RailStaff May 2018

MAY 2018 | ISSUE 246

RAILSTAFF AWARDS IT'S BACK! PLUS NEWS FEATURES HEALTH AND SAFETY EVENTS TRACK SAFETY TRAINING GEAR+TECH CAREERS AND MORE…

DIVERSITY WORDS INTO ACTION

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Working together the railway is changing Our railway has a plan to change, invest and secure prosperity for Britain.

Our four commitments Strengthen the railway’s contribution to the economy Provide you with a rewarding career Increase customer satisfaction Boost local communities

In Partnership for Britain’s Prosperity Britain’s railway is building on significant investment from government and the private sector. We will see unprecedented improvements with new trains, better services and improved stations, connecting communities and driving growth across the country.

You are essential to this continued growth and success.

Our plan for changing and improving the railway will secure 100,000 rail job opportunities for Britain and almost £85bn in extra economic benefits, leaving no colleague or community behind.

Read the plan at www.britainrunsonrail.co.uk

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CONTENTS

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MAY 2018 | ISSUE 246

NEW EASTERN FLEETS BREAK COVER

Manufacturers have begun testing new trains destined for routes in London and the East of England.

LEADING ON MENTAL HEALTH

With Mental Health Awareness Week taking place in May, the RSSB set out its approach to mental wellbeing.

GENDER PAY GAP 20

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How does the rail industry compare?

DIVERSE BY NATURE

TfL’s director of diversity and inclusion, Staynton Brown, explains how diversity is promoted across London’s transport network.

MARCH TO 2020

Stewart Thorpe met one of Network Rail’s high-achieving female leaders who are helping to meet diversity targets.

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IS THERE A RAILWAY ON THE ISLE OF MAN?

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ff Awa K RailSta o e h t r, IT'S BAC with n e ovemb ectacle N sp On 29 . It is a ters. r 2018 fo charac n r g u in ir ret p s ge of in shorta

INFRARAIL 2018

CP6, rail investment and Brexit dominated the agenda at this year’s exhibition.

40 This month's cover image features GTR apprentice Lola Gray.

REBRANDING APPRENTICESHIPS (NOT REBADGING)

Network Rail’s head of training strategy believes apprenticeships are changing for the better but that negative headlines are giving them a bad name.

15 20 22 26 28

31 34 44

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Staff Contact us: Publisher:

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Adam O’Connor

Matthew Stokes

News Editor:

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The diversity debate

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After spending a considerable amount of time calculating gender pay gap figures for this month’s issue, I had a sudden realisation: there’s a reason I’m a writer and not a mathematician.

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My own academic hang-ups aside, it was a worthwhile exercise even if the figures don’t tell us anything we didn’t already know. By and large, women are underrepresented across the industry and their absence in senior positions means the majority of businesses in the sector have higher than average pay gaps.

With no dramatic increases in the number of women joining the sector, questions remain about whether true diversity is really achievable in the short to medium term.

Of course, gender is just one component.

It is logical that businesses with a diverse customer base would be best served having a diverse workforce in every sense. © Crossrail

While progress feels slow, the profile of diversity and inclusion is higher than ever.

Both Network Rail and Transport for London (TfL) have created staff networks to support employees in underrepresented groups - TfL’s director of diversity has written in this issue about the other measures London’s public transport network is applying to attract and retain a more diverse workforce.

Industry bodies for diversity - such as Women in Rail - have also emerged in recent years to ensure the issue is never off the agenda.

If employers can learn anything from the gender pay gap statistics, it is that there is work to do to remove the barriers that still appear to be restricting the progression of women in the industry - the same could be said for BAME, LGBT and disabled staff members.

There are pockets of success out there.

Stewart Thorpe has interviewed Network Rail’s Natalie Whitehead for our diversity focus. Still in her mid-20s, Natalie is the site manager at Network Rail’s massive Whitemoor recycling centre in Cambridgeshire.

Overall numbers need addressing but this will take time, as gender stereotypes fade and rail becomes an attractive prospect for more young people.

However, we can do something right now to ensure our businesses have a diverse range of voices throughout. Staff networks and committees for diversity and equality are one way to do this. It is time to put words into action.

No doubt there are some who still believe that diversity is a perfunctory exercise - well meaning but, ultimately, a matter of compliance for companies. It is a cynical outlook and doesn’t reflect the industry I know. marc@rail-media.com

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Greater Anglia’s Crowning glory Contractor Taylor Woodrow has started work at Greater Anglia's (GA) Crown Point depot in preparation for the operator’s new, longer trains.

A fleet of 58 Flirt EMUs are currently on order from Stadler and will be maintained and housed at the depot in Norwich from 2019.

The £40 million project will see improvements made to the depot and a new washing facility installed.

A GA spokesperson said that these trains have lowered floors to make them more accessible to passengers, meaning most of their components are on the roof.

As a result, special high walkways will be installed to give engineers access for maintenance and repairs.

Additionally, new jacks will be installed to enable engineers to lift a complete train without having to split carriages for bogie and underframe equipment removal. New equipment transfer turntables and support offices will also be added.

The depot will also gain upgraded toilet maintenance facilities. The new units will be fitted with retention tanks which store waste on board rather than discharging it onto the tracks.

Working with GA, Stadler will be responsible for maintaining the new regional bi-mode, Airport Express and InterCity trains at the depot, which opened in 1982.

Around 70 GA staff will transfer to Stadler, 12 of these will be seconded as systems technicians, spending six months with Stadler in the Netherlands, Switzerland, Poland and/ or Spain.

GA franchise and programme director Mike Kean said: "The coming months will be an exciting and busy period as we implement the major project to prepare the depot for the new trains.

"At the same time, the team continue to work hard maintaining and repairing our existing trains to ensure that customers still receive a reliable and punctual service while Stadler are building our brand-new train fleet."

GA has leased an additional depot from Balfour Beatty at Colchester to use while the work is being carried out.

The operator also said it was still considering options for other additional maintenance facilities.

© TPE/CAF

Super Nova for TPE

TransPennine Express’ (TPE) first Mk5a coach is on course to enter service towards the end of 2018 after the start of testing at the Velim Test Centre in the Czech Republic.

Dubbed the 'Nova 3' by TPE, the train will now undergo a variety of tests covering aerodynamics, braking and on-board information systems.

Once testing is complete, the trains will travel to the UK where further tests will be carried out before the trains begin carrying customers between Liverpool, Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds, York, Scarborough and Middlesbrough.

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TPE managing director Leo Goodwin said: "It’s great that our plans are now becoming reality and I can’t wait for our customers to see and experience these futuristic trains for themselves."

The 13 five-carriage trains have been financed by Beacon Rail and built by CAF. They feature more seats than the three-car Class 185 trains they will replace, USB charging, free Wi-Fi and real-time passenger information screens.

They will be hauled by Class 68 locomotives which will also be owned by Beacon Rail, leased by Direct Rail Services and maintained at Alstom’s Longsight depot.

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© Go-Ahead

Rail apprenticeships get the Go-Ahead Go-Ahead is now able to offer apprenticeships across its rail and bus operations after receiving certification from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA).

The company said it was the first time a combined train and bus operator had achieved ESFA accreditation. It means Go-Ahead, which runs the

GTR franchise through its joint venture with Keolis, can offer apprenticeships without using a training provider.

Go-Ahead said it plans to employ more than 300 apprentices a year. The first intake will join the company later this year.

Group chief executive David Brown said: “Go-Ahead is an employer that invests in its

people, and that includes both existing staff and future talent.

“The team worked hard to achieve the ESFA accreditation, and I am delighted that we now offer both apprenticeships and a graduate scheme.”

Go-Ahead has previously worked with the Prince's Trust to deliver four-week “preapprenticeship” programmes.

To date, 100 young people

have completed the course with GTR - three-quarters of those were subsequently offered a permanent role.

Neil Robertson, chief executive of the National Skills Academy for Rail (NSAR) said: “The Go-Ahead Group is a stalwart within the industry and achieving this status is testament to its ability to deliver exceptional quality training.”

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Kenilworth back on the map © Fraser Pithie

Passenger rail services have returned to Kenilworth in Warwickshire for the first time in more than 50 years.

People were lining the single platform at Kenilworth on 30 April for the long-awaited reopening of the town’s railway station.

The new station building sits on the Coventry to Leamington line and has been built on the same site as the former station

building, which was demolished in the 1980s.

The station includes various nods to the town’s railway heritage. Most notably, two stained glass windows and a sign rescued from the original station have been incorporated into the new design.

Although support for the project has been widespread, there have been several hurdles during the delivery, with the opening put back several

Hull Trains’ “luxurious” new fleet

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times.

Funding for the project came from the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), Warwickshire County Council and the Department for Transport (DfT), which contributed £4.9 million from its New Stations Fund.

Martin Frobisher, route managing director for Network Rail, said: “Kenilworth station is a fantastic addition to the rail network. It will provide local

people with regular services to Coventry and Leamington Spa and connections with services across Britain.

“The station supports our Railway Upgrade Plan and is an example of how third-party investment can support economic growth while providing a better railway for passengers.

An hourly service operated by West Midlands Railway will call at the station.

Hitachi is set to begin production of five new bi-mode trains for open access operator Hull Trains.

The new units, which represent an investment of £60 million, will replace Hull Trains’ Class 180 Adelante fleet, providing additional capacity and faster speeds.

Hull Trains has released an artist's impression of the new trains to announce that the design phase has now been completed and production is due to begin. The new fleet is due to enter service at the end of 2019.

Phil Cameron, project director for new trains, said: “We’ve reached the end of the engineering and design phase and have now completed final sign off for production.

“Decisions have now been made on the new interiors which will be brighter and much more spacious and streamlined.

“Our industry partners have also commented on how luxurious and aesthetically appealing the interiors are and so we are very excited to show this to our customers in due course.

“The next phase is to focus on our people and commence the relevant training plans in readiness for the launch of the trains now that the engineering plans and processes have been finalised.”

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Alstom director goes back to school

Keyline’s new cadet

Alex Burrows, Alstom's former marketing and strategy director, has joined the Birmingham Centre for Rail Research and Education (BCRRE) at the University of Birmingham as business director.

Former soldier Jorge Capps has joined Keyline as its new key account manager for rail in the North and Scotland.

Having worked for Alstom Transport, Atkins and the West Midlands Transport Authority, Alex brings with him a wealth of sector-related knowledge and connections.

BCRRE is part of the UK Rail Research and Innovation Network, a collaboration between academia and industry.

BCRRE director professor Clive Roberts said: "The appointment of our business director demonstrates our commitment to working more closely with industry. We look forward to

forging even closer relationships with our existing contacts and developing new collaborations with a range of businesses."

Alex Burrows added: "We have a lot to deliver including our new Centre of Excellence in Digital Systems in the next few years and I look forward to supporting world class rail research and development here at BCRRE."

Joining the Royal Marines straight out of school, Jorge served in Afghanistan and, during his military career, earned the Green Beret.

Jorge said: “I’m delighted to take up the key account manager for rail post and use the knowledge I’ve gained over the past four years of working in the industry to develop relationships and ensure the timely delivery of our projects.”

Mike Rees, head of rail at Keyline, added: “The skills ex-military people like Jorge develop during their time in the armed forces, such as teamwork, leadership and being able to work under pressure,

WMT new starter to oversee new fleet Porterbrook has announced that product development director Zena Dent is set to leave the business for West Midlands Trains (WMT).

