RailStaff July 2015

Staff

Design and Construction Specialists in Drainage

@StobartRailLtd

THE MOST POPULAR PUBLICATION IN THE UK RAIL INDUSTRY Issue 212 | July 2015

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Charity Cheer

The Three Peaks by Rail train going over Rannoch Viaduct on the West Highland Line.

for UK Rail

Despite a sombre month, railway staff and friends have pulled in record amounts of cash for a variety of charities and plan to do still more this summer.

Three Peaks by Rail raised a phenomenal £200,000 for Railway Children. Rail Rugby 2015 and the Thames Tracker charity charter were also well supported. Two cyclists are training hard to ride from Reading to Roscommon to raise money for children suffering from terminal Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

See 18-21 inside for full stories and tributes.

RAIL BRITANNIA

NEXT GENERATION

AWARDED OBE

It’s not all doom and gloom...

The industry’s future leaders gathered at the Next Generation Rail 2015 conference organised by the RSSB and RRUKA.

James O’Callaghan, director at J. Murphy & Sons Limited has been awarded an OBE.

Page 4

Page 22

Page 8

SAFETY IS THE CORNERSTONE OF OUR BUSINESS We support and implement the McGinley life saving rules in a fair culture For information please call: 0845

543 5953 or visit: www.mcginley.co.uk Proud Sponsors of Watford Ladies FC

@StobartRailLtd

HAYLEY SLACK, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT OFFICER Hayley Slack is the latest addition to the Stobart Rail

Stobart Rail’s growth has resulted in the creation of this

varied and with an Environmental Science degree she could

Development and Stakeholder Manager. The duo are going

Business Development team. Her career to date has been never have foreseen a profession within the Rail Industry.

Her career began within the farming sector, then onto

new position to work alongside Andrew Sumner, Business to be enhancing the profile of Stobart Rail and developing new opportunities.

tourism and events to running her own business. Hayley has

Hayley added, “Stobart Rail is an excellent company with

Her creative mind is something she can bring to Stobart Rail.

my career. I have settled in really quickly and have enjoyed

designed and managed a number of successful events.

exciting times ahead which can fulfil my ambition to further starting to get my head around the rail industry!”

Carlisle Distribution Centre at Carlisle Lake District Airport Carlisle Lake District Airport is a key asset in Stobart Group’s portfolio with the current plans for its development set to bring commercial passenger flights to Cumbria and open up exciting tourist opportunities for the Lake District.

Harnessing its experience from a similar development project – the hugely successful London Southend Airport – Stobart Rail is managing the entire scheme at all stages from project planning right through to implementation.

Kirk Taylor Managing Director e. kirk.taylor@stobartrail.com Graeme Wharton Civils Director e. graeme.wharton@stobartrail.com Andrew Sumner Business Development and Stakeholder Manager e. andrew.sumner@stobartrail.com Head Office t. 01228 882300

Stobart Rail has already developed an expertise for developments like this and has undertaken management of similar freight distribution centre construction projects in Widnes and Daresbury.

Similarly the company has overseen expansion works at London Southend Airport, which included runway expansion and the construction of a new terminal building.

stobartrail.com

COMMENT

July 2015 | RailStaff | 3

Staff Contact us: Publisher:

Paul O’Connor

Editor:

Andy Milne

Production and design:

Adam O’Connor

Senior Reporter:

Marc Johnson

Senior Writer:

Colin Garratt

Track Safety:

Colin Wheeler

Event Sales:

Jolene Price

Advertising:

Asif Ahmed

Chris Davies

Craig Smith

Keith Darlison

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

Contact Details RailStaff Publications, Rail Media House, Samson Road, Coalville, Leicestershire, LE67 3FP.

“The only thing

Charitable View

necessary for the triumph of evil

July 2015 is proving a salutary month for reflection - the 10th anniversary of the July Bombings, the murder in Tunisia of 38 tourists, among them Chris and Sharon Bell. The Greek crisis, the US cave-in to Iranian nuclear aspiration and Russia’s continuing aggression in Ukraine reflect a troubled world, unmitigated by forgiveness and compassion. Consider the latest outrages of Al-Qaeda, ISIS and Boko Haram and it seems this is a world in the grip of a clear and ever-present evil.

The political philosopher Edmund Burke, in one of his oft repeated quotes, said, ‘The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.’

Feverish plans to shore up the Euro, defend Ukraine and deploy troops and gunships under the harsh skies of the east no longer reassure us. The leaders of the west and their failed banking

models and military adventures inspire little confidence. To win the war against the iniquities of men of violence needs a certain verve and sureness of faith. Fortunately the actions of our colleagues inspire us.

The late pope, Paul VI, once told a group of artists, ‘This world in which we live needs beauty in order not to sink into despair.’ He may have been thinking of art but his words apply equally to the beauty of the actions of ordinary men and women.

Actions like the Three Peaks by Rail challenge, which raised an extraordinary £200,000 for Railway Children - a charter train, Thames Tracker, full of volunteer staff and passengers raising money, Rail Rugby 2015, or the determined efforts of Rob Kerr and his friends to cycle to Roscommon and raise money for children with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.

It remains a unique privilege to record the fundraising activities of men and women across the industry; for it proves that good men and women are out there doing quite a bit for good.

Their actions may find little echo in the troubled chancelleries of Europe but for us they are proof positive that evil is slowly being kicked into touch by good.

Every time an individual contributes to a charity or takes up a fundraising challenge they roll back the wickedness of our times.

Best wishes to everyone engaged in charity fundraising this summer, we wish you fair winds and God speed. andy@rail-media.com

42

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is for good men to do nothing”

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Young engineers take Railway Challenge

Beijing and Moscow sign high speed partnership

The national IMechE competition saw seven teams compete to design and manufacture the most efficient, reliable and quietest small-scale locomotive.

Last month, the £235 million design contract for the Kazan high-speed line was let to a Chinese consortium in a deal signed in St Petersburg.

NEWS

4 | RailStaff | July 2015

RAIL BRITANNIA

Written by Andy Milne

The news of Network Rail’s difficulties with the most ambitious investment programme in a generation has been cheerfully seized on by the media as damning proof of the industry’s shortcomings.

The chorus of disapproval was in full swing as Network Rail announced a review of CP5. Sir Peter Hendy replaced chairman Richard Parry-Jones and Nichola Shaw, head of HS1, arrived to rescue Network Rail.

Overrunning engineering works, the seemingly endless rearranging of major stations and, worst of all, HS2 - the third runway of railway aspiration - all fuelled the prickly heat of complaint.

The industry, its detractors argue, can barely cope with running the railway it already has. Why throw good money after bad?

The announcement of the review of CP5 and the temporary speed restriction on Midland Main Line and northern electrification may look like an admission of industry-wide failure.

The facts hardly bear this out.

Achievements notched up over the last 12 months include replacing

400 miles of track and 300 junctions, sorting out the Harbury landslip, completion of the Borders Railway and major station upgrades at Edinburgh Haymarket, Nottingham and Birmingham New Street. Add in Network Rail’s involvement in Crossrail and the Great Western Electrification project and the picture is hardly as bleak as our detractors would have us believe.

Nevertheless, the rail industry faces three major challenges as it seeks to satisfy public demand for its services both freight and passenger.

Historical Challenges First, the railway has long suffered from a lack of investment. That is being put right now. However, it bears repeating: we are suffering the penalty of decades of stop-go investment and a muddle-and-mend culture with no

parallel outside the Cuban car repair industry. Railway staff, quite sadly, would go on holidays to Europe using priv travel to speed about on gleaming new TGVs and ICEs - wandering around mile after mile of freight yards all full of trains. Railways were taken altogether more seriously right across Europe.

By contrast, British Rail and Railtrack had to cope with a tangle of lines laid out in the reign of Queen Victoria, often missing out local towns altogether.

Indeed although the tracks might conform to the same gauge there all uniformity ended. The loading gauge - width permissible for rolling stock - on the Southern was much tighter than elsewhere. Unhappily this proved a major obstacle to European wagons using the Channel Tunnel. Rail engineers are no strangers to lowering trackbed and widening bridge piers.

From the end of the Second World

War onwards, the railways suffered a complete collapse in public confidence which is only now being rolled back.

Investment lagged so far behind for so long that it is proving hard to catch up.

However, it is essential to maintain and increase investment levels to achieve the goals of CP5.

People of Merit The second real challenge the industry faces is lack of staff. To progress all the work that needs doing and to run the expanding services themselves, we need more engineers, track staff, IT boffins, apprentices and train crew. Largely unremarked by the outside world, the rail industry is going to great lengths to recruit school leavers, students and graduates. Training academies are being developed and Network Rail’s apprenticeship scheme - one

NEWS

among many - is widely respected and producing great results. Similarly, second careerists are encouraged to join the railway. Hundreds of servicemen and women are being inspired to break cover and sneak across the no man’s land of mid-life crisis into the welcoming arms of the rail industry.

Changing the pubic perception of rail is imperative if we are to attract young people and inspire them to invest their career in railways. To do this, the railway needs to up its game. The rash of industrial unrest this summer points to a deep suspicion among railway staff about changes to working conditions and job descriptions.

Most people accept jobs change and technologies with them. What’s harder to work out is how many such changes are driven by hard-nosed profitability concerns rather than a desire to advance the general good.

It is essential to retain good staff from the heroes of ticket office, platform and depot - see the RailStaff Awards

July 2015 | RailStaff | 5

for chapter and verse on this - to senior managers and executives.

Return of the Batman For the fact is the industry needs inspired leadership supplied by people who know the business, not outsiders. Too often railway companies consider it clever to bring in successful executives from elsewhere and let them loose on the railways. Again, this is changing. Let us hope the appointment to the DfT of the now ubiquitous rail legend Richard Brown, as a sort of rail Batman to Patrick McLoughlin’s Commissioner Gordon, will strengthen rail leadership.

Look at the more successful railway companies and you see them run by people who worked their way up from ballast to boardroom. Pino de Rosa, head of Bridgeway Consulting, David Franks, chief executive of Irish Railways, and Tim Shoveller, who is currently running the NR-SWT alliance, all started work at track level. The lesson here is put the railway under the tutelage

of men and women who broke sweat and blistered skin on it. Tap in to their unique alchemy.

Support the Orange Army Thirdly, the railway, as it upgrades itself, has to cope with burgeoning demand and a largely unsympathetic public. The cheapest way to upgrade stretches of railway is to shut it altogether. The public loathes getting off a train onto a substitute bus service. People are actually far more sympathetic to the idea of taking a different route altogether. A more constructive appraisal of time and blockades needed would be helpful.

For the truth is this is the fastest growing railway in Europe in terms of patronage. More people want to use it more often.

CP5 is designed to give them what they want. Huge electrification and capital programmes, will always need to have costs reviewed and revised.

Projects become properly defined and detailed project costs often prove

higher than assumed at first.

Given the huge amount of work to be undertaken it is reasonable to expect delays and cost over runs. Network Rail says it completed over 90,000 small, medium and large schemes, with over 98 per cent completed early or on-time.

Although two electrification projects have been paused, rail chiefs say the supply chain as a whole will remain virtually unaffected and there will be minimal impact on the market.

CP5 continues, with the Orange Army out in force this summer. Plans to build HS2 continue to bed in.

Rail has everything to play for. No person working in railways need take criticism for the review of CP5. This is an industry forging ahead like no other. The underlying rhythm of rail renewal echoes the return of Britain to prosperity and commercial success.

The fates of the United Kingdom and the rail industry are inextricably linked. Far be it from us to add to the emotional pressure on staff but this really is a case of Rail Britannia.

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NEWS

Flowers and Bells Mark July Bombings

A peal of bells from St Paul’s Cathedral marked the London July bombings’ 10th anniversary memorial observances.

The London bombings of the 7 July 2015 was the worst act of terrorism on British soil. Fifty-two people lost their lives when three bombs detonated on the London Underground at 8.50 that morning. Twenty-six people died at Russell Square, six at Edgware Road and seven at Aldgate. Then an hour later a fourth device went off on a double-decker bus in Tavistock Square, killing 13 people. The murders were the work of al-Qaeda suicide bombers.

David Cameron led mourners in a simple wreath-laying ceremony at Hyde Park. Thousands of people attended ceremonies, walked part of the way to work in remembrance and joined a memorial service held at St Paul’s Cathedral.

We can’t let them win Meanwhile, deep below ground tube driver Stuart Bell was at work as usual.

Ten years ago, Stuart, now aged 63, was driving a Piccadilly line train near Russell Square when the bomb went off. Although off work for many months with injuries and stress, he returned to work and still drives the same route.

‘You have to carry on, it’s the only way. These people have lost their minds and we can’t let the terrorists

win,’ said Stuart. On the day itself he stopped and helped lead survivors to safety. Later he said he was only able to deal with the crisis by talking to two other drivers who were there. Mr Bell said he felt he could never describe what he’d seen to his family.

Ocean of pain At King’s Cross, a small group of commuters and railway staff gathered in silence at the 7/7 memorial plaque.

The station observed a minute’s silence at exactly 8.50. People rushing across the concourse stopped and paused, standing together in remembrance.

Speaking at the service in St Paul’s Cathedral the Bishop of London, the Right Reverend Richard Chartres, spoke of the ocean of pain surrounding the loss of each one of the victims. He talked of the courage and compassion of the emergency services and the London Underground staff who knelt with the dying in the tunnels, unsure as to whether another bomb was yet to be detonated. Many of the dead and injured came from overseas.

We All Miss Her Among them was New Zealander Shelley Mather, who worked at ATOC’s

“RIGHT ACROSS THE WHOLE INCIDENT, I GUESS, YOU COULDN’T REALLY PICK OUT ANY SPECIFIC ACTS OF BRAVERY BECAUSE SO MANY PEOPLE ACTED IN A BRAVE WAY AND MANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TOOK ON, SORT OF, A RESCUE SERVICE ROLE IN THEIR OWN RIGHT AND HELPED OTHERS THERE.” PAUL CROWTHER, BTP CHIEF CONSTABLE TACTICAL COMMANDER DURING THE TERRORIST ATTACKS

Bernard Street offices, near Russell Square. Shelley was travelling to work on the Piccadilly line and lost her life in the explosion.

Paying tribute to her at the time, Steve Pickman of ATOC said, ‘In and out of work, Shelley had a very dry sense of humour. Recently, she had gone to the Glastonbury festival, which she thoroughly enjoyed. I think she saw herself as the official ATOC representative at the event.

‘Shelley had shortly been due to return home to New Zealand for the first time in 18 months. Already, she’d begun to make preparations

to hand over her work. Shelley was hardworking in a kind and unassuming way. We all miss her very much.’

The bombings happened just as London learned it had been selected to host the 2012 Olympic Games. At the time, Mayor of London Ken Livingstone vowed the terrorists would never defeat London. Seven years later the games went ahead and were generally acknowledged to have been the best ever staged.

After the memorial service, the bells of St Paul’s rung out across London just as they did at the conclusion of the failed Nazi blitzkrieg.

RON ELLIS / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

RON ELLIS / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

6 | RailStaff | July 2015

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FREEPHONE 0800 376 3706

PEOPLE

8 | RailStaff | July 2015

Murphy Man Awarded OBE

Starr Billing for ATOC

James O’Callaghan, director at J. Murphy & Sons Limited has been awarded an OBE.

The Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) has appointed Jacqueline Starr to the newly created role of managing director, customer experience.

James has spent his 40year career at Murphy and progressed through the ranks.

He has overseen complex projects including Stansted Rail Link, the Channel Tunnel Rail Link and Crossrail Thames Tunnel C310. Says James, ‘I am delighted to receive such a prestigious award for my services.’

Starr has worked as customer experience director at Barclays UK Retail and Business Bank since 2013.

Prior to that, she held customer experience roles at O2 and Orange, having started her career at BT. The new job combines two previous roles within the company, those of commercial director of ATOC and chief executive of National Rail Enquiries

retiring this September. Jacqueline Starr will take up her post in September 2015.

A big fan of railways, Jacqueline said, ‘I’m hugely excited to be joining such an important industry as the railway.

It carries millions of passengers a day, reaches every corner of the country and helps drive the nation’s economy.

‘The railway is unrecognisable compared to 20 years ago, from new trains to revamped stations and a wider range of fares for different types of traveller, but there is so much more to do.

‘I am honoured to have the opportunity to build on the great

(NRE).

Chris Scoggins, the former chief executive of NRE, left ATOC in early April, and David Mapp, the current ATOC commercial director, will be

work that’s been achieved to date and I look forward to working with the industry to create the exceptional experience that today’s passengers demand and deserve.’

Legal Eagle for RBF Simmy Akhtar has been appointed RBF services manager, a new role managing the charity’s comprehensive new information services.

Former solicitor Simmy joins RBF from Citizens Advice. She will lead the introduction of a range of new and better services for the rail industry, expanding the ways in which it can help.

Thanks to Simmy Akhtar and the team at RBF, existing and former rail staff and their dependents will be able to pick their way through the tangle of welfare benefits, grants and allowances with clear, succinct, advice and discretionary financial help.

Says Abi Smith, RBF’s chief executive, ‘Simmy will play an important role to ensure the effective development of the Citizens Advice information systems and the Turn2Us benefits calculator we will be using as part of our service.

‘She brings a wealth of experience that will be of significant use to RBF. She is a qualified solicitor, has given advice face to face, by phone and e-mail, supporting people at different stages of their lives and empowering

them to deal with the issues they face. We are fortunate to have such an experienced new team member.’

The appointment of Simmy Akhtar marks a further coup for the charity as it upgrades and improves what it offers the railway industry.

Says Simmy, ‘To me, RBF is a modern, forward-thinking organisation, firmly focused on its purpose. The pace and scale of change RBF is implementing is impressive. We have to keep on top of these changing times and support those who seek information, advice or financial assistance.’

As part of the redevelopment of RBF, rail staff are being urged to get more involved. Says RBF committee member Charley Martin, a driver on SWT, ‘I’m sure that if more people volunteered to join, more funds would be raised and more people could be helped. That’s what I like the most about being on the committee -

For more info go to www.railwaybenefitfund.org.uk or e-mail Simmy Akhtar: sakhtar@railwaybenefitfund.org.uk

helping people through the difficult times of their lives.’

Martin joined the railway in 1979 and is urging people to get involved. ‘I call upon my colleagues throughout the

industry to get involved and play a part in helping members of the railway family in distress. That’s what we do in the rail industry,’ he said. ‘We help each other all of the time.’

PEOPLE

July 2015 | RailStaff | 9

Two new for Ford & Stanley Rail recruiters Ford & Stanley has announced the arrival of two new starters to its team.

Emma Rees and Ben Anderson have been appointed as recruitment consultants for key accounts and traction and rolling stock.

Emma will work on the master vendor aspect of the business, looking

after key clients. Emma said she joined Ford & Stanley because of “the excitement that is surrounding the business”. In her spare time, Emma enjoys spending time with her family and has just entered the world of home ownership.

Ben began his career in IT recruitment and moved over to

engineering, in part because of his interest in the rail sector. He has focussed on the rolling stock overhaul and maintenance markets, placing more than 20 permanent employees in the past 12 months.

Says Ben, ‘I have decided to join Ford & Stanley because of their unique

approach to recruitment, their clients like the way they do things and so do I. ‘I have the chance to work alongside Dan Taylor, who I know and respect from my work within the rail industry, but most of all this opportunity gives me the chance grow and develop to become the best I can be.’

Growing team at PPS Rail PPS Rail has announced the appointment of two new members of the team, Mark Reynolds and Melissa Follon.

Mark has joined from Network Rail Swindon where he was a project manager within access and integration on the Great Western Main Line electrification scheme.

Mark has undertaken various planning roles within his extensive 24-year railway career and has a superb reputation for delivering robust access strategies.

He has joined as director southern region to grow the current business and develop the company further to accommodate the requirements of the rail industry during what is its most

productive period in a century.

PPS has also appointed Melissa Follon as the company’s first NVQ apprentice working within the accounts department.

PPS Rail said, ’Melissa has shown a great ability with work assigned and fitting into the team, and is fast becoming an important part of our infrastructure.

‘PPS Rail are committed to providing young people in the local community with support and the necessary skills to develop a career and to build a strong future within our company.

‘Our intention is to encourage the students to develop and remain within the company long term and gain qualifications relevant to their chosen career path.’

Scott Harrison joins SPX SPX Rail Systems has appointed Scott Harrison general manager of its UK operation.

Scott will be based in Dagenham, Essex, and joins from Network Rail where he was NetOps manager.

Prior to his 11-year stint with Network Rail, Scott Harrison worked for Torrent Trackside, which he joined from Amey Seco in 1998. He holds a degree in business administration and economics from Leicester University.

SPX Rail Systems provides point operating equipment through the Clamplock brand and level crossing barriers in Britain and Europe.

SPX Corporation is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina.

TBF is all about people... people in the public transport industry, people just like you!

A wide range of benefits including financial, medical, convalescence and professional advice is available to you, your partner and dependent children for just £1 a week.

Call us today to find out how we can help you.

& 0300 333 2000 8 www.tbf.org.uk

help@tbf.org.uk

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

RAIL ALLIANCE

10 | RailStaff | July 2015

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

Rail Alliance Member Spotlight:

LISTA (UK) Ltd

LISTA (UK) Ltd is part of the privately held LISTA Group one of the largest suppliers in the design and manufacture of innovative, efficient, modular storage and workspace systems in the world.

Founded in 1945, with headquarters in Erlen, Switzerland, LISTA today employs 700 people worldwide and has four manufacturing sites in Switzerland, Germany, Italy and the US, and a number of international subsidiaries and a global trade network.

Exhibiting at Railtex earlier this year alongside 21 other members on the Rail Alliance Hub, LISTA showcased a wide range of cabinets and storage solutions. Chris HargreavesHeap, general manager at LISTA said, ‘Railtex was a fantastic show for us this year. We attracted a lot of serious interest in our products and the most important factor for us was that so many of the people who came to visit us on the stand were endusers of the products and could understand the real value and benefit of having LISTA products

in their workshops. As a result we’ve now secured several new customers in the UK rail sector.’

Swiss company Stadler Rail AG, manufacturer of locomotives and other rolling stock, has recently invested in a LISTA tool and component storage system.

Pascal Wehrlim, fitting leader at Stadler, said, ‘If you have a system that allows for pristine organisation and effective storage management this speeds up the working processes and allows the engineer to concentrate on what is most important, which in turn delivers perfect processing and quality.

‘LISTA’s bespoke design and layout plan also means that units are arranged in an optimum way to help maximise even greater workshop efficiency.’

LISTA will be exhibiting at this year’s RAIL2015 in September.

See: www.LISTA.com/int-en/

Next Generation Rail The Rail Alliance was delighted to attend the celebrations held at Warwick Castle on the 2 July in recognition of the talent and enthusiasm of the Young Rail Professionals.

The aim of the conference was to bring together aspiring rail leaders and educators in order to foster collaboration and innovative thinking.

People came from all over the country and overseas.

The programme included a series of interactive SkillShops, technical site visits, access to leading facilities in the area as well as developmental networking and team building activities.

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

New Members Network Storage Systems Ltd Bespoke design, manufacture and supply of heavy duty storage and racking systems including cable drum, cantilever and long span shelving systems. www.nwrdu.co.uk Amfax Ltd Test and measurement solutions, monitoring and data gathering equipment. www.amfax.co.uk Ground Control Ltd Fully accredited and RISQS approved for vegetation management, fencing, weed control and ecology. www.ground-control.co.uk TBAT Innovation Business consultancy assisting organisations across the UK to innovate, access grant funds through a number of awarding bodies and claim any R&D tax credits. www.tbat.co.uk RS Clare & Co Ltd Rail lubricants, switchplates, curve rail, on board, fishplates and clamp locks. www.rsclare.co.uk Silentbloc UK Ltd World-leading technology driven designer and manufacturer of polymer composite products that deliver exceptional levels of performance

and value. Our products are found in the extremely demanding operating environments of global industries including Aerospace, Transport including rail, Energy and Industrial. www.iconpolymer.com SDC Manufacturing UK Ltd Design, manufacture and engineering company originating as seating specialists in the automotive sector. Specialising in prototyping, toolmaking and small batch production including bespoke and reverse engineered components and assemblies. www.sdcmanufacturinguk.com Revert Alloys and Metals Ltd Metal processors buying from engineering companies, sorting and grading metal then selling finished products back to melting shops to be melted back into their parent alloys. www.revertalloysandmetals.com Atkins One of the world’s leading design, engineering and project management consultancies with extensive expertise and experience providing innovative solutions that span every discipline in both the mass transit and heavy rail markets. Services include multidisciplinary design solutions, asset management, civil engineering, electrification and plant, fleet consultancy, signalling, stations, property and telecommunications. www.atkinsglobal.com

RAIL ALLIANCE

July 2015 | RailStaff | 11

RAIL2015 - Rekindling Pioneering Spirit RAIL2015 is a different kind of exhibition which sets out to celebrate the ingenuity of rail. It offers the rail community a golden opportunity to explore common interests, aims and ambitions and to connect and help rekindle the pioneering spirit of rail.

RAIL2015 will take visitors far beyond the walls of a traditional exhibition centre, providing a practical, grass-roots approach to innovation in rail against the backdrop of a real rail environment.

RAIL2015 offers organisations the opportunity to exhibit and actually demonstrate the benefits and virtues of their products and services. It will also provide the rail community with relevant

and focussed activities over the two days, encouraging discussions of all that is taking place in the industry.

Focus on the rail supply chain will highlight the dynamism and relevance of the industry’s main stakeholders and modern pioneers. Above all the event sets out to encourage new innovation and better cross-industry engagement.

This will be a great forum to explore new thinking, ideas, technologies and products. More than this, RAIL2015 will celebrate a unique industry packed with vibrant energy and the pioneering spirit of rail, innovation, ingenuity and invention has ensured our railway is a lead actor on the world stage.

To book your place as an exhibitor (deadline: 14 August 2015) or as a visitor, please go to www.rail15.com

Welcome to Rail Live 2014, hosted by:

16 -17 SEPTEMBER 2015

An event that will showcase the best range of products and services that meet the increasingly challenging needs of the rail sector with particular emphasis on best practice, ingenuity and the application of innovation.

Rail Alliance members discount of £100 off the exhibitor booking fee.

Visitors to the event attend free of charge via prior registration.

Book now or register to visit via the website at www.railalliance.co.uk or email: info@railalliance.co.uk

Welcome to Rail Live 2014, hosted by:

SHOW PARTNERS ®

NEWS

12 | RailStaff | July 2015

Intertrain leads training surge in the North Intertrain has taken steps to further improve the quality and size of its training services in the North of England.

Intertrain has confirmed its position as the largest commercial rail training provider in the UK with the acquisition of a new four-acre site on the outskirts of Doncaster.

The Balby Court Business Campus, which has easy access to the M1 and

M18, will offer Intertrain’s full range of training courses, including track safety, electrification, machine/crane controller, technical and construction. The site boasts a 100-metre test track, complete with overhead line equipment. Inside, there are 15 classrooms and a practical area.

The acquisition of Balby Court Business Campus will play a significant role in addressing the UK industry skills shortage and comes soon after the opening of Intertrain’s Crayford training

Eddie Duncan

John Mitchell

Steve Boulton

centre in Kent on 1 June, 2015.

Intertrain is an NSARE ‘Outstanding’ Railway Training and Assessment provider, accredited by various bodies including City and Guilds, Link-Up (RISQS), Network Rail and Qualsafe.

Four of the company’s trainers - Eddie Duncan, Steve Boulton, Ricky Wright and John Mitchell - have recently completed

are working towards the Level 4 Teaching and Assessment qualification, which is the equivalent of NVQs level 4, BTEC professional diplomas, certificates and awards. The minimum level mandated

by NSARE is Level 3.

Says Alex Pond, operations director, ‘An area of our business plan is to provide an outstanding teaching and learning

their Level 4 Teaching and Assessment Qualification.

All 52 of Intertrain’s trainers/assessors

experience, which is why we go the extra mile and demand all tutors must exceed the standard requirements of the industry.’

High Speed Students Railway Soldiers on Amidst continuing unrest, railway companies and supporters celebrated Armed Forces Day with free travel for military personnel, parades and parties.

Network Rail paid tribute to the many military personnel who switch from the British Army to the Orange Army.

The skills that veterans bring to the industry are eagerly sought after. The rail industry recognises that people with a military background tend to be disciplined, tenacious, good team players and loyal.

For example, Andy Wheeler was previously a Lance Corporal in the Royal Engineers. Andy Wheeler now works in Brighton as a technician on conductor rail engineering, bringing with him the skills and experience gained from his military career.

‘After leaving school at 16 with mediocre GCSEs, I decided to join the army,’ says Andy. ‘After basic training, I felt drawn towards specialising in battlefield engineering and trained at Gibraltar Barracks, Camberley, eventually passing out as a Royal Engineer.

‘After additional training at the

Royal School of Military Engineering in Chatham, I was posted to 26 Engineer Regiment Ludgershall, part of the Persham Down Garrison near Andover. I worked all over the world - Canada, Kenya, Norway and served in Afghanistan in 2007 as part of Operation Herrick Six.’ Fielding a modern army demands huge feats of logistical and physical engineering. Parallels with the railway industry stretch right down from using the latest technology, working anti-social hours and trying to win the hearts and minds of a local, often suspicious, populace.

‘I’ve always had an interest in electronics, building and engineering, so when I left the army I joined the [rail] business as an apprentice at the age of 24. After completing my apprenticeship, I went into a technician’s role in conductor rail engineering and I’m proud to be a part of the Orange Army.’

Students from Bethnal Green Academy have been checking out Hitachi’s Ashford Train Maintenance Centre in Kent to see first-hand the work the company is doing to maintain the iconic Class 395 ‘Javelin’ trains serving High Speed 1.

The visit was part of the Engineering Development Trust’s (EDT) Go4SET programme, which pioneers innovative ways of engaging students with careers in science, engineering and technology.

Says Garry Davis, human resources manager, Hitachi Rail Europe, ‘We are committed to supporting the development of new engineers and as such we work with school leavers, apprentices and graduates to find the right career path for them.’

The students travelled from Stratford

International to Ashford International on the Class 395 ‘Javelin’ service.

On arrival, the students were taken on a tour of the depot to learn about the day-to-day working of the Ashford Train Maintenance Centre.

Says Anisa Uddin, a Year 9 student, ‘I am interested in exploring the option of working as an engineer in the future and really enjoyed speaking to Alex Ward, who started at Hitachi as a graduate engineer, about his experiences.’

NEWS

July 2015 | RailStaff | 13

Grayrigg Hero Steps Down Iain Black, the train driver praised for prompt action at the Grayrigg disaster, has retired after 37 years with the railway.

Iain, 54, was given a Special Contribution to Transport Award at the Scottish Transport Awards.

One winter’s evening in February 2007, Iain, from Dumbarton, was

driving a Pendolino towards Glasgow when it derailed in Cumbria due to a set of faulty points at Lambrigg.

Despite breaking his neck in three places in the accident and passing

Drivers visit Osnabruck A group of British train drivers have visited Osnabruck and the Krefeld site of rolling stock manufacturer Siemens. Chris Nutty reports.

The visit included the Siemens Test and Validation Centre at WegbergWildenrath, the site of a former RAF base. The British drivers were made very welcome and have vowed to return to Osnabruck.

The Siemens visit was part of an educational study tour organised by the train drivers union, ASLEF, to look at manufacturing and transportation in Germany.

Virgin Trains driver Paul Harnett, said, ‘On our arrival at the plant in Krefeld, it was nice to see a digital sign welcoming us and the Union Jack flying on our behalf. We then had an introductory talk describing what actually goes on at the factory.

‘There are 2,500 employees working here, building about 600 train vehicles per annum, including the new Class 700 Thameslink trains, the DB ICx - with coaches 28 metres long, the new Eurostar e320 and they will soon be building the new Class 707 trains for South West Trains. There are also contracts for many other countries, such as Russia, Austria and Switzerland. We then had a tour of the production facility and it

was interesting to see the different production stages from one sheet of metal to a completed vehicle.’

Outside, the visitors were delighted to see a specially configured Network Rail track.

‘We then continued to the test tracks at Wildenrath, where there are five tracks and a main one of over six kilometres. This allows speeds of up to 160 km/h. The facility even has tracks configured to Network Rail standards just for testing British trains. We were made to feel very welcome and it was an excellent visit,’ said Paul.

The group also visited the VW car plant in Wolfsburg and the city of Osnabruck. Here the group met the deputy mayor of Osnabruck Karin Jabs-Kiesler. The drivers toured the city and visited the Felix Nussbaum Gallery.

This part of the study visit was arranged

by Derby’s Envoy from Osnabruck, Johanna Alka.

East Midlands Trains driver Chris Wells, said, ‘Getting to see Osnabruck has been great; it’s a beautiful city. We have been made very welcome by the envoy and the deputy mayor. It’s the kind of place I would visit again.’

in and out of consciousness, Iain had the presence of mind to call his girlfriend, Jan Duff, in Dumbarton to get her to alert controllers to what had happened. Jan, a train manager with Virgin Trains, not only called control but kept Iain talking until rescuers arrived. It took two hours to free him from the cab.

Passenger Margaret Masson, 84, died as a result of the accident and another 22 people needed hospital treatment.

After the crash, Iain endured a long period of recovery and for five months was immobilised in a steel cage ‘halo’ which enabled his neck to heal.

Transport Times editor David Begg

With typical modesty, Iain Black told reporters, ‘I don’t think I should be getting the award; it should be the other way around. I feel like I owe the railways a big thank you for a 36-year career that’s been full of laughs. I’ve had a great career. I was taken aback

spoke for many when he said, ‘He is fondly known within the railway industry for his warmth, humour, generosity and the work he has done to help colleagues prepare for and support those involved in traumatic incidents.’

when the award was announced, but it’s a fantastic end to my career. It’s a nice swansong to the 36 years I’ve had with the industry.’

Iain and Jan later married and, undaunted, went on honeymoon by train from Paris to the Costa del Sol.

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NEWS

14 | RailStaff | July 2015

Rail Media: Par for the course Players may have not had it all their own way with the weather, but in the end the sun shone on the very first Rail Exec Golf Day at the Wokefield Park course outside Reading.

Suits and ties were swapped for stripy polo shirts and spiked shoes for a bit of networking with a difference on 7 July. The day began with breakfast and registration - DK Rewinds and RotaBroach arrived first eager to tee off.

After a short warm up on the driving range and putting green, 18 teams took to the course, all vying to shoot the day’s lowest round. There was even the opportunity to win a BMW Mini on the third hole for anyone who could sink

Steve Ball, Morson, Chris O’Connor, ATA Recruitment, and Matt Roberts, Matrax - went head to head with, and beat, Wokefield’s pro on one of the PGA standard course’s par three holes.

Throughout the day, the teams found themselves also playing against the Great British Weather. Mechan managed this most successfully and were named as the day’s winning team during the evening awards dinner, narrowly beating ATA Recruitment.

a hole in one. A few went close, but ultimately came up short.

Several players - Richard Smith, Proteus Marketing Communications, Adam Elliott, Mechan, Trevor Maginley, Cleshar, Conor O’Byrne, Cleshar,

Another award was presented to Richard for winning the nearest the pin competition.

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From Russia with Love Despite Greece’s current economic difficulties, Russian Railways plans to help OSE, the Hellenic Railways Organisation, modernise the country’s rail network.

‘We see the potential transformation of the Greek transport infrastructure as a major element of the economy,’ says Valery Reshetnikov, vice-president of Russian Railways.

‘In this sense, part of the mutual benefits will be that we intend to come with investments and technology, and the Greek side can get a modern transport and logistics complex, which will create new jobs.’

Mr Reshetnikov was speaking at a Greek-Russian rail summit in St Petersburg. Historically Russian foreign policy has centred on securing the use of warm water port facilities provided by a friendly power. Russia and Greece share a joint Eastern Orthodox Christian tradition and have been close since the Greek War of Independence in 1828, which Russia backed.

OSE has suffered from poor investment and is still in the public sector. Up until now reform proposals have centred on slashing costs, cutting jobs, lines and services, which rail staff and unions have resisted.

Athens metro station.

Something for the Weekend More than 80 volunteer officers from British Transport Police (BTP) took part in operations and events on the rail network in a bid to expand BTP’s Special Constabulary.

National Specials Weekend, a co-ordinated effort by police services across the UK, highlighted the contribution made by volunteer Special Constables.

During the weekend, BTP’s Special Constables volunteered 894 hours, patrolled 187 trains and made four arrests. Specials were involved in policing both the railways and London Underground for several major events, such as the Wu-Tang Clan gig at the O2 Academy in Brixton, the Parklife festival in Manchester and the Epsom Derby

in Surrey.

BTP wants to recruit more Special Constables - they volunteer a minimum of 16 hours a month - to help police the railways. The force currently has 263 Specials, who wear the same uniform and have the same powers as its 2,969 full-time officers.

Says Ben Clifford, chief officer of BTP Special Constabulary, ‘The great work of our Specials over this weekend just goes to show what a valuable role they play in modern policing. They bring important skills and experience from their day jobs to their volunteer role as a police officer, giving them a close connection to the communities they serve.’ Specials are based at BTP police posts at railway stations across the UK.

NEWS

July 2015 | RailStaff | 17

First Takes on Budget Barons

Rail Battle at Cardiff Arms Park

‘Budget airlines are the great success story of aviation and we want to take them on at their own game,’ says Tim O’Toole, FirstGroup’s chief executive, as plans were put before the rail regulator for a new, cheap, express service between Edinburgh and London.

Aberdeen-based First believes fares of £25 will attract passengers out of the sky and back to a better, hassle-free rail service between the two capitals.

Under the plans for an open access operation, similar to award-winning sister company First Hull Trains, tickets would cost less than half the current average fare on the route, potentially saving a family of four around £200 on a return trip to the capital.

Five new trains a day, each way, will connect London King’s Cross with Edinburgh, Stevenage, Newcastle and Morpeth.

Staff from across the rail industry came together to stage a fundraising rugby match on the hallowed turf of the Cardiff Arms Park.

The match raised over £2,500 for childhood cancer charities, CLIC Sargent and Tŷ Hafan.

Teams from Arriva Trains Wales and the Railway RFC - made up of players from Network Rail and the wider

In addition to low fares, passengers would benefit from free Wi-Fi and onboard catering, all offered in one-class, brand new trains.

‘Our plans will give customers travelling between London, the North East of England and Edinburgh an attractive alternative to flying and, if accepted by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), will shake up travel options between these cities. For the price of a typical minicab journey to the airport, passengers would be whisked between London and Edinburgh on brand new trains and arrive earlier than they can do today,’ says O’Toole.

industry - took the field.

Both games were hotly contested but Network Rail was the overall victor. NR’s Veterans won 42-12 and Firsts 32-10.

The Railway RFC, founded in 2009 by route managing director for the Western Route, Patrick Hallgate, plays every month and hopes to establish the fundraiser as an annual event.

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NEWS

18 | RailStaff | July 2015

A Winter’s Tale An idea that hit touchline mum Katie Ferrier has netted the Railway Children charity an extraordinary £75,000.

people from New Horizon Youth Centre in London - a project supported by Railway Children.

Huge success Inspired by watching her son, Myles, playing a tough game of rugby one winter’s afternoon, Katie floated the idea of holding rugby matches to raise money for the industry charity, Railway Children. As Britain prepares to host the Rugby World Cup this autumn, the railway’s inaugural Rail Industry Rugby Tournament at Rugby School, birthplace of the sport, went ahead.

The six-a-side touch rugby competition, Rail Rugby 2015, was keenly contested, delighting supporters on and off the field.

VolkerRail didn’t lose a match throughout the tournament, beating

Rob Capener, director at Railway Children and a member of the charity’s team, said, ‘The tournament was a huge success and it was fantastic to see so many of our rail industry supporters come together with a common goal - to have fun and raise funds for vulnerable street children.

We would like to thank everyone that contributed to the success of the day, whether a competitor or volunteer, and in particular to our tournament sponsors, VolkerRail and Staffordshire Alliance.’

‘The idea for Rail Rugby 2015 was born on a cold afternoon on the side

programme manager at Network Rail.

‘I had recently seen a video of Railway Children and realised how privileged our own families are with roofs over their heads, full tummies, educational and sporting opportunities.

breaking down barriers and fostering a great sense of team spirit. This being the home of rugby and the year of the World Cup in the UK it was too good an opportunity to miss.

‘In the rail industry team spirit is

Team Amey in the semi-finals and triumphing in the final after beating Staffordshire Alliance. The team was presented with the trophy by young

of a rugby pitch watching my son Myles play for his school team, which many of us I’m sure can relate to,’ says Katie Ferrier, who works as a senior

‘The charity we are supporting at Rail Rugby 2015 seeks to give those basic rights to children both at home and abroad. Rugby is such a fantastic game

evident in everything we do, from the massive infrastructure projects we work on to the day-to-day operation and running of our service.’

Race for Roscommon Rob Kerr is training hard for a 500-mile cycle ride to Roscommon in aid of his three nephews, all struggling with a life-threatening disease.

Rob will be joined on his epic fundraiser by his colleague at Coyle Rail, Luke Donegan. The pair plan to set off from Reading on 29 August.

‘My sister, Paula Naughton, has three boys, the eldest, Archie, aged nine and the twins, George and Isaac, just five. All three have Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and will end up in wheelchairs by the time they are 12 with life expectancy of 20 years from birth,’ says Rob. Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy afflicts roughly one in 3,800 boys in

home town, have rallied round and are helping with fundraising.’

Entertainment impresario, Simon Cowell sent a message of support and has invited the family to watch the filming of X factor.

Irish actor Chris O’Dowd, who comes from the nearby town of Boyle in County Roscommon, has also expressed support as has Irish Taoiseach, Enda Kenny.

Padraic and Paula met as students in London and returned to Ireland to give their children a rural upbringing. The Join Our Boys Trust was established in 2014 to provide funds for the three brothers. The ultimate aim of the trust is to help provide funds to find a treatment, ideally a cure, for all children diagnosed with this

infancy - girls rarely get it. The disease wastes muscles, impairing movement.

Currently there is no known cure.

‘My sister, Paula, is a fighter and she and her husband, Padraic, are campaigning for greater awareness of the disease and more medical research aimed at finding a cure,’ says Rob. ‘Local people in Roscommon, Padraic’s

catastrophic disease.

Both Rob and Luke have increased their training, averaging rides of 50 miles, two days running at weekends.

Their route will take them across England and Wales by backroads and lanes to Holyhead. From Dublin, they will cycle on across Ireland to Roscommon in the west.

Donations can be made at: http://joinourboys.org or www.idonate.ie/mobile/fundraiser/31395_join-our-boys---bike-ride.html

NEWS

July 2015 | RailStaff | 19

Sink or Swim for Semmco

Taking up the Flack

A team from aviation and railway access engineering experts Semmco proved they could win on water too.

The genial head of the Rail Alliance, Colin ‘cojones’ Flack, is cycling from John O’Groats to Land’s End in aid of checkemlads.com, part of Testicular Cancer Awareness and Support.

The team came first in the Best Dressed category in the Dragon Boat Race at Goldsworth Park Lake, Woking, and won third place in the race itself after battling through four gruelling qualifiers.

Concerned at the fierce competition, the Semmco Sinkers resorted to the tactic of

reorganising the weight shift of the rowers and jettisoning unnecessary payload.

This ploy was successful and saw them gain time, clinching a place in the final. The company, based in Woking, makes access equipment for railway structures and rolling stock. The Semmco Sinkers hope to raise £500 for Woking Hospice in memory of Kris Cook.

To donate, please contact nina@semmco.com.

Thameslink Tracker Rail enthusiasts will be setting off to join a charity fundraising charter tour from Bedford to Blackfriars on board a Class 319 in July.

Thameslink train planner Matthew Dodds has organised the trip with the Branch Line Society as a thank-you to two hospitals that separately saved the lives of his father-inlaw and brother.

The Govia Thameslink Railway Class 319 ‘Thameslink Tracker’ on 12 July takes

in the sought-after Bedford Cauldwell Depot, Bedford Jowett Sidings, Luton Crescent Road and Herne Hill Sidings as its main highlights.

Tickets went on sale at £75 and all profits will be split between the Royal Marsden Cancer Hospital, Harefield Hospital and Max Appeal, which helps children with the genetic condition ‘22QDS’, including nineyear-old Adam Tripp, son of Great Northern driver Mark Tripp.

Colin’s nephew was diagnosed with testicular cancer last year aged just 24.

Colin is cycling with brotherin-law Paul.

Says Colin, ‘Raising awareness of testicular cancer is crucial to early discovery and successful treatment.

‘This charity works hard to do that and to offer a support network for those affected by testicular cancer.’

Happily Colin’s nephew has recovered.

Take a moment to visit the website: www.justgiving.com/Colin-Flack/ and www.checkemlads.com.

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20 | RailStaff | July 2015

Three Peaks Pushes Threshold

Railway staff and friends pushed the Three Peaks by Rail fundraising challenge to new heights this June. Teams raised a phenomenal £200,000 for the charity, Railway Children.

One-hundred-and-seventy-six motivated mountaineers powered up Ben Nevis (1,134m), Snowdon (1,085m) and Scafell Pike (978m) in just over 36 hours, travelling between the mountains by special train.

Says keen climber Steve Featherstone, programme director track at Network Rail, ‘As usual, the Railway Children Three Peaks by Rail was a great event. The volunteer train crew looked after everybody superbly on the train and the organising team kept everybody safe at all times, in spite of some difficult weather and underfoot conditions on the

mountains.

‘Congratulations to all of the teams for participating, and thanks to all for the camaraderie on both the train and on the mountains. Once the blisters and bruises have disappeared, we will all be left with the happy memories of the event and the knowledge that we made a difference for a very worthwhile cause.’

Cop at the Top A team from British Transport Police (BTP) achieved the fastest time, completing the combined 11,200 feet of climbing in just 12 hours 53 minutes and 31 seconds. Teams from First TransPennine Express raised a remarkable £27,000 and were winners of the Three Peaks trophy for the top fundraising team. All the food and drink on the Three Peaks train was generously donated by various

companies and the onboard bar made £1,600 on the journey home, with all proceeds donated to Railway Children.

Says Katie Mason, events manager for Railway Children, ‘The Three Peaks Challenge by train lived up to its unique billing in every respect, with participants pushed to the limits of their endurance, especially when they had to battle their way through thick snow to reach the summit of Ben Nevis.

‘Now in its 12th year, this challenge remains our biggest annual industry event. And the onboard crew, who are all volunteers, deserve much of the credit for its success, always preparing amazing food and refreshments that keep participants fuelled from start to finish.’

Fighting Fit ‘As well as being fighting fit, our teams had to battle the elements,

thanks to the unpredictable British weather. Nevertheless, spirits remained high throughout, as we were delighted to be backing such a good cause,’ said Jenny Irish, proposals manager at Interfleet.

Some of the participants have long made the Three Peaks by Rail an annual commitment, for others it was their first time.

Says Paul Case, from Young Railway Professionals (YRP), ‘The guidance and support were outstanding. This is the third time I’ve done this challenge but the only time with Railway Children.

This was by far the safest and most well organised three peaks challenge I’ve undertaken.’

To enter a team of four in next year’s Three Peaks Challenge in aid of Railway Children, please call Katie on 01270 757 596 or e-mail: katie.mason@ railwaychildren.org.uk.

RAILWAY CHILDREN

July 2015 | RailStaff | 21

FEATURE

22 | RailStaff | July 2015

NEXT GENERATION RAIL Knowledge without Borders Written by Will Munton and Tommy Gore from Young Rail Professionals

The future leaders of Great Britain’s railways gathered at the impressive Network Rail Westwood training and leadership centre earlier this month to be inspired, network and to develop amongst their peers at the Next Generation Rail 2015 conference organised by the RSSB and RRUKA.

The focus of the event: look ahead, learn from past major projects and get inspired to create a better railway for the future.

Drawn from a wide pool of operators, engineers, consultants, customer service professionals, academics and apprentices, the conference was an opportunity for the best and brightest of the next generation of Britain’s railway leaders to learn from one another, and to broaden their horizons at this time of growth, excitement and expanding demand.

The conference kicked off in the sweltering heat of the hottest day of the year so far with a number of site visits to engineering and railway sites across Warwickshire and Northamptonshire.

The trips ranged from Siemens’ King’s Heath depot in Northampton, which maintains London Midland’s fleet of

FEATURE

July 2015 | RailStaff | 23

Class 350 EMUs, to WMG Innovative Solutions, a start up at the University of Warwick looking to improve collaboration between academia and industry. The candidates came back infused and engaged with the technological enhancements applicable to the future railway of Great Britain.

The conference was entitled ‘Knowledge without Borders’. Highlights included talks from experienced railway professionals from across the world, sharing their experiences of running railways in Japan, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and the United States.

Kathrine Obst of the European Commission (EC) kicked off the Thursday, 2 July, session discussing the Fourth Railway Package and the vision the EC has for growing rail usage, both freight and passenger, across the continent and the technological advances it sees as being necessary to

achieve this.

There was also the opportunity for both academic researchers in the early stage of their PhDs, as well as early career professionals, to present on their research so far and invite questions from the floor. The break out area that contained the posters, which had been entered to the competition was well attended, with delegates taking advantage of the breaks to go and quiz the poster authors on their work, which ranged from a customer compensation scheme, to work looking at the

construction of the Marmaray Tunnel in Istanbul.

The break out sessions on both days covered a range of topics, as diverse as Lean management and how to write a successful proposal. These sessions again allowed delegates from a variety of backgrounds to come together, to share their experiences and to learn from one another, with the most successful groups being those which were the most diverse.

The following day, Sean Blair ran a session using Serious Lego Play,

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a chance again for delegates to meet new people and explain their vision - using Lego - for our railways of the future, with most groups focussing on the importance of staff, customers, accessibility, technology and sustainability. Although it was an opportunity for delegates’ brains to relax and to let their hands do the talking, there was a serious side to the session - to challenge perceptions of how we view and interpret things, and how to work together to harmonise these views.

And it wasn’t just hard work during the day. The social side of the conference was well catered for, with a pub quiz in

during the day.

The conference even allowed people the opportunity to indulge in a little railway celebrity spotting, with Patrick McLoughlin, Claire Perry, Mark Carne and a number of other senior directors in the industry seen passing through Westwood.

What struck a number of attendees is the value of the event - three days worth of conferencing, expert speakers, accommodation and refreshments for an extremely reasonable amount - huge thanks to the organisers and corporate members for helping to make this happen.

For somebody who is reading this and is still in two minds as to whether

that we do encourage ‘Knowledge without Borders’, and remember that isn’t just national borders, it’s the borders between companies, between engineers and operators, and between academics and industry. It’s up to us we to ensure we don’t make the mistakes of past generations and end up stuck in our silos.

The vast variety of organisations represented made the the whole event a fascinating experience. The one connection and focus shared across the young professionals and academics was clear - improving the future of rail for Great Britain through innovation, project delivery, and better safety standards. What this connection

the Varsity pub on the campus of the University of Warwick on the Wednesday night - albeit in furnace like conditions as well as dinner on the Thursday night in the opulent surroundings of Warwick Castle. These two events provided the opportunity for delegates to take a well-earned break and to socialise with their new found friends who they’d met

to go next year, we would absolutely encourage you to come along.

Next Generation Rail far exceeded my expectations and I’ve made a number of useful contacts who I know I’ll be keeping in touch with to share best practice and learn from their experiences; I hope they’ll do the same with me. And as the title of the conference suggests, it’s important

released is a common topic of talk, and the opportunity to ask questions to start piecing this complex puzzle of industry together.

On a closing thought, if the future rail market carries the synergy and cross functional working that was apparent at Next Generation Rail 2015 - we will no doubt have a railway to be proud of.

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PUBLIC VOTE CLOSES: 5TH SEPTEMBER 2015 This year, at the awards, the theme is ‘Out of Africa’.

FEATURE

26 | RailStaff | July 2015

Rail industry backing for Women in Engineering The rail industry came together to show powerful support for Women in Engineering Day on Tuesday, 23 June.

Set up by the Women’s Engineering Society, the national day is designed to focus attention on engineering and encourage more women to join the industry.

At the Bermondsey Dive Under, part of the £6.5 billion governmentsponsored Thameslink Programme, 32 railway staff stopped for a quick photo to celebrate the steady advance of women in rail engineering.

Family flexibility Network Rail wants to raise its proportion of female staff from around 14 per cent currently, to 30 per cent in future. Initiatives include a women’s staff network, a flexible working policy and support for the Women in Rail group. Once seen as a traditional male preserve, the new railway is changing fast and is making it easier for women to hold down demanding jobs right across the network.

Sharon Fink, health and safety manager, Network Rail, has a threeyear-old boy, Max. ‘Having a young child can be difficult at times, but my husband and I have learned how to negotiate our weeks, and we start the week with our diaries and plan out who is dropping off and who is picking up.

And it works well.

‘Network Rail has been very supportive and the company has supported me through and through with all the line managers I’ve had.

‘I think the age profile of the

managers I’ve had means they tend to be family orientated and have been through it or going through it themselves. Many years ago it used to be seen as a macho industry but that’s not the case any more and actually the men look out for you.

‘I’ve found that being a woman is an advantage, as we can have conversations with men that they cannot with other guys.’

Railway Parent Traditionally many families worked for the railway often with three generations on the metals at once. It is a strength the industry is determined to make much more of.

Erin Henderson, 19, a telecomms apprentice with Siemens Rail Automation, was inspired by her father to join the railway.

‘I took biology, psychology and politics in the sixth form, which was totally random as I didn’t know what I wanted to do at that time. It was really my dad who inspired me to join the engineering industry because he works in the railway industry and he really loves his job,’ says Erin.

‘Engineering has a huge impact on every aspect of our lives and it allows us to use science to our advantage and achieve things we once thought were impossible. I thought about going to university, but I wanted to start working so I joined the apprenticeship scheme.

There are quite a few women in the office but when I’m out on the track there are much fewer. But it’s fine, the guys are very respectful. I enjoy practical work and want to continue that in the future.’

Heart to Heart Rail Minister Claire Perry MP joined female engineers from Transport for London, Crossrail and Network Rail at Farringdon station - the new junction for Thameslink, Crossrail and London Underground services from 2018.

‘I want to see women at the heart of major infrastructure projects like Crossrail and HS2,’ said Perry. ‘Despite representing half the population, women are still underrepresented in professions such as engineering, surveying and construction. That is why it is so important that we inspire the next generation of female engineers, building on the hard work of women in engineering today.’

Encourage girls Kate Litton, HR director for Amey, which backed the Women in Engineering Day, said, ‘We recognise that across the industry there is a skills gap and to help address this, we need to encourage more girls to consider engineering as a realistic career option.

This will help to create more diversity in the sector and a bigger talent pool of engineers in the future.’

High Speed Women Female engineers from HS2 Ltd marked the day by meeting pupils at a school in Hemel Hempstead. More than 40 Year 9 girls from the Cavendish School met the team from HS2 Ltd. Says Beth West, HS2 Ltd commercial director, ‘Our female ambassadors are working to spread the message that being a woman is not a barrier

to working in the rail industry. HS2 is a 21st century project and we want to lead by example on diversity. We strongly believe in the value of women in the workforce, and currently a third of our engineers and our executive team are female.’

More of them To coincide with the day, Morson Group revealed a survey showing that more than a third of respondents thought expert careers advice at school age could attract more women to the industry.

Morson’s Women in Engineering survey will form part of its larger Women in Engineering campaign. The campaign will explore what can be done to attract more women into the engineering industry and highlight the career opportunities available in the industry today. The campaign will span three months and will feature interviews with women in a variety of roles in the engineering industry from all over the world, a round table event in London and a summary report.

Final Say Aoife Considine, a graduate mechanical engineer at Transport for London (TfL), has no regrets at her career choice.

‘I chose to become an engineer as it’s a career that can take you anywhere.

As a graduate mechanical engineer at TfL, I get the opportunity to work on different projects which allow me to gain experience in all areas of the business and see how engineers are key to the safe and efficient movement of people around our capital.

FEATURE

July 2015 | RailStaff | 27

Louise Bungay

Nastassia Chew ‘One day I might be underneath a train taking measurements, while the next I might be 3D printing a part I designed to help reduce delays on the Victoria line. It’s the variety of what you can do as an engineer that makes the work so appealing, and it’s really rewarding to be able to say you helped to improve a system, or make it safer, or better quality.’

High Five To cap it all, 864 men and women joined TfL Commissioner Sir Peter Hendy CBE on the day at

Horse Guards Parade in London to set a new Guinness World Record for the most people performing a jumping high five simultaneously.

Siemens, TfL and telent organised the bid.

Says Janice Meade, HR director for telent, ‘National Women in Engineering Day is a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness of the huge variety of engineering and technology career opportunities available across many industries.

‘Innovations in technology are changing traditional engineering roles and creating new careers. To meet

Alison Rose the future demands, we need to dissolve some of the ‘mystery’ and make career possibilities more visible and compelling to young people, particularly girls and women. It is also our responsibility as employers to create a working environment that both supports and invests in the development of female engineers to enable them to fulfil their potential.’

For the rail industry, Women in Engineering Day looks like becoming a year-round exercise in recruitment and retention of women as the railway strives to close the skills gap.

NEWS

28 | RailStaff | July 2015

Streetcars Named Desire

Century Car

It’s official: trams are soaring in popularity and the travelling public wants to see more of them.

Bucking a less happy national trend, a recent Passenger Focus survey shows passenger satisfaction levels at 90 per cent. Light rail systems are performing well. Trams in major cities are picking up more passengers with volumes up almost 6 per cent nationally since last year.

According to the Department for Transport (DfT) trams accounted for 239.8 million passenger journeys during financial year 2014/15 a rise of 5.6 per cent over the previous year.

Docklands Light Railway, Tyne and Wear Metro and Manchester Metrolink saw the biggest annual increases.

Edinburgh Trams carried 10 per cent more passengers than expected in its first full year and passenger revenue was 3 per cent ahead of target.

Passenger satisfaction was 95 per cent.

Trams make good economic sense and contribute real value to the cities they serve.

Nexus Please Says Raymond Johnstone, rail director at Nexus, ‘The growth in (Tyne and Wear) Metro passengers has been matched by growing revenue from ticket sales, which is good news because, whilst Nexus makes no profit from Metro, we also do not need to ask for a penny from local councils to support running costs in the year ahead. Metro remains the most affordable light rail network in the UK. We have kept prices low and this has helped to stimulate rising patronage.’

To cope with rising demand Nexus is investing £389 million in the modernisation of the Tyne and Wear Metro, including refurbished stations, bridges and trains.

Manchester Metrolink recently launched its 100th tram. ‘We’ve come a long way since 1992 when the first fleet of just 26 trams started running on the Bury-Altrincham lines,’ says Andrew Fender, chair of Transport for Greater Manchester. Bombardier and partner Vossloh-Kiepe manufacture the newstyle ‘M5000’ yellow and silver trams in Vienna.

The last old-school T68 model tram was retired last year, meaning the 100-strong fleet is now completely modernised. Flexity Shift trams, like the M5000, run in Cologne, Bonn, Rotterdam and Stockholm.

NET gain Nottingham’s NET tram system is the most popular with 96 per cent satisfaction - a big thumbs up to all staff involved. NET recorded an impressive 2.9 per cent increase in tram use in the city during the 2014/15 financial year.

Says Jamie Swift, NET Marketing Manager, ‘We are absolutely thrilled at these latest figures which reflect the growing popularity of the tram in Nottingham. This is the second year in a row that the total number of passenger journeys has increased

and, in response to growing demand, we have further improved service frequency to provide extra seats during busy times of the day. In fact there are now trams every three minutes during peak periods as customer numbers pass the eight million a year mark.’

The new Mango Smart card will make it easier still to use NET trams. The extension of services to Chilwell and Clifton will further expand what looks like remaining one of Britain’s most popular tram services.

Tram to Serve Work is pushing ahead on a new tram platform at Wimbledon this month.

The additional track and platforms will bring more trams and services for people along the busy route to Croydon. Around 12 trams an hour will run once the scheme is completed and help increase passenger services by 50 per cent. The scheme, part of TfL’s investment programme, will improve services and support the local economy as demand for the tram network grows.

Trams in Britain mark one of the rail industry’s most coherent triumphs.

The equation of frequent services using new, well presented rolling stock proves a winner with the public.

NEWS

July 2015 | RailStaff | 29

The UK Light Rail Conference 2015 returned to Nottingham last month for the second year running, reinforcing the message that light rail is good for business, towns and cities and the environment. Better investment in research will develop better track and electrification systems. Marc Johnson reports.

Paul Griffiths, metro programme director at West Midlands’ transport authority Centro, announced funding for seven projects as plans to progress the next stage of the Low Impact Light Rail research programme ramp up.

The initiatives will address

Griffiths. ‘It’s great to see the awareness of innovation growing in the industry, it’s great to see an innovation zone out there at the conference for the first time.’

Low Impact Light Rail is being funded by Innovate UK, with £3 million from its SBRI programme, and the Department for Transport (DfT).

Griffiths said the programme is aiming to reduce the whole-life cost of light rail to make it a more attractive proposition. It won’t, however, look at one of the most significant costs associated with a

Having launched the programme in 2013, the companies involved will now work to develop demonstrator systems to trial, potentially at Long Marston where Midland Metro’s retired T69 trams are now stored.

Says Geoff Inskip, chairman of UKTram, ‘This is a really exciting time for light rail in the UK. We are seeing the expansion of several of our light rail systems and light rail is now carrying nearly a quarter of a billion passengers in the UK each year.

‘These innovation projects will each improve the cost effectiveness of light rail and will assist in bringing

innovation in the wider areas of the industry including lightweight modular track, track welding solutions and the design of overhead line equipment.

‘Of course this is just one project to bring innovation to light rail and we can’t stop with this,’ said

new system - the rolling stock.

‘We felt that that was really outside our capability, to fund work on cheaper, lighter vehicles and also that was being done elsewhere,’ said Griffiths, referring to Future Railway’s Radical Train competition.

it to more of our towns and cities.

I look forward to seeing their development taken forward.’

This year’s two-day UK Light Rail Conference included presentations on international light rail projects in Utrecht, the Netherlands, and the Middle East.

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SAFETY FOCUS

30 | RailStaff | July 2015

SURELY WE CAN’T JUSTIFY GOING ON

USING LOOKOUTS ON TRACK? SAFETY Colin Wheeler colin@rail-media.com

I still have memories of my first day on the shovel as a track worker in Leeds working for the West Riding District Civil Engineer. My briefing was a few minutes in the office followed by an unscripted but focussed talk by a Permanent Way Inspector.

Then I was allocated to a gang and put in the charge of an experienced trackman. His advice was look out for yourself, and remember if you get hit by a train you are more likely the get killed than injured. My personal safety motivation was high!

37 track-workers hit by trains Maybe the fatality statistics have altered but they are still shocking. Over the last ten years 37 workers have been struck by trains, 11 died as a result, 18 suffered major injuries and 9 minor injuries. The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) investigated 19 of these accidents and the remainder were the

concern of the Office of Rail Regulation.

Whilst trained and experienced lookouts do an excellent job and reassure track staff, I remain of the view that they should only be used on slow speed lightly trafficked lines. Whenever I talk to non-railway people about the continuing use of whistles, horns and multi-coloured flags I am met by disbelief.

1.25m

1.25m

Limit of position of safety

Ground surface profile

“A positive attitude to his work” The RAIB has released its report on the accident that happened at 1041 on 24th July last year on the main line between Brighton and London near Redhill. The 61 year old experienced team leader from Crawley was struck from behind on the Up Quarry Line by a passenger train travelling at 80 mph.

He had worked in the area since 1983 and had relatively recently been promoted to the post of Section Supervisor so he was familiar with the location. Management described him as “competent, highly experienced and having a positive attitude towards his work.”

22, 25 or 30 seconds warning?

An ultrasonic rail testing team had

Redhill: Image from the train’s forward facing CCTV, immediately before the accident, showing the section supervisor walking along the side of the line, the members of the gang sitting down on the embankment, and the site lookout on the extreme right of the picture.

Redhill: Location of accident, showing ground profile. identified a number of rolling contact fatigue cracks which required the defects to be physically clamped until the rails were replaced. Consequently the Section Supervisor asked the Planner to draft a Safe System of Work for the rail clamping to be carried out the following day using lookout protection. This was done. Such plans should be issued at least one shift before the work starts and ideally 7 days beforehand. The railway is electrified with two conductor rails for the 750 volt DC supply both located in the six-foot between the tracks.

The Controller of Site Safety (COSS) appointed three lookouts, one to be on site, another as distant lookout 550 metres to the north and the third a distant lookout 450 metres to the south. This was to provide 30 seconds warning of approaching trains so that the team members could down tools and reach the designated place of safety ten seconds before the train passed.

The distant lookouts used flags and horns to warn the site lookout when trains approached. The investigation found that the actual time available to clear the tracks was between 22 and 25 seconds.

16 trains went past in 40 minutes Two thirds of the track maintenance

work in the area is done whilst trains are running. The alternative due to the intensity of the train services, is to use line blockages between midnight and 4 am giving just three hours of effective working time per night.

The ultrasonically detected cracks were type 2B requiring clamping within 7 days or the imposition of 20 mph TSR’s (Temporary Speed Restrictions).

On June 24th the Section Supervisor led a team of 11 fitting the emergency clamp plates. The team leader, COSS and three of the team were Network Rail employees the rest were from Keltbray.

They were working on the top of the 10 metres high embankment with a track speed limit of 90 mph. After around 40 minutes they had finished fitting the clamp plates despite the fact that no fewer than 16 trains had passed them during that time. The team leader then began measuring up the rail lengths needed for the replacement of the defective rails.

The lookouts gave warning of an approaching southbound train. Then before the COSS had time to give permission for anyone to go back on track, the lookouts gave warning of an approaching northbound train. The team leader was walking alongside the Up line with his back to traffic and he was struck on the right side of his shoulder and thrown down the

SAFETY FOCUS

July 2015 | RailStaff | 31

Redhill: The accident site, showing the relative positions of the people involved.

(NOT TO SCALE).

experienced gang member who was chosen to be my first mentor.

Now we have refined and honed instructions and procedures that I assume are drafted to satisfy the lawyers. In many cases these have encouraged people working on track to put aside these rules, and instead they listen to their workmates who tell them they have found a “better” (in other words easier) way of doing the job.

Safety or getting it done? embankment by the Class 442 5-car EMU.

“Weak safety culture” Team members gave first aid and called for an ambulance. The injured man was airlifted by helicopter to hospital but “suffered life changing injuries”. The RAIB report says that he was unaware of the imminent danger and the designated place of safety was inadequate since there was no level place to stand.

It suggests that there was a “weak safety culture” at Three Bridges depot, before adding that since the accident local management has reviewed the location and prohibited working whilst trains are running between 19 miles 60 chains and 20 miles 62 chains.

The RAIB report also points out that the presence of a trained first aider in the gang was purely fortuitous, as was the fact that the power had been switched off before the air ambulance helicopter landed on track without Network Rail’s permission being either sought or granted.

Circuit breakers had twice been re-set The RAIB has also reported on another near fatal accident that occurred at Sutton Weaver in Cheshire on Tuesday 24th September last year. The overhead line electrification (OLE) in the area is 25Kv but of the 1962 Mark 1 design with a compound catenary system using three wires.

At around dusk with light drizzle falling, the Virgin train driver stopped his train after seeing damaged OLE. He called the signaller before getting out of his cab to inspect more closely.

He then went close to the low hanging live wire. The severed end was live. He

suffered “severe burns to the right-hand side of his body, broken ribs, a broken collar bone and a head wound thought to have occurred when he fell and hit his head against a rail.” Virgin Trains advised the RAIB that he is making a good recovery.

Two earlier trains had come into contact with the hanging wire and each time the circuit breakers had tripped the power supply. The Electrical Control Operators had then followed their procedures and reset the circuit breakers to make the OLE live again.

At Redhill there was clearly high motivation to get the faulty rails clamped and replaced. This is reflected in the priority assigned to getting the job done, resulting in the planner meeting local supervisory needs by hastily getting together a Work Package Plan.

RAIB found that there was a “weak safety culture” at Three Bridges Depot.

Management praised their Section Supervisor as “competent, highly experienced and having a positive

attitude towards his work.” They made no mention of their own or his dedication to working safely. Did this reflect their management priorities at the time?

Phase out Lookouts starting now!

Last month I emphasised the fact that people make mistakes. With 37 track-workers having been hit by trains surely we must begin the process of phasing out the use of lookouts?

Logically higher speed and the most heavily used routes should take priority. If the Office of Rail Regulation began by banning working with lookouts on track where speeds of over 90 mph are permitted that would be a good start.

At Redhill two thirds of the maintenance work was being carried out whilst trains were running (maybe it still is?). But surely with 16 trains passing in just 40 minutes their working is not only unsafe but inefficient too?

Recommendations The RAIB investigation found that the wire had severed due to some of its strands breaking by fatigue fracturing.

Their recommendations focus on what needs to be done when the OLE is known to be damaged but may still be live.

The Rail Safety and Standards Board is required to undertake a review of the current situation and recommend the actions needed by drivers if train crew are to leave their train. Network Rail are mandated to extend the scope of their detailed OLE examinations when inspecting for wire damage especially in high wire stress areas of attachment support.

1 Unit 3 Waltham Park Way, Walthamstow, London E17 5DU

T: 0208 527 5888 2

3

1. MultiBand Insert Rail Wallet 2. COSS / Engineering Supervisor Insert

4

5

3. COSS / First Aider Insert 4. COSS / Machine Controller / Crane Controller Insert

A safer better way I began with my memories of what would now be referred to as safety briefings. One of the good things about them was that they were unscripted.

The West Riding Divisional staff including the Chief Permanent Way Inspector knew the Rules and the reasons for them. They cared for and accepted their personal and individual responsibilities for the track safety of their staff. This extended down to the

www.spartansafety.co.uk post@spartansafety.co.uk

6

7

5. COSS / Site Warden Insert 6. COSS/Machine Controller Insert 7. Sire Warden / First Aider Insert

8

9

8. COSS / Crane Controller Insert 9. MultiBand Insert Holder

NEWS

32 | RailStaff | July 2015

Neil Harvey - Rail Ambassador RIP Neil Harvey, widely respected PR legend and general manager of the Derby and Derbyshire Rail Forum (DDRF) died suddenly at work on 6 July. He is believed to have suffered a heart attack at his desk. He was aged 62.

Known for his Pythonesque sense of humour and ability to create and maintain friendships globally, he remained a deeply committed champion of the rail industry. His capacious knowledge of the railway was always available to friends and colleagues alike.

Neil was previously communications director of Bombardier Transportation between 1999 and 2012.

Born and bred in Derbyshire, Neil attended Ecclesbourne School. Subsequent knowledge of the railway and its secrets was picked up first hand

by Neil, who joined the industry as an apprentice at Derby Carriage and Wagon Works at Litchurch Lane.

The works had undergone significant change under British Rail Engineering Ltd. Neil proved a mainstay of shrewdness and support to his co-workers.

Despite the vicissitudes of rolling stock manufacturing, Neil Harvey rose through the ranks and became a valued part of the PR set up. Unsurprisingly to many who knew him, he proved a highly effective

ambassador for train building in Derby. Deservedly, he was promoted to director of communications by a grateful Bombardier. On leaving Bombardier, he ran his own PR consultancy and then joined the DDRF. Characteristically, the DDRF enjoyed a subsequent rise in its fortunes with increased membership and a more powerful impact on the transport, political and economic scene. Derby now apparently has the largest cluster of rail-related businesses in Europe.

A committed family man, he took a deep pride in his two sons, Mark and Ben. Last year, Neil married Lisa Higginbottom, former mayor of Derby.

Says Colin Walton, former head of Bombardier and chair of DDRF, ‘Neil has been my friend and colleague for almost 40 years.’

He went on, ‘Our thoughts are with his family, especially Neil’s adored wife Lisa and his two sons Mark and Ben, in whom he took the very greatest pride.’

Says former colleague Heidi Lee, communications manager at ESG, ‘I am personally heartbroken by this news. Neil was my mentor, friend and colleague and a huge hole will be left in my life by his departure.’

Chris Green, former ScotRail head and Virgin Trains supremo, spoke for many when he said, ‘Neil was a great ambassador for Bombardier - and went on to become the perfect ambassador for the rail industry.

He did great work for so many of us, and will be sorely missed.

‘I last saw Neil at a PR event in London which involved a visit to the comic musical Spamalot,’ adds RailStaff editor, Andy Milne. ‘Somehow it seems so typical of the man that my immediate memories of Neil are of him chortling at a series of Monty Python sketches which he seemed to know by heart. Laughter is great medicine and the world will seem a quieter place without him. Rest in peace.’

Remembering Nicholas Winton ‘Britain’s Schindler’ A statue of an Englishman, an unlikely rail hero, stands at Prague’s main station. The statue in fact features three people: a man, a toddler in his ams and a girl walking alongside. Two of the three appear to be looking at the railway lines, waiting for a train that would take them away from the coming holocaust to freedom in Britain.

The man, Nicholas Winton, died earlier this month aged 106. Thanks to his efforts, 669 Jewish children were evacuated from Prague on special children’s trains, Kindertransport, in the last few months leading up to World War 2.

After the French and British cave-in to Hitler at Munich in September 1938, German troops crossed the Czechoslovak border on 1 October and occupied the largely German-speaking Sudetenland.

Thousands of Czechs fled to Prague. Persecution of Jews in Germany was getting worse.

Efforts to free dissidents were stepped up.

Nicholas Winton was born in London to parents of Jewish descent but was baptised as a baby. After attending Stowe School, he trained as an accountant and as a young man worked in banking in Berlin and Paris. By 1938, he was back in London, working on the Stock Exchange and preparing for a winter’s holiday skiing in Germany.

However, a friend, Martin Blake, had decided to help and described the plight of the refugees and how difficult it was to get people out. Winton’s reaction was unusual.

‘What about the children,’ he said. A few weeks later, Winton arrived in Prague - without his skis - and rented a room in a hotel on Wenceslaus Square. From here, he set about negotiating the safe passage of hundreds of children to Britain.

German troops occupied the city in March but Winton pressed on. Children were despatched on special trains with the requisite paper work and a place guaranteed with a family in England. The last train was scheduled to leave on 3 September but by then Britain was at war with Germany following Hitler’s invasion of Poland. The borders were sealed and the children later perished.

Winton said nothing about his actions that summer.

The whole affair might have remained forgotten had his wife not unearthed a scrapbook in the couple’s attic.

She persuaded him to have the story documented and eventually it was picked up by Elisabeth Maxwell, a holocaust survivor and wife of press baron, Robert

Maxwell - himself a Czech. The press ran the story and Winton was eventually featured on television’s ‘That’s Life’ show. When Esther Ranzen asked anyone present who owed their life to Nicholas Winton to stand up; he was considerably taken aback when everyone sitting around him did so.

Nicholas Winton served as an ambulance driver and later an RAF officer during the war. He retired in 1967 after a successful career running a confectionery business. Awarded a knighthood, he was also honoured with the Order of the White Lion, the Czech Republic’s highest honour, last year.

A statue commemorating the 10,000 children thought to have been saved by the Kindertransport is a popular sight at London’s Liverpool Street station.

Winton’s wife Grete died in 1999. He is survived by his daughter Barbara.

10th October Ricoh Arena Coventry

www.railstaffawards.com

This year’s theme for the RailStaff Awards is Out of Africa, the magic and mystery of a continent that holds a central place in the affections of all who visit her.

Fancy dress is encouraged at the RailStaff Awards and Africa, as a theme, gives all guests plenty of inspiration.

Africa spans a multiplicity of cultures and some of the most exotic wildlife in the world. It’s a drama without parallel, from the bazaars of Morocco to the vineyards of Cape Province and the green highlands of Ethiopia. Contrasts range from the sweeping sands of the Sahara to the Valley of the Kings in Egypt and the lions, giraffes, zebras and elephants of the Masai Mara.

The original novel, Out of Africa, by Karen Blixen told of a young Danish woman married to a feckless aristocrat trying to build up a farm in what became Kenya and is largely autobiographical. The book was later made into an award-winning film starring Robert Redford and Meryl Streep.

Everyone’s Story Blixen inspired generations of writers when she asked two friends - in an early scene in the film - to tell her the first line of a story and she’d take it from there. She made it up on the spot. Her point was you could tell a story about anything or anybody. Art

is not something sacred and unobtainable but the music of the forest, the stories we tell our children, the wisecracks down the pub and the beauty inherent in people’s actions. Blixen understood this. Her books remain a delight - most are still available in paperback.

Out of Africa begins with the line, ‘I had a farm in Africa at the foot of the Ngong hills…’ What was she doing there - a Dane in Kenya in 1913, and where are the Ngong Hills? The answer is bound up with everyone’s story.

‘The last winter before the war I set out to go skiing but ended up in Prague.’

‘My sister flew over from Roscommon saying she had important news.’

‘I was standing on the touchline watching my young son play Rugby when..’

The everyday drama, efforts and crises of ordinary men and women in the rail industry are no less important than the great showbiz and political showdowns that colour magazines and news broadcasts. The difference is at the RailStaff Awards we are aiming to draw attention to the heroism and hard work of the thousands of men and women who make up the rail industry.

Coventry Savannah Nominations for the RailStaff Awards are open now with helpful notes to guide you through the whole safari. This is a chance to say thank you for all you’ve done, to praise the ingenuity and dedication so many colleagues think is just part of doing the job. A

distinction of many in the railway industry is that they go far beyond the parameters of the job description.

The RailStaff Awards is a big party and with its Africa theme will be bigger and better than ever. Staged at the Ricoh Arena, this year the RailStaff Awards looks like having its own railway station. That said, there will be plenty of free parking for motorists intent on negotiating the puzzling savannah of Coventry’s ring roads.

The Out of Africa-themed RailStaff Awards will feature plenty of action, entertainment and an allnight casino. Bars and lounges offer plenty of time to catch up with friends and dance the night away. The four-course dinner will be extra special. A later book

by Karen Blixen, ‘Babette’s Feast,’ which tells the tale of a chef who wins the lottery and prepares a gigantic feast for friends, will doubtless be factored into the catering arrangements.

Tropical Powerhouse The RailStaff Awards is an affirmation of all that is brightest and best in the railway industry. To go to Coventry is to witness the rail dynamo in action, the tropical powerhouse behind the UK’s economic resurgence.

Towards the end of the story, Out of Africa, Robert Redford offers to fly Meryl Streep to the port at Mombassa but, distressingly, Mr Redford crashes the aircraft - clearly less at ease in the sky than on a horse.

Karen Blixen much more sensibly takes the train…

Nominations for the RailStaff Awards 2015 are open now: www.railstaffawards.com

RAILSTAFF AWARDS 2015

34 | RailStaff | July 2015

TALKING SAVES LIVES

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RAILSTAFF AWARDS 2015

July 2015 | RailStaff | 35

telent backs Graduate of the Year Top communications technology company telent is backing the Graduate of the Year award at the RailStaff Awards 2015.

With strong industry-wide momentum to recruit young people from colleges and universities, this award has become increasingly popular with employers, graduates and railway staff alike.

Every time we pick up a phone, crew or drive a train, chances are we are using communications infrastructure and technology supplied or maintained by telent. The company can trace its origins right back to the Wireless Telegraph & Signal Company, created by Guglielmo Marconi - the man credited with laying the basis for all future radio technology.

In railways, telent has long been driving forward new telecommunications technologies working with Transport for London (TfL), Network Rail, leading train operators and infrastructure companies.

The Digital Railway Says managing director Steve Pears, ‘The digital railway is here now and we are taking this ambition from aspiration to reality.

‘Like telecommunications, the rail industry has a growing appetite for motivated graduates intent on building a career in railways. We are determined to encourage and support young people applying their education and ingenuity to the challenges that lie ahead.’

Currently, telent is pioneering two new technologies vital to the development of the digital railway. Their new PRAESUM traction

power SCADA system is being adopted

by Network Rail. The new control system allows Network Rail greater flexibility of control and integration.

Graduate of the year 2014, Antoine Mailfert from East Coast

Next generation of graduates MICA, the Management Integration and Control of Assets system (their station management platform), uses interchangeable drivers with standard interfaces to manage new assets, legacy systems and other building applications. Over 100 London Underground and national rail stations use MICA. Says Paul Curtis, business development manager, Rail Media, ‘Technologies that will be in use by the digital railway of the future are being rolled out by telent today. Better still telent is actively recruiting the next generation of graduates who will help drive this forward.

‘Every year, telent takes on graduates and it is a very flat, dynamic, company in terms of management levels so people can rise very quickly. This year’s graduates will be given responsibility and soon be managing projects whilst receiving continuing support and development. We welcome telent to the RailStaff Awards. It is hugely appropriate that telent is backing the Graduate of the Year award.’

From the north of Scotland to the London Underground, High Speed 1 and Network Rail’s 2,500 mast GSM-R system, telent is involved at every level of the technological rail revolution sweeping Europe’s fasted-growing railway.

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RAILSTAFF AWARDS 2015

36 | RailStaff | July 2015

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RAILSTAFF AWARDS 2015

July 2015 | RailStaff | 37

NCB backs Project Manager of the Year Network Certification Body, NCB, is sponsoring the Project Manager of the Year award at the RailStaff Awards 2015.

Since it was established three years go, NCB has gone from strength to strength to become a valued part of the new rail industry.

NCB is increasingly recognised and sought out by rail companies relieved to be dealing with the industry’s own rail conformity and assessment service.

NCB has a solid railway background and understands the complex world of rail legislation. This unrivalled knowledge and expertise can be brought in to help all rail-based projects.

Advice and solutions are effective, efficient and customer-focused covering three main sectors - rail vehicle and plant, rail infrastructure and rail freight.

Says Rail Media’s managing director, Tom O’Connor, ‘We are delighted to welcome NCB to the RailStaff Awards 2015.

‘With new projects dominating the busy railway landscape, an organisation which uses rail industry experts to provide full-service certification is a great boost for the railway. Project managers are a confident and hard working cadre, these men and women are the can-do pioneers that guide the Orange Army.’

NCB has full accreditation as a Notified Body (NoBo), Designated Body (DeBo) and an Assessment Body (AB) authorised to assess rail safety and conformity to all British and European technical standards and legislation.

Railway safety and legislative compliance is of concern to everyone

Project Manager of the year 2014: Paul Devoy from Network Rail

in the industry. NCB was created to be a new type of player in the conformance certification market. NCB is not driven by profit but by commitment to safety and excellence. NCB is adding longlasting value and high standards to the rail industry by: • Employing exceptional engineers experts in their field • Providing a full-service certification which is efficient and safe • Encouraging new innovative companies to enter the rail sector • Influencing rail regulators, policy makers and stakeholders to improve safety and standards.

Says Jo Nelson at NCB, ‘Many of the project managers we partner reflect our four core values of honesty, dedication, service and courage.

‘We believe they deserve greater recognition for what they do. All of us at NCB wish Project Manager of the Year nominees every success both at the RailStaff Awards this year and in their continuing careers. Their contribution is of inestimable value to colleagues and the wider public.’

RAILSTAFF AWARDS 2015

38 | RailStaff | July 2015

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PRIDE OF NATION Do you know someone who has gone the extra mile?

join us for the Rail Industry

event of the year

In their job? In your job? For the business? Personally? For charity?

Then nominate them today…

Get them the recognition they deserve in the national RailStaff Awards, plus each category winner receives £1,000!

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NOMINATIONS CLOSE: 31ST AUGUST 2015

PUBLIC VOTE CLOSES: 5TH SEPTEMBER 2015

FEATURE

July 2015 | RailStaff | 39

IT’S A PEOPLE BUSINESS Labour supply agencies are working together - there’s something not quite right about that statement. But under Network Rail’s new structure for contingent labour, that’s exactly what’s happening.

London Underground track renewals programme and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link.

Safety critical

For the past couple of months, Network Rail has gone from 57 contingent labour suppliers to just four core companies and 16 specialist agencies - four in each region. The logic is that it will improve safety, create more opportunities for the workforce to develop and that by committing to just a handful of companies, the supply chain is given more financial security.

They know where the next order is coming from.

Given the challenges Network Rail will face getting back to timetable in CP5, anything that can help develop the workforce, and quickly, is a good thing.

RailStaff spoke with Paul Crompton, managing director of one of the core suppliers - Ganymede, about how he thinks the shake-up of contingent labour will benefit his business and the industry at large.

Creating a workforce Ganymede, a subsidiary of RTC Group specialising in the supply of blue collar workers, won the contract for the Western and Wessex regions, Wales and the LNE North. This equates to, on average, around 300 to 400 people being deployed onto Network Rail infrastructure every day. To meet this demand Ganymede is having to expand - the recruiter is having to recruit for itself.

The company has already opened new offices in Doncaster and Portsmouth.

Says Paul, ‘Because we’re a core supplier in these regions, we can then know that all the work that the delivery units (DU) are doing in each of regions will be offered to us, so we are now aiming to work with the DUs to try and look, rather than one or two weeks, try and look 12 weeks in front, a year in front, and just see what work is coming.’

Having guaranteed business allows the four core suppliers, Ganymede

included, to invest in its training offering, something that is also part of the code of conduct that all of the suppliers have had to sign up to.

As part of its tender, Ganymede included proposals to establish an apprenticeship programme. It hopes to create around 36 apprenticeships a year with help from one of its training partners, Arc Academy. It will allow suppliers to address specific regional skills shortages that exist on their patch.

This is the case in Plymouth, where Ganymede plans to launch an apprenticeship scheme in the next month or so. ‘There aren’t a hundred people in the area who are skilled railway workers for us to recruit, so we need to invest in training and developing some,’ said Paul.

For those already working in the industry, the new structure should create more opportunities to develop; it will treat people as people not as tools. It will de-commoditise the labour supply

process, Network Rail has said. For the agencies, it should mean that workers are more loyal. It’s a commitment that needs to be made from all sides to work.

Says Paul, ‘We’re at early days with that at the moment. We’ve done it in the past but we’ve never really formalised it. Now we’ve put down a structure of how we’re going to do it.

‘That’s the aim. To show them that, if you want to progress, you’re not going to be stuck on a shovel for five years, 10 years.’

He added, ‘We can offer them consistency of work, a career plan with training, along with transportation to work in brand new vehicles, so I think the investment we can put into it is a lot better for them. They’re not ringing round five different agencies trying to find shifts.’

Paul himself has been on the other side of things, having worked in engineering and management roles on the Heathrow Express project,

Within each region, there is also a secondary core supplier. This requires the core suppliers to communicate with each other in a way that hasn’t happened before, taking away, to an extent, the competitive edge that has existed in the past.

Network Rail Operations is the testbed for this new structure. If it seems to be working, it will likely be applied to Infrastructure Projects.

Part of the code of conduct that each of the suppliers has signed up to includes adopting Network Rail’s Lifesaving Rules; Safety is always the main priority. The use of agency staff in safety critical roles hasn’t always enjoyed a great reputation in the past. It is one of the reasons for the creation of the new Safe Work Leader role. On paper, better training and a localised workforce that knows the route should go some way to addressing this.

Ganymede is confronting one of the biggest safety risks for the industry, driving, by investing in a brand new fleet of 150 vehicles which include speed restrictors and fatigue monitoring technology.

Around the same time the framework contracts were published, Network Rail announced that Sentinel was to replace London Underground’s LUCAS, addressing another significant safety challenge.

‘It is a big change, but it’s a good change,’ said Paul, as it will allow agencies like Ganymede to manage their workforce better, particularly around working hours and fatigue.

Addressing the reforms as a whole, Paul added, ’I think it will change and the four of us are committed to Network Rail, and we’ve put in quite a lot of initiatives to try and engage with the workforce more.’ www.ganymedesolutions.co.uk t. 0333 011 2048

FEATURE

40 | RailStaff | July 2015

Life of a

RAILWAYMAN There’s something that is both wholly impressive and utterly petrifying about seeing an 82-year-old boilersmith scramble up into the cab of a steam locomotive. Gordon Reed, one of the longest-serving volunteers at the National Railway Museum (NRM) in York, is a railwayman of a different vintage.

Reed began his career in 1948 as a 16-year-old apprentice at the locomotive works in Darlington while steam was still king. The train mentioned before was the LNER Class A4 4468 Mallard, which currently sits at the centre of NRM’s Great Hall.

Gordon was climbing on board to show off the best photo opportunity.

He dived feet first into the firebox, drawing the attention of a perplexed security guard.

Everyone at NRM knows Gordon.

He’s been working on the railway in some capacity for almost 70 years.

In 2014, he was presented with the Lifetime Achievement honour at the annual RailStaff Awards celebration in Coventry. His vast experience as a boilersmith has contributed heavily to

the restoration of the Rocket, Mallard, Duchess of Hamilton and City of Truro the first British steam locomotive to top 100 mph - among others.

It’s a culture ‘I’ve had a fair amount of big-headed publicity,’ said Gordon, sitting in the museum’s cafe, complete with flat cap.

Gordon began his career as a boilersmith in the same year the big four were nationalised and became British Rail. It was just three years since the Second World War ended and the country was still recovering.

‘It’s a culture, I had to learn it,’ said Gordon. ‘I’d gone to a grammar school at Newcastle so I wasn’t streetwise, but there was a boilersmith who looked after me called Billy Golightly and I’ve always remembered him.

‘He kept an eye on me because like a lot of young of men some of them were streetwise before they got in the works.

But within six months, don’t worry, I knew as much as they did.’

Met on the turntable Between 1954 and 1956, Gordon served on a military railway, living a ’Sergeant Bilko existence’ as he put it.

‘Then I came back and in a moment of madness, I went down to an engine shed in Bishop Auckland - a nice little town. That’s where the Bishop of Durham lives - he’s lived there for hundreds and hundreds of years - and that’s where I met my sweetheart. We met on the turntable.’

Gordon’s sweetheart, Joyce, worked in the office. Her dad was a driver and she also had two brothers on the railway - one was a fireman and the other was a shunter.

‘One day, the shed master said to the chief clerk, ‘send Joyce out to find the boilersmith, Gordon Reed’ and the chief clerk said ‘I’ll go and get him’ and he said ‘no she’s got to learn.’

Apron strings people Gordon and Joyce married and moved to Darlington. The end of steam meant the end of Bishop Auckland as a railway town and the end of Gordon’s career as a boilersmith. As a result, Gordon moved into track welding, attending night classes to complete his training, and went onto the LNER. ‘It was a relatively easy transition,’ said Gordon. Reflecting on his time in Leeds, Gordon added, ‘It wasn’t

a railway for Namby Pamby, apron strings people, the LNER. You had to be prepared to move about and leave your mam and your dad. ‘...I was really busy on the permanent way. I worked virtually every weekend.

My wife has a diary and she’ll open it and she’ll see I’ve gone six, seven, eight weeks, Saturday nights, Sunday night, working nights on the track.’

Rail gene Gordon eventually rose through the ranks to become the chief welding inspector for BR’s Eastern Region and then the welding engineer for East Coast Intercity. He eventually retired in 1994 but returned to BR a year later as a consultant. The rail gene appears to have been passed down, as Gordon’s son works for Northern Rail as a deputy chief controller.

In the 1980s, with a desire to return to steam engines, Gordon began volunteering at the museum. For Gordon, the workshop at York is home; it’s a connection to a long-gone era for the railway. A time when climbing into the cab of a steam engine didn’t result in a light grilling from security guards and panicked looks from PR people.

Play your part in railway history Here at the National Railway Museum we are very proud to be recognised as the world’s leading railway museum and the most visited museum outside London with over 800,000 visitors each year.

Our visitors come from all over the world because they are fascinated by our collections and the story they represent.

As a national charity, we rely on the support of people young and old to preserve and care for our collections now and for the generations to come.

One way of supporting our work is to leave a gift to the National Railway Museum in your Will. A legacy gift of any size really does make a huge difference to our work and the future of the Museum.

As a Railway Magazine reader, we know that you care as much about our railway heritage as we do, so if and when the time is right for you to include a legacy in your Will, please remember us.

The National Railway Museum Development Team • Leeman Road • York • YO26 4XJ • 01904 686 285

FREIGHT FOCUS

42 | RailStaff | July 2015

Fair Deal for Rail Freight As an industry, we know that rail freight has excellent economic, social and environmental credentials with far lower adverse impacts on UK PLC and society than HGVs. Philippa Edmunds, Freight on Rail manager, reports.

Rail freight is worth £1.6 billion per annum to UK PLC and as Claire Perry, the Rail Minister, said this month ‘rail freight is a real success story’.

But it is not generally acknowledged that the lack of a level playing field between the two modes - road and rail - is a key reason why it is so difficult for rail to compete with HGVs, especially in consumer markets. So Campaign for Better Transport carried out research, using existing government criteria, to investigate this market distortion.

Subsidy The analysis found that HGVs receive a subsidy of around £6.5 billion per annum and pay less than a third of the costs associated with their activities, in terms of road congestion, road collisions, road damage and pollution which have to be picked up by the taxpayer instead.

These conclusions are in line with an MDS Transmodal study in 2007 which found a very similar amount of underpayment: £6 billion.

Although the financial framework for rail and road are different, it is generally

accepted that in both cases, revenues from moving people - in fuel duty, VED and fares - are to some extent used to support the movement of goods.

However, the fact that HGVs receive almost ten times more subsidy per tonne carried than rail, explains why competing with HGVs is such a challenge.

Furthermore, this research also highlights that in areas such as congestion, air pollution, infrastructure maintenance and accidents costs, once all these factors are recalculated using updated values, the likelihood is that the real subsidy to HGVs will be even greater than this research shows.

The reasons for reviewing these

values are as follows: • As road damage from the heaviest lorries is estimated to be 160,000 times higher than for a typical car, infrastructure damage is being underestimated. Roads have to be built to a higher specification to cater for HGVs. • The cost of road collisions involving HGVs are undervalued as HGVs are now six times more likely than cars to be involved in fatal accidents on local roads.

• Congestion is not properly measured as government analysis uses undervalued and outdated figures to calculate the cost of delays imposed on others.

• There is a pressing need to review air pollution impacts especially relating to nitrogen dioxide and particulates despite EU engine improvements.

A compelling case Freight on Rail believes that the government needs to be transparent so that the level of subsidy is acknowledged and mechanisms can be used to correct these distortions.

The scale of subsidy to HGVs makes a compelling case for equivalently supporting sustainable freight modes, which impose much lower costs on society and the economy.

The government’s mode shift grants are designed to recognise the wider advantages of rail but currently support

less than 15 per cent of rail traffic.

A long-term, stable, affordable charging regime which enables direct competition with road freight would allow rail freight to compete more fairly with HGVs. On-going investment in the Strategic Rail Freight Network and other key routes to enhance capacity and capability for more diversionary routes would add resilience to the network to make the rail freight offering more viable.

Continued and expanded rail freight grants, which are awarded in recognition of the value of removing HGVs from our roads and are only paid for the actual containers removed from the road network, are fundamental to maintaining rail freight traffic.

Otherwise, the external costs, i.e. those that HGVs impose on others that are not included in their normal operating costs, will continue to be a huge problem to society and the economy.

Worryingly, as a result of the economic distortion caused by a lack of internalisation of HGV costs, not only is there poor economic efficiency but also scarce government resources could be misallocated as funding decisions are made on flawed premises. Currently road haulage is very competitive but not very efficient; almost 30 per cent of HGVs are driving around completely empty and almost half of HGVs are partially loaded either by weight or volume.

FREIGHT FOCUS

July 2015 | RailStaff | 43

Swanage takes on ballast Two-thousand-four-hundred tonnes of stone track ballast for the Swanage Railway’s link to Wareham was brought in by train earlier this summer thanks to help from Network Rail.

Trains delivered recycled ballast as part of major works to upgrade and improve a 500-metre-long embankment carrying the railway line between Furzebrook and Motala, ahead of the start of regular passenger trains along the line for the first time since 1972.

Says Swanage Railway Project Wareham director Mark Woolley, ‘We were delighted to work in partnership with Network Rail and bring in 2,400 tonnes of mostly recycled track ballast from Eastleigh by train rather than in 80 lorries on the roads of Dorset and Hampshire.’

Work includes the replacement of 1,700 sleepers with recycled and new wooden sleepers from sustainable forests. The three ballast trains were hauled by Class 70 diesel-electric locomotives from Colas Rail Freight - the first time the large 129-tonne American General Electric locomotives had visited Furzebrook.

‘We’ve been impressed by the professionalism and safety focus shown by the Swanage Railway team and we very much look forward to continuing our support,’ says Nick Elliott, Network Rail’s director responsible for logistics.

New Triumph for AV Dawson A new specialist-built steel store at A V Dawson’s rail-connected Teesside Hub has won an award.

The warehouse, which opened last February, provides a good base for steel components to be transported and stored in a heat and humidity controlled environment, ready for just-in-time delivery to the factory.

The award marks further progress for the north-east’s top multi-modal specialists, A V Dawson.

The company runs its own fleet of shunting locomotives, connecting various warehouses and quayside facilities including neighbouring goods

yards in Middlesbrough and Thornaby.

A V Dawson’s six-hectare rail hub, the Ayrton International Railhead, houses several rail-connected warehouses, a bottom discharge rail pit with supporting conveyor transfer system and a 100-tonne rail weighbridge, all just a few yards away from the main line.

Says Gary Dawson, managing director of AV Dawson, ‘This award is a welldeserved accolade to all the people and companies who were involved in the creation of this warehouse.

‘This building was a real combination of efforts between our local council, suppliers, our own site services team and our customer TATA Steel to ensure we were building something truly great and unique to this region – and this award has demonstrated our achievement of this goal.’

The warehouse will be entered into the LABC Grand Finals, which will take place in London, where winners from all 12 regions will compete for the national title.

Cut to the Chase A new rail freight terminal on the Chase Line in Staffordshire has been given the go-ahead by the local council.

The £18 million railhead being developed by logistics and freight company Pentalver will have a multimodal, road-rail interchange facility with rail-mounted gantry cranes, plenty of hard standing, new sidings and soundmitigation barriers.

Pentalver managing director Chris Lawrenson has welcomed the decision by Cannock Chase Council, ‘We’ve got to keep pace. There is a mega trend for switching from road to rail,’ he said. ‘This decision is right for Cannock and for the retail industry.’

Although there will not be a fall in the number of movements in and out of the site, this will cut down on HGV traffic along the A5 and the M6. The company currently trunks container traffic by road to and from south coast ports. The new terminal will significantly decrease the number of HGVs needed.

‘Initially the company plans to run six trains a day and aims to connect with Felixstowe, Southampton and Tilbury.

The site, north of Birmingham, between Landywood and Cannock stations, was previously rail connected.

FREIGHT FOCUS

44 | RailStaff | July 2015

Inquiry Call for Multimodal push in Scotland The Scottish Parliament’s Freight Transport Inquiry has backed several FTA recommendations designed to develop multimodal improvements around the country.

FTA will take forward, with the Scottish Government, the conclusions of the Scottish Parliament’s Freight Transport Inquiry that highlights the need for investment in the multimodal supply chain infrastructure in Scotland.

The Scottish Parliament’s Infrastructure and Capital Investment Committee Inquiry Report into Freight Transport in Scotland has picked up a number of policy recommendations and concerns that the FTA raised in both its written and its oral evidence to the committee’s inquiry.

Inquiry recommendations include

continued investment in rail freight corridors both within Scotland and cross-border to deep-sea haven ports in the UK - Scotland’s import and export gateways.

There should be better local road links to freight interchanges, ports and rail terminals. The mound of red tape needs to be addressed. The road network should be upgraded and legislation governing HGVs relaxed.

Track access charges for rail freight need looking at, recognising the powerful role of railways in the Scottish economy.

Says Chris MacRae, FTA’s head of policy for Scotland, ‘It’s particularly pleasing to see that the inquiry has picked up on our themes of investment across the different transport modes to help Scotland’s economy. The inquiry has also recognised specific policy obstacles that need to be addressed.’

FTA represents the transport interests of companies moving goods by road, rail, sea and air. FTA members operate over 220,000 goods vehicles - half the UK fleet - and consign more than 90 per cent of the freight moved by rail and 70 per cent of sea and air freight.

Radlett Cleared for Take Off Councillors in St Albans have once again faltered in their bid to stop the Radlett rail freight terminal going ahead.

© PHOTOS: MWMBWLS

The new rail freight terminal - to be built on the site of a disused aerodrome - will provide a much needed rail and road interchange in Hertfordshire. Radlett Aerodrome is a strategic jackpot lying near the Midland Main Line, the M25, M1 and A1.

Says Philippa Edmunds, Freight on Rail manager, ‘The country desperately

needs more road/rail transfer points so that more freight can be transferred to rail in order to reduce road collisions, road congestion, road damage and pollution. In particular, terminals like Radlett are required for consumer rail traffic in strategic locations beside good rail and road networks.’

Modal Shift for Peter Maybury Freightliner Group’s chairman, Peter Maybury, has announced his retirement.

Peter joined Freightliner in 1997.

Previously, he’d pioneered the automotive division at Railfreight Distribution, British Rail’s international freight arm.

Maybury worked for the Ford Motor Company for over 20 years. His initial

Arcapita, Peter was appointed group chief executive in 2009. Since his retirement in 2013, Peter has retained a strong support to the Freightliner Group and executive team through his position as chairman. He has also held the position of chairman of the Rail

role at Freightliner was to establish a port-based, customer-facing commercial organisation.

Peter subsequently became commercial director for the intermodal business before becoming managing director in 2005.

After the sale of Freightliner to

Delivery Group (RDG) Freight Group and has been influential in promoting rail freight across the UK. ‘I have enjoyed my time with Freightliner enormously, and I am delighted with the tremendous progress the company has made since privatisation.’

FREIGHT FOCUS

July 2015 | RailStaff | 45

Sence and Sensibility GB Railfreight (GBRf) and Aggregate Industries have together named locomotive number 66711 ‘Project Sence’ at a ceremony at Bardon Hill Quarry in Coalville, Leicestershire.

Earlier this year, GBRf signed a fiveyear deal with Aggregate Industries.

Says John Smith, managing director of GB Railfreight, ‘GB Railfreight is honoured to rededicate one of our

‘Project Sence’ is the project name given to the new extension to Bardon Hill Quarry. The source of the River Sence lies just to the north of the new quarry. This extension will secure the life of the quarry for the next 40 years, safeguarding onsite jobs and delivering construction materials for the UK. Rail lined Bardon Hill Quarry produces on average three million tonnes of crushed rock each year, with around one third distributed by rail.

GB Railfreight runs five flows a day, five days a week, taking the stone to handling sites in Sheffield and London.

locomotives to celebrate ‘Project Sence’ and the important role the extension of Bardon Hill Quarry will play in sustaining the future of quarrying in Leicestershire. It signifies

Local Belvoirdale Primary School pupils revealing the plaque

Rail services restored to Barrington Quarry Trains have returned to Barrington Quarry following the restoration of the Barrington Light Railway.

DB Schenker operated the first train of a new service it is running on behalf of building materials supplier CEMEX UK to the quarry earlier this month.

One 22-wagon train a day is currently leaving Willesden in North London laden with inert materials which will be used to fill the quarry.

the close working relationship we have with Aggregate Industries and is an important part of the growing aggregate operations we run across the UK.’

Each train is the equivalent of 75 lorry loads and the service will double in August to two trains daily.

In order to operate the service, CEMEX UK has had to restore the quarry’s link to the national network, the Barrington Light Railway.

Says Mark Grimshaw-Smith, head of rail freight at CEMEX UK, ‘It is fantastic to have been able to reinstate the Barrington Light Railway and see it in use again on this project.

‘The quarry can now be restored with minimal impact on the environment and to the local community.’

200 all out The 200th biomass wagon has been delivered to Drax - two years since the first entered service.

Designed by Lloyds Register Rail – now Ricardo Rail – and manufactured by WH Davis, the wagons are 30 per cent larger than anything else operating in the UK. Since going into service, the wagons have travelled more than 12 million miles between the Ports of Tyne, Hull and Immingham and Drax, and have transported around 4.5 million tonnes of sustainable biomass.

Drax ordered 200 wagons to support the switch to biomass, which the power station operator has described as the largest decarbonisation project in Europe.

Says Mark Jackson, managing director of WH Davis, ‘We’re proud of what we’ve achieved for Drax, providing UK-manufactured wagons which set the standard for wagon manufacture and enable Drax to receive volumes of biomass which would be impracticable by road.’

The wagons are maintained by Davis Wagon Services, a subsidiary of WH Davis.

FREIGHT FOCUS

46 | RailStaff | July 2015

THGIERF ROF YAWLIAR LATIGID A Written by Paul MacMahon Network Rail freight director

Britain has been at the heart of international trade for centuries.

Today, our rail freight industry is a critical enabler of this continued success story. Having grown by 80 per cent in the decades since privatisation, it now provides the transport backbone for £30 billion of goods each year.

It’s a strong record, but the industry recognises it can and must go further.

Only around one in four containers coming into our major ports continue their journey onwards by rail - yet we know every freight train used takes more than 30 lorries off our congested road network. And whilst the growth in global trade and domestic economic activity suggests a positive outlook for railfreight, we know that railfreight’s customer base is being driven by

intense global competition to increase efficiency and agility in every part of their supply chain.

Challenge In short, we need the capacity for more trains, better connections, and greater convenience for rail freight customers. The challenge, though, is how to create new opportunities to connect goods to markets when the rail network is already congested and competition for investment is intense.

Evidence is growing that the answer is digital. We know from international experience that replacing traditional lineside signalling - the biggest constraint on our network’s capacity - with its modern digital equivalent allows more trains to run

closer together safely. For example, the Australian Rail Track Corporation is preparing for a doubling of freight demand in a country that already transports £50 million of raw material every day through its Advanced Train Management System, with the potential to triple capacity on the existing network.

Early analysis exploring the case to adopt digital signalling and Traffic Management in the UK is showing promising results. Initial analysis on a key mixed traffic route suggests that digital train control could unlock up to 40 per cent more capacity through headway reduction, and improve the reliability of the railway by up to 35 per cent. And to further the case for change, the capital cost for meeting

FREIGHT FOCUS

July 2015 | RailStaff | 47

A DIGITAL RAILWAY FOR FREIGHT demand via a digital solution could be up to 35 per cent lower than via a more conventional means.

Planning flexibility These are promising findings. But more physical capacity for freight in future won’t help if it’s not also accompanied with the planning flexibility to make it available in the right place at the right time.

That’s why data is so important to achieving the benefits of a more digital railway. New digital tools that use better data about demand to drive smarter timetabling decisions will be needed to help position freight paths where our fast-moving economy needs them the most. This would be a big step from today, where

many freight paths are predicated on operating characteristics and technical parameters established in the 1970s.

The potential of modern datadriven, decision-support tools goes beyond timetabling. It will be crucial to strategic investment decisions in the years ahead.

Creating a “single version of the truth” about the capability and geography of the network and its assets - which is being delivered by Network Rail’s ORBIS programme, new options will be created to make more effective decisions that will unlock optimal train weights, lengths and axle weights.

All of us own part of the answer for how we meet the challenges for freight through a more digital railway. It’s

an agenda that will demand not just new technology, but business and behaviour change at terminals, in cab, on track and beyond.

That’s why Network Rail and its stakeholders in the public and private sectors are supporting a new initiative, the Digital Railway programme, to forge the whole-industry strategy needed to achieve it. Change won’t happen overnight, but important early analysis has given the initiative the green-light to start development of concrete reform proposals.

We’re looking forward to working with everyone in the freight industry to help ensure we seize the fantastic opportunity that this represents to support the GB economy in the years ahead.

FREIGHT FOCUS

48 | RailStaff | July 2015

Silver Lining for SMEs A new scheme to provide oneoff container hire could attract hundreds more firms to railways.

FreightArranger, the rail-focused intermodal brokerage, is introducing a container hire facility as part of its online services. This development will significantly widen the range and type of businesses able to use rail freight in their distribution chains.

Many smaller businesses would like to use rail freight but are prevented

from doing so because they do not have access to a container.

The development is being funded through a combination of grant and investment via CrowdCube.

Says Nick Radcliffe, MD of FreightArranger, ‘Being a cloudbased business, it seemed natural to raise investment through crowdfunding. Like all internet processes, it’s much faster than traditional methods, so the raise will be closing shortly.’

Railway for Foynes Port

Shannon Foynes Port Company (SFPC) has secured €3 million of European Union funding for the development of a new east jetty. Tim Casterton reports.

The award includes €800,000 to fund a detailed study to help build the business case to re-open the 25-kilometre long

Limerick to Foynes railway for freight traffic to and from the port.

The currently mothballed line hasn’t seen any commercial use for around 15 years with the last recorded train on the line being the weed spray train 13 years ago.

The announcement was made on 29 June in a list of awards made to potential projects as part of the

Freight Move by Strukton Rail Strukton Rail has taken on the freight sidings and industrial lines of Dutch Railways.

The new deal agreed between Strukton Rail and NS Spooraansluitingen cut in on 1 July, 2015.

The NSS operations will be continued under the name of Strukton Rail

Short Line. The company manages and maintains over 130 kilometres of track and 391 points at the industrial sites of around 100 companies in the Netherlands.

Dutch Railways has decided to divest itself of track connections between industrial sidings and the main railway network.

EU Infrastructure - Trans European Transport Network (TEN-T) Connecting Europe funding.

SFPC has repeatedly made clear that it sees the restoration of the railway as vital for the continued development of the port and the Shannon Estuary in general.

In recent months, the mothballed railway has seen activity with vegetation clearance taking place so

that the formation and 84 structures - bridges, level crossings etc - can be examined and tested for safety in a detailed study. The project is called Connecting International Sea Cargo to the Irish Rail Network (CISCIRN) and is a part of the ambitious SFPC Masterplan Vision 2041 that aims to boost the economic potential of the port and surrounding area.

FREIGHT FOCUS

July 2015 | RailStaff | 49

Summer Lift for Felixstowe To cope with increased use of rail freight at Felixstowe the mega-port has put up two new rail-mounted gantry cranes at its North Rail Terminal.

reliable and viable alternative to 17 destinations in the UK, helping to reduce road congestion and allowing customers to strip carbon out of their supply chains.’

The cranes were built by Leibherr and were part -paid for by the European Union Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) programme.

Return of Railway Parcels

The continuing rise of maritime container traffic means rail freight has a growing role to play in the inland transportation of ISO containers to and from Felixstowe.

Says Clemence Cheng, chief executive of Port of Felixstowe, ‘In 2014, we handled 890,000 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) at our three rail terminals on the 60 arrivals or departures we have every day.

‘Volumes by rail are continuing to grow and are now over 20 per cent higher than before we opened the North Rail Terminal in 2013.

‘The frequency of services we can offer makes rail a much more

Transport minister Claire Perry has suggested railway companies re-introduce station-to-station parcel services in partnership with professional courier firms.

New Dawn for Colliery Railhead The existence of an old railway line that once connected Daw Mill Colliery in North Warwickshire with the Nuneaton - Birmingham line could form the centrepiece of new freight and logistics park in the Midlands.

Property and regeneration company Harworth Estates has submitted plans to transform the 110-acre site of the old colliery, where coal mining ended in February 2013. Daw Mill sits in a rectangle of strategic highways in North Warwickshire, with HGV road access, good drainage and infrastructure, and an operational railhead.

Outline planning applications currently before North Warwickshire Borough Council emphasise retaining and reusing some of the existing colliery buildings and the railhead.

Rail-connected businesses will form a significant part of commercial land use, creating local jobs and business opportunities. Local people expressed concerns about increased use of roads

by HGVs.

Says Owen Michaelson, chief executive of Harworth Estates, ‘We’ve directly responded to the views of local people by reducing the size of the development by nearly two thirds from our original planning application.

‘We have always promised a viable employment-led scheme. ‘A number of rail-related occupiers have already expressed an interest in Daw Mill without the site being formally marketed, reflecting the lack of existing rail-connected space in the West Midlands.’ © PHOTOS: AMANDA SLATER

He went on, ‘Our plans for a lowdensity rail hub makes best use of Daw Mill’s assets - its railhead and its high power supply - while striking a balance between bringing employment back to the site and minimising disruption to the local community. We want to re-emphasise to local people that Daw Mill is not, nor will it ever be, promoted as a road-based distribution site.’

Daw Mill is near Arley, two miles north of the M6 and at the heart of the national rail network.

Speaking at the Institute of Civil Engineers, Perry cited the example of 5-PL Ltd and East Midland Trains which, between them, have been operating a trunk rail parcels service for two years on the Midland Main Line.

‘Passenger airlines can earn extra revenue by carrying goods, so if passenger trains have off-peak services with very few passengers, why should they not make use of available space to offer a parcel service?’ Claire Perry said.

Under the 5-PL system parcels are collected by a courier and loaded onto a train at Nottingham and then unloaded at St Pancras. The London courier then delivers the parcel. Doorto-door timings of four hours can be achieved - a big advantage over the road equivalent.

5-PL wants to expand its offering by doing a similar deal with First Great Western. Computer parts, last minute legal agreements, stage props and even false teeth have all been despatched on the secure passenger trains.

BR’s parcels operation - Red Star was an early casualty of privatisation.

The franchising system left little room for a third party commercial parcel service. Happily more pragmatic minds are at work now. The railway’s unique ability to move even small cargoes a long distance without getting caught up in road congestion will make railway parcels an attractive prospect for hardpressed courier companies, lawyers and the dentally challenged.

50 | RailStaff | July 2015

Written by David Shirres

BEIJING AND MOSCOW sign high speed partnership

Last month, the £235 million design contract for the Kazan highspeed line was let to a Chinese consortium in a deal signed at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum.

It has taken some time to firm up Russia’s plans for high-speed rail. In 2007, the Russian government ratified

Russian Railways (RZD) development strategy to 2030. This included 350 km/h high-speed lines from Moscow to St Petersburg (650km), Nizhny Novgorod (460 km) and Krasnoe (456 km), this last line being part of a high-speed link to Europe. Despite the recession, the three high-speed lines were very much on the agenda of the Russian Railway

Congress in December 2011. Then there was talk of these lines being completed in time for Russia’s hosting of the 2018 World Cup. Yet at the 2012 Russian Railways business forum in Sochi, it was announced that the St Petersburg high-speed line was postponed. RZD president Vladimir Yakunin advised that

Moscow 210 km 1 hr 45 min 180 km 55 min

Nizhny Novgorod

by VSM Moscow –Kazan

14 hr 7 min

3 hr 30 min

Moscow –Nizhny Novgorod

3 hr 55 min

1 hr 53 min

Nizhny Novgorod –Kazan

10 hr 32 min

1 hr 37 min

230 km 3 hr 51 min 130 km 34 min

Handsome investment

251 km 2 hr 10 min 230 km 58 min

Vladimir

- by existing infrastructure - by VSM

President Putin was concerned that it diverted resources away from the rest of Russia.

In April 2013, Putin held a high-speed rail conference that decided Russia’s first high-speed line would be from Moscow to Kazan via Nizhny Novgorod.

At the Sochi forum that year, Yakunin acknowledged that this was a political decision to promote the region’s development. He also noted that the Moscow to St Petersburg line already has fast Sapsan trains with an average speed of 180 km/h.

479 km 6 hr 41 min 230 km 1 hr 03 min

230 km 3 hr 51 min 130 km 34 min

Cheboksary Kazan

Moscow to Kazan High Speed Railway

At the following year’s Sochi forum, Yakunin acknowledged that many in Russia thought that the £19 billion required for the Moscow to Kazan high-speed line should be spent on more deserving projects. Hence, the line needed a strong business case.

This had benefitted from the experience of Japan, France and Germany that conclusively demonstrated high-speed rail to be a ‘very handsome investment for the state’. Although he could not give a completion date for the line, he was confident that it would be operational before the UK’s HS2.

Moscow - Beijing Ultra High-Speed Transport Corridor Russia 2,083 km

MOSCOW

Kazakhstan 1,717 km

China 3,969 km

YEKATERINBURG KAZAN ASTANA

EU

URUMQI

BEIJING

Moscow Kazan

Kazan Yekaterinburg

Yekaterinburg Astana

Astana Urumqi

Urumqi Beijing

Total

770

767

1328

1734

3170

7769

Current time (hrs) 12.5

13.9

23.5

31.5

49

130.4

HSR time (hrs)

3.5

8.3

6.2

11.3

32.8

Distance (km)

3.5

The new 770 km high-speed line will reduce the current 14-hour Moscow to Kazan journey time to three-and-a-half hours. It will have 15 stations, five of which are large cities - Moscow, Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod, Cheboksary and Kazan. It will connect a population of 25 million and carry an estimated 10.5 million passengers in its first year of operation.

On 19 June, the £235 million design contract for the Kazan line was let to a Chinese consortium in a deal signed at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum. China may be a late entry into the Russian high-speed rail market but it is now in a dominant position. This is certainly a blow to European companies, such as Siemens and Alstom. Unlike the Chinese, they have always had a significant presence at the Russian Railways business events at which they have signed large value infrastructure and rolling stock contracts.

Complex Political Situation At this year’s Sochi forum both Alstom and Siemens reaffirmed their interest in supplying RZD. Alstom’s vice-president, Didier Bohin, advised that, despite the complex political situation, his company was planning a long-term presence in

Russia. He announced that Alstom is setting up a Russian engineering centre to develop Russian-French train control systems for high-speed lines.

At the forum’s press conference, Vladimir Yakunin stressed that the contract had gone to the best company.

He noted that despite working closely with Russian Railways for 10 years, no French, German or Spanish company had submitted a bid for this contract.

To him this was an example of how the current political situation was harming European business interests. He felt that ‘Europe should not be self-isolated’.

Yakunin emphasised that the door remained open to European companies for further high-speed rail contracts. Yet speaking at St Petersburg two weeks later, he indicated that the Chinese consortium was also likely to win the £12.4 billion construction contract for the line. ‘Of course, the one who is participating in the planning has an advantage. This is obvious’. China’s position is further strengthened by its £3.3 billion investment in the Kazan line.

Moscow to Beijing China has a far greater involvement in RZD’s high-speed programme than the Kazan line. A high-level agreement

signed in October in the presence of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev last year promotes the development of a high-speed Moscow to Beijing Eurasian transport corridor of which the Moscow to Kazan line is a high-priority.

It also includes Russia’s potential use of Chinese high-speed rolling stock in Russia. China has been building 150 high-speed trains a year for its expanding high-speed network. It now needs an export market for these trains.

In his opening address to this year’s Sochi forum, Yakunin unveiled the initial proposal for a 7,769 km Moscow to Beijing high-speed corridor with a 33-hour journey time. Of this, 2,083 km will be in Russia, 1,717 km in Kazakhstan and 3,969 km in China.

This corridor would comprise of ultra high-speed sections from Moscow to Yekaterinburg and from Kazakhstan capital, Astana, to Beijing with a 200 km/h line between Yekaterinburg and Astana. The announced 2030 completion date is probably achievable given that China built its 10,000 km highspeed rail network in less than a decade.

Union in the East An estimated 195 million people would use this corridor each year.

As these lines will be an integral part of their respective railways it seems likely that the Kazakhstan/Chinese border will require a change from the 1520 mm Russian gauge to 1435 mm standard gauge. The high-speed trains on this corridor may thus have a gauge change capability.

Russian-Chinese economic cooperation is not just limited to highspeed rail. China is now part owner of Siberian oil fields. Last year, both countries inaugurated construction of a 3,968 km gas pipeline to China. There are also closer financial relationships.

It would seem that the current political situation is creating a powerful economic union in the east. From this perspective, Yakunin’s comment that ‘Europe should not be self-isolating’ is not just rhetoric.

Over the past few years, Russia’s plans for high-speed rail have been delayed and subject to change. With China’s recent involvement, work has now started to deliver the 770 km Kazan high-speed line before HS2 reaches Birmingham. It is also quite likely that there will be a highspeed corridor between Moscow and Beijing before HS2 reaches Manchester and Leeds.

FEATURE

CHANGE HERE

52 | RailStaff | July 2015

‘People are very open-minded about new things, as long as they’re exactly like the old ones,’ said American engineer and inventor Charles Kettering.

London Underground and it’s being delivered to prepare staff for one of the biggest operational changes in the Underground’s 150-year history: the closure of all ticket offices.

Kettering is probably best known for inventing the key-operated car ignition but he was also heavily involved in railways, contributing research that pioneered innovations in the production of diesel locomotives.

Although Charles Kettering died over half a century ago, the statement is true of the modern rail industry.

In a drab building overlooking the District line platforms at West Kensington station in central London, a change is taking place; not with the building itself - although from the outside it could sorely use a makeover but for the people inside.

London Underground staff from across the network have been coming to the site since January to complete a five-day training course.

It is the largest training programme of its kind ever carried out within

‘Change programme’ RailStaff was invited to meet the team delivering the programme and some of those taking part.

The fate of the LU ticket office was finally made public at the end of 2013.

The number of journeys starting at the ticket office was falling, said LU, and the rise in smart cards, better ticket machines and contactless payment, which is growing in popularity quicker than even LU’s most optimistic estimations, was making them obsolete. They are now gradually being closed to become control rooms, shops and in some cases, are being demolished to make more room.

But convincing people about the benefits of closing ticket offices has been challenging for LU. Within LU, the process is called the ‘change programme’. The vision is

to move ticket office staff onto the platform where they can engage with passengers. Hundreds of station staff faced an uncertain future and so, understandably, the proposals were treated with suspicion and the unions naturally challenged. What followed was more than a hundred meetings between the two organisations. As a result, LU said there would be no compulsory redundancies.

‘This is the biggest operational change to hit the Underground for a generation,’ says Xavier Brice, who is leading the change programme.

‘We’ve now got around a quarter of the network operating without a ticket office.

‘We’ve got King’s Cross St Pancras operating without a ticket office in the western ticket hall, Oxford Circus is now operating without a ticket office, so a quarter of the network is obviously substantial… By the end of the year we will have closed almost all of the ticket offices.’

Since the interview took place, things have moved on and the programme

FEATURE

July 2015 | RailStaff | 53

© TRANSPORT FOR LONDON COLLECTION OF LONDON TRANSPORT MUSEUM

© TRANSPORT FOR LONDON COLLECTION OF LONDON TRANSPORT MUSEUM

has been rolled out to around a third of the network.

Shouting and tears Around 100,000 working days of training will underpin the change. For such an extensive training programme, London Underground wanted to approach things a little differently and so decided to bring in actors to simulate the challenging, real-world scenarios that ticket office workers will face outside the booth.

One scenario pitted an unwitting volunteer against a wheelchair user who had alighted her train only to find the lift on the platform was out of service - cue shouting, tears and a very apologetic LU staff member.

The acting was believable, toecurlingly so at times. Gary Flint, who works at Woodford station on the Central line, volunteered to go first for a grilling, carefully measuring his responses, trying not to make promises that he couldn’t keep.

But is there a danger that a networkwide training programme could

suggest that something’s wrong. That LU believes its staff don’t know how to engage with passengers?

‘Our staff are not bad at customer service,’ said Xavier. ‘The vast majority of our staff are excellent at customer service. I don’t want to make it sound like our staff are in need of remedial training.’

Xavier said the training programme signalled a new approach to customer service within London Underground and something that gives staff confidence to deal with the significant changes taking place. In reality, customer satisfaction levels are higher than they’ve ever been.

He added, ‘This is big change and big change is challenging especially in an organisation that doesn’t change that regularly, that easily.

‘Around a third of people are going to be working in different locations, the way we do rosters is changing, grades that have been unaffected since company plans in the early 90s are changing; that understandably creates anxiety because change takes time.

‘Anxiety about where am I going to work, who am I going to be working for.

‘Now we’ve given guarantees to staff, we’ve guaranteed there will be no compulsory redundancies. Everyone’s got a job if they want one. Guarantee

(Above top) Inside Brixton Underground station in 1971.

(Above) Automatic ticket machine at Leicester Square Underground station taken in 1921.

FEATURE

54 | RailStaff | July 2015

on salary and no one will be required to move more than 30 minutes from their station.’

Visitor centres

Xavier Brice.

By the middle of 2016, almost 5,000 members of station staff will have completed the five-day course. To signal the change, staff are being issued with new uniforms, eight new visitor centres are opening and 150 additional ticket machines are being installed.

Brightening up the travel centres makes the stations more pleasant, more attractive but it also serves a functional purpose.

At King’s Cross, for example, hesitant international visitors, who may otherwise have joined the queue for the ticket office, are now funnelled towards the travel centre instead.

‘I’m not going to pretend that it’s all gone amazingly smooth and we’re working to understand and tweak and refine,’ said Xavier.

Queensway and South Wimbledon closed in February, followed by Shepherd’s Bush and King’s Cross. But in many stations it isn’t just a case of shutting up ticket offices and relying on the existing facilities. New ticket machines are being installed in some stations to replace any lost capacity, but the bigger issue LU has lies around machine reliability. LU has already engaged manufacturer Cubic to update its ticketing software.

Says Xavier, ‘We don’t believe that bulletproof glass, people trapped in an office, is the way to serve customers.

‘Instead it’s about people coming out into the ticket hall and doing what people do best, which isn’t just pushing buttons on a machine but it’s giving human help and being proactive.

‘We don’t want people doing what machines do. We want people doing what people do.’

But LU staff will at least have to work in harmony with technology. Every member of station staff is being given an iPad. For some it will be an overdue vital tool and for others another thing to master.

‘We’ve always had this issue where customers knew about any disruptions before we did,’ said Jahangir Miah, a project coordinator for the training programme.

The iPads are pre-loaded with apps for ticketing and service information.

Says Jahangir, ‘Once the announcements were made, everyone was very nervous about how the changes would be implemented and the impact it would have on everybody.

And you have the same thing when you come into the training programme on day one, but I’ve seen that most of the staff that leave on day five, they feel like they’ve gone away with more confidence.’

Confidence could be key. If this change gives station staff a little more confidence in their skills, confidence in their knowledge of the network, it will ultimately result in a better service for passengers.

London to Paris cycle challenge 2016 Join us and

Raise funds for RBF! Cycle four days and 295 miles between two fabulous European cities for the charity which supports railway people

Starts London Wednesday 20 July 2016 Ends Paris Sunday 24 July 2016

Tackle the challenging 295 mile route Soak up the atmosphere as you cycle up the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe in the tracks of cycling’s best Be assured you are fully supported with back up with meals, mechanics, medics and much more besides For more information on how you can join us and raise funds for the RBF email: fundraising@railwaybenefitfund.org.uk or call 01270 251316

NEWS

56 | RailStaff | July 2015

Dive Under dodge’s the Den Work continues at the massive Bermondsey Dive Under. Sadly several stretches of old viaduct and bridges are being demolished in the shadow of Millwall’s New Den. The Bermondsey Dive Under is situated on a triangle of land near the New Den where the former Bricklayers Arms branch line left the main line.

The site of the dive under was once a tangle of railways and roads. However, once complete the expanded railway will carry the lion’s share of trains approaching London Bridge Says project manager Greg Thornett, ‘Our Victorian ancestors did a fantastic job and we are still using much of their work to carry more than 200,000 passengers every day - including a stretch of the oldest railway in the whole of London.

‘However, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us to untangle the

current complex track layout, which is a result of historic railway operators dating back over 150 years running services adjacent to one another into London on their own infrastructure.

Our contractors are removing the steel bridges first before using a mixture of techniques to deconstruct the brick viaducts.’

Part of the huge £6.5 billion Thameslink Programme, the scheme will see the rebuilding of much of the railway from New Cross Gate through London Bridge and on to Blackfriars and St Pancras. The improved railway means more capacity and greater service resilience - the message for Millwall’s new junction is, ‘Let ‘em come…’

A better railway in the shadow of Millwall’s New Den.

FRANK GAERTNER / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Heathrow Express Satisfaction

Cool, Calm and Collected As Britain swelters in a heat wave, passengers on Thameslink are travelling on a fleet of cool, modern, air-conditioned trains between Brighton and Bedford.

Heathrow Express has received an excellent overall satisfaction rate of 94 per cent in the latest poll of rail passengers - and it’s all down to the staff, according to Fraser Brown, director of Heathrow Express.

‘This is a great endorsement of Heathrow Express by its passengers. We are proud of our colleagues who deliver this great service every day,’ says Fraser Brown.

‘But we are never complacent about providing an excellent service and continually strive to stand out. We also have an added impetus to provide a world-class service as we support

Heathrow’s goal to provide international passengers with the best airport service in the world.’

The 94 per cent rating is well up on the national average of 80 per cent and a London & South East average of 78 per cent. The air-rail link has consistently received overall satisfaction ratings of well over 90 per cent over the last three years.

Thameslink accepted the last of its Class 387 trains from Bombardier early in July.

The final two Class 387/1 trains mark the completion of the 29-strong fleet. The first trains entered service in December 2014 and replace the 27-year-old Class 319s. The majority of trains now running on Thameslink are modern, air-conditioned Class 387 or Class 377 trains.

From next year Class 700 trains will be steadily introduced as part of the government-sponsored Thameslink Programme, with more carriages for longer services. According to Govia Thameslink, the 387/1 Electrostar fleet certified to operate at 110 mph is the first unit operated by GTR to have the Mk4 TPWS control system fitted.

FEATURE

58 | RailStaff | July 2015

Young engineers take Railway Challenge

A team of 11 budding engineers from Transport for London (TfL) has won The Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Railway Challenge, for the second year running.

The national competition saw seven teams compete to design and manufacture the most efficient, reliable and quietest small-scale locomotive, at Stapleford Miniature Railway near Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire on 27 - 28 June.

Teams included Derby’s Interfleet Technology Ltd (2nd), and the University of Southampton (3rd), as well as the University of Birmingham, University of Huddersfield, University of Sheffield, and TE Connectivity of Swindon.

Despite the word miniature, these are no toys. The locomotives that the teams build weigh up to a tonne and are computer-controlled, have regenerative breaking and all sorts of traction systems. The locomotives work on 10¼” gauge railway line and

compete while hauling a 600kg load – which includes one of the Railway Challenge judges.

Technologies buried inside the seven locos included hydrogen fuel cells and petrol engines, chain drives and kardan shafts, batteries and supercapacitors.

Most had cables connecting with remote controllers, one had WiFi, another used two laptops.

Sent to Coventry Like all prototypes and experimental designs, there were teething troubles.

One team blew a Raspberry Pi computer board and had to drive down to Coventry to buy a replacement.

Another locomotive, which had been tested on straight track, refused to go around tight curves and kept derailing.

Overnight work cured some of the

problems, but not all of them.

By the time the locos came out for the performance tests, each with a couple of passenger wagons connected up, the driver sitting in the front with the controller and a judge sitting behind, the seven entrants were down to four, although one of the remaining would do a demonstration run at the end of the day.

Sensors were fastened to the frame to assess ride comfort. Then each loco had to stop from 15mph and use only the recovered brake energy to propel it forward from a standing start.

Southampton stunned everybody by going nearly 40 metres - twice as far as the next best.

Noise challenge Climbing a steep hill from a standing start was the traction challenge, and the noise each loco made while it did it was the subject of the noise challenge.

Says Professor Richard Folkson, President of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, ‘The Railway

Challenge presents a unique opportunity for these young engineers to convert their designs into practical applications. The competition is gruelling and runs along the lines of a real-life tendering process.

The teams have to prepare a business case, safety case, financial plans and design, and have to build a locomotive from scratch. I would like to congratulate not only TfL, but all the teams for taking part, as well as acknowledge the fantastic work of the volunteers to make the event so successful and allow it to grow yearon-year.’

Next year all seven teams will be back - largely with new personnel as only two are allowed to carry over - to be joined by some new entrants to take part in another series of tests. There will be new challenges to make sure that everyone has to develop their designs. And there will be sun, and rain, and enthusiasm, and elation, and despair.

Just like a real railway.

FEATURE

July 2015 | RailStaff | 59

NEWS

60 | RailStaff | July 2015

CERTIFIABLY SUCCESSFUL ...summer celebration for advance-TRS

Rail recruitment specialists, advance Training & Recruitment Services, has successfully achieved ISO 9001 and OHSAS 18001 certification - a major milestone for the consultancy, Carl Taylor reports.

Almost a year’s worth of hard work has been put into the development of the company’s policies and procedures in order to continually improve the service and value offered to its clients and candidates.

ISO 9001 is the globally recognised hallmark for robust quality management systems, designed to help organisations successfully meet the needs of their various stakeholders.

The certification signifies a responsibility for providing outstanding business practices, excellent customer service and improved operational performance.

OHSAS 18001 is a framework for occupational health and safety management systems which exhibits advance-TRS’ continued focus on workplace health and safety. This accreditation certifies that advanceTRS has a system in place to fully

identify and control health and safety risks in the workplace, reducing the potential for future accidents and illnesses whilst demonstrating due diligence to its clients.

Hard Work by All ‘We are delighted to have been awarded ISO 9001 and OHSAS 18001 certification after months of hard work by everyone here at advance-TRS. We are always looking for ways in which to further develop and improve our service offering to both our candidates and clients and these awards will go a long way to demonstrating that,’ says operations director Paul Merton.

‘Our team is dedicated to providing

a first-class recruitment service and these awards will help formalise the ‘client-first’ approach that we are so proud to offer.’

Carried out by ACS Registrars, one of the UK’s premier certification bodies, the extensive assessment required advance-TRS to pass a stringent review of its policies, procedures and processes.

Top story In the last year, advance-TRS also successfully achieved a maximum 4-star RISQS accreditation and became a fully-audited member of APSCo, the

Association of Professional Staffing Companies. These accreditations illustrate the importance advance-TRS puts on safety and compliance, whilst ensuring they remain at the forefront of recruitment excellence.

‘It’s a really exciting time for advanceTRS given our extraordinary growth over the last few years and the strides we are making in improving what goes on behind the scenes,’ says Merton. advance Training & Recruitment Services is a niche rail recruitment consultancy, specialising in the provision of scarce, highly skilled candidates for roles on Network Rail, London Underground and metro infrastructure projects.

Visit www.advance-trs.com for more information about their recruitment services or call 01483 361 061 for a discussion about your personnel requirements.

‘Together, we can all advance.’

CAREERS

July 2015 | RailStaff | 61

Lead Roster Coordinator Rugby, Warks • £Attractive + benefits

way People.com

THE HEART OF UK RAIL

Colas Rail Services, based in Rugby and with depots nationwide, owns, maintains and operates the largest fleet of modern On-Track Machines (OTM) in the UK, and operates Freight Services for corporate clients nationwide. As Lead Roster Coordinator you will allocate the staff necessary for delivering operational work carried out by Rail Services according to customer requirements.

Key Objectives • Manage your team to produce accurate Rosters and Diagrams for drivers and ground staff based on competencies, customer requirements and fatigue guidelines • Utilise staff from all Areas/Departments to keep Volunteers/ Conductors/ lodging/ excessive travel to a minimum • Manage all Freight operational staff annual leave • Check the Rosters and Diagrams in collaboration with the Planners and Operational Managers prior to distribution to all Freight Drivers & Ground staff • Participate in operational planning meetings when required Qualifications and experience • Computer literate with experience in using MS Office • Knowledge of rules and regulations as applicable to freight operations • Good geographical knowledge of the railway infrastructure network • A proven team player who has the ability to deliver in what could be described as demanding circumstances • Able to present occasionally complex information clearly and concisely To apply, please email your CV to recruitment@colasrail.co.uk or visit www.colasrail.co.uk/careers. Strictly no agencies.

Launched in 2001, RailwayPeople.com is the largest dedicated rail job site in the UK. 50254 | Railstaff | 130x90mm

RAIL STAFF-ALL COMPETANCIES SAFETY CRITICAL STAFF & P’WAY GANGS (MUST (MUST HAVE HAVE SMALL SMALL PLANT PLANT & & TRACK TRACK INDUCTION) INDUCTION) PLYMOUTH & to SURROUNDING AREAS& MIDLANDS WEST LONDON READING AREA, DERBY Ganymede is a leading labour supply agency, specialising in the provision and management of contingent labour to clients operating in safety critical environments.

We are able to provide a range of contract opportunities that are suited to your skill, location and capabilities. Ganymede work with employers throughout the UK and safety is always at the forefront of everything we do.

Our contractors benefit from great rates of pay, safety initiatives and bonus schemes as applicable. We pride ourselves on being a contractors’ recruitment agency of choice.

We are currently looking to increase our current workforce and have vacancies for Rail operatives that hold PTS, LKT, COSS, MC/CC, ES orvarious LXA in attachments Derby, Midlands, West London MC/CC with (Tandem, and Cropper Reading. etc), ES or LXA in Plymouth and surrounding areas.

Applicants must hold a valid PTS Card, be track inducted and ideally sat an A&D screen within the last 3 months.

Rates of pay will be disclosed upon application, immediate starts are available.

info@ganymedesolutions.co.uk www.ganymedesolutions.co.uk

To To apply apply please please send send your your up up to to date date CV CV along along with with two two checkable checkable references references to to john.quirke@ganymedesolutions.co.uk or alternatively call 011011 2048 natasha.jones@ganymedesolutions.co.uk or alternatively call 0333 0333 2048 and and ask ask to to speak speak to to a a member member of of the the resource resource team team

CAREERS

62 | RailStaff | July 2015

www.trsstaffing.com

Global Scale. Local Focus.

Training and Operations Specialist – ERTMS Rugby Depot • £Attractive + benefits Colas Rail Services operates the largest fleet of modern On-Track Machines (OTM) in the UK, nationwide Freight Services and overhauls rail vehicle rolling stock for a variety of businesses. We’re looking for a Training and Operations Specialist to manage the operational impact of ERTMS implementation. Delivering planning support and staff training/assessment, you’ll ensure Locomotives and OTM are compliant with certification, Railway Group Standards and Health & Safety Legislation.

Key Objectives • Work closely with Network Rail ERTMS Programme team to clearly convey our position • Input into to the development of ERTMS Programme operational policies, strategies, plans and processes • Review and formally respond to relevant ETCS operations industry consultation • Participate in operational rules meetings to ensure continued operational flexibility • Risk assess changes and identify relevant mitigations without compromising safety Experience and Qualifications • Medically fit to Railway group standard GO/RT3451 • Train Driving Rules and Regulations qualified • Competent driver • Qualified to undertake City & Guilds A1 Assessments and with training competency in City & Guilds 7331.

To apply, please email your CV to recruitment@colasrail.co.uk or visit www.colasrail.co.uk/careers. Strictly no agencies.

– Rail and Infrastructure Vacancies Currently Available – Rail Engineers – OLE, E&P and P-Way

URGE NT

Senior Quantity Surveyors URGENT / Commercial Managers

London, York, Reading and Milton Keynes £40K - £55K or £300 - £450/day

London, Swindon, Midlands and Peterborough £40K - £65K or £300 - £450/day

Rail Project / Construction Manager

Signal Engineers and Managers

Civils and M&E London, Derby, York and Milton Keynes £40K - £60K or £300 - £450/day

London, Swindon, Birmingham, York and Glasgow £40K - £70K or £350 - £500/day

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London, Birmingham, York, Swindon and Milton Keynes £300 - £450/day

Bristol, Birmingham, Leeds, Reading and London £30K - £60K or £300 - £450/day

P6 Project Planners

Risk and Value Specialists

London, Midlands, Reading and Manchester £40K - £65K or £350 - £500/day

London, Birmingham, York and Glasgow £35K - £55K or £350 - £500/day

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.

Please email your CV to andrew.johnson@trsstaffing.com or if you’d prefer to discuss any roles call +44 (0)20 7419 5800

Join the Specialist Team Knorr-Bremse Rail UK, part of the global Knorr-Bremse Group, operates four major facilities in the UK: Burton-upon-Trent, Melksham in Wiltshire, Springburn near Glasgow and Wolverton near Milton Keynes. Knorr-Bremse Rail UK is experiencing major growth and following recent contract wins which include Crossrail, Intercity Express and Thameslink, we are now looking for a wide range of rail professionals to join our specialist teams.

Current opportunities within the Knorr-Bremse team based at our UK headquarters facility located at Melksham (pictured above) include: Project Manager

Project / Contracts Manager

To lead the planning and implementation of Original Equipment projects with experience in managing commercial and technical aspects (at a systems level) within a rail project environment.

To lead the planning and implementation of large scale infrastructure projects with experience in managing commercial and technical aspects within a civil / construction environment.

To find out more information about the featured roles above and the many other opportunities that Knorr-Bremse Rail UK currently has to offer please visit the careers section on the Knorr-Bremse UK website or e-mail us on: railrecruitmentuk@knorr-bremse.com www.knorr-bremse.co.uk

Success through our people Network Rail have recently awarded Bridgeway Consulting a number of contingent labour contracts across the UK and we are looking for experienced S&T, P Way, OHLE and PDSW staff in the following disciplines: SIGNALLING AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS

PERMANENT WAY

• Installers/Assistant Installers • Team Leaders • Maintainer/Assistant Maintainers/Fault Finder • Signalling and Telecoms Supervisor

• Site Supervisor P Way • Site Supervisor Civils • Site Supervisor E and P • Site Supervisor – Drainage • Site Manager Clerk of Work • Track Hand Back Engineers • Multi Skilled Supervisor • P Way Supervisor • Track Proposal Engineer • Track Quality Supervisor • Principal Technical Officer • Stressing Levels 1-3

OVERHEAD LINE • Nominated Persons

• Authorised Persons

PLANNING AND DELIVERY OF SAFE WORK • Safe Work Leaders 1

• Safe Work Leaders 2

Candidates must: • Hold current Sentinel and relevant technical competencies and be experienced to work on Network Rail infrastructure • Be prepared to work nights, weekends, bank holidays and respond to short notice changes of plan • Hold a valid UK Driving Licence

To apply: please send your CV quoting the reference number ENG2015051501 to jobs@bridgeway-consulting.co.uk or alternatively contact us on 0115 9191111 to request an application form.

Bridgeway Consulting are an equal opportunities employer.

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