RailStaff May 2013

RailStaff

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Issue 186 / May 2013

THE MOST POPULAR PUBLICATION IN THE UK RAIL INDUSTRY

Winner.

Rail Team of the Year.

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www.railstaff.co.uk

Bridgeway move for Paddy Dingwall

PAGE 9

The Fall and Rise of Britain’s Railways Part 3: The Re-Shaping of British Railways

&

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CONFIDENCE

OPTIMISM

The rail industry continues to be at the forefront of attempts to energise the economy. Two bills paving the way for High Speed Two featured in the Queen’s Speech. Transport Minister Simon Burns, said, ‘The Government sees transport as one of the key drivers of growth in our economy.’ Speaking to a mass crowd at the rail engineer Technical Seminars at Railtex, he went on to praise confidence and optimism in the rail industry. ‘There’s a huge amount to do, but I am confident that we will succeed as long as we work together,’ he said.

Continued on PAGE 4

STATIONS: A confident statement Often overlooked is the effect the Beeching Report had on stations.

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working together McGinley Support Services provides the industry with the staff and resources to design, build and maintain Britain's infrastructure assets.

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COMMENT

RailStaff Contact us:

Publisher:

Paul O’Connor

Editor:

Andy Milne

Production and design:

Adam O’Connor

Senior Reporter:

Jonathan Webb

Writer:

Nigel Wordsworth

Track Safety:

Colin Wheeler

Pictures:

Colin Garratt

Advertising:

Asif Ahmed Craig Smith Danny Rowbotham Paul Curtis

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

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

RailStaff is published by RailStaff Publications Limited.

A Rail Media Publication.

Anyone who doubted the Coalition Government’s commitment to High Speed Two will have been doubly reassured by the Queen’s Speech.

Most observers had expected a bill paving the way for the Manchester-Leeds sections. As well as this the government revealed a new bill which will push forward detailed design work for the route including environmental and ecological survey work. This means people in hi-vis vests on site with measuring equipment.

Furthermore the new bill provides for compensation payments for local people living along the route and for businesses and farmers affected. The sad fact is wherever HS2 is built it will go through someone’s home, someone’s livelihood. A government in command of the situation must make good their loss.

High Speed 2 is the touch stone issue for a country keen to rise above the twilight zone of industrial decline. Political consensus is that Britain needs it.

The unrivalled success of High Speed 1 points the way.

Last year’s London Olympics demonstrated a huge public appetite for success, achievement and endeavour. Britain’s economy has faltered over the last few years let down by rogue bankers, speculators and a political class more concerned with misguided

Health & Safety Focus In July’s RailStaff

SPECIAL FOCUS

The biggest asset of any company is its people. Their Health & Safety is therefore paramount. Find out what new Rail Health & Safety initiatives are out there and keep in touch with Track Safety with Colin Wheeler.

If you want to contribute, get in touch now.

Please contact Paul Curtis or Tom O’Connor on 01530 560026. www.railstaff.co.uk

High Speed Two Bill The unrivalled success of High Speed 1 points the way

“Last year’s London Olympics demonstrated a huge public appetite for success, achievement and endeavour…”

social engineering than good governance and charismatic leadership.

If the Olympics illustrated a public hunger for victory High Speed 2 demonstrates what can be achieved by an industry steeped in the solid athleticism of success.

Forces ranged against the project

are loud and powerful.

The railway and its supporters should ramp up support for High Speed 2. The project marks not only a turning point for the rail industry but for the country as a whole. Once again the rail industry is pioneering a way out of the failed thinking of the past.

PAGE 6

PAGE 18

Tram Tribute for Armed Forces

Australian Journey Howard Collins

A Nottingham tram has been brought into service to mark the build up to the Armed Forces Day national celebrations on June 29.

On the eve of his departure for a new life in Australia, Howard Collins, Chief Executive of London Underground speaks to RailStaff.

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The future looks bright The expansion of the railways and their place at the heart of recession-beating Britain was further emphasised by Minister of State for Transport, Simon Burns.

Speaking at the Railtex exhibition in Earl’s Court, London, the Minister said, ‘Our railway has already seen passenger journeys double since privatisation, while freight business has grown by 60%.

The future looks even brighter.’

Simon Burns, a Conservative MP since 1988, acknowledged the transport failings of previous governments.

‘The truth is that since the coming of the motorways more than 50 years ago, our 4

transport infrastructure has fallen behind that of our competitors.

‘Even when money was plentiful successive Governments of both political parties neglected the rail network.’ Between 2000 and 2007 Britain was the lowest infrastructure investor of all the OECD countries.

‘This Government is determined to change all that,’ said the Minister. Backing this up he listed projects ranging from Crossrail to the Northern Hub, Great Western Electrification and the Intercity Express Programme. Network Rail plans to spend £37 billion between 2014 and 2019.

The Coalition Government is under no illusions about the urgent need to build High Speed 2.

‘HS2 isn’t just about faster trains.

It’s about providing extra capacity on an ageing rail network.

‘It’s about better services for passengers, it’s about changing our economic geography, connecting cities, linking people with jobs, bringing suppliers closer to manufacturers and manufacturers closer to markets,

taking pressure off our roads and freeing up space on the rest of the railway. High Speed 2 will also be a tremendous boost to the UK rail industry.’

To deliver the railways of the future the industry needs more skilled engineers and operators.

The race is on to attract new skilled people to railways as projects and investment increase.

‘We all know that this is an exciting industry to work in, with real prospects for people who are creative and work hard. But what we have got to get better at is convincing the younger generation of this fact and the opportunities available to them.’

Simon Burns visited the Rail Media stand and endorsed the achievements of RailStaff and the rail engineer in running good news stories about railways.

Railtex visiting numbers were 20% up on the last exhibition and exhibitors from 17 countries homed in on the show. Railway staff from across the network also attended, making the three day event a ringing endorsement of Britain’s recession defying railway. www.railstaff.co.uk

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NEWS

Women in Rail A new group, ‘Women in Rail’ has been launched to encourage women in the industry.

With women representing approximately 17.8% of today’s rail industry, the group works to support and encourage the minority in a sector which is historically male-dominated.

Says Adeline Ginn, founder of Women in Rail, ‘We are passionate about rail and are now engaging with supporters of the sector to promote rail as an attractive career choice and develop strategies for engaging young people to consider a career in rail.’

Women in the industry are backing the scheme. Says Caroline Wilson, Head of Recruitment at Northern Rail, ‘The Women in Rail

initiative has grown tremendously since its early beginnings on LinkedIn. ‘The amount of support received from across the rail industry demonstrates how important it is that women are encouraged to participate in a traditionally male orientated industry. From my own

experience, innovation comes hand-in-hand with diversity.

Northern Rail is delighted to support Women in Rail.’

Adeline Ginn, a lawyer, joined Angel Trains in 1999. Married with two children she relaxes by running and rambling and is an avid opera fan.

The group works to support and encourage the minority in a sector which is historically male-dominated…

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NEWS

Motorists Allowed

Tram tribute for Armed Forces One of Nottingham’s trams has been specially decked out in Armed Forces livery.

The tram has been brought into service to mark the build up to the Armed Forces Day national celebrations taking place on Saturday 29 June. The event is now in its fifth year and Nottingham is preparing to welcome troops,

veterans and their families.

On Armed Forces Day itself, the tram will transport visitors to the Old Market Square for the planned city parade and Drumhead Service and special commemorative tickets will be issued to customers.

Says Tramlink Nottingham’s Head of Service Delivery, Lea Harrison, himself an ex-serviceman, ‘The city

Rail debut for Eric Wright Eric Wright Civil Engineering has completed a re-signalling project on the Settle and Carlisle line further underscoring the rail industry’s bounce-back from the Beeching Report, 50 years ago.

Once slated for closure the Settle and Carlisle now carries a burgeoning payload of passenger and freight trains and is an essential part of Anglo-Scottish rail links.

Appointed by Network Rail, the Preston-based firm designed and installed new signalling infrastructure for Howe and Co in a welcome move aimed at further improving efficiency on the SettleCarlisle line.

Acknowledging the firm’s rail debut, director of Eric Wright Civil Engineering, Adrian Taylor, said, ‘This is one of our first contracts with the rail sector and is an area where we hope to establish ongoing relationships.

‘We worked closely with Network Rail at Howe and Co to successfully complete the track signalling with 6

minimal disruption to the public. We are pleased with the finished works and hope that this is just the first of many rail projects ahead.’

The work, which took three weeks to complete, was undertaken mostly at weekends to avoid disruption for local passengers. Working under tight deadlines, Eric Wright Civil Engineering successfully removed existing signals and installed new and improved signalling systems.

The firm has a growing portfolio of work on complex civil engineering projects and a wealth of experience both in the public and private sector.

Other rail projects underway include an improvement project at Northallerton.

Hard working staff from Eric Wright Civil Engineering are busy installing a CCTV system, perimeter fence, ticket machines, lighting and drainage. The car park is being extended. Northallerton is a busy station served by East Coast, FTPE and Grand Central. The nearby Wensleydale Railway, which operates

is pulling together a tremendous programme to mark the day and we are delighted to be playing our part in paying our own tribute to our service men and women. The tram will be in service right up to the day itself and so will be a high profile reminder to people in and around Nottingham of the upcoming celebrations.’

on the old Redmire Quarry line, plans to reconnect to the station.

Founded in 1923, the Eric Wright Group is based at Bamber Bridge, near Preston, and employs more than 500 people. In a bid to attract young people to engineering Eric Wright runs, owns and operates an

© TWITTER/SARAHNHARDING

Girls Aloud singer, Sarah Harding, is enjoying life on the London Underground following her driving ban.

Harding incurred a six month ban after she pleaded guilty to using a mobile phone while driving. The singer is using rail to get to performances, as part of her work as an armed forces charity ambassador for Haig Housing Trust’s campaign Coming Home.

outdoor adventure centre in Cumbria, Lakeland Adventure Centre, and a vocational learning centre in Leyland called the Eric Wright Learning Foundation.

Please see our latest vacancies on page 61.

www.railstaff.co.uk

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Last steam driver steps down After 46 years on the railways, Joe Porter, 64, a driver with Virgin Trains, has retired.

Mr Porter is among the last train drivers in Scotland to have worked on steam trains. He started his career cleaning steam locomotives as a teenager in 1967 and shovelling coal as a fireman weeks before the last of these engines was replaced.

Joe Porter has been at the controls of the Royal Scot and Royal Mail trains. He also briefly drove the ill-fated Advanced Passenger Train (ATP), the world’s first tilting train, though it only went at 15mph from a depot into Glasgow Central. Until his last shift on Wednesday, April 10, Joe was driving Pendolinos and Super Voyagers.

Mr Porter has worked his entire career at Polmadie and in 2010 was

Wise move Brian Wisdom, chief executive of People 1st, the sector skills council for hospitality, passenger transport, travel and tourism, has been appointed as chairperson of the Federation for Industry Sector Skills and Standards.

Formerly known as the Alliance of Sector Skills Councils, the Federation for Industry Sector Skills and Standards has changed its name, to reflect its role as the national certification and quality assurance body for apprenticeships and to promote the professional standards in the development of skills solutions required by employers in all sectors of industry.

Brian has extensive experience working within a skills council and has led People 1st since 2004. To date, career highlights include the merger with passenger transport sector skills council, GoSkills, the conception, development and launch of the Hospitality Guild, and the expansion of People 1st to include the National Skills Academy for Retail.

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chosen to name a Super Voyager train in celebration of a £2 million investment in the maintenance facilities. He chose the name ‘Polmadie Depot’.

Ever the pragmatist, Joe said he was, ‘glad to see the back of steam trains’ and insisted his role in the railway was meant to be a sixmonth stop gap job till he trained as a plumber. After being seen off by well-wishers at Preston, he drove the 10.41 to Glasgow, where he was greeted with a red carpet laid to the door of the cab and a crowd of colleagues, including train crew, station staff and office workers as well as fellow drivers.

Says Chris Gibb, Virgin Trains Chief Operating Officer, ‘In a career spanning nearly 47 years, Joe really has seen it all: from steam through diesel to electric, from Beeching inspired decline to our current

position of optimism, investment and ambition.

‘He also knew several generations of railway staff and managers, including myself as a traincrew supervisor at Polmadie

in the 1980s. On behalf of current and past colleagues, and countless millions of his customers, I thank Joe for his service, and wish him a long, happy and healthy retirement.’

Kearns joins Parsons Brinckerhoff Parsons Brinckerhoff has appointed Tony Kearns as Strategy and Operations Director for its UK Rail, Transit and Aviation business.

Kearns has 20 years’ experience of the rail industry with particular experience in training and project delivery. Says Darren Reed, UK Director, Rail, Transit and Aviation, ‘We are delighted to have Tony on board, and I look forward to working with him to develop our service offering and capability to meet industry opportunities and challenges.’

Mr Kearns started with British Rail in 1991 and went onto work for Northern Track Renewals and later Tritech Rail where he stayed for 11 years as operations and technical director. He joins Parsons Brinckerhoff from AECOM where he was Deputy Rail Sector Director, Transportation.

In his new role Tony will be leading the development of the company’s UK Electrification business and growing its capability and capacity to further support the National Electrification Programme.

Kearns is affiliated with a number of industry organisations; he holds a Diploma in Company Direction and is also a Member of the Institute of Directors. www.railstaff.co.uk

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PEOPLE NEWS

Bridgeway move for Paddy Paddy Dingwall has joined Bridgeway Consulting as Director, Business and Engineering Systems working on safety management systems and organisational change management both internally at Bridgeway and also externally to a number of high profile clients including Irish Rail.

Prior to joining Bridgeway, Paddy graduated in Geological Sciences from Aston University. She joined the railways at privatisation as part of the Railtrack project team supporting the transition from BR. During her time at Railtrack Safety and Standards she was responsible for managing changes to track worker safety procedures and initiated the first major changes for Section T of the Rule Book. Paddy was then involved in the West Coast project where she was responsible for developing and managing an

integrated programme for planning and delivery of all possessions working closely with Steve Diksa and the Sentinel Scheme before moving to the Western Route as Head of Safety.

During 2007 she moved back to Network Rail HQ in Engineering where she has worked with engineering teams to take a whole-life systems approach to new developments in engineering - latterly working with the ERTMS team.

David Statham heads First Capital Connect FirstGroup has appointed David Statham as managing director of First Capital Connect. He will take over from Neal Lawson who is leaving to join Network Rail on 24 May. Mr Statham joined British Rail as a management trainee in 1992. He rose to Customer Service Strategy Manager at First Great Western.

From 2008-2011 he led First Capital Connect’s team implementing the first stage of the Thameslink Programme.

Appointed First Capital Connect’s Projects Director and Deputy MD in 2010, he has led several capacity enhancement schemes on the Great Northern route which increased peak seating capacity by over 20%.

Since January 2012 he has been leading First’s bid for the

Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern franchise. David is 44 and married with two young children.

WSP plans for Rail Karol Tyszka has been appointed principal engineer at WSP’s fastgrowing Rail Planning team.

Karol has five years’ experience working in the transport consultancy sector in the UK. He joins from Steer Davies Gleave, where he was a consultant in the rail operations team.

Says WSP Head of Development Ian Liddell, ‘We are delighted to welcome Karol to his new role. He will bring an excellent knowledge of the UK rail and light rail sectors, as well as significant experience and knowledge of the rail industries in other European countries.

‘He is one in a series of new

additions to the rail planning team and a strong sign of our commitment to grow this area of expertise within WSP.’ At the same time Stefan Le Roy joins WSP as technical director for groundwater and hydrogeology.

Stefan joins WSP from Jacobs UK where he was head of hydrogeology. He will play a key role in further developing WSP’s UK groundwater team, part of WSP’s Land Remediation & Geotechnical Engineering team, which has over 80 staff.

Says principal director, Rob Hyland, ‘As the largest integrated Land Restoration & Ground

Karol Tyszka.

Stefan Le Roy.

Engineering team in the UK, Stefan’s skills will further develop our groundwater services allowing us to continue to deliver for our growing client demands. Stefan’s skills will allow us to integrate our services and it is an exciting step forward.’

WSP is a leading engineering and design consultancy in the UK providing integrated management and consultancy services to all aspects of the built and natural environment, ranging from management, engineering and planning, to environmental advice.

ATA is a specialist provider of white collar technical,engineering and commercial recruitment solutions to firms throughout the rail industry.

Ganymede Solutions has a long heritage of providing contingent labour to safety critical aspects of the rail industry.

Tel: 0845 880 8115 www.ata-recruitment.co.uk

Tel: 0845 880 8104 www.ganymedesolutions.co.uk

www.railstaff.co.uk

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RAIL ALLIANCE NEWS

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

Rhetoric becomes reality

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

New Members The National Composites Centre The National Composites Centre provides industrial scale R&D facilities to meet the needs of companies wishing to capitalise on the high-strength, low weight, corrosion-resistant qualities of composite materials. www.nccuk.com

Apex Engineers Ltd Established for over 25 years, supplies services and equipment to Energy Measurement & Preventative Maintenance sectors. Energy measurement includes the supply & specification of metering of utilities - electricity, gas, water, oil etc, the data collection from remote sites/locations to a central point & software to manage, analyse & report. Preventative maintenance includes the supply of a wide range of primary & secondary injection Railtex 2013, certainly lived up to its promises, Colin Flack, chief executive of the Rail Alliance, reports.

With over 60 members exhibiting at the show and with 15 on the Hub with us, it was our biggest turn out ever and reflects the growth and confidence that our members and ourselves have.

We had over 25 companies ask to join us and are now very confident that we will have over 300 members by the end of the year. We were particularly pleased that one of our members, dBD Communications

were finalists in three awards and that they were the outright winners in one with their Athena wireless headset system.

All of our members at Railtex reported significant levels of quality enquiries with a number landing significant orders there and then! As we look forward to the summer, our point of main effort will be in our ‘Route to Market’ programme.

Following on from RIA’s very successful ‘Unlocking Innovation’

programme, which we fully support and is well attended by members, we are now leading the way with the next logical step which is to see the rhetoric become reality.

Getting your products, goods and services to market is what your business is all about and where our network and influence has the most to offer.

We are working very closely with the industry to make sure we help shape the product acceptance process going forward. Watch this space…

Rail Alliance events

Members Meeting 5th June Edinburgh TBC Hosted by Scottish Enterprise

Members Meeting 11th June Location TBC Hosted by Mitsubishi Electric

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Significant orders

testers, circuit breaker & substation testers & measurement equipment. A new range of ultra violet (UV) corona cameras is helping to identify faults & problems on high voltage systems. These partial discharges can be seen in daylight & the extent of a problem component or line can be measured with software to collate & manage a maintenance schedule. www.apexengineers.co.uk

Members Meeting 10th July Euston Station, London Hosted by Network Rail www.railstaff.co.uk

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NEWS

New Rail Spotlight NewRail® - the Newcastle Railway Research Centre has launched a modern, research-based teaching and learning portfolio aimed at strengthening the logistics industry.

In 2007, the Freight Transport Logistics Action Plan of The European Commission (COM(2007) 607 final) said, ‘efforts are required to focus and enhance the qualifications of logistics personnel, notably by strengthening competence in transport.’

More relevant skills are needed for rail freight professionals and for logisticians than ever before.

Recent surveys, conducted within the context of two rail education focused projects (TUNRail and RiFLE), have revealed that significantly more people will work in the wider railway industry in the coming years, which in turn implies a major potential requirement for railway and logistics higher education in the near future.

Skills needed include: • Marketing and management; • Product and service development; • Business processes and commercial activities; • Technology and organisation in rail freight and intermodal transport; • Information systems and customer services.

www.railstaff.co.uk

Paramount importance Modern logistics production systems are of paramount importance to the railway sector.

Rail freight must be cost effective, cost competitive and much more productive in relation to asset management and utilisation of resources.

Lean Thinking, for example, promotes a very different set of imperatives on the distribution of freight, focused on cost-effective, value-added principles. University programmes will increasingly need to reflect these requirements.

Railway higher education should be innovative, relevant and more globally orientated, employing a multidisciplinary approach that promotes transferable skills and competencies such as creative thinking; research-based learning; adaptability and flexibility.

competences in rail freight and logistics through MSc and PhD programmes as well as intensive summer schools.

NewRail’s teaching portfolio includes the integration of research-based teaching activities, including independent project studies; team assignments; interactive lectures and seminars;

field-work and workshops.

Programmes provide opportunities to view rail freight and logistics together. Graduates are equipped with the skills and qualifications necessary to pursue a management, operational and/or engineering career in this field.

For further information, visit: www.ncl.ac.uk/newrail/education/

Strengthen competences NewRail®, at Newcastle University in the UK, has designed and launched a modern, researchbased teaching and learning portfolio to strengthen

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Rail companies are selling airline passengers tickets to ride even before touchdown.

Heathrow Express has struck a deal with Aer Lingus, which means passengers can book onward train travel as part of their flight booking.

Aer Lingus has a large number of business travellers from Ireland and operates twelve flights a day between Dublin and London Heathrow, four flights a day between Cork and Heathrow and three flights a day between Belfast and Shannon and Heathrow.

Aer Lingus passengers can now book their flight and a Heathrow Express journey at the same time.

Meanwhile Stansted Express welcomed Air Moldova to Stansted Airport by offering complimentary first class tickets to all passengers upon disembarking. The inaugural flight, on 29 April, was captained by Air Moldova’s Chief Executive Officer

Railcare wins Contract

© SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Airline passengers welcomed to rail

and qualified pilot Iulian Scorpan.

Shah Snehal of the Stansted Express presented Mr Scorpan’s passengers with the tickets to London Liverpool Street. ‘We are delighted to welcome Air Moldova to Stansted Airport and look forward to welcoming visitors from Chisinau (the capital of Moldova) to the UK

and to the Stansted Express,’ said Shah Snehal.

Moldova achieved independence from Russia in 1991. Gatwick Express started selling rail tickets via airline bookings many years ago. Airlines offering onward travel with Gatwick Express currently include including easyJet and Virgin Atlantic.

Porterbrook Leasing has awarded a contract to Railcare to undertake a major overhaul of its Mark 3 coaches operated by Abelio Greater Anglia.

The contract, valued at £5m, starts in October 2013 and will see all 111 vehicles put through a full C6 overhaul at Railcare’s Wolverton facility.

Says Alex White, operations director for Porterbrook, ‘Railcare has successfully completed several C6 projects on Porterbrook’s fleet in recent years and the Mark 3 contract will continue to build on that relationship.’

Bakerloo wedding walk Newly weds Eliot Maunder and Emily Drabek wanted to get their marriage off to a good start and together with a party of 30 wedding guests took to the London Underground.

The pair were married at Marylebone Register Office and travelled to the reception at Charing Cross by tube. Railway staff reserved the front coach for them and looked after the newly weds on the short trip from Baker Street. Latin teacher Eliot, 28, and PhD student Emily, 25, went through the wide aisle gates at Baker Street with their wedding party.

Says Eliot of The Cut, Southwark, London, ‘We wanted to travel on the Underground because it is so quick and easy. I travel on the Tube every day to get to work and it is 12

the best way to get around the capital. There are always staff around if you need them, and on this special day we did. They guided us to the front of the train and we had a whole carriage to ourselves for all the wedding guests.’

Emily, from Exeter in Devon, is also a fan of the London Underground. ‘When you live in Devon you really do appreciate the public transport in London,

particularly the Tube.’

Howard Collins London Underground’s Chief Operating Officer wished the couple well. ‘We are delighted that we could speed this young couple on their way to their wedding meal. The new wide aisle gates at the station meant that their guests and the other passengers were able to get through independently and onto the train very quickly,’ said Howard.

“We wanted to travel on the Underground because it is so quick and easy. I travel on the Tube every day to get to work and it is the best way to get around the capital…”

ELIOT MAUNDER www.railstaff.co.uk

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NEWS

Boston bombings policeman survives A railway police officer shot in the Boston Marathon bombings has survived and is making a slow but steady recovery.

Richard Donohue, 33, a police officer with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority was wounded in a shoot out with the suspects, Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Mr Donohue had lost nearly all his blood and his heart had stopped when he sustained a single gunshot wound that severed three major blood vessels in his right thigh.

‘Facing extraordinary danger, Officer Donohue never hesitated

Richard and Kimberly Donohue.

Metrolink makes its move Manchester Metrolink’s control centre has transferred to a new facility in Trafford.

The new Network Management Centre switched into operational mode without a hitch and is designed to better accommodate the expanding tram system.

The centre is located alongside the customer services team. Chris Coleman, managing director of RATP Dev UK, which operates Metrolink, said, ‘The switchover to the new control room was a huge undertaking but proved to be a successful project delivered in partnership between us, contractors MPT and Thales and Transport for Greater Manchester.’

www.railstaff.co.uk

Gold Standard for Keyline Keyline has been awarded the Gold Standard as part of the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme, for the second year running.

The Gold Standard recognises the highest levels of safety, efficiency and environmental responsibility within Keyline’s fleet operation. Keyline plays a lead role in delivering to Crossrail, Tfl and Network Rail sites.

As part of the Travis Perkins Group, it has met industry-leading performance criteria and demonstrated a progressive track record in improving sustainability.

This includes operational targets based on reducing CO2 emissions and vehicle incidents, improving efficiency and maintaining high levels of health and safety.

Says Richard Wade, Rail Sector

Manager at Keyline, ‘Keyline is committed to the highest levels of safety, efficiency and environmental responsibility to meet the needs of Network Rail, London Underground and Crossrail. Earlier this year we became the first building materials provider to achieve this.

‘This annual award requires our transport operation to prove that

in fully engaging the terrorists in order to protect the citizens of the Commonwealth,’ MBTA Transit Police Chief Paul MacMillan said. ‘I am extremely proud of him, and cannot say enough about his heroic actions.’

Earlier this year Richard Donohue saved the live of a stab victim at an underground station in Boston’s Chinatown.

The father of a seven month old baby is now conscious. ‘I am now awake, moving around, talking, and telling jokes,’ he said.

the standards set out the previous year have been maintained and that we are continuing to stay ahead of our competitors in the way that we purchase and operate our fleet of vehicles, apply safety equipment and train our drivers.’

FORS is part of the wider London Freight Plan and provides a quality and performance benchmark for the freight industry. It has four membership levels, member, bronze, silver and gold, which reward best practice and operational excellence.

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Harry takes the controls

at Crewe they were shown round the Virgin Trains Talent Academy where they drove a train simulator and explored the workings of a disused train before heading back to London, travelling First Class.

Harry, from Swindon, was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia after complaining of double vision. He had the first of four cycles of chemotherapy just two days later, which left him with no hair and a very low immune system. Harry finished his last round of chemotherapy in February and has now gone back to school part-time.

Says Harry’s Mum, Emma, ‘One of the toughest parts of Harry’s illness was the disruption to family life because either myself or my husband Paul would stay with

Eleven year old Harry Kemp has been helping out on a Pendolino, sustaining top performance by Virgin Trains on the West Coast.

Harry was diagnosed with Leukaemia last October. Asked what he’d most like to do to take his mind off the treatment, Harry responded as many school boys before him that he’d like to drive a train. Harry’s wish was granted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Mr Kemp travelled up to Euston with his family and was met by Virgin Trains’ Driver Team Manager, Girish Jani. Climbing in to the cab he rode along with driver, Craig Brook, all the way to Crewe. Harry learnt about the controls and sounded the horn, an experience which he described as ‘epic.’

Once Harry and his family arrived

Final Gates

Under Borders Orders

Train operator c2c has now installed automatic ticket barriers at all its stations following the completion of a £530,000 project at Southend East.

Local MP James Duddridge joined c2c Managing Director Julian Drury to test the new gates. ‘Until now Southend East has been the gap in our armour, but now we’re the first train company in the South East to have gates at every station. This will make life harder for faredodgers and brings us a step closer to a ticketing revolution on c2c,’ says Julian.

Work has started on the new Borders Railway.

The first job is to excavate the track alignment for the new line through the Monktonhall area.

Groundwork for the new Shawfair station is also underway. Network Rail and principal contractor BAM Nuttall began work on site on 18th April. The earthworks programme will create the line of route and base for the railway track and will continue along the route throughout the summer.

Says David Simpson, Network Rail route managing director for Scotland, ‘The start of the main construction works is a major milestone in the delivery of the new line. From today, local communities will be able to see their new railway beginning to take shape and we look forward to working with them, our contractors and the Scottish

passenger services from Edinburgh through Midlothian to Tweedbank.

The line will include 30 miles of new railway with three existing stations and seven new ones - at Shawfair, Eskbank, Newtongrange, Gorebridge, Stow, Galashiels and Tweedbank.

u N s h t gy , H Ra t, ion d U nd ew i S n S , R E l, s d , F s, s, ai Q Ra & T , Su er ra , L il , T l b g n m ech Op ig Fr Sta wa rou c po n er ht ei ti ys n n o a R g on a d, d en log tio ai ht, s, nd C ts y, ns l, S Su U om , Te Ra , H Ra & bw k T p i an on ch il O SE l F , S ay Q n r t e d p R C nts olo er , L eig atio ol om , gy at ig ht n eo lin p Te , R io ht , S pl g on ch a ns R a & , n i e S st , R to ent ol l O HS il, ru o ck s, og pe E R nt ctu llin an Te y, ra Q, s, r g d ch Ra tio Li e ai Inf , P Sto Co no il O ns g l E ra eo c m lo pe , H s p k p g il ven tru le an one y, R rat d B t i n c , N us s, I tu Ro Co ts ail o ew in n re lli m , T O s es fra , P ng p ec p il , R s, R str eo St one hn In ail a u pl oc n ol an du Bu il E ctu e, R k a ts, s ie tr si v re o n Te g s, R y N ne ent , P llin d C e s C om ai ew s, s, I op g S om O p l In s, Ra nfr le, to pe an d R il a R ck ra ie us ai E st ol Tr tin s, try l B ven ruc lin R g u t t a s, in g C ai Ne sin s, ur R O om l I w e In e, n s s f P a p il il er pa du , R s, R ras ,R P at n st a tr r a i i h ail oje ing es, ry l B il E Sp N ct C R Ne us v ge ee ew s, T om ail ws ine d s p In , , s , r N Hig Ra Ra ain an du Ra s, ie i ew h il i l s O l s, S , R P pe s, R try B ch H pee ail roj ra ai N e is ri d N ec tin l I ew ou e N tag Ra ew ts, g C nd n e e il s, Tr o us d d, ws , H , Ra Ra ain mp U Fr , H ig i il O an n a e h lN P s, der nc ri Sp ew ro per j S g hi ta e s e a & ub rou se ge, ed , R cts t T, wa nd Ne H Ra ai , T r l i w i S y ig ta s a , Fr s, gh l, R Pr ht tio n a H Sp a oj d n i il , S ns U ch eri eed l N F & , S nd is ta e R re T u g e il ig , S bw erg N e, ai ,R h t e H l, R i t a a ro w E ail , S tio ys un s, gh Q H S a d n F & n , , s e p r s, Lig eig T, S , Su d U Fra rit nd n ag H h h b t a t c w S t il EQ Ra , S tio ay erg hi se O il & ns s r , ol per Lig , R T, , S an oun og a ht ail Sta ub d U d, w y ti Te , R on Ra Fre tio ay nd ch ai s, H il, ig ns s erg a l d h , C nol Op SE Ra t, Su nd om o er Q il F S & bw U g to p y, at , L r a ck on R io ig ei T, ys en ai ns ht gh St a le n a l t , R d ts, Op , H Ra , S tio ur ol Co Te er SE il, & e, lin mp ch ati Q, Ra T, n as Peo g S on ol ons Lig il F tr p to en og , H ht re ve uc le, ck ts, y, S R nt tu R a T Ra EQ ai l

Government to re-establish this vital transport link for the Borders.’

The Borders Railway will be ready in 2015 and will re-establish

Harry in hospital and the other would be at home with his older sister, Jessica.

‘I haven’t got the right words to say how grateful we are for being given the opportunity to spend time together as a family and not have to worry about Harry and hospital appointments. It was lovely to see our children smiling and laughing… ’thank you’ doesn’t cover it.’

There are currently 20,000 children fighting life-threatening conditions. Make-A-Wish will grant more than 1,100 wishes in 2013, and needs to raise £7 million to achieve this. The charity receives no government funding or lottery grants, so every donation really does count. To make a donation to Make-A-Wish please visit www.make-a-wish.org.uk

Keep up to date with the Global Rail Market

14

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186 RailStaff May 2013_Layout 1 10/05/2013 13:00 Page 15

NEWS

Ealing Touch for HS2 Subject to approval the west London artery of High Speed Two will be in a continuous twin-bore tunnel between Old Oak Common and West Ruislip thanks to revised plans by HS2 Ltd. The 8 mile tunnel will now include the middle section between Ealing and Northolt.

Originally this would have followed the old surface route of the Paddington to Birmingham railway.

The move has been welcomed by Londoners. According to HS2 tunnelling this part of the route would be 15 months quicker to build and minimise disruption.

Says HS2 Ltd’s Community and Stakeholder Manager for London, Peter Fry, ‘The recommendation to

build a tunnel through Ealing and Northolt shows what can be achieved by working with local people and that we value their input and suggestions.

‘The study we commissioned found that for this specific section of the line, the cost of the tunnel would be comparable with a route on the surface without the need to replace bridges and divert associated utilities. The proposed tunnel will be included as the preferred option in the draft Environmental Statement for the first phase of HS2.’

The tunnel obviates the need to widen the existing railway. HS2 will be built to the wider continental loading gauge. Adjusting a surface

Power drama

and a bit eerie, I don’t think any passengers experienced major inconvenience, said Mr Lewis.

‘While the scenes were far from apocalyptic, as some described them, the situation could have been more serious had it occurred at peak time when thousands of people are pouring through the station. There have been a number of problems with the station’s power supply over recent months and I would urge the station’s owners and managers, Network Rail, to find a permanent solution so that passengers are not further inconvenienced or put in any danger in the future.’

disruption in west London.

railway means taking out line side strictures and raising bridges.

Unhappily on the original route through west London this would have meant replacing both spans

of the Hanger Lane gyratory system. West London has been troubled by road traffic problems, with the Westway suffering particular disruption.

Volunteer help for Pershore Matt Hall (pictured) has been volunteering at Pershore station.

Matt, from Pershore Resource Centre, visits the station once a week to keep the station platform clean and tidy. Worcestershire County Council runs Pershore Resource Centre which offers activities for people with severe physical and learning disabilities and also seeks out opportunities for them to volunteer in the community as well.

Says station manager, Teresa Ceesay, of First Great Western, ‘Like all of our staff, Matt had to have an induction so he was aware of what his job role is and how to follow the essential health and safety regulations.’

Matt’s mum, Judy Hall, is right behind the move. ‘Matt thoroughly enjoys his part in keeping

Pershore Railway station up to scratch. Being part of this local community initiative gives Matt a sense of involvement and the chance to meet and chat to First Great Western staff and commuters,’ she said.

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

James Lewis, chair of the West Yorkshire Integrated Transport Authority, has thanked Leeds station staff for their work helping passengers during an extended power cut at the station.

Mr Lewis has also urged Network Rail to find a permanent solution to the problem. ‘Station staff did a great job helping passengers through the darkened station and providing information that was not available on the electronic display boards, and while it was awkward

New tunnels for HS2 will minimise

.com

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More graduates sought for Track & Train The Track and Train scheme is proving so successful that another 50 graduates are to be recruited to the rail industry.

The 18-month paid work placement scheme sees graduates taking on three placements of six months each. Recent graduates work at Network Rail for six months and take up placements at freight, passenger or other railway companies for two more spells of six months gaining a broad range of experience.

The scheme operates nationally and tries to employ people near where they live. The scheme,

funded by Network Rail, was launched in January 2012 and targets young people who have graduated in the last two years who are either unemployed or more likely under-employed in a non-graduate level role.

Says Simona Lungu, 23, who graduated with 1st class honours from Nottingham Business School in 2011 and has been working with Network Rail and TfL, ‘As graduates we have had endless opportunities to develop and explore Network Rail and other train operating companies.

Everyone has been so supportive

and willing to help us learn.

‘To my greatest delight I discovered the complexity of the railway industry, where regardless of your background or career aspirations you will find something that suits you.’

Says Patrick Butcher, Network Rail’s group finance director, responsible for the scheme, ‘We know that there are many smart, talented individuals out there that haven’t had their break yet and as a growing industry we can work together to provide challenging, valuable and paid work experience to kick start their careers.

‘I’m pleased but not surprised that those who joined us last year have found the placements rewarding and that they can see a potential career in the rail industry. I know that some have already secured permanent positions and we hope to unearth some more untapped talent this year.’

Typical training roles place graduates in network operations, station and train teams, customer service, sales and marketing, route strategy, asset management and project management.

renewal works at sites around the UK - including the modification of

the Great Western Main Line to support new Crossrail trains.

Green signal for graduates Signalling Solutions has recruited 13 graduates from an astonishing 500 applications.

The applicants were almost all described as extremely enthusiastic with great qualifications and skills to offer.

Says Orla O’Connor, resourcing manager at Signalling Solutions, ‘All our graduates go through a three-year graduate training programme which gives them an ideal foundation to build on their existing skills and realise their high potential.

‘Further training courses and on the job training also give our graduates a great start.

16

Development is a key part of Signalling Solutions and we show commitment to accelerating success and building our team.’

The scheme is proving popular with graduates. Says Chris Kelly, Graduate Project Manager, ‘I have really enjoyed my first commissioning and the team I worked with was brilliant.’ New members are made to feel part of the team very quickly. After two weeks in his new career Luke Reger, Graduate Estimator, said, ‘I feel like a valuable member of the team.’

Signalling Solutions, the Alstom/Balfour Beatty joint venture, has delivered signalling

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186 RailStaff May 2013_Layout 1 10/05/2013 13:03 Page 17

TRAINING... sponsored CAREERS

by Vital Skills Training

Renewed focus on OLEC will put training at its core

By Lawrence Dobie, Education and Training Director at Vital Services Group.

The impending introduction of CP5 in 2014 will provide a wealth of opportunities to make improvements to the UK’s rail infrastructure.

With £4bn of the total £24bn investment allocated for the Rail Electrification Development Programme, there will be a significant need to recruit and train linesmen with the skills and qualifications to work on overhead lines.

It is estimated that there are currently in the region of 250 overhead line engineers in the UK, but that 2,000 will be required to deliver the CP5 programme. Add to this the fact that there are only 17

overhead line instructors across the country and the scale of the challenge comes sharply into focus.

Currently the OLE Construction (OLEC) standards define the minimum requirements for the assessment of engineers that work on the electrification infrastructure. The standards were launched in 2009 in response to inherent weaknesses in the OLE electrification of major projects, in particular in relation to staff competency and the need to improve quality and management logistics.

Mandatory OLEC, developed by Network Rail in conjunction with the Railway Industry Association and its members, became mandatory in 2010. However, there have been

growing concerns in the industry that a lack of policing has led to a failure to impose the standards, with a reliance on each contractor to implement and control its own systems.

Furthermore, many of these contractors have no in-house training capability and lack the resources and commitment to invest in the training of their people to ensure that the standards are maintained.

This is now set to change, with Network Rail placing a renewed emphasis on training, coupled with the integration of OLEC with Sentinel 2 to ensure monitoring and assessment of overhead line engineers to make certain that their skills and competencies meet the requirements of the standard.

The technology provided by the new Sentinel 2 system, set to be

launched this summer, will equip Network Rail with the information to monitor staff training and ensure that they have the necessary qualifications to do their jobs in line with the standards.

Using smartcards and smartphone technology, it’s likely that engineers will be assessed on a biannual basis.

Whilst these changes are to be welcomed as a great step forward for the industry, it’s imperative that there is a culture change in the sector so that today’s engineers become the managers and assessors of the future.

This can only be done if there is a shift in the way in which contractors view the critical role training has to play in shaping the future workforce to meet the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

Helping our clients get from...

Track

A Web.

www.vital-rail.com

www.railstaff.co.uk

OLE & Isolations

Email.

Signalling & Telecoms

info@vital-rail.com

Building and Civils

Tel.

0845 894 9020

Recruitment

B Fax.

0845 894 9699 17

186 RailStaff May 2013_Layout 1 10/05/2013 13:03 Page 18

You only have to walk downstairs and look at the good service board and you’ll know how we’re doing. If it’s showing every line of good service I know the pressure’s off, but as soon as a line goes to even minor delays then there’s pressure on.

Quick on the response

“Look at the data; there are 30% fewer delays on the Underground than there were two years ago…”

HOWARD COLLINS, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, LONDON UNDERGROUND

On the eve of his departure for a new life in Australia, Howard Collins, Chief Operating Officer of London Underground, speaks to Nigel Wordsworth.

Howard has been at the heart of London Underground but is now taking his skills and experience down-under as Chief Executive Officer of Sydney Trains. Just before he goes, he relives his career and captures the excitement he feels every day.

There’s a train every two minutes on the Jubilee Line, there’s a train every hundred seconds on the Victoria Line. Just a two minute delay can take an hour to restore the service. Our challenge is to be quick on the response, on the recovery, because, if you don’t, it all becomes a big problem.

For many years you saw money being spent on the Tube but you didn’t see where it was going.

Now? The Victoria Line has 33 trains an hour, a superb service. The Jubilee Line is looking good, the Northern Line has been converted to an automatic train operation and the S-Stock is arriving.

Hopefully we’ll have a glorious summer so, for the first time, we

can test out 58 air conditioned trains! It’s been the biggest rolling stock order since the war. These trains are going to make a massive difference to about a third of our customers.

And look at the data; there are 30% fewer delays on the Underground than there were two years ago. That’s a combination of better, reliable assets and a focus on why things break and fixing them, and a real dedication to pre-emptive maintenance.

How did it all start for me?

I was into transport. Although I was born in Woolwich, I was brought up in the West Indies until the age of eleven and I was mad on things with wheels.

So when I wanted a new motorbike, I needed to get some cash. I applied to British Rail, a big road haulage company, London Transport and Reed International.

I had an interview up here at Petty France for London Transport because they had a training scheme for A Level students.

Australian Journey 18

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INTERVIEW

I started work for real in this building over 35 years ago as they were going to pay me 50 quid more than British Rail were offering. I walk sometimes up the steps here and it feels just the same; the smells, the sounds are the same as they were then. The people are quite different, but that was the start of my career.

One of my first jobs after training was being the liaison person between the operators and the engineers. Although I wasn’t an engineer, I had the gift of understanding technical drawings and, because I had hobbies of building motorbikes, I was mechanically minded.

My biggest break I worked for two or three years doing that and then my biggest break was when I got on a scheme for Area Managers. I loved the emergency response stuff, the incidents, the failures, dealing with staff. I was on the District and Piccadilly Lines and it was great. I thought, this is my job for life.

Shift work, plenty of time off in the week, when you shut the door in the evening that was it, there were no worries, you just waited for the next shift to start up again and see what happened.

In 1988 I was taken out of my job as an Area Manager - the grade was abolished - and I became a Senior Manager looking after a chunk of the District Line. Then I became General Manager of all the stations on the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly Lines and after that a service director of the company in 2003, accountable for the operational side of the subsurface lines. In 2008 I became the Chief Operating Officer.

All the menial tasks I spent a lot of time out and about. You’ve got to demonstrate you are prepared to remember where you came from. I started at eighteen as what they call a Traffic Trainee, and I did all those jobs as a trainee from guard to foreman, and all the menial tasks.

I remember one boss said, “I’ll tell you what, I’ll show you round various depots and places like that.” He didn’t have to, but that made a big difference to me. Now, when I have graduate trainees coming through my door I’ll give them some time, useful time, not just giving them the photocopying and the tea making because that inspires nobody.

The Fennell Enquiry said that this was not just about flammable materials and someone smoking. The report went through the whole process of the inadequacies of the management structure and training. The culture of the place from a management point of view and also a staff point of view was in dire need of changing.

King’s Cross fire

Single point accountability

There have been the low points though. I was actually on a week’s holiday when the King’s Cross fire happened. (The King’s Cross fire on 18 November 1987 killed 31 people.)

I was at home just pottering around. It wasn’t one of the stations or areas that I looked after and I remember the next morning when we all had phone calls asking us to come in and help.

Initially the reports were that one or two people had been killed.

A big fire at King’s Cross Station yes, but as the night and the day unfolded it became the worst tragedy on the Underground for many, many years.

There was a lack of investment with everything done on a shoestring. Out of the Fennell Enquiry came the first big chunk of investment to rip out all of the dodgy materials.

We now have a dedicated radio and communication system which we never had before. All of the station would be divided up and kept segregated and secure.

When Fennell asked the question, “Who is in charge of King’s Cross?” no one put their hand up, so the Group Station Manager was invented as the first step towards single point accountability. © SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Howard Collins www.railstaff.co.uk

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“It was just as Boris Johnson described, someone sprinkled Seratonin on the Tube system of London and everyone started talking to each other, everyone was very friendly, the international world was amongst us..”

HOWARD COLLINS, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, LONDON UNDERGROUND

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Nothing could prepare us for 7 July 2005. (At 8.48hrs four terrorists detonated rucksack bombs, one on a bus in Tavistock Square and the other three on the London Underground. 52 people died and over 700 were injured.)

We started getting reports about a ‘power surge’ on the Underground, but then it became apparent that it wasn’t a cable. It was, of course much worse than that. I was at Wapping on that morning. The whole road system had been shut down.

But I was sure that there was a River Police station round the corner. So I knocked on the door, walked in and an ex-British Transport Police guy was there. I said that we had to get back to 55 Broadway. The police officer at once put a group of us on a launch up to Westminster Pier. By eleven o’clock we were back in here.

I ended up working for four weeks with SO13 and the Emergency Services. The first week or so was working with these guys sorting out what could have been part of a bomb, what was just old bits of railway junk and which bits were trains.

Real heroes

Pink Hi-Viz

I went home twice, I think, in the four weeks, and four weeks later, to the day, we reopened the last bit of the Piccadilly Line, which was quite emotional. I ended up being the public spokesman to the press, and I can remember on the last day I did something like 23 TV interviews and 70 radio interviews.

Our own dedicated people, who knew the railway, spent hours and hours just re-wiring and rebuilding, in temperatures you wouldn’t believe.

There were many staff office workers, cleaners, canteen ladies who went down that tunnel at Edgware Road and rescued people and held people’s hands. They were the real heroes.

I wouldn’t want to ever do it again, but actually every step we made was a step back to civilisation, away from trying to comprehend why these people killed 52 people.

As a typical operator, when I dealt with derailments, oneunders, incidents, my mind clicked out of the emotional experience.

I’ve had to get the railway going again, to get those wheels turning.

I had to get people to do things in the right order, in a safe way and to get people moving once more.

How were we going to give out information to the public? We bought 2000 iPads and 1000 iPhones, programmed them in with all with the travel information, got the pink hi-viz and, you know what? It was the best form of engagement for our staff.

Even now, people talk about those times and want to go out and spend time on the front line, because the back office accounts and auditors have never, ever seen what happens on a station. That was one of the legacy benefits of the Olympics.

It was just as Boris Johnson described, someone sprinkled Seratonin on the Tube system of London and everyone started talking to each other, everyone was very friendly, the international world was amongst us.

The rain stopped, the railway settled down and right up till September 11th we had the best performing railway, the least delays, the most satisfactory service we’d ever operated in the history of the Underground.

A lot of it was because we weren’t doing any open heart surgery of upgrading the Tube.

We’d done a lot of pre-servicing and checking. There were things that broke which, again, people didn’t see because they were fixed quickly.

During the Opening Ceremony we lost a track circuit in a depot. It looked really dodgy, the Jubilee Line could have been out of action but we had a guy who knew what to do. He changed a component, fixed it and by eight o’clock in the evening we weren’t worrying again.

Highlights Despite the tragedies there were great highlights like the Olympics.

The real planning happened a year or so beforehand. I’d come out of my day job as COO to be the London Underground Director accountable for the delivery of the Olympics, operationally, because that’s what I’m good at.

So I spent a lot of time cutting through the crap of all the paperwork, working with people on practical operations. I worked with the Olympic Opening Ceremony Team, because I knew that kicking off the event had to go right.

We had to negotiate with the Unions a new deal for them to drive all through the night, plan 180 trains an hour leaving Stratford at one o’clock in the morning and getting staff geared up and engaged with it. I was very privileged to go with a load of former Olympians, for days meeting staff, talking to them about their experiences, really raising the energy.

Extraordinary results None of us were focussing on the future. All of us, directors, people in this building were focussing on the then and now, but for that period of time it shows, with the right level of support, focus, attitude of mind you can get extraordinary results. So it was a little bit of a euphoric, unusual experience.

What we learned was that we can keep some of these things going - the Emergency Response Teams working with the Police, dedicated Police Paramedic Officers who get places quicker www.railstaff.co.uk

186 RailStaff May 2013_Layout 1 10/05/2013 13:04 Page 21

INTERVIEW

than the ambulance can, staff trained to deal with various things along the way. We have sustained a heightened level of reliability post Olympics, and it’s still going on.

How best to follow the London Olympics?

We knew we had the 150 years anniversary of the Tube, but how could we celebrate it? In 1963 they did some sort of parade at Neasden and pushed a steam engine around the depot. This time we found the oldest locomotive which could be repaired. We found the oldest carriages and we aimed to actually run it on the route and in live steam.

One of the highlights of my career was being on that first train with all the world’s VIPs, CEOs, and politicians out of Olympia, running through the stations. I remember we arrived at King’s Cross and a little kid said to his Mum, “Is that the Hogwart’s Express Mum?” There was all this smoke and steam. It was great, but it wasn’t just a one-off event. We used this year to focus on coins, stamps, Royal visits and dedicated exhibitions of posters.

BBC Documentary

© BBC PICTURES

I think there was one other ingredient which I was personally involved with, which I think has changed people’s view about the Tube. About two years ago we were approached by the BBC to do a documentary series. It was unprecedented in that we said to the film directors, “You’ll have the same pager as I’ve got so if anything kicks off, you’ll know about it when I do.”

We gave them access to our people. They found the real

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characters, and there were lots of them, from front line staff. The BBC2 audience wanted to know not only how it works, but why and what’s behind it.

I thought, what on earth are they going to talk about for an hour over six programmes? But they had the biggest audience they’ve ever had for that time of the night. There was a huge social media following.

People would come up to me and say they didn’t realise what we had to put with. Viewers said, “I’m never ever going to moan about the Underground again, having seen some drunken layabouts saying ‘Hold the last train I’ve got to finish my fag.’.” It really gave the personal, proper insight to what was going on and I think that opened people’s eyes to the way we do things around here.

Time to leave After 35 years you get to that point where you feel everything is going right, and that this is the time to leave. I would have stayed here for the rest of my career. I love the place, absolutely enjoyed every moment of it.

But when Sydney approached me to say how I ought to go down there, how they’ve got big problems and how they needed help, I was persuaded. You know, good weather, an opportunity to change things again, a new job as a Chief Executive Officer of Sydney Trains, son off to university, need to downsize from the house - why not do it?

There are many challenges here.

If I was staying there would be so many things I’d get my teeth into.

But I think my whole culture, the way I’ve been brought up, running things on a shoestring and doing it well despite that, will put me in good stead down-under.

The more and more I look at Sydney, the more I think there are so many parallels here and I am determined to change the railway which the Sydneysiders detest so much.

I will try not to spend too much of my time looking back and looking at the London Underground, but it’s a bit like many things, you complete the task and then you’ve got to start again. I remember the D-Stock

coming into service. Marvellous modern trains, but I am now seeing them being scrapped in the next year or so.

Many tourists, Americans, Australians, say they used to come here and the place was dirty and grimy and noisy and there were no staff and they were all comatose.

Now they’ve never seen such a clean, bright place and the staff are really great and they’re engaging.

I’m not being disparaging but we pay well, we’ve got good staff and that makes the difference. I have a little twinkle in my eyes.

I’m definitely going to do this long term, permanent job in the New South Wales Government, but who knows? In five years time I may be back to haunt a few people?

I look forward to arriving as a tourist and travelling on the Tube and understanding how things have progressed even further.

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186 RailStaff May 2013_Layout 1 10/05/2013 13:04 Page 22

As the road economy began to bite, uninhabited stations became more numerous than passengers. This magnificent scene, looking

THE FALL AND RISE OF BRITAIN’S RAILWAYS

Matlock, has been replaced by a platform and a bus shelter with

Photographs supplied by Milepost 921⁄2

Part 3: The Re-Shaping of British Railways Colin Garratt reports

Beeching’s chairmanship of the newly formed British Railways Board coincided with the decimation of steam traction. Once he was asked in an interview if he would like a steam locomotive to be named after him.

His reply was that he would rather it be a pub…

22

This year sees the fiftieth anniversary of Richard Beeching’s ‘The Re-Shaping of British Railways’.

2013 also sees the thirtieth anniversary of the Serpell Report.

These two events mirrored the tempestuous undertones of railway policy in the years following World War Two. In this eight part series, Colin Garratt of Milepost 92½ outlines the turbulent events which led up to the privatisation of British Rail in 1993, concluding with an analysis of the current situation and where it might be heading.

Beeching’s first report, ‘The ReShaping of British Railways,’ was published in March 1963.

Few people had expected anything so draconian. Over 2,000 stations and 280 lines - almost a third of the network - were to be closed. Overnight Beeching became regarded as a tyrant.

Yet the worst thing that happened to him was being hit by an egg at Newcastle upon Tyne.

Much of the abuse levelled at Beeching did not take into account the fact that his brief, however irresponsibly, was solely to produce a formula to eradicate the railway’s financial losses and to be in profit by 1970.

He was not asked to philosophise on the rights and wrongs of transport policy or to flag up the environmental benefits of rail or even to outline what effect his closures would have on local communities. He, or more accurately the government, simply needed to strip out costs to a point at which the network would cease

to be loss making. In brief, the government didn’t want to pay for the railway notwithstanding the myriad benefits that it offered.

Britain’s greatest technological gift to mankind No detailed costing on this scale had ever been conducted on the railways before. Beeching maintained that 80% of the network earned only 20% of the revenue. The pure logic of this could not be ignored, however disturbing the implications might be.

The railway had been Britain’s greatest technological gift to mankind and had been built by spectacular endeavour to become the most dense network on earth.

It remained a source of great national pride. It was clearly an inescapable fact that many lines were losing money and they would continue to do so as the road network developed.

But many felt that railways were essentially right; the correct form of transport from the safety, energy and environmental viewpoint. Also that motorcars were an indulgence and heavy trucking something to be resisted.

These were not just prevalent sentiments of railwaymen and enthusiasts, they also had a lot of support among the public at large.

I have to say that I find an irrefutable similarity between the average driver and Mr Toad and it is not attractive.

Beeching’s chairmanship of the newly formed British Railways Board coincided with the decimation of steam traction.

Once he was asked in an interview if he would like a steam locomotive to be named after him.

His reply was that he would rather it be a pub.

This, combined with his apparent lack of interest in the future of ‘The Flying Scotsman’ – arguably the world’s most famous steam locomotive and a national heirloom, lent strength to the notion that Beeching was insensitive, if not actually plebeian - someone who had no legitimate purpose interfering with the national infrastructure.

One compelling attack frequently used by those opposed to the Beeching Report was that many of the figures had been cooked or at least were wrong. These beliefs were subsequently fuelled by the publication of David Henshaw’s barnstorming book, ‘The Great Railway Conspiracy,’ in 1991.

Henshaw conceded that many of Beeching’s lines were uneconomic but with conviction claimed that at least a third of the cuts were a nonsense. At the beginning of the www.railstaff.co.uk

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FEATURE

became ever more prevalent with trainspotters becoming , looking north at Ambergate on the line from Derby to ter with the main line by-passing the station altogether.

1960s Britain had 7,000 railway stations and by the end of that decade only some 3,000 remained.

The cost of railways, compared to roads The entire Beeching saga raises the timeless question of the cost of railways compared with roads.

Few coherent figures have ever been drawn up detailing the real cost of a road based economy; death and injuries, policing, energy consumption and the limitless construction projects to contort the environment out of all recognition to make way for the plague of vehicles to come.

There was nothing unusual about line closures, not least as, between 1923 and 1939, the number of buses doubled whilst lorries increased by eight times.

Between 1922 and 1947, 1,650 miles of lines were closed, including the much loved Lynton and Barnstaple in 1935, whilst www.railstaff.co.uk

between 1948 and 1953, under the British Transport Commission, 1,253 miles of track were closed to all traffic and 1,167 miles to passenger services.

Much of the animosity levelled at Beeching was due to the recklessness with which his edicts were carried out. As soon as lines and stations closed the infrastructure was frequently ripped out and often the land sold.

One thinks of the majestic Crumlin viaduct over the Ebbw valley in South Wales which was a magnificent structure demolished three years after closure of the line. A longer period should elapse before a railway can be re-claimed for other purposes. After all, railways are part of a nation’s strategic infrastructure and should be beyond the remit of a random individual.

If a yobbo leaves a pub the worse for drink late one Saturday evening and, for example, breaks a

Richard Beeching.

few flower baskets in the Town Hall Square, he is hauled up before the magistrates on Monday morning. But with Beeching, we have an individual who has torn out one third of the nation’s railways on a purely cold blooded,

monetary driven remit with no concern for the future implications of his actions and he is made a life peer with a salary of £357,000 (in today’s terms).

As the railway shrank in size and its future became ever more in

23

186 RailStaff May 2013_Layout 1 10/05/2013 13:05 Page 24

Abandonment at Winslow on the former Oxford to Cambridge line.

Waverley Route from Carlisle to Edinburgh which is currently being re-opened between Edinburgh and Tweedbank.

Shankend viaduct on the former Waverley route from Carlisle to Edinburgh.

Options for preservationists

question, vast acreages of railway land were sold off in what many regarded as a shameful binge.

Many felt that there was a movement to ensure that the railway could never again provide an alternative to a road based economy.

Inter-city operation However not everything about Beeching was negative. He saw a future for the development of trunk routes for inter-city operation between major cities allied to modernised distribution points for freightliner trains, along with train load freight operation for bulk commodities such as coal, aggregates, oil and steel.

24

The uncertainly of Britain’s railways in the early 1960s had caused much concern for the railway’s many customers and was detrimental to the industry’s wellbeing as epitomised by a statement made by the Transport Manager of the Metal Box Company ‘Can I rely on having railway facilities where and when I need them or might the railways be closed down?’ He continued, ‘If we build a new factory, is it prudent to install private siding facilities or should we be investing in road transportation?’

Amazingly many of the lines targeted by Beeching were actually closed under Harold Wilson’s

Labour government which had taken office in 1964. When in opposition, Labour had vigorously opposed the Beeching cuts but upon assuming power they did a complete U-turn, including the crass stupidity of shutting the important east - west route between Oxford and Cambridge, a line which was not even on Beeching’s list!

Work has now begun on restoring the Oxford - Bletchley section. With hindsight, it is easy to see routes which should never have been closed, obvious examples being the Great Central, built to the continental loading gauge, which would conceivably be of great value today. Another is the

One amazing twist of fate to the Beeching story which he never dreamt of was that the closure of many rural lines in areas of tourism left a wide choice of options for preservationists to restore them with the running of steam trains so creating an enormous tourist potential for Britain.

Today the nation has around one hundred different lines running steam trains, many of which owe their existence to Beeching. These private operators are keen to forge links with the national network to increase pro-activity.

By an incredible twist of fate, the South Wales scrapyard of Dai Woodham of Barry held a massive reserve of condemned steam locomotives embracing over 40 different designs. Woodham was a saviour; he did much to negate the destruction of Beeching by cooperating with preservationists and allowing them a stay of execution for the locomotives so enabling funds to be raised.

It was a preservation miracle.

Virtually none of Dai Woodham’s locomotives were ever broken up and 213 of them left the Barry www.railstaff.co.uk

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FEATURE

graveyard for distribution to preservation centres all over the country. Many of Dai Woodham’s locomotives are frequently seen in full glory working specials on the main line network to the fascination of millions of admirers.

The steam train is now an indelible aspect of Britain’s cultural identity and does much to create an awareness of, and interest in, the railway industry. It could be used to promote the railway a lot more.

A second report In 1965, Beeching produced a second report (Major Railway Trunk Route) suggesting further cuts.

Losses had continued to rise and the ‘railway problem’ had not been resolved, despite all the invective which had been aimed at it.

This time Beeching defiantly advocated reducing the system to 3,000 route miles of intensely modernised main line and 4,500 miles of secondary lines with minimal maintenance and fewer stations. It was a frightening prospect but, fortunately, Beeching

Amazingly many of the lines targeted by Beeching were actually closed under Harold Wilson’s Labour government… fell out with the Labour administration and resigned.

The chimerical face of the man is evidenced by the Road Haulier’s Association seriously considering hiring him for services to their industry but pulled out at the last moment fearing that he may be biased towards rail.

And so another chapter in railway history came to a close and Beeching returned to ICI from whence he had come amid a haze of blue cigar smoke.

Britain became covered in abandoned railways, some of which were destined to return to life as preserved heritage lines.60

Dai Woodham’s yard at Barry with locomotives earmarked for preservation.

Part 4: The Railway Problem, Serpel and The Road to Privatisation will be published in July.

Loughborough Central station on the preserved section of the Great Central Railway.

One of the most prestigious tourist attractions in the East Midlands.

www.railstaff.co.uk

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Rail Freight Group Continuing our series looking at people and organisations in the rail industry, RailStaff asks the question: What do they do?

Marc Johnson reports © SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Rail freight has been experiencing a marked renaissance over the past 15 years, growing in popularity as consistently as its steady decline in the 1960s and 70s, Marc Johnson reports.

More and more businesses continue to shift from road to rail, but motorways and HGVs are still moving most of the UK’s goods, with rail freight carrying around 10 per cent of all surface transport in Britain.

FTA research predicts that by 2030 that figure will look very different. In just over 15 years, 197.8 million tonnes of freight will be transported by rail compared to 123.7 million in 2006.

Sustainable benefits

Maggie Simpson, Executive Director, Rail Freight Group.

26

Those within the industry know that to deliver those growth projections, policymakers in Europe and the UK need to be receptive to the benefits that rail freight offers. Sadly for operators and distributors, not everyone is pulling in the same direction.

There is a lot of positive talk around the sustainable benefits of rail freight and the need for dedicated rail freight corridors but without a supportive organisation fighting the industry’s corner, it’s unlikely these discussions would develop further. The Rail Freight Group (RFG) was established to help move that debate along.

Says Maggie Simpson, executive director of the RFG, ‘The very early

routes of the Rail Freight Group were pre-privitisation when a group of customers got together to try and improve the performance they were getting out of British Rail. But in the form it exists today it was founded in the early 90s, just ahead of privatisation.

As an organisation its aim is quite simple: to increase the volume of goods moved by rail, where it’s sensible to do that, through trying to create a policy environment that supports that aim. We’re principally focussed on the UK but obviously there is a strong interest in Europe firstly because European legislation sets

out a lot of the framework we have in the UK but also because our member companies have business in mainland Europe and we want to help them to thrive in that environment as well.’

Europe The Rail Freight Group, like many in the industry, hoped the Fourth Railway Package would support greater competition among freight operators in Europe. However, instead of ensuring all ties were cut between infrastructure managers and train operators, the EU appeared to submit to pressure www.railstaff.co.uk

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© SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

FEATURE

“I think in terms of the operators, to be honest, they are very concerned about the position with access charges and the implications that will have on their business, particularly coupled with a forecast decline in coal because of the environmental legislation relating to power generation.”

MAGGIE SIMPSON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, RAIL FREIGHT GROUP

www.railstaff.co.uk

The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) has only recently announced a new package of charges, which it believes will address an imbalance over infrastructure costs. The ORR has said that the higher charges will mean freight operators will contribute more to the £280-400 million worth of damage caused to Britain’s tracks by freight traffic every year.

‘At the moment we’re doing a lot of work on periodic review and the impact on freight charges for coal, biomass in particular but also some of the charges that apply across the piece,’ says Maggie.

‘I think in terms of the operators, to be honest, they are very concerned about the position with access charges and the implications that will have on their business, particularly coupled with a forecast decline in coal because of the environmental legislation relating to power generation.’

Following the HLOS announcement last summer, Maggie spoke at the Rail 2020 inquiry about how the government’s £9 billion planned investment in the network would allow freight operators to develop their electric strategies, update their fleets, and move away from diesel-powered locomotives.

The RFG is also spending more time in discussions about innovation and improving not just the infrastructure but also traditional operating practices.

‘People are actively trying to push development. The supermarkets are looking to increase their involvement on rail and there are some good positive signs in interchange and terminal,’ adds Maggie.

‘Obviously there is research and development going on to try and reduce the cost of the rail network and that’s good for everybody.

Electrification for example could benefit everyone.’

Rail freight’s renaissance looks set to continue as support for the industry gathers momentum.

© SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

from Germany, opting against full separation for a holding model which some believe will allow anti-competitive behaviour to continue.

Says Maggie, ‘A lot of people believe that the model we have in the UK, where you have full separation from infrastructure managers and train operations, is the way you can most easily guarantee that you won’t get conditions where anti-competitive behaviour can exist.

‘Also the more you pull those organisations together the more difficult that becomes, so the original proposals had full separation and what actually got published was a holding company model in effect, with some protection around that.

‘It hasn’t got everything in it we would have liked to have seen but the trick now is to make what’s in there work and make sure it doesn’t get watered down anymore. There’s some really positive stuff in there for people who are looking to operate in mainland Europe, which should help.’

There are further pressures on freight operators in the UK market.

Moving forward The industry’s growth and the undeniable need to move goods off the road and on to rail means there is plenty of good news out there.

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NEWS

Wednesday gang wins award

The Wednesday Gang of the North Norfolk Railway has won the Charles Hudson trophy at the IRSE Awards.

The Charles Hudson (the S&T Engineer of the Bluebell Railway) award is sponsored by the rail engineer magazine and is given annually to a person or group who has made a significant contribution to signalling on one of Britain’s minor railways.

The judges, led by IRSE past president, John Francis, considered

Wabtec move for Woolhouse

that the mechanical signalling on the North Norfolk Railway from Sheringham to Holt, had been renewed and restored in a most impressive way, not only enabling the railway to be operated safely but also enhancing its visual impact and presentation. The record keeping, maintenance scheduling, competence assessment, hazard identification and training of staff were all of a high order.

The presentation was made in London by Francis How, IRSE

President with the Wednesday Gang all present (pictured) – Roger Bell (Team Leader), Tony Cornell, Stuart Cousins, Bill Foreman, David Hamilton, Ian Sheffield, Chris West, Bob White, Dave Wright and Tony Wyeth.

In addition to the trophy, the team received a cheque and a personal certificate, plus other IRSE benefits. Thanks were expressed to the rail engineer for its continued support of this award.

David Woolhouse is the new managing director of Wabtec Rail Limited, in charge of Doncaster Works.

David takes over from Chris Weatherall who will now concentrate on his role as the Wabtec Group Managing Director overseeing Brush Traction, Wabtec Rail Scotland, Wabtec Rail Limited, Napier, Ricon and Bearwood Engineering.

David Woolhouse joins from Alstom Grid UK Ltd in Stafford where, for the last three years, he has been managing director of the business making power transformers for national power transmission networks around the world.

Prior to this he was managing director at Brush Transformers, for 7 years, based in Loughborough.

opposed to building new trains.

Introducing new trains would cost around twice as much.’

As part of the £42 million project the class 458/5s, as they will be known once they are refurbished,

will join the existing fleet to form 38 five-car sets.

The first set is expected to arrive at Wimbledon depot in June and will enter passenger service six weeks later. Doncaster is carrying

out work on the trailer vehicles with Loughborough concentrating on the driving cars. These are having their distinctive ‘Darth Vadar’ noses replaced with something flatter in appearance.

Staff at Doncaster and Loughborough Wabtec works are currently refurbishing 60 Porterbrook-owned former Gatwick Express class 460s.

The trains will provide additional capacity on the Windsor line between Hounslow, Weybridge , Reading and Windsor.

Says SWT’s engineering director, Christian Roth, ‘This project is more complex compared to just buying more Desiros, which would be relatively straight forward.

When you start chopping trains, issues such as corrosion have to be addressed before the vehicles can be reassembled.’

Asked about the decision to convert the 460s Roth said, ‘From an industry cost perspective it is better to modify the class 460s as 28

© JONATHAN WEBB

Windsor role for Express

www.railstaff.co.uk

186 RailStaff May 2013 v2_Layout 1 10/05/2013 13:21 Page 29

Recognising the people who keep the UK rail industry moving.

RailStaff Awards AWARDS PARTY: 5th OCTOBER, BIRMINGHAM

WWW.RAILSTAFFAWARDS.COM

Industry UNITES to celebrate at the RailStaff Awards The RailStaff Awards 2013 will be held on Saturday 5th October at the ICC in Birmingham, marking a phenomenal year for the rail industry.

Last year over 800 railway staff and their families attended. This year it looks like 1,000 people will be out celebrating all that’s brightest and best in the railway industry. To cope with demand the number of categories has been expanded to 18.

The success of the RailStaff Awards emphasises a drawing together of the rail industry. Old barriers are falling as the Rail Delivery Group assumes new powers enabling it to bring about consensus and common purpose.

The Network Rail/SWT Alliance celebrates its first successful year.

More alliances between infrastructure provider and service operators are taking forward the initiative nationally.

Progress on Crossrail forges ahead. Reading Station is zapping up performance on the Great Western Main Line ahead of electrification. Newly developed stations at London Bridge, Birmingham New Street and King’s Cross, run by motivated staff, showcase a confident, cando, industry.

The recession defying rail industry has seen railways and

tram systems being relaid and extended from Thameslink to Tweedbank.

A powerful year The RailStaff Awards 2013 celebrates a powerful year for the rail industry. Starting next year Network Rail will spend £37 billion to run and expand the railway between 2014 and 2019.

Showing a united front has been crucial to winning political and commercial support for expanding the railway. New projects are now routinely delivered on time and on budget. Rail performance is high, enjoying Swiss levels of reliability.

Crucial to the success of the

railway is the hard work, ingenuity and courage of the ordinary men and women who deliver the railway every day. The RailStaff Awards celebrates their professionalism and jointcommitment.

The rail industry wants to attract more young people to its cause.

Apprenticeships and graduate recruitment programmes are saluted at the RailStaff Awards as the railway expands the skills base needed to maximise investment in rail.

Colin Flack, genial head of the Rail Alliance, returns to host the evening. New awards this year include the David Maidment Award for Charity. David set up the Railway Children charity.

Recognising the increasing importance of blockades and possessions as capacity enhancement work ramps up, the new Possession Team of the Year shines the spotlight on the staff who work through the night in limited time envelopes.

The evening promises to be the industry party of the year.

in association with

Rail Person of the Year: Network Rail PAGE 31

Associate Sponsor: London Underground PAGE 33

For more details go to www.railstaffawards.com Rail Person of the year 2012: Cheryle Cowell, a Heathrow Express train driver was recognised after

Rail Manager of the Year: IRO

she convinced colleagues to work a day without pay to support a fellow driver who had taken time off to care for his terminally ill mother.

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186 RailStaff May 2013 v2_Layout 1 10/05/2013 13:21 Page 30

Amy Selway from TfL helped reform and unite the organisation’s HR function. Colleagues praised her focus and understanding of the business and rail industry after such a short time in the business.

Nominations now open for 2013 David Maidment Award for Charity

Rail Engineer of the Year

Samaritans Lifesaver Award

Depot Team of the Year

Rail Manager of the Year

Signalling & Telecoms Person of the Year

Lifetime Achievement Award

Rail Person of the Year

Station Staff of the Year

Newcomer / Graduate of the Year

Rail Safety Person of the Year

Sustainability Award

Outstanding Customer Service

Rail Team of the Year

Train Driver of the Year

Possession Team of the Year

Recruiter / HR Person of the Year

Trainer of the Year

Access the simple nomination process at www.railstaffawards.com

186 RailStaff May 2013 v2_Layout 1 10/05/2013 13:21 Page 31

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Network Rail supports RailStaff Awards 2013 Network Rail is once again supporting this year’s RailStaff Awards at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham.

The RailStaff Awards 2013 reflects the industry-wide dynamics of co-operation, openness and transparency evidenced by the success of Network Rail in building a bigger, better railway for Britain.

Men and women from all areas of the industry will be celebrating the achievements of hard working staff at the RailStaff Awards.

2013 is proving a busy year for Network Rail. Capacity enhancements are powering ahead at Reading and London Bridge as well as smaller schemes such as Peterborough and the latest round of platform extensions in the south-east.

Together with continuing improvements on the West Coast Main Line and preparations for the electrification of the Great Western

Main Line, 2013 will see solid progress on the expansion of the railway.

Top performing staff The new station at Birmingham New Street proves what can be achieved by an industry working together, assisted by top

performing staff with an emphasis on co-operation.

Network Rail is pushing ahead with apprenticeship programmes and graduate recruitment in a bid to expand the skills base needed as investment in rail continues in support of economic growth.

As the demands placed on the

rail industry expand, Network Rail is seeing the benefits of devolving power to front line managers working in close alliance with train operating companies. The work of the Rail Delivery Group is further reducing costs and boosting efficacy.

Similarly the RailStaff Awards is a cross-industry initiative designed to bridge old divisions and rivalries. Train drivers, route directors, station dispatchers and network operations staff join together to celebrate the courage and professionalism of ordinary staff across the railway.

Says Tom O’Connor, managing director of the Rail Media Group, ‘We welcome Network Rail yet again to the RailStaff Awards and thank all staff for their support and encouragement. Network Rail and the ingenuity and professionalism of its staff forms the bed rock of the success story of the modern railway.’

working together Experts IN support services for infrastructure markets

McGinley Support Services are pleased to be sponsoring

Railstaffff Infrastructur Infrastructu e Person of the Y Year ear T: 0845 543 5953

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TBF backs Station Staff of the Year The Transport Benevolent Fund is backing the Station Staff of the Year Award at this year’s RailStaff Awards.

Says Tom O’Connor, managing director of the Rail Media Group, which is organising the RailStaff Awards, ‘The Transport Benevolent Fund is an essential part of the railway community. Membership has increased and now stands at 40,000. I am delighted to welcome the TBF back to this year’s RailStaff Awards.

‘Despite the Beeching effect on railway stations - over 2000 of them were shut down - we now see new stations opening up and more being expanded. The people who staff our stations are among the hardest working in the industry.

‘For many passengers their first point of contact with the railway is through staff at stations. These quiet heroes are the ambassadors

of the industry and deserve much wider recognition. The TBF is a charity which has been there for many years helping the same people and their families.’

A registered charity The Transport Benevolent Fund (TBF) is a registered charity and offers a wide range of benefits including health, legal advice, convalescence and cash help to its members and their dependants.

The TBF is run by Trustees who understand the industry and the needs of staff. TBF is here to support those who work in the public transport industry when they are in need, hardship or distress. Almost anyone who works in the industry may join TBF. If you are a member of the TBF, you may choose to continue your membership in retirement. It is not possible to join once you have retired. Contributions to the TBF

are £1 a week. Please contact TBF for more details. When you die your family will normally continue to be treated as dependants in accordance with the TBF rules.

Says Chris Godbold, the Fund’s Development Director, ‘Stations and their improvements are very much in the news currently. Many of our members have been involved in, or started their career at, a railway station.

TBF exists to help all people in the railway industry. We are pleased to be involved in the RailStaff Awards and to help

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

celebrate the achievements of ordinary men and women who make this such a great industry.’

The Transport Benevolent Fund was originally established to help families of London public transport workers serving in the First World War. A permanent trust was set up in 1923.

TBF has been helping public transport workers for nearly 90 years. In recent years TBF has shown extensive growth nationally and now has over 40,000 members throughout England, Scotland and Wales.

Whatever you’ve done.

Whatever life’s done to you.

Call Samaritans.

No pressure.

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With the help of the TOCs, Network Rail and other employers throughout the public transport industry we now have over 40,000 members.

For just £1 a week a variety of benefits are available to you, your partner and dependent children.

Join today!

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0300 333 2000 etd 00 38571 e-mail help@tbf.org.uk www.tbf.org.uk

Transport Benevolent Fund

The Transport Benevolent Fund (known as TBF) is a registered gistered charity in England and Wales (1058032) 032) and in Scotland (S (SC040013) SC040013) 32

ud proud are pro p are ship errshi tne Partn rk Rail Par twork Samaritans/Netwo ĚƐ ǁĂƌĚƐ ī ǁĂƌ ů^ƚĂī ZĂŝŝů^ƚĂ Ğ ZĂ ƚŚĞ ƌŝŶŐŐ ƚŚ ŽƌŝŶ ŶƐŽ ŽŶƐ ƐƉŽ Ğ ƐƉ Ž ďĞ ƚƚŽ ď In par tnership with

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186 RailStaff May 2013 v2_Layout 1 10/05/2013 13:21 Page 33

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London Underground back as Associate Sponsor London Underground joins Network Rail as associate sponsor of the RailStaff Awards 2013.

London’s Underground (LU) is one of the busiest urban rail networks in the world. The Tube carried more than 1.2bn passengers in 2012/13, as many as the entire National Rail network.

With around three and a half million journeys made each day, on 11 lines serving 270 stations, London Underground is now running more services than ever before on the network which marks its 150th birthday in 2013.

Rich history During its anniversary year, LU is celebrating not only its rich history, the beautiful old trains and the architecturally important stations that act as beacons across the capital, but also looking to the present and future.

In the same way that Londoners’

lives are unrecognisable from those in 1863, so too is the way the Tube operates. The performance of the network is the best in its entire history, even as it carries everincreasing numbers of passengers.

But London is not a static city. It continues to grow, so LU staff are engaged in the wholesale upgrade and improvement of the network, one of the biggest and most complex engineering projects in the world.

Transforming the journeys of millions This programme is now delivering huge tangible benefits for passengers. Through new signalling, trains and track, a rigorous focus on improving individual journeys and enormous improvements to the information and service offered to passengers, London Underground is transforming the journeys of

millions.

The Jubilee and Victoria lines have been improved through massively boosted capacity and faster journeys, with Victoria line customers now enjoying the highest frequency service anywhere in the UK. Stations like King’s Cross and Green Park and Blackfriars have been rebuilt. A fleet of new airconditioned trains has been introduced on the Metropolitan line, and over the next few years will be introduced to 40 per cent of the Tube network.

Accessibility improvements The number of step-free stations is being expanded, alongside the use of ramps, platform humps and other accessibility improvements.

An extension of the Northern line to Battersea is being planned, and Crossrail will be delivered, transforming travel across London.

To achieve all this it is essential that the lessons of the past are learned. Investment dried up in the 1970s, 80s and 90s, a trend that has now been reversed, and together we can continue the proud traditions of London Underground, ensuring that we go into the next 150 years with great optimism that the Tube will continue its vital role for the people and economy of London and UK. Says Tom O’Connor, managing director of the Rail Media Group, ‘We are delighted that London Underground is supporting the RailStaff Awards 2013 once again.

‘Staff on the Underground - and TfL - feature prominently at the RailStaff Awards and their hard work and dedication deserves wider recognition in this the 150th anniversary year of the world’s iconic capital railway system, the London Underground.’

London Underground

London Underground proud to sponsor the 2013 RailStaff Awards At London Underground we recognise that our people are

work for us that will help us achieve the success of

critical to achieving our vision of a world class Tube for a

delivering an upgraded network while carrying record

world class city. So for the third year running, we are

numbers of passengers.

delighted to be an associate sponsor of the RailStaff

2013 is a big year as we step up the modernisation of the

Awards. These awards recognise and reward the brilliant

Tube to ensure it remains the engine room of the UK

work, dedication and commitment of individuals and teams

economy, helping to create thousands of jobs across the

from across the rail industry.

country. So it is fitting that our sponsorship of the

At London Underground we’re firm believers in continuous

RailStaff Awards will help to focus on excellence across

improvement and development... and it’s the people who

the rail industry.

MAYOR OF LONDON

www.railstaffawards.com

Transport for London

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IRO backs Manager of the Year The Institution of Railway Operators (IRO) was launched in May 2000 to develop and promote the safe, reliable and efficient operation of the railways - heavy rail, metro, light rail and heritage rail operations - and to ensure the institution acts as the custodian of best practice in railway operational management.

Our association identifies with all nominees for the Rail Manager of the Year award and is totally committed to the industry-wide objective of better leadership.

We are able to offer our members distance-learning courses at Glasgow Caledonian University, leading to certificate, diploma and degree-level BSc qualifications.

As well as these programmes, the IRO runs a range of short courses including a 1 day Introduction to the Rail Industry, 2.5 day Operational Planning and a 5 day Operational Principles programme.

Strong foundations During 2012 the IRO continued to build on the strong foundations created by the area councils and its tutor body. We consulted our membership more widely and through their efforts we developed a series of new and refreshed tools for the professional operator.

These include: the POD – the Professional Operators Development framework; it also produced its first book, the Operators Handbook; a member’s on line continuing professional development planner and tracker and a refreshed mentoring programme.

New corporate members joined us, keen for their employees to access the development tools and area learning events. As a result we experienced a sizeable growth in membership. The launch of an ambitious education programme

by Transnet Freight Rail in South Africa, using the IRO’s intellectual

property also helped to boost membership further.

Our membership is open to anyone working in, or associated with, any part of the railway industry worldwide. For full details of how to become a member of the IRO, its benefits and all of its courses and events can be found on our website www.railwayoperators.co.uk The IRO is sponsoring the Rail Manager of the Year award at the RailStaff Awards. Fiona Tordoff, chief executive of the IRO said, ‘The

IRO exists to create opportunities for all operators to achieve more for themselves and their profession through learning, networking and aspiring to be the best.

‘The achievement of winning the Rail Manager of the Year award is a great endorsement for an outstanding manager who is a true professional, who shows outstanding leadership skills and goes beyond for their team. In this our second year of sponsorship we are delighted to be part of this success.’

PROUD TO SPONSOR Rail Engineer of the Year 2013 » A pr professional ofessional net network work » Ar Area events ea ev ents » Academic qualifications » Pr Professional ofessional D Development evelopment » CPD sc schemes hemes

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To T o find out what ar are you www .railwayoperators.co.uk www.railwayoperators.co.uk

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Morson Group operates through two main subsidiaries, Morson International and Morson Projects. Morson International is the UK’s No1 Technical Recruiter and provides specialist engineering and technical personnel. Morson Projects provides outsourced engineering and project management design services. To date, Morson Group has presence is 57 office locations across the globe.

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186 RailStaff May 2013 v2_Layout 1 10/05/2013 13:21 Page 35

PROUD TO SPONSOR NEWCOMER /GRADUATE OF THE YEAR

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Bridgeway Consulting’s diverse portfolio of services ensures our clients continue to benefit from our ‘one stop shop’ service offering. We know that the quality of our people ensures that we provide a quality service and this is why we are pleased to sponsor the Rail Safety Person of the Year in the 2013 Railstaff Awards.

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Praised for her cheerfulness and encyclopaedic knowledge of the railway, Simone Carter from London Midland won the Outstanding Customer Service Award 2012.

Nominations now open for 2013 David Maidment Award for Charity

Rail Engineer of the Year

Samaritans Lifesaver Award

Depot Team of the Year

Rail Manager of the Year

Signalling & Telecoms Person of the Year

Lifetime Achievement Award

Rail Person of the Year

Station Staff of the Year

Newcomer / Graduate of the Year

Rail Safety Person of the Year

Sustainability Award

Outstanding Customer Service

Rail Team of the Year

Train Driver of the Year

Possession Team of the Year

Recruiter / HR Person of the Year

Trainer of the Year

Access the simple nomination process at www.railstaffawards.com

186 RailStaff May 2013_Layout 1 10/05/2013 13:12 Page 37

NEWS

Alliance to reopen Waterloo International

“The Alliance is an industry first, which was created to deliver a better railway for passengers …”

TIM SHOVELLER, MANAGING DIRECTOR, NR/SWT ALLIANCE

Shoveller, managing director of the Alliance, ‘The alliance is an industry first, which was created to deliver a better railway for passengers using ways of working which have not previously been possible. Bringing the Waterloo International Terminal into permanent use is an example of what it can help to achieve. It has

Carriage joins Royal Scot A new dining car, called Swift, on the prestigious Royal Scot private train, is in service after being rebuilt from scratch by experienced engineer Nigel Woolford.

Two years ago the carriage was a rusting, stripped out hulk. Nigel and his team have overseen the transformation, shaping everything from the undercarriage equipment to the choice of lighting and the elaborate panelling.

Mr Woolford runs a small engineering business, Assenta Ltd, based in the hamlet of Dunsyre, 20 miles from Edinburgh. He has helped keep the Royal Scotsman running for the past 20 years, maintaining the carriages to the same standards of five star hotels, while also adhering to stringent rail safety requirements.

‘The challenge of building new railway carriages for luxury trains does not come along every day,’ says Nigel Woolford. ‘This is the www.railstaff.co.uk

first new carriage built for the Royal Scotsman since 1996.

‘We’ve done plenty of tweaks and tidy-ups and maintenance over the years. But this has been totally hand built from the shell up and we managed to do it all on time and on budget.’

The Royal Scotsman has been running since 1985 and was bought by the Orient Express group in 2005. Assenta Ltd has the maintenance contract to look after the rolling stock.

been made possible by working with many organisations, including the Department for Transport, and is vital for the much-needed development of the railway across the south and south west of England. It has been talked about for many years and we have shown it is possible and remain committed to bringing platform 20

MEDICAL SPOTLIGHT Significant uncertainties and confusion exist around the use of instant drug testing kits, also referred to as point-of-collection or point-of-care tests – PoCTs, reports Dr Dan Hegarty of Express Medicals There is the obvious attraction of very rapid results and the perception that costs are less if PoCTs are favoured in place of more traditional laboratory-based testing.

However there is some confusion as to whether they are allowed to be used. Should PoCts be used alone? Should they be backed up with formal laboratory

tests? How reliable are the results? What are the legal and employment issues to be considered?

Answers are often far from straightforward. Express Medicals provided an educational grant to a group of academics to review the situation with respect to PoCTs. This resulted in a report: Review of Point-of-Care / Collection Testing Devices for the Detection of Drugs of Abuse.

Express Medicals also sponsored a conference about PoCTs. This was held at Imperial College, London. For more info see www.expressmedicals.co.uk

© SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

International platforms at Waterloo – vacated by Eurostar five years ago – should be back in use next April thanks to moves by the Network Rail and South West Trains Alliance.

On the anniversary of the alliance‘s first year in action a special train from Woking pulled into platform 20. Says Tim

into permanent use by April 2014 at the latest.’ Since the alliance was created in April 2012, passenger satisfaction has increased from 83% to 85% and the efficiency of track maintenance work has increased by 25%. The timetable has been amended to allow better access to the tracks for maintenance work and an emergency intervention unit has been introduced which allows faster response times to incidents which can cause delays to passengers.

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STATIONS

STATIONS:

A Confident Statement

Often overlooked is the effect the Beeching Report had on Britain’s railway stations.

Almost half of these were to be shut down.

Many more were left to decay, victims of cost cutting and short sightedness. Who is not familiar with the 1980s wind swept, boarded up, station?

The picture is changing now. The railway comeback brings with it an urgent need for new and expanded stations. In this section we take a look at new stations and stations renovated to better cater for the thousands

of passengers flocking back to rail.

Increasingly railway stations are seen as more than places to board trains and alight.

The massive footfall represents a great retail opportunity. However, they are fast becoming of more worth than this.

The railway station, whether it is a grade II listed building or a modern concourse complete with shopping mall, champagne bars and sushi restaurants, is more than an ambassador for a rail industry reborn.

The emerging railway station of our times is a bold statement of faith in a country at ease with success, determined to sweep aside the constraints of a visionless past.

Railway stations sit at the heart of an aspirational culture. This is where individuals, ideas and new businesses take off. Have your tickets ready please.

Station refurbishment can regenerate wider community Dave Darnell, UK Rail Sector Director, WSP Group reports As our roads become more congested and the green agenda encourages us out of cars and onto public transport, rail is becoming more important as a means of travel.

With the average Brit making over 140 trips per year on a train, and all of them passing through two or more railway stations, it’s not hard to see why these often iconic structures are playing an increasingly significant role, over and beyond their practical function.

Across the UK a programme of station refurbishment is underway with potential to deliver some real regeneration across many of our communities. While the required investment can be significant, there is evidence that it is a worthwhile commitment which can deliver value.

Community focal points This is because stations no longer only provide the point of access to the rail network but are increasingly becoming community focal points by utilising space effectively with the introduction of retail outlets, leisure facilities and, by taking advantage of the inbuilt sustainable transport provision, making them ideal locations for office and residential developments, especially in city centres.

The opportunity for residential developments close to these suburban stations reduces dependence upon secondary 38

transport provision and is becoming attractive in reducing door to door travel times.

In fact, a report released in the autumn showed that homeowners in London living along the Crossrail route are expected to enjoy a 25 per cent increase in property values as part of a £5.5 billion programme of station refurbishment and the accompanying wider commercial and residential developments which are expected to follow.

Meanwhile the £800m refurbishment of St Pancras, which re-opened in 2007 complete with upmarket shopping, regular music and drama events and the longest champagne bar in Europe, has

attracted a whole new audience to the station with around 25 per cent of its visitors never going near a train.

A hive of activity Similarly, on completion of the new London Bridge station redevelopment a whole new centre will evolve in the London Bridge Quarter with the transport links provided by the increased Thameslink services complementing the Shard and London Bridge House developments.

Almost 8000 square metres of retail space will be provided within the station which in itself will become a destination similar to the success of the Waterloo Station

Balcony scheme. Although several of the units are still to be occupied the balcony is a hive of activity with various coffee bars and restaurants being used for business meetings, accessing the internet whilst waiting for trains or even just for a social catch up on the way home.

Rail travel passenger journeys are increasing year on year which makes the investment in stations justifiable. The additional potential to create spin-off retail opportunities while providing an exciting and vibrant hub for the wider community makes the principle of station refurbishment an enticing and attractive proposition. www.railstaff.co.uk

186 RailStaff May 2013_Layout 1 10/05/2013 13:13 Page 39

Rail Team of the year 2012

Station design and build Stobart Rail are the proud owners and operators of Southend Airport Station.

Similar to Parkway stations, this station, the car park and surrounding infrastructure was built within 18 months from start to finish.

The airport is now receiving in excess of 800,000 passengers a year.

Stobart Rail can offer complete project management including interface provision and efficient on time delivery.

We look forward to positioning the Stobart Quality within your business requirements.

Andrew Sumner Rail Contract Manager t. 01228 882 300 e. andrew.sumner@stobartrail.co.uk Andy Richardson Operations Director t. 01228 882 300 e. andy.richardson@stobartrail.com

stobartrail.com

186 RailStaff May 2013_Layout 1 10/05/2013 13:13 Page 40

A New Station for East Grinstead Clive Kessell reports

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Almost on cue to coincide with the opening of the Bluebell Railway Northern Extension, East Grinstead has a new town station that was formally opened on the 8th March.

Replacing the 1970 CLASP building, this station is the fifth in the town’s history; of the former ones, only the original, now a private house, still exists.

The new building has been progressed as part of NSIP (National Stations Improvement Programme), a DfT funded initiative to modernise stations across the country, and is modular in construction.

Built around a steel framework on a concrete base, the structure is clad with modern materials to give an image that goes hand in hand with other initiatives to regenerate the town centre.

The booking hall is more spacious than its predecessor and includes an attractive and well used coffee/newspaper shop with comfortable seating for those who wish to linger awhile.

The forecourt has been remodelled to embrace the former station footprint and now segregates the taxi and short term waiting areas, thus avoiding the regular conflicts that took place in the past. New secure cycle racks and key access toilets will overcome some past problems.

Interfleet have been the Project

Consultant with the main building contract being undertaken by Bryen & Langley, a locally based company.

A new chapter for the town Said Chris Burchell, MD of Southern, ‘the station represents a new chapter for the town and gives a broader impression of the much improved train service that now serves the district.

Endorsements to this were given by the local MP, Nicholas Soames and the Town Mayor, Cllr Liz Bennett who added that very soon with the Bluebell factor, East Grinstead will no longer be ‘the end of the line’.

Mark Ruddy from Network Rail commented that in addition to the new station, other works recently completed are the lengthening of the platforms to take 12 car trains,

the remodelling of the approach tracks to remove the single lead constriction and adding a single deck to the car park located where the old high level station platforms used to be.

The modular design for the building is the fourth station to be constructed in this style with eight more in the pipeline.

Funding for the new facilities has come from the NSIP with contributions from Network Rail and West Sussex County Council with building costs of £2.8M together with £1.7M for the car park extension. Network Rail financed the track remodelling and platform extension costs of £5.5M. The East Grinstead line now has probably the best train service it has ever had (at least towards London) and passenger numbers grow year on year. Long may this continue.

www.railstaff.co.uk

186 RailStaff May 2013_Layout 1 10/05/2013 13:13 Page 41

STATIONS

Wide Aisle Gates TfL is installing wider aisle automatic gates at more stations on the London Underground.

The aim is to help wheelchair and guide dog users, parents with buggies and passengers with luggage. The latest batch of wide aisle gates brings the total to 348 gates. Two thirds of the London Underground network now has wide aisle gates, situated at 180 stations.

Passengers don’t have to ask staff to unlock a gate for them. In turn staff have more time to help passengers in a variety of other ways: at ticket machines, by directing them to the correct platforms, or by guiding visually impaired people.

Says Howard Collins, London Underground’s Chief Operating

www.railstaff.co.uk

Officer, ‘The installation of wideaisle gates at Wood Green Tube station marks the completion of a total of 348 of these wider gates. It is a real benefit for many disabled customers making their journeys more independent and quicker, as well as for passengers who have buggies, dogs and luggage.’

Currently, 1.3 million trips are made on London’s public transport

network by disabled people every day, with disabled Londoners representing 11 per cent of London’s population.

Each day 4.9 million trips are made by passengers carrying heavy luggage, 1.5 million by people accompanied by a child under five (often with buggies) and 700,000 by those aged over 74.

Says Dr Alice Maynard, Managing

Director of Future Inclusion and Chair of Transport for London’s (TfL’s) Independent Disability Advisory Group, ‘Wide aisle gates mean that people can travel around without relying so much on support if they don’t need it.

That means it’s better for disabled people and better for staff - they can focus their attention on those who really need their support.’

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© JONATHAN WEBB

Volunteer exercise Volunteers helped Network Rail staff check out the first half of the new concourse at Birmingham New Street station ahead of its opening.

The 200 volunteers were invited to examine the features and facilities of the new concourse such as the ticket office, wayfinding signage and access to platforms. A wide range of volunteers, including blind and partially sighted people, people with hearing loss and wheelchair users, were able to give comprehensive feedback.

The day was also important for station staff from Network Rail and train operators, who have been familiarising themselves with

the new station concourse and working environment since January. The team who worked flat out to get the station and its staff ready for the opening of the new concourse on 28 April has been led

by Mark Bennett, project manager for Network Rail.

Says Mark, ‘The trial has been an incredibly worthwhile exercise and a fantastic opportunity for all involved. We’ve committed to keeping New Street station open to passengers throughout the redevelopment and to date we’ve been doing most of our work behind the scenes, so it’s been great to invite people in to show what we’ve been working on since 2010.’

Line drawings A selection of original plans and drawings detailing the 150-year history of Birmingham New Street has been published for the first time to coincide with the opening of the first half of the station’s new concourse.

Some of the plans date back to the 19th century, showing the layout of the original station which opened in 1854 as well as the 1960s rebuild. The online exhibition can be found at www.networkrail.co.uk/ virtualarchive/new-street Says Vicky Stretch, Network Rail archivist, ‘Very little survives of the

original nineteenth century New Street (plans), but what we do have, along with a collection of the more familiar 1960s station, is now published online.’

New Street wasn’t always the eyesore that has proved so unpopular in the city in recent years. When the original station first opened in 1851, it was the largest in the country, encompassed by the largest single span arched roof in the world at 212ft wide and 840ft long.

Constructed by the same team who built Paddington station, New Street in its original guise was a grand structure and typical of 19th century architecture and only equalled by the arrival of St Pancras in 1868.

better access to all platforms, making getting around the station easier for everyone.’

This is the first major change to New Street in over 40 years. The station now looks bright and clean.

Now the new concourse has opened, the Network Rail and Mace delivery team will turn its attention to redeveloping the old station concourse and the remainder of the Pallasades shopping centre.

The centre will be transformed into a new fashion and lifestyle shopping destination, Grand Central Birmingham. This will incorporate a four storey John Lewis store, over 40 more shops and more than 15 cafes and restaurants.

A small army of volunteers from Network Rail and train operators worked on the station helping delighted passengers find their way around the new concourse.

New look for New Street

The first half of the gleaming new concourse at Birmingham New Street station has opened to passengers.

Staff at the station have bid farewell to old cramped surroundings and celebrated the completion of the first phase of the project to transform the station. A team of over a thousand rail staff have been on site working around the clock to create the new station, which is already one-and42

a-half times larger than the old concourse.

Says Dyan Crowther, Network Rail route managing director, ‘Birmingham New Street is the busiest interchange station on Britain’s rail network and with this new concourse it’s finally getting the facilities that it needs and deserves.

‘We are delighted to welcome passengers to their new station.

It’s bigger and brighter with much

www.railstaff.co.uk

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STATIONS

Hexham backs library Northern Rail and Hexham Book Festival are launching a library at Hexham station.

The library will be in the waiting room on platform two and members of the public can help themselves to a book. There will also be space for people to donate unwanted books. The first collection of literary works has been donated by St Oswald’s Hospice in Newcastle and includes a diverse range of books including biographies and children’s tales, as well as classic fiction novels.

Says Richard Allan, Area Director for Northern Rail, ‘Our partnership with Hexham Book Festival celebrates a great local event that will attract visitors from far and wide to this fabulous part of the country. With our pop up library, we want to highlight the festival to our passengers as soon as they

arrive in Hexham and get them in the mood for the literary delights that are on offer in the area.’

Hexham Book Festival runs until June this year. The main festival venue is at the Queen’s Hall Art Centre.

Marie Addison and Gil Pugh at Hexham station’s library.

New station for Rochester Rochester is to have a new £26m railway station as part of Network Rail’s ambitious strategy to create more capacity on the railway and better facilities for passengers in Medway and Kent.

The new station will be built at Corporation Street. A formal planning application will be submitted to Medway Council by Network Rail this spring. Says Fiona Taylor, Network Rail’s route managing director for Kent, ‘The proposed new station will deliver a huge boost to Rochester and Medway. It will provide passengers with improved facilities and give

www.railstaff.co.uk

better access to the town centre and surrounding area.

‘The new station will be able to accommodate longer trains than the current station can, helping boost capacity and providing more seats for passengers. An integrated transport hub will provide better links to other types of public transport.’

The station will be closer to the centre of Rochester. Meanwhile the East Kent resignalling project will see £135m invested in the railway by winter 2015, which is when the new Rochester station is due to open.

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STATIONS

The £44 million transformation of Manchester Victoria is underway with contractors on site preparing to construct a spectacular new roof.

Scaffolding is going up prior to a temporary roof deck being installed. Work can then begin on dismantling the old roof. The station will remain open during the work. The new roof is part of a scheme to bring the station up to 21st century standards and turn it into a major regional interchange.

Manchester Victoria will emerge into natural light with a better, brighter and more open concourse.

The project includes a new ticket office, waiting room and toilets. The station’s famed features, including the glazed canopy at the front of the building, will be carefully restored.

Says Network Rail’s route managing director, Dyan Crowther, ‘Manchester Victoria is becoming increasingly busy and with even more trains and passengers set to travel through this historic station in the future, it’s vital that we invest now to create a station fit for the needs of passengers in the years ahead.’

The refurbishment will also including the war memorial, the glass dome and the Soldiers Gate.

Says Andrew Fender, Chair of the TfGM Committee, ‘While it is a very

Raising the roof

popular station, Manchester Victoria is still punching below its weight.

It’s been prevented from achieving its full potential, particularly in architectural terms, because of a lack of investment in recent years.

So I am delighted that work is now beginning to transform it into an outstanding, heavyweight destination befitting its heritage and its strategic importance both now and long into the future.’

The works will future-proof the station, allowing for the imminent

electrification of the line to Liverpool and will allow for improvements to services included in the Northern Hub rail capacity expansion scheme which could see the numbers of people using the station double by 2019, with faster, more frequent trains running to Leeds and Liverpool.

Says Lee Wasnidge, Area Director, Northern Rail, ‘Complementing the wider Northern Hub and electrification capacity enhancements, these

improvements will ensure that Manchester Victoria provides a fitting gateway to the city. This scheme will preserve the heritage of the station while providing a bright and modern environment for passengers.’

Funding for the station transformation is being provided jointly by Network Rail, Manchester City Council and Transport for Greater Manchester. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2014.

Progress on new stations Expanded Oxford welcomed On the day before the 50th anniversary of the Beeching Report, the Transport Secretary, Patrick McLoughlin, confirmed that three more stations are likely to be built with support from the government’s New Station Fund.

These are Ilkeston in Erewash, Derbyshire, Pye Corner in Newport West in Wales, and Lea Bridge in Walthamstow, east London. If approved, the stations could open in two years time.

Launching the scheme earlier this year Patrick McLoughlin said, ‘Proposed new stations must already be at an advanced stage of development and be supported by the local authority, train operating companies and Network Rail.’

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Passenger footfall at Oxford station has jumped from 5.8m in 2010/11 to 6.3m last year.

Network Rail and local councils are putting together plans to enlarge the station. Already a substantial programme of investment is planned for the railway in and around Oxford including electrification, resignalling and the opening of new rail routes.

The aim is to increase capacity and ease of access. Design consultants, Aedas, have been appointed to develop options for the proposed station redevelopment.

Aedas will look at the wider station area including the forecourt and transport interchange, Becket Street car

park, Roger Dudman Way and the Botley Road bridge area. They will also consider how proposed options would link in with the county council’s Frideswide Square development.

Says Patrick Hallgate, Network Rail route managing director, ‘The next few years will see continuous improvement on the railway in and around Oxford as Network Rail delivers a programme of electrification and signalling upgrades to pave the way for new, more reliable trains.

‘Our aspiration is to have a station that will provide better facilities to accommodate future passenger and freight traffic and help to boost economic growth in the region.’ Initial schemes will be evaluated later this year.

Says Aedas director, Karle Burford, ‘We are delighted to be part of the team that will work on the station masterplan and the approach into the city.

‘Oxford is one of the UK’s most important places and deserves a station and an entrance to the city to match. The new designs will improve operations, increase capacity and create a modern approach to enhance the overall impression upon arrival.’ www.railstaff.co.uk

186 RailStaff May 2013_Layout 1 10/05/2013 13:14 Page 45

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Long shot for Crossrail Stations

© LUXIGON

Crossrail is building stations deep under London with 250 metre long platforms.

Not only will these accommodate the initial 200 metre long trains but will be fully prepared for longer, 240 metre, trains as demand grows. The stations will have a distinctive but consistent design and reflect the architectural legacy of each location.

Architects have used the character and heritage of the local area to inspire the design of each station. Stations on Crossrail will be light and spacious. London has a glorious railway design history to draw on. Iconic stations range from the Brunel-designed Paddington station, through Charles Holden’s Tube stations of the 1920s and 1930s to the revival of St. Pancras International.

Probably the Best Station in the World…

Atkins is helping to redevelop the historic Carlsberg quarter in the heart of Copenhagen, Denmark with a contract to design a new station.

The sad closure of the Danish Carlsberg Brewery in Vesterbro in 2008 left the 33 hectare site with its narrow streets and squares open for redevelopment. Says Lars-Kristian

Sode, Atkins’ project manager, ‘This new station will provide essential transport links to service the residential and commercial districts being built around the old site of the brewery. Atkins has a long experience of delivering complex rail projects in Denmark.’

Vesterbro is to be tastefully redeveloped over the next 15 years

blending its historical buildings with 3,000 new homes as well as new businesses, shops and a university campus. The new station, due to open in 2016, is expected to be one of the busiest urban stations in Copenhagen Happily Carlsberg beer is still brewed in Denmark in Fredericia, Jutland.

South East Wales.

‘The station at Energlyn is another milestone in that journey.

It is part of wider plans for improving the whole South East Wales rail network, and the development of a Metro-style integrated transport network.’

“The link with Cardiff and Rhymney-bound services will prove popular with local people and is part of a wider plan to bring frequent service to south-east Wales…”

Energlyn plans new Station Final plans to build a £5.2m new station to serve Energlyn and Churchill Park have been revealed.

The new station will be built between Aber and Llanbradach in Caerphilly. Says Mark Langman, route director for Network Rail Wales, ‘This proposal is driven by our plans to transform the railway in Wales and, when delivered, will mark a huge improvement for Energlyn and Churchill Park.’

The station should be open by the end of this year. The project has been jointly funded by the Welsh European Funding Office, the Welsh Government, Network Rail, Caerphilly County Borough Council, South East Wales Transport Authority (Sewta) and Arriva Trains Wales (ATW).

The link with Cardiff and Rhymney-bound services will prove 46

popular with local people and is part of a wider plan to bring frequent service to south-east Wales.

Says Andrew Morgan, chair of Sewta, ‘Sewta’s Rail Strategy is playing a vital role in facilitating and delivering investment in the future transport infrastructure of

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STATIONS

Ten day triumph for Reading Railway staff worked round the clock at Reading to complete new track work and signalling over a ten day period.

The upgrade, which was started late at night on March 28 and finished early morning on April 8, was among the biggest simultaneous commissioning of new track, signalling and infrastructure works in Network Rail’s history.

Says Dr Amjad Bangash, of Bechtel, which helped deliver the project, ‘In just ten days, we have worked with Network Rail, their contractors and partners to complete work that would normally take twenty weekends to do.

‘Over 3,500 shifts were worked around the clock to rigorous safety standards to ensure that on April 8, the trains could run as scheduled. It sounds like an

impossible feat but careful planning, hard work and close collaboration have made this happen.’

The work included the installation and commissioning of six miles of track and a major signalling upgrade. Four new platforms, two new concourses, and a new passenger footbridge at Reading station were also completed on schedule. The Reading Station Area Redevelopment programme is due to be completed by 2015, a year ahead of schedule.

‘This was the biggest change in track layout to take place in over 100 years on the Great Western Mainline and means that we’re now able to relieve one of the worst railway bottlenecks in the UK and improve passenger journeys,’ said Robbie Burns, Regional Director, Western and Wales, Network Rail Infrastructure Projects.

During the same 10-day period major works also took place on the Crossrail part of the programme.

Work included the replacement of four bridges, signalling, installation of a track crossover and works on the substructure for a new flyover.

Network Rail appointed Bechtel as its delivery partner for the Crossrail and Reading programme in 2009.

Preston poetry brightens Preston has been immortalised in verse by local poet Tom Hicks, 90, a Cornishman by birth, who has lived in the county for 65 years.

His paean to Preston now adorns the new station entrance. After coming runner-up in a poetry competition run by the Preston Poet Society, Tom’s work was brought to the attention of Sue Haworth, Virgin group station manager, who thought it would be ideal to welcome visitors to the city.

Says Sarah Jones, manager of Preston station, which welcomed more than four million passengers last year, ‘This is the gateway to Preston and we wanted to evoke the spirit and pride of the city at the entrance. People who come here want to feel welcome and I think this works really well.’

Mr Hicks’ poem is called Score after Score. The 32-line rhyming poem tells the history of Preston www.railstaff.co.uk

and features famous Prestonians such as Sir Tom Finney and Harry Duckworth, former conductor of the Orpheus Choir.

A second poem, by Preston Poet Society secretary, Dorothy Nelson, is to be displayed in the station’s waiting room, as part of an overhaul that has also seen the introduction of flower beds, a new ticket machine and new signage at the entrance.

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Stamp of approval for Bletchley Park

The important wartime role of Bletchley Park and Bletchley railway station next door has been recognised by a special postage stamp only available from Bletchley Park Post Office.

The limited edition first class stamps commemorate the vital part played by code breakers and intelligence experts working at Bletchley during the Second World War. Staff at Bletchley Park and Station X managed to crack the codes generated by the German Enigma and Lorenz machines giving vital information to the Allies.

This helped the Royal Navy defeat the U-boat menace and win the Battle of the Atlantic. Gaining control of these waters changed the course of the war and in turn contributed to the practicality of the Normandy landings in 1944.

Before the invasion of Normandy was launched, the allies knew the location of all but two of the 58 enemy divisions on the Western Front. Together with the brave actions of the French Resistance this directly contributed to the success of the liberation of Europe.

Artist Natalie Orchard has created the image of Bletchley Station as it might have looked in 1943 from a combination of archive photographs.

1943 was a special year for Bletchley Park on several fronts.

From January to December 1943 the Foreign Office reported 48

receiving 14,050 decrypted messages from Bletchley Park.

In May 1943 Britain and the USA began to exchange intelligence.

This marked the start of the Special Relationship between the two powers. American personnel were stationed at Bletchley Park.

Links between American and British intelligence endure to this day.

In December 1943 the first Colossus computer was installed at Bletchley Park. An estimated 10,000 people worked at Bletchley Park at its peak and used Bletchley Station to get to work. Many travelled up from London during the worst of the bombing. Others travelled across from Oxford and Cambridge universities making use of the Varsity Line, much of which is to be reopened between Bletchley and Oxford.

Bletchley Park was recognised in a loco naming in 1999. Staff, several of them women, who had worked at Bletchley Park - and Station X - attended the ceremony.

Local MP and rail supporter, Dr Phyllis Starkey, named a Class 31, Bletchley Park Station X. The loco, 31601, was on hire from Fragonset Railways for use on Silverlink’s Bedford-Bletchley line. This was ahead of the introduction of refurbished Class 150 units from Scotland.

Work at Bletchley is thought to have shortened the war by between two and four years.

RailStaff editor Andy Milne was at the loco naming. ‘Watching these elderly ladies arriving at Bletchley and walking carefully across the footbridge to the old manor house where they were once based was one of the most moving scenes I have witnessed on the railways.

‘These people were not like James Bond but as intelligence officers their work was invaluable and saved the lives of thousands.

Interestingly railway staff at the station and depot, according to the BRSA club across the road, all knew what was going on but never breathed a word.’

The day had its light hearted side as well. The loco naming took place just as railway privatisation was bedding in. Few among the general public quite understood it.

The new system at first glance appeared confused. British Rail had been divided into 400 separate companies.

‘One of the women asked me if I worked for the railway. In that case, she said, could I explain to her and her friends how railway

privatisation had been organised and how it worked.’ Milne checked they were on the staff at Bletchley Park during the war. ‘Once I knew they were code breakers - the sort of people who do the Times crossword in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, I sat down and we talked through the whole process, both its theory and how it panned out. They were happy to talk to railway staff but remained very modest about what they had achieved.

The intelligence they produced was so highly prized the military code-named it Ultra. We all owe them a deep debt of thanks.’

Wartime premier, Winston Churchill, called the Bletchley staff, ‘The geese that laid the golden eggs and never cackled.’

The stamp issue is only available direct from Bletchley Park Post Office as a numbered limited sheet of 20 1st Class Royal Mail stamps.

Each sheet costs £50 plus £3 post and packing. The sheet can be viewed and ordered from bletchleycovers.com www.railstaff.co.uk

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STATIONS

New Proposals for Euston New proposals for Euston Station, southern terminus of High Speed Two, worked out by the innovative design team at HS2 Ltd will save time and money.

Better still the station will be better able to remain fully functional during the addition of tracks and platforms accommodating the new railway to the west of the station. Under new proposals this will be achieved without the need to lower and rebuild all the existing platforms.

The original plan envisaged a complete rebuild of Euston Station, including all existing platforms.

The new plans are designed to make sure Euston is ready for the opening of the new railway in 2026 and that disruption is kept to a minimum in the interim.

The current station was put up in the 1960s and is a far cry from the grace and splendour of the original station. However a new station facade and concourse will combine both the new and the existing Euston giving more space and light.

Underground a new ticket hall will be created with a sub-surface pedestrian link between

Euston and Euston Square Tube.

Says HS2 Ltd chief executive, Alison Munro, ‘HS2 will be an engine for growth that supports the creation of thousands of jobs for Londoners, provides extra space on the existing lines for more commuter services, and improved connectivity with our great northern cities.

‘In response to community concerns about the potential disruption caused by the redevelopment of Euston Station, and following more work done by our engineers to find the best way to deliver best value for taxpayers, we have identified an option that delivers great opportunities for the area while minimising the potential effects on local communities in

Camden and on passengers.

‘We are looking at an option for Euston Station which would see new platforms built as part of an integrated, redeveloped station with a combined concourse, new western entrance and improved facilities across the integrated terminus.’

She added, ‘We also realise the importance Camden Council places on over-station development, and our proposal for Euston enables this, with potential for future homes, businesses and open space.’

Under the new proposal platforms 1-15 will be retained. To the west of the station 13 new longer platforms will be built for HS2.

Guide dog help for Tim Clapham Junction now has a guided path for blind or partially sighted passengers.

To mark the completion of this innovative project, managing director of the South West TrainsNetwork Rail Alliance, Tim Shoveller, (right) took on the challenge of being blindfolded to try the new guided walkway with the assistance of a guide dog.

The new guided path will make it much easier for passengers who are blind or partially sighted to use the station footbridge, linking the new entrance from Brighton Yard to the platform stairs. The entire station now has step-free access.

Tim was helped along by members of the Guide Dog Mobility Team from London, who promote guide dog services and campaigns across the London area including Clapham Junction. Says Tim, ‘This is the first time a UK station has been equipped with a www.railstaff.co.uk

guided path. It is a welcome improvement and will make a real difference to many of our passengers.

‘It has helped to give me a real insight into understanding what it is like to move around our stations without vision. Taking part in this exercise has really helped me to

focus on what issues we need to be looking at and how to keep improving in the future.’

John Welsman, Policy Business Partner at Guide Dogs responsible for Travel and Transport related issues said, ‘This is a fantastic step towards making a complex station much more accessible for

blind and partially sighted passengers. As a guide dog owner myself, I can now navigate the over bridge at the station with much more confidence, knowing that I can get to the right platform with the aid of the tactile and Braille signs at the top of each stairwell.’

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A City of

‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,’ or at least it has been for Wakefield’s contrasting railway stations.

Graeme Bickerdike reports Westgate has a shabby chic vibe influenced by a Sixties redevelop-ment that no doubt felt fresh and innovative in its day. It’s no longer up to the job expected of it.

Cut through the gloom though and a success story emerges: passenger numbers there have risen by 500,000 in seven years, reaching 2.7 million in 2011/12 on the back of East Coast’s halfhourly service to King’s Cross and an abundance of Cross Country destinations.

On the city’s other side, Kirkgate’s grand frontage stands testament to Victorian showmanship and Seventies blight. Back in 2006, a Council report damned the place as ‘intimidating, unwelcoming and the smell was putrid.’ Three years on it had bestowed upon it the unwanted accolade of Britain’s worst medium-large station.

Scarred by neglect and criminality, it’s hardly surprising that usage has fallen by around 40,000 in each of the past two years. 2013 should though see fortunes turned around for Wakefield’s stations.

Age of the train

Railway, built under the superintendence of George Stephenson and engineered by Thomas Longridge Gooch. Seven years later the route became the major constituent part of the Lancashire & Yorkshire.

Kirkgate’s main building, in fine ashlar, dates from 1854 and extends for more than 300 feet.

Demolition work brought the removal of its roof in 1972 but a Grade II listing now affords some protection from such short-sightedness.

Westgate opened on its current site on 1st May 1867, built by the Great Northern to a design by Leeds architect James Fraser. Costing £60,000, it replaced the original station - a little further south - following completion of the West Riding & Grimsby Railway which now forms the East Coast Main Line southwards to Doncaster.

The façade-rich, elegant and Italian in style, comprised three sections, the central one, standing out from the wings, being covered by a pavilion roof. Out front, a large glass canopy sheltered the horse-drawn carriages from which the wealthy would alight.

Today, the bland Sixties erection that replaced it commands little aesthetic value. What were they thinking?

Things can only get better With its staff gone, Kirkgate effectively became a no-go area for women after dark. A series of muggings and a serious sexual assault did little for its reputation. The local paper stirred up a campaign under The Station of Shame banner.

Step out of the main entrance and the first thing to confront you is a derelict pub. The need for local renewal has not been lost on anyone; funding however has proved an obstacle.

Things started to look up in 2009 thanks to a million pound grant from the National Stations Improvement Programme, funding the installation of CCTV, help points and signage.

Earlier this year, Network Rail completed a further package of work, removing a redundant spine wall and renewing the platform canopies.

But 2011 saw serious traction gained when Groundwork, an environmental regeneration charity, announced its ambitious intention to restore the main building as a community hub, incorporating a ticket office, café and shop, as well as accommodation for local

© FOUR BY THREE

Locomotives first arrived in the city on 5th October 1840, pulling into Kirkgate along the Manchester & Leeds

© BEN BROOKSBANK

Two Tales

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groups and small business ‘incubation units’.

Yes, people will be working at Kirkgate once again.

Funding, to the tune of £4.6 million, has now been gathered in from the scheme’s eclectic mix of supporters, amongst whom number Network Rail, Northern Rail, Wakefield City Council and the EU, together with the Railway Heritage Trust and Eggborough Power Station.

Open access operator Grand Central, which in May 2010 reintroduced services from Kirkgate to the capital after a 32-year gap, have also put their hand in the corporate pocket. Completion is likely to take a year.

Going places To the west of its centre, Wakefield is undergoing a transformation. The Merchant Gate scheme, encompassing a 17-acre site in the city’s commercial district, has attracted an investment of £70 million over its first two phases, providing a new home for the Council, its museum and library, a multi-storey car park, contemporary apartment blocks, office space and a public square.

Now taking shape is phase three, a state-ofthe-art station at the northern end of Westgate’s existing platforms. Working under contract to East Coast, which manages the station, the redevelopment will be built and owned by Network Rail, and delivered in

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collaboration with Buckingham Group Contracting.

Costing £8.1 million, the Department for Transport (DfT) is financing much of the project through its Station Commercial Project Facility, whilst the remaining million is coming from the English Cities Fund, a joint venture between Muse Developments, the Homes & Communities Agency and Legal & General.

Westgate’s eye-catching plans were endorsed by the Council in January. Located alongside the new 900-space car park and accessed via the Inner Ring Road, the open forecourt layout will bring improved integration with local bus services.

A flowing glass frontage faces onto this area, introducing light onto the concourse beyond.

Once inside, the ‘back of house’ nucleus is off to the left - offices, plant, storage, travel and information centre; to the right is the now obligatory food and retail emporium.

Between the two, ticket gates will manage flows to and from the platforms, with a footbridge and lifts linking to the northbound side where refurbished customer facilities are already in place.

Collect your thoughts Says Phil Verster, Network Rail’s Route Managing Director, ‘Whilst the old station is undoubtedly a striking building, passengers at Westgate will be well aware that it is no longer fit for purpose.

By moving passenger facilities to a new purpose-built building we can

improve the journey experience in a sensible, cost-efficient way.’

East Coast’s Tim Hedley-Jones insists that, ‘The completion of the new station will provide a stunning new gateway to a city which is really going places - a key destination for both business and leisure travellers. East Coast’s frequent and fast services between Wakefield and London are a vitally important part of the economy of the city and the West Yorkshire region.’

Work on the new Westgate Station is scheduled for completion in October. As Dickens might have asserted, ‘It is a far, far better thing.’

© BUCKINGHAM

© FOUR BY THREE

© ROGER HEPWORTH

© GROUNDWORK

STATIONS

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WHY ARE WE STILL USING VICTORIAN METHODS?

Do away with horns, flags and whistles SAFETY Colin Wheeler colin@rail-media.com

At the Rail Safety Summit 2013 on March 14th Allan Spence of Network Rail criticised the fact that, “the industry in 2013 still relies on the use of lookouts equipped with horns, whistles and flags to warn of approaching trains”.

In April’s edition of “the rail engineer” Sir David Higgins Network Rail’s Chief Executive expressed his surprise that, “we still have track workers with red flags and a hooter”!

Their words were prophetic. At 1037 am on Friday March 22nd there was a “serious accident” on the four-track section of railway 12 miles west of Paddington near West Drayton. The 0907 First Great Western service, Oxford to London Paddington struck and seriously injured a track worker who has been named as Christopher Smith aged 42.

He was an “intermediate lookout” protecting a surveying group from west bound trains. His duties involved passing distant lookout warnings to a site lookout working close to the group. In this role he would be positioned in a place of safety at all times.

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) is investigating but the accident has not yet appeared on Network Rail’s Safety Central website. I believe the way forward is to mandate the progressive installation of equipment driven by the signalling with plug in points for warning equipment used by track workers. The technology exists. I recall seeing and using such a system in Zurich over a decade ago!

Investigated “as if it were a fatality” I applaud Network Rail’s decision to investigate the accident that happened on March 8th “as if it were a fatality.” Relaying work was

being carried out through the platforms at Hope Station.

The Safety Central website includes Network Rail’s Safety Bulletin number 279 saying that two signalling technicians were on the Up line safeguarding signalling cables whilst a tamper worked on the Down.

When a Road Rail Vehicle (RRV) approached on the Up Line one of them managed to “dive clear” whilst his colleague was trapped between the platform coping and the caterpillar tracks of the RRV. He was taken to hospital but discharged later the same day with “bruising to his leg and ankle”.

Scottish Incidents Early on Sunday 21st April a Mobile Elevated Work Platform (MEWP) ran away during an engineering possession near Queen Street Station Glasgow.

It came to rest in Platform 5 at Queen Street but as it passed through the tunnel on its way

downhill it struck a scaffold tower from which a worker was repointing the tunnel soffit. He fell and was injured as a result. A Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) inquiry is underway.

The RAIB recently released its report into a “dangerous occurrence” on October 28th last year. The Network Rail PICOP was in charge of a 15 mile long possession between Stirling and Blackford planned to begin after the last train on Saturday night and be given back in time for the first Sunday morning one.

Although planned for three worksites, each with an Engineering Supervisor (ES), late alterations were agreed resulting in four worksites. Possession was taken at 0113 hours on the Sunday morning and after hearing from three ES’s that their work was completed, the PICOP handed back the possession at 0704.

However the drainage contractor with a road/rail excavator and 7

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TRACK SAFETY

men worked on for a further hour before his ES unsuccessfully tried to contact the PICOP. He then contacted the Signaller at Blackford only then to discover that he had been working unprotected for an hour!

The report comments that the PICOP left filling in the RT3198 record form until after jobs were completed but made notes as the shift progressed on his copy of the Weekly Operating Notice (WON).

Should someone now consider simplifying the form into something similar to the WON which PICOPs will prefer using in real time?

The PICOP has 12-years’ experience in that role, but had problems outside of work that may have contributed to a number of previous errors. Had his manager talked to him about the potential effect on his work or offered him some temporary respite when they last spoke, I wonder?

Alcohol Testing using a finger!

Years ago I recall a rail bridge site where the contractor’s steel erectors spent the evening in the local pubs before reporting for nightshift. Their Foreman made his own assessment of their capability for work and in a few cases hosed them down in cold water for good measure!

Now we have the Sentinel System, competence training and drugs and alcohol testing both “for cause” and random. However the challenge faced at site access control when an individual is suspected of being under the influence remains.

In Sheffield we employed a wellbuilt Supervisor with his own way of testing. As the men booked on he stood by the time clock and gave anyone he suspected an almighty shove. Those fast enough to avoid falling back onto the brick wall behind them were deemed fit for work; those who fell into it and hit their heads were sent home!

His method was inexpensive and quick although patently neither reliable nor acceptable to either me or the Trades Union!

Now I am pleased to hear about a finger-tip blood alcohol scanner shown at the Commercial Vehicle Show early last month. It is fast enough to use at turnstiles using near-infrared light reflected back from the skin of a single finger www.railstaff.co.uk

Boss’s need to work weekends and nights

with a claimed accuracy of 96%. If the claims are true and the price is right….??

On the shovel I have no wish to become political, but is there a parallel for the rail industry in the suggestion that trainee nurses need experience as care assistants to become competent in their chosen profession?

I recall working as a graduate fresh out of University “on the shovel”. I had two weeks as an additional member of a specialist maintenance gang in Leeds experiencing the manual work input to measured shovel packing, digging out wet spots and the coordination needed by the whole gang pulling together to correct track alignment faults using bars and muscle power.

The Ganger showed me how to “point on” to identify where the bars needed to go into the ballast.

Next week we were using kango hammers; then digging out between sleepers so the track renewal at the weekend would not raise the track level.

I worked weekends and with the Permanent Way Inspectors. This taught me the practical details of track maintenance and renewal.

Equally importantly it provided me with an understanding of the way track workers saw their work.

Their morale and motivation to do the best possible job for the railway is something I have never forgotten.

and night time visits by senior managers are invaluable.

He endorsed the principle of face to face communication, and the need for everyone to “work together using common sense and practical solutions”. I was left wondering if he has had to deal with method statements that are either impractical or lack the application of common sense; maybe due to the writer’s lack of weekend site experience? He ended his note by asserting that, “on the shovel is the best way to learn”.

A retired member of the railway inspectorate agrees that, “bosses need to work nights and weekends”. We both recall the introduction of Field Inspectors, out-based working with local railway management.

Their contracts included specific reference to the need to “work unsocial hours”, and rightly so too.

In South Yorkshire I regularly saw our Field Inspector. Site visits and meetings with him were not the easiest or most enjoyable part of the job, but we learnt from each other.

My correspondent recalls with regret that in 1995 when the Health and Safety Executive took over Her Majesty’s Railway Inspectorate (HMRI), instructions were issued that each and every passenger complaint must be investigated as a priority - however spurious they appeared to be.

Is there now a case for reconsidering the role/priorities of today’s Inspectorate?

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David Shirres reports

Riding

New Zealand’s

TranzAlpine Among the best ways of seeing New Zealand - a landscape made famous by the Lord of the Rings film - is by rail. David Shirres reports after a journey by the TranzAlpine train across the Southern Alps, one of KiwiRail’s scenic trains.

KiwiRail offers three scenic rail journeys On the South Island are the TranzAlpine and, running only between September and May, the Coastal Pacific. These trains each take around 5 hours enabling a daily out and back service from Christchurch. The North Island has its Northern Explorer from Wellington to Auckland which takes 10½ hours and operates 3 days a week in each direction.

Other than Auckland and Wellington’s commuter trains, these scenic trains are the only passenger services. KiwiRail is primarily a freight railway as shown by its income statistics.

Last year freight, interislander and passenger services was 54

respectively NZ$ 458, 124 and 66 million. The scenic trains carried 362,000 and accounted for just 30% of passenger train income. This contrasts with 25 million journeys in 1965. Since then passenger numbers dwindled with the intensification of road and air competition.

A big cutback in 2002 was the 601 km Christchurch to Invercargill line becoming freight only railway with the withdrawal of passenger services south of Christchurch. The size of the network peaked in 1953 when it was 5689 km. It is now 4000 km. The gauge is 3ft 6 inches, chosen to ease construction in the mountains.

Freight is a success story Whilst passenger numbers are now tiny, freight is a success story.

Last year’s 17.5 million tonnes was more than had ever been carried, an 11% increase on the previous year with container traffic increasing by 19% last year. Bulk goods carried include coal, milk, forestry, steel and LPG. www.railstaff.co.uk

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FEATURE

Rail freight is also carried on KiwiRail’s Interislander ferry. The scenic TranzAlpine line is also primarily a freight route carrying milk products from factories near Greymouth and Darfield and 2 million tonnes of coal per annum from mines in the Greymouth area, much for export to China.

Christchurch, South Island’s largest city, was struck by an earthquake in 2011, costing 185 lives and widespread damage. Two years later the city centre remains cordoned-off. The island’s tourist industry still suffers.

For example last year TranzAlpine’s 106,000 passengers were only 55% of those in 2010.

The city, and its international gateway has lost hundreds of hotel beds to the earthquake. To stay in Christchurch it is essential to book early.

The single platform station at Addington is in the city’s suburbs, 4 km east of the city centre. It opened in 1993 to replace a much www.railstaff.co.uk

larger station which was then redeveloped and became a victim of the earthquake. This new station and its adjacent shopping centre were built on an old railway workshops site. It is not easy to find so a good satnav is recommended.

New scenic train fleet The brand new train awaiting passengers at Christchurch was introduced last November on the TranzAlpine’s 25th birthday as a result of a NZ$40 million investment in a new scenic train fleet consisting of twelve AK coaches, four café cars and three open air viewing cars.

These were entirely designed and built in New Zealand, the first locally produced coaches since 1941. Sadly they were also the last to be built at Dunedin’s Hillside works which closed last year. The coaches were first used on the Coastal Pacific in November 2011.

The AK coaches are air-

conditioned with 53 square metres of side and roof windows. Bogies have primary synthetic elastomer axle springs and secondary airbag suspension.

Overhead screens show the location of the train, supplementing an at-seat GPS triggered journey commentary in five languages (English, Japanese, Mandarin, German and French).

Seats not at tables swivel to face the engine.

Open-air viewing cars provide a main-line rail experience not possible in the UK and a reflection-free photographic opportunity. Although there is an inset bar to limit leaning out, it is unlikely that the ORR would permit such an arrangement.

These cars also contain a 220kVA generator set for the train.

The train’s two locomotives are not so new. Built in 1975 by General Electric, the 100 tonne 3,000 hp Co-Co DX locomotives have a maximum speed of 106 kph. As freight locomotives, they do not have an electric train heating supply, hence the requirement for a generator on the viewing car.

The brand new train awaiting passengers at Christchurch was introduced last November on the TranzAlpine’s 25th birthday as a result of a NZ$40 million investment in a new scenic train fleet consisting of twelve AK coaches, four café cars and three open air viewing cars…

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Fertile Canterbury plain At 0815, the TranzAlpine leaves Christchurch.

Ten minutes later the city gives way to the fertile Canterbury plain, New Zealand’s largest flat area. After 45km the town of Darfield is passed and mountains start to appear in the distance. Soon after there is a new milk factory which exports 200,000 tons of milk powder each year via its new rail connection.

After about an hour, the train starts to climb with the Waimakariri River gorge to the right.

In Maori, this river’s name means cold rushing water. The river’s flow ranges from its normal 50 to 3000 cubic metres per second when in flood and so usually only occupies part of its

56

deep wide gorge.

Otarama, 76 km from Christchurch, is the start of a 17 km section along the side of a steep gorge with 16 tunnels and 5 viaducts. This includes the 149 metre long Staircase viaduct which, at 73 metres, is the highest on the line. It was constructed by the British Cleveland Bridge and Engineering Company in 1908.

The countryside then opens out with the mountains either side as the line climbs to a summit before descending to rejoin the Waimakariri River which is now in a wide glaciated valley. Although the railway’s alignment was designed to cross rivers as far upstream as possible, the river crossing still

needs a 256 metres long bridge.

After 2 ¼ hours and 136 kilometres the train stops for 10 minutes at Arthur’s Pass station, 737 metres above sea level, the highest part of the line. Here viewing cars are locked-off for the passage through Otira tunnel which is immediately after the station.

Longest in the British Empire At 8.5 km, this single-track tunnel was the longest in the British Empire when it opened in 1923. It also has a 1 in 33 gradient, the steepest in New Zealand. It is not unusual for the train to be hauled by four locomotives through the tunnel, two of which are banking

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FEATURE

In Maori, this river’s name means cold rushing water. The river’s flow ranges from its normal 50 to 3000 cubic metres per second when in flood and so usually only occupies part of its deep wide gorge…

engines taking advantage of the TransAlpine’s train path to return through the tunnel.

As steam haulage through the tunnel was not feasible, from the start trains were hauled by 1,500 volt DC locomotives, requiring a 14 km electrified section between Arthur’s Pass and Otira. With the requirement for heavier trains, this was abandoned in 1997 and replaced by diesel locomotives.

This required doors and a ventilation system at the tunnel’s western portal to manage the airflow. In addition, the DX locomotives have modified air intakes. Four DX locomotives are required to take a 1500 tonne coal train up the tunnel’s steep gradient.

www.railstaff.co.uk

After the tunnel, there are broad glaciated valleys between high mountains that have many waterfalls. As the line descends, the countryside opens out as the train passes Lake Brunner. At Stillwater the train joins the Grey River and follows it to Greymouth, 231 km from Christchurch, where it is due in at 1245.

Here is the Cobden Rail Bridge Heritage Park on the riverbank opposite the station. This has an old timber and steel bridge truss with information about local railway history. Close by is a poignant memorial listing 428 miners killed in accidents over the last 120 years. After an hour it’s time to go. With its seats swivelled

for the return journey, the TranzAlpine leaves Greymouth at 1345 to arrive in Christchurch at 1805.

Lonely Planet considers the TranzAlpine to be amongst New Zealand’s top 20 experiences.

With 5 major bridges, 5 viaducts and 17 tunnels running through Lord of the Rings country this is not surprising.

This journey is certainly a must for those interested in railways and the challenges of building such a line. Indeed, the trials faced by its engineers carving it through this tough country and erecting viaducts in its precipitous gorges must have been worthy of Bilbo Baggins himself.

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NEWS

© SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Summer steps to Advance career

“Employers use social media to check up on candidates, so any lurid pictures and expletives should be deleted and your LinkedIn profile kept up to date…”

ANDY RIDOUT, MANAGING DIRECTOR, ADVANCE-TRS

58

Better weather and the prospect of summer is an ideal time to review your career and make ambitious plans for the future.

But make sure your social media profile is up to date and fit for purpose. Check your Facebook settings are set to private, advises Andy Ridout at advance -TRS. ‘Employers use social media to check up on candidates, so any lurid pictures and expletives should be deleted and your LinkedIn profile kept up to date.’

Andy spells out three steps for people wanting to move their careers to the next stage: Step 1: Know exactly which sector you want to work in, how far you are prepared to travel,

whether you want permanent or temporary employment and the salary or rate you are prepared to accept. If you are unsure of anything such as your market value then talk to a recruitment expert in your sector.

Step 2: Search for specialist recruiters in your industry. These specialists will have relationships with the key companies and employers; as well as live jobs that are ready to be filled.

Big online job boards can be useful, however, many allow a multitude of agencies to have access to your CV. This can result in mass CV mailshots by inexperienced recruiters to unsuitable employers, a fact that

could tarnish your professional integrity.

Step 3: Prepare your CV in case a role becomes immediately available. Remember, you must be able to support the statements made in your CV. Avoid unnecessary exaggeration as untruths will probably come to light during reference checks. advance-TRS offers recruitment advice to the rail industry and is a preferred supplier to the majority of employers within the rail sector.

To search our latest rail jobs or for further information on how we can assist your career, visit www.advancerailwayjobs.com or call 01483 361 061 to speak with a member of our team. www.railstaff.co.uk

186 RailStaff May 2013_Layout 1 10/05/2013 13:24 Page 59 • • • • • • • • ••

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••

•

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

186 RailStaff May 2013_Layout 1 10/05/2013 13:24 Page 60

RailwayPeople.com Fast track your career

OVER 2,000 LIVE JOBS from all the rail companies that matter

SEARCH & APPLY

ONLINE www.RailwayPeople.com

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CAREERS

> Signalling Rail Staff Required TES are at the forefront of rail safety, developing best practice and setting the standard for safer working in the rail industry. With expertise in Signalling, Possession Management, Technical, Track Service, Electrification and Training Services.

We are looking for enthusiastic and reliable individuals to join our Signalling division and have a range of exciting opportunities for experienced Signalling Team Leaders and Installers for the East Anglia region.

Salary and Benefits Competitive rates of pay apply and excellent training and development opportunities will be available to successful candidates.

Applications To apply, please contact the HR team on: Tel: E-mail:

Qualifications and experience: IRSE License COSS / IWA Signal Maintenance Testing Handbook (G110 preferred) IBCL / Clamplock / HW Point Machine Lookout Full driving licence

01206 799111 human.resources@tes2000.co.uk

(Further opportunities are available for track staff at all grades.)

Creating safe railway working environments

www.TES2000.co.uk

Due to an increased workload we are looking to recruit young dynamic individuals who think outside of the box who want to be associated with a company who is building for the future. We are currently looking to recruit:

Project Engineer Planners Manchester or Reading

Primavera Planners Manchester or Reading Interested candidates should have a proven record within a specific Rail Construction disciplines or preferably in Multi discipline railway programmes of works.

To apply for these roles please forward your CV to david@d2railandcivils.co.uk

D2 Rail & Civils Ltd is a successful small company who work closely with all the main players within the rail industry with a reputation which is second to none and built up over several years of involvement with the larger railway projects and clients.

www.d2railandcivils.co.uk www.railstaff.co.uk

The Eric Wright Group is an established leader within the building industry. We offer a wide range of services from construction and civil engineering (including rail), mechanical and electrical engineering, to property development and facilities management. We believe that we are uniquely well equipped to take care of our clients’ requirements from design to completion and beyond.

As part of our group expansion strategy we are looking to recruit for:

Experienced Rail Professionals Eric Wright Rail was formed as part of the Eric Wright Group to deliver Civil Engineering solutions across the Rail industry. We operate throughout the North of England and Southern Scotland, from our Head !"#$%#&'#()%*+,'-#./'$/*0&)%1 Following a strong period of growth in the business, a number of experienced rail professionals are sought. These roles will supplement the current operations and sustain the Company’s strategic development vision.

Rail professionals are sought for the following positions:2# 3/!%+4#5)&+&$/6#3+/!!# 2# (),7%$+#8/'/9%)* 2# :%/6+0#;#3/!%+4#<=>&*%)## 2# ?'9&'%%)* 2# 5&>&6*#?*+&@/+,)## 2# 5353A5(53# B%)/+&>%* If you have the necessary skills, experience and a desire to achieve your career goals, please send your CV with a covering letter stating current salary and why you are interested in the position +,#3/'=)/#5/=@/'-#:C@/'#D%*,C)$%*#8/'/9%)#/+# railrecruitment@ericwright.co.uk The Eric Wright Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of its staff and clients and expects all staff to share this commitment. Successful applicants will be required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring (DBS) check or Disclosure Scotland check and to provide proof of their right to work in the UK. We are committed to equal opportunities, inclusion and fairness across all employment opportunities and service delivery. All managers and employees are expected to promote our values to ensure our workplaces and services are inclusive and accessible.

www.ericwright.co.uk 61

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Rail Safety Engineers and Risk Management Consultants London based Risktec are seeking highly capable and self sufficient

project teams to deliver a number of projects with

individuals with a strong background in safety and

different clients. There is also ample opportunity to

risk management for the transport industry (or other

contribute to the development of the business: co-

highly regulated industries) to join our small,

ordinating proposals and managing and developing

dynamic London Team.

clients. Risktec is a growing business working in seven diverse market sectors and there is also the

You will be responsible for providing technical safety

opportunity to work in new industries.

support and advice to clients in the transport sector.

Preparing and managing qualitative and quantitative

Competitive package of salary and benefits, including

risk assessments you will be familiar with most of the

private medical insurance, generous contributions to

following techniques: HAZOP, HAZID, SIL, FMEA,

a pension scheme, employee share scheme and profit

RAM planning and demonstration, RBD, fault tree

sharing.

and event tree analysis. You will develop risk assessment methodologies, conduct ALARP

For further information on the role please

demonstration and Cost Benefit Analysis. Technical

contact Risktec on 01925 611200 or email

analysis will be conducted using standard software

your details to enquiries@risktec.co.uk

tools, in particular Reliability Workbench, as well as

referencing RAILSTAFF.

general tools such as Excel and Access. You will work both independently and as part of company-wide

www.risktec.co.uk

www.trsstaffing.com

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

Rail Quantity Surveyors & Estimators

Rail Project & Programme Managers

London, Barnsley & Cardiff£40-50K or £300 - 350/day Rail & Signalling experience

London, Midlands - £50 - 75K or £400 - 500/day Experience on rail & infrastructure projects

Systems Engineer

P3e Planners

South West - 55-60K Mainline Experience, Requirements or Safety Experience

London, North West & Midlands £300 - 400 per day Experience of Network Rail Projects

Principal & Senior Civil/ Structural Engineers

HSE Managers and Directors

London, Birmingham, Warrington & York - £40 - 60K or £350 - £450/day Rail experience including station, platform & bridge designs

Middle East - £60-120k Degree qualified, relevant Safety qualifications, ideally you will have worked on major international Rail projects.

Sales Executive Leicestershire We're Rail Media. You’re reading one of our publications at the moment. We’re a Midlands based media company and we require a Sales Executive who will be responsible for selling advertising, sponsorships and working with clients across our growing portfolio of Magazines, Newspapers, Online Products, and Events.

We're after a bright spark who is extremely organised, able to prioritise work accordingly, and has an excellent eye for detail. Good knowledge of the internet and computer skills are essential, and a knowledge of the rail industry would be advantageous but not critical.

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

Do you have the self confidence and motivation to win new business over the phone and face to face? Then email your CV to jobs@rail-media.com or apply on RailwayPeople.com

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

www.rail-media.com

Rail, Infrastructure & Construction 62

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CAREERS

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