From July, Zena, who joined Porterbook in 2016, will oversee the introduction of new-build Aventra EMUs for WMT. Porterbrook CEO Mary Grant said: “I’d like to thank Zena for her contribution to the business and congratulate her on the new role - our industry needs good people to focus on the efficient introduction of the large amount of new rolling stock coming onto the network in coming years.

“Zena’s legacy at Porterbrook is the team of innovative engineers who contribute so much to our overall asset management strategy."

Arrow Solutions targeting rail growth with appointment East Midlands firm Arrow Solutions, a manufacturer of professional cleaning chemicals, has appointed a new sales manager for the rail sector.

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The company, which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2018, has recruited Alex Campbell to support clients' requirements for cleaner trains.

Arrow Solutions has

are extremely transferable to our industry and we do see many ex-service personnel taking up positions.

“Congratulations to Jorge; we’re delighted to welcome him to the rail team.”

a wide customer base, including train operating companies, manufacturers and infrastructure contractors, and wants to supply even more products to clients across the UK, Europe, the Far East and the Middle East.

It also wants to capitalise on "significant opportunities" to supply professional chemical products for the cleaning and maintenance of bogies and wheelsets.

Alex Campbell said: "We’ve been operating in the rail sector for over 45 years, during which time we have proven that our cleaning and maintenance solutions can deliver performance over and above other alternatives.

"This is a very exciting opportunity to develop Arrow’s business in a strategically important market, which has significant growth potential with £48 billion Government investment planned between now and 2024. HS2 and Crossrail are both exciting projects and that’s just the UK, our reach is global."

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Ex Go-Ahead chief named HS1 chair The former CEO of Go-Ahead Group, Keith Ludeman, is set to become the new chair of HS1.

Keith became a non-executive director for HS1 on 30 April and will succeed Rob Holden in his new post from September 2018.

He has previously served as a non-executive director for Network Rail, Aspin Group and TXM Plant and will remain as a non-executive director of Interserve until June this year.

In addition, he is also currently a non-executive chair of the board of trustees of the London Transport Museum and a nonexecutive director of Eversholt Rail Group.

As CEO of Go-Ahead Group, Keith played a key role in introducing Southeastern highspeed train services to HS1.

He said: "High Speed 1 has never been more popular, with strong demand for Southeastern high speed services, and new international routes just launched with Eurostar. I am looking forward to working with Dyan Crowther and the board to guide the company through the next phase of development of this vital UK asset.”

Outgoing chair Rob Holden added: "Stepping down from my role at HS1 will bring to an end my 22-year association with the UK’s first high speed railway.

From 1996, when the railway was known as the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, and was a paper design, I have been privileged to lead great teams of people through construction, commissioning, the Royal opening in 2007 and operation. With HS1 celebrating a decade of successful operations and with the 150th anniversary of St Pancras Station, HS1 Ltd is in a position of great strength.

"In Keith Ludeman, HS1 Ltd has secured the services of a superb chairman with extensive experience of the sector. He is a good choice to lead the board as High Speed 1 builds on its success."

Presidential Vintage Trains appointment at Jacobs announces MD Jacobs Engineering Group has appointed Mark Southwell as vice president of its rail and geotechnical business in Europe.

Based in London, Mark will be responsible for programme delivery and developing the business in Europe following Jacobs’ acquisition of CH2M in December 2017.

Mark said: "We have some great opportunities ahead for Jacobs to leverage our diverse talent and global capability to benefit our clients.

"We’re helping clients with some major programmes to improve mobility and connectivity, and harnessing smart technologies to make infrastructure systems more efficient, adaptable and scalable is an exciting part of our capability."

Donald Morrison, Jacobs' buildings and infrastructure senior vice president in Europe, added: "Mark’s significant experience leading transportation and rail businesses in Europe brings considerable expertise to the team as we look to grow in the region."

Heritage rail firm Vintage Trains, which has plans to set up as a train operating company , has announced that Cath Bellamy will join the company as its managing director.

Mark was previously CH2M’s global practice director for transit and rail after joining the business in 2016. Prior to CH2M, Mark worked for Network Rail and other organisations, accruing 30 years’ experience primarily leading major programmes and businesses in the transportation sector.

Cath is a former managing director of Chiltern Railways and Hull Trains and has previously held a number of roles at the Department for Transport.

Vintage Trains chair Adrian Shooter said: "The creation of Vintage Trains Ltd as a licensed train operating company is all about securing the future of mainline steam for many more years.

"Having worked with Cath for 15 years, I know that she will bring boundless energy and enthusiasm to this exciting new role. She has always had a very sharp focus on customers and is very keen to open up the world of steam trains to a much wider audience.

"The appointment comes at a time when our share offer has almost reached our minimum figure, £800,000, which we need to get the company off the ground."

Cath added: "I am looking

forward to joining the very experienced and knowledgeable team at Tyseley, already recognised as the foremost centre of steam locomotive engineering.

"There is a lot to do but we have made a great start. Our operating licence is expected within weeks, we are ready to recruit an outstanding team of drivers, guards and others so that we can get started on this great mission. Watch out for announcements, soon, about our first trains."

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Top Trams

Two drivers from Manchester Metrolink took part in this year’s European TramDriver Championships in Stuttgart.

A record 25 teams from 19 different countries took part in this year’s competition, which tested drivers’ spatial awareness and braking skills.

Stockholm came top of the leaderboard with Frankfurt coming in second and Bergen in third.

More than 66,000 spectators watched the championship online via its video stream. The event culminated with the popular tram bowling competition.

Preparations are now underway for the 2019 competition, which will be held in Brussels on 5 May.

© TRAM-EM

In the frame Engineering services specialist Dyer & Butler has been awarded four new four-year civil asset management frameworks by Network Rail.

The four framework agreements include three civil asset management reactive and minor works frameworks in Sussex, Wessex and WalesSouth and the Wessex Civils Project framework.

The three reactive frameworks will require Dyer & Butler to provide 24/7 on-call response services, delivering inspections, maintenance and repairs.

The project framework covers planned project works on Network Rail infrastructure.

All four frameworks include bridges, structures, drainage, earthworks, tunnels, culverts, platforms and coastal / estuarial works.

Dyer & Butler rail director Chris Darlow said: “Dyer & Butler has worked hard to support and meet the demands of the railway and we are delighted to have been awarded these four strategically important four-year frameworks.

“We look forward to continuing our collaborative relationship with Network Rail and our supply chain partners to deliver a safer, more reliable and efficient rail service to the public.”

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Ethical Labour Supply

© iStock

Modern slavery might seem to be something that wouldn’t trouble the UK rail industry. After all, it is a relatively high paid sector with a lot of engineers and technical staff. So how would slavery even enter into it?

However, it could do, particularly at the bottom end of the skills ladder.

Writing in RailStaff recently, Katie Kinloch, a professional support lawyer with Addleshaw Goddard, said: “Wherever there is a demand for unskilled workers, and poor legal oversight, there is a risk of exploitation. In the UK, the biggest risk occurs in relation to services, particularly in the market for unskilled agency labour (for example, in farming, warehousing and office services like cleaning and facilities management).

“Law makers around the world are coming to realise that this is a problem that must be tackled, and the UK is leading the way. As a result, this country became one of the first in the world to require businesses to publish information on what they are doing to tackle the risks of modern slavery and human trafficking taking place in their supply chains.”

So, however unlikely companies may think that it would be to affect them, large businesses (those with a turnover of £36 million and more, including turnover of subsidiaries) that do business in the UK must publish an annual statement on their websites setting out the steps they are taking to ensure that modern slavery and human trafficking are not taking place in their business or supply chains.

As a result, the labour supply organisations which those large businesses deal with must also be assured that they comply with the law.

An industry first

VGC is the first labour supply company in the UK to achieve the new Ethical Labour Sourcing Standard (BES 6002:2017) - the first company in the rail sector, and one of just three companies to date, to do so.

Audit report approvals body BRE Global said: “As one of the largest labour and staff suppliers to the UK’s construction and rail companies, and as a company that undertakes rail and construction contracts, VGC clearly has robust governance procedures.

“There is a strong underlying culture of organisational responsibility and a genuine concern for the welfare of others at a senior management level.“ Ethical labour sourcing is a fundamental part of the VGC culture. Its employees and clients, as well as the wider communities in which they work, benefit from its achievement of sustainability objectives. As part of the company’s ethos of driving fairness and ethics in the construction and rail industry, VGC participated in an industry stakeholder group that helped to develop the new standard.

A significant step

Dr Shamir Ghumra, BRE’s director of sustainable products, said: “The verification by VGC Group to the ELS marks another significant step forward for the industry on the subject of ethical labour sourcing. The commitment shown by senior VGC staff in achieving verification means that we have a major supplier of labour to the industry that will continue to look for improvements year on year.”

Ciara Pryce, group services director, confirmed: “VGC’s ethical approach to how we treat our people and deliver our activities is part of the fabric of the organisation. We will continue to build on this foundation and

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raise the bar in the support, development and protection of our people, using the ELS to benchmark, monitor and improve.”

John Hannan, HSQE director, added: “We believe that having ELS distinguishes us from our competitors in having auditable processes to prevent forced labour and human trafficking.”

Chris Ryan, operations director, said: “This independent verification is an important measure of how we deliver our policy of fairness and transparency. It also clearly shows our staff and our clients how we have embedded the issues of ethical labour supply and modern slavery throughout VGC.”

The Ethical Labour Sourcing Standard The 2016 Global Slavery Index estimates that 45.8 million people are in some form of slavery in 167 countries, including around 11,700 in the UK. The Modern Slavery Act 2015 sets a benchmark for ethical business practice in the sourcing of labour. The Ethical Labour Standard was created to recognise those who wish to seek third-party assurance of their practices.

ELS verification provides a framework for organisations to verify their systems and processes in relation to the Modern Slavery Act. BRE Environmental and Sustainability Standard 6002 specifies the requirements for organisational management to demonstrate an on-going commitment to the principles of ethical labour sourcing in relation to the provision of products and services and provides a framework against which all organisations may be assessed.

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Royal reopening for London Bridge All © Network Rail

Prince William has officially reopened London Bridge station following the £1 billion Thameslink redevelopment.

London Bridge - Britain’s fourth busiest railway station - has been undergoing a major remodelling for the past five years.

This month, Thameslink services will finally return to the station, marking the completion of one of the biggest rail modernisation schemes in recent times.

Since 2015, all Thameslink services have been diverted away from London Bridge to switch the station’s configuration from nine terminating platforms and six through platforms to nine through platforms, including

two dedicated Thameslink platforms, and six terminating platforms.

As well as being one of the capital’s largest stations, London Bridge is also the oldest station in central London. One of the main objectives of the redevelopment was to unify the station, which was historically two separate stations built by rival railway companies.

In addition to the station building, Network Rail and its contractors have delivered significant track and resignalling works around London Bridge.

Since work began on the project in 2009, there have been around 4,500 possessions and several major closures to remodel the railway that links New Cross Gate station in Lewisham with London Bridge and Blackfriars.

Although minor finishing works will continue at the Tooley Street entrance into

the summer, the opening on 9 May draws a line under the project.

His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge arrived at London Bridge station on a Siemens Class 700 Thameslink train to meet the Secretary of State for Transport, Chris Grayling MP, and Mark Carne, chief executive of Network Rail.

Prince William also explored the new station concourse, meeting apprentices and those involved in the redevelopment.

Mark Carne, chief executive of Network Rail, said: “This station has been rebuilt from its Victorian foundations upwards by a team of engineers while still providing a service for the 48 million people who use the station every year to deliver it on the very day we said we would five years ago.”

He added: “I give my thanks to the great people and great teams behind this fantastic project, as well as to our customers for their patience and understanding during these major works.”

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New eastern fleets break cover

© Siemens © Stadler/Greater Anglia

Manufacturers have begun testing new trains destined for routes in London and the East of England.

Both Siemens and Stadler have begun testing new fleets for Great Northern and Greater Anglia respectively at their factories on the continent.

Siemens is producing 24 six-car Class 717 EMUs for Great Northern - the first of which will be phased into service later this year.

Based on the Class 700 Desiro City series supplied for Thameslink, the Class 717s will replace the Class 313 units which operate between Welwyn Garden City, Hertford, Stevenage and Moorgate.

Twelve trains have already been built and 12 are under construction.

An interesting feature of the 717s is the inclusion of cab-end doors to enable the emergency evacuation of passengers in the tunnelled section of the Northern City Line between Moorgate and Drayton Park.

The new fleet has been financed by Rock Rail Moorgate - a joint venture between Rock Rail Holdings and Aberdeen Standard Investments. © Stadler/Greater Anglia

Swiss bi-modes

Some 600 km south in Bussnang, Switzerland, Stadler is beginning to test the first completed Class 755 bi-mode trains for Greater Anglia, which will be supplied in four and three-car formations.

One of the four-car sets is now close to completion and is being tested at Stadler’s commissioning centre in Erlen.

Greater Anglia has said it will operate the bi-mode units on rural routes, replacing some of the older diesel stock. Stadler has designed the trains in such a way that the diesel power car, which is located between the middle two carriages, could potentially be removed and the train used as a conventional EMU. Stadler and Greater Anglia have also released images of the 20 EMUs being built for the intercity and Stansted Express services.

Mike Kean, Greater Anglia director of franchising and programmes, said: "Seeing the first of our bi-mode trains on the tracks in Switzerland, it’s easy to imagine it speeding along our rural lines in East Anglia.

“These modern trains really are going to transform rail travel in East Anglia - with each one fitted with more seats, plug and USB points, air conditioning and fast free Wi-Fi.”

Digital signalling

Ralf Warwel, marketing director of Stadler for UK said: "These are powerful and comfortable trains which share many similar design and operational concepts as well as identical components which reduces training time for drivers and maintenance staff.

“The cab desk has a spacious and open design and allows for future upgrades of signalling systems, such as digital signalling.

“The bi-mode units are equipped with modern diesel engines which will not be used when operating on electrified lines, thereby reducing emissions and improving travel comfort.”

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TRACK SAFETY

RAILSTAFF MAY 2018

INDIVIDUAL OR CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY

WHICH IS THE MORE EFFECTIVE IN GENERATING BETTER SAFETY? © iStock

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REPORT BY COLIN WHEELER

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n the early days of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, my memories include awareness that everyone had personal responsibility for safety. Those carrying out physical work (and considerably more of it was physical with fewer machines available than now) could be held personally accountable if they failed to work safely. Equally those who supervised and managed them had responsibilities for the safety of their staff. Increasingly, the emphasis today seems to have transferred to companies and corporate organisations. There have been a number of high-profile prosecutions resulting in heavy fines; on occasion these have been paid by one government-owned organisation to another one! Clearly the legal profession gains income as a result; but does anyone else really benefit?

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meant working in the six-foot between the Up Windsor Slow and Up Windsor Fast lines which was not covered by the blockage. The 5.17 am empty coaching stock was travelling from Wimbledon Park sidings to London Waterloo at about 42 mph. Its driver sounded the horn and applied the brakes about five seconds before reaching the group. One of the technicians heard the approaching train and shouted a warning to his two colleagues. They were clear just two seconds before the train passed them and were uninjured but badly shaken. © Crown Copyright / RAIB

HMRI USED TO PROSECUTE INDIVIDUALS I recall infrequent occasions when a member of my staff was seriously injured or killed at work. In one case, an apprentice who was not wearing the safety harness was working on a steel bridge deck demolition. He stepped back where there was a gap in the bridge deck and fell onto the tracks beneath, breaking bones as he did so. At the inquiry with the local inspector from Her Majesty’s Railway Inspectorate (HMRI), the supervisor was criticised but not prosecuted due to his previous exemplary record and I was also questioned.

I had produced my own health and safety responsibility statement which included details of the frequency at which I would carry out unannounced site, depot and workshop safety visits. It also included details of my personal responsibilities for employees, types of work, and geographical areas covered. When the HMRI inspector came knocking on my door, he checked on my detailed records of site visits, shortcomings I had identified and the actions I had taken to correct them.

I needed little encouragement to keep up to date!

CONCENTRATING THE MIND When a fatality occurred, provided the inspector was satisfied with my records and actions and although a court case might follow, I was not directly involved. The situation back then did concentrate the mind!

Incidents that have been reported over the last few months have left me wondering whether or not rail working would be safer if we resorted to increasing the focus on personal responsibility and accountability.

I recall that my then employer had indicated that, in the event of a prosecution, I would be afforded legal representation, but if found guilty I stood to lose both my job and pension!

UNINJURED BUT BADLY SHAKEN I recently read a report of a near miss with three signalling technicians which I would describe as a classic case of a dedicated response to a fault that would delay trains resulting in unsafe working. On 17 January this year at 5.51 am, three technicians were diagnosing a fault on point operating machine number 663B between the Up Windsor Slow and Up Windsor Fast lines at Clapham Junction. The Up Windsor Slow line had been blocked to provide a place of safety but the Up Fast Windsor was open to traffic. Work on the point machine

LOST AWARENESS The fault was caused by a tamping machine cutting through a cable in the early hours. The technicians had been working in a possession between 10pm and 7am when the fault was discovered. By the time they reached the site (in response to a call-out) the lines were again open to traffic, so they had to set up a new safe system of work. They were experienced. Two of them had Controller of Site Safety (COSS) competencies. They knew that the Up Windsor Slow had been blocked for them and assumed they would not need to work outside of the blocked line four-foot. When they found that they needed to work on the points machine, according to the report they “lost awareness that the Up Fast Windsor was open to traffic”. If individual responsibility rather than corporate was now the legal focus might those three have put their own protection first?

ANOTHER NEAR MISS The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has announced that they will issue a Safety Digest “in the next few weeks” about a near miss that occurred at Stafford on 2 March. At 2.36 pm a northbound train travelling at 85 mph nearly struck the driver of a stationary train that was standing at Stafford station.

The driver was “attending to a brake fault” whilst standing between the Up and Down Fast lines.

“IMPROVISED SCOTCHES” Full reports are less numerous these days, but the RAIB have begun an investigation into a runaway trolley incident that occurred near Ramsbottom station on the East Lancashire Railway. It happened at 11.15 am on 15 March. Track workers were working on the track in a possession just north of the station using an un-braked trolley to transport ballast. The track gradient varies between 1:264 and 1:140 and they were using pieces of ballast as improvised scotches to stop the trolley from running away! With about half a tonne of ballast loaded these “scotches” were removed and the three set off with the loaded trolley. It ran away and they were unable

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Ramsbottom level crossing.

© ELRS&T_Creative

to stop it. As it ran south it came to a level crossing just before reaching the station. Its gates were open to road traffic and consequently the trolley ran into the gates, derailed and knocked one of the gates into the road. The ballast ended up on the road as well. RAIB has said they are investigating “work planning, training and competencies, management and use of trolleys and any management factors”.

LEVEL CROSSING COLLISION Network Rail’s Safety Central website includes a report of an incident at Routs level crossing (near Ipswich). At 8.20 pm on 14 March a freight train travelling at 50 mph struck a car on the crossing and its driver was injured. The crossing has a power-operated gate opening system and is on the single line to Felixstowe.

It is an occupation crossing equipped with miniature stop lights and serves 75 acres of farmland.

A near miss had occurred at the same crossing on 2 February this year.

Following that incident the vehicle driver was arrested and subsequently convicted of driving whilst disqualified and endangering safety on the railway.

A “TINGLING SENSATION” FROM THAMESLINK Thameslink seems to be especially forthcoming in sharing details of safety incidents, which I applaud. One of their teams was recovering redundant materials within a planned blockade.

Two access points had been identified in the planning both at the side of a viaduct under possession.

The COSS had worked there before and knew of another access point between the two that were in the plan.

He decided to take the team across two tracks open to traffic rather than use the ones planned and no-one challenged him. As they crossed one team member saw a signal showing

a green aspect and another stood on an energised section of the conductor rail and experienced what he later described as a “tingling sensation”!

The COSS then realised that the track was open to traffic and led the team to a place of safety. Thameslink’s list of key messages includes; team members should not be afraid to challenge, COSS’s should carry out a “Live Line Test” before accessing a track, COSS’s should familiarise themselves with local areas, and briefings to COSS and Engineering Supervisors must be clear.

THE MACHINE WAS IN DIG MODE! On 27 February, the Distillery Sidings at Marykirk in Scotland was the site where a machine overturned.

Work was being carried out under a 29-hour re-sleepering possession on Marykirk Viaduct. Two Road/Rail Vehicles (RRVs) were to be used.

A Liebherr machine for lifting and digging and an Atlas machine for shunting trailers between the access and the worksite.

There was “some congestion due to the long narrow site” and the Liebherr machine was running trailers from the sidings to the access. The Atlas machine had a log grab attachment fitted. Lifting chains were connected through the grab instead of removing the grab and fitting them properly.

Consequently the machine was in “dig mode” so its safe load device was inactive. The inevitable happened!

A trailer and ballast box were lifted and as the machine swung round the machine overturned. It came to rest on its side on top of the trailer.

Fortunately neither its driver nor the crane controller was injured.

The RAIB will be issuing a Safety Digest following what is described as an “operational incident” that happened on 8 April at 10-09 pm. It was at Bethnal Green that a passenger train passed a signal at danger (SPAD)

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and was stopped. However, it then proceeded on towards a junction over which another train was passing a mere 400 metres ahead of it.

HEATHROW EXPRESS STRUCK THE WARNING SLEEPER In April, Network Rail posted an item on their Safety Central website describing an incident that occurred on 27 November last year! Following completion of work at Ladbroke Grove in London at the end of a 54-hour-long possession, the tracks were handed back to traffic. A sleeper left across the track was then run into by a Heathrow Express train.

The report says that the sleeper had been laid “in the vicinity of the blue till dawn lamp across the Up Main four-foot to indicate isolation limit and impede track plant from crossing”. The sleeper it says was placed “without notice to or the permission of the PICOP (Person in Charge of Possession). It adds that no record was made of the placement and goes on to add that “use of a sleeper for this purpose is not uncommon”. That being the case, I suggest that rather than criticising such a practical sounding practice those who sit in offices making rules might well consider endorsing the practice as a practical aid to safety!

THEY THOUGHT THEY WERE WORKING ON THE SLOW LINE! At 12.40 am on 11 March this year a group of track-workers narrowly missed being struck by the 10.14 pm Birmingham New Street to Euston train between Hampstead station and Primrose Hill tunnel. The train approached them at 49 mph on the Up Fast Line. Seeing the workers on track its driver sounded the horn and applied the brakes.

The workers believed they were working on the Up Slow Line! They heard shouted warnings and saw the train headlights. They managed to remove two trolleys from the track and were clear just two seconds before the train passed. Several individuals were involved in the near miss and “several people were very distressed”. The RAIB has begun an inquiry.

I am left wondering just who was really responsible for the error which resulted in a group working without protection on the wrong piece of track? I am in little doubt that there are too many rules and that in consequence responsibility is not owned by those who carry out the actual work. Delegation with accountability must be the way forward.

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RAILSTAFF MAY 2018

LEADING ON M MENTAL WELLBEING SPECIALIST MICHELLE O'SULLIVAN SETS OUT RSSB'S APPROACH FOR MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK

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ne in six employees experience a mental health problem at any given time. RSSB recognises its responsibility to create a workplace where people don’t just survive, they thrive.

Work can be protective of our mental health, but difficulties at work can also be a trigger for mental ill health. As an employer and service provider, RSSB can impact not only its staff but also the staff of its 83 members.

Bringing mental health to the forefront of the workplace agenda provides an opportunity for significant gains to be made in reducing absenteeism, presenteeism, and improving overall productivity. A review by Deloitte on the return on investing in mental health in the workplace demonstrated an average return of £4.20 for every £1 spent.

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TIME TO CHANGE

At RSSB, we want to walk the talk when it comes to mental wellbeing in the workplace.

In October 2016, we signed up to the Time to Change campaign. Time to Change aims to change how we think and act about mental health problems, reducing mental health stigma and increasing opportunities to talk.

Hundreds of employers across the UK have now taken the pledge.

Since signing the pledge, we have seen RSSB staff share their experiences of mental health, including the senior leadership team. Mental health is gradually becoming interwoven into the existing structures of RSSB. You are just as likely to find a blog post about mental health on the intranet as you are to find one about organisational change.

Pushing forward the mental health agenda is slow, but gradual consistent changes add up. We have mental health champions within RSSB and are aiming to grow the number of

All © iStock

trained champions. We have a mental health focus group which consists of staff across all levels of the organisation.

RSSB actively promotes key dates such as World Mental Health Day and Time to Talk day. One of the first steps to managing our mental health is understanding it. RSSB created a number of videos on stress with Dr Stephanie Fitzgerald, to help employees and members understand how our bodies and minds respond to stress: https://www.rssb. co.uk/Pages/stress-the-experts-view-in-a-waythat-we-can-understand.aspx The research has long established how having a healthy body, can help promote a healthy mind. RSSB strives to provide staff with information and resources to support exercise, diet, and sleep. Often when you get your body working well, the mind follows.

Having a culture of compassion and support will help a lot of people through difficult times. For those who are experiencing difficulties that require more targeted support, RSSB has an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) service, as well as a health insurance package that can cover specialist support for mental health difficulties.

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ENTAL HEALTH While we have taken some steps forward, we recognise that we still have a lot of work to do. Moving forward, we are reviewing our policies to ensure they are supportive of people’s mental health. We recognise that how people are managed is one of the most powerful factors in managing mental health in the workplace. For example, a change in how a person’s performance or sickness is managed can make a huge difference on a human level, as well as to the company’s bottom line.

INDUSTRY LEADER

As a leader within the rail industry, we aim to pilot initiatives, where appropriate, within RSSB. Through this process, we can share our reflections and make meaningful recommendations within the industry.

We are actively encouraging members to follow our lead and sign up to the Time to Change campaign. The campaign action plan provides an excellent framework to support companies in making tangible changes in the way mental health is approached. By engaging with Time to Change, members are not only part of a network of rail

companies opening up the conversation around mental health, but they are part of a much wider community in the UK from which encouragement and guidance is available.

RSSB aims to supplement what is possible through Time to Change with industry specific resources, from tools for line managers, to policy and best practice guidance. Most importantly, we hope to

provide rail companies with a support network and professional consultation to manage issues unique to the industry. There is a vast amount of expertise in the industry around the challenges with mental health. Through collaboration we aim to strengthen the resources of all our members.

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FEATURE

RAILSTAFF MAY 2018

GENDER PAY HOW DOES THE RAIL INDUSTRY COMPARE?

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ata is a wonderful thing. It fuels modern business, but how do you take it from its rawest state and turn it into something useful.

New legislation has made it compulsory for all companies in the UK employing more than 250 people to publish details of the gender pay gap within their businesses. More than 10,000 companies have submitted details of their gender pay gaps so far, including many smaller businesses which have voluntarily submitted figures.

At the click of a button, it is now possible to see which companies pay their female employees less than their male counterparts. A huge amount of data has been made available, giving some indication of how the pay of men and women at businesses around the country match up. So how does the rail industry compare?

HOW IS IT MEASURED? Companies have been publishing mean and median measures to illustrate the difference between the gross hourly earnings of male and female employees.

Imagine you were to line up every employee from the lowest paid to the highest earners. The median value, in effect, compares the pay of the middleearning man and woman, while the mean value takes an average of all the salaries from the lowest to the highest paid.

The median value is often cited over the mean in relation to the gender pay gap because the mean can be skewed by high executive salaries.

As well as looking at hourly pay, the reports also illustrate what proportion of women receive bonuses and what that company’s gender bonus gap is.

HOW DOES THE RAIL INDUSTRY COMPARE? The Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, which was published in October 2017, put the national median pay gap at 9.1 per cent for full-time employees and 18.4 per cent when including part-time workers.

RailStaff’s analysis of all of the companies to submit details to date, including those that published figures after the deadline, suggests the national median figure could actually be around 9.3 per cent. In simple terms, this would mean women are receiving £0.91 for every £1 being paid to male employees.

Network Rail falls between these figures on 11 per cent, but the supply chain has a bit more work to do.

Excluding joint ventures and Carillion, the remaining 16 companies included on Network Rail’s most recent top 20 suppliers list have all published gender pay gap details. Only three companies reported gaps below 9.3 per cent and only four companies were below the 18.4 per cent ONS average. Many were above 30 per cent, and in one organisation women were being paid just over half of what the men were on average. © Arriva

Train operators fared slightly better. The average pay gap among 17 train operators we found to have published details was around 20 per cent. This list included Heathrow Express, which was the only operator we found to pay women more than men.

WHAT CONCLUSIONS CAN WE DRAW? Engineering and construction industries which have historically been male-dominated - were two of the worst-performing sectors, but while the data gives us an accurate picture of how well women are represented across the industry, it has its limitations.

The data doesn’t compare pay like-for-like. Although it indicates that in most cases women are being paid less than men on average, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are being paid less to RAILSTAFF.UK | @RAIL_STAFF | FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF

RAILSTAFF MAY 2018

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GAP

GTR apprentice Lola Gray at the launch of the industry’s 'In Partnership for Britain's Prosperity' initiative last October.

© Crossrail

do the same job. Women are also more likely to work part-time and, unlike the ONS data, the new figures don’t take this into account.

“Although it is rather a blunt instrument, these figures reflect the important issue of under-representation of women in the sector and underscores how common it is that there are not enough women in senior positions or lucrative roles,” said the Institute of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) in a statement.

The data also shows that having a higher percentage of female staff won’t necessarily result in a lower gender pay gap. Companies with the lowest pay gaps had women well represented at all levels of the business while

some of the largest gaps were at businesses where the majority of female staff were employed in lower-paying roles.

This is illustrated by the Department for Transport (DfT). Although women make up 44 per cent of the DfT’s workforce, it still has a median gender pay gap of 16.9 per cent. The reason for this is because there are far more women than men employed in the lowestpaid positions - a situation which is reversed in the highest-paying roles.

Hitachi Rail Europe is one of a small group of rail engineering businesses that has managed to buck this trend. Women only make up 15 per cent of Hitachi’s workforce

(the industry average is around 16 per cent) yet the median hourly pay is actually 0.6 per cent higher for women.

The reason for this is because women are fairly evenly represented in the top, upper and middle pay quartiles, so if you were to point to the middle-earning man and woman within the company they would be on similar salaries, regardless of how many more men the company actually employs. This was mirrored by other businesses that reported below-average pay gaps.

In the introduction to its report, Hitachi Rail Europe’s managing director, Karen Boswell, wrote: “I’m a true believer in the power that comes from bringing together team members with different backgrounds and outlooks. It spurs creativity, innovation and high performance, and women are a critical ingredient in this diversity mix.

“Moreover, there is now sufficient evidence to demonstrate the link between companies with more female executives and higher returns on equity, higher valuations, better stock performance and higher payouts of dividends.”

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FEATURE

Karen Boswell (left) with Rosie Green (right) winner of the high-speed rail design award at the Royal College of Arts Awards in 2016.

RAILSTAFF MAY 2018

LEARNING LESSONS

While some believe that gender pay gap reporting will help begin a debate which will finally address gender imbalances in certain industries, it has its critics.

The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) has raised a number of concerns. The think tank has even suggested that companies could be discouraged from hiring more women in junior roles for fear of their own gaps widening further.

Companies with particularly large gender pay gaps could also face unfair demonisation, the IEA fears, even though the presence of a gender pay gap does not necessarily suggest unequal pay or gender discrimination.

Kate Andrews, news editor at the IEA, said: “The gender pay gap reporting measures are worse-than-useless. Not only do they fail to provide any meaningful insight into equal or fair pay between men and women, they also risk damaging well-meaning companies, many of which are helping women move up the ranks through organic measures.

“The pain these reporting measures inflict goes far beyond commercial damage. The

gender pay gap is the lowest it has ever been on record. Women have seen a stronger growth in their earnings over the past 20 years, and women who work part-time are, on average, earning 5.1 per cent more than their male counterparts. The extremely misleading nature of this new data is undermining the achievements of working women in Britain, who are a success story through-andthrough.”

PARTNERSHIP RAILWAY Many of the employers with the highest pay gaps were in industries with a historical gender imbalance. The challenge for these companies is to continue to encourage more women into the sector and ensure that female staff are supported and inspired to progress into senior roles. There are plenty of examples of where this is already happening.

“We know male-dominated industries with women under-represented in the highest paid roles and in highly paid technical and specialist roles tend to have the greatest gender pay gaps. We are determined to change this,” said Paul Plummer, chief

© Arriva RAILSTAFF.UK | @RAIL_STAFF | FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF

executive of the Rail Delivery Group (RDG).

“Individual rail companies - passenger and freight train operators, Network Rail and their supply chains - are doing a great deal to promote change. Their plans are being summarised alongside the publication of their gender pay gaps. Beyond this, a great deal more is being done on behalf of the industry by organisations such as NSAR (National Skills Academy for Rail), STAT (Strategic Transport Apprenticeship Taskforce), Women in Rail and Young Rail Professionals (YRP) as well as the Rail Delivery Group.”

In October, RDG launched the Partnership Railway - a long-term plan by the industry to maximise the investment in rail. The plan included targets for women in rail and black, Asian, mixed race and ethnic (BAME) representation of at least 20 per cent by 2020.

“From getting girls from school into science, technology and maths subjects to providing on-the-job training for women returning to work, we aim to boost the number of women in every role from train drivers to board directors,” Paul added.

“Furthermore, Women in Rail has been running a mentoring programme whereby men and women from the rail sector, from senior and mid managers to executives, have given up to eight hours a year of their time to provide support and guidance to women and graduates within the rail industry. In 2017, this programme saw 200 pairs being matched and has received tremendous feedback from both mentors and mentees.

“I am confident that these initiatives coupled with a £250 million-a-year investment in training - will create a diverse workforce that reflects the communities it serves and play a key role in cutting the gender pay gap.”

To find out how your company compares, visit gender-pay-gap.service.gov.uk Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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FEATURE

RAILSTAFF MAY 2018

DIVERSE

BY NATURE

TFL’S DIRECTOR OF DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION, STAYNTON BROWN, EXPLAINS HOW DIVERSITY IS PROMOTED ACROSS LONDON’S TRANSPORT NETWORK

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s anyone in the transport industry will tell you, transport isn’t just one thing - it’s many. If you take Transport for London (TfL) for example, where I work as the director of diversity and inclusion, we don’t just provide one mode of transport. We’re responsible for a wide range of services, including the Docklands Light Railway, London Overground, TfL Rail, London Trams, London River Services, Victoria Coach Station, Santander Cycles and the Emirates Airline.

However, when you ask anyone about TfL, they tend to just associate us with the Tube or buses. This is understandable as plenty of us travelling through the capital will use either a bus or the London Underground to get to our destination. However, it’s vital to show the diversity of options available, so that people can make the choice that is going to be best for them.

There is a similar perception issue with the transport industry itself.

People tend to assume that working in transport means having to drive a bus or a train. While these are interesting roles, there’s a variety of others too that can be overlooked, such as the engineers and data scientists working out how to improve your journey. There’s also the misconception that the sector isn’t very inclusive with people from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities and women sometimes believing that it doesn’t have anything to offer them career-wise.

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HARNESSING DIFFERENT TALENTS It’s true that the industry isn’t as representative as it could be. This is something that we’re very aware of at TfL - just over a quarter of our workforce is from BAME communities and around 23 per cent is female.

As the director of diversity and inclusion, I understand that there is more work to be done, especially as there are plenty of exciting opportunities that we want people to embrace, regardless of their gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation.

As an organisation, we will only succeed if we embrace the skills of people from all walks of life, learning and developing together, harnessing their different talents and experiences.

This is why we’re running a wide range of activities to make sure that when people think of transport, they don’t imagine it to be for just one type of person.

It’s key to ensure that potential employees appreciate what working in transport really means. As well as showcasing our inspiring staff as role models, our programmes are actively breaking down misconceptions.

A key example of this is our outreach work with schools and colleges, which includes our schools competition - 'Innovate TfL' in association with Cleshar.

It challenges young people in groups to creatively solve the different issues facing TfL.

All Photos © TfL

Staynton Brown.

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This not only teaches them how typical organisations like ours work, with each student taking on a different role like project manager, they learn how what they are taught at school is used in real life. Some of the amazing ideas from the students include buses with special cameras and screens to help improve road safety and Tube seats that use the force of someone sitting on them to power air cooling systems. The finalists also undertake work experience at TfL as part of their prize.

However, it’s not just about young people or even TfL. This is a problem facing the whole industry, which is why our supplier skills team works with our supply chain to tackle the issue together. One of their recent programmes, working with the charity Gingerbread and not-for-profit organisation Women into Construction, changed the lives of many women who had never considered a career in transport.

Many had been unemployed or were single parents and the programme enabled them to gain new employability skills, such as presenting, and undertaking work placements at our suppliers, including Siemens, Arriva Rail London and Arup. The programme helped many of them to kick-start their career either at one of the suppliers or through the connections they made. The team is building on its success with additional schemes this year, including one that focuses on female train drivers, and will be expanding its activity to include even more suppliers.

STAFF NETWORK GROUPS It’s of equal importance to ensure that individuals fulfil their maximum potential once they join the transport industry. It’s pointless attracting all of this great talent if, once here, it isn’t tapped into. This is why we’re taking action internally too, from providing unconscious bias training for our managers to offering mentoring programmes for our employees. Our staff network groups (SNGs) play a huge role too, and I would recommend that all organisations have them.

We have a staff network group for women, BAME, carers, faith, disability and LGBT+, which is called OUTbound. They offer all employees, whether they work in an office, a depot or a station, the chance to meet with other like-minded people who they can learn from and support. They run a variety of activities, bringing staff together, including film screenings, coding masterclasses, wellbeing sessions and panel debates. They also serve as change-makers within TfL, raising

issues and helping with the solutions, so that as an organisation we are offering the best environment both for our staff and our customers. If we increase the diversity of our workforce and continue to learn from them, we will understand our customers and their needs better because we will be as varied as they are.

Ultimately, striving to make TfL and the transport industry more diverse is an obvious win. When you bring people together who have different experiences and perspectives, all the evidence shows you are a more creative and innovative organisation. If our workforce reflects the diversity of our city, we will have a better understanding of our customers and teams. This will lead to us bettering our services for our customers and our organisation for our employees. There is still room to improve, but together with our staff and supply chain, we’re working hard to ensure that everyone feels that the transport industry offers them the chance to shine.

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FEATURE

RAILSTAFF MAY 2018

MARCH

TO 2020

STEWART THORPE MET ONE OF NETWORK RAIL’S HIGH-ACHIEVING FEMALE LEADERS WHO ARE HELPING TO MEET DIVERSITY TARGETS

I

f you go to Network Rail’s material handling depot at Whitemoor, Cambridgeshire, you’ll be warned about two rather unusual hazards. After going through the routine safety warnings during a recent visit, site manager Natalie Whitehead explains what to do if we encounter any WW2 bombs or escaped prisoners.

The facility - the largest of three such Network Rail sites - recycles around 79,000 tonnes of scrap metal each year. There are heavy-duty forklift trucks and cranes moving old sleepers, bits of track and ballast, four sidings and various equipment and machinery used to cut, crush and prepare materials for reuse.

The full 42 hectare site - which includes a large GB Railfreight distribution centre with 33 sidings - re-opened in 2004 and the material handling depot in 2011 thanks to work from principal contractor Spencer Group. In a previous life it was once an important marshalling yard - so much so that it was targeted by German bombers during World War Two. Not only do workers and visitors have to be aware of unexploded bombs in the ground, the site neighbours the Category A Whitemoor Prison.

Not that any of it fazes 25-year-old Natalie, who has risen from being a part-time production assistant to managing and overseeing the safety of 23 staff in just five years.

BREAKING THE MOULD Historically, railways have been a male-dominated industry but companies such as Network Rail are trying to inspire and encourage more women to join the sector. By 2020, it is aiming for 20 per cent of ‘Team Orange’ to be female.

Natalie studied performing arts at university and didn’t originally set her sights on a career on the railway but her passion for the crucial work the centre does for Network Rail has grown and she’s seized opportunities to develop in her relatively short career.

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“I just generally grew interest and wanted to know what everything was, why we do what we do, where it comes from, what we could do with it, and if there weren’t solutions for certain things, I was interested in finding ways to get things done,” said Natalie, who previously worked as a barmaid.

"Then, when my line manager said: ‘Okay, potentially I'm going to be leaving, what do you want to do?' I said ‘Actually, I'd quite like to do your job.’ He basically took me through everything I needed to know to get this kind of role. When the job came up, I interviewed for it and thankfully got it - because I would have been disappointed if I didn't.”

Natalie now manages 21 male and two female members of staff, but said that she has no issue with supervising a predominantly male workforce.

"Obviously it gets a bit male sometimes, and you've got to understand them if they're talking about the football, but they’re absolutely fine. They're so good to us. Being quite young, I've got a real mix of age ranges, some of them just want to look after you, some of them are your friend. You get a real mix of responses from people.

"I don't see myself as a role model. At the end of the day, I just come to work and do my job. For me it’s about whether you can do the job or not, not whether you're a man or a woman.”

MARCH ON The Whitemoor facility is located a mile down the road from Natalie’s hometown, March, and alongside some local factories, is a big employer for its residents. Natalie’s not the only member of her family to work on site. Her brother works at the aggregate handling depot and her mum for GB Railfreight.

29

Natalie has risen to her managerial role in just five years.

Even her great grandad worked on the marshalling yard back in its heyday.

When she became site manager in July 2017, Natalie reached the highest position she can hold on site, and will have to look elsewhere in Network Rail to progress even higher. Not that she’s ready to turn away from working with the staff she treasures in an area of the company she’s so proud of. And rightly so, the facility injects millions of pounds back into Network Rail each year.

"I want people to know about us, I want people to know we do what we do. I'm proud of it, and I think other people are and when they realise what we do, people are interested in it immensely. I don't think we're as well known as we should be even though we do what we do.

“Our route director, she's female - Susan Cooklin she's right at the top of where we can be except for Mark Carne,” she added, talking of her industry role models. “So to see her, yeah, it makes you think ‘I could do that’. Seeing a female in that position you think ‘Okay I can get there’.

“I've got no engineering degrees or degrees in management, I've never done anything like that, but Network Rail, especially the materials team, has given me every opportunity I could have ever wanted to learn everything that I have done to get to where I am.

“A lot of people nowadays are like ‘no, I can't do that because I haven’t got this’. That’s never stopped me. I'm one of those annoying people that are like ‘Why can't I have it?' If I want it or need it, I will go and get it. Network Rail really has given me every opportunity and trust, so I’m totally grateful for that.”

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RAIL PARTNERSHIP AWARDS www.railpartnershipawards.com

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THURSDAY 7 JUNE 2018 – THE VOX BIRMINGHAM

2018 ANOTHER INSPIRING YEAR inspires you? A parent, a teacher, your best friend? You may never have thought to name the // Who people who have shaped your life and career, but they are journeys that few people make alone.

On 29 November, the RailStaff Awards will return for 2018. It is a spectacle with no shortage of inspiring characters.

This year’s judging panel will include Rail Delivery Group (RDG) director Gary Cooper, who said it was the people he had worked with throughout his career who have inspired him.

“Every day, since I joined the industry, I learn something from someone who works in the team I am in and, pleasingly, there are more diverse voices from which I/we can learn,“ said Gary, who has held more than a dozen director level roles, as well as frontline supervisor and manager positions, since joining the industry.

DIVERSITY AND SUCCESS Later this year, 20 more outstanding individuals will take home a RailStaff Awards winner trophy. Beyond the winners, there will be many more highly commended nominees deserving of a mention.

RDG’s backing of this year’s RailStaff Awards is an opportunity to celebrate the diversity and success of the industry, said Gary.

It fits into RDG’s overall mission - to support and challenge its members’ businesses to succeed by transforming the railway. “The key word is transform," said Gary. "Despite our successes in GB rail in the last 20 years, we know we have much more to do in our partnership between the public and private sector, but these awards are a justified celebration of our depth and breadth of talent.”

CAREER PROGRESSION Gary believes that what is likely to be common among this year’s winners is an understanding of what really matters to customers and who their customer is at a given time.

But beyond the benefits for the industry, the awards seek to help shape the careers of some of its most dedicated members.

For many, the event gives people the opportunity to reflect and reevaluate their careers. For some, it was a springboard to bigger things. In next month’s issue, we will catch up with TfL’s Shauni McDonald, who won the Newcomer/Graduate of the Year award back in 2011, to see how her career has flourished since her moment of RailStaff Awards glory.

The event’s reach also has the ability to extend beyond the industry and support its wider aspirations around recruitment and skills.

“It’s really important we show people through events like this that rail is a sunrise industry not a sunset industry,” said Gary.

“If you want a career or simply a job that’s really interesting and a place where you can really excel then come to rail.”

Gary said the value of rail travel became clear to him while commuting to work in Leeds. He joined the industry because he felt there were things he could help to improve. What convinced Gary that a career in rail was right for him? “How wonderful the people are. People who work in rail are friendly, challenging, dedicated and great fun.”

31

BIG MOMENTS

SAMARITANS LIFESAVER AWARD

//

We all engage in small talk on a daily basis with friends and work colleagues. We talk about our weekends, families and, best of all, the weather.

We’re surrounded by small talk everywhere we go but, for some bizarre reason, station platforms and train carriages can be some of the quietest places in the country.

It’s somewhat ironic that this is an environment where a little bit of small talk could potentially be so important.

“We want to promote the importance of simple conversations and how it could actually save a life,” said David Masters, project officer and communications lead for Samaritans’ suicide prevention partnership with the rail industry.

TALKING SAVES LIVES Samaritans is proud to sponsor the Lifesaver award at this years’ RailStaff Awards 13,000 rail industry personnel and British Transport Police officers have been trained with the skills to help a person in need. These skills can encourage people to talk about their problems and help save lives.

For more info and to nominate a colleague  www.railstaffawards.com

A registered charity

32

RAILSTAFF AWARDS 2018

130x90mm_RailStaffMag_ad_2017.indd 1

05/04/2017 12:18

FROM SMALL TALK SMALL TALK SAVES LIVES In November 2017, Samaritans launched the Small Talk Saves Lives rail suicide prevention campaign (#SmallTalkSavesLives) - a joint initiative with the British Transport Police (BTP), Network Rail and the wider industry to encourage members of the public to take action if they see someone they’re concerned about on the railway.

Around five per cent of all suicides in Great Britain occur on the railway. Between 2016 and 2017, there were 273 suicides on the London Underground and mainline rail network.

As well as its public awareness campaigns, Samaritans delivers training and support services to rail staff around the country. Its Managing Suicidal Contacts course, which aims to give staff the confidence and skills required to make interventions, has trained more than 16,000 members of staff and BTP officers across the railway and its post-incident support service has helped many more who have been affected by a traumatic incident.

Samaritans is sponsoring the RailStaff Awards Lifesaver Award for the seventh year in a row this year. Since 2012, the RailStaff Awards has been recognising those who have made a lifesaving intervention. The nominations often tell the stories of railway staff and BTP officers who have either prevented someone from taking their own life or who have come to the aid of a passenger in medical distress.

David said that although the charity is constantly recognising the contributions of those who help prevent people from taking their own lives, the RailStaff Awards provides a platform to bring these stories to the attention of their industry colleagues.

“Samaritans on behalf of the Rail Industry Suicide Stakeholder Group (RISSG) provide commendation letters and badges throughout the year to staff who take potentially lifesaving action to help someone in need on the railway. The Samaritans Lifesaver Award is a great way of raising awareness and celebrating these actions with the whole industry watching.”

SAMARITANS LIFESAVER AWARD

The campaign has reached more than 17 million people on social media and its video has been viewed by more than 5.7 million people.

ACTS OF COMPASSION The 2017 Lifesaver Award was won by Land Sheriffs Tek Malla and Purna Gurung. The two men were recognised for supporting a man at risk of suicide in Sussex, where their professional and sensitive approach helped to save a life.

David said: “The BTP reported over 1,500 lifesaving interventions on the rail network in 2017/18 made by rail staff, police and members of the public which clearly shows that suicides are preventable and a simple conversation can sometimes be all that is needed.”

If you know someone who has made a lifesaving intervention on the railway, visit www.railstaffawards.com/event/2018/ nominate and put them forward for the 2018 RailStaff Awards.

For more information about Samaritans' intervention commendation letters, please email interventions@samaritans.org

RAILSTAFF AWARDS 2018

33

34

EVENTS

RAILSTAFF MAY 2018

2018

INFRARAIL

CP6, RAIL INVESTMENT AND BREXIT DOMINATED THE AGENDA AT THIS YEAR’S EXHIBITION

Infrarail, once again, delivered a plethora of exhibitions, speeches and demonstrations.

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35

T

‌ he economic value of Britain’s railways was a recurring theme at Infrarail 2018.

Darren Caplan, chief executive of the Railway Industry Association (RIA), opened this year’s show by suggesting that the value of the rail industry to the UK economy has been underplayed for several years.

A study commissioned by RIA and conducted by Oxford Economics found that in 2016 the industry supported around 600,000 jobs and was worth £36 billion - 2.3 per cent of the UK’s GDP - to the country’s economy. The figure dwarfs the £10.4 billion statistic currently used by the government to illustrate the value of the railway.

The 12th instalment of Infrarail, which was again held at ExCeL in London Docklands, took place during an interesting period for the industry. Network Rail’s chief engineer, Jon Shaw, who opened this year’s event, said he remembered the first-ever Infrarail exhibition, which was held during the British Rail era at the emergence of privatisation.

Infrarail 2018 welcomed more than 200 exhibitors from 16 different countries. The variety of products and services on show ranged from the suppliers of bolts and cables to engineering consultants and training providers.

RSSB had a stand at the exhibition’s entrance to promote the Railway Industry Supplier Qualification Scheme (RISQS), which from 1 May is no longer being run as a concession.

Major projects, including HS2 and Crossrail, had a presence, as did Rail Baltica, the body delivering a new 870 km railway to link Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to Europe’s standardgauge network.

Delivering his keynote speech on the opening day, transport secretary Chris Grayling spoke about harnessing technology to create a more efficient and reliable railway. He also reaffirmed about his support for bi-mode trains and his desire to see the UK’s first hydrogen train out on the network.

While significant investment has been promised for CP6, the industry still seeks assurances. Darren Caplan said RIA’s role would be to maintain “political heat” around major projects, such as Crossrail 2, and encourage the government to provide a clear schedule of upcoming enhancement schemes.

CROSSRAIL’S EXAMPLE Crossrail is a good illustration of the social and economic importance of major railway projects.

Chief engineer Chris Binns began his progress update presentation by stressing the project’s £42 billion estimated economic benefit - another figure that could well end up being higher.

On 20 May, the project will celebrate another milestone.

At the end of May, Class 345 units will begin operating services on the western section of the route. With 11 new trains currently operating between Liverpool Street and Shenfield, it leaves just the central tunnelled section left to complete.

Chris Binns said Crossrail engineers were still working on the tricky interface between the three different signalling systems, which will be needed in May 2019 when the three sections are joined up, providing a through service from Paddington to Shenfield.

Chris said he believed that since Crossrail was launched in 2009, the project has created an environment for its supply chain to innovate and develop industry best practice.

“We’ve done as much as we possibly can to give the contractors a platform… and they’ve really responded,” said Chris.

HOME TRUTHS

The exhibition also highlighted some of the more sobering home truths the industry is having to face.

Some issues are familiar. Many would love to see a more sustainable model of investment and an end to the boom/bust patterns of the past.

Some issues are still unclear. Both Darren Caplan and Balfour Beatty Rail managing director Mark Bullock, who gave the keynote talk on day two, raised concerns about Brexit.

While Darren felt it could also bring opportunities for the industry, Mark was concerned about the impact it could have on the workforce.

“My fear is that if we see a dip in workload in the next few years, when we need those people, they may not be there, which I think is tragic,” said Mark. “The more certainty the supply chain has... the better it is able to plan its resources and innovate accordingly.”

DIVERSITY

The topic of diversity was addressed

by Adeline Ginn, chair of Women in Rail, in Infrarail’s Knowledge Hub. Research conducted and collated by Women in Rail suggests that almost 80 per cent of women in the rail industry are in nonmanagerial roles. At the current rate, it would take 70 years for the industry to achieve a true gender balance.

In September, Women in Rail will launch a new mentoring scheme to support the progression of young women in the industry.

Adeline’s talk explained why diversity is good for business. Among the various reasons given was the need for a diverse workforce to understand its equally diverse customer base.

There’s also evidence to suggest that diverse teams can be more productive, said Adeline, and that companies are finding more and more candidates are looking at an employer’s record on diversity when applying for a job.

INNOVATING CP6 Innovation across the supply chain is needed to achieve CP6 targets around safety and reliability. There was plenty of evidence on show during the week that new products and solutions are being developed to solve longstanding challenges.

For event organisers Mack Brooks Exhibitions, attention now turns to Railtex 2019, which will be held between 14-16 June in Birmingham, as we consider what challenges and opportunities the next 12 months will have in store.

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36

EVENTS

RAILSTAFF MAY 2018

EVENTS

conference exhibition conference conference EVENTS KEY conference techexhibition exhibition

CONFERENCE/LECTURE

conference exhibition conference conference

conference tech exhibition tech tech press conference exhibition

exhibition exhibition EXHIBITION tech press conference press press conference tech techtechconference

TECHNICAL VISIT

press conference press conference

press conference press conference network PRESS CONFERENCE

network network network awaards network NETWORK network

awaardsnetwork awaards awaards awaards dinner network AWARDS awaards

dinner dinner dinner dinner awaards awaards DINNER dinner

free dinner FREE TOdinner ATTEND free free free free free free

free

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

MAY 2018 IRAIL 2018 16th May Birmingham

JUNE 2018 RAIL FORUM EASTconference exhibition MIDLANDS AGM conference exhibition tech

conference exhibition tech

5th June Derby

press conference

www.midlandsrail.co.uk/events network dinner

INTERNATIONAL free CONFERENCE ON RAILWAY conference conference exhibition ENGINEERING exhibition tech

tech

network

CROSSRAIL: A NEW ARTERY free free FOR THE UK conference exhibition

free

DEVELOPING THE SAFETY LEGACY FROM CROSSRAIL conference

tech

exhibition

tech 13th June press conference exhibition London tech

conference network awaards dinner

YRP WEST MIDS: BOWLING 30th May Birmingham

free

free free

www.railpartnershipawards.com

awaards dinner dinner

press conference

awaards dinner dinner

dinner

7th June VOX, Birmingham

tech press conference press conference

network

www.theiet.org

exhibition

network RAIL PARTNERSHIP AWARDS awaards

events.theiet.org/railway-engineering network awaards

24th May Reading

tech press conference press conference

conference

www.midlandsrail.co.uk/events press conference network awaards

awaards

16th-17th May London

JULY 2018

www.imeche.org/events

network press conference

awaards dinner

network awaards

free

dinner

www.youngrailpro.com free

ECHILLSconference WOOD MODEL exhibition RAILWAY tech

RAIL PROCUREMENT conference exhibition SUMMIT conference exhibition tech

press conference

25th July network Sutton Coldfield

tech 18th June press conference press conference Addleshaw Goddard, network Manchesternetwork awaards

awaards

www.theiet.org

www.railsummits.com

awaards dinner dinner

dinner

conference exhibition

RAIL TRAIL 2018 free

free free

TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS, IMECHE conference exhibition 26th June London

tech

tech

press conference

27th July London

network awaards

www.imeche.org/events

dinner

press conference

www.imeche.org/events

awaards

IMECHE RAILWAY CHALLENGE 2018

dinner

conference exhibition tech

press conference

28th June - 1st July network Stapleford Miniature Railway, awaards Leicestershire dinner

www.imeche.org/railway-challenge free

free

dinner free

exhibition tech press conference

SEPTEMBER 2018 network awaards

7th-9th September TBC

dinner free

INNOTRANS

conference exhibition tech

18th-21st September press conference Berlin, Germany network

www.innotrans.de/en awaards dinner free

Students take part in site visits and compete in a rail challenge.

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awaards

conference

www.railsport.uk

IRAIL 16TH MAY, BIRMINGHAM

network

15th August Makins Fishery, Wolvey

RAILSPORT

tech press conference

RAILSPORT ANGLING www.railsport.uk

exhibition

free

AUGUST 2018

network

conference

WWW.RAILROADSHOW.COM NO BETTER TIME Never has it been a better time to be in the rail sector. There is a vast opportunity for suppliers to secure new contracts across both the existing network as well as within new large-scale infrastructure projects.

18 JUNE

THINGS CHANGE However, the industry is changing, new suppliers from other industries are entering the arena, procurement processes are changing and there is an increased focus on joint ventures.

All this is leading to confusion and missed opportunities.

ADDLESHAW GODDARD MANCHESTER

22 NOV BIRD & BIRD LONDON

“

The Procurement Roadshow has been designed to enhance your knowledge of the procurement process and ultimately help you to not only tender for more business, but win it!

“

ON THE DAY… The day will be split into two distinct sessions.

The first part of the day will be our standard summit format in which we have invited respected speakers to discuss key topics.

A

EVENT

For the first time, we are thrilled to be offering workshops for the second part of the day. This will allow you to take away tangible learning to enable you to really put into practice what you have learnt.

Bid Management International and leading procurement specialists will conduct the workshops. They have a wealth of experience in civil engineering, power, rail, airports and building. They have worked with major contractors and clients such as Network Rail both in the UK and overseas.

29

Reel experts can tackle anything…

TH

Set in and aroun d beautifull y m a n ag lakes, we ll stockeedd with fish!

BOOK YOUR PLACE IN THE 29TH NATIONAL ANGLING CHAMPIONSHIP 2018

AT MAKINS FISHERY WOLVEY (LEICESTERSHIRE/ WARWICKSHIRE BORDER)

WEDNESDAY 15TH AUGUST 2018 For more details visit www.railsport.uk/event/angling-2018 or go to www.facebook.com/railsportuk or contact John Hewison on 01908 227 307 or email angling@railsport.uk

SEE REVERSE FOR AN APPLICATION FORM

✃ ✃

THE 29TH NATIONAL ANGLING CHAMPIONSHIP – 15TH AUGUST 2018 THE 29TH NATIONAL ANGLING CHAMPIONSHIP – 15TH AUGUST 2018

ENTRY FORM (Please complete all sections in BLOCK CAPITALS). Entry fee, which include a pool, is £22.00 per person. An optional super ENTRY FORM (Please all sections BLOCK should CAPITALS).

Entrytransfer fee, which include as a pool, is £22.00 pool is also available at complete an entry fee of £5.00.inPayment be by BAC or cheque shown below. per person. An optional super pool is also available at an entry fee of £5.00. Payment should be by BAC transfer or cheque as shown below.

TEAM/INDIVIDUAL ENTRY TEAM/INDIVIDUAL ENTRY TEAM NAME TEAM NAME Captain/Individuals Home Address Captain/Individuals Home Address

Postcode Postcode

Contact Telephone No Contact Telephone No Team Details (Names) Team Details (Names)

Email Address Email Address Employer Employer

Optional Optional Super pool Super Entry pool (ü) Entry (ü)

Employer Employer

Optional Optional Super pool Super(ü) pool Entry Entry (ü)

1. (Captain) 1. (Captain) 2.

2.

3.

3.

4.

4.

Individual Individual

Team Captain’s Declaration: As far as I am aware, none of the above individuals suffer from any medical condition that would endanger Team Captain’s Declaration: As far as inI am of the above individuals from any medical condition that would themselves or anybody else participating this aware, event. Inone confirm all team members are suffer rail industry employees/or a dependent of a railendanger industry themselves or anybody else participating in this event.

I confirm all team members are rail industry employees/or a dependent of a rail industry employee/or retired from the rail industry. employee/or retired from the rail industry.

Captain’s Signature Date Captain’s Signature Date Individual Declaration: I confirm I do not suffer from any medical condition that will endanger others or myself by participating in this event, and Individual Declaration: I confirm I do not suffer from any medical condition that will endanger others or myself by participating in this event, and agree to abide by the rules of the competition. agree to abide by the rules of the competition.

Date Signature Date Signature FEES (Please indicate below) FEES (Please indicate below) Team Entry Team Entry Individual Entry Individual Super poolEntry Entry (Optional) Super Entry (Optional) Date ofpool BAC transfer Date of BAC transfer

£88.00 £88.00 £22.00 £22.00 £5.00 per person £5.00 per person Reference Quoted Reference Quoted

Total to pay Total Total to to pay pay Total Total to to pay pay Total pay Fee to pay Total to Entry Total Entry Fee to pay

✃ ✃

Name of Bank Barclays Bank PLC Name of Bank Barclays Sort Code 20-25-85 Bank PLC Sort Code 20-25-85 Account No. 00958301 Account No. 00958301 Account Name Railsport GB Account Name Railsport GB PLEASE RETURN THIS COMPLETED FORM TO: PLEASE RETURN THIS COMPLETED FORM TO: 9 Knoll Close, Littleover, Derby, DE23 3SG. railsportgb@ntlworld.com or by post to Cliff Robinson, railsportgb@ntlworld.com or by post to Cliff Robinson, Littleover, DE23 3SG.227 307 If there are any problems please contact Cliff Robinson9 Knoll 077 57Close, 923902 or JohnDerby, Hewison 01908 If there are any problems please contact Cliff Robinson 077 57 923902 or John Hewison 01908 227 307 *CLOSING DATE FOR ENTRIES: 31ST JULY 2018* *CLOSING DATE FOR ENTRIES: 31ST JULY 2018*

£ ££ ££ ££ £

40

FEATURE

RAILSTAFF MAY 2018

IS THERE A RAILWAY ON

THE ISLE OF MAN? REPORT BY COLIN WHEELER WITH PHILIP BENHAM

I SUPPOSE THE BEST ANSWER TO THE QUESTION IS NO, THERE ARE AT LEAST FOUR OR POSSIBLY MORE IF YOU COUNT THE THREE LITTLE ONES! (GREAT LAXEY MINE RAILWAY, GROUNDLE GLEN RAILWAY AND THE MINIATURE ONE)

T

e Isle of Man differs in many ways from the United Kingdom. A local h resident summed it up nicely for me saying, “What I love about living here (as I now do) is that it is safe and reminds me of what it used to be like to live in England three decades ago”.

In April 2018, a party of six retired railway managers, all with North Eastern connections, and our wives enjoyed a visit to the island to explore the railways and some of the Isle of Man’s many other attractions.

CROWN DEPENDENCY

The island has been inhabited since around 6,500 BC and back in 2016 was assessed as having the sixth highest gross national income per capita of any country. Its two official languages are English and Manx, a form of Gaelic. After periods of rule by kings of both Scotland and England alternately the island came under the English Crown in 1399. It has never been part of the United Kingdom, but to this day remains as an internally governed crown dependency.

Its government Tynwald was first established by Viking invaders and has existed since at least 979 AD. Today’s government has two houses, a Legislative Council and House of Keys which were established in 1765. It enjoys an annual rainfall of around 30 inches, although its only mountain Snaefell (2,034 feet) receives 75 inches. The 2016 census confirmed a population of 83,314.

ISLE OF MAN STEAM RAILWAY The capital is Douglas and the island covers around 221 square miles being 32 miles long and just 14 miles across at its widest point. The railways declined in use and reduced in size over many years leaving some areas bus dependent, but today the United Kingdom could perhaps learn something from the Manx

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The Snaefell Mountain Railway running in its picturesque surrounding.

41

© Philip Benham

© Philip Benham

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42

FEATURE

RAILSTAFF MAY 2018

experience. The first railway to be built was Isle of Man Steam Railway which opened in 1874 and followed the Irish model for minor railways, with narrow gauge of three feet. It claims to be the oldest narrow gauge railway to have continued to operate from its opening until the present day. Its route runs for some 15.5 miles from Douglas to Port Erin and still uses lovingly restored original steam locomotives and rolling stock. It aims to cover some 70 per cent of its running costs from receipts for its services.

Boiler replacement and other specialist repairs are carried out in England but trained railway repairing staff and apprentices, carry out most repairs. The fabric of the rolling stock is also worked on by a loyal army of volunteers. Adjacent to Port Erin station there is a most interesting Isle of Man Railway Museum. An interesting, and probably unique, facility for a heritage railway is the provision of an interchange with the island’s airport in the form of Ronaldsway Halt!

STEAM TRAIN DINING These services arguably equal or exceed many provided by heritage railways here, particularly in the variety of dining options offered.

Their commuter club steam trains from Port Erin in the south through to Douglas (stopping at Port St Mary, Colby, Castletown and Ballasalla) serve full breakfasts or breakfast baps on the way to Douglas. On the returning commute their bar snacks offers include chilli, curry, stews and a range of desserts with the car bar selling drinks including locally brewed ales. During the TT Races at the beginning of June special TT Commuter Club trains run. The dining car works hard.

The first themed dining event this year was on 11 March for Mothering Sunday when lunches or afternoon tea could be booked. That was followed by a Shamrock Express

on 17 March and two “Pie and Mash” specials towards the end of that month. Between March and 5 November there are a dozen themed dining trains every month. The restored railway station in Douglas is near to the Sea Terminal at the south end of Douglas Bay.

MANX ELECTRIC RAILWAY The Manx Electric Railway celebrates its 125th anniversary this year having opened back in 1893.

Like the steam railway, it is built to a gauge of three feet, but it uses electrically powered tramcars on its coastal route from Douglas to Ramsey. Arguably it is the best way to enjoy the coastal scenery. The beautifully restored tramcars use an overhead electrification system.

The service began with just three cars running to Groudle. These are described as “unvestibled saloons”. Six “tunnel cars” were added in 1894 and further cars included crossbench vehicles, winter saloons and even in 1900 a freight locomotive! Of the original fleet of 34 cars, 27 are still in operation.

The Manx Electric Railway (MER) operates from Derby Castle station at the north end of Douglas Bay. This station is adjacent to the MER dedicated free Museum which was opened a decade or so ago. There are eleven stops (including seven request stops) between Douglas and Ramsey. Travelling from Derby Castle station the 4th stop is at the junction at Laxey. From here the Manx Electric Railway continues northwards to Ramsey but many visitors change onto the Snaefell Mountain Railway.

The Great Laxey Wheel and Great Laxey Mine Railway are both nearby.

The Groudle Glen Railway (two foot gauge) was especially favoured by Victorian visitors. It is best accessed from the Manx Electric Railway. The Orchid Line miniature railway which opens on Sundays is to be found in Curragh’s Wildlife Park.

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DOUGLAS BAY HORSE TRAMWAY Travel between Derby Castle station and the Sea Terminal at the southern end of Douglas Bay is provided by an earlier source of power. The distance to be covered is just one and a half miles.

The services are provided by the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway which runs along the promenade and claims to be the oldest continually operational horse tramway in the world. It was constructed and brought into operation in 1876, just two years after the steam railway. The stables for the horses are to be found towards the Derby Castle end of the route and can be visited. Not far away is a Home of Rest provided for retired horses. Replacement horses are bought and then trained to haul the trams.

Currently there are 12 horses listed as working with a further eight still being trained. From recent observations the going bribe rate per trip is two stub ends of carrot from the driver’s pocket!

SNAEFELL MOUNTAIN RAILWAY This double-track, 3 ft 6 in gauge mountain railway was built in just seven months in 1895.

Originally the route was surveyed in 1888 for a steam railway that was never built. However, in 1895 the Snaefell Mountain Railway Association revived the plan and leased the required land to build it on.

Since they had the land available they did not need to obtain statutory powers. There were six original tramcars all manufactured by George F Milnes and Company, five of which are still in use today.

Originally the plans had been for the steam railway braking to rely on normal rail friction but a fell braking system now uses a centre rail for braking.

Power is provided from overhead equipment at 550 volts DC using bow collectors.

The route is 11.75 miles long and rises to 2,000 feet above sea level. There was an incident on 25 September 2017 involving the braking system but this was dealt with and the railway re-opened in March of this year. The views from the summit on a clear day are excellent. Locally it is claimed that on such days seven kingdoms can be seen; Mann, England, Scotland, Wales, Heaven and Neptune’s Realm. There is a café at the summit which serves lunches and brunches plus on Wednesdays and Saturdays “Sunset Dinners” of two courses in the Snaefell Summit Restaurant for an all-in price that includes return tram travel.

The Isle of Man Railways may only operate from March to November, although the Manx Electric runs a limited service year round, but their entrepreneurial approach to maximising income and focus on preserving railway heritage is surely to be admired. Lest it be thought these are just more leisure-based railways, what makes them special is that they are very much part of the island’s transport system, with many local residents using it for their everyday transport needs. Heritage railways continue to go from strength to strength in the United Kingdom but maybe we can all learn something from the Manx approach!

Finally, I would like to thank Ian Longworth, director, Transport Services Division for the Isle of Man Government, and his team, for their time showing us around the railway workshops at Douglas and Derby Castle. Much of the factual information in this article was also supplied by Ian.

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TRAINING

RAILSTAFF MAY 2018

REBRANDING APPR (NOT REBADGING) NETWORK RAIL'S HEAD OF TRAINING STRATEGY BELIEVES APPRENTICESHIPS ARE CHANGING FOR THE BETTER BUT THAT NEGATIVE HEADLINES COULD GIVE THEM A BAD NAME

A

pprenticeships are undergoing a major rebrand.

Access to new funding is opening up apprenticeships to more people than ever and the assumption that they are reserved solely for teenagers and those in their early 20s is becoming outdated fast.

“It can be anyone and everyone and, for me, that’s really important for creating social mobility opportunities for new

and existing employees, but also supporting our business needs around skills gaps,” said Michelle Nolan-McSweeney, head of training strategy at Network Rail.

Michelle describes herself as a champion of apprenticeships.

She joined the industry as an apprentice 32 years ago and, up until a couple of years ago, oversaw the development of Network Rail’s apprenticeship scheme before taking on her current role.

Michelle feels that the modern rail apprenticeship is considerably different from the

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scheme she joined at British Rail.

“I think, by and large, we see high quality apprenticeships now which are much more focussed on an occupation and an outcome,” said Michelle. “I think there’s now an expectation of good quality mentoring, that line managers provide support, that there’s the right blend of on-job and off-job learning.“

RESPONSIBLE EMPLOYERS But the image of apprenticeships has been blemished in the past few weeks.

Research conducted by the think tank Reform suggested that there are businesses which are ‘rebadging’ existing training courses as apprenticeships to access new levy funds. This in turn drags down the quality and reputation of apprenticeships across the board.

Michelle wants to see lowquality apprenticeships removed from the market so that the responsible employers that are using apprenticeships to address industry skills gaps and technological change aren’t tarnished with the same brush.

“I genuinely believe the majority of employers are intending to use apprenticeships

for the good of social mobility, for the good opportunities they bring around job creation and so on.”

Michelle disagrees with critics who claim that the levy, and apprenticeships in general, aren’t working. She added: “I really want that to be dispelled.

I don’t want those headlines to be around in another year's time.”

UPSKILLING In April 2016, Network Rail worked out that it needed to deliver 800 apprenticeships a year to support the government’s target to create 30,000 transport apprenticeships by 2020 and meet the 2.3 per cent apprentice target it is obligated to meet as a public sector organisation.

Last year, Network Rail managed 819 apprentices - around half of which involved the upskilling of existing employees.

Michelle believes the apprenticeship levy is opening the door for existing staff to pursue apprenticeships later in their careers. Examples may include employees looking to retrain in another area of the business or those who want to prepare for

RAILSTAFF MAY 2018

TRAINING

45

RENTICESHIPS Last year Network Rail delivered 819 apprenticeships.

the introduction of potentially disruptive technologies. “In many respects it’s a good thing because it’s enabling us to leverage more opportunities for people,” said Michelle.

However, there are areas of the levy that Michelle would like to see addressed.

Under the current system, levy funds can’t be used to cover capital expenditure, which means companies aren’t allowed to spend the money on new equipment or training facilities. They can’t use their levy contributions to support existing training partnerships with University Technical Colleges (UTCs) and they’re unable to put any of the money towards an apprentice’s travel or relocation expenses.

“If we could use the levy to assist relocation we would have a much more effective social mobility system in the UK,” said Michelle.

Network Rail is currently lobbying for these changes to be made.

SUPPORTING SMES In addition to her role at Network Rail, Michelle chairs the transport and logistics route panel at the Institute for Apprenticeships. There are 15 route panels altogether, covering a variety of industries, and their job is to recommend and review the necessary apprenticeship standards for their sectors.

“I think the industry’s striving hard to achieve the apprenticeship targets that were set through the transport infrastructure skills strategy,” said

Michelle. “We all want talented and ambitious people of all ages in our organisations, and I think there is a fundamental shift that people will see from the last year that those numbers are increasing and will continue to increase.

“I feel really positive about this but there is more to do about making people aware of apprenticeships and their benefit, particularly in the supply chain and at the small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) level, so I’m not resting on my laurels. The fact that we’ve got close to our target in Network Rail is fantastic, but I do believe we’ve got more to do to promote this more widely.”

Network Rail doesn’t suffer from a lack of demand for its apprenticeship programme.

More than 4,000 applications have been submitted for 167 Level 3 apprenticeship roles which are due to start in September. However, the organisation is striving to broaden the diversity of its new entrants. By 2020, Network Rail is aiming for 20 per cent of its staff to be female.

Network Rail also works with its supply chain to identify alternative opportunities for unsuccessful applicants, but SMEs have different barriers to overcome and often struggle to release staff for long enough to complete the required off-the-job training.

Michelle is encouraging businesses who would like to offer apprenticeship opportunities within their organisations to contact Network Rail and see what support they can provide.

Michelle added: “Come and talk to Network Rail if you’re in our supply chain because we are committed to supporting apprenticeship development. And that’s whether you join one of our own apprenticeship programmes, or we advise you on how you can build a cohort through our provider network, or to use the National Skills Academy for Rail (NSAR), who clearly can match apprentices with employers - and that’s very much something I would advocate.”

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YOUNG RAIL PROFESSIONALS TRAINING RAILSTAFF MAY 2018 RAILSTAFF MAY 2018

S L A N IO S S E F O R P YOUNG RAIDLINNER AWARDS

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nterprising young rail professionals celebrated another successful year at the 9th annual YRP black tie dinner.

YRP saw its membership continue to grow in 2017 and the dinner served as an opportunity for Michael Charteris to formally take over from Paul Case as the organisation’s new national chair.

Held on 13 April, this year’s dinner took place at The Roundhouse in Derby and was once again sponsored by the project management consultancy CPC Project Services.

INDUSTRY SPEAKERS

Guests had the opportunity to enjoy a three-course meal with music entertainment provided by a live band.

The event was organised by members of the East Midlands YRP committee, including Morgane Jankowski, Farid Omarzaiy and Kenny Adesope, and hosted by Julianna Moats.

As well as addresses from Steve Mole, managing partner at CPC Services, and YRP’s outgoing and incoming chairs, John Smith, Hector Rail CEO (better known as the managing director of GB Railfreight) gave the keynote speech.

From a 15-year-old apprentice to becoming ‘El Presidente’ and overseeing freight operations across Europe, John reflected on his 40-year career and stressed the importance of people to the success of the railway.

Cameron Shaw, winner of Apprentice of the Year

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THE AWARD GOES TO… The evening culminated with presentations for the winners of the Mentor, Apprentice and Young Rail Professional of the year awards.

Mentor of the Year was won

by Dr Andrew Roberts, senior safety and assurance manager at SNC-Lavalin. Within his current role, Andrew assesses new-build passenger trains to ensure they are compliant with relevant legislative requirements. He recently led the assessment of two new fleets for the UK. Prior to joining the rail industry, Andrew held research and development positions within Jaguar Land Rover and design engineer positions with McLaren F1 and Team Lotus F1 teams. He also spent a number of years at the University of Nottingham.

Andrew said: “Maintaining variety within my career and engaging with people has always been a key motivating factor to me and it was during my time at the University of Nottingham that my passion for developing and supporting others was truly sparked. Aside from my research

activities, I was highly involved in teaching undergraduates.

“The feeling of satisfaction that came from seeing students understand and grasp the concepts being taught remains one of the most satisfying periods of my career and it was through my teaching experience that I saw the value in strong industry and academia links.

My aim now is to carry that message through into industry.

“My own career has presented me with both fantastic and bizarre experiences that I could only ever have dreamed of when I left school. At a time when the engineering profession still struggles to retain skilled engineers, I consider it to be everybody’s responsibility to support the development of aspiring engineers."

He added: “I am immensely proud to have been awarded the 2018 Mentor of the Year for 2018 award whilst also incredibly grateful to those who have supported me in the past.

I therefore encourage everybody to think of how they can give a little bit back, no matter how small.”

47

Cameron Shaw, customer service apprentice at Abellio ScotRail, was named Apprentice of the Year. Cameron began his apprenticeship in October 2016 after completing a 10week training course with ScotRail as a gate line assistant earlier in the year. He has now completed his apprenticeship and managed to secure a job as a service quality analyst.

“When I’d done the course, I knew the railway was the place for me and I was determined to get in. During my time as an apprentice I have developed massively and done things I never thought I could and gained a whole new set of skills.

I was delighted to have been recognised at the YRP awards, it was a great night and I met many great people.”

YRP OF THE YEAR

Young Rail Professional of the Year was presented to Zak Shayler, assistant project manager at TfL. Zak joined TfL’s project management

graduate scheme in 2015 and has completed various rotations across the organisation from frontline to office-based functions.

Upon completing the scheme in September 2017, Zak was offered a role as an assistant project manager on the Step Free Access (SFA) programme a programme that will deliver SFA to 30 stations by 2022, hugely important in making the tube more accessible for Londoners.

This will ensure the city’s transport infrastructure is there for its residents and visitors alike.

Zak said: “Outside of work, I piloted an initiative last year aimed at developing soft skills in the construction industry.

GRAPP:LE, the graduate and apprentice learning environment, brought together young professionals from across the built environment in a number of different functions. We tackled real industry issues with a tangible output. It was a great learning curve and something we will develop in 2018.”

© Stephen Hartley

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TRAINING

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