RailStaff November 2019 by Rail Media

NOVEMBER 2019 | ISSUE 262

PLUS NEWS PEOPLE HEALTH & SAFETY ENVIRONMENT EVENTS TRAINING

COMPANY FOCUS CAREERS

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CONTENTS NOVEMBER 2019 | ISSUE 262

VICTORIOUS THAMESLINK SOUTHERN TCFC CLAIM LEAGUE TITLE | 16

An inaugural football league for railway workers has come to a sizzling end with an entertaining 4-0 encounter.

VALUING NATURE | 24

One year after a review into vegetation clearances was published, Stewart Thorpe asks: what has changed?

This month's cover star is Lee Paine, a GTR rolling stock engineer and former soldier.

WEATHERING THE CLIMATE CHANGE STORM | 28

Rising temperatures are leading to more extreme weather conditions that can prevent trains from running and damage railway assets.

DITCHING DIESEL-ONLY | 32

With the industry tasked with removing diesel-only trains by 2040, David Shirres explores the alternatives to powering Britainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fleets.

LEST WE FORGET | 40

Hundreds of people gathered at Southwark Cathedral on November 6 to pay their respects to the railway workers who fought, and died, during World War One.

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T H G I L T O P

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RAIL WEEK | 42

For the third year running, YRP spearheaded efforts to attract the next generation of workers during this wpan-industry campaign.

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Staff

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2019

Paul O’Connor

Editor:

Stewart Thorpe

Production and design:

Adam O’Connor

Matthew Stokes

Track safety:

Colin Wheeler

Advertising:

Asif Ahmed

Craig Smith

Keith Hopper

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Some months it’s difficult to know what to write in this editor’s column. The story of the railway is one that always has its twists and turns but, since taking over as editor last November, there hasn't always been something happening in the news that's significant enough to warrant an extended commentary. But then there’s an issue like this one, where it practically writes itself. With Brexit delayed and a general election called, the rail industry, somehow, faces even more uncertainty. The Williams and Oakervee reviews into Britain’s railway and HS2, are unlikely to report back until after a new government is formed, while the debate over nationalising the country’s railways will resurface. © iStockphoto.com

Although Brexit will undoubtedly dominate debates, HS2, which continues to struggle to convince the public of its worth, could find itself used as a political football. Depending on who emerges victorious, they may well look to pull the plug on it before Douglas Oakervee reports back. Thanks in part to the headline-grabbing activity of Greta Thunberg and Extinction Rebellion, climate change is likely to be a major issue too. New research backed by around 11,000 scientists has once more stressed that the world is in a climate emergency. We face "untold human suffering" if we do not make deep and lasting changes, according to the report. Where it differs to previous research is it states that while things might be bad, they are not hopeless. Detailing six key areas in which a major difference can be made, it stresses that the onus isn't just on policymakers but the public, and this has reached some, but not all, areas of society. Rail is working to lessen its environmental impact, making it an even greener form of transport, and some of this work is featured in this issue, RailStaff's most significant focus on the environment to date. When it comes to voting in the general election on December 12, many will be acutely aware of the small role they play in supporting a functioning democracy. With new government policies and grassroots movements, concern over climate change is rising. Nevertheless, more of us - myself included - need to realise the important role we have as individuals in making meaningful lifestyle changes to save the planet. stewart@rail-media.com FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF | @RAIL_STAFF | RAILSTAFF.CO.UK

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Specialist officers from BTP’s protest removal and policing at heights teams were kept busy by Extinction Rebellion protestors last month. On October 17, two protestors had to be unglued from the top of a Docklands Light Railway (DLR) train at Shadwell station. Environmental activists also climbed onto trains at Canning Town and Stratford stations as part of a co-ordinated day of action. The obstructions to London’s rail network came days after 22 protestors had to be unglued from the DLR at London City Airport. BTP was forewarned of the protests and attempted to dissuade Extinction Rebellion from the activity. Prior to the protests, Assistant Chief Constable Sean O’Callaghan, said: “The Tube and rail networks are one of the greenest transport methods in London. Any action goes against what they campaign for and will only cause misery for London’s

Extinction Rebellion

commuters. “In addition to this, we’ve made it clear to Extinction Rebellion that disrupting Tube services could create a dangerous scenario where some trains are stuck within tunnels with hundreds of

passengers on board. Likewise, trespassing or obstructing Tube services could create a serious hazard to protestors. “Nevertheless, we will have a number of additional officers on patrol, in particular those

trained in protestor removal. Those who are responsible for unlawfully disrupting the network can expect to be arrested for obstructing the railway, a very serious offence which could lead to imprisonment.”

Freedom! Train guard gives up job to In memory go-go on George Michael tour of Ronnie

A South Western Railway train guard has hung up his whistle for good as he chooses life as a George Michael tribute act. After serving customers on the railway for 16 years, Steve Mitchell took a year’s sabbatical,

beginning in October 2018 to tour major UK theatres as the leading performer in the musical show ‘The George Michael Story’. With his leave coming to an end, Steve has come to the decision to don his denim jacket for good as the show embarks on a European tour.

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Steve is no stranger to the music industry having previously toured with bands in Louisiana, USA, and even written his own album. He said: “Being part of the team at Staines depot was the highlight of my railway career but going on a tour with the shift patterns of a guard wouldn’t be easy. “Thankfully South Western Railway allowed me a full year sabbatical, giving me the maximum time to convert all my energy into this stage role. “It was a hard decision on deciding whether to return back to my role as a guard with SWR. I've made the decision to keep performing and follow my passion which is the music of George Michael and performing for The George Michael Story. "I'd like to thank South Western Railway for giving me the chance to achieve this dream.”

A defibrillator has been installed at Lowestoft station in memory of a former railwayman whose career spanned more than 40 years. The family of Ronnie Dell, who died aged 78, purchased the equipment following donations made at his funeral. After leaving school in 1955, Ronnie spent his entire working life on the railway. Beginning as a messenger boy for British Rail in the Lowestoft goods office, he became a shunter and a train guard before retiring in 1997.

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2019

NEWS

DfT reveals CP6 rail enhancements The Department for Transport (DfT) has published a list of rail enhancement projects in its updated Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline (RNEP). When it announced its funding of Network Rail in Control Period 6 (CP6 – April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2024), enhancements, other than those already underway, were not included. In future, Network Rail would have to bid for those and the DfT and Treasury would decide which ones to fund. Provision was made in the CP6 settlement for funding to prepare the business cases and bids for enhancements, but it would not be a forgone conclusion that any particular scheme would be accepted and funded. Pulling major projects out of the control period cycle would allow each one to be funded properly, with thorough planning, and so avoid the mistakes made on schemes such as Great Western Electrification when certain stages were rushed to hit CP deadlines, resulting in inadequate preparation and the ensuing cost and time overruns.

Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline

Autumn 2019 Schemes Update

Moving Britain Ahead

October 2019

The DfT has, until now, refused to confirm which projects were going ahead. This caused some consternation amongst the supply chain, which wanted to ensure that skills and resources would be available when required. The day prior to the DfT’s announcement, the Railway Industry Association (RIA) launched a ‘Rail Enhancements Clock’, to draw attention to the number of days since the government said it would publish its list of proposed rail upgrade projects. Reacting to the news on October 16, before the general election was called, RIA chief executive Darren Caplan said: “This is a really positive development announced today by transport secretary Grant Shapps and we welcome this timely intervention at the Transport Select Committee. “The Railway Industry Association and its members have been calling for a list of enhancement projects for well over a year, and that is why we launched our ‘Show Us the Rail Enhancements’ campaign in the autumn. So, it’s great news that the new ministerial team has acted swiftly on taking office to deliver on this. “This comprehensive list of enhancements will now give rail businesses some more confidence to plan, hire and invest in preparation for upcoming work. And it will help ensure we can get to work to build an enhanced world-class railway in the coming years. “We and our members will now examine the list further, and work with the DfT and wider rail supply community to deliver these upgrade projects.” Darren also urged the transport secretary and DfT to take ‘boom and bust’ funding concerns seriously. He added: “We are already seeing a slower start to CP6 than expected – jeopardising jobs, investment and the ability of SMEs to survive – and this will only continue, making the railways up to 30 per cent more expensive than they could be, if the pipeline of activity in control periods is not smoothed.”

Continues on page 8...

Globe of Honour for Team Orange Network Rail’s Infrastructure Projects (IP) track team has been awarded a top award for excellence in sustainability.

The Globe of Honour is awarded to organisations that achieve five stars in the British Safety Council’s (BSC) environmental management audit scheme. IP track, which is formed of four specialist teams delivering track and rail systems renewals and enhancements across the network, achieved this honour for its work during the period between August 2018 and July 2019. It is the first time Network Rail has been presented with the award. Lorraine Brown, principal environment and social value manager, IP track, said: “To achieve this, we developed IP trackwide sustainability objectives, strategies and tactics – which provide a line of sight between Network Rail policies and individuals’ personal objectives. We used the BSC’s rigorous audit specification to enhance our environmental management systems and processes but, just as importantly, IP track embarked on an awareness campaign which significantly increased colleagues’ understanding of the sustainability agenda and how they can personally contribute to it. “We’ve also worked with our supply chain to introduce sustainability packs and help future-proof their environmental management, ahead of the introduction of Network Rail’s environment and social requirements, which launch in December this year.” Lawrence Waterman, chairwoman of the British Safety Council, congratulated Network Rail and said: “Excellence at this level is very hard won.” FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF | @RAIL_STAFF | RAILSTAFF.CO.UK

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Rise of the smart ticket Statistics released by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) show that 50 per cent of all journeys are now taken using smart tickets, up from 37 per cent last year.

Continued from page 7... Enhancement schemes go through four decision gateways before the funding is approved for Network Rail to deliver them: Decision to Initiate: takes the scheme into the pipeline and unlocks funding for a Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC). Decision to Develop: builds on the SOBC and authorises development work towards a single viable option and to put together the Outline Business Case. Decision to Design: follows the Outline Business Case and permits technical development to ensure that the desired outputs can be delivered through the option being progressed. Decision to Deliver: passes the project over to Network Rail for implementation. The DfT’s latest RNEP report includes the following projects under development: Stage One – Determine 23 projects have passed the Decision to Initiate and are under development. Plans to provide a permanent solution to passenger congestion at Clapham Junction, for Wigan to Bolton Electrification and to improve capacity and performance on the Castlefield crossManchester Corridor are on this list. Stage Two – Develop A further 22 projects are currently under development. These include the Western Rail Access to Heathrow, a new station at Cambridge South and the redevelopment of Euston Conventional station. Stage Three – Design A total of 13 projects are currently being designed with a view of taking them to the final DfT gateway of the Decision to Deliver. The Transpennine Route Upgrade falls into this category, as does East West Rail Phase 2. Other schemes If a scheme is entirely funded from other sources, it does not need to go through the RNEP process. However, even if it is only part-funded by the DfT, it does. Any project that has already passed the Decision to Deliver, which includes all the part-finished schemes from CP5, do not appear on the DfT’s list but are instead on Network Rail’s Enhancements Delivery Plan.

The shift from paper to digital ticketing that includes smart cards and barcode tickets on mobile phones - follows major upgrades to improve technology, install and upgrade station ticket barriers and promote smart tickets to passengers. Robert Nisbet, director of nations and regions at RDG, said: “Smart tickets open up the possibility of a host of new types of fares like part-time season tickets or tap-in-tap-out that works across buses, trams and trains. “Making the most of the possibilities offered

by smart tickets requires root and branch reform of fares regulations and we want to work with government to make it happen.” In a move to further promote the use of smart ticketing, a cross-industry campaign was held between October 14-18 to encourage passengers to switch. Neil Grabham, customer services director for East Midlands Railway, said: “Making the move to smart ticketing is not only a much more secure way for our customers to manage their tickets; it will save them time. “With our smart ticket gates and ticket machines across the network, we hope to reduce queue times and allow all of our customers to get where they need be in a timely manner.”

Fundraise while you sleep Railway Children’s ‘sleepout’ fundraiser returns for 2020 with participants able to take part at one of nine major stations around the country. Launched in 2019, the event encourages people to give up the comfort of their bed for the cold floor of a station for one night. The charity aims to raise awareness and funds to help hundreds of children around the world who face this every day. The stations taking part are: Birmingham

New Street, Derby, Glasgow Central, Leeds, Liverpool Lime Street, London Bridge, London Waterloo, Manchester Piccadilly and Milton Keynes Central. The sleepout will take place on January 31, 2020. Railway Children branded beanie hats will be handed out to the participants, who will each be asked to pledge a minimum of £100. A Railway Children spokesperson said: “Find the sleepout station nearest to you and grab your sleeping bag – this fundraiser is so simple you can do it in your sleep.”

Britain’s Largest Specialist Transport Union

After Mitie Network Rail pay victory, RMT’s fight for justice continues... The new Mitie pay deal is a massive victory in the fight to eliminate the evil of low pay on the railway. This is just the start. We are also sending out a warning to companies like Carlisle on Northern Rail who refuse to pay the Living Wage. We are coming for you next and when it comes to ending poverty pay in the Rail Industry there is nowhere to run and nowhere to hide when RMT is on the case. Mick Cash, RMT General Secretary

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Parliamentary post for Mike Brown

Transport for London (TfL) commissioner Mike Brown MVO is set to leave to chair the delivery authority tasked with restoring and renewing the Houses of Parliament. Mike, who who will continue in his role for the remainder of Sadiq Khan’s current term as mayor, described the UNESCO world heritage site as “the iconic architectural jewel that lies at the

heart of London and at the heart of our country’s democracy” and said he was looking forward to the change of direction. Mike first joined London Underground (LU) in 1989 and became chief operating officer in 2003. He left to run Heathrow Airport during a massive transformation and passenger improvement programme, and later returned as the managing director of LU. There he was responsible for operating services with more than one billion journeys every year and for leading the largest line upgrade and investment programme in LU’s history. He became transport commissioner in July 2015, and has since led TfL’s delivery of the mayor’s transport strategy and multi-billion pound transport

Metro man bows out An engineering stalwart who oversaw the construction of the Tyne and Wear Metro’s tracks is retiring after 47 years in the rail industry. Phil Kirkland, who is the head of maintenance delivery at system owner Nexus, managed the bulk of Metro’s track installation work between 1979-84. He was responsible for putting in the now-familiar alignments that were needed to carry Metro services when the system opened

in phases from August 1980. Phil, who retires in November, said: “I’m enormously proud to have played such a big part in the history of the Tyne and Wear Metro. “It was an exciting and a hugely challenging project to work on. It was something that transformed public transport in our region. I think that I’m one of the few staff left who worked on the original construction project in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. “I oversaw the many miles

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investment programme. Mike said: “Every day, thousands of unsung women and men go to work to keep London moving and to make this city better, cleaner and safer for everyone. I am inspired by them and I will miss them, but it’s the right time for me to move on to a new challenge after more than 30 years in the transport industry and what will have been nearly five years as commissioner.” London mayor Sadiq Khan added: “The recent transformation of London’s public transport network into one of the very best in the world is testament to Mike’s expertise, and much of the exciting investment we’re continuing to see in transport across the capital is a result of Mike’s leadership and vision.”

of track installations that were needed in order to make the Metro become a reality. My fondest memory was seeing all of that work come to fruition when the first test trains started operating on the system. It was a vast project. There was acrimony too, at one point there were fears the government of the time was going to pull the plug on the funding, but we got there in the end.” Phil has worked on Metro in two spells - during its construction up until 1984 and from 2007 in his final job role managing Metro’s ‘orange army’, which looks after the tracks, overhead lines and signalling systems. He has worked on railway systems in 12 different countries, including spells in Australia and the United States Rocky Mountains, and played a key role in the electrification of the East Coast main line in the early 1990s. Phil added: “I’m definitely going to miss the job, but after being on call for over 40 years, and out there on the frontline in all weathers, it’s time for a break.”

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LNER's new stakeholder lead

Ben Garratt has joined LNER in a new role as head of stakeholder engagement. He joins from the Department for Transport where he was head of rail communications. Previous employers include Westbourne Communications and Labour Friends of Israel. Ben will lead all of LNER’s stakeholder engagement, including public affairs, internal communications and community engagement as LNER focuses on celebrating the benefits of new Azuma trains and services being introduced across the route. Ben said: “LNER connects great British towns and cities of industry, creativity and beauty, and our communities and colleagues need to be confident that LNER shares their passion and ambition for the East Coast. That’s my mission as head of stakeholder engagement. “Over the past 13 years I have led teams in businesses, Westminster and Whitehall to promote engagement and understanding on a wide range of policy issues, and I’m looking forward to bringing that experience to deliver for our route.”

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Talgo appoints UK MD Jon Veitch has been made the managing director of the newlyformed subsidiary Talgo UK. Jon has been a part of the team tasked with establishing Talgo in the UK over the last three years. Since then it has bid for HS2’s £2.75 billion contract for at least 54 classic-compatible trains as well as the opportunity to supply trains for operators in the UK and abroad. Should it secure a major order, Talgo intends to construct a train factory in Fife - to build trains for UK and overseas markets - as well as an innovation centre in Chesterfield. Jon said: “Talgo UK has promised to be different, by adopting an ‘all Britain’ strategy and ‘true manufacturing’. “Talgo UK’s aim to attract and develop new engineering talent has a particular resonance for me, as I started my career as an engineering apprentice. “With the right training and a ‘can-do’ attitude, there’s no limit to ingenuity. Talgo UK intends to re-establish the UK as a significant manufacturer and exporter of world-class rolling

Salt at Systra Nick Salt, the former managing director of infrastructure at Galliford Try, has become the new chief executive of Systra in the UK. Andrew McNaughton, chief operating officer and chair of Systra UK, said: “The appointment of Nick Salt marks a new chapter for the company and its commitment to the UK. “Nick’s leadership in successfully running a £500 million

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New chair at Keolis Group Patrick Jeantet has been appointed as Keolis Group's executive chair and will begin the role in early 2020.

stock. “Talgo UK’s approach will keep more money in the UK economy, and create more skilled longterm jobs. “I look forward to leading the team that will deliver the ‘all Britain’ strategy, develop the supply-chain, provide opportunities for all, and grow the UK’s industrial base.” Jon started his railway career as a British Rail apprentice and has gone on to hold senior roles at Hitachi, Downer Australia, Arriva, Scotrail, Virgin, South Eastern and East Midlands Trains. He has more than 30 years’ experience in rail.

transport business with over 1,200 employees, together with his engaging people centred approach will be extremely valuable as we grow our business in the UK.” Nick, who has more than 20 years’ experience in the design and delivery of infrastructure in the transport sector, added: “I am honoured to be joining Systra at such a pivotal time, not only geopolitically, I believe our industry must establish how it responds to one of the most important issues facing our planet - climate change. Systra is already developing new concepts and delivering solutions to bring communities closer together and it is my ambition to further develop Systra’s growth in the UK substantially and sustainably.”

DON'T MISS OUT!

During the transition period, Kathleen Wantz-O'Rourke, Keolis Group finance and legal executive director, will be the acting chair. Joel Lebreton, chair of Keolis Group's supervisory board said: "Patrick brings extensive international experience including eight years at Keolis. His comprehensive knowledge of the public transport sector and public transport authorities in France and internationally constitutes a real advantage in achieving the strategic goals of growing our business and improving the profitability of the

Keolis Group." In the UK, Keolis owns 35 per cent of Govia, which operates the Govia Thameslink Railway and Southeastern franchises, and also oversee the Wales and Borders franchise with Amey. It is also part of a consortium that operates the Nottingham Express Transit tram system, the Docklands Light Railway and Manchester's Metrolink.

Frazer-Nash boosts expertise Experienced rolling stock engineer Keith Hutchins has joined Frazer-Nash's growing rail team as a senior consultant. Keith counts Siemens, Interfleet, Railcare and GEC Alstom Metro-Cammell as his past employers. In total he has accumulated 37 years of experience working with traction and rolling stock. At Frazer-Nash, Keith will support the delivery of engineering solutions to train manufacturers, operators, owners and equipment suppliers. Richard Wheldon, transformation leader at FrazerNash, said: "His considerable technical experience and industry contacts will help us to develop our rail service offerings, as well as to deliver mentoring to more junior staff. “Throughout his career, Keith has worked across the whole

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product lifecycle within rolling stock – from design, through to maintenance and repair projects – and has supported rail companies to introduce new technologies for their vehicle maintenance. His expertise in providing consultancy advice to clients on a wide spectrum of traction and rolling stock aspects, from design and maintenance issues, to safety, operational and regulatory challenges, will help us to deliver solutions to our rail clients’ complex challenges." SUPPORTED BY

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Community role for train conductor

Helen Samuels is set to leave Network Rail for marine asset company Bibby Marine.

A new community rail officer for the East Suffolk Lines is hoping to boost passenger numbers by reaching out to new groups.

John Cresswell, Bibby Line Group CEO, added: “We are delighted to attract a leader of Helen’s calibre to Bibby; her passion for delivering for customers and her career experience make Helen ideal for this role, and I am looking forward to her leading our marine businesses in their next phase of development.”

Claire Kendall, a former Greater Anglia train conductor and railway station adopter, will focus on promoting the rural railway and working with the communities along the lines between Ipswich and Lowestoft and Felixstowe, for their mutual benefit. Claire said: “I’m excited to get started in the new role and meeting interested parties along the East Suffolk Lines to make the lines successful and sustainable, as they are very important links for the communities they serve.

Network Rail director sets sail The Infrastructure Projects engineering director will take up the post of chief executive officer from January 2020. Prior to joining Network Rail in 2017, Helen was the engineering director for United Utilities and had been the operations director, global director and managing director at Halcrow/CH2MHill (now owned by Jacobs) before that. She said: “It’s a privilege to be asked to lead Bibby Marine Ltd. I’m really excited to be joining the team, and proud to be part of an organisation with such strong values and a long, successful heritage.”

FEATU RE

SLC Property is a team of highly experienced property and land experts with particular expertise in resolving issues around rail. Based in Birmingham, the heart of the country’s new infrastructure development ambitions, Kevin will work directly with clients to help them to deliver simple through to complex property transactions - from land acquisitions and consent strategies, through to operational leasing and retail management. Kevin said: "SLC Property has a fantastic reputation and established foothold in providing professional property advice and this,

along with the potential to grow, develop and work with a very capable team, was key in my decision to join the SLC Group. I can’t wait to get started. "I would like to express my thanks to Rory Peverell and the executive recruitment team at Ford & Stanley for their professional, informed and pro-active approach to his client’s requirement. I look forward to continuing working with Rory as we look to grow and develop the business." Ian Walters, managing director of SLC Rail, added: "It’s great to have someone like Kevin joining the team, to oversee the next stage of development of the business as we branch out beyond the station red-line boundary into associated development and placemaking opportunities."

PL AC

Kevin Hopkinson, who has spent 20 years within complex development and infrastructure projects, has joined SLC as the managing director of its expanding property business.

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Hot property: SLC secures new infrastructure boss

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“I’m hoping to bring the idea of using the local rail line to a wider audience and also work within the community – such as with schoolchildren to help educate them about the railway and safety - and would also like to hear from anyone else who has any ideas or suggestions about how the railway and community can work together.” There were 725,000 passenger journeys made between April 2018 and April 2019 on the East Suffolk Lines, a 110 per cent increase when compared to 2009-10.

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NEWS IN BRIEF Bakerloo line extension

TfL has asked the public for feedback on new Bakerloo line extension proposals. Feedback is sought on: a new integrated station entrance at Elephant & Castle; the route of the proposed tunnels from Lambeth North to Elephant & Castle, and Elephant & Castle to Lewisham; the location of the primary and secondary tunnelling work sites; and the potential of a further extension beyond Lewisham to Hayes and Beckenham Junction in Bromley. The consultation closes on December 22. The proposed extension will run from Elephant & Castle to Lewisham via Old Kent Road and New Cross Gate.

Crossrail completion delayed until 2021

Mark Wild, CEO of Crossrail Ltd, has revealed the Elizabeth line will be completed “as soon as practically possible in 2021”. The update comes weeks after Crossrail released a “realistic and achievable” plan to take the project over the finish line sometime between October 2020 and March 2021. “Crossrail Ltd will need further time to complete software development for the signalling and train systems and the safety approvals process for the railway,” said Mark, disclosing that the project’s cost is likely to rise between £400m-£650 million. He added: “We are doing everything we can to complete the Elizabeth line as quickly as we can but there are no short-cuts to delivering this hugely complex railway.”

Tram-train's million milestone

The UK's first tram-train celebrated its one millionth passenger in October - the same month that marked one year since its launch. Dan Jarvis, mayor of the Sheffield City Region, said other towns and cities have since been looking to use the technology as a blueprint for similar schemes. This includes Cardiff, Leeds, Manchester and even Riga. Travelling on tram lines in Sheffield and the rail network in Rotherham, the industry pilot began operations on October 25 last year.

RIA's general election plea

With MPs backing a pre-Christmas general election, the Rail Industry Association has urged politicians to ensure that rail work does not suffer any “significant hiatus” as a result. Chief executive Darren Caplan said: "As we head into a general election, we hope there will not be significant hiatus in rail work or the development of supportive policy for any longer than necessary, and that the Williams and Oakervee Reviews will report soon after the election, so we can all get on with building world-class, customer focused rail both at home and abroad. “As soon as we know the composition of the new government and parliament in December, RIA will be engaging with the key players to ensure that this important work continues as soon as possible in the new year."

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Centenary celebrations Trams on the West Midlands Metro have reached Centenary Square, Birmingham, for the first time as testing begins on the Westside extension. After announcing the milestone on October 24, the Midland Metro Alliance - the organisation charged with delivering five tram extensions - said that trams will now run on the new track from Grand Central during overnight trials. Signalling, track and other infrastructure were to be tested during this period, which was expected to last for several weeks in preparation for the launch of passenger services in December. Daytime running, to allow the public to get used to trams travelling at low speeds through the city centre, was also part of these plans. Andy Street, mayor of the West Midlands and who travelled on one of those first test trains from Grand Central,

said: “This project is on time and will, in December, be bringing passengers to the International Convention Centre, HSBC Bank and the Library of Birmingham. "This latest addition to the line, which will soon be heading out along Broad Street towards Edgbaston, offers residents a genuinely viable alternative to the car in Birmingham city centre. "With further extensions planned towards Birmingham Airport and a new Wednesbury to Brierley Hill line, our Metro network is expanding rapidly and helping to revolutionise transport across the West Midlands.” When it launches later this year, the Westside extension will operate catenary-free trams - a first for the UK in the modern era. The challenge of extending the tramway through the historic city centre led developers to pioneer the use of new battery technology.

Vivarail on the move With its order book growing, Vivarail has made the strategic decision to move its main manufacturing base in Warwickshire from Long Marston to Southam. The company said the relocation means it "continues to work and invest in the industrial heartland of the Midlands" and that its core workforce remains local. CEO Adrian Shooter said: “I find it hard to believe all we have managed to do in such a short space of time. We have grown from start-up to fully fledged manufacturer in a record amount of time and it is with a touch of sadness that we will have to say goodbye to our friends and colleagues at [the Quinton Rail Technology Centre]. "However, we need to consolidate

all our operations under one roof and our new facility at Southam gives us that opportunity. Rather than being spread amongst three or four different buildings we will all be housed under one roof which will ensure a seamless method of working with stores, design, engineering and production all in one building.”

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Azumas for

Ride Africa 2019 Lincoln-KGX A team of 16 intrepid cyclists has completed the Ride Africa challenge, covering over 350km of difficult terrain in six days through the foothills of Kilimanjaro to the Serengeti.

Representatives from Virgin Trains, Hitachi, Babcock, Colas Rail and Atkins were amongst the group, which has raised over £60,000 for Railway Children. Katie Mason, Railway Children’s events manager, said: "It was undoubtedly a tough challenge, with temperatures soaring above 40 degrees, but knowing where the money was going, and the life-changing impact the funds would have on the children inspired all who took part."

LNER held an official launch for its new Azuma service between Lincoln and London on October 21. The 11:18 Lincoln departure carried key LNER staff along with local civic representatives and the media. It had a right time arrival at London King’s Cross. The target for the December timetable change is to have six inbound services (five on a Sunday) between 07:30 and 20:25. There will be five return services at six minutes past the

hour between 08:00 and 16:00. The Azuma units will consist of Class 800/2 bi-mode five-car sets. The functionality of these units will enable travel under the wires to and from Newark North Gate. The NewarkLincoln section being, of necessity, a diesel operation. This is the first of LNER’s newly expanded services and it is hoped that further extensions may be made to services to, possibly, Harrogate, Middlesbrough and Bradford. So watch this space.

Victorious Thameslink Southern TC claim league title An inaugural football league for railway workers has come to a sizzling end with an entertaining 4-0 encounter. Thameslink and Southern Traincrews (TC) romped to victory over South Western Railway TC in what was a pivotal game on October 20. With league rivals Brighton TC getting a bye on the same day after Great Northern TC were unable to field a team, it left Thameslink and Southern TC needing at least a draw to clinch the GTR Corporate Flexi Football League title. The team’s manager Mark Webb, who is a testing and commissioning driver at Thameslink, said: “With us drawing with South West Railway earlier on in the season we knew it was going to be a tight game but I managed to get a good, strong team together and we won 4-0.” Thameslink Southern TC drew on a pool of around 40 players during the season. Of those, Mark pulled out Southern train driver and midfielder Sean Lewis, who was the players’ player of the year, and Thameslink train driver and striker Mark Wardell, who bagged 11 goals, as key players. The 4-0 result brought a close to an entertaining first season for the four-team league, which averaged almost six goals a game. Over the last few years it had become traditional for a football team from Great RAILSTAFF.CO.UK | @RAIL_STAFF | FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF

Northern to play two or three games a year against a team from Southern. When a number of other train crews started joining in with a series of friendly matches being played each year, Mark and train driver Michael D’Santos, who are both based at Three Bridges depot, decided to set up something more official. With the support of Govia Thameslink Railway, Michael and Mark approached the local football association for help in getting a league up and running for “a good bit of exercise, a social and a good laugh”. What was important to them was having flexibility to move the monthly fixtures around because of the nature of the players’ shift work. Aside from that, the fixtures have been standard 11-a-side games played across 90

minutes, with each team playing each other twice in the league. Mark said that next year the league is set to get “even bigger and better” as eight teams join the league - including corporate non-rail industry teams - as it takes on a new three-group format with play-offs at the end of the season. New rail industry sides include: Southern Engineers, Gatwick Express, Piccadilly Line, Northern Line and Thameslink East. He added: “It’s been really, really wellattended and we’ve all obviously travelled to Peterborough to play Great Northern, to Brighton, we’ve been all over playing and there’s been spectators and everything it’s had interest and it’s only the inaugural season.”

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2019

Farewell tour raises £10k

Designated carriages for bikes and large sporting equipment are to be introduced on the West Highland line, Scotland, in a first for UK rail.

Stops at London King’s Cross, Welwyn Garden City, Royston, Hertford North, Alexandra Palace and Moorgate were made for the fundraiser. Event organiser Grace Roche, who is the operations development manager at parent company GTR, said: "There was an excitable atmosphere on board as people shared their [Class] 313 stories and memories. "At each station, there were crowds lining the platforms to take photos and videos as we passed through. It was a very special trip and great to see so many of my colleagues come together to support the event and raise money for charity." For Jimmy, Mind, Noah Enterprise and Railway Children all received a share of the money raised.

Railway Children targets vulnerable children in Leeds Railway Children has launched a project to target vulnerable children at Leeds station, the UK’s third busiest station outside of London. It’s the children’s charity’s third such programme and follows the launch of schemes at Manchester Piccadilly station in 2017 and

Cycle carriages for scenic railway

A special service marking the retirement of Great Northern's fleet of Class 313s has raised £10,000 for charity. The trains were introduced in the late 1970s but have all now been replaced by Class 717s on routes between London Moorgate and Stevenage, Hertford North and Welwyn Garden City. The farewell tour train was given a makeover for the trip on October 23 with its livery restored to match the iconic Network SouthEast colours from the '80s. It also featured a special message: “I’ve seen a lot, but my time is up. Thank you for the memories…1976 - 2019”.

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As part of the pilot, ScotRail has drawn on the services of Brodie Engineering to transform five Class 153 trains to carry up to 20 bikes. Custom designed racks will also accommodate equipment such as ski bags and rucksacks and large items of luggage. Free wi-fi, at-seat power sockets and a refurbished carriage toilet with a controlled emission tank is also part of the full interior and exterior refresh plans. The first refurbished Class 153 carriage is due for delivery in 2020. Tom Smith, project manager at ScotRail, said: “We are continually looking to enhance the experience our customers have when travelling on our trains, and the introduction of these carriages will be a welcome boost for cyclists and those in search of outdoor pursuits. “This project will support tourism, and bring wider economic benefits, along Scotland’s most scenic railways.”

Collection proceeds donated to charity

Euston station in 2018. Gaynor Little, head of Railway Children’s UK programme, said: “The Leeds project is an important step towards achieving our aim of creating a national safety network for children who put themselves at risk. “Public transport and areas surrounding major stations can be a hot spot for young people who have run away, which also makes them a great spot to find and intercept them, before they end up in even greater danger.” These safeguarding projects enable Railway Children to take referrals directly from BTP for children they have identified as being at risk. Last year, the charity received 1,054 referrals of young people found in dangerous situations. It expects to support more than 200 vulnerable children over the next 12 months in Leeds.

All welcome

Rail Staff Christmas Carol Service 2019 with London’s Transport Choir

St Mary’s Somers Town Eversholt Street, London NW1

Thursday, 19 December, 2019 1230 hours Followed by light refreshments SPONSORED AND SUPPORTED BY

Transport Benevolent Fund CIO, known as TBF, is a registered charity in England and Wales, 1160901, and Scotland, SC047016.

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Skills charity City & Guilds Group acquires Intertrain City & Guilds Group, a global leader in skills development, has just announced that it is acquiring Intertrain, one of the UK’s leading training providers for railway infrastructure, in an exciting deal that will revolutionise training in the UK rail industry. The acquisition comes at a critical time for the rail sector, in the UK with demand for skilled people likely to skyrocket in the coming years thanks to projects such as HS2 and Crossrail 2. City & Guilds Group is delighted to be working with Intertrain to meet these evolving skills needs head-on, and help create the highly-skilled workforce needed to meet future demands. The combined might of City & Guilds Group and Intertrain will allow the organisation to meet the challenge of the Government’s new infrastructure plans and increasing digitalisation of the industry head on. Joining together Intertrain’s unrivalled knowledge of rail infrastructure training with the wider City & Guilds Group offer, which includes a vast range of qualifications, digital training, accreditation, certification, investment in training and of course 140 years’ worth of experience and expertise! Utilising the City & Guilds Group’s extensive qualification offering, Intertrain is in prime position to lead the charge and ensure the sector has the skilled workers it needs to keep up with the pace of change. Working with Intertrain will also strengthen City & Guilds Group’s offer to the engineering, rail and construction industries, building upon its acquisition of, Ofsted Outstanding, training provider Gen2 in May 2017.

City & Guilds Group is a charity which reinvests all of its profits into skills development – the acquisition of Intertrain will, therefore, bring investment in skills innovation and further increase the standard of training in the rail industry. Organisations can be assured that spending money with the City & Guilds Group will ultimately mean that their business is investing back into community projects and indeed the very future of training in the rail industry. The City & Guilds Group was created 140 years ago, to create the skilled workforces industries of the time demanded. Today, the Group continues to ensure that employers and individuals alike have access to skills-related products and services that deliver economic prosperity. City & Guilds Group’s heritage is built on a shared commitment across all of its businesses to change people’s lives through the development of skills. The acquisition of Intertrain will help ensure the continued delivery of high-quality training to the railway industry as demand continues to increase. The City & Guilds Group, now with Intertrain in its ranks, is delighted to expand its presence in the rail sector and be part of shaping world class training as the industry prepares to enter this demanding and exciting new decade.

Martin Hottass, Group Director, Technical Training, at City & Guilds Group:

Alex Pond, Director at Intertrain:

“With the Government making ambitious plans to overhaul the rail sector that will increase the use of digital technology, boost productivity and improve customer experience, it’s critical the workforce is skilled to drive these changes forward. In addition to increasing our service offer to our existing customers who have a presence in the rail industry, this acquisition will build on the Group’s best in class technical training offer to prime the UK economy for growth in this key sector.”

“As the UK’s largest railway training provider, we are excited to become part of the City & Guilds Group, a 140-year international institution in teaching, learning and qualification development. The acquisition provides Intertrain, its employees, customers and learners with significant investment and opportunities in digital learner platforms and blended learning that will meet with the demands of the STEM markets, particularly within rail. This technology will see Intertrain develop innovative strategies that will enhance and encourage safety, ultimately providing a safer and more productive railway.”

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TRACK SAFETY

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2019

REPORT BY COLIN WHEELER

WHAT MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE TO IMPROVE SAFETY?

ith Network Rail’s policy of devolution shifting responsibility for the railway’s infrastructure into five regions and 14 routes, rather than having it all controlled from the centre, how will this affect the drive to improve safety? And do we need new thinking for trams, light rail and heritage railways? The devolution by Network Rail into regions and routes has yet to be matched by retuning the activities of the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). The growth rate of light rail and tram systems, not to mention heritage railways, also needs regulation to complement the valued work of the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB). The funded creation of the Light Rail Safety and Standards Board (LRSSB), as a result of the Sandilands tragedy, was a step in the right direction but more is needed.

Trackworker near miss at Gatwick Airport

RAIB report 12/2019 was published at the end of September relating to a very near miss at Gatwick Airport on December 2 last year at 23:24. The track worker was a COSS (Controller of Site Safety) undertaking work related to the electrical isolation of conductor rails. He moved out of the path of the train just before it reached him.

Colin Wheeler. The incident occurred between Horley and Gatwick Airport where the COSS, together with a “strapping operative”, had gone onto the railway to remove short circuiting straps. These are cables electrically connecting conductor and running rails. With the train approaching at 35mph, the COSS moved out of its path with just a second to spare! The report surmises the “use of the train horn very likely avoided the COSS being struck by the train”.

Plans provided no protection!

Network Rail’s isolation planning meant the contractor’s planners did not have the information they needed to establish the exact location of the work. Consequently, they provided a system of work which “provided no protection from train movements at the actual location”. The COSS recognised the failure of the planned system but undertook the work anyway.

Forward-facing CCTV of the train that was just three seconds from hitting a track worker near to Gatwick Airport station.

The second track worker did not challenge the COSS about the unsafe method of working. While the contractor employed the senior possession manager and the safe system of work (SSOW) planner, the other staff involved, including COSSs, the strapping operative, and two engineering supervisors, were all provided by a labour supply agency.

Experienced and qualified staff

The train was the 22:35 London Victoria to Horsham, a single Class 377 EMU with five coaches. The senior possessions manager, with more than 20 years’ railway experience behind him, had been working for the contractor for 14 years. He checked the SSOW pack. Both the COSS and strapping operative held COSS competences and were certified to undertake level B strapping and testing. Isolations were needed for the carrying out of drainage works at the south end of Horley station within a planned possession.

Planners lacked skills and experience © RAIB

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The report concludes the SSOW planners failed to identify a safe system of work because they lacked the skills and experience needed

to appreciate that they had not been provided with the information they needed. The result was the COSS did not implement a safe system of work and the strapping operative did not challenge the method of working. Inevitably, contractors are under pressure to deliver. Where subcontractors are involved it is not easy for them to challenge planned SSOWs. Now that remotely activated track circuit operating devices are available, is it not time for ways to be found so that even third rail DC electrified lines can be isolated for work without the need for strapping during the hours of darkness whilst trains are still running?

On November 2, 2016, Keith Light was instructed by his employers to climb a ladder and cut back some branches at Brent Cross Viaduct so that painting work could continue. He had to twist to the left and reach across, the ladder lurched, and he fell to the ground. His injuries from his 14-foot fall included a broken collar bone, 11 broken ribs and a punctured lung. Following the accident, he spent 13 days in intensive care, underwent two major operations and now

TRACK SAFETY

has metal plates pinning his clavicle and ribs. He has been unable to return to his former occupation. The ORR prosecution was concluded on October 4. The Lanes Group pleaded guilty to one offence under the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was fined £400,000 plus £9,896.19 costs. Earlier it was fined £500,000 at Westminster Magistrates Court, but on appeal at Southwark Crown Court the fine was adjusted to £400,000, this being a one third reduction on a fine of £600,000 due to its guilty plea.

Operating irregularity

On October 14, RAIB published safety digest 08/2019 about a “serious operating irregularity at Romney Sands” that occurred on August 28 last year on the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch railway. At 10:37 that day a train bound for New Romney entered the single line. It travelled for 100m beyond the station but when its driver saw another train coming towards him, he stopped and sent an emergency message. Hearing the message, the driver of the other train also stopped which left the trains facing each other.

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“Neither properly planned nor appropriately supervised”

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2019

TRACK SAFETY

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2019

Tablet and red ticket system The two-mile single line section is worked on a tablet and ticket system. Possession of the tablet gives authority to enter the single line. If two trains in succession are to go in the same direction the station master may issue the first train with a red coloured paper ticket. The 10:15 from Dungeness was scheduled to leave Romney Sands at 10:33 but was running late so the controller decided to rearrange the timetable. The 10:33 was to be issued with a ticket for the single line so that the following train could be issued with the tablet. He instructed the New Romney signaller to contact Romney Sands station and tell the station master to issue the red ticket. Using the telephone rather than the radio, the signaller spoke with the trainee station master.

Jovial and informal discussion

The digest says the trainee did not fully understand the message. He was an experienced volunteer but had only a single day of training in the tablet system. He wrote out the ticket. The train arrived at Romney Sands where it was due to pass the train arriving from New Romney (see diagram). Three minutes later the trainee left the booking office with the ticket and after a “jovial and informal discussion with three members of staff” they concluded the train from New Romney was not coming so the red ticket was handed to the driver of the train stood in the platform. It then set off entering the single line section towards New Romney! The result was the conflicting movement left the two trains facing each other with 316m between them. Following the incident, ticket boxes have been introduced for the single line working and blank red ticket forms are kept in the boxes. These can only be unlocked by a key attached to the tablet for the relevant single line section. Training for those undertaking operational roles has been revised. Staff have

also been instructed all messages about train service changes should be sent direct to the controller using the radio system.

Carpenters Road North Junction derailment

Safety digest 07/2019, issued on September 30, details the derailment of an empty wagon in a freight train that occurred around 19:08 on June 11 this year. The wagon derailed at about 15mph at Carpenters North Junction and then travelled for 400m causing damage to the railway. The derailed wagon ran over a substantial part of its own braking equipment. The train had travelled from Wembley to Bow and consisted of 11 empty JNA type wagons hauled by a diesel electric locomotive. It had been stopped at 19:05 on the approach to Channelsea North Junction to let a passenger train cross its path. Shortly after it set off again part of the braking system on the seventh wagon detached and fell onto the track. A trailing wheel on the leading bogie of the wagon ran over it and the derailed wagon then damaged sleepers, the signalling system and broke a rail.

Rod bounced along the track

Neither the driver nor a manager travelling in the cab noticed anything unusual during the derailment. Braking components that fell off included brake blocks, an inner brake beam and a bottom brake pull rod (see picture below). The RAIB digest concludes the probable cause was a missing split pin at the bottom of the pull rod which allowed the leading end of the rod to bounce along the track until it struck the switch and crossing components at Carpenters North Junction. A split pin was also missing from the corresponding position at the trailing end of the wagon and had resulted in the securing pin there almost working loose. © RAIB

Missing split pins

The pull rods were disconnected on April 10 this year when the wheelsets were replaced. The digest says it is likely split pins at the two outer ends were either unintentionally omitted or not fitted correctly. A team of three carried out the work “in a suboptimal open-air location with no pit or other arrangement to facilitate access to the underside of the vehicles”. The wagon owner has reported to RAIB that it is redesigning the arrangement of safety loops and intends to introduce a new process to give individual responsibility for checking/ inspecting work carried out by themselves or others.

Tibberton No 8 footpath fatal accident in the fog

RAIB issued its 13th report this year on October 10. It was on February 6 that the accident happened when a pedestrian was struck by a passenger train and fatally injured on this passive crossing in Worcestershire. The crossing relies on users looking and listening for approaching trains. The report states that on that morning, “the pedestrian could not see or hear the approaching train early enough to be able to decide to cross safely”. It notes Network Rail does not actively manage the effects on safety of passive crossings and had not carried out an assessment of the risks introduced by fog. RAIB recommendations include Network Rail understanding the risks presented by fog at passive crossings and implementing a strategy to ensure the risk is acceptably low.

80mph with the doors open!

RAIB intends to issue a safety digest “in the next few weeks” following an incident that occurred around 07:20 on August 22. At Hockley station, a passenger reported the London Liverpool Street to Southend train had an open door on the non-platform side. It had been open for some 23 minutes whilst the train travelled for 16 miles at speeds up to 80mph!

Change of agenda

Hopefully by the time this is published, transport will be back on the agenda for our politicians. I am of the opinion our current complex and lengthy chains of contractors, subcontractors and those employed by the project or even shift are not compatible with aspirations for safer working on our railways. I have experience of changing organisations and working groups. Improvements in both safety and productivity are only realised after a period when those doing the work settle into the new organisation and get to know each other well enough for trust and cooperation to bed in. Too many jobs next weekend will be undertaken by groups working together for the first time.

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RS0001_Adhesion_RailEngineer_190x130mm_AW_V1_Outlined.pdf

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2019

04/07/2019

TRACK SAFETY

14:06

CMY

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ENVIRONMENT

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2019

VALUING NATU PUBLIC CONCERN OVER THE DAMAGE TO WILDLIFE CAUSED BY LINESIDE VEGETATION CLEARANCES LED TO A DfTCOMMISSIONED REPORT IN 2018. ONE YEAR AFTER IT WAS PUBLISHED, STEWART THORPE ASKS: WHAT HAS CHANGED?

FINDINGS Reading the review, it is clear John appreciated both sides of the debate. He alluded to the £300 million annual cost of ‘leaves on the line’ and that the number of vegetationrelated incidents has increased from 11,500 in 2009/10 to 19,000 in 2017/18. But John also understood that Network Rail, as one of the country’s largest landowners, has the opportunity to become one of the most environmentally responsible transport organisations in the world because of the substantial biodiversity and natural capital across its estate. The number of Network Rail recorded incidents involving trees or branches, 2009/10-2017/18. Taken from the Varley Review.

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f you cast your mind back to the spring of 2018, Network Rail found itself in the midst of a media storm. A story, based on a leaked internal memo, had been published by The Guardian disclosing an “£800 million scheme to remove all ‘leaf fall’ trees”. Although the article was later amended to correctly state the programme had been a proposal and not official policy, it thrust Network Rail’s practises into the spotlight. Around the same time, a petition calling for Network Rail to stop felling trees was launched and backed by tens of thousands of signatures while countless other stories on the same topic were emerging in the media. However, within a day of The Guardian’s article being published online the situation had reached boiling point – all non-safety critical tree felling was suspended and a review of the organisation’s approach to vegetation management was commissioned. John Varley OBE, honoured for services to agriculture and the environment in 2016, was appointed to chair the review and tasked with considering how Network Rail could maintain a better balance between cutting back flora and conserving biodiversity. Over four months during the summer, 8,000 survey responses were collected, 100 key documents reviewed and 40 interviews conducted to gather the necessary evidence to make an assessment. The review team even took the time to observe lineside vegetation teams in action.

Nevertheless, while he found the importance of the environment was recognised by Network Rail’s leadership team and in official policy, this was not the case across the organisation. One of the cornerstones of his findings was that approaches to vegetation management were “reactive and inconsistent,” with little thought given to their environmental impact. Safety and operational performance were instead the main focus of activity. A lack of ringfenced funding, a narrow interpretation of compliance caused by a “significant backlog” and a culture that did not view vegetation as an asset – caused, in part, by an “overriding” concern for safety – were identified as reasons for this. This ongoing backlog also means there will be high levels of vegetation management activity for at least the next five years. John stated that lineside vegetation should have the same importance attached to it as track and signalling, which have asset management programmes, and said: “…by not managing its vegetation as an asset, and in the context of wider policy, Network Rail risks increasing its whole-life costs and destroying valuable natural capital.” The Varley Review’s findings weren’t all doom and gloom. Pockets of best practice were identified, including the Thameslink Programme which, in 2014, became the first Network Rail project to set and achieve

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2019

ENVIRONMENT

URE © iStockphoto.com

a net positive target for biodiversity. John also noted there has been a shift in policy. For example, Infrastructure Projects has committed to a net positive effect on biodiversity for projects valued more than £20 million in CP6. In addition, a new vegetation management standard, introduced in April, specifies environmental requirements that weren’t previously included.

his concluding comments. “However, it is far from the end of the process for Network Rail and the Department for Transport. While I have been extremely encouraged by the progress so far, and in such a short period of time, much remains to be done if all the recommendations in my Review are to be implemented.” Below, Network Rail’s progress against the Varley Review’s six key recommendations is explored in detail.

Writing to John upon the completion of the review in November 2018, rail minister Andrew Jones accepted his six recommendations for Network Rail and said: “As your report makes clear, what is now required is a change in governance, organisation and culture within Network Rail, to ensure that these activities are better aligned towards achieving national biodiversity goals.”

SO, WHAT’S CHANGED?

John’s assignment came to an end in July this year when he produced a final report on Network Rail’s progress. “Network Rail have, in my view, picked up the baton and I have been genuinely impressed by how far they have progressed and the momentum that has been established towards delivering the Review recommendations,” he wrote in

The government must set out a clear policy position for Network Rail in terms of delivering for the environment After the review found there was no specific requirement for Network Rail to support government ambitions to “leave the environment in a better state than we found it” (Our 25 Year Plan to Improve the Environment, 2018) – in contrast to Highways England – it suggested the Department for Transport (DfT) should establish a clear strategy, and it has.

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ENVIRONMENT

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2019

“The Varley Review has been a welcome opportunity for us to develop an ambitious plan that both supports our core purpose of delivering a reliable and safe railway for passengers and increasing biodiversity on the railway. Our commitment is to manage lineside vegetation as a natural asset and enhance the habitats in a way that supports the sustainability of the rail network and the communities we serve.” Andrew Haines, chief executive, Network Rail, July 2019 © iStockphoto.com

‘Enhancing Biodiversity and Wildlife on the Lineside’ was published in July with the headline challenge for Network Rail to achieve no net loss in biodiversity by 2024 and biodiversity net gain on each route by 2040. Regulator the ORR has been given a remit to monitor Network Rail’s ongoing environmental performance as well. Appropriate governance must be put in place at organisation, route and project level Since the Varley Review, Network Rail has begun working with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the DfT and Natural England to establish new metrics that its vegetation management work can be measured against by the ORR. These will be instated from 2020. Network Rail is also working on changing its vegetation management standard by early 2020 so that vegetation is recognised as an asset. In the meanwhile, it has also clarified compliance on the current standard. While Network Rail has also committed to putting all board members through sustainability leadership training, John was left disappointed by a failure to introduce a non-executive board champion for natural capital. Nevertheless, Network Rail has set up a committee on environmental sustainability, chaired by a non-executive director, which provides advice to the board. This was part of a move to make environmental issues a priority for all board members, not just one, according to Network Rail. Network Rail should publish an ambitious vision for the lineside estate John was impressed by the amount of work and support behind its ‘Lineside Estate Vision’, which is being developed and due for publication by the end of 2019. Commitments on renewable energy, biodiversity improvement and pollution are all being made in the vision. Network Rail has also promised to publish annual reports on levels of biodiversity in its routes. Network Rail must value and manage its lineside estate as an asset Resources have been set aside to develop a database of habitats and biodiversity across the network, to sit alongside other asset information. Network Rail is also moving ahead with a cut and maintain/replace strategy, which is more economical than a previously commonplace “cut and forget” approach. Furthermore, although Network Rail doesn’t currently monitor the number of trees felled at a national level - instead it measures work by square metres - it is looking to change this approach, with a particular focus on how this data would be captured and assured. The review also highlighted that gaps in levels of ecological expertise were resulting in poor environmental practices (the Anglia Route was an exception as it created a training course for vegetation management inspectors). Network Rail is now conducting a skills gap analysis and has a proposed budget for upskilling in CP6. RAILSTAFF.CO.UK | @RAIL_STAFF | FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF

Network Rail must improve its communication with affected communities Respondents to the Varley Review’s online survey were overwhelmingly negative when it came to providing feedback on Network Rail’s communications around vegetation management. Greater openness and transparency is needed, they said, and improvements are in the pipeline. Learning from best practice, new leaflets and letter templates have been created to improve understanding of work. Research is also being undertaken to better understand what stakeholders want to know, amongst other changes. Network Rail should lead a cultural change for valuing nature and the environment Safety and performance are already valued highly in the organisation, but John stressed that environmental considerations must sit alongside those two. Building on the success of its safety culture change programme, Network Rail has proposed an environment culture change campaign for year two of CP6 to overcome the often negative view of vegetation. Believing this change will only happen over time, John was disappointed at only a year’s funding being allocated. “This is of an order of magnitude smaller than the very successful safety campaign that has preceded it,” he said. In response, a Network Rail spokesperson said that “discussions have taken place so that lessons can be learned from the safety work that has shown many benefits across the rail industry”.

A GREEN CHALLENGE Prior to the Varley Review, there were competing perceptions in some circles that either safety or the environment had to be prioritised. These views will still persist but as John demonstrated, the argument isn’t as clear cut as that. Over the last 18 months, wider societal changes have also changed the landscape. There is now a Draft Environment Bill that promises to fundamentally alter approaches to the environment, with a soon-to-be-created green governance body - the Office for Environmental Protection - to hold the government to account. Legislation is in place to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Environment secretary Michael Gove has appointed a tree champion to stop unnecessary felling of trees and boost planting rates and public concern about the environment and climate change is seemingly at an all-time high. As John puts it: “The imperative for action has increased manyfold”. Network Rail has already proven it can manage one of the safest railways in Europe, now the challenge has been set to make it one of the greenest too.

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WEATHERING THE CLIMATE CHANGE STORM

t the start of November, Network Rail released dramatic video footage of a section of railway (pictured right) which had been left suspended in mid-air following a torrential downpour. Flooding near to the village of Pontrilas, south Herefordshire, on the Marches line between Abergavenny and Hereford, led to parts of the track foundations being completely washed away and left the railway in desperate need of repair. “We understand how disruptive the closure of the Marches line will be to passengers and we’ll work as fast as we can to get it back up and running again,” said a Network Rail spokesperson, announcing the forced closure of this key route in and out of Wales. “Although we always plan for extreme weather it’s nearly impossible to mitigate such heavy rainfall of the like we’ve seen over the last 24 hours,” they added.

some lines were left running to restricted speed limits as hot weather threatened to bend or buckle the track. “The very significant impacts that we already experience are likely to become more frequent and intense,” said Lisa Constable, Network Rail’s weather resilience and climate change adaptation strategy manager, who oversees the organisation’s long-term work to embed climate change risk in policies and procedures. “When you look at the climate change prediction for the UK, you’ll see that we’re expecting to see hotter, drier summers and warmer, wetter winters with – when it does rain – the rain becoming more intense and, therefore, the risk of flash flooding and the associated impacts on the railway from lightning and high winds becoming more severe.”

ONE BATTLE IN A BIGGER STRUGGLE Despite the continuation of difficult weather conditions, engineers worked day and night to repair the railway. Around 100m of track was replaced, 300 tonnes of foundation material and 600 tonnes of ballast laid, and drains, signalling, power and telecoms cables inspected. As a result, a week later on November 2 the line re-opened - a day earlier than had been predicted. While rail replacement buses helped to minimise disruption during the line’s closure, the incident was a reminder of just how vulnerable the railway is against the destructive power of extreme weather. Looking past the impact on performance and subsequent costs, had a passing train driver not reported the fast-flowing water that went on to cause the washout, there could have been grave consequences. The damage at Pontrilas has now been fixed, but the incident is just one battle in a bigger struggle facing Network Rail. Rising temperatures across the globe are leading to more extreme weather conditions that can prevent trains from running and cause damage to essential railway assets. In June, hundreds of East Midlands Trains passengers were left stranded on trains trapped by a landslide near to Corby and, the same month, services on

NUMBER CRUNCH Looking at Network Rail data for weatherrelated incidents in England, Scotland and Wales, the occurrence of wind, snow and flooding on the network has led to the most train delays between 2006/07 and 2017/18, while fog, heat and lightning has contributed to the least amount of delay minutes to train services, respectively. Other weatherrelated issues include: poor adhesion, most commonly caused by leaves on the line; cold temperatures; and subsidence. On average across this period, subsidence has led to the greatest delay per incident at 650 minutes and adhesion the least amount

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Total weather-related delay minutes broken down by cause in England, Scotland and Wales (2006-18).

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ENVIRONMENT

MAIN: Network Rail's 'leaf-busting' trains, which run 24/7 during the autumn, blast leaves off the line using water jets. INSET: June 2019: Engineers work to free an East Midlands Trains service left trapped by a landslip in Corby, Northamptonshire.

of a delay at 12 minutes per recorded incident. Nevertheless, the far higher frequency of poor adhesion events on the railway means it is a bigger problem for Network Rail than subsidence. A fleet of 61 specialist trains and vehicles were put on standby to minimise the impact of the thousands of tonnes of leaves that fell onto the railway in the autumn, while engineers continuously monitor the sites most prone to landslips from afar with motion sensors and CCTV to detect soil and rock movement.

Lisa said that, in terms of delays and cancellations, weather-related incidents are costing Network Rail £100 million a year – and that doesn’t include the wider impact to the railway or economy, which could be as high as three times that figure. Looking at the Dawlish Sea Wall, when it was hit by a devastating storm in 2014 and the railway into the South West was subsequently for eight weeks, estimates put the impact on Cornwall’s economy at anywhere between £1 million a day up to £1 billion in total.

SERIOUS THREATS

While extreme weather continues to cause significant disruption on the network, the railway has been fortunate that it hasn’t led to any serious accidents in recent years. Not since September 2016, when a landslip at Watford caused a train to collide with a derailed train, or before that in December 2015, when subsidence of Lamington viaduct resulted in serious deformations to the track, have there been serious reminders of the potential consequences. “We learn lessons every time there’s an incident,” said Lisa. She explained that recent efforts to mitigate the impact of weather have been focused on hot weather because of its impact on performance this summer but that it’s her job to make sure other work to strengthen the railway’s weather resilience isn’t sidelined. She added: “From an asset capability perspective and a safety perspective, I think there is a significant risk of earthworks and the potential for subsidence or landslide and flooding, particularly as we get more intense rainfall, and that safety risk from a derailment perspective. “In terms of big-ticket things, as sea level rises our coastal infrastructure is going to come under even more pressure. The example at Dawlish is a very difficult and well-known example but there are other areas around the coast where we may not have experienced any big failures but we need to look at what the potential for that could be as storms get worse going forward.”

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MITIGATING AND MANAGING RISK Over the last 10 years Network Rail has increased its efforts to strengthen the railway’s weather resilience in order to reduce disruption. As well as the introduction of technologies such as condition-monitoring devices, in a change of approach, all of Network Rail’s renewals, maintenance and enhancement work in CP7 will take into account future weather conditions, meaning the railway will gradually adapt to the impacts of climate change. For example, there is a new requirement for projects that pass through the GRIP process to undertake a climate change impact assessment, the findings from which will inform development options to boost weather resilience. All of the routes produced weather resilience plans for CP5 and each is now producing fresh plans for CP6 – Wales being one

of two routes to have already published its plans online. In its report, the Wales route reflects on flooding being its biggest problem in terms of extreme weather over the past 12 years. While, reacting to the recent washout on the Marches line, a Network Rail spokesperson painted a bleak picture when they said it is “nearly impossible to mitigate such heavy rainfall”, the new report sheds some light on some of the route’s approaches to reducing the impact of flooding. This includes work to stabilise lineside cuttings, replace failed assets with something better, changing station canopy designs, improved drainage at high-risk sites and pre-emptive cleanses of those assets when extreme weather is forecast. Network Rail as a whole also produces its own Weather Resilience and Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, which aims to ensure that assets will be better

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able to withstand the impact of current and future weather events, and also will be able to recover more rapidly when they occur. Despite these efforts, Lisa is adamant that not enough is being done. While Network Rail has become better at managing day to day weather, the longer term focuses Lisa works on - such as building on-the-ground resilience - takes time because of the

five-year investment programmes and the difficulty in encouraging expenditure now to save money further down the line. She explained: “We haven’t had an increase in resources to the extent that is required. However, people are much more aware of potential climate change risk and there has been a shift in willingness to do something about it.”

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DITCHING DIESEL-ONLY GREENER ALTERNATIVES TO POWERING BRITAIN'S TRAINS

rain travel is considerably greener than most modes of transport. Of the 126 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions attributed to the sector in 2017, railways were responsible for two million tonnes. Cars accounted for around 70 million and HGVs 21 million. Nevertheless, change is required across society if the UK is to meet its legally binding commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050. Before that milestone agreement was reached, former rail minister Jo Johnson had already set the industry its own environmental challenge: phase out diesel-only trains by 2040. Widespread electrification of the railway was “unlikely to be the only or most cost-effective way to secure … environmental benefits” he said, arguing that alternative forms of traction were the way forward.

So, what are the options and how have plans progressed? Stewart Thorpe reached out to David Shirres, editor of sister title Rail Engineer, to take a look at what forms of traction could power the country’s future passenger train fleets on non-electrified lines.

BI AND TRI-MODE In 2017, soaring costs for electrification of the Great Western main line, the Midland main line and in the north led previous transport secretary Chris Grayling to curtail plans and focus on introducing “new bi-mode train technology”. These trains are equipped with pantographs for electrified railways and diesel engines for non-electrified sections of the network. “This means that we no longer need to electrify every line to achieve the same significant improvements to journeys,” said Grayling in July 2017. A swell of orders has followed, most recently from East Midlands Railway for 33 bi-mode

“I would like to see us take all diesel-only trains off the track by 2040. If that seems like an ambitious goal - it should be and I make no apology for that. After all, we’re committed to ending sales of petrol and diesel cars by 2040. If we can achieve that, then why can’t the railway aspire to a similar objective? Rail may be less carbon intensive than road transport. That’s why modal shift’s so important. Getting freight and passenger vehicles off the roads onto greener forms of transport. But that does not absolve the rail industry from cleaning up its own act. You may have seen stories recently about transport becoming the most polluting sector of our economy. And the fact that rail emissions have actually increased in absolute terms. Up 33 per cent since 1990. This cannot go on.” Jo Johnson, rail minister, February 2018 RAILSTAFF.CO.UK | @RAIL_STAFF | FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF

trains from Hitachi. Going one step further, Great Western Railway ordered 19 'tri-mode' trains from Porterbrook in 2018. These trains are surplus Class 769 stock which have been converted to operate using overhead wires, third rail or diesel engines. David said: “There is no justification for Grayling’s claim that bi-modes offer journey improvements that avoid the need for electrification. This is because, in diesel mode, they only have about two thirds of the power of their electric mode. “Nevertheless, bi-modes do offer immediate decarbonisation benefits as they eliminate diesel running under electrified wires. For example, with the introduction of Azumas on the 523-mile London to Aberdeen route, only 131 miles of that journey will be diesel-powered, whereas previously diesel-powered HSTs operated this route throughout. “The rail industry’s decarbonisation report makes it clear there is no role for bi-modes

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in a net zero carbon railway - in which all the routes on which they currently operate will be electrified. Bi-modes are, therefore, a transitional technology to decarbonisation.”

HYDRAIL At the time of his announcement on electrification, Grayling also mentioned hydrogen as a potential alternative to diesel.While there are no hydrogen trains in service in the UK, there are two major projects to change that. Train manufacturer Alstom is working with leaser Eversholt Rail to create a UK variant of its hydrogen-powered Coradia iLint, which is in passenger use in Germany. Codenamed Breeze, this project involves the conversion of an existing Class 321 train for use on rural routes. The first Breeze could enter service as early as 2022. Elsewhere, a rival collaboration between the Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education (BCRRE) and Porterbrook is also racing to create a hydrogen-powered train.

The IPEMU test train. Dubbed 'HydroFlex', the partnership is drawing on BCRRE's experience building 'Hydrogen Hero', a scaled-down yet functional hydrogenpowered train. HydroFlex is based on a Class 319 train and is set for main line testing in the near future. David said: “The energy density of compressed hydrogen is such that the iLint train offers a range of about 1,000km at a performance between that of diesel and electric multiple-units. However, hydrogen is not suitable for high power applications such as high-speed, freight or commuter train services, which require high acceleration. “Hydrogen can be produced by electrolysis using unwanted overnight wind power. Yet the production and use of hydrogen in this way is only a third of the efficiency of using electricity to power trains directly. “On a future net-zero carbon railway, hydrogen trains will be required for rural services on lines where there will never be a case for electrification. Prior to then, there may be a requirement for them to replace DMUs on lines that are yet electrified.”

BATTERY

The final diesel alternative mooted by Grayling was to use batteries. Two years before his announcement, a partnership of Network Rail, the Department for Transport, Bombardier, Greater Anglia and innovation body Future Railway successfully ran a battery-powered Class 379 train in passenger service for five weeks. Known as the Independently Powered Electric Multiple-Unit (IPEMU), the train’s integrated battery system was charged from regenerative braking when running on electrified lines and at terminal stations. A pantograph was used on the overhead lines. Network Rail described it as the first batterypowered train to run on Britain’s rail network in more than half a century and hoped the milestone demonstrated the feasibility of using batteries to power a train for short distances off the electrified network. Bombardier is currently conducting further testing with train battery technology in Austria and Germany. Back in the UK, Vivarail is a pioneer in the field of modern train battery technology and

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trialled its battery train on the Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway in Scotland last year. Hitachi has run a battery-only train - the Dencha - in southern Japan since 2016. A spokesperson said the company is working to secure its first order for battery trains for the UK. David said: “Whilst battery technology is fast developing, in respect of energy storage it is unlikely ever to come close to diesel or exceed that of hydrogen. Costs are currently falling and this may well change further if and when all the engines in the world’s one billion cars need to be replaced by batteries. “In the short-term, EMUs fitted with batteries could have a useful role in effectively extending electrification without wires for short distances on medium-speed passenger services. This will become progressively less useful if there is a rolling electrification programme which is also needed for freight, commuter and high-speed passenger services. “Thus, in the long-term, there is likely to be limited use for battery-powered trains, which should be seen as a transitional technology.”

BIODIESEL Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown launched the country’s first ‘biodiesel’ train in 2007. Virgin Trains’ Class 220 Voyager used a blended fuel that consisted of 20 per cent biodiesel - derived from sources such as rapeseed, soyabean and palm oil - to reduce CO2 emissions. Virgin Trains aimed to convert more of its fleet in the future as part of an attempt to make rail travel more environmentally friendly. RSSB researchers concluded that a 20 per cent blend of biofuel mixed with 80 per cent diesel was the highest blend that could be universally accepted without significant expenditure to alter train engines. It also found that two key barriers to the take up of biodiesel were sustainability and the tax on the fuel source. At the time, the government heavily taxed biofuel, making wider adoption costly. The Treasury made an isolated concession for the trial, but beyond this the duty rate would have been 54.68p per litre compared to 7.69p per litre duty paid by the rail industry for diesel. David said: “Growing plants to produce

A CGI of a Great Western Railway Class 769 tri-mode. biofuels requires carbon, furthermore there is a practical limit to biofuel production as land is needed to grow food. For these reasons, it is unlikely that biodiesel will be available in sufficient quantities to rail to have anything other than a marginal impact.”

LNG The abundance of natural gas in Russia led to the development of a gas turbine locomotive powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG) in 2007. Although there has been no take-up in the UK rail industry, it is a developing area in Russia as a cheaper and lower emitting alternative to diesel. David said: “LNG's CO2 emissions are about 70 per cent of diesel. Although this offers a slight decarbonisation benefit, LNG needs to be stored at minus 162 °C. It is therefore unlikely to be part of any rail decarbonisation programme.”

FINAL THOUGHTS David concluded: “Of all transport modes, rail is the most carbon friendly and the most straightforward to decarbonise. For these reasons, perhaps rail’s greatest contribution to the reduction of UK carbon emissions is by encouraging modal shift from planes and cars. However, to do this, the rail network needs the

An artist's impression of one of East Midlands Railway's new bi-mode trains.

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extra capacity that projects such as HS2 will provide. Rail also needs to offer an attractive alternative and so requires electric trains which offer high-speed and high acceleration. Therefore, in the long-term, electrification is needed for all except rural routes, which can be operated by hydrogen trains. There is unlikely to be any long-term role for bi or tri-mode, battery, biodiesel or LNG trains. “Currently, the average electric passenger vehicle and freight locomotive have, respectively, 26 per cent and 14 per cent the carbon emissions of diesel trains. As electricity generation gets greener, these figures are expected to be 11 per cent and six per cent by 2040. “Despite these benefits, there are concerns about the cost of electrification as schemes such as Great Western (GW) have been subject to unacceptable time and cost overruns. However, since then other electrification programmes have run to time and costs have fallen to 33-50 per cent of the GW scheme, as explained by the Railway Industry Association’s ‘Electrification Cost Challenge’ report. This also describes how new technology can further reduce costs by, for example, avoiding the need for bridge reconstruction. “Electrification is a specialist activity and so is most efficiently done in a rolling programme in which competent teams can maintain and develop their skills. A rolling electrification programme of about 200 route km a year would electrify all but rural routes with infrequent services by 2040. This would result in about 95 per cent of passenger traffic and 75 per cent freight traffic being electric powered. “Hydrogen trains could then provide rural passenger services while some diesel locomotives would still be required for freight and engineering trains on unelectrified lines for which there would need to be carbon offsets. “Until then, the industry needs to develop a transitional strategy to develop the rolling electrification programme which makes the best use of bi/tri-modes, battery and hydrogen trains.”

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olleagues at RailStaff Awards HQ have been overwhelmed with nominations and votes this past month. In total, thanks to a final surge, 99,500 votes have been cast for 766 nominees. From contractors to customer service assistants, train drivers to training managers, the full breadth and depth of job roles is represented in submissions for the 20 awards categories. If you get the chance, have a glance at the nominations, some of them are truly inspiring. Judges now have the difficult task of picking the most deserving winners from the shortlisted finalists - drawn-up from the public vote as the last few preparations are put in place for November 28 - when the winners will be revealed. Best of luck if you’re included in one of the category shortlists.

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LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! four-course dinner and the awards ceremony, which will once more be orchestrated by Richard Salkeld, who heads up the media team at LNER. Gemma King, of event organiser Rail Media, said: “Where has the time gone? It only seems like yesterday that we welcomed 900 colleagues to the enchanted kingdom to crown 2018’s rail industry heroes. “With all of the smiles, laughter and good times that come from it, the RailStaff Awards is one of my favourite nights of the year. I’ve no doubt this year’s will be yet another special occasion.” A limited number of tickets for the RailStaff Awards are available for teams and individuals until November 22, so make sure you book now to ensure you don’t miss out. In the meanwhile, dig out your tuxedos and cocktail dresses and keep those fingers crossed, the industry’s biggest celebration of its people is almost upon us. For more information on table packages, hotels and the night, visit: www.railstaffawards.com

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ailway colleagues from all grades gathered at Southwark Cathedral to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice fighting in the Great War. Estimates put the number of rail staff who enlisted to fight at around 186,000 – a significant proportion of the 700,000-strong workforce – and it is believed at least 20,850 of those died defending their country. In 1919, with peace brokered and His Majesty King George V in attendance, a ceremony was held at St Paul’s Cathedral with some 7,000 people joining to honour railway workers from Great Britain and Ireland who lost their lives during the war. One hundred years later on November 6, the industry organised the Railway Workers Centenary Memorial Service, held at Southwark Cathedral, to once more pay its respects – and royalty was again present, this time in the form of HRH The Duke of Gloucester, King George V’s youngest grandchild.

REMEMBRANCE

Senior railway bosses, Railway Chaplains, BTP officers, members of the Orange Army, train and station staff as well as the families of those who fought in the conflict were among the hundreds of guests from the railway family, many of whom wore their work uniform. During the one-hour ceremony, representatives from some of those companies took to the lectern to recite a poem, share a story or read from the bible. Ian Parker, a senior engineer at Network Rail, was part of the industry steering group that helped to organise the service. After an introduction from the Reverend Canon Michael Rawson, Ian spoke to the congregation about his great uncle William Charles Lane. William was working as a porter for the South Eastern and Chatham Railway when he answered the call to fight. He trained as a military medic, joined the Royal Army Medical Corps and was deployed to the Western Front. Ian said: “Uncle Bill, as I knew him as a young lad, was like many of his generation, an unassuming and quiet man who responded to the call of war with unassuming and quiet distinction.” 1921: Armistice Day at London Paddington station.

The sounding of the Last Post brought the cathedral to two minutes of silence, although this was briefly broken by the roar of a passing train – an apt disturbance under the circumstances.

BRAVERY, STRENGTH AND RESILIENCE Former Royal Engineer Simon Higgens MBE, a director at ISS Labour, recited the war poem ‘In Flanders Field’ and BTP officer Wayne Marques, who confronted the terrorists during the London Bridge attack in 2017, read from the Bible as part of a moving ceremony. Rolling stock engineer Lee Paine (this issue's cover star) provided a further reminder that many service leavers now turn to and succeed in the rail industry after time in the military. Lee works for Govia Thameslink Railway and helps with the Young Rail Professionals’ ‘Into Rail’ programme, to encourage youngsters to think about a career on the railway. A little over a year ago, however, he was a serving infantry soldier in the British Army’s Princess of Wales’ Royal Regiment.

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est We Forget

A FITTING TRIBUTE

In his speech to industry colleagues, a first for him, Lee reflected on the efforts of the railway family at home who helped to transport troops, equipment and kit during the war. He said: “The bravery, strength and resilience of those on the frontline was matched by the determination, strength and selflessness of those railway people who struggled on the home front. Their contribution was every bit as important as those who fought with bayonets on the frontline. “They provided a firm foundation from which great things have been built. That’s why events like today are so important for keeping these railway workers’ memories and sacrifices alive. It is their legacy and it’s an incredible legacy to have left behind.”

The inclusion of London’s Transport Choir and the Guild of Railway Ringers, who rang the cathedral’s bells, as well as a collection for the Railway Benefit Fund, which helped the children of many railway workers killed in the war, were fitting touches to the service. Another was the strong presence of the Railway Mission, which has offered confidential pastoral support to railway workers for more than 100 years. Addressing the audience, Reverend Liam Johnston, the Mission’s executive director, said: “Our

industry, our railway family, has always been an agent of connection, creating links and friendships beyond these shores. However, today the railway can carry a message of love, and peace and reconciliation to every part of the United Kingdom, into Europe and beyond. “The railway industry was instrumental in helping the Allies win the Great War but my message to you today is simply this: that through love and reconciliation, today’s railway family can help bring peace to a troubled world.”

Dyan Crowther, CEO of HS1, Sir Peter Hendy, chair of Network Rail, and Andrew Haines, CEO of Network Rail, were among the guests. FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF | @RAIL_STAFF | RAILSTAFF.CO.UK

YOUNG RAIL PROFESSIONALS

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2019

S L A N IO S S E F O R P L I A R YOUNG

or the third year running, the Young Rail Professionals (YRP) spearheaded efforts to attract the next generation of rail engineers, train drivers and track workers during the pan-industry campaign Rail Week. Hundreds of colleagues gave up their time and resources between October 7-13 to help with promotional events across the country. The summary below is but a brief taster of what went on.

DEPOT OPEN DAY A public open day at Siemens Mobility’s Northam traincare facility, Southampton, kicked off events on the slightly earlier date of September 28. Organised by the train giant, South Western Railway and YRP, the open day was the depot’s first in seven years and allowed the public to see Class 444 and 450 trains up close, sit in the driver’s cab and take a walk underneath a train in the maintenance pit. In total, 120 people volunteered their time for the event, which attracted 1,575 visitors and raised almost £4,000 for the cancer charity Teddy20.

A FIRST FOR LONDON TRAMS

Train simulators, demonstrations and a talk on how engineers keep the London Tram system moving were all part of this behind the scenes experience for secondary school pupils at Therapy Lane depot.

‘ENGINEERING UNLOCKED’ Increasing the desirability of a career in engineering was the name of the game at this Network Rail-led event at King’s Cross station. Colleagues from industry partners TfL, the Rail Delivery Group, Atkins, Freightliner, Primary Engineer, Aecom and HS2 all supported efforts to engage with the public.

ANOTHER DAY ANOTHER DEPOT At GTR’s Selhurst depot, a tour was organised to give new industry professionals an insight into an operational depot and how work is carried out in a safe and timely manner. Visitors saw inside the cleaning shed, the inspection shed and the repair shop, where heavy maintenance and overhaul work takes place.

MINI POLICE MEET BIG POLICE Twenty ‘mini police’ visited Bristol Temple Meads station to meet with BTP officers and

find out about their work to get passengers home safely and securely each day. Mini police comprise of children aged between nine and 11 who, under the guidance of a neighbourhood policing team, take part in activities which build confidence and positive relationships with local police. The schoolchildren were also treated to a tour of the station.

WELCOME TO RAIL YRP’s regional committees for London and South East, West Midlands, East Midlands and Scotland put together a series of ‘Welcome to Rail’ events for individuals at the beginning of their careers in the rail industry. The events included a series of talks from industry experts, as well as volunteers who were not so long ago new to the industry themselves. Other events during Rail Week included: • A tour of Siemens Ardwick Depot combined with a talk from TransPennine Express’ fleet director Paul Staples; • Bring your child to work day at Bombardier Transportation’s Litchurch Lane site, Derby, which gave 74 children the opportunity to see inside the engineering giant’s manufacturing site; • School visits, open days and other activities from across the country. RAILSTAFF.CO.UK | @RAIL_STAFF | FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2019

YOUNG RAIL PROFESSIONALS

“Rail Week allows us to come together as an industry to promote the range of exciting and interesting careers and opportunities rail offers. By doing so we are helping inspire the next generation to join rail and be part of its future success.” David Westcough, YRP’s national chair, added: “Rail Week is a dedicated week of activity that aims to address the skills shortage in rail-related roles and inspire a generation of young people through a series of events, visits and talks. “The initiative reached a large number of young people once again, all thanks to Niyi Denloye and Fotis Zapantis, who have put in a tremendous effort to make 2019’s Rail Week bigger and better than ever.”

A LAST WORD FROM THE COORDINATORS Niyi Denloye, project manager at CPC Project Services and the national manager for Rail Week 2019, said: “On behalf of the Rail Week team, and Young Rail Professionals, I would like to say a big thank you to all who have supported and made Rail Week 2019 a huge success. “This year we had over 300 volunteers and 100 organisations from all across the rail industry donate their time and resources. I am extremely proud to call myself a Young Rail Professional, and it has been a pleasure to showcase rail as a great, vibrant, and diverse industry to work in. FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF | @RAIL_STAFF | RAILSTAFF.CO.UK

COMPANY FOCUS

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2019

SMART BRIEFINGS =

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TED BY OR

SMART BUSINESS

raditionally, train and freight companies have organised pre-planned, face-to-face operational briefings with their staff, but these are often logistically difficult and costly to arrange. With these challenges in mind, rail industry communications specialist Junction 9 Network has created what it believes is the solution. SMARTbrief is a secure app that can be downloaded onto workers’ phones, tablets and computers. The private system hosts video or written briefings and, once it has been updated, alerts and encourages users through push notifications to watch new material when it is practical and convenient to do so. If required, operations, safety or training teams can set up a series of auto-marked, multiple-choice questions to appear immediately after a briefing to ensure it has been received and understood. SMARTbrief has been created in collaboration with Objective Computing thanks to grant funding from Transport for London.

CASE STUDIES

Two of its earliest adopters have been MTR Crossrail and GB Railfreight. Paul Groves, deputy operations director, MTR Elizabeth Line, believes the system will help to improve performance and refresh drivers’ knowledge ahead of the line’s full launch in the next few years. He said: “SMARTbrief allows us to broadcast quick and easy to digest refresher learning content to our large team of drivers. We have two training simulators we can use with the refresher briefings supporting and enhancing existing training by focusing on infrequently practiced tasks. “The production support programme provided by SMARTbrief allows us to create our own video content with not much more than our smartphones. “We have been astonished at the quality we can achieve. SMARTbrief gives our drivers easy access to training and reminders, but behind that is a smart system that seems to be getting smarter every day.” Stuart Anderson, head of safety at GB Railfreight, added: “This tool is transforming the

way we deliver and verify our seasonal safety briefings to drivers located all over the UK. It’s not intended to totally replace face-to-face events, but its proving a very solid support to the activity. “Another interesting byproduct of SMARTbrief is that we are finding that its becoming a two-way platform for operational feedback from colleagues as well. When we broadcast content we always encourage feedback and we have been really pleased with how much useful feedback we have had from drivers.”

“…the applications are endless and costs savings can be significant…” Jonathan Hall, founder of Junction 9 Network and SMARTbrief RAILSTAFF.CO.UK | @RAIL_STAFF | FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2019

COMPANY FOCUS

AN EVOLVING PRODUCT

While the app’s user interface has been designed with simplicity in mind, its core system is built around a highly sophisticated intelligent video and data platform, which utilises the latest developments in augmented and artificial intelligence for video. Jonathan Hall, founder of Junction 9 Network and SMARTbrief, said: “We are all bombarded with information both from a personal and business perspective and we need to create channels for delivery of important business guidance and information where users can easily identify the importance of the messages being delivered. “At SMARTbrief, we are utilising much of the intelligent functionality that consumer broadcasters have spent years and fortunes in development. We are now customising suitable aspects of this technology to enable unmatched levels of viewer engagement. “There are so many added value byproducts built in to the SMARTbrief technology engine. Just one example is how we extract audio and convert this to text at the encoding stage to create the foundation of a secure, private video search engine for our clients. Given the right inputs, SMARTbrief can answer any ‘how to’ question that a colleague may have. Searches don’t take the users simply to view a video, they take the user to the exact point in the video where the answer to the question lies. “Clients are continually finding new ways of using the application. One is even starting to use SMARTbrief for contractor site inductions, the applications are endless and cost savings can be significant.”

For more information, visit: www.smart-brief.co.uk/video FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF | @RAIL_STAFF | RAILSTAFF.CO.UK

COMPANY FOCUS

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2019

TAX LEGISLATION POSES RISK TO PERFORMANCE

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EMPLOYERS TED BY OR

he 20th anniversary of our Group consultancy business first advising employers and contractors on IR35 passed this year. The rules, part of government efforts to combat what they see as potential tax avoidance, were introduced to ensure workers, who would have been employees if they provided services directly to a client, as well as the firms hiring them, pay approximately the same tax and National Insurance contributions as employees. Back in 1999 Pride Park Stadium’s Toyota Suite was filled with people eager to learn how the forthcoming tax legislation was going to impact on them individually and as businesses. Ahead of changes to how these rules apply from April 6, 2020, below I have shared some points to consider to sense-check your solution whilst you still have time to act.

“WE’RE JUST GOING TO GET ALL OF OUR CONTRACTORS TO GO PERMANENT”

Talking to rail businesses across the UK, one of the most common responses we’ve been hearing from client HR departments is that all contractors considered to be falling inside IR35 will become permanently employed. This is the simplest solution on the face of things, but their operational colleagues in the same businesses have expressed concern over how feasible this will be in practice and the potential impact it will have on business performance - a concern we certainly share. If a company assumes that its contract workforce will simply sign permanent contracts of employment without having any sort of contingency in the event that their expectations are not met, then there is a chance that all work that currently relies on contractors may fail. The knock-on effect of that – late delivery penalties, product failures, drops in productivity, missed business opportunity – may well be catastrophic. Bear in mind that, in any one day, more than one million contract or temporary workers are utilised by UK businesses.

RAILSTAFF.CO.UK | @RAIL_STAFF | FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF

THE RISE OF THE ‘JUST-IN-TIME’ WORKFORCE For most contractors, the response we have heard when asking what they plan to do is “why should I go permanent?” In many cases, the roots of this reluctance to be permanently employed dates back to the 1980s when our consultancy business first started noticing a change in worker attitudes during our annual worker behaviour surveys. In that period the parents of today’s millennial workforce were caught up in a shift from the perceived job for life to the new ‘we want you now but don’t expect to spend your career here’ mentality. Vast swathes of middle management were cut as people were, to coin a common phrase from that period, ‘thrown on the scrap heap’. Experiencing this either directly or watching parents struggle to adjust was seen by many as a betrayal by the employer and it hardened workers’ attitudes towards employment or, at the very least, created a situation where people accepted or proactively chose a project by project lifestyle as they took responsibility for their own future income. From a financial point of view, deploying skilled labour through a service company has many advantages for both parties -

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2019

COMPANY FOCUS

PETER SCHOFIELD, CHAIRMAN OF FORD & STANLEY GROUP, WARNS CLIENTS TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE READY FOR CHANGES TO OFF-PAYROLL WORKING RULES

the contractor earns more money in return for more risk in terms of continuation of work and the employer benefits from greater workforce flexibility and less liability. It has worked well and helped companies to be competitive so, considering all of the above, expecting lifelong contractors to switch to permanent employment status just because the employer now wants it that way to avoid some tricky legislation is unlikely to get much traction.

PEOPLE WITH SKILLS ARE CONSUMERS OF EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY Recent data from the Office of National Statistics suggests there are currently over 810,000 unfilled vacancies in the UK. Specifically in the rail sector, demand for both contract and permanent employees remains extremely high, meaning workers have a lot of choice. This is despite Brexit, questions marks over HS2, the Williams Review and a slow start to CP6. So, what are contractors likely to do with that choice when IR35 becomes law in April 2020? From talking to our UK-wide contractor workforce, this is what they’ve told us they’re planning to do: • Supply services through an umbrella company - 42 per cent; • No idea yet as they’re still waiting to hear what their current client wants to do - 38 per cent; • Be more mobile and supply services on a project by project basis 12 per cent; • Become permanently employed by their current client or an alternative employer - eight per cent. This may of course all change over the next few months, therefore we continue to have dialogue so that we are best placed to advise. Out of all the options, we consider the mobility across a wider client base

to be the most interesting as, although it will require more planning and organisation, once established it may well represent that best opportunity for both the employer and the contractor to achieve the flexibility they desire and need, without falling foul of IR35 legislation.

ADVICE The first thing we would advise employers to do is engage with their talent suppliers as a sounding board against plans, particularly if replacing contractors with permanent employees forms part of a new strategy. Speaking for Ford & Stanley, our recruitment business is regarded as the number one in the rail sector for hard-to-fill ‘white collar’ permanent roles, because we consistently deliver results. This is purely because we engage with employers and prospective employees in a very specific way, rather than advertising ‘jobs’ to people with a plethora of alternative employment choices. In addition, from a flexible workforce perspective and again speaking for Ford & Stanley (although I am sure we are not alone) we have rail industry professionals working in partnership with our contracts and interim business, to enable clients to outsource packages of work to us, and teams of contractors that we mobilise across a number of companies on a project by project basis. The point being there are alternatives to taking the permanent or contract route that are worthy of discussions. Contractors should remember this is government legislation, rather than the choice of employers and agencies, therefore avoid the temptation to ‘shoot the messenger’. They too should engage with their client early and also their accountants, umbrella company and agency supplier. FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF | @RAIL_STAFF | RAILSTAFF.CO.UK

RAIL FORUM MIDLANDS

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2019

STRIDES IN SUSTAINABILITY next stage of development. Asked about devolution, Maria was confident this would come because the regional/ national management imbalance needs to be addressed to obtain greater regional control on the issues that matter to local people and businesses.

EMR AND ELECTRIFICATION

t this turbulent time in UK politics, the need to ensure that economic development is sustainable remains constant - an area all political parties agree upon. This is one reason why Rail Forum Midlands (RFM), alongside industry leaders at its annual conference, implored the government to get on with HS2 and why the recently published rail enhancement pipeline for CP6 is a welcome step forward. Rail investment can drive the necessary economic regeneration in the Midlands and North while also meeting necessary environmental targets. Reducing congestion, meeting carbon-zero targets, spreading knowledge and connecting businesses to a wider potential workforce were all discussed at RFM’s annual conference on October 17, which attracted 200 delegates.

SMART TICKETING Taking place during the Rail Delivery Group’s (RDG) ‘Smart Week’, Paul Plummer (pictured above), CEO of RDG, used the platform to inform suppliers and the trade media that increased use of smart tickets in the last year had saved 1,100km of paper. Although 92 per cent of customers claim to be happy with paper tickets, the popularity of digital ticketing is evident in their usage increasing from 37 to 50 per cent. Whilst this may be a small step on the industry’s sustainability journey, it is a laudable use of modern technology to help the eco-balance. Referring to the Queen’s Speech made days earlier, Paul explained that while the current franchising model has served the industry well RAILSTAFF.CO.UK | @RAIL_STAFF | FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF

reform is now needed to ensure the industry can become more efficient through improved customer focus and modern technology implementation, all while contributing to the target for zero-carbon emissions.

MIDLANDS ENGINE Midlands Connect director Maria Machancoses spoke about the recently launched Midlands Engine Rail initiative and why this £3.5 billion project package is required to ensure improved connectivity across the Midlands. Sustainability plays a key role in the strategy, which will reduce congestion and pollution, at a time when 80 per cent of journeys are still made by road. Moving more freight onto rail could eliminate one million lorry journeys every year, she said. This package of proposals will benefit more than 60 locations across the Midlands, providing faster, more frequent journeys between Midlands towns and cities, which will open up new job and educational opportunities for thousands of people. Maria said HS2 remains essential for growing the economy of the Midlands and the North as it provides the backbone of the rail system required by Midlands Engine Rail. Midlands Connect is urging government to fund their plans for the

East Midlands Railway’s (EMR) interim managing director Julian Edwards, who began managing the new eight-year franchise in August, spoke about the partial electrification of the Midland main line, which will enable electric trains to provide services between London-Corby from December 2020. The new fleet of bi-mode trains, ordered from Hitachi, will reduce particulate matter emissions by 90 per cent when they begin operating from 2022. Julian added: “As part of our commitments to deliver a more sustainable railway and replace or refurbish all of our rolling stock, EMR will trial hydrogen trains towards the end of the current franchise. We look forward to working with the industry and our local rail partners to develop the best possible technology to provide quality journeys while also reducing our impact on the environment.” EMR plans to develop eco-stations and will also introduce more than 1,000 cycle spaces and 60 electric vehicle charging points.

2020 Supporting sustainability, RFM is developing a ‘Circular Economy and Sustainability in Rail’ event for 2020. This will touch on the opportunities and challenges faced by the rail sector, in areas such as recyclability, and involve Network Rail, a rolling stock operating company and an original equipment manufacturer. To discover more about this event and to reserve a place, please refer to www. midlandsrail.co.uk.

The retained executive recruitment business within our specialist talent services group Working closely with leading rail consultancies, manufacturers, operating companies and SMEs across the UK and abroad, Ford & Stanley Executive

TIVEIES U C E E X T U NI T K U OR OPP OS S THEAD AC R D A B RO AN

are seeking talented professionals for multiple directorial and managerial opportunities. We are actively looking for candidates for the following rewarding and challenging opportunities:

Technical Head Electronics and Software EDINBURGH

Engineering Director YORK

Sales Director DONCASTER

Associate Director Network Enhancements DUBLIN

Professional Head of Technical Engineering LEICESTER

Commercial Director

DERBY

Head of Projects LONDON

Head of Engineering BIRMINGHAM

General Manager SOUTHAMPTON

To explore further, please contact our specialist team in executive search on Derby & North 01332 344 443 Birmingham & Midlands 0121 752 1505 London & South 0203 869 8484 or email executive@fordandstanley.com

CAREERS

RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER 2019

QUALITY RECRUITMENT SOLUTIONS FOR THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT General Operatives Location: Salary: Type:

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Environmental Advisor Location: Salary: Type:

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