RailStaff July 2012

RailStaff Issue 176 / July 2012

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Track staff battle June monsoon Integration role for Chris Gibb

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Milton Keynes Home of Railway Values The new headquarters of Network Rail opens for business.

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Rail staff battled torrential rain and landslips as storms closed lines in Scotland and the north. It’s been a tough summer for railways, but despite torrential rain, teams from the industry completed the tenth annual Railway Children 3 Peaks Challenge travelling between the UK’s three highest mountains by rail.

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Health and Safety Focus: Carillion Lifeguards Track working is still one of the UK’s most dangerous jobs.

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COMMENT

RailStaff

Going for gold

Contact us:

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

Despite poor weather the railway continues to deliver one of the best services in Europe with safety and professionalism

“Few in the conventional media bothered to report on the round the clock working by railway workers that ensured lines re-opened within hours after being closed due to torrential rain” …

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.

Passengers zipping along in comfort and safety pay small mind to the hard work of the men and women behind the operation.

This summer, one of the wettest since records began, will see Britain hosting the Olympic Games in London, the cultural capital of the world. Thousands will be using the railways to access the Olympics.

London with its oak panelled pubs, cafes, parks and avenues, sparkling arts and night life is the best place in the world to stage a major international event.

However, the solid achievements of Britain’s athletes and the railway industry itself contrast with the surreal political and financial crisis unfolding around the world and the lack of urgency apparent among our leaders.

On 28th June torrential rain closed both the west and east

SPECIAL FOCUS

Plant & Equipment In September’s RailStaff RailStaff looks in detail at the new technology and latest developments across the wide range of plant and equipment in use on the rail network, with a special focus on safe use of RRVs. Call Paul Curtis on 01530 56 00 26 or email pc@rail-media.com. www.railstaff.co.uk

coast main lines, the Newcastle – Carlisle line and the West Highland Line - derailing a freight train in the process.

Few in the conventional media bothered to report the round the clock working by railway workers that ensured two of the lines reopened within hours. By contrast our political masters were agonising over House of Lords reform.

Having an elected upper chamber is axiomatic where a sovereign people already have a constituent assembly. Tampering with the constitution sits ill with the public: AV (Alternative Vote) was roundly thrown out in a referendum. The Lisbon Treaty would be too.

It is strange that as Britain faces grave economic challenges, the rise of terrorism, a nuclear Iran and the collapse of the euro, the

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Coalition Government starts haggling over the eccentric yet durable British constitution.

Constitutional reform should never be part of political horse trading. Far better to concentrate on slashing bureaucracy and creating wealth and jobs.

Despite poor weather the railway continues to deliver one of the best services in Europe with safety and professionalism. Railways create wealth. Rail crises are resolved with skill and determination.

Cannot our leaders seize the initiative with equal verve? We wish all competitors from around the world every success in London this summer. Like British athletes we in the railways believe in going for gold.

Andy Milne, Editor andy@rail-media.com

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Storm three peaks

Prohibition party

The Railway Children’s annual Three Peaks challenge suffered the worst weather since its launch ten years ago. Bad weather failed to stop teams from across the rail industry getting up and down mountains.

On the face of it the RailStaff Awards is a ceremony recognising courage, bravery and professionalism of the people who deliver the railway from drivers to cleaners, and engineers to station staff.

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Track Staff battle June Monsoon Despite torrential rain in the north on 28th June closing both the main lines and the Newcastle – Carlisle line, track staff working flat out managed to restore services while drivers and train planners diverted Anglo-Scottish services over the Settle and Carlisle line.

In Scotland the West Highland line was shut between Crianlarich and Fort William after a freight train carrying alumina derailed near Tulloch. The site of the incident was inaccessible by road and located on a steep hillside. The driver was rescued by RAF helicopter.

In Westmorland a landslip at Tebay closed the WCML. Other smaller landslips near Tebay affected both running lines and meant services between Preston, Lancaster and Carlisle were cut.

The 1240 Glasgow to Euston service was trapped between two landslips. However, staff managed to fix track and free the train within 90 minutes.

Says Stuart Middleton, Network Rail’s general manager for Lancashire and Cumbria, ‘We had several landslips, the worst of which was at Tebay, where we lost 30 metres of the cess ballast. Plans were quickly put together for emergency repairs to be carried out overnight. These were successful and enabled us to reopen the West Coast Main Line on Friday with a 20 mph speed restriction over the affected area.’

Further east on the same day areas of track bed were torn away by floods at Haltwhistle on the Newcastle-Carlisle route and Scremerston on the East Coast Main Line, three miles south of Berwick. Both sites required significant rebuild. At Scremerston 600 tonnes of new material had to be replaced.

Says Warrick Dent, general manager for Network Rail, ‘Our engineers have worked around the clock to restore services as quickly as possible. The fact that we have a full service running (the following) morning is a testament to them.

‘I would like to pay tribute to my area team,’ said Mr. Dent.

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West Coast Main Line overhead line gantry falls into river Caldew. Photo: ablogfrommydog.com

www.railstaff.co.uk

NEWS

More legal powers and the success of Operation Tornado are making life tougher for cable thieves on the railway.

Operation Tornado makes it easier to trace sellers of stolen metal through an identification scheme. Pioneered in the north east, Operation Tornado is being rolled out in the south of England this summer. In further developments rail chiefs have welcomed a bill placed before the House of Commons by Richard Ottaway MP aimed at cracking down on the trade in stolen metal.

Says Michael Roberts, ceo ATOC, ‘The proposed powers (in the bill) will send a clear signal to criminals and rogue traders that dealing in stolen metal could lead to unlimited fines, removal of operating licences and even long terms in prison. Giving police and local councils the power to search and investigate scrap yards suspected of dealing in stolen

metal, and if necessary close them down, will help stop metal theft in its tracks.’

BTP’s deputy chief constable, Paul Crowther, agrees. ‘Tornado is proving very successful so far. For instance, on the railways in the north east we have seen a 69% fall in metal theft. However, this needs to be sustainable in the long term and Tornado is impacting mainly on scrap dealers who are working within the law.

‘We still need the powers to close down those few unscrupulous dealers who operate outside the law. I welcome Richard Ottaway’s Private Member’s Bill….It is important we have a robust regulatory framework alongside police powers to impact effectively and permanently on this crime, which has blighted communities across Britain for too long.’

Under Operation Tornado anyone hoping to sell scrap metal to participating metal recyclers in the

© SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Metal fatigue hits thieves

south of England and Wales will be required to provide proof of their identity, either a photo card driving licence including an address, or a passport or national ID card supported by a utility bill, which must be under three months old and show their address.

Thefts of cable on the rail system in BTP’s North Eastern Area since April this year are down 69% from 248, to 78. Almost half of these (38) involved live operational cable.

“Tornado is proving very successful so far.

For instance, on the railways in the north east we have seen a 69% fall in metal theft…”

PAUL CROWTHER, DEPUTY CHIEF CONSTABLE, BRITISH TRANSPORT POLICE

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NEWS

Flyover goes in without hitch The main span of a new overbridge has been lifted into place at Hitchin.

The Hitchin Flyover will see trains for Cambridge and Ely leave the East Coast Main Line on a new

stretch of railway and cross over via the flyover. This will avoid the current flat junction just north of the town’s station. Having crossed the main line, trains will rejoin the old Cambridge route almost a mile to the east of the town.

Network Rail succeeded in lifting the 30 tonne main span of this

bridge into position early on a Sunday morning, using a 120tonne crane for the purpose.

Despite the weight and delicacy of the operation, it took just 90 minutes to drop the span and bolt it into place.

Says Network Rail’s route managing director Phil Verster,

Power in the East

An example of a LNWR improved Precedent class 2-4-0. They were designed by F.W. Webb.

166 were built in batches at the Crewe works. Photographed is No. 1532 Hampden.

Crewe 175 Crewe station is celebrating 175 years in the business this summer.

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Local historian Tim Prevett has been organising ‘Strange at Crewe’ tours checking out ghost stories and secret tunnels. The tours address legends like: Did Queen Victoria have her own secret tunnel? What’s the horror story set on Crewe Station by a famous

‘The Hitchin flyover will make a real difference to passengers who travel on the East Coast Main Line, as well as people travelling to Cambridge and beyond. Trains will run more reliably and punctually, and we will have cleared one of the major bottlenecks on the route.’

author? What of the ghostly footprint in the ticket office?

‘I’ve been delighted to be welcoming people on tours of the station since the start of 2011,’ says Tim. Virgin Trains, which manages the station is supporting the tours.

The project to upgrade power supplies on the East Coast Main Line, in preparation for the introduction of new intercity express trains from 2018, has been bundled together by Network Rail with the scheme to electrify the North TransPennine route.

This move creates a total package of work worth between £500m and £800m. This is the latest step in the alliance partnering model first introduced at Birmingham New Street and Reading. This Network Rail alliance contracting arrangement means that Network Rail staff now work side by side with contractors within a single project team.

The ECML will be split into two phases comprising Wood Green to Bawtry and Bawtry to Edinburgh.

Electrifying the TransPennine route will not only decrease journey times but also support the proposed Northern Hub linking Manchester and Leeds. www.railstaff.co.uk

Integration role for Chris Gibb

Richard Williams heads new Serco Division

Chris Gibb, popular chief operating officer at Virgin Trains, has been seconded to Network Rail for the rest of the year.

Chris will be working with the Network Rail team on improving performance on the southern end of the West Coast Main Line.

He will retain a number of his current duties and responsibilities for Virgin Trains but will report to Robin Gisby, Network Rail’s managing director of network operations for the duration of his secondment.

Chris will work closely with Jo Kaye, route managing director London North Western Route, and her team.

Richard Williams has been appointed Managing Director, Transport, at Serco’s newly formed UK and European Division.

Richard has worked for Serco since 1989. He has held many senior roles within Serco working at the Docklands Light Railway, Northern Isles Ferries, Adelaide Bus Company and Sydney Ferries.

He has also held senior positions in Serco’s prisons, leisure and marine services.

Richard was educated at Bedford School and read Engineering at Cambridge University. He served as a captain in the army for five years. Says Jeremy Stafford, Chief Executive of Serco UK and Europe, ‘I am delighted that Richard is leading our transportation business. He

Station master awarded MBE

Runner wins award Lee Potter, a head clerk at First Capital Connect, has won a recognition award for his hard work raising money for charity.

In a bid to lose weight Lee took up running last year. Since then he has trained hard and has taken part in a number of runs throughout the country, including the London Marathon and the Stevenage Half Marathon.

Running is central to his personal weight loss programme.

Since last autumn Lee has lost over 13 stone. Lee was nominated for the award due to his fundraising efforts for national disability charity, Scope.

Says Jackie Townsend, FCC’s Operations Director, ‘Lee is an absolute inspiration. What he’s achieved is phenomenal and everyone at First Capital Connect has been behind him all the way.’

Stephen McPartland, MP for Stevenage, presented Lee with a First Capital Connect Stakeholder Recognition Award. ‘Lee has done 8

has a high calibre executive team that brings together extensive operational and management experience. They are totally committed to providing the very best services for clients, working in partnership with local and central government and transport providers across the country.’

The newly formed Transportation business unit delivers and successfully manages services including the Docklands Light Railway, Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme and the Woolwich Ferry. Traffic management systems, Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR), CCTV and parking management are also among the services managed by Serco’s Transportation business.

an amazing job in looking after his health and raising money for a worthwhile cause at the same time. He deserves this award and I wish him all the best with the remainder of his fitness regime,’ says Stephen McPartland.

Stephen McPartland MP presents the Award to Lee Potter.

Trevor Francis, ScotRail station master at Aberdour, received an MBE for services to the community in the Birthday Honours list.

Mr Francis, 67, has manned the ticket office at Aberdour station since December 1993. In his spare time he has tended a growing station garden, cultivating flowers, shrubs and trees. Thanks to Trevor, Aberdour won the Best Station Garden at the Community Rail Awards in 2005. The station also helped Aberdour win a best kept village award in Fife.

His station garden includes 20 hanging baskets, seven window boxes and two wheel barrows, one of which belonged to North British Railways and which Trevor has had restored to its original state. Special features include an alpine garden, featuring conifers and cordyline palms. www.railstaff.co.uk

PEOPLE NEWS

Mr Motivator in rail comeback

Mr Motivator has teamed up with Centro in the Midlands, to get people, especially families, to combine walking with public transport for days out.

The ‘Enjoy The Ride’ campaign aims to get people using a one day bus and train ticket to access open spaces and other attractions.

‘Enjoy The Ride is a great scheme.

It encourages people to leave the car behind,’ says Mr Motivator.

King for Angel Trains Angel Trains have appointed Professor Dame Julia King FREng as a non-executive director.

Dame Julia is Vice-Chancellor of Aston University and was Principal of the Engineering Faculty at Imperial College. She becomes the first female member of the current board. She studied at Cambridge University and was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2012 Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to Higher Education and Technology. She is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Says Malcolm Brown, Chief Executive Officer of Angel Trains, ‘This appointment significantly strengthens the governance and leadership team of Angel Trains as we continue to modernise the group and create a solid platform for us to face the challenges ahead. Julia’s knowledge will offer Angel Trains’ board insights that

will help it to continue making a constructive contribution to the UK rail industry by reducing costs and helping to drive innovation in rolling stock procurement and whole-life asset management.’

Julia has just completed a fouryear term on the Governing Board of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, and she is a member of the World Economic Forum Automotive Council.

“This appointment significantly strengthens the team of Angel Trains as we continue to modernise the group” MALCOLM BROWN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, ANGEL TRAINS

Fusion goes for apprentice recognition Fusion People Training is now applying to be recognised as an official Apprentice Training Agency (ATA) under the Apprenticeship Scheme.

From a standing start a year ago FPT has grown quickly, attracting new people into the rail industry.

Fusion vocational training programmes offer an alternative to further education for young people aged 16-19, allowing them to earn a wage whilst learning on the job.

Currently Fusion People Training has placed nearly 100 apprentices. Depending on the job role apprenticeships can take a minimum of 12 months to complete. Apprentices have also proven to be a real asset to the team at Fusion providing an effective and productive way to address skill gaps within the company, as well as a cost effective way to recruit enthusiastic new employees.

The success of one apprentice www.railstaff.co.uk

in particular, Biviana Bholanath, has resulted in her becoming a full time employee at sister company, Etica. Biviana first joined Etica as a Resourcer whilst completing an NVQ Level 2 in Customer Service back in 2011.

‘I thought an apprenticeship would be the right decision for me as it would build upon my current expertise and not only provide me with a recognised qualification but also give me valuable experience which the majority of young students lack,’ she says.

‘When I first joined I only had a basic knowledge of recruitment and was afraid to get on the phone with the fear of being rejected. With the training offered

by Fusion People Training and the support and patience of my colleagues and line manager, I am now completely confident to get on the phone and speak to any client or candidate.’

Since then Biviana has

successfully proven her value within the team and has been employed as a permanent consultant whilst she completes her NVQ Level 3. ‘Choosing an apprenticeship with Etica has been one of the best decisions I have ever made.’

Director of Fusion People training, Nigel Sweeney, says, ‘Fusion People Training, through the Fusion Futures initiative, is now applying to be recognised as an official Apprentice Training Agency (ATA) under the Apprenticeship Scheme.

‘This presents a fantastic opportunity to introduce a lot more young people, like Biviana, to the advantages of becoming an apprentice, whilst encouraging more organisations to take on these talented young individuals.’

To find out more about Fusion People Training and the Apprenticeships they offer visit www.fusionpeopletraining.com or call on 020 7653 1078.

Biviana Bholanath

Nigel Sweeney

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RAIL ALLIANCE NEWS

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

Continental bonus for Rail Alliance We are delighted to welcome a new member to the Rail Alliance Member Spotlight this month in the form of Schenck Process.

In a busy month Colin Flack, chief executive of the Rail Alliance hosted the Railway Strategies Live conference at Birmingham’s National Motorcycle Museum Centre. On the same day executive director, Rob Hopkin, was in Munich briefing the newly-formed European Rail Cluster Initiative (ERCI) on the progress of the Rail Alliance and, more importantly, its members.

The ERCI provides much more than a ‘window on the European mainland.’ It sees us representing the UK rail supply chain, working very closely with fellow rail clusters in Austria, France, Germany, Spain and Poland. The aim for all these

clusters is to improve the networking reach of, and the ability to do business between, their respective members.

Indeed some of the ERCI members are looking to do business with some of our members which can only help in the current economic climate. The ERCI provides a focused export opportunity for our members and an opportunity to enter into partnerships with other established rail players on the continent.

It was a delight to have Katie Ferrier, Head of Supplier Engagement at Network Rail, present our networking event at Coventry’s Holiday Inn on 5 July.

‘She was forthright, honest and upbeat about the industry and Network Rail. It really is good to

hear someone with a good story to tell,’ says Rob who then hot footed it up to Edinburgh to hear all about Crossrail’s procurement opportunities for Small-to-Medium Enterprises. Both events sold out.

Clearly there’s huge interest in supplying Crossrail. Additionally, the Rail Alliance has been asked by

Schenck Process

safe operation of the train’s braking and traction system.

The SandPiper range is a British designed and manufactured pneumatically operated sand filling pumping system which can be installed either as a static system with fixed dispensing points or as a mobile system with electrically powered buggies for greater flexibility of the location for refilling. Recent projects include work for London Underground and Southern Trains depots in south London.

Schenck Process provides a full range of products for the rail industry including the supply of precise weighing equipment for rail transport in static or dynamic modes with the

MultiRail system.

MultiRail also includes equipment that can monitor wheel and axle loads during operation, identify hot-running locations on brakes and bearings and wheel profile analysis providing diagnostic information for the planning and scheduling of maintenance work. The MultiRail equipment is a significant contributor to the better utilisation and safer operation of the train fleet.

Schenck Process also has a large team of UK-based after sales engineers for service and maintenance work and provides a comprehensive spares and aftercare programme called PASS. enquiries@schenckprocess.co.uk www.schenckprocess.co.uk

Schenck Process has been active in the rail and tram sector in the UK for over 15 years.

Schenck Process, either direct or via one of its subsidiaries, Clyde Process or Redler, provides a range of highly reliable sand and bulk materials conveying, weighing and rail automation technologies.

One of the company’s main products is the SandPiper pumping system which automatically fills the sand boxes or hoppers on trains and trams.

This is of key importance to the

Rail Alliance events Introduction to BS11000 16th August Long Marston 10

IMechE 12th September London

Innotrans 2012 18th-21st September Berlin, Germany

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

the Rail Division of the IMechE to support them in promoting their Rail Seminar on 12 September 2012. Entitled ‘Maintaining the UK Rail Infrastructure’ Rail Alliance members can attend this seminar and valuable networking event for the same price as IMechE members.

Finally, look out for details in the August issue of RailStaff for the date and location of our Yorkshirebased event in September.

New members R.EN.S Rail Engineering Systems (The Netherlands based engineering & production of rail/road vehicles. Main product is the R.EN.S-rail trailer. Also providing engineering and production of other rail/road vehicles and equipment for use on and around the railways) www.rensrail.com Axis Communications (Axis developed the world’s first network video (IP) camera in 1996 and is now the market leader in surveillance cameras worldwide, IMS Research 2012). www.axis.com Tyrefix Plant Tyres (UK) Ltd (Providers of plant puncture repairs & replacement tyres on various sites across the country) www.tyrefixuk.com www.railstaff.co.uk

NEWS

Panda Train

© TWITTER\ @ALEXBUDGE

Over 100 pandas - or sympathisers dressed as pandas took to the London Underground on their way to a rally, startling passengers.

The panda patrol was part of Panda Awareness Week. A panda posse performed a graceful tai-chi dance in Trafalgar Square before

greeting passers by. Panda Awareness Week aims to raise interest and support for the protection of one of the world’s most-threatened species.

In total 108 panda look-alikes took to the streets and the Underground in London - the same number of pandas currently living in a special breeding centre in Chengdu, China. Wild life experts say only 1,800 pandas are left in the wild.

Double dozen peak pledge National Rail Enquiries has launched a social media campaign in aid of Railway Children.

Staff at Britain’s train information service plan to raise £10,000 with the board pledging to match the first £5,000 donated by the public. From 14th-15th July, an NRE team of seven will take on the 24 Peaks Challenge - scaling 24 peaks above 2,400ft in the Lake District in 24 hours.

For the first time ever National Rail Enquiries will use its website, which receives more than 1.5 million visits each weekday, Twitter and Facebook channels to raise funds from the general public.

National Rail Enquiries provides live train information to millions of passengers each day through its website, alerts, social networks, app and call centre. NRE has invested a great deal into developing its Twitter and

National Rail Enquiries has launched a social media campaign in aid of Railway Children…

Facebook service and was recently rated the UK’s top brand for its use of Twitter in Headstream’s Social Brands 2012 report.

‘With more than 140,000 followers across all our Twitter and Facebook accounts, we hope to harness the power of social media to raise awareness about the great work Railway Children does and to raise some much needed funds.

The great thing about a social media community is that if everyone gives a little, together we really can change a lot,’ says NRE’s Chief Executive, Chris Scoggins.

Automatic Sandbox Filling © OATSY40

For greater efficiency and reduced turn-round times

Final call for NYMR police hero Over 400 people attended the funeral of Robert Lund, 65, at Beverley Minster.

The former police officer died after being crushed between two trains while working as a volunteer guard on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

Said Danielle Bradley, marketing manager at the NYMR, ‘We are very www.railstaff.co.uk

much a family community and everybody has been devastated by Bob’s death. He was a keen railway enthusiast and our deep sympathies and condolences go to his family, relatives and friends.’

Mr Lund, of Beverley, had an exemplary 30-year career with Humberside Police. According to the RAIB Mr Lund was manually uncoupling two carriages on May 21. As the carriage attached to the steam train moved off, the train changed direction, moving back towards the vehicles from which it had been uncoupled, crushing Mr Lund.

The re-filling of sand boxes or hoppers on trains and trams is an important factor to ensure the correct operation of the vehicle’s braking system and to assist with traction when there is slippy track conditions. The Schenck Process SandPiper mobile and static sand filling stations are the only UK manufactured systems that pneumatically pump sand direct into the sand box without the issues associated with manual handling methods. For further details e-mail us at enquiries@schenckprocess.co.uk Schenck Process UK Limited, Carolina Court, Lakeside, Doncaster, DN4 5RA, UK. TEL: +44 (0) 1302 321 313 www.schenckprocess.co.uk

enquiries@schenckprocess.co.uk

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Prompt and brave action by rail worker, Gavin MacDonald, has saved the lives of several ospreys in Wales.

An isolated osprey nest in the Dyfi Estuary monitored by the Dyfi Osprey Project relies on Network Rail for the electricity to power its hidden cameras. Staff at the wildlife trust monitor the endangered birds.

Severe weather knocked out power and left the mother osprey struggling to keep her chicks safe from the wind and rain. A call was put in to Network Rail to try and restore the power. Electrical worker Gavin Macdonald headed out in his van. It didn’t take him long to realise the site of the nest, and much of the surrounding area, was cut off by rising floodwater.

Cars lay semi-submerged on the main road to Dyfi National Park and its railway station Dovey Junction (Cyffordd Dyfi) was flooded. Says Gavin, ‘The road down from Machynlleth was

Adagio for a Javelin Track to Track: The Athlon, is to celebrate the Class 395

A new piece of music celebrating the Class 395 Javelin, ahead of the London Olympics, has been performed at St Pancras International.

The piece, Track to Track: The Athlon by Graham Fitkin, was inspired by the 1936 Post Office film, Night Mail, music by Benjamin Britten and words by W H Auden. The 12 minute piece mirrors the time taken by a Javelin to reach Stratford from Ebbsfleet International.

Fitkin travelled on the Hitachi Class 395 and recorded sounds from the journey to inspire his music. ‘When I travelled on the train I knew it was the most up to date train in the UK, but it still 12

Japan freight

…the Dyfi Osprey Project realised the chicks were failing fast and decided to intervene. Staff hand fed the surviving chick - named Ceulan… signed as closed but I didn’t know how far down it was shut so I went down there anyway.’

Having driven as far as he could go on back roads, Mr Macdonald abandoned his van, grabbed a toolkit and began to walk along a path on the edge of the railway. ‘It was about a two and half mile walk, but we’re used to working in harsh conditions and we’re used to walking long distances. The only thing was that to get to the power connection I had to wade through two feet of flood water… and I didn’t have any waders so it was a bit soggy,’ says Gavin.

Having fixed the power

connection, the Dyfi Osprey Project realised the chicks were failing fast and decided to intervene. Staff hand fed the surviving chick named Ceulan - and mother and chick are now doing fine.

Ospreys were extinct in the UK by 1916. The first breeding pair was rediscovered in Scotland in the 1950s and they have since begun the road to recovery despite attracting the attention of egg thieves. Ospreys have been seen in the Dyfi estuary regularly since 2004 during the migrating season.

The artificial nest was created in 2007 to encourage some to stay and breed.

The Japan Freight Railway Company has announced that the volume of freight containers conveyed by rail rose by 11.9% to 1.568 million tonnes in June.

This latest figure marks the third consecutive month in which freight traffic carried by rail has grown. Over the last 12 months conveyance of paper has risen by 28.7% and car components by 60.4%.

This time last year freight on rail plunged as manufacturers suspended production after the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

This disaster cost at least 20,000 people their lives, with many more still missing, and destroyed approximately 400,000 houses.

© JONATHAN WEBB

Osprey rescue

surprised me how smooth and quiet it was, you could have been travelling in a lift.

‘The piece therefore has a series of smooth glides up and down. It then tries to give a sense of the journey moving through the landscape as seen through the window, in a similar way to Night Mail. It’s an almost surreal experience aurally.’

The music was set to words by poet Glyn Maxwell. The piece premiered at St Pancras and was performed by the London Chamber Orchestra and staged by Hitachi. Says Chiaki Ueda, Chairman of Hitachi Rail Europe, ‘Hitachi is proud that the Class 395 train will play such an important role during the London Olympics and that it has inspired this piece of music.

‘Our Class 395 train uses the latest technology and engineering techniques. Track to Track is a fitting tribute to the train and its role as a key part of the transport infrastructure for the Olympic Games this summer. www.railstaff.co.uk

NEWS

Battersea extension energised Extension to the Northern Line will rejuvenate the area around Battersea Power station and Nine Elms.

© SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

TfL is pushing ahead with preparations for the planned two mile extension of the Northern Line from Kennington to new stations at Nine Elms and Battersea.

Says Michèle Dix, Managing Director of Planning for London Underground, ‘The proposed Northern line extension would bring huge benefits for local communities along the route.

Along with other big redevelopment projects for this new London district, this transport link would help support 16,000 homes and 25,000 jobs.’

Battersea Power Station is to be redeveloped and the area around Vauxhall is targeted for improvement. TfL is now preparing a submission to the Secretary of State for permission to build and operate the extension, under a Transport and Works Act Order.

Thinking of relocating?

Resourcing Solutions are working in joint venture with Hong Kong based rail recruiter Rail Personnel to identify rail engineering talent to facilitate the MTR Corporation in delivering a number of prestigious rail infrastructure projects. www.railstaff.co.uk

These key projects include the West Island Line, South Island Line (East), Express Rail Link (Hong Kong section), Shatin to Central Link and Kwun Tong Line Extension.

Hong Kong is experiencing a great demand for qualified engineering

professionals due to the number of major infrastructure projects launched recently or about to be launched. The MTR Corporation has concurrent new railway projects which have resulted in considerable manpower build-up to a peak of almost 2,700 in 2013.

In view of the massive demand for engineering professionals in the local market and to achieve a blend of international experience, since the end of 2009, the Corporation has been actively exploring resourcing from overseas, i.e. the UK, Taiwan, and Singapore etc.

Taking into account the manpower requirement, particularly in certain scarce disciplines, such as tunnelling, rolling stock, geotechnical etc. a review of the strategy for overseas recruitment has been undertaken to support the MTR’s resourcing activities.

Top priority country Based on the results of recent consultancy studies which took into consideration the suitability, availability and mobility of

resources in major countries with railway construction, the UK was identified as the top priority country for recruiting qualified engineers.

Resourcing Solutions and Rail Personnel have been engaged to identify 30 key positions from the UK engineering industry. There has never been a better opportunity to take the jump and move overseas.

Hong Kong has some of the best rail technology and being immersed here will look great on any CV! With the positive economic outlook, competitive pay rates, low taxes and a climate to match, Hong Kong is the ideal place to relocate.

If you think living in Hong Kong is for you, then you can find out more by talking to our resident experts, Susan Cardy in the UK on 0118 932 0100 or Karina Kwok in Hong Kong on +852 2753 5636.

Alternatively, you may email either of the teams on mtr@resourcing-solutions.com or mtr@railpersonnel.com.

See our advert on page 51.

13

Storm staff conquer the three peaks The Railway Children’s annual Three Peaks challenge suffered the worst weather since its launch ten years ago.

Bad weather failed to stop teams from across the rail industry helping each other over fast flowing rivers, treacherous bogs and up and down mountains – often in driving rain and poor visibility.

Says Neal Lawson, managing director of First Capital Connect, who himself took part, ‘The hikes were extremely challenging, particularly the conditions on Scafell Pike, but the feeling of accomplishment for all of us was indescribable.’

Going up the first mountain, Snowdon, took place at night. Says Railway Children ambassador, Adam O’Connor, ‘By dark the weather was closing in and rain was falling heavily. People could not see the way ahead and I had to guide them up and down 14

Snowdon. It was very difficult but people pushed themselves and we made it.’

By the time the challengers reached the Lake District the weather had worsened with streams become raging rivers and fields and paths flooded. Only three teams made it to the top before organisers called off the climb.

Teams were ferried out by a local mini van driver who braved rising floodwaters to evacuate climbers.

The attempt on Ben Nevis the following day was also complicated by poor weather. Even getting up to Scotland was a challenge as fallen trees blocked the line north. Unlike routine passengers, challengers greeted the news cheerily and waited for the all clear in a pub.

‘It was truly one of the hardest challenges I have had to face,’ says Asif Ahmed, director, Rail Media Group. ‘I felt a real sense of achievement on the final summit Ben Nevis. More so when I heard

we had raised over £170k as a group to date with more donations coming in. I would like to personally thank all 180 walkers who took part.’ Asif also paid tribute to the hard work by the organisers, train crew and Railway Children staff.

Craig Smith, of the Rail Media Group, still managed the trip despite undergoing recent knee surgery following a sports injury.

‘I think at the time of the challenge, I focussed on purely finishing the event in one piece,’ says Craig. ‘Afterwards on the train home, it started to dawn on me and others that we have actually raised a lot of money for an excellent charity.

‘That gives you as much satisfaction as actually undertaking the walk itself. Knowing your actions are directly affecting somebody somewhere turns a challenging event into an absolute pleasure.’ www.railstaff.co.uk

NEWS

Lamp Block light up A new base for railway staff is ready for business at Birmingham New Street station.

The Lamp Block will be home to 450 Cross Country drivers and train crew. According to Andy Cooper it’s long overdue. ‘Our new train crew centre replaces accommodation more than 50 years old and reflects the standards expected in a modern business. The innovative solution provided by the Lamp Block has released even more space on the main station to provide a better environment for our customers

Scots Freight boost

too. We are very pleased with the result,’ says Andy, Cross Country’s managing director.

The new building sits at the west end of platform one rising above Hill Street and Navigation Street. The Lamp Block is built on the site of a 19th century depot which supplied gas lamps to railway staff maintaining the tunnels either side of New Street station. With a green roof containing plants and grasses, solar panels and an energy efficient lighting system the building is green and clean.

The Scottish Government is to invest £30 million in strategic Scottish rail freight enhancements.

The Freight Transport Association has welcomed the move. FTA spokesman, Chris MacRae, said, ‘The FTA has already lobbied the Scottish Government and Parliament on

key rail freight infrastructure enhancement schemes. The announcement of this fund….is welcome.’ The announcement was published as part of the Scottish High Level Output Specification (HLOS) and Statement of Funds Available (SoFA) between 2014 and 2019.

schemes and professionals from other fields switching into the industry. More could be done to develop home-grown talent says Andy.

‘Part of the solution would be to introduce mentorship schemes that empower contractors to develop talent within their organisations, by training existing staff and promoting them into these roles. This would make it

easier for talented individuals to climb the career ladder, while contractors avoid delays associated with attaining approval or seeking external candidates.’

Advance TRS has over 15 years’ experience placing candidates into roles in signalling and all other rail disciplines.

For more information: Call 01483 361061 or visit www.advance-trs.com

Advance planning essential Demand for rail engineers continues to outpace supply.

Leading rail recruiters are urging a streamlining in procedures to help address the bottleneck. Says Andy Ridout of advance-Training and Recruitment Services, ‘Many of the major contractors are seeking Contract Engineering Managers (CEMs) and Contract Responsible Engineers (CREs).

‘There are plenty of candidates out there who could comfortably fill those positions, yet they’re faced with an unfortunate delay in the acceptance procedure that could risk putting major projects in danger of commencing behind schedule.’ advance-TRS has received more than double the number of requests for candidates since Network Rail’s signalling frameworks were www.railstaff.co.uk

awarded in January. However, Andy believes the mandatory and lengthy accreditation process which all CEMs and CREs must undergo is preventing many candidates from capitalising on the fresh surge in demand.

‘Greater transparency, mentorship schemes and closer partnerships between contractors and Network Rail could help to ease the problem,’ says Ridout.

‘One possible solution that could streamline the selection and recruitment process would be for Network Rail to publish a list of approved CEMs and CREs. A scheme similar to this exists for Signal Testers and Certificates of Competence (CoC).’

Interest in working for the rail industry has ramped up with more graduates applying for training

15

Tim Coucher, Network Rail project director for the national centre.

At first glance the choice of Milton Keynes as the new headquarters of Network Rail seems eccentric.

Look a little closer and the move is a sound one, as Andy Milne reports.

Once derided as a concrete and plastic tribute to sixties designer angst, Milton Keynes has all the vibrancy and energy of a younger town, spangled with bright lights, loud with clubs and theatres.

Restaurants and shopping malls serve a fast growing population that needs several schools and colleges to keep pace with it’s unfolding demographics. The railway stations around MK do brisk business with an army of commuters, business travellers, students and foreign visitors.

Milton Keynes sits at the heart of the modern railway network on the West Coast Main Line.

Connections to Bedford from Bletchley and the historic works at Wolverton cement the city firmly into the modern, expanding railway.

Away from the centre Milton Keynes abounds in quiet tree shaded suburbs threaded with canals and cycle routes. Local motorists may complain of the innumerable roundabouts in the city’s grid style street lay out but the effect is to reduce traffic speed and give priority to cyclists and 16

pedestrians.

Living in a green city of over 20 million trees, grass meadows, parks and lakes where you can cycle to work has proved attractive to 230,000 people who now live there.

Back in the sixties a planning team under Richard LlewelynDavies managed to avoid the concrete ghettos bequeathed to other London overspill towns.

From the start the emphasis was on ease of communication and local centres - as opposed to the concentric ribbon developments that cluster round many expanded cities. Work started in 1967.

More responsive The first of around 3,000 people move into Network Rail’s new national centre in Milton Keynes this summer. Moving so many people to a single location will save Network Rail tens of millions of pounds a year in office rental costs, helping cut the cost of the railway.

David Higgins, Network Rail chief executive, emphasised the supportive role of the new headquarters. ‘The national centre is at the heart of our plans to improve the way we work and will help deliver a better and more efficient railway for passengers

and freight.

‘We’ll be bringing 3,000 people who play an integral part in the running of the railway into one location, complementing the changes we have already made to our business to bring us closer to our customers and more responsive to their needs.’

Power in Network Rail has been devolved to front line route directors with the organisation at MK providing strategic back up and guidance. ‘This is an exciting time for the rail industry. Over the next ten years, Britain’s rail traffic will increase by around a third, making ours the fastest growing railway in Europe.

The railway is vital to Britain’s future economic success, connecting commerce and communities across the country.

Our people based in Milton Keynes will play an integral part in its transformation.’

Quadrant: MK The new building sits on the site of the former national hockey stadium. Although many of the 3,000 people moving to the Quadrant: MK are existing employees relocating to the area Network Rail is recruiting 700 more staff locally. The rail industry will bring both modernity and tradition to the city.

When the London and Birmingham Railway was originally opened back in 1838 the mid way point was deemed to be Wolverton - at the time a small village - now a northern part of the new city.

In an era of corridor-less trains, passengers needed to get out and in railway parlance take a personal needs break. Engines had to be attended to and a sizeable depot grew up at Wolverton. The tight curve on the main line is still notorious among drivers.

Although much reduced the Railcare depot survives to this day and is the home of the Royal Train.

The reason it looks so smart is in large part down to the skill of staff at Wolverton.

By contrast with Wolverton and its Royal Train a more infamous chapter in railway history played out down the line south of Milton Keynes at Bridego Bridge a mile out of Leighton Buzzard.

On Thursday 8th August 1963 robbers held up the south bound Glasgow mail and made off with £2.4 million. Ronnie Biggs, the getaway driver, later escaped prison and became notorious. The train itself had stopped at Bletchley station to take on more mail.

Driver Bill Green recalls talking to www.railstaff.co.uk

NEWS

Milton Keynes Home of Railway Values

Andy Milne investigates the wisdom of Network Rail moving to Milton Keynes

Jack Mills, the driver of the ill-fated mail train, who Green knew quite well. Later, arriving with his train at Leighton Buzzard, Bill decided, after consultation with a puzzled signalman, to walk forward along the track.

‘We could see the mail train carriages stopped on the up fast,’ said Bill who courageously rescued Jack Mills - bloodied and dazed and raised the alarm.

Bletchley remains a busy commuter station. For many years the staff association club across the forecourt was a haven for railway workers as important in its way as the award winning TMD over the metals.

The Bedford-Bletchley line, now renamed the Marston Vale Community Rail Partnership, is the last surviving element of the

www.railstaff.co.uk

Varsity Line which once linked Oxford and Cambridge. It never closed as local bus companies refused to commit to a paid for rail replacement service.

Happily plans are afoot to reopen the line down to Bicester through Verney Junction and Claydon. This will enable through services between Oxford and Bedford to operate once more.

As well as reopening traditional railway lines it is worth noting Buckinghamshire, from which Milton Keynes sprung, will play uneasy host to High Speed Two powering along a few miles west of the city.

Milton Keynes Central itself opened on 17th May 1982, an intercity station with direct connections to London Euston, Birmingham, Manchester and

Glasgow. Services via the West London line link MK with Croydon.

High quality railway staff One final observation about the wisdom of moving to Milton Keynes has to be the high quality of railway staff locally. At MK Central they have proved unfailingly supportive and good humoured down the years.

One personal story bears this out. Years ago a taxi carrying a one time RailStaff reporter, Paula Sergeant, was involved in a car crash in Milton Keynes up on Midsummer Boulevard. I was in Crewe that day and alerted by mobile phone by the police.

Paula was unharmed but quite shaken up. All I could think of to do was call up a pal of mine at

Milton Keynes Central. The police dropped Paula off at the station where ticket office staff took her in, sat her down and plied her with hot sweet tea.

They then put her on a train to Northampton where she lived. Her boyfriend hot footed it to Castle Station and took her home. Staff at MK didn’t have to do this but Paula was, however tenuously, a part of the railway family and they put themselves out for her that day.

I have never forgotten their kindness. Taken together with convivial evenings with Bill and Delia Green - herself a feature writer for RailStaff - at Bletchley BRSA and the decision by Network Rail to relocate to a place redolent with railway values, courage, tradition and expertise seems inspired indeed.

17

ROLLING STOCK

High Speed Three bid by Meridian

© JONATHAN WEBB

A service for London at Loughborough Station.

Baker’s dozen Deutsche Bahn’s Arriva Trains UK Ltd has invited expressions of interest to supply up to 13 diesel locomotives for use on Chiltern Railways.

The 100 mph locomotives will be used to expand services on the successful Marylebone to

Sutherland steam visit

Birmingham Snow Hill service. New services to Oxford from 2014 will further increase the demands on Chiltern for additional rolling stock.

The initial seven locomotives are required by 31st December 2014.

Further locos may be used elsewhere on Arriva’s British operations which include Arriva Trains Wales, Cross Country and Grand Central. Currently Chiltern uses five class 67s on loco hauled trains.

© JONATHAN WEBB

18

History was made on 1st July when a diesel powered train ran at 125 mph along the Midland Main Line ahead of the line speed being raised from its current 110 mph in time for the December 2013 timetable change.

Special permission was granted

by Network Rail for East Midlands Trains to run a Meridian at maximum speed between Bedford and Ampthill. The 8.5 mile stretch was chosen to examine pressure waves and the aerodynamic effects of running trains at high speed. Prior to the timetable change some footpaths will be closed, track replaced and a major tamping programme undertaken.

The objective is to reduce travelling time between Sheffield and London to under two hours.

Line speed will be raised to 125 mph along numerous stretches of the route. The first, going north, will be just after Elstree and the last just after Loughborough. The main focus of the test runs on July 1st was to determine the view of signals from the footplate at such high speed and the smoothness of ride from inside the carriages.

Famous steam locomotive, the Duchess of Sutherland, made a guest appearance at Blackpool North as part of a rail community day.

Says Wayne Smith, station manager, ‘Community days like this at Blackpool North are a great way for the area team to give something back and help us keep the community involved in making the most of their local station. We

were thrilled to have everyone’s support on Saturday and hope our passengers will continue to appreciate Blackpool North.’

Northern Rail representatives turned out to meet the public and there were also model railway displays and heritage bus trips to the glittering Golden Mile promenade. Staff and passengers helped raise money for a variety of charities. www.railstaff.co.uk

Such a great idea! We jumped at the chance to get involved with this event.

Tricia Riley, Director, Human Resources Transport for London

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Artist’s impression of the completed Westfield Stratford City

Olympic boss praises rail effort A £16million investment in station upgrades has improved accessibility for disabled passengers ahead of the London 2012 Olympic Games, the SWTNetwork Rail alliance says.

Vauxhall, Weymouth, Wimbledon, Windsor & Eton Riverside, Southampton Central and Clapham Junction have been given a multi-million-pound makeover ahead of this summer’s sporting events.

Says Tim Shoveller, Managing Director of the South West Trains-Network Rail alliance, ‘More than £16m has been invested by our alliance and stakeholders in upgrading our stations to improve passenger journeys to the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

As well as going the extra mile for the British Olympic sailing team by providing generous and

with Olympic Park in the background and Stratford station in the foreground, the gateway to the London 2012 Olympics.

on-going support, we have also pulled out all the stops for passengers travelling to and from the Olympics by providing the maximum available additional capacity on our services.’

Olympic officials praised the rail industry for the improvements.

Says Hugh Sumner, Director of Transport for the Olympic Delivery Authority, ‘A fantastic effort has been made by the nations’ train

operating companies to prepare as much as possible ahead of the Games. Spectators will benefit from enhanced services and improved infrastructure to ensure they can get to their events on time.’

Nottingham revamp

High wind in Horwich

Enhancing Edwardian Baroque and increasing capacity.

Horwich Parkway station will soon be powered by green energy.

Transport for Greater Manchester has installed a new 11-kilowatt wind turbine. The turbine will deliver electricity directly to the station, and any surplus energy produced will be sold back to the National Grid.

‘Rail is already a green travel choice, but projects like this one can help to make it even more environmentally friendly and mean that we can lead the way in green transport by reducing carbon emissions,’ says Peter Boulton of TfGM.

© CHARNEWCOMB

“Network Rail’s investment to improve the reliability and performance of the railway will increase capacity and deliver…”

MARTIN FROBISHER, ROUTE MANAGING DIRECTOR, NETWORK RAIL 20

Plans to expand and improve Nottingham station this autumn are going ahead.

The current station designed by Albert Lambert opened in 1904 and is described as a fine example of Edwardian Baroque. Says Martin Frobisher, Network Rail’s route managing director, ‘Nottingham station will be transformed over the coming months. Passengers will benefit from better facilities and enjoy a more pleasant start and finish to their journeys.

‘Network Rail’s investment to improve the reliability and performance of the railway will increase capacity and deliver a better service to passengers.

Combined with the wider Hub project improvements, Nottingham will soon benefit from some of the best transport facilities in the country.’

The grade 2 listed building will feature a new concourse connecting trains, trams and the car park. In July and August 2013, an overhaul of track and signalling equipment will enable trains to access all platforms from any line, something which is currently not possible.

The reliability of the infrastructure will be improved with signalling equipment being renewed and the majority of points being replaced. The programme of station improvement works will be completed in early 2014.

www.railstaff.co.uk

STATIONS

New station for Wolverton Wolverton, just north of Milton Keynes, has an updated modern station building.

Since the demolition of the old wooden office in the 1990s ticket staff have had to make do with a portacabin. Says John Bint, of Milton Keynes council, which helped fund the scheme, ‘Wolverton has a very special place in Britain’s railway heritage. We are delighted that this project gives today’s rail users completely

updated facilities while respecting this special heritage.’

Wolverton is notorious among drivers for its tight curve, originally formed by slewing the track path to accommodate the railway works. Says Simon Whitehorn, Network Rail general manager, ‘Wolverton has always been a railway town, and the new facilities at the station will deliver long-lasting benefits for the community.’

Gael rail upgrade Partick’s subway station is to receive a £1.2 million upgrade.

The below ground station forms part of a substantial transport hub with suburban services at ground level. It is Scotland’s fifth busiest station. Partick itself forms a Gaelic speaking enclave in Glasgow. The language can still occasionally be heard in shops and streets locally.

Signs at the station and on ATMs are bi-lingual.

Says Strathclyde Passenger Transport’s vice-chair, David Fagan, ‘Modernisation is now being delivered at speed and it’s great to see another station given the green light for improvements. Since the Interchange was refurbished above ground a couple of years ago it makes absolute sense that the platform level was given the same high quality finish under ground.’

The upgrade is scheduled for completion in spring 2013.

Sunshine supermen press on The project has reached half way with the fitting of the 2,200th solar panel array

Despite bad weather, rain and storms, hard working staff at Blackfriars station are pressing on with the installation of the largest solar panel array in London.

The project has now reached the half way stage with the fitting of the 2,200th solar panel on the station roof. Network Rail is www.railstaff.co.uk

rebuilding the station on top of Blackfriars railway bridge providing more space for passengers and capacity for longer, more frequent trains.

The new station roof above the Victorian bridge will be home to 4,400 solar panels, which will generate up to 50% of the station’s energy needs. Manufactured by

Panasonic, designed and installed

by Solarcentury, the panels cover an area of 6,000 square metres.

The panels are expected to generate 900,000 kWh of electricity every year, saving over 500 tonnes of CO2 annually.

Says Network Rail’s senior programme manager for Blackfriars, Paul Byrne, ‘We’ve

rebuilt Blackfriars on a 125 year old rail bridge, creating a 21st century, solar-powered station on Victorian foundations. Blackfriars’ iconic location spanning the River Thames makes it a showcase for the potential of solar power, and an important benchmark for Network Rail as we look to make best use of sustainable technology on the rail network.’

The bridge was stripped to its foundations and reconstructed wider and stronger to house platforms, a 250m-long roof and the world’s largest bridge-based solar array. The work forms part of a wider upgrade of the Thameslink route.

21

STATIONS

Engine shed party Station adopters and local railway staff met up at the Old Engine Shed at Chappel and Wakes Colne station near Colchester to celebrate the achievements of the Essex and South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership.

A good time was had by all at the station which also includes the East Anglian Railway Museum.

Greater Anglia provided complimentary travel to the event for the adopters.

Says Geraint Hughes Greater Anglia Partnerships Manager, ‘The Essex and South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership supports and promotes five branch lines in our area and the station adopters do much to assist their work, so it was fitting that we should all come together to thank them for their enthusiasm and dedication.’

Station adopters play an

Station Adopters from across the area, overseen by the Essex and South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership at the thank you party, Chappel station.

increasingly important role, acting as the eyes and ears of the local community and getting involved with gardening and green sustainability initiatives as well as helping with special event trains and running promotional stalls.

Says Jayne Sumner, Essex County Council’s Rail Manager, ‘We were delighted that so many station

adopters from across our patch were able to join us at Chappel station for this celebration of their work.

‘The station adopters contribute a great deal to the work of the Community Rail Partnership, which is why it was so important we brought them all together to say a very big thank you. We really appreciate what they do.’

“The station adopters contribute a great deal to the work of the Community Rail Partnership…”

JAYNE SUMNER, RAIL MANAGER, ESSEX COUNTY COUNCIL

Step free Farringdon

New roof at Newquay

Farringdon station is now the 66th step-free station on the London Underground.

Just in time for the English summer, Newquay station has had its station canopies replaced.

In a £450,000 project Network Rail has put up a new light and modern structure, covering the café and travel centre and providing shelter over the previously-uncovered centre of the concourse. Network Rail contractors Murphy’s have also replaced the cracked and worn paving slabs on the concourse

Additional entrances and a more spacious ticket hall together with new lifts will make it easier for people with mobility impairments to use the station. The new lifts follow the opening of a brand new ticket hall in December 2011 and are the latest in a raft of improvements at Farringdon, part of a Network Rail redevelopment that has transformed the entire station.

Network Rail improvements have also provided 36 new ticket gates, 20 new staircases, one new footbridge, two new ticket offices and nine new ticket machines spread over the newly restored original entrance and two brand new entrances. Says Howard Collins, London Underground’s Chief Operating Officer, ‘The lifts will make it far easier for customers with mobility impairments or heavy luggage or buggies to use the station.’

22

with fresh tarmac and installed new lighting.

Says Network Rail route managing director Patrick Hallgate, ‘Newquay is a classic holiday destination and more and more people are choosing to get there by train. This work will not only give those visitors a fine first impression of the town but also improve the journeys of people who use the railways of Cornwall day-in day-out.’

www.railstaff.co.uk

RAILSTAFF AWARDS

in association with

SAYING “THANK YOU” TO THE PEOPLE WHO KEEP THE INDUSTRY MOVING

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Awards in roaring twenites prohibition party shock Railways can be a serious business - safety critical and always in the public domain.

Staff have to watch their step ever mindful of the unblinking eye of passenger and political scrutiny.

Happily that’s not the case at the RailStaff Awards.

On the face of it the RailStaff Awards is a ceremony recognising courage, bravery and professionalism of the people who deliver the railway - from drivers to cleaners, and engineers to station staff. Often these are stories of lives saved, careers turned around and adversity conquered.

However, the evening is much more. It’s a party as well, a celebration with music, dancing, floorshows and a theme. This year the RailStaff Awards 2012 will take you back to the Roaring Twenties in the United States and the era of prohibition, speakeasies, molls and gangsters.

Based on the famous New York Prohibition ‘21 Club’ party goers will be celebrating in the ‘Rail 17’ Club.

Hardworking staff at the ICC and RailStaff Awards organisers will convert the hall at the Birmingham International Convention Centre into a mock up of the famous underground speakeasy. This year the RailStaff Awards has 17 categories and Rail 17 Club is open to everyone on the railway.

‘Will there be a bar?’ one nervous enquirer asked. ‘Yes, we will have a bar and lots of bootleg liquor and food based on the sort of cuisine beloved of Mafiosi and border smugglers,’ says organiser, Lianne Capone. The club will be decked out with tiffany lamps, potted palms and violin cases.

Fancy dress is strongly encouraged.

‘As well as dressing as a gangster in pin stripe suit remember many of the people involved were tug boat captains, dockers and smugglers,’ says Tom Barleycorn who works with Lianne. ‘For girls it’s a chance to reprise the flapper fashions of the 1920s.’ People will be able to dress as cops and clergy - who also flouted the ban.

Prohibition lasted from 1920 to 1933, coinciding with the Jazz Age -

and saw a huge rise in organised crime. Immigrants from countries like Italy, Germany and Ireland were used to wine and beer as an integral part of their diet. People generally drank alcohol to avoid cholera.

‘Many were not prepared to give it up,’ says RailStaff’s Drew Dillinger, ‘Up to 80 per cent of US congressmen flouted the ban. Even Winston Churchill weighed in against it calling it an affront to civilisation. In the north of the United States Americans flooded across the border into Canada for rye whisky and beer at weekend.’

Smuggling became endemic with fur trappers and ranchers cashing in. Happily the situation in Canada did much to engender good relations with Britain as this popular rhyme back then relates: ‘Four and twenty Yankees, feeling rather dry, Went across the border to drink a glass of rye.

When the rye was flowing, the Yanks began to sing, God bless America, oh and God save the King.’

And remember you don’t need to hold up the ticket office to get a good deal. Early bird tickets are still available at a discounted price of £80 per ticket + VAT until the 14th September.

Go to railstaffawards.com or call Pat on 01530 560021.

LPA Group focus on Newcomers & Graduates

PAGE 25

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Balfour Beatty target sustainability

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In partnership with

Samaritans / Network Rail Partnership are proud to be sponsoring the RailStaff Awards 24

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RAILSTAFF AWARDS

LPA backs Newcomer / Graduate of the Year LPA Group is sponsoring the Newcomer / Graduate of the Year at this year’s RailStaff Awards.

Based in the Cambridge area, LPA Group Plc designs and manufactures top class LED lighting solutions, market leading electronic and electro-mechanical systems as well as equipment with the flexibility to solve complex interconnection problems, auxiliary power & distribution systems.

Says Tom O’Connor managing director, Rail Media Group which is staging the RailStaff Awards 2012, ‘The Newcomer/Graduate of the Year has proved a very popular category. We are delighted market leaders LPA, are once again backing this award. We wish LPA every continuing success in the railway industry and thank them for their support.’

LPA provides cost effective solutions which improve reliability, reduce maintenance and improve

life cycle. LPA-produced LED lights are increasing in evidence on the national rail network.

The Newcomer/Graduate of the Year spotlights the wealth of new people from schools, universities

and other industries seeking a challenging and rewarding career in the rail industry.

PROUD TO SPONSOR NEWCOMER /GRADUATE OF THE YEAR

LPA Group is a leading Designer, Manufacturer and Supplier of ElectroMechanical, Lighting and Electronic Solutions.

LPA Group Plc Tel: +44 (0)1799 512800 Email: enquiries@lpa-group.com

We provide cost effective solutions to improve reliability, reduce maintenance and hence reduce life cycle costs for Rail and Transportation Industries throughout the world.

www.lpa-group.com www.railstaffawards.com

25

Specialist provider of integrated services for the Rail, Light Rail and Underground infrastructures.

We are proud to be a first tier supplier to the majority of the UK’s rail infrastructure companies, delivering work packages as a principal or subcontractor.

Our services include: • Civils and Construction • Overhead Line and Isolations • Plant & Equipment

Proud sponsor of the

Recruiter / HR Person of the Year RailStaff Awards 2012

• Rail Security • Rail Training • Safety Critical • Signalling and Telecoms • Supply of Skilled Railway Personnel • Underground

To discuss a project opportunity or request a brochure, please contact us: Tel. 0845 894 9020 Fax. 0845 894 9699 E-mail. info@vital-rail.com

www.vital-rail.com

Network Rail isNetwork proud Rail to sponsor is proud the RailStaff awards 2012 to sponsor the RailStaff Awards 2011 It’s the hard work of individuals and teams within our industry that’s helping us build a It’s your hard work – the individuals and teams within our better railway for Britain.

From pioneering industry – that’s helping us build a better railway for Britain. investment and development projects, to From pioneering investment and development projects,services innovations that make everyday to innovations faster, that make everyday services faster, smarter in smarter and safer, we believe and safer, we believe in recognising the excellence that’s recognising the excellence that’s enabling enabling the transformation of our network.

the transformation of our network.

That’s why we’re very proud to once again sponsor this year’s RailStaff Awards.

That’s why we’re very proud to once again

sponsor this year’s RailStaff Awards.

Helping Britain run better

networkrail.co.uk

Helping Britain run better networkrail.co.uk 26

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RAILSTAFF AWARDS

Morson International is proud to sponsor the Signal Engineer of the Year Award The UK’s No.1 Technical recruiter of specialist and engineering personnel, Morson International, has announced it will sponsor the Signal Engineer of the Year category at this year’s annual Railstaff Awards.

The Signal Engineer of the Year Award provides an opportunity to recognise the importance of a job that requires dedication, expertise and immense responsibility.

Morson International has a dedicated Rail Division that supplies a broad spectrum of disciplines to rail projects across the UK and is developing a more global presence in this field, with projects also currently active in Australia.

Dan Winchcombe, Rail Manager at Morson, spoke to RailStaff and expressed his support of the category: “Having been involved in

the Rail industry for over four decades, Morson International is keen to show its continued support for the Signalling division.

“The individuals involved do a hugely important job; everyone from design through to delivery and maintenance continues to deliver in what can be an extremely demanding and pressurised environment.

“We felt it was important for us to recognise the extremely dedicated and talented individuals that continue to represent Morson International and the UK Signalling division.”

In a division that has been experiencing a notable skills shortage, Morson International is eager to raise the profile of the discipline, and encourage those new to the industry to specialise in a skill that is much sought after in

projects across the UK. Tom O’Connor, Managing Director of the Rail Media Group, which is staging the RailStaff Awards, says: ‘This is a very important category. Signal Engineering is experiencing a skills shortage; it’s an essential role within the Rail industry yet many engineers are unaware of the skill and commitment involved.

‘Morson’s move to sponsor Signal Engineer of the Year Award marks a drive to inspire younger engineers to expand their skill set and explore a specialised career in the UK’s Rail industry.

‘People supplied by Morson are at the forefront of specialised technical services and among the finest examples of rail staff professionalism across the industry. ‘ Morson Group PLC (Morson)

operates through two main subsidiaries, Morson International, providing specialist engineering and technical personnel and Morson Projects Limited, which provides outsourced engineering and project management design services.

Up close & personal

PROUD TO SPONSOR Signal Engineer of the Year We excel at inspecting the uninspectable.

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING CONSULTANCY Morson Group PLC operates through two main subsidiaries, Morson International, providing specialist engineering and technical personnel and Morson Projects Limited, which provides outsourced engineering and project management design services.

Proud sponsors of the Rail Engineer of the Year 01884 842942 info@bridgezoneltd.co.uk www.railstaffawards.com

www.bridgezoneltd.co.uk 27

The Transport Benevolent Fund is proud to sponsor the Station Staff of the Year award again this year.

With the help of the TOCs, Network Rail and other employers throughout the public transport industry we now have 36,000 members.

For just ÂŁ1 a week a variety of benefits are available to you, your partner and dependent children.

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

28

www.railstaffawards.com

RAILSTAFF AWARDS

McGinley backs Infrastructure Person of the Year McGinley Support Services is sponsoring the Infrastructure Person of the Year at this year’s RailStaff Awards.

McGinley Support Services is a Link-Up accredited supplier of personnel and support services to the national railway and various urban metro rail networks.

McGinley Support Services provides a rail and metro staffing and track operative service through its centralised rail and metro organisation.

Sean McGinley, Business Support Director of McGinley Support Services, says ‘This is a great celebration of the ordinary men and women who are out there making the rail industry a leading industrial success. At McGinley Support Services we continue to rise to the challenge of providing the railway with the personnel and solutions it needs to move forward and prosper.’

Sean, a keen supporter of the RailStaff Awards, added ‘The RailStaff Awards is an exercise in confidence, in the future of the industry and the people who make it up.’

McGinley Support Services prides itself on being a leading innovator in the industry in terms of service and transparent financial arrangements. As one of

the top specialist rail recruitment suppliers McGinley Support Services has pioneered new initiatives that embrace safety systems and workforce management, upholding a strong safety and quality culture that is necessary to support the rail and metro industry in meeting its own objectives.

Internal processes and systems

ensure that, through co-ordinated planning, a flexible, motivated and compliant workforce is available to meet all needs. From highly skilled systems engineers, signalling and electrification staff through to protection/warning and track workers McGinley Support Services delivers comprehensive recruitment backed up by a national transport and equipment support service.

Says Tom O’Connor, Managing Director of the Rail Media Group, which is staging the awards ‘McGinley Support Services are loyal and big supporters of the RailStaff Awards and are making a similar growing contribution to Britain’s fast expanding railway.

‘McGinley is at the forefront of providing top grade professionals to lead and deliver the rail network and it is highly appropriate that they are backing the Infrastructure Person of the Year Award.’

working together Proud sponsor of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the RailStaff Awards

Experts IN support services for infrastructure markets

McGinley Support Services are pleased to be sponsoring

RailStaff Infrastructure Person of the Year T: 0845 543 5953

www.firstgroup.com www.railstaffawards.com

www.mcginley.co.uk 29

RAILSTAFF AWARDS

The Balfour Beatty Rail Sustainability Award This year the RailStaff Awards features a new important category that will recognise and reward the achievements of teams and individuals involved in sustainability - the Balfour Beatty Rail Sustainability Award.

Committed to delivering tomorrow’s sustainable infrastructure that helps communities and individuals live within environmental limits, develop health communities and make cost efficiencies wherever possible - Balfour Beatty Rail is focused on setting the industry standard and raising the bar for sustainability.

“We are playing our part to embed sustainability into everything we do, with all employees thinking and acting in a sustainable manner. This helps us make a positive difference to people’s lives and influence the next generation”, said Balfour

Beatty Rail’s Managing Director Peter Anderson.

The Balfour Beatty Rail Sustainability Award is designed to recognise individuals or teams that have made positive environmental, social or financial impacts.

Tom O’Connor, Managing Director of the Rail Media Group, which is organising the RailStaff Awards, commented: “The railway by definition is one of the leading ecological and environmentally responsible modes of transport in the world. Many of us are passionate about helping the industry that supports the railways to become a powerful, responsible and sustaining presence in the communities we serve and the country as a whole.

‘We are delighted to welcome Balfour Beatty Rail, which has a remarkable and pioneering approach to sustainability, to the

RailStaff Awards.”

Environmental performance, from carbon footprints to ecology, is increasingly reflected in purchasing decisions, sourcing materials, waste disposal and water consumption, so sustainability finds a natural

constituency in the rail industry and it is gaining healthy interest from all areas of the sector.

The Balfour Beatty Rail Sustainability Award looks like becoming a popular category at the expanding RailStaff Awards 2012.

“The Rail Alliance are proud to be associate sponsors of The RailStaff Awards 2012"

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www.railstaffawards.com

NEWS

SUSTAINABILITY: THE SIERRA MADRE FACTOR Andy Milne considers the growing cause of sustainability in the rail industry In the film The Treasure of the Sierra Madre a trio of American miners, headed by Humphrey Bogart, open up a secret gold mine in Mexico and rip out gold ore.

When they finish, one of the older men asks that they close up the mine and make good the landscape.

The others overrule him and jeering, make off. The imputation is that they behaved badly and this underlines their own subsequent descent into treachery and betrayal.

The book was written in Mexico in 1927 by a writer named Traven and must have sat uneasily with movie moguls. Traven had a natural sympathy for the oppressed, the campesinos of Mexico, and the natural world laid bare by man’s greed. Sadly Traven’s oddly prescient tale is as relevant to the wider world today as it was in postrevolutionary Mexico 80 years ago.

Making money may not be wrong but ripping gold out of hills in a poor country, rigging interest rates, sweeping the seas clean of fish and burning up rain forests trouble all thinking people. The difference now is the consumer is in a position to do something about it.

Social and Environmental responsibility The business world itself is changing and public pressure is driving the change. Social and environmental responsibility once jeered at as beard and sandal wishful thinking is being sown in www.railstaff.co.uk

to commercial practice with all the trepidation of a first competence assessment. Organisations need to sustain the people they work with and the communities they serve, whether those are defined as customers, shareholders, staff or simply the cities and countryside nearby.

Irresponsible industrial development has come under the searching scrutiny of the thinking public as never before. The consensus emerging is that the institutions that narrate the economic competence of our time are not up to the task.

Personal responsibility Sustainability involves careful audit of business and place. Can rain water be re-used from the roofs or towers of factories and houses? Are staff and their families looked after, encouraged to think and develop, to grow as people as well as producers?

As individuals, sustainability involves personal responsibility cycling or walking instead of always taking the car, recycling plastic and glass, using grey water.

More than this it implies integrity in business dealings.

Sustaining confidence demands honesty and accountability, a ready explanation of the suspicious swings and margins common to any business.

Happily the rail industry already has plenty to shout about in any sustainability discussion. Financial

arrangements for Network Rail, fare regulation and hotly discussed pay settlements mean much of the railway’s financial affairs are windowed with transparent accountancy procedures.

Joe Public might moan about high fares but at least Joe knows how his fare is spent. The industry itself can’t help but be a greener way of travelling and moving freight. Imagine if all London’s commuter belt elected to drive into work one morning. Run traction on renewable energy and the industry is a sure fire winner.

New railway buildings are now put up with green roofs, rain water harvesting and solar panels.

Network Rail’s new headquarters in Milton Keynes is a case in point.

Developments in regenerative braking make economic sense as well as saving energy.

Corporate responsibility starts early in the railway. It’s a safety intensive industry with one of the most direct consumer-supplier relationships in business. What do passengers want to see on trains and stations? Guards and drivers, dispatchers and ticket clerks.

Certainly all these roles will change but the need of hands-on staff to sustain the customer– provider relationship is imperative and is ignored by industry bosses at their peril.

Similarly handling huge amounts of cash, operating under

a stringent alcohol and drugs policy demands a level of personal probity all too lacking in the commercial finance industry.

Personal responsibility is a big part of the railway’s sustainability achievement. One of the bizarre features of the rail industry are the gardens staff plant out. When one train crew department at Brent in London was in the process of moving, staff were told the garden - and pond - would be abandoned and paved over.

However an appeal to the penultimate chairman of BR - Sir Bob Reid on a visit to Brent - drew a hearty response: of course you must keep it. The suits subsequently huffed and puffed but the exchange had been witnessed by several people and Reid was not a man to back down on a promise.

The garden, including the pond, was recreated several hundred yards up the line at the new centre.

Sustainability is a subject everyone can help with and draws on the expertise and support of the people who make up the businesses, together with their customers and suppliers. The rail industry with its green credentials and emphasis on human relationships has a head start.

The Mexican Revolution might have petered out in corruption, tears and dust but perhaps the treasure of Sierra Madre is not as far from us all as we think.

31

Personal touch The onus of railway safety is ultimately on the individual and it means personal knowledge and personal responsibility.

Pass all the laws and guidelines you like, safety comes down to human error. How well the person on the spot understands what he or she is doing and how far he or she owns the plan, the place and the system of work is integral to personal track safety.

The safety message from the industry is clear. You, the individual, have a duty of care to yourself and those you work with. It is important that all understand what is being proposed. What it is that is being asked of staff?

The message from safety experts

is simple: If you don’t understand or think it unsafe then say so. New railway safety campaigns re-assert the concept of personal responsibility. Never undertake any activity unless you know you are competent, have been trained and briefed and understand what is involved.

Don’t take short cuts just to get the job done. Feed such knowledge upwards for another time - make a contribution. There is no knowledge like first hand knowledge.

Ultimately railway organisations bear daunting responsibility for moving thousands of people in safety and comfort every day. That they are able to do so with what is an enviable industrial safety record, is in no small way down to the ownership of safety at work by the people delivering the industry. Front line staff deserve every support and encouragement as they strive to keep the railway safe.

sensitively applied to ensure that employees are monitored in between full medical assessments.

For example, for a fit and healthy 40-year-old, medical certification can last up to 10 years. Much can change in ten years. The trends that employers monitor and the

health programmes and initiatives they have in place, can provide a valuable health insight.

Importantly they can dramatically improve safety. Providing effective health and awareness makes sense for the individual and the business.

Holistic approach to Occupational Health An effective occupational health and drug and alcohol screening policy is essential for companies in the rail industry.

Long term health monitoring is important too. Conducting regular medicals helps ensure employees are fit for work. Earlier this year Healthcare Connections developed a range of combined medicals.

The new service recognises that reducing workforce downtime caused by bad health has never been more important. Providing clients with to up four medicals and four certificates in one appointment, the new service saves time and money.

Additionally companies should also be looking at the importance of continuing health surveillance.

This means looking out for rarely reported issues such as stress and fatigue as much as physical signs of workplace ill health.

Stress can take many forms within the rail industry, ranging from shock and trauma caused by events witnessed, to those caused by habitually challenging working patterns and workloads. The rail industry is a busy place. As more infrastructure projects come on stream and the industry continues to expand good work place health is imperative.

A preventative, pro-active approach to occupational health can flag up health risks before they escalate into time-consuming problems for both the employee and employer. Measures should be

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HEALTH & SAFETY

Key factor The Lifeguard campaign was launched in February on selected sites. A key factor in its success has been the use of actual workers from each site in the campaign, along with an emphasis on the specific actions or areas of concern raised by people on that site. This made it real and easy to buy into.

As well as eye-catching posters, life rings and new Don’t Walk By cards and coasters, a prominent orange notice board in the canteen enables everyone to see action has been taken in response to their concerns; managers and supervisors are tasked with resolving any Don’t Walk By report quickly, and updating progress continuously.

Each month, on every site, the Lifeguard who makes the best contribution to safety by preventing an accident or suggesting a safer way of working, also receives a £25 voucher as part of the monthly team brief.

Don’t Walk By

Carillion Lifeguards Despite big improvements in rail safety, track working is still one of the UK’s most dangerous jobs.

To address this Carillion has launched a radical new safety campaign as part of it’s £120 million Thameslink Key Output 2 (KO2) partnership with Network Rail. ‘Lifeguards’ is a campaign aimed at changing the behaviour of frontline staff, and was developed with their direct input and collaboration.

The campaign has revitalised the established ‘Don’t Walk By’ system of risk reporting, by re-asserting individual responsibility. Says Carillion Rail’s Amar Patel, who devised the campaign, ‘To engage front line staff and make this meaningful and sustainable, it was crucial that we understood what was important to them.

‘It had to be driven from the www.railstaff.co.uk

bottom up, not top down. We talked to different people about the barriers to using the Don’t Walk By cards or reporting incidents and near-misses, and asked them what the main issues were. This wasn’t just another corporately imposed initiative.’

Changing attitudes

Amar Pate says, ‘With the help of a designer we were able to create a campaign that gives the onus back to the individual.

‘Just like real lifeguards, they are responsible for everyone on their watch. Feedback has been hugely positive, I think because of the positive and iconic connotations associated with lifeguards, the campaign has refreshed an existing safety policy and brought something new to the rail industry.’

A number of subcontractors were invited to the launch event, and at their request the campaign has also been rolled out to their premises, ensuring that Lifeguards will soon be active across all Thameslink sites.

Since the launch, the number of Don’t Walk By issues raised has quadrupled. ‘If you halve the number of small incidents and potential risks, then you dramatically reduce the number of major incidents,’ says Amar Patel.

‘Thanks to Lifeguards, the message is getting through at every level, that really keeping your eyes open, paying attention to the little things as well as the obvious dangers, will prevent accidents and save lives.’

Research showed that a big difference could be made by changing attitudes to reporting risk; by removing the fear of blame; creating a culture on site where everyone takes responsibility for safety; and providing people with life-saving tools to reduce the risks to them and their workmates.

The campaign encourages members of staff to join the Lifeguards and ‘help to keep everyone safe on your watch.’

33

?

In a new series looking at people and organisations in the rail industry, RailStaff asks the question: What do they do?

What do they do

First up: Nigel Wordsworth looks at the RSSB.

In an occasional series, RailStaff looks at people and organisations within the rail industry.

RSSB stands for the Rail Safety and Standards Board, but what does it do? Nigel Wordsworth met chief executive Len Porter and his deputy Anson Jack to find out.

Strategic undertakings usually have an industry-wide system and process safety organisation. The oil, gas and nuclear industries all have them, and railways are no different. British Rail had a Safety and Standards Directorate, and following privatisation Railtrack adopted a Safety and Standards Directorate independent of line activities.

However, as Anson Jack explained, having the infrastructure operator running the industry-wide safety organisation caused quite a few tensions. These came to a head in the aftermath of the Ladbroke Grove incident. John Prescott, deputy prime minister at the time, announced he was stripping Railtrack of its safety role.

Lord Cullen, in the report of the second part of the public inquiry into the Ladbroke Grove accident, recommended that a new independent safety body be established “to provide safety leadership for the industry and to set and review industry Standards”.

The result of this was the creation of the Railway Safety organisation as a temporary measure.

Role and objectives Len Porter, chief executive, RSSB.

34

After more review and consultation, the Rail Safety and Standards Board was established in April 2003. RSSB provides support and facilitation for a wide

range of activities usually achieved through cross-industry working groups and committees.

It is a not-for-profit company owned by major industry stakeholders, including train operators, Network Rail, and major infrastructure contractors. The company is limited by guarantee and is governed by its members and a board. It is independent of any single railway company and of their commercial interests.

The company has a range of competencies, tools, models and capabilities that support the industry in different ways. It employs around 230 people, covering several technical disciplines including operations, engineering, human factors, risk assessment, economic evaluation, sustainable development, information technology and communications. It also includes the support functions of finance, administration and HR. The company’s main roles were originally defined by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR), to:

• Manage Railway Group Standards on behalf of the industry; • Lead the development of longterm safety strategy for the industry, including the publication of annual Railway Strategic Safety Plans; • Facilitate change by leading a research programme and providing education, awareness materials and events; • Support cross-industry groups working on national programmes addressing major areas of safety concern; and • Facilitate the effective representation of the UK rail industry in the development of Euro-

pean legislation and standards that impact on the rail system.

The industry has changed rapidly from the time of the original statement. The RSSB is now undertaking many economically driven activities such as research and the work of the System Interface Committees.

Six spheres Len Porter explained RSSB’s role in the industry underpinning knowledge-based decision making.

Initial data comes from incident reports and research activity, and is compiled in a Safety Management Information System (SMIS). Various publications concentrate on this information and make it available in a more accessible form such as reports.

This information is used for analysis of potential situations. For example, SMIS data is used in the Safety Risk Model (SRM) and Precursor Indicator Model (PIM), and research results and operational experience are used to populate the Vehicle Track Interaction Strategic Model (VTISM).

These models provide knowledge which helps the industry develop its understanding of key risks on the railway system. With this understanding, industry decisions are taken by recognised bodies such as standards committees.

RSSB provides governance for these industry bodies and owns the outputs (such as standards) on behalf of the industry.

Implementation of these decisions brings change to the industry, either through the planning process or through introducing revised standards.

Following these changes to the www.railstaff.co.uk

HEALTH & SAFETY

system, new data is generated and the whole system of analysis and decision making goes around again.

Maintaining standards The Railway Group Standards, which are controlled and produced

by RSSB, only apply to the main heavy-rail network. They do not apply to tram networks, London Underground, or HS1.

However, says Len Porter, ‘We have a very cordial relationship with London Underground as they are members of CIRAS (the Confidential Incident Reporting and Analysis System for the rail industry). HS1 is also not in our remit, but we do collect data from there and collate it.’

RSSB manages the Railway Group Standards process on behalf

of the industry, but they do not enforce them. That is the role of the regulator, the Office of Rail Regulation.

Anson Jack expanded on the concept of safety being allied to efficiency. ‘What we do is all about understanding risk, quantifying risk,’ he said. ‘It helps make sure that people don’t spend money unnecessarily.’

As an example, he described an action taken by the Noise Abatement Society to control the sound of train horns. It had the potential to cost the industry £20 million, but research carried out by RSSB for the industry, and analysis of the problem, showed that alternative action could be taken without the need to spend such sums.

There was also a campaign to force operators to fit trains with seat belts. RSSB proved that trains were actually safer without them, provided that carriages were fitted with laminated glass rather than toughened to contain passengers within the train in the event of an accident. All new trains now have laminated glass.

As Len Porter commented, the role of the RSSB is to help the industry understand what could be a very large, very complex situation. ‘People equate following standards with safety. In fact, they are often more about efficiency measures rather than a safety system. Having a good safety management system is, after all, part of running an efficient organisation and a safe railway.’

Anson Jack, deputy chief executive, RSSB.

Next month we investigate the Office of Rail Regulation.

Notable improvements in passenger safety Aside from the continuing problem of railway suicides this has been a good year for railway safety. The RSSB’s Annual Safety Performance Report includes the following highlights: • There were no passenger or workforce fatalities in train accidents in 2011/12. This is the fifth year in succession with no such fatalities.

• Four passengers died in separate incidents, all at stations.

• There was one workforce fatality associated with the operation and maintenance of the railway: an infrastructure worker died as a result of a road traffic accident while on duty.

• There were 61 fatalities to members of the public, excluding those due to suicide or suspected suicide. Of the total, 53 were trespassers. Of the remaining eight, five were level crossing users, and three were members of the public in stations.

For the second year running the number of fatalities at level crossings was at a historically low level. In www.railstaff.co.uk

addition, there is evidence that the underlying rate of train collisions with road vehicles at level crossings has reduced over this period.

The number of SPADs reduced by 7%, from 299 last year to 278.

In total during the year, and excluding suicide, there were 66 accidental fatalities, 419 major injuries, 11,515 minor injuries and 1,466 cases of shock/trauma. The main cause of the increase has been a return to higher levels of trespass fatalities.

Says Colin Dennis, RSSB’s Director Policy, Research and Risk, ‘The figures for 2011/12 show that there have been notable improvements in passenger safety, the harm occurring at level crossings and the risk from train accidents.

Unfortunately the trespass fatalities did not stay at the low level that we saw in 2010/11. The consequence of trespass incidents is all too often fatal. Education of the public to the dangers of trespass is seen as being key in raising awareness of this issue.’

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35

PHS Besafe comes clean about PPE Washing the new three-layers Arc: Gear workwear requires a specific process and, because of the safety implications, a 12-point procedure has been introduced to cover collection, cleaning and delivery.

Network Rail launched a set of eleven Lifesaving Rules recently, as is reported elsewhere in this issue of RailStaff.

Together, they lay out Network Rail’s blueprint for getting “Everybody home safe every day”.

As Colin Wheeler explains in his column, the eleven rules cover a variety of topics. Rule 10 states: “Never undertake an activity unless you have been trained, assessed as competent and have the right equipment.”

That includes having the correct personal protective equipment (PPE), which will vary from job to job.

Special garments for special applications While most workers have a fairly standard set of PPE, the bright orange workwear which we are so familiar with, in some cases this is exchanged for specialist clothing to protect against a specific danger. One such area of risk is when working around live electrical equipment. According to the Sentinel card scheme there are over 80,000 workers registered to work with AC on their PTS cards.

36

Companies such as Gore-Tex produce special fabrics for such applications. These have multiple layers, making sure that, in the event of arc flash, the layer closest to the skin will not melt and cause severe burns, while the outer layers provide adequate weatherproofing.

All protective clothing requires regular cleaning to keep the colours vibrant and easily noticed.

However, in this application, dirt and oil can actually reduce the effectiveness of the protection as, if a dirty garment is hit by an arc from 25,000V OLE, then rather than being dissipated across the garment the patch of oil or grease will burn.

Regular washing is therefore doubly important, but manufacturers need to ensure that these specialist materials are not damaged by the cleaning process and that their protective properties are undiminished.

Cleaning trials Paul Sharkey is national sales manager at PHS Besafe, the wellknown garment and laundry specialist. He explained how they

had addressed the cleaning problem with particular reference to the company’s own 3-in-1 Arc: Gear workwear system.

“It started at Infrarail in 2010, when we were approached by a fabric provider who told us they had some unique fabric that could protect workers from Arc Flashover. They claimed that it was compliant with a range of international standards, and we thought that this level of certification in the industry from one fabric was unheard of.

“We were asked if we could do some trial work to see if the material would withstand the rigorous washing processes that a railway PPE product has to go through. It took us four trials until we finally got to a finished process where the fabric could withstand the washing cycle.

“We were also approached by Luke Evdemon of Shield 360, whose product technology is used for arc-resistant protection. Luke has been in the PPE industry for many years and he came to us because of our experience in laundering specifically rail PPE. He wanted to conduct some washing

cycle trials. At the same time, we became aware of Gore-Tex Paris PPE equipment which was also undergoing trials.

“There is lots of talk of collaboration in the rail industry currently, but we thought if we could combine the base layer Shield 360 (SSM) special fabric with a coverall suit which used Toray Arc Fabric coverall technology, we would have a product that could protect workers from arc flashovers. It should also help against electric shocks whether it was from OLE, third-rail or electricity sub-stations.”

Finished specification Washing trials took nine months, but once they were complete PHS Besafe took the three-layer clothing to Network Rail. Steve Featherstone stated that the GORT 3279 Arc Coverall should be issued for 500 substation workers immediately.

Washing the three-layers Arc: Gear workwear requires a specific process and, because of the safety implications, a 12-point procedure was introduced which covers everything from collection from site, through the cleaning itself, to final www.railstaff.co.uk

HEALTH & SAFETY

inspection and packaging before the garments are returned to the user.

Most PPE is washed at 60°C. However, Arc: Gear is washed at 40°C and has a different drying cycle, so it has to be segregated from other garments. A smaller washing drum is used, which allows for garments to tumble and fall, and a patented detergent mix removes contaminants such as oils, grease and general soiling during a 70-minute washing cycle.

Heavily soiled garments may need washing twice to ensure adequate cleanliness.

Once fully clean, each garment is inspected and any necessary repairs made. It is then folded and individually wrapped, to ensure it stays clean during transport and storage. The whole process is controlled by barcoding the garments to make sure that each item goes back to its original wearer.

Educating workers to look after their PPE is essential. Says Paul Sharkey, ‘When we supplied Network Rail’s 500 substation

workers, we went around every site and talked to the workers about the importance of laundering their PPE. ‘Over a six week period we visited 36 sites. There have been numerous trials since with different types of workers who all seem to like the Arc: Gear PPE and find it easy to work in.’

The Arc: Gear range is made up of many differing garments and not a 3 layered garment. The multilayered system of Arc: Gear means that the wearer can remove or add layers due to the working conditions he or she is in. For example, on a hot day and away from the rail line system, the wearer can remove the coverall; when near the rail line they will add the coverall; if it rains they will add the Gore Layered jacket and trouser (foul weather).

The range is not all Gore Tex. The outer layer garments are Gore, the next to skin and mid layers are Shield 360 (SSM) products. Gore Paris is a part of the multi-layered system of garments.

All protective clothing requires regular cleaning to keep colours vibrant and easily noticed…

high risk? we’ve got you covered Arc:Gear multi layer workwear system to protect against electric flash explosion.

Manufactured from unique lightweight fabrics offering unrivalled levels of breathability and movement which will not melt, drip or fuse on contact with an electric flash. Combined with our unique Premier Arc laundering service, PHS Besafe is the UK’s only outerwear rental service to the rail industry.

a complete workwear solution 0121 5211400

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Source code: RA100

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37

Safety by Design Bathgate track remodelling: use of a large crane to position all track reduced handling risk.

Scaffold bracings obstructing the working platform.

38

Network Rail’s Safety Leadership and Culture Change (SL&CC) programme promotes risk awareness, proactive involvement and open communications as part of a cultural change programme.

Although effective cultural change delivers significant site safety improvement, better project design has great potential for safety improvement. An HSE study found 43% of construction accidents could have been prevented had designers addressed the hazards.

Keith Miller, of Network Rail’s Infrastructure Projects certainly understands how designers can reduce risks. He leads Network

Rail’s “Safety by Design” initiative.

He explains that, although design is a technical issue, the initiative’s success depends on the behaviours promoted by the SL&CC programme. Risks will only be effectively addressed if designers identify and manage them by engaging with those working on the infrastructure.

The “Safety by Design” initiative includes CDM awareness training and requires for Investment Panels to confirm that project design considers maintenance. In March, Network Rail held a Safety by Design conference attended by 40 design suppliers.

Keith recognises the need to embed the processes into the Network Rail design and procurement arrangements and to ensure designers’ commitment to the Safety by Design philosophy.

So this initiative has five elements: Design Risk Assessment (DRA); Early Focus on Buildability and Temporary Works; CDM Roles and Responsibilities; Lessons Learnt and Procurement and Programme.

Cost savings As well as safety benefits, Safety

by Design offers significant cost savings at minimal cost, if done at the conceptual design stage. Design safety improvements offering construction and maintenance cost savings include: removal of drilling, grinding and cutting; off-site assembly; providing scaffolding fixture points; locating equipment cabinets more than 3 metres from the line and access routes for heavy materials within a building to allow the use of mechanised plant.

Lee Parlett, Infrastructure Project’s Heath and Safety Manager (Crossrail & Reading Programme) has experience of the benefits of design changes made early in the project lifecycle. He has run workshops to reduce safety risks associated with design.

A recent workshop for an embankment that forms part of a new flyover took 2 hours, involved 15 people, and identified 30 risk reduction measures for the design.

These included integrated reinforcing wall edge protection; lifting lugs for pre-fabricated www.railstaff.co.uk

HEALTH & SAFETY

panels; emergency egress and water run off mitigation.

This reinforced Lee’s belief in the Safety by Design philosophy as it showed that, “with relatively little effort, it had really made a difference”.

CDM (Construction Design and Management) Regulations make designing for workforce safety a legal requirement. Although they offer safety and cost benefits at minimal expense, this concept is often not applied.

Numerous standards Keith gives examples of an axle counter in the 6ft and new S&C being installed without an access point. Temporary works can also be a problem. He saw a scaffold erected with its internal ledger bracings obstructing the working platform.

Nevertheless he respects designers who face the challenging task of designing rail infrastructure in accordance with the numerous standards.

This indicates the problem.

Hazard identification at design stage is unlikely to be effective if it is standard driven. It requires an understanding of the construction and maintenance problems which may be unique to each project.

Consequently designers need to talk to construction and maintenance people early in the project. Discipline specific design can also be a problem as risk mitigation generally requires a multi-functional approach.

In the CDM Regulations the role of designer is not limited to technically qualified engineers. HSE guidance for designers shows roles not normally thought of as design may impact on the health and safety.

For example, Sponsors may limit available land or maintenance access by specifying soft landscaping. Under CDM Regulations these are design decisions.

Two examples Balfour Beatty provided RailStaff with two examples illustrating their Safe by Design philosophy. At Falmer Station, repairing the existing footbridge presented risks of limited gauge clearance, contamination from blasting and inadequate access to structural members.

It was decided to eliminate these risks by removing the structure www.railstaff.co.uk

from the railway and replacing it with a temporary footbridge. This eliminated the risks which would have applied to on track working. It also minimised possession requirements and all but eliminated night time working.

On the Sutton Park line, north of Birmingham, the remit for the replacement of a life expired cattle arch was its demolition and replacement with a new deck. This demolition would have created risks of excavations, working on track and at height, substructure stability, waste, noise and dust within a SSSI and would create a large amount of waste.

Balfour Beatty’s alternative solution largely eliminated these risks by creating a new arch structure to support the original.

This resulted in smaller piece-meal construction reducing the need for site storage and haulage.

In 1916 Richard Maunsell, Chief Mechanical Engineer of the South East and Chatham Railway gave his presidential address to the Institution of Locomotive Engineers on the subject of locomotive design and maintenance.

He concluded by saying that “the engineer instinctively looks for the prominence of details which he knows should be accessible and he rightly regards as a monstrosity a machine which is lacking in this respect”.

Although a long time ago and a different type of railway engineering, this statement applies equally to an axle counter unnecessarily installed in the six foot. It’s good to know Network Rail is taking action to avoid such monstrosities in future.

39

No one should lose their life as a result of coming to work SAFETY COLIN WHEELER colin@rail-media.com

Gareth Llewellyn (Network Rail’s Director Safety and Sustainable Development) said the above and added that everyone has an obligation to look out for themselves and their colleagues at work.

I agree with him. At Network Rail’s Westwood Training Centre on Friday 5th July Network Rail launched the promised set of eleven Lifesaving Rules. They are in support of his “Vision for Safety” – “Everyone home safe every day”.

Life Saving Rules The first is, “Always have a Safe System of Work (SSoW) in place before going on or near the line”.

The next three are about working with electricity, the fifth and sixth at height, the seventh moving equipment, eighth driving and finally the tenth and eleventh are about taking responsibility. I cannot argue with the principles, or with the detailed rules, which are concise and to the point.

Taking chances Committed staff instinctively want to do a good job in the shortest possible time. Add the pressures put on individuals to correct faults, delaying trains or to finish their work quickly so that the possession will not overrun, and one can understand why the unwary occasionally consider taking chances!

Whatever we do with more and more detailed rules we will always come up against that trait of human nature that tells us accidents only happen to other people, and anyway you can get away with it just this once!

Point and Crossing repairs The first “Lifesaving Rule” falls into the category of easier said than done. Planned work is still altered at the last minute and often the 40

workforce has little input to the detailed planning. Consequently they are not committed to the plan believing, sometimes correctly, that they know a better and easier way of doing it.

Then there are the pressures on fault teams called out to points’ failures and the like to make repairs. By definition their work is unplanned, but there is no reason why a SSoW should not be available for every set of points and crossings.

Crossing weld repairs are another difficult area; by definition more than one track is affected and the temptation is to accept red zone working despite the hazards involved.

Failing to ensure safety At Reading Crown Court on May 25th Network Rail were found guilty of “failing to ensure the safety of employees”. There are comments we might all wish to make concerning the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) and our judicial system realising that the charges relate to a fatal and a serious injury accident that occurred in 2007 and 2008 respectively!

The fatal accident was the one at Ruscombe in Berkshire in April 2007 which resulted in the death of a track welder and the 2008 one was the accident to David Coles at Kennington when he was struck by a train and lost a leg whilst testing the locking mechanism on a set of points.

More Green Zone working?

After the Court case Tom Wake from the ORR referred to the “poor planning and inadequate management of track maintenance work”. He acknowledged that changes have since been made to improve safety, without dwelling on the four and five year time lag!

Network Rail emphasise that work carried out in “Green Zones” (i.e. when trains are not running) has risen from 50% to 75% in the last two years. Robin Gisby their

Managing Director Network Operations added that “moving more work from Red Zone to Green will require co-operation from the train operating companies, radical solutions to track access and the giving up and taking of possessions”.

Designing for safety The 50% to 75% figures are encouraging, but what percentage of crossing welding or point mechanism testing and repairs is carried out Green Zone? I suspect these percentages are much lower.

In the long term the design and installation of new switch and crossing work and the remodelling of layouts should cater for access to maintain and inspect.

(David Shirres article “Safety by Design” is to be found on page 38 of this edition of RailStaff.)

Many think first of track and station designs, but signalling and electrification should adopt the same principal. I have long argued that the provision of fixed warning systems, or better still facilities for green zone access should be built into each and every remodelling scheme.

If the ORR began withholding approval for any scheme that failed to do so, the changes needed would happen overnight!

Signalling incompatible with the crossings The report from the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) on an incident on 19th June 2011 at Llanbadarn Level Crossing near Aberystwith illustrates a lack of signalling design recognition of the principles of Safety by Design.

A 2-car Class 158 DMU ran onto the locally monitored automatic barrier crossing at around 10pm whilst the barriers were still raised.

The new signalling system commissioned on 26th March last year is a Level 2 ERTMS (European Rail Traffic Management System) with in-cab displays replacing lineside signals. The driver did not

notice that the crossing indicator was flashing red as he approached the crossing.

The ERTMS signalling system does not interface with the automatic crossings on the Shrewsbury to Aberystwith and Pwllheli line. The RAIB report says the underlying cause was this lack of interface between the signalling system and the automatic crossing.

This means the driver had to cope with both his in cab displays and lineside indicators at the same time.

“Golden Rules” but still more instructions I hope Gareth Llewellyn’s “Life Saving Rules” will be seen and understood as a set of golden rules to be supplemented by simplified instructions covering how work is to be done. The ever changing flow of revised instructions is not the best way forward.

On June 20th Network Rail’s National Training Manager (Materials and Systems) issued an instruction advising that Hand Trolley Competence would no longer be registered on Sentinel cards but the competence would be replaced by a five year validity “safe use of trolley equipment” competence instead from 2nd July.

Additionally, from 1st September the existing PTS (Personal Track Safety) card endorsement for working near or adjacent to conductor rails is replaced by a new one for which new training materials have been developed.

Thirdly Network Rail’s National Delivery Service (NDS) features in its “Front Line Focus” a “new possession support competency”.

Current Controllers of Site Safety (COSS) and Individuals Working Alone (IWA) may be assessed in the line for this change, but others will need to attend the one day course introduced on 11th June.

Rule Books to the museum Their Key point Cards can be found on the Network Rail’s Safety www.railstaff.co.uk

HEALTH & SAFETY

Central website in the NDS section.

They reinforce the principal that no one should “undertake possession support duties unless they are familiar with the site location”.

They use excellent diagrams illustrating the definitions of the “Approach” and “Beyond” areas associated with fixed signals, pictures of types of rail scotches etc. They also detail both the phonetic alphabet and the number of yards in a chain and chains in a mile.

I suggest they have gone a long way towards meeting my aspiration to see the existing “War and Peace” sized Rule Book consigned to Railway Museums.

Threat of being debarred from tendering to encourage safety reporting!

Another part of the whole-day event at Network Rail’s Westwood Training Centre was about “Close Calls”. The Close Call System (CCS) was launched in June last year.

There are 294 registered suppliers

amongst Network Rail’s principal contractors and they have reported 6,769 Close Call incidents.

Network Rail announced that from August 1st the other 40 or so companies would be debarred from tendering unless they registered!

The presenter showed a slide listing the top twenty reporting companies.

I do not doubt the value of either near miss or close call reporting.

Good information, voluntarily provided by workers motivated to make the job safer and help others is an excellent principal. But mandating it is wrong!

The effect of the announcement will be the registration of most if not all of the remaining companies.

Then motivated directors will be tempted to “encourage”, coerce or even manufacture close call reports to satisfy Network Rail’s system in the hope that this will bring more work opportunities.

Worse still was the announcement that each principal contractor will be responsible for

their own second and third tier suppliers. Again the unscrupulous will surely see this as an opportunity to provide reports to raise their standing in the listings whilst at the same time making it clear that only subcontractors have close calls. If there is criticism they can change subcontractor!

Working together I hoped the Life Saving Rules would begin the process of breaking down the “them and us” culture into one of co-operative working to improve safety. “Robust” (Oh, how I hate that word!) management with targets, tick boxes and league tables is not the way to go.

Gareth Llewellyn’s emphasis on everyone’s responsibility to watch out for themselves and those working around them is bang on. It fits with working together to get the work done well and safely. It needs to be followed up not by mandating reporting or spending time checking league tables but by

management spending far more time out on site listening.

Listening Listening to complaints; listening to the good ideas workers have about doing a better, safer and faster job; listening to innovative ideas about tools, equipment and working methods that would make a difference; creating a sympathetic listening culture is good management.

It will result in the honest and accurate reporting of real close calls and near misses. Telling people to report a larger number of close calls or near misses or there may not be a job for them will not help. Already I have heard from one company which has adopted the listening philosophy. Last year they received just five near miss reports from staff. This year the total so far is 65.

That has been achieved without threats or coercion! If you are in a similar position tell me about it. I will not reveal your company name unless you ask me to.

Stay On Track.

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41

Competence 42

Assured London Overground Rail Operations Ltd achieved certification of its competence management system for train drivers last November.

LOROL, jointly owned by the MTR Corporation of Hong Kong and Deutsche Bahn AG of Germany, started running London’s extensive overground network for TfL at the end of 2007.

LOROL has since become one of the best-performing train operating companies in Britain.

Ray Wadey and Steve Murphy explain.

Initially London Overground faced significant challenges as it set about recruiting nearly 200 new drivers and developing, monitoring and maintaining their competence. Making sure workers, supervisors and managers maintain appropriate skills and competences is a critical aspect of railway safety management systems.

Since 2006 it has been a legal requirement under the Railways and Other Guided Transport Systems (Safety) Regulations (‘ROGS’). The reasons for this are clear. Despite advances in technology, many railway activities, train driving, maintenance and inspection work, still require people to do the right thing in situations ranging from normal operations through to coping with emergency situations.

LOROL has invested heavily in developing and maintaining the competence of its train drivers. In March 2012 LOROL’s hard work was given formal recognition as it achieved certification of its competence management processes by an Inspection Body accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS).

New Recruits Ray Wadey, LOROL’s Operations Standards Manager explains why

their business had to take a fresh look at how the competence of train drivers was developed and then maintained. ‘On the East London Line alone we had to recruit and train over 130 new drivers, almost doubling the number of drivers employed by LOROL. ‘Most of these new recruits had no previous experience of train driving as well as being from a wide diversity of cultures and background. Added to this, the regeneration of the London Overground routes meant that there were new trains, new signalling equipment, improved stations and trackwork all being commissioned for use at the same time. All this needed to be included in training for both new and existing drivers.’

Hands-on Learning Steve Murphy, LOROL’s Managing Director agrees, ‘We were determined to create arrangements for developing, monitoring and maintaining our train drivers’ competence that would be seen as ‘best in class’ not just ones that satisfied what ROGS requires of us.

‘We used the principles contained in the Office of Rail Regulation’s guidance document (RSP1 – ‘Developing and maintaining staff competence’) as our blueprint for our initial training, assessment and refresher training arrangements.

‘This meant that we had to make sure that the criteria defining competent performance for a driver covered the full range of situations that they might be presented with. This included unusual and emergency situations.

‘Our risk assessment process identified that most of the skills needed to be developed using hands-on learning - getting learners out of the classroom and

into the real railway environment as soon we could whilst maintaining their safety and the safety of other users of the railway.’

Simulation Many of LOROL’s recruits were mature adults embarking on a second career who had not been in a classroom for many years.

Says Terry Colbourn, LOROL’s Head of Competence and Training, ‘Our training programme allows our learners to get experience, discuss and share these experiences in a group situation and then make sense of that experience from a practical perspective in terms of how they need to respond in the future if ever faced with a real situation.

‘Because we carried out a detailed task analysis and risk assessment we identified many out-of-course and emergency situations that drivers could face, and would need to practise in a safe environment to ensure they had a fighting chance of doing the right thing if faced with a real situation.

‘Simulation exercises, and the skills of trainers to design and run them, have been key to achieving this. We now make heavy use of tabletop simulation resources to get as close to reality as we can in a safe environment. Our trainers have been amazed at how engaged the learners are when using the simulation tool (‘Simkit’) - and how much they learn for themselves, using the competence criteria and other documents to find the answers.

‘One of the most important items of feedback from our trainees is that they really appreciate learning through doing, rather than having to sit through lengthy Powerpoint presentations, a feature of many driver training programmes.’ www.railstaff.co.uk

HEALTH & SAFETY

Terry Colbourn, Training and Competence Manager, Steve Murphy, Managing Director, Paul Stennett, Chief Executive of UK Accreditation Service, Stuart Griffin, Operations Director and Ray Wadey, Safety and Standards Manager.

‘Assure’ - Competence Management System The human touch is important, says Steve Murphy, ‘Whilst it was important to get the initial training right, we also needed to have a management system for monitoring and refreshing the competence of all of our drivers.

We recognised that the real difference to reducing risk and improving performance would be made by the skill of the assessors, not by sophisticated IT systems or complex written processes.

‘We see the assessor role as one that has a significant element of coaching and we have made and continue to make significant investment in developing the technical skills and human factors aspects of being a successful trainer, assessor or manager.

‘Having said that, well-designed IT systems can make the assessor’s life much easier in terms of planning and recording assessments, as well as greatly improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the system verification and audit process. We worked closely with our supplier to create a bespoke internet-based competence management system called ‘Assure’ that is already bringing tremendous benefits.’

Why did LOROL seek external validation of their arrangements?

‘Having put all these elements of a www.railstaff.co.uk

system for developing, maintaining and assessing the competence of our train drivers together, we wanted to check that we had indeed addressed all the issues that the ORR’s best-practice guidance covers,’ says Steve Murphy.

‘We wanted independent confirmation that we have taken the necessary steps to manage and minimise our risks. Using an organisation that has been accredited for this specific activity by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) goes a long way towards guaranteeing this. When we looked around we found that, surprisingly, there was only one organisation that had achieved UKAS accreditation in this area - Rail Professional Development (RPD).’

‘We found the inspection process very useful. There were things that we had missed when we created our system and it highlighted areas where small changes could be made that would bring significant improvement to how we managed competence,’ adds Ray Wadey.

UKAS Accreditation John Baker, RPD’s Head of Management Consultancy describes why their organisation had decided to invest in becoming an accredited Inspection Body for

railway competence management systems.

‘We have been working with the industry’s regulators since privatisation and were on the original working group for the Principles and helped ORR update their 2007 revision in light of what we’d been finding in industry.

‘For many years we had seen organisations receiving external guidance on how to create competence management systems (as well as organisations spending significant resources developing their own) - and many of these seemed to miss critical parts of what the guidance (and ROGS) intends.

‘There are still many, probably hundreds, of providers out there offering solutions, making it really difficult for a duty holder to choose. Our research showed that there was no robust way for duty holders to validate what they had.

‘So in 2006 we decided to approach the UK Accreditation Service to see what could be done to establish an accredited process for providing assurance in much the same way that ISO9001, ISO14001 or personnel accreditation schemes are certified. We are delighted that LOROL has achieved the inspection certificate for its competence management processes for train drivers.’

Paul Stennett, Chief Executive of the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS), explains why using an accredited Inspection Body can provide real benefits to a business. ‘A UKAS-accredited inspection body has the people, facilities, technical expertise, management systems and track record to undertake the inspection professionally and competently. It is a key way of ensuring that you have taken the necessary steps to manage and minimise your risks.

‘RPD is the first organisation to seek accreditation as an Inspection Body for railway competence management systems and so we took a keen interest in assessing that they had the capabilities and were able to demonstrate that they were able to keep their consultancy and Inspection Body activities separate.

‘Accreditation as an Inspection Body means that the organisation is able to demonstrate its competence against ISO/IEC 17020, the internationallyrecognised standard for inspection bodies. Identifying a UKAS-accredited ISO 17020 inspection body is easy: each and every one of them is permitted to display the UKAS Inspection Symbol as proof of accreditation.

This Symbol is positive assurance of competency.’

43

HEALTH & SAFETY

Drugs in the Workplace

Employers should be aware of rising drug use in Britain, says a leading screening provider.

One in 30 employees has drugs

in their system whilst at work, statistics released by Concateno, a European drug and alcohol screening specialist, show.

These figures are general and not specific to the rail industry which has strict drugs and alcohol procedures and uses random testing on all grades of staff to combat the problem.

In the past five years there has been a significant increase in British employees testing positive for drugs. Drug use was identified in 3.23 per cent of the employees tested in 2011, rising from 2.26 per cent in 2007. The most prevalent drugs used by UK employees are cannabis, opiates (excluding heroin), and cocaine.

Dr. Claire George, Laboratory Director at Concateno comments, ‘The positivity rate of 3.23% reported in this study demonstrates that drug use in the workplace is an issue that employers should be aware of. These are conservative figures across the workplace, when you consider how many companies do not have a screening programme in place.’

The data indicates that 25-34 year-olds are more likely to test positive for Class A drugs including cocaine and amphetamines.

In the railway, screening procedures discreetly provided by companies such as Express Medicals result in a much brighter picture. Certainly this industry has problems like any other but the vast majority of railway staff are professional and have nothing to fear from random D and A testing.

Verbal Warning Network Rail is installing spoken warning equipment at 63 level crossings across the country, alerting pedestrians and motorists that while one train has passed through that another train is coming from the other direction.

It is hoped that these clearer instructions will reduce the risk of someone mistakenly believing that it is safe to cross after the first train has passed. The first few are being rolled out across the London North East route near York at Hunmanby Station, Nether Lane, Nafferton, Cranswick and Arram level crossings and near Selby at Wressle and Eastrington.

Currently these crossings have a two-tone yodel, where the second sound is a more high pitched tone and frequency, warning those waiting that a second train is

44

approaching from the opposite direction. However, research by RSSB suggests voice messages mixed with the standard tones are more likely to be understood and obeyed. The new alarm now says: warning, another train is approaching.

Says Michael Woods, Head of Operations and Management Research at RSSB, ‘This was very thorough research which considered many different types of warnings and alerts.

Providing a spoken warning for the second train has been proven to provide an obvious message to people wanting to cross. RSSB is pleased to be supporting Network Rail in improving crossing safety through the research we have done together.’

This technology follows on from a successful trial at Scarrington level crossing in the East Midlands.

Ultrasonic yellow train A fourth new ultrasonic rail testing train is now in service.

Equipment on the train includes ground penetrating radar, ultrasonics and a rail profile laser scanner. The train can detect minute flaws in the track. The addition of a fourth train means one can be taken out of use for servicing, making the service more resilient and flexible.

Says Network Rail’s director of engineering, Steve Yianni, ‘Network Rail’s number one priority is safety and the addition of this unit to our fleet means we can measure the safety and quality of our railway to much higher standards.

‘It also means we can keep our test trains running more reliably and at more times across the country. With this we can improve the quality of the ride for all our passengers, and make sure they reach their destination in

complete safety.’

The new train, or UTU 1 as it is known, has more accurate positioning systems and an improved ability to test the track. It can also be used at a higher speed, an important part of Network Rail’s plans for maintaining the network. Most testing currently takes place at night at speeds of up to 30 mph - this could soon be raised to 45 mph.

The two separate ground penetrating radar units can detect irregularities in the ballast, and scan down two metres. The Network Rail UTU trains do not replace traditional track walks by permanent way staff - although they do reduce the need for them.

Instead, the object is to direct the focus of track walks to areas needing inspection, saving time and money, and increasing the safety of the network. www.railstaff.co.uk

CAREERS

MDA Rail A Millbank Group Company

MDA Rail continues to grow and diversify their business and as a result have secured several prestigious contracts with numerous clients throughout the infrastructure. MDA Rail are looking for skilled personnel for the following permanent and contract opportunities.

Safety Critical Competencies

OLE Competencies

Management Roles

(S) PICOP Engineering Supervisor Level Crossing Attendant Controller of Site Safety Possession Support Staff Points Operator Machine / Crane Controller

Senior Engineer Linesman Nominated Person Authorised Person Steel Workers Senior Supervisors Trainee Linesman

Rail Depot Manager Health and Safety Managers Health and Safety Supervisors SSOW / P3 Planners Trainers and Assessors Resource Managers NCCA Co-ordinators

Successful candidates are required for LNE, LNW and Scotland routes and must hold a full driving licence.

Please submit your CV to hr@mdarail.com or contact our recruitment team on 01928 755667 or 01928 751000

MDA Rail offer an excellent remuneration package and career development for suitable candidates and are an equal opportunities employer.

We are also keen to hear from suitable candidates for consideration to join the MDA Rail's skills academy training and development programme.

www.mdarail.com

RailwayPeople.com Fast track your career

over 2,000 live jobs

...awaiting your application. www.railstaff.co.uk

45

Ever thought about working in beautiful South West England??

Dart Valley Railway

Permanent Way Supervisor The Dart Valley railway is one of the UKs most profitable privately owned heritage railways. Combined with its river boat and bus operations it is one of South Devon's major tourist attractions.

The company is looking for a Permanent Way Supervisor to manage all elements of the rail infrastructure.

The successful candidate must be able to demonstrate an understanding of all aspects of the maintenance of the Permanent Way, structures, buildings and S&T. You must be able to lead a team and project manage subcontractors where necessary. The role is based at Churston and attracts a competitive salary.

Apply in writing only via email

by Friday 17th August 2012 to: Andrew Pooley, General Manager Email: carolyn@dsrrb.co.uk

www.dartmouthrailriver.co.uk No agencies please.

Engineering Manager required for Locomotive and Carriage & Wagon engineering departments with responsibility for restoration, overhaul and maintenance activities.

The successful candidate will have: • Engineering apprenticeship, or other engineering qualification.

• Min 10yrs experience in practical railway traction and/or rolling stock maintenance or engineering, preferably with steam locomotives.

• Min 5 yrs experience as a foreman, team leader or manager, with a positive attitude to the role of volunteers.

• Experience of project planning and production management, with a proven record of achieving targets and managing change.

Full details available at www.watercressline.co.uk/news/latest To apply please send cv, covering letter and salary expectations to: Mr Colin Chambers, Managing Director, Mid-Hants Railway Limited, The Railway Station, Alresford, Hampshire SO24 9JG.

Road Rail Vehicle (RRV) Operatives required

Contracting Plant

Construction | Plant | Rail www.storyplant.co.uk Story Contracting Limited are a well established rail contracting and plant hire company who have built their success on safety, quality, work ethic and reliability.

Due to the expansion of the company and fleet of Road Rail Vehicles (RRV’s), we are now looking to recruit Road Rail Vehicle (RRV) operators.

Ideal candidates will already hold the RRV competency, possess a current Personal Track Safety Certificate (PTS), have a minimum of 2 years experience and have the following qualities: · · · · ·

Customer focused Drive and enthusiasm Ability to work under pressure using their own initiative Committed to the role Take pride in their machines, equipment and work.

Full time roles are available for the right candidates.

In return, we offer excellent rates of pay and a performance related bonus scheme.

If you are interested in the above post and have the relevant skills required, please contact Stephanie Johnstone, Personnel Manager on 01228 590 444 for an application pack or alternatively, download an application pack from our website.

46

www.storycontracting.com www.railstaff.co.uk

CAREERS

Job Title

Location

Ref

Material Planning Engineer

Helensburgh

88187

Principal Engineer Specialist

Bristol

88186

Procurement Specialist

Leicestershire

88184

Overhead Linesman

Across Scotland

ORSGLA4

Orion Rail Services (ORS) are part of the UK’s largest engineering recruitment specialists Orion Group.

ORS are a Network Rail approved company and are Link-Up accredited to supply a number of rail related positions.

The Group work with some of the largest industry players across rail providing manpower throughout the UK and overseas.

Visit our website for a complete list of Rail positions across the UK and apply online today quoting the ref above.

People are our business worldwide

Upload your CV today orionjobs.com or email - ors@orioneng.com

Glasgow London Manchester

0141 892 6666 0207 405 6300 0161 662 4900

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Powering the rail industry

Quantity Surveyor Senior Environmental Advisor MAFA and other projects in south UK • £Attractive Morgan Sindall understands that delivering 24-hour working railways in the UK requires new and innovative approaches for maintenance, enhancement and renewal. From the integrated design, engineering and construction of key transport interchanges, to building small bespoke access solutions and maintenance, we deliver a range of structural, civil, mechanical and electrical engineering services through a national network of local offices.

You will deliver environmental advice and guidance at all levels, minimising risk and supporting the development of the environment and sustainability strategy. Undertaking inspections, audits and investigations, you will promote best practice, share knowledge and ensure company-wide compliance with legislation. It’s an opportunity to operate at all levels, so you need credibility, insight and a thorough knowledge of Network Rail and/or London Underground standards, and ISO14001. A Chartered Environmentalist, you must have recognised internal auditing qualifications and experience of compliance with environmental legislation and company management.

Visit the careers page at www.construction.morgansindall.com and search ‘Senior Environmental Advisor’ or call the recruitment team on 01788 534500.

We are an equal opportunities employer.

No agencies please.

Constructing talent www.railstaff.co.uk

Salary £Negotiable

The successful candidate for this interesting and varied role will become a key member of the Commercial Team.

Our Quantity Surveyor’s responsibilities include preparation and submission of monthly valuations and cost reports for management, obtaining certification and payments and agreeing final accounts.

The successful candidate will be a committed team player, who responds positively to the pressure and tight deadlines of a fast moving, exciting industry. A genuine understanding of ICHEMIE, NEC, ICE 5 and 6 and other contract types are essential.

Full job specification available on request. To apply either email your application, detailing relevant skills, experience and qualifications, to: Alison Watson, HR Manager: alison.watson@stobartrail.com or telephone 01228 882300 to request an application pack.

Stobart Rail, Solway Business Centre, Kingstown, Carlisle, CA6 4BY. Closing date for applications 27th July 2012

morgansindall.com

stobartrail.com 47

CAREERS

As a new entrant into the UK rail market with significant rail contracting experience outside the UK, Coffey Group require several key personnel for railway civil engineering and building projects in the UK.

Contracts Manager - Rail Sector REF: UK1211 The successful candidate will be responsible for a portfolio of rail projects.

They will have a related degree and ideally be chartered. A minimum of 12 years experience in Civil Engineering contracting is expected with 5 years experience in the rail sector.

Construction Project Manager - Rail Sector REF: UK1212 The successful candidate will manage one or more rail projects, including responsibility for management of design. They will have a related degree and ideally be chartered or working towards this. A minimum of 6 years in Civil Engineering contracting is expected with 3 years experience in the rail sector.

To apply, please email a cover letter and C.V. to: hr@coffeygroup.com Please see the careers section of our website for further information on the positions.

Coffey Group is an equal opportunity employer

Duty Controller Based at Carlisle, Cumbria Starting Salary £26,500.00 per annum plus Shift allowance and Bonus DRS are currently looking to recruit a Duty Controller to join our dedicated team who provide 24 hour operational support to our growing business.

Candidates must: • Be educated to A Level or equivalent or have specialist knowledge relating to the role.

• Have exposure in a similar railway operational environment.

Duties will include supervision of: • All aspects of real time delivery of DRS Train Operations.

• Service disruption recovery & incident recovery.

• All real time utilisation of fleet, wagon and train crew resources.

• Appropriate, efficient & effective real time communication with all DRS stakeholders.

In return we offer 33 days leave, company pension scheme and healthcare scheme.

For more information on this vacancy or to apply please forward an up to date CV and covering letter to recruitment@drsl.co.uk Successful applicants will be required to undergo security clearance including, reference, nationality and identification checks.

Closing date: 27 July 2012

Direct Rail Services www.coffeygroup.com

www.directrailservices.com

Livis Limited is a civil engineering and construction specialist working predominantly in the rail sector.

Growing from strength to strength we are looking to expand our team based in Dartford, Kent and we are looking for:

Project Managers Planners

Quantity Surveyors Buyers

For the vacancies we have, applicants must have experience in the role they wish to apply for and have worked in the building / civils industry. Rail / London Underground experience is desirable but not essential.

All of our roles require people who possess: the ability to handle multiple jobs / prioritise, ability to work to tight deadlines under pressure and deal with ambiguity, people management of site and office staff along with client liaison skills, commercial awareness, logical thinking / problem solving, excellent communication skills at all levels and are competent in the use of Microsoft Packages – predominantly MS Word, Outlook, Excel.

The ideal candidates will be looking for a permanent opportunity to join an organisation where they can make a contribution and be part of an exciting period of growth.

To apply, please send your CV to hr@livis.co.uk

Livis Limited, Livis House, 50 Victoria Industrial Park, Dartford, Kent, DA1 5AJ 01322 220058 | hr@livis.co.uk | www.livis.co.uk Livis Limited is an equal opportunities employer

48

www.railstaff.co.uk

maintaining today creating tomorrow

An Australian company with over 100-years of proud experience in delivering vital engineering services

General Manager - Engineering UGL's Rail business is Australia's largest and most experienced provider of rolling stock and infrastructure solutions to the passenger, freight and rail systems sectors - and a growing player in the Asian rail industry.

UGL Rail has an exciting career opportunity for a General Manager – Engineering to work on a permanent basis at their offices in Pymble, Sydney and in Newcastle.

The primary purpose of this position is to lead the engineering and design activities for their rolling stock manufacture, remanufacture and refurbishment business from the initial inquiry stage to completion ensuring the technical quality, cost, safety, performance and time schedules are met or exceeded.

This role will provide strategic support and advice to the Company's Senior Leadership Team and their teams in support of achieving sustainable and responsible returns, revenue and growth, mutually beneficial relationships with customers, suppliers and technology partners.

The person is to work with related business areas to ensure coordination, planning, benchmarking, development and deployment of operations-wide, best practice designs, project management and control processes to ensure all works and projects are effectively and efficiently executed and managed profitably in compliance to agreed contractual and commercial requirements.

Requirements to succeed in this position: • An appropriate mechanical or electrical Engineering or Science Degree from an accredited institution.

• Minimum of 15 years' experience in railway rolling stock design, preferably in passenger or freight design.

• Leadership and integrity to set a high standard of engineering capability within the organisation.

• A thorough understanding and knowledge of manufacturing / fabrication principles in multi-discipline rolling stock environment.

• Previous experience in running change programs, with an ability to lead and support rapid change and hold a steady course in an ever changing environment.

• A high level of business and commercial acumen backed by a sound ability to create, read and interpret budgets, financial statements and analyse variance reports.

• A thorough understanding of quality control and a record of implanting continuous improvement utilising Lean and Six Sigma.

• Strong communication skills (oral & written) including strong negotiation and influencing skills and the ability to establish effective working relationships with a variety of people at different levels both internally and externally.

• Demonstrated ability to work independently to organise and prioritise demands, handle multiple complex tasks simultaneously, set and meet deadlines and follow-through within a fast paced environment with multiple and competing demands.

• High proficiency in software: MS Word, MS Excel, MS Access and MS Outlook.

This is a rare opportunity to join a dynamic leadership team in a major Australian company. In return, you will be rewarded with a competitive remuneration package, the opportunity to join a supportive team and to work on high profile projects.

www.ugllimited.com

RailPersonnel

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For more information please contact David Hyland at RailPersonnel on +61 419 209 930 or email him on davidh@railpersonnel.com

POWER ● WATER ● RAIL TRANSPORT ● RESOURCES ● PROPERTY SERVICES ● TRANSPORT SYSTEMS ● COMMUNICATIONS ● DEFENCE

CAREERS

Job Opportunities for Rail Staff with CarmichaelUK Rail Division Due to the growing demand from major clients within the railway

Register your CV today online or

infrastructure, CarmichaelUK Rail Division are looking for skilled

via email in word format to:

personnel for Permanent and Contract opportunities.

rail@carmichaeluk.com

We would like to hear from the following for prestigious projects

or call one of our consultants on:

starting in London, South East and South West of England:

+44 (0) 208 522 8888

Engineers

Surveyors

Engineering Managers

Job vacancies posted daily on our site

Planners

Agents

Commercial personnel

Sub Agents

Safety Critical personnel

Project Managers

General Foreman

Works Managers

Site Managers

www.carmichaeluk.com ENGINEERING PERSONNEL RAIL DIVISION

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:

Senior QS & Commercial Managers

Signal Designers, Engineers and Managers

London / Birmingham / Manchester - £300 - £400/day Rail and NEC contract experience

UK & Australia - £400/day or £45 - 65K IRSE license or significant relevant experience

Rail Project / Construction Managers

Senior Civil & Structural Engineers

UK, UAE, Australia & Africa £350 - £500/day or £50 - £80K Experience on rail & station enhancement project

Warrington & York - £35 - £55K Rail experience including station, groundwork’s, drainage and utilities design

HV/LV Electrical Engineers

Senior Planning Engineers

London - £45 - £70K or £450 per day Traction Power, AC/DC or construction experience

London, York & Birmingham £320 - £400/day or £40 - £55K Rail, LUL or construction experience.

P3e/P6 essential

Please send your CV or if you’d prefer to discuss a role in more detail and in confidence, please contact one of our specialist consultants on

+44 (0)20 7419 5800 or email rail@trsstaffing.com

Rail, Infrastructure & Construction 50

Tata Steel Projects

Recruitment Event Open Day Tata Projects are expanding their Railway Design Consultancy in Manchester and will be holding a recruitment event at Mercure Hotel Manchester Piccadilly on Thursday 19th July 2012 between 15:00 hrs and 19:00 hrs. We are recruiting across all disciplines and levels, but especially recruiting for all grades of Electrification, M&E, Geotechnical, Civil, Track (S&C), Level Crossings - Design Engineers. If you would like to learn more please come and meet one of the team, we look forward to meeting you.

For more information please see http://bit.ly/NnA0F2 or email Helen.windust@tatasteel.com If you are unable to attend, please contact us on +44 (0)1904 454633 for an informal conversation.

For more information on job opportunities and how to join us please visit: www.tatasteel.com/careers or contact HR on: +44 (0)1904 454600

www.railstaff.co.uk

The MTR Corporation is expanding the network in Hong Kongâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rail infrastructure to bring high speed connections to this vibrant and fast paced city. If you are keen to work in a challenging environment, you are most welcome to join our team.

We look for professionals in the following disciplines:

Senior / Contracts Engineer

Senior / Programming Engineer

Senior / Construction Engineer (Civil / Tunnels) Construction Engineer (Signalling) Construction Engineer (Rolling Stock)

Senior Construction Safety Advisor

Senior / Geotechnical Engineer

MTR has engaged with Resourcing Solutions and Rail Personnel to recruit for engineering talents.

If you think you are the right fit, please send your CV to mtr@railpersonnel.com or contact Susan Cardy at Resourcing Solutions on +44(0)118 932 0100.

RailPersonnel

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