RailStaff October 2015 by Rail Media

Staff

Training Operations

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THE MOST POPULAR PUBLICATION IN THE UK RAIL INDUSTRY Issue 215 | October 2015

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Over 1,000 of the brightest and best, the real heroes of the rail industry, descended on Coventryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ricoh Arena for the RailStaff Awards 2015. Train drivers and track workers joined executives and planners to celebrate the unrivalled success of a confident industry that is now delivering the fastest-growing railway in Europe. Page 25

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

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

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TRAINING FOR THE FUTURE Stobart Rail has continuously invested in its training

of the business. This includes regular reviews of industry

that facilitate the continuous development and improvement

and staﬀ.

department and consequently has robust systems in place

standards and what impact this may have on our operations

Stobart Rail Training Department All the trainers within Stobart Rail are hands-on and have come from a similar delivery background as the learners. This, we feel, is a key strength as it allows eﬀective communication and dialogue to ﬂow between trainer and learner. Subsequently, a keen element of trust is developed and this further enhances the learning process. Stobart Rail’s Training Department promotes and encourages all employees to develop their career which in turn enhances organisational success and planning. The main function of the Stobart Rail Training Department is to improve our competency levels and develop new skills within the company.

In 2014 we were awarded ‘Outstanding Training Provider 2014’ by Ofsted. We have invested further having completed a Level 4 Diploma in Learning and Development. As a training provider across many sectors, standardisation has been key to our success. Following guidance from Ofsted, our focus is on monitoring, measuring, identifying and improving our training practices. For further information on how Stobart Rail’s respected training services can build the skills base in your business, please call 01228 882 300.

Claire Bainbridge Training Co-ordinator claire.bainbridge@stobartrail.com Jeff Broadhurst Training Manager jeff.broadhurst@stobartrail.com Andrew Sumner Business Development and Stakeholder Manager andrew.sumner@stobartrail.com Stobart Rail Head Office t. 01228 882 300

We employ apprentices from within our local community. Typically following a successful training programme, the apprentices are oﬀered full time employment within the business.

Trainer Team of the Year Finalists

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COMMENT

October 2015 | RailStaff | 3

Staff Contact us: Publisher:

Paul O’Connor

Editor:

Andy Milne

Production and design:

Adam O’Connor

Senior Reporter:

Marc Johnson

Senior Writer:

Colin Garratt

Track Safety:

Colin Wheeler

Event Sales:

Jolene Price

Advertising:

Asif Ahmed

Chris Davies

Craig Smith

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Contact Email Addresses News: news@rail-media.com Pictures: pictures@rail-media.com

Confidence Trick

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

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Spare a thought for those who struggle with self-confidence, the new starter, the first woman in an all-male workshop, the man in a mid-life crisis, those who walk alone. Behind the stories of suicides talked down and lives saved are the tired, the lonely and the desperate. Their silent testimony reflects our wider failure.

Web: www.railstaff.uk Email: hello@rail-media.com

Printed by Pensord. RailStaff is published by RailStaff Publications Limited A Rail Media Publication

Self-confidence does not come naturally. It is a decision to be taken. That initial resolve to take up arms against a sea of troubles offers the chance of victory. Not to contend offers no hope at all. One of the greatest strengths of the rail industry is its sense of camaraderie, togetherness. It is in everyone’s interest that we build self-confidence. Confidence is knowing what to do and

carrying it out. Confidence saves lives. Confidence restores people, bolsters businesses, saves relationships and steadies the purposes of those we care about. What ever you’re going through, know that there is an end of it. The career crisis, the broken engagement, the desertion and dismay. Quite often the problems faced may appear tumultuous, but when talked over with a friend or a counsellor they diminish in size. Human kind is infinitely resourceful. For instance Austrian psychologist, Viktor Frankl, made a decision in a Nazi concentration camp not to react as the guards and his tormenters expected. Instead Frankl held on to a picture of his wife and her smile warmed him, even though they were separated by war. That inner confidence gave Frankl, in the midst of unimaginable horror and deprivation, a sense of control. Others

might govern his physical world but they could not breach his spirit, his identity. Neither did they know of the love and purpose that sustained him. Frankl survived the war and went on to contribute to the expanding field of human psychology. His books particularly Man’s Search For Meaning - are well worth reading. The last of the human freedoms, Frankl wrote, is the ability to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances. Define the problem on paper and start taking decisions - resolve to address the solution and focus on the future not current difficulties. Everything changes and this is a relief not a threat. Viktor Frankl taught that between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.

Training focus in November

A Third Career

History of Russian Railways

November’s RailStaff will include a spotlight on training where we will once again highlight some of the initiatives being delivered across the industry to train and upskill the workforce. For information about how to promote your company within the focus, call 01530 816440 or e-mail: sales@rail-media.com

David Maidment is becoming established in his third life as a writer. David, a career railwayman and founder of the Railway Children, retired after thirty-six years in railways.

Railways have become an instrument of war without which great modern armies are not able to assemble or move forward. Today you no longer ask how many battalions...

NEWS

4 | RailStaff | October 2015

Brush-up for Piccadilly Traction motors from Piccadilly line trains are to be refurbished in Loughborough after London Underground confirmed a £6.5 million deal with the historic works. The contract has been awarded to Brush Traction, which has been owned by Wabtec since 2011, following an open tendering process. It will continue an established relationship between the works and London Underground. Wabtec’s UK managing director, Chris Weatherall, described it as the largest traction motor refurbishment contract the company has received from Transport for London (TfL) in recent years. LT130 motors from the existing Piccadilly line fleet will be transported from Cockfosters depot in London to Loughborough to be repaired, cleaned and painted. The refurbishment will ensure a reliable service on the existing stock ahead of the introduction of New Tube for London trains around 2022. The contract, which will run for three years with an optional two-year extension, was formally awarded

by London Underground managing director Nick Brown in Loughborough on 16 October. He presented a copy of the contract to Chris Weatherall alongside the Secretary of State for Education, and Loughborough MP, Nicky Morgan. Although it won’t directly create any new jobs, the contract will sustain the existing 376-strong workforce in Loughborough and create a platform for future growth. Says Nick Brown, ‘Brush Traction is playing an important role in the modernisation of London’s transport network and is helping us to meet the unprecedented demand created by the city’s success and rapid population growth. ‘Suppliers like them keep London working and growing and help us to support the national economy. We have invested more than £865 million with suppliers in the Midlands over the past year and we are always interested in hearing from other suppliers across the UK to see how they could work with us.’ Says Chris Weatherall, ‘Wabtec companies have supported TfL for many years and we look forward to continuing our long association with this key customer for many years to come.’ TfL says that regional suppliers account for 60 per cent of its expenditure. In the Midlands alone, 19,500 jobs are supported by business from TfL.

New workshop opened at historic Doncaster rail works

Good News from EGIP Engineers start installing overhead power cables on the main Edinburgh-Glasgow line this autumn as work to electrify the route in 2016 gathers pace. Part of the Scottish Governmentfunded £742 million EdinburghGlasgow Improvement Programme (EGIP), electrification work will mean faster, longer trains on the Edinburgh Waverley-Glasgow Queen Street line from December next year. Over the next six months, engineers will be installing stanchions to support the new overhead lines and stringing 100 miles of power cables between the two cities. Says Rodger Querns, EGIP programme director, ‘The Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme

Princess Anne was in Doncaster last month to open a new multimillion pound workshop at Wabtec Rail.

is a massive investment in Scotland’s railway that will help deliver longlasting benefits for both individual passengers and the wider economy.’

The new facility, built within just a hundred metres or so of E2 – the workshop that produced the Flying Scotsman and Mallard locomotives, has been constructed to initially support the Class 321 overhaul programme. The first of 30 units to be refurbished as part of the £60 million Renatus scheme – which means born again in Latin – are already in Doncaster. Initial ‘dirty’ work will be carried out in the Light Shop before the 321s are

moved over to the new facility. The first complete 321 will take around six months to refurbish, but Wabtec hopes to eventually turn around a complete train in just 36 days. The first vehicles will return to service early next year. The Princess Royal toured Wabtec’s Station 3, Heavy Shop and Light Shop before unveiling a commemorative plaque in the new workshop, which is still to be named. She was handed a posy by Beth Marsh, one of 20 apprentices currently working at the 22-acre site. Also in attendance were senior figures from Wabtec, including president and chief executive Ray Betler, and Eversholt Rail.

NEWS

October 2015 | RailStaff | 5

McLoughlin Thanks Staff at Victoria A railway station once labelled Britain’s worst is back in business following a £44 million facelift. Manchester Victoria now has a vast new roof made from the same material used at the Eden Project whilst the station itself retains most of it historic heritage. Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin praised railway staff and engineers responsible for delivering the project. McLoughlin unveiled a plaque at a special ceremony beside the Soldiers Gate where military personnel marched off to fight in World War One, some never to return. ‘I want to congratulate everyone involved in this remarkable project. It’s fantastic to see Manchester Victoria once again a station fit for the city,’ said McLoughlin. ‘It’s now a symbol of opportunity, not neglect, and proof that this one nation government is building the Northern Powerhouse. ‘The North is receiving a wave of investment in its transport infrastructure on a scale not seen for generations, with £4.5 billion in the North West alone. The benefits are already being delivered, with 71,000

more businesses in the North West than in 2010 - a clear sign our long-term plan to secure a stronger, healthier economy is working.’ At the ceremony, Martin Frobisher, route managing director for Network Rail, formally handed the station back to Alex Hynes, managing director of Northern Rail, which manages its day-to-day running. ‘Victoria feels like a brand new station to us, and

it’s a fantastic testament to a successful working partnership between ourselves, Network Rail and the City of Manchester,’ says Alex Hynes. ‘It’s a light, bright and contemporary station for our modern-day customer, and we’re delighted with the results of the redevelopment. Manchester is an increasingly important city in the North and now it has the station it so rightly deserves.’

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NEWS

6 | RailStaff | October 2015

Orange Army Thinks Outside the Box

The six-week project to lower and replace track in Box Tunnel, Bath, in preparation for the electrification of the Great Western Main Line has been singled out as the biggest track renewals feat ever undertaken by Network Rail. More than 2,500 railway workers from the famed Orange Army took to the site to strip out six miles of track and ballast. Around 160,000 tonnes of spoil were removed by rail, with trains and shifts operating round the clock. As part of the £50 million project, teams also installed 11 new switches and crossings. The new, lower track has created the additional headroom needed for overhead electrification. Says Simon Higgens, chief executive of ISS Labour, which supplied many of the staff on the project, ‘Our

experienced team is well-placed to provide support on preparing the railway for overhead electrification. We worked closely with Network Rail, Babcock and TXM Plant throughout this project to ensure that the work was delivered on time and to the highest standards. ‘With work now complete, passengers will benefit from faster journeys and significantly reduced noise and pollution, while the work also preserves historic architecture around the site.’ Described as a temporary period of disruption, the railway was shut for 45 days with no reported injuries. Much of the ballast was cleaned and recycled and 23,000 new concrete sleepers installed. Despite 24-hour working, few complaints were received and the quietest part of the project was the public helpline which fielded just 26 calls.

Station-to-Station for Rock Show

Andy Haynes, Network Rail’s project director for the west of England, said, ‘We always knew this was going to be a complex project given the historic architecture and infrastructure we were working around, but I’m pleased to say all work was completed on time. Now this preparation work has been carried out, we will be able to install the overhead line equipment that will be used to power the new electric trains.’ Says Gareth Richardson, managing director, TXM Plant, responsible for much of the plant used at Bath, ‘As a project this went well and was delivered with a high degree of professionalism by all concerned. Motivated teams, detailed planning and close collaboration are the essentials of success on a major exercise like this - congratulations to all who worked on Box Tunnel. You deserve an award.’

Reprise for Roy Richards

Rock photographer Denis O’Regan has launched his ‘Rock Through The Ages’ exhibition which is touring Leeds, Liverpool Lime Street, Glasgow Central, London King’s Cross and Bristol stations this winter.

Congratulations to Roy Richards, thought to be the oldest guard on the railway.

The pictures show music legends of the 60s, 70s and 80s. David Bowie and the Rolling Stones are among the stars on display. From the earliest days of punk rock, O’Regan has spent more than 40 years photographing the phenomena of rock and roll. Says Denis O’Regan ‘I have photographed great musicians and travelled to extraordinary places to capture classic moments in music. Railway stations are a great way of connecting people with art in their everyday lives and it is fantastic to be able to share my photos with rail passengers and station users around the country.’

Mr Richards, 91, came out of retirement to flag away a train on the Launceston Steam Railway Cornwall. Roy started his working life at Lostwithiel before working at Plymouth as a relief guard. Says LSR’s Jonathan Mann, ‘It is always a privilege to meet former railwaymen…. The work was hard and often dirty, but it was at the same time rewarding, and it is wonderful to hear them say so often, that, if they had their time over again, they would do the same.’

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PEOPLE

8 | RailStaff | October 2015

Montgomery of Aberdeen Steve Montgomery is the new managing director of FirstGroup’s rail division. Formerly head of ScotRail, Montgomery led the train company to its highest ever levels of customer satisfaction and punctuality. Award-winning ScotRail won the Scottish Public Transport Operator of the Year in both 2012 and 2013. However, after Abellio-Serco took over, Montgomery stepped down - despite initially agreeing to stay on. Steve’s career in the railway industry spans almost 30 years. He started with British Rail and comes from Johnstone, near Paisley in Renfrewshire. He built a solid career in rail operations and safety. At privatisation in 1997, Montgomery became passenger service manager responsible for Glasgow Queen Street, Edinburgh and the north of Scotland.

When Aberdeen-based FirstGroup took over ScotRail in October 2004, he was appointed operations and safety director and became managing director of ScotRail 2009. Steve began his new role on 28 September. Never one to let the grass grow under his feet, his interests outside work centre on gardening. Says FirstGroup chief executive Tim O’Toole, ‘I am delighted to welcome Steve back to FirstGroup. In his new role, our rail division will benefit from his proven track record of leadership, successful franchise management and building strong relationships with customers, employees and stakeholders.’ He added, ‘I would also like to take this opportunity to extend my thanks and gratitude to Dave Gausby for his support and valuable contribution as interim First rail MD. Dave will continue to provide support to Steve,

in his usual position as director of rail strategy.’ A delighted Steve Montgomery is clearly pleased to be back at FirstGroup. ‘I’m thrilled to be returning to FirstGroup to run its rail division.

Our train companies continue to go from strength to strength and we are about to enter an exciting phase of the franchising cycle, so I’m looking forward to the challenges and opportunities ahead.’

Costain Backs Rail Apprentices Jacobs joins Northern Rail Costain’s rail sector has taken on two apprentices who have completed their three-year training course. Mark Weight specialised in Signalling. Chris Lambe majored in Electrification and Plant. It could all have been so different for Chris and Mark, who just missed out on a job with Network Rail. The Network Rail apprentice programme attracted more applicants than there were places. Costain’s Head of Signalling, Andy Parsons, takes up the story. ‘After filling the positions Network Rail had about 10-15 youngsters that they didn’t want to let go, but didn’t have places for and asked contractors if they wanted to take them on. We took on Mark and Chris three years ago and the following year we took on another two Permanent Way apprentices. We’ve also taken on another Signalling and another Electrification apprentice and those four are about to start their final year.’

The first year of the apprenticeship is a residential placement at the Royal Navy’s HMS Collingwood and HMS Sultan in Gosport, Hampshire. The course focuses on BTEC/PEO/ NVQ Level 2 and a comprehensive array of theory and practical elements linked to rail engineering. Apprentices are encouraged to get involved with activities such as the Field Gun Race and a variety of sports. Says Parsons, ‘In the second year, all apprentices – Network Rail and external – have a placement plan to complete within their respective areas. This is required to enable them to gain the underpinning knowledge for completion of their NVQ Level 3. Any external apprentices are found placements with Network Rail maintenance teams close to their home location, as they are renewals/ project-focused, not maintenance.’ Andy Parsons anticipates the two newly-qualified staff will be the first of a steady trickle of young, qualified technicians for the rail sector. ‘We have a desire, almost an obligation, to bring apprentices into the industry,’ he said.

Andrea Jacobs has been appointed as safety and environment director at Northern Rail. Previously, Jacobs worked for Alstom Transport and Bombardier. She has also worked as a consultant on health, safety and environmental issues and is a qualified chartered accountant. Says Alex Hynes, managing director for Northern, ‘Keeping our customers

safe is a challenge as they move around a network as busy and varied as ours.’ Hynes hopes to see more staff involvement in energy saving measures. ‘We’ve also embedded a business-wide strategy for energy management which, when put into action, allows us to address issues collaboratively with our employees, making sure we are all contributing to our energy savings.’

PEOPLE

October 2015 | RailStaff | 9

Executive Role for Jo Kaye

Steel Man Heads Ulster Rail

Network Rail has appointed Jo Kaye as national director, Network Strategy and Planning. As route manager West Coast, Kaye shot to fame at the head of the team behind Workington North, the temporary station railway staff fired up in just six days in 2009 after flooding washed away nearby road bridges isolating the town. A Railtrack graduate trainee, the south Londoner’s first job was in East Anglia working under the legendary Richard Middleton and then Andrew McNaughton now doyen of HS2. Kaye became a signalling manager on the infamous London Tilbury and Southend railway which had been re-signalled and upgraded. Further work saw her helping choreograph West Anglia line route modernisation. She moved onto the Great Eastern Main Line for a year. Then came along Network Rail’s big re-organisation and an invitation to an interview in Manchester. Kaye admits to getting a map out to see where it was. As head of West Coast, she was the interface between the project team delivering the upgrade and the

Chris Conway has taken up his new post as group chief executive of Translink - the body responsible for Northern Ireland Railways.

train companies using the line. She then became route managing director of London North Western, responsible for the busiest mixed-traffic railway in Europe. For the last two years, she’s been working as a director in the strategy and planning team in Manchester. Jo will become a member of Network Rail’s executive committee, replacing Paul Plummer who leaves Network Rail later this month to lead the Rail Delivery Group. Born in London and now living in Halifax, Kaye read biology at Imperial College London and followed it up with an MSc in passenger transport management. She keeps fit by running and is a big supporter of St John Ambulance - she’s a first aid trainer and assessor.

Conway was previously managing director of Tata Steel Ireland. Previously, he worked for telecommunications company Nortel. A native of Northern Ireland, Chris read a BSc in engineering at the University of Ulster. ‘I am relishing the challenge of leading such a high-profile business and championing the delivery of excellent public transport for Northern Ireland,’ says Chris, whose first move was to get out and about meeting transport staff at depots and stations throughout Ulster. ‘My commitment is to drive the business forward, and while I know there will be many challenges ahead, I am confident that we can build on the track record of success, growth and investment that has been achieved in recent years.’ Chris is chairman of Northern Ireland Co-operation Overseas and is on the board of trustees of Young Enterprise.

Thompson heads Rail Division Global recruitment giant Spencer Ogden has recruited Richard Thompson to head its newly created rail division. Thompson joins from Mane Contract Services where he was operations director for 17 years. Richard has a background in telecommunications, cable and wireless and has worked for Orange. He also did a stint as a Satellite Earth Station engineer on the Falkland Islands. Richard holds an HNC and

SCOTVEC in marine radio and radar engineering from Wray Castle, the telecoms training college in Cumbria. Everton-supporter Richard is a great outdoors man and enjoys snowboarding, motor sports and golf. Specialists in the energy market, Sir Peter Ogden and David SpencerPercival started trading as Spencer Ogden in 2010, from offices in London and Aberdeen. The company now operates in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Australia, and North America.

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RAIL ALLIANCE

10 | RailStaff | October 2015

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

Rail Industry Challenges at Newcastle College

New Members Fibox Ltd (Fibox manufacture high quality plastic and aluminium electrical enclosures and accessories including milling, drilling or engraving) www.fibox.co.uk AJC Trailers Ltd (Manufacturer of welfare facilities for the rail and construction industries, trailer and motorised including bespoke.) www.easycabin.co.uk NTAR (New flagship traction and rolling stock training centre, established to bridge the skills gap in this segment of the rail sector and supported by BIS, DfT and NSARE.) www.ntar.co.uk Special Bolt Coventry Ltd (Hot forgers, cold formers, fasteners and small components under 5kgs.) www.specialbolt.com

The next Rail Alliance Networking session, ‘Rail Industry Challenges: Safety & Performance,’ takes place on 19th November at Newcastle College Rail Training Academy. The Rail Alliance is proud of the wide array of themes and locations that its programme of monthly networking events provides. The next session will be a very special event, developed at the request of members and with their involvement. ‘Rail Industry Challenges: Safety & Performance’ will be cohosted by Aquarius Rail and will feature a number of speakers and contributors from industry. This will be a networking session with a difference - it will include a forum

in which delegates can share ideas of better ways to improve both safety and performance whilst maximising efficient working practices. The format is simple. Initial presentations will show how best practice in the military world has been applied to rail. Discussions will focus on new thinking from the Fire & Rescue Service which improves community safety. Delegates will then have the opportunity to be involved in interactive workshops, networking and viewing suppliers products and services. These will be demonstrated at the venue. ‘Rail Industry Challenges: Safety & Performance,’ will be a gathering of minds and is intended to stimulate lively, productive discussion on

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

Fastems (Suppliers of automation systems into the manufacturing sector. Principally serving the metal cutting industry, they supply both robotic and pallet management systems.) www.fastems.com Red Viking Rail Ltd (Rail interface including access and planning. Lineside civils and other associated works.) www.redvikinggroup.co.uk

safety and performance in track maintenance. The workshops are intended to generate dialogue, get to the heart of track maintenance safety and performance issues the industry faces, and explore possible solutions and actions. Who is it for? If you are involved in the maintenance of the railway, then

Parker Hannifin Ltd (World leading diversified manufacturer of motion and control technologies and systems including pneumatic valves, cylinders (including rodless and electric), air preparation, modular system solutions, fuel and hydraulic filtration, hose and fittings for multiple different applications including brakes, doors, pantograph, HVAC, couplers and toilets.) www.parker.com Black Diamond Security Ltd (Leading M&E and Security contractors for some of the largest national rail and construction companies offering a complete package combining design with installation, through to maintenance, periodic inspection and testing.) www.blackdiamondsecurity.co.uk Wabtec Group (UK leading railway engineering company undertaking maintenance, overhaul, refurbishment, life extension and repair of railway rolling stock and associated components) www.wabtecgroup.com NAL Ltd (Manufacturers of a range of innovative retention socket systems since 1996 transforming the way in which every type of street furniture is fitted. Products range from virtually indestructible bollards to 40 tonne twin wall access chambers.) www.nal.ltd.uk

this event is for you. This event will gather together a broad spectrum of rail professionals. It is an opportunity to meet with a variety of suppliers and peers in the rail industry from Network Rail, metro lines and contractors. To book your place please email rhona.clarke@railalliance.co.uk

NEWS

October 2015 | RailStaff | 11

Autumn Sun Shines on RAIL2015 Despