable and consistent policy framework from Government, to support investment from the private sector. Customers need to drive the sector to meet their needs, and also recognise where rail is best used alongside the choice of modes they traditionally use. There is plenty to play for in the coming decade.

Future beckons for Rail Freight Nigel Wordsworth talks to Tim Robinson, Network Rail’s freight director When the rail industry was privatised rail freight, like the rest of the business, was scheduled for quiet decline. BR had four main freight companies for sale - three were bought by Wisconsin Central and became EWS - subsequently acquired by DB Schencker. Out of the fourth, RailFreight Distribution, BR’s international freight pioneers, came the hugely successful Freightliner - a management buy out. The international business of RfD subsequently became EWS International. Various freight yards and intermodal terminals were divided up between the businesses. Far from declining, ﬁgures show rail freight 60% higher than it was back in 1994. This success has come about as a result of changes in freight type as well as volume. In a bizarre turn around of fortunes this presents quite a challenge to Network Rail, charged with getting the most out of the railway infrastructure. Under BR freight trains were routinely held up to allow priority for passenger services. New rail freight forwarders and the private sector aren’t about to stand for that. Paths are bought and paid for and more are needed. 36

Happily Network Rail has demonstrated a healthy sympathy for the sector. Robin Gisby, the original freight director, had first hand experience of BR high handedness when working in the private sector running Charterail. Tim Robinson, Network Rail’s freight director, has worked at GBRf and EWS. His remit is to accommodate and encourage freight traffic. “The challenge around freight has been enormous for Network Rail. The biggest change has been the shift in market share between bulk and intermodal traffic. Intermodal, which is primarily containers is now the largest single sector in terms of tonnemiles. In fact, 30% of all rail freight traffic is now containers.”

A new business proﬁle There have been several major changes that have added up to Network Rail’s freight challenge. First, the traditional internal bulk freight trafﬁc has indeed declined. The aggregates industry is still going strong and, as Tim Robinson pointed out, Network Rail is a major aggregates customer so a number of those trains are for its own use. However, coal is declining and the volume of bulk chemicals is also down. Secondly, a lot of that bulk freight still exists but is now imported. Bulk trains have to be loaded at the dockside and then transported inland to power

stations and other customers, meaning that the network of routes is now totally different. In addition, the change over of power station fuel from coal to biomass has made a big difference. Biomass, basically wood chippings, is more sustainable than coal as it is the waste bi-product of the timber and paper industries and comes from trees that are replanted. However, biomass needs different wagons from coal, and more of them as biomass is only half the density of coal meaning that the same weight of material has twice the volume. Another complication is that biomass has a lower caloriﬁc value than coal, so you have to burn even more weight (and double that volume) to get the same heat energy out. All this has required the building of dedicated biomass terminals at places like the Port of Tyne and Drax power station, and more wagons. As a freight train is limited in overall length to about 775 metres, the longest that British signalling can handle, more wagons mean more trains, in both directions, loaded from the port and empty back.

Trains versus lorries As well as bulk trafﬁc from the ports rail freight is dealing with a steep increase in containerised freight. Containers are easy to load onto ships and to unload at the

other end. When a ship docks a number of containers may be unloaded for the same customer. These all have to be carried to their distribution centre or warehouse. The obvious way to do this is using a ﬂeet of trucks, each carrying a container. However, to move a number of containers at once is impractical, and having them all arrive at the warehouse at the same time is equally a problem, so the containers tend to be stored at the quayside and collected as required. For short distances a driver can make a couple of collections a day, and for a small number of containers, that is a reasonable solution. However, if the distance is a bit further a driver can only make one run a day. The transport costs have suddenly doubled. Quayside storage is expensive; as much as three times more expensive than having the container held at an inland yard. Enter the Container Train. It can spirit 100s of containers away to inland terminals, where storage costs are lower and from where they can be easily collected by the end customer. Tim Robinson points out that freight is very cost sensitive. For example, Daventry is close enough to Felixstowe that a lorry can collect two loads a day, making it marginally cheaper than using a train. However, Hams Hall near Birmingham, www.railstaff.co.uk

FREIGHT FOCUS

which is only 34 miles further, is just too far for that, reducing road freight to one collection a day, and making rail freight cheaper. For multiple containers delivered over a distance, rail freight is competitive, and even attractive. The main challenge then becomes Britain’s constricted loading gauge. Bridges are lower, platforms nearer and tunnels cosier than on the continent.

Big boxes, little boxes A standard shipping container is 20 or 40 feet long and 8’6” high. Most railway wagons can take either one 40’ container, two 20’ ones or, if it’s a 60’ wagon, one of each. And that is what the railway was delivering, from ports such as Felixstowe or Nuneaton, to rail freight depots at Nuneaton, Hams Hall and elsewhere. Then along came the 9’6” “hi-cube” container. The shippers like it as they can load more into one container, and most of the world’s railways hardly notice the difference.

www.railstaff.co.uk

But Britain’s outdated and small loading gauge couldn’t cope. To retain the new healthy level of freight trafﬁc, Network Rail had to enlarge the loading gauge of its major international freight routes. These are W10 and W12 gauge and involve remodelling station platforms and canopies, dropping track under bridges and through tunnels, and even the wholesale replacement of bridges on some routes. Now the six freight hauliers can move 9’6” boxes around large parts of the network and carry on growing their businesses. The quickest growing sector is now secondary distribution, from

the primary distribution centre to others in the regions. Stores such as Tesco, Sainsbury and Marks & Spencer are interested in moving loads from the Midlands to Scotland, Northern England and Wales. The competition is still lorries, ones with large trailers that can be stacked with pallets two-high. That makes them larger than even a hicube container. So the 10’1” container made an appearance. But that won’t even go on a W12 railway.

The answer was some extra-lowheight wagons, manufactured in the UK, that enabled an extra-high container to ﬁt on a standard track. They did the trick, and already 1.5% of UK freight trafﬁc is using them.

Timetable triumph There is still the challenge of running freight trains and passenger trains on the same railway, with both areas of the industry becoming busier. The West Coast Main Line, for instance, is one of the most heavily trafﬁcked railways in Europe. Freight often runs at night, when there are less passenger services. Set against this maintenance work

Intermodal, which is primarily containers is now the largest single sector in terms of tonne-miles… uses night time possessions. Now maintenance has to be planned better to accommodate rail freight. Clever thinking helps. Inspired track works are underway to help separate freight and passenger trains at key nodes. These include projects such as the Nuneaton North Cord, opened recently, which is a 0.9 mile new line which cuts 15 miles off a freight route and the North Doncaster Chord. Simple, pragmatic, railway developments which will save money and boost capacity. Conﬂict of interest between passenger and freight operations is less of an issue now. A better planned, better performing railway aims to meet all its customers needs. Says Tim Robinson, ‘The standards of train performance have increased so much these days that there is always a bit of a battle for scarce resources. However, there is a culture in the railway that the good of the railway must come ﬁrst.’ Every week, 6,000 freight trains criss-cross the railway. 4,000 of these are scheduled, running to timetables every bit as detailed, and just as closely monitored, as passenger timetables. The remaining 2,000 are ad-hoc, arranged at short notice by a large timetabling team at Milton Keynes. Quiet decline has been all but forgotten in the cries for loud and sustained expansion. Rail freight in Britain is a growing market and one which Network Rail’s freight team is determined to nurture and expand.

FREIGHT FOCUS

Freight Arranger Getting industry to use railway freight services is a real challenge. The business community often dismisses rail freight as too complicated, and unreliable. That could all change as trials of a new scheme, ‘Freight Arranger,’ were announced for next year. Freight Arranger is the brand name of the Integrated Multimodal Logistics Control and Brokerage Centre, which is part funded by the Technology Strategy Board. Partners include TruckTrain Brokerage Ltd, Rockshore Ltd, GB Railfreight, John G Russell (Transport) Ltd and Coventry University.

Too complicated Mention rail freight and the response traditionally has been one of muted sympathy and confused shoulder shrugging. ‘Not on my radar,’ ‘It’s all too complicated trying to ﬁnd the rail operators.’ ‘I would not know where to start to put together an inter-modal chain involving rail, hauliers and terminals.’ Old fashioned views of rail reliability are hard to eradicate. ‘Rail? Never use it. Not reliable enough.’ Worst of all is the perceived lack of access to railway freight forwarding advice. ‘Takes far too long to check out rail options and their response is pathetically slow.’

The comments set out above were made during the course of recent conversations with a large number of freight forwarders talking about how they select transport. Worryingly these responses expose a huge credibility gap as far as rail freight services are concerned as viewed by a large part of the commercial freight sector. Rail is seen as remote, suited only to large block train movements, dominated by the larger shipping lines. It is difﬁcult to secure information in relation to services, space availability and prices. Other criticisms include being unable to give accurate real time location of cargo in transit. The forwarding sector is, apparently, deterred from using rail services by its invisibility.

Demanding requirements Rail is in effect ruled out of a huge market by its inability to understand and satisfy the volatile and demanding requirements of the retail freight sector, critics imply. One call to a haulier and the job is ﬁxed. The equivalent enquiry to rail operators can lead to a multiplicity of contacts to string together an inter-modal option. This can and does deter forwarders from even thinking of rail as a credible service provider.

Technology Strategy Board This deep seated problem has been recognised and is being addressed through a project funded by the Technology Strategy Board. The major objectives of the TSB are to secure modal shift to rail and to reduce road congestion between cities. Given the invisibility of rail freight services the project aims to boost rail by providing instant access to available rail services in terms of routes, schedules, timings, space availability, pricing and ability to track progress of shipments in real time, independent of the train service provider. A screen based system is being developed to provide rapid responses to enquiries and allow informed choices to be made which are not readily achievable using present methods. In effect rail freight will be following the model used in the aviation and hotel industries. The results from this should be evident in the form of higher levels of rail freight which will benefit the train operators. This could apply to contract trains where unfilled space can be released to a wider market than at present and used for commercial gain. For enquiring parties the benefits include a much wider choice of options.

Better info about collection, haulage and delivery as well as the rail element and terminal components will help provide a composite commercial offer which can be booked direct. The back ofﬁce savings in terms of administration and paperwork are likely to be signiﬁcant. The scheme will reduce error rates and multiple transcription requirements. This has found particular favour with major lines and forwarders. The system is designed to allow train service providers and hauliers to input their prices in a neutral and anonymous format. This will protect their commercial positions and the information they elect to make available.

Live trials The project is aiming to implement live trials using the brokerage system in early 2013 from the Tilbury/Barking area to the Midlands and Scotland and then roll out onto two other possible routes before the project is complete under the TSB auspicies. The project is then aiming to be commercialised and developed for a greater spread of routes. Potentially it could link to European operations or be operated within national domains within Europe. © SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

www.railstaff.co.uk

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Railfreight Strikes A Chord

Removing a further freightconstraint this Christmas is the Nuneaton North Chord, opened by transport minister, Simon Burns. The new 0.9 mile long ﬂyover means freight trains will no longer have to zig-zag across the throat of Nuneaton station in between passenger services. The £28.3m project forms part of Network Rail’s strategic freight network and

Flyover clears hurdle The flyover will remove a major pinch point on the East Coast Main Line A new railway flyover, the North Doncaster Chord, has been given the green light. Network Rail’s eagerly anticipated planning application has been approved by the Secretary of State for Transport and engineers are already on site. Currently freight trains travelling between the Humber ports and the Aire Valley power stations have to run on the ECML for 14 miles. The ﬂyover, at Shaftholme to the north of Doncaster, will remove a major pinch point on the East Coast Main Line. Preparatory work is already underway. The bridge will be constructed by Network Rail and Morgan Sindall and is expected to be completed in early 2014. 40

was designed and built by Atkins. The 0.9 mile chord is the high note in the route enhancement scheme enabling freight trains carrying ISO 9ft 6in containers to travel from Felixstowe to the West Midlands and North West England without being routed via London. Traditionally Britain’s railway system has a smaller loading gauge than its continental

counterparts. This means bridges are lower and platforms and line side structures nearer the tracks than in France. However, hard work by Network Rail and freight companies has opened up substantial parts of the railway boosting trade and removing thousands of lorries from Britain’s roads. The ﬁrst train to use the new chord was a GBRf service from Felixstowe. Cargo included ‘Your children’s Christmas toys and bottles of wine,’ said genial John Smith, GBRf’s managing director. Nuneaton is a busy junction on the West Coast Main Line traversed by the Leicester – Birmingham railway. Nuneaton is also connected with Coventry via the Bedworth line. Says Douglas McCormick, managing director of Atkins rail division, ‘Having a consistent, efﬁcient railway network is crucial to boosting the UK’s economy. Not only will the Nuneaton North Chord improve freight capacity but it will reduce congestion around Nuneaton station as well.’

Italian New Year’s Resolution DB Schenker Rail UK has increased its services between Britain and Italy with an additional weekly service between Hams Hall and Domodossola. Trains run every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Rail freight services between Britain and Italy are used by a wide range of retailers, food producers and manufacturers. In early 2013 a ﬁfth service between Hams Hall and Domodossola starts. Says Alain Thauvette, Chief Executive of DB Schenker Rail UK, ‘We look forward to operating a full weekday service in the coming year, with the introduction of a ﬁfth weekly service between the two countries.’ Domodossola is a busy city in Piedmont, northern Italy, near the Swiss border.

Calling all small and medium sized businesses!

Do you move your containers by road? Have you ever considered switching to rail?

Did you know there’s real help available to support you in making the change? The Haven Gateway Partnership’s Low Carbon Freight Dividend is a three-year project, supported with nearly £3 million from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), set up to help small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) choose a greener mode of transport. What’s on offer? An integrated package of support to help you make the switch, including workshops in freight optimisation and low carbon marketing, online knowledge bank, a carbon calculator to compare and contrast different modes of transport and see the carbon savings. Plus, by demonstrating modal shift, a dividend worth up to £6,750 if you switch 90 containers from road to rail. Who qualiﬁes? SMEs with a base in the East of England with fewer than 250 employees and either an annual turnover of less than £43.7 million or a balance sheet of less than £37.6 million. Eligibility also depends on any previous state aid funding you have received, and details of parent or subsidiary company ownership. Want to know more? Visit www.lcfd.co.uk to sign up and complete an online eligibility form or contact Lisa Brazier, project manager, on 01206 713612 or email lisa.brazier@haven-gateway.org. There isn’t a whole lot of complicated paperwork and

Baroness Hanham, Richard Morton, Lord Berkeley.

virtually everything can be done online via the website. The project team are here to help you every step of the way. So what are you waiting for? You don’t have to be in the transport sector, any SME that moves freight in containers could be eligible for this unique project. www.railstaff.co.uk

FREIGHT FOCUS

Lynch opens rail hub

Stobart turns to rail freight

With the rapidly rising cost of fuel and today’s carbon, congestion and cost conscious society, road haulage is an increasingly controversial issue. Not only do continuing rises in fuel charges play a significant part in inflation, but best use of energy itself has become a major consideration. Stobart’s dedicated rail freight services, first launched in 2006, represent an innovative solution to reducing carbon emissions. The trains are based on specially commissioned containers which are packed at the customer site. They are then transported to the railhead on Stobart skeletal trailers, where the containers are transferred onto the company’s rolling stock for transport to their destination. Since the launch of the original Daventry to Mossend service, the project’s success has resulted in the launch of a further three trains, running between five and six days per week, with an additional route from Wakefield to

Mossend due to commence shortly. Return trips on the above routes frequently have highly costeffective capacity available. Building on a successful track record in the operation of environmentally responsible daily railfreight services, Stobart Rail operates a dedicated weekly train, which links the fruit and salad growing areas of southern Spain with the UK’s major grocery retailers. The train transports thirty chilled containers, each controlled and monitored using the latest satellite technology; ensuring produce arrives in top condition.

The ﬂexibility to meet your requirements The seasonality of fruit and salad production has long formed a barrier to development of effective leading edge transport solutions between the Spanish fruit and salad growers and their UK marketplace. In the past it has been impractical for growers to

Stobart Rail Freight Routes: Route

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6 per week each way 6 per week each way 6 per week each way 6 per week each way 6 per week each way 6 per week each way 1 per week each way

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maintain their own transport capability to service the limited season, meaning they must rely on expensive short term transport contracts. The initial single train a week will be supported by daily road services following the same route. As takeup increases, additional trains will be added in place of the road services, until three trains a week are provided.

Spain to UK in just 53 hours The weekly rail service commences at 23:59 CET on Tuesday in Valencia, where 30 sealed loaded containers, which have been collected from customers and consolidation sites by Stobart, are transferred to rail. Following a brief stopover at Port Bou for transfer of the loaded containers to standard European gauge rolling stock, the train continues via Toulouse and Paris to arrive at the Channel Tunnel. The last leg of the journey sees the train arrive at Barking Railport at 04:00 GMT on Friday, only 53 hours after departure from Valencia. Once changeover is complete, the train returns on the same route, arriving in Spain at 21:00 on Sunday, some 50 hours later. This return leg offers some excellent backhaul transport opportunities. For further information contact: Central Sales Enquiries on 01788 823 222 or email sales@eddiestobart.com.

Lynch Plant Hire, top provider of Grab Lorries, Tippers and Roll On Lorries, has opened a new Material Rail Hub in north-west London. The hub on Channel Gate Road, Willesden NW10, is near Old Oak Common depot and Willesden Freight Terminal. The central location means Lynch is now ideally situated to offer workable solutions to any waste disposal problems. Lynch uses physical, chemical and biological processes to treat a wide range of contaminants, and can accept material over the next 3-5 years. With a qualified technical support team available for site visits and analysing soil reports, Lynch can provide a rapid response for the customer. The Lynch Rail Hub can offer a price per load dependant on soil analysis but always highly competitive, cheaper than landfill and discounted rates are available on larger projects. Says General Manager Ray Cripps, ‘The benefits are there for all to see with highly competitive gate fee which is free from landfill tax. A highly sustainable re-use option gives us the flexibility to facilitate large scale and small scale projects. We can guarantee a fast, efficient, professional service with the duty of care ensured at all stages of the project in a prime location in London.’

Prize winning presentations in Glasgow David Shirres reports

In Glasgow on 21st November six young railway professionals captivated their large audience at a presentation competition run by the Railway Engineers Forum (REF) Scotland whose members are from the IMechE, PWI, IRSE, IRO and CILT. This event was the ﬁrst of its kind in Scotland and required each speaker to describe a project or initiative and their contribution to it. Bill Reeve, Transport Scotland’s Commercial Director hosted the event. First to speak was Motsi Madangombe, a Commercial Manager with Network Rail’s Infrastructure Projects Division. Motsi’s topic was collaborative procurement strategy. In his presentation he drew commercial lessons from the Paisley Corridor Improvement Project and stressed the

importance of aligning Client and Contractor interests. He compared collaboration to marriage and reminded his audience that marriages either end in divorce or death. Running class 66 locomotives only 40mm below OLE was only one aspect of the presentation on the Paisley Canal Electriﬁcation project. This was given by Brian Sweeney, a Network Rail Electriﬁcation Asset Engineer. With the line energised only two days previously, his presentation included a “breaking news” slide of a class 380 EMU under the wires. He explained that the project had been delivered for £12 million against the original cost estimate of £28 million due to a lower than normal wire height. This required a unique method of operation to ensure that the line was de-energised for stock above the height of ScotRail’s EMUs.

Significant enhancements Many of the points and crossovers at Carstairs are not now required resulting in unnecessary maintenance costs and speed constraints through the junction. The presentation by Sean Malone, a Graduate Mechanical Engineer with Network Rail, explained how the Motherwell North Signalling Renewals project provided an opportunity to rationalise the layout. Sean explained his involvement in the Particular Requirements Specification (PRS) to define available options. These were not just about the removal of redundant facilities as they included significant enhancements. These are proposals to extend the down freight loop and close a station platform, making the other bi-directional, to increase speed on the Up Main to 105 mph.

“This event was the ﬁrst of its kind in Scotland and required each speaker to describe a project or initiative and their contribution to it.

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FEATURE

PMSM drives, Supercapacitors and 4Q motor controllers were amongst the terms explained in Rowan Bell’s presentation. Rowan, a Graduate Electrical Engineer with Interfleet, was responsible for the electrical design of the 101⁄4 inch gauge locomotive that won the IMechE Railway Challenge. This, albeit diminutive, locomotive was also the first one to be built at Derby locomotive works for 40 years. In his presentation Rowan explained how the design had to meet the challenge’s requirements, including the particularly difficult specification for energy storage during braking.

£1 million project Freight traffic has to be diverted to electrify the line between Liverpool and Manchester. For one diversionary route this required a £1 million project to clear lines around Northwich to W8 gauge to divert freight traffic. William Storey, Graduate Civil Engineer with Babcock, explained that this required five track lowers at four bridges. His presentation included animated slides that showed the complexity of this work for which he not only developed the engineering plan with associated documentation but worked as Engineer during the works. Black boxes are actually yellow and should be called OTMRs (On Train Monitoring Recorder). This much and more was explained by Jamie Adamson in his presentation. Jamie, an Engineering Graduate with First ScotRail, had been tasked with saving time verifying the OTMR www.railstaff.co.uk

channels and getting Vehicle Acceptance Body (VAB) approval for his proposal. With the ScotRail ﬂeet having 584 cabs, even small time savings are of great beneﬁt. Jamie’s presentation also highlighted that OTMRs are not just for recording information in the event of an incident as their use for remote condition monitoring provides valuable maintenance data.

Expert presentations Thus in just less than 2 hours, the six young presenters had delivered expert presentations on a diverse range of subjects within their allowed 10 minutes. It was clear from the questions generated that the audience was impressed. No-one envied those with the difﬁcult task of selecting the three prize winners. The three judges were Steve Whitmore, President of the PWI, Stewart Stevenson MSP, former Scottish Minister of Transport and Stephen McConnon, chairman of IMechE’s Railway Division’s Scottish Centre. Whilst the judges deliberated, the audience and speakers mingled at a wine reception where there were further discussions about their topics. After 30 minutes the judges appeared to announce the results. Before doing so Steve Whitmore, speaking on behalf of the judges, advised that all the presentations had been judged to be excellent. However the judges had to pick the winners and so after much deliberation they concluded that ﬁrst, second and third prizes should be awarded to Brian Sweeney, Rowan Bell and William Storey.

Left to right First Prize: Brian Sweeney Second Prize: Rowan Bell Third Prize: William Storey

Prizes, donated by First ScotRail and Network Rail, were a ScotRail driver simulator experience, two 1st class sleeper tickets and a visit to the top of the Forth Bridge. Kenny Scott, ScotRail’s Engineering Director presented the prizes. Perhaps the real prize for all the speakers was the opportunity to deliver presentations to a large high-powered audience. Acquiring such presentation skills is a key aspect of the development of young professionals. However competent they may be, they are unlikely to be effective unless they can sell their ideas.

Interfleet Magnus Conn of Interfleet, who sponsored the event, emphasised the importance of training and developing the new generation of railway professionals. He noted that for some time after privatisation, there had been no such training due to short-term considerations. He was glad this had changed as, for example, with the speaker’s employers. Network Rail, First ScotRail, Babcock and Interfleet all have graduate and apprentice schemes. However with privatisation’s missing generation it was essential to develop and encourage aspiring professionals as indeed REF Scotland has done through this event.

SIR WILLIAM MCALPINE INVITES ENTRIES FOR THE FIRST (AND PROBABLY ONLY)

FAWLEY HILL STEAM AND VINTAGE WEEKEND Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th May 2013 The event will celebrate the Centenary of Fawley’s resident Hudswell Clarke 060 Saddle Tank Engine No 31.

This will be a celebration of all forms of transport: from BICYCLES to PLANES and MACHINERY: from HORSE-DRAWN PLOUGHS to PLOUGHING ENGINES to JCB’S

She has worked for Sir William’s family all her life and for the past 48 years has been happily pulling wagon loads of visitors up the steepest standard gauge gradient in the world at Fawley Hill.

and, being Fawley Hill, (animal sanctuary) there will be ANIMALS too.

CHARITIES

ATTEND

At the simplest level: we envisage charities hosting hospitality areas - to which they will sell tickets: to include entry of course. Obviously they can do more than this if they wish. This works well and gives everyone a slice of the cake.

If you are interested in attending, please email estate@fawleyhill.co.uk ANY COMPANY WISHING TO SPONSOR ANY PART OF THE EVENT IS URGED TO CONTACT FAWLEY HILL.

FAWLEY HILL

Fawley Hill, Fawley, Henley-on-Thames, RG9 6JA | 01491 571373 | estate@fawleyhill.com

CAREERS New Year, New Career? Seeking a fresh start or new challenge? Look no further; launching on December 18th 2012 is advancerailwayjobs.com the new specialist job board for the rail sector! Recruitment experts, advance-TRS specialise in supplying contract and permanent staff across all Network Rail and London Underground infrastructures. Our clients are searching for enthusiastic candidates to assist in the development and delivery of key industry projects and have vacancies in all areas, including:

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Job opportunities on prestigious projects in London, South East and South West Due to the growing demand from major clients within the railway infrastructure, CarmichaelUK are looking for skilled personnel with current NWR competencies for Permanent and Contract opportunities. We would like to hear from the following for prestigious projects starting in London, South East and South West England: Site & Senior Engineers

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www.trsstaffing.com Rail and Infrastructure Vacancies TRS Staffing Solutions are international engineering recruitment specialists. We recruit for major National and International projects for leading National Rail organisations, main contractors and consultancies. Currently we have vacancies for the following:

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London/South East - ÂŁ350 500/day or ÂŁ40 - 60K Experience on rail & infrastructure projects

Direct Rail Services (DRS) is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), established in 1995 to provide a safe, secure and reliable transport service to the nuclear industry. Today, DRS has a reputation for excellence within the freight industry and has a profitable and dynamic business boosting a healthy turnover of around ÂŁ50 million a year.

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Rail, Infrastructure & Construction 46

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CAREERS

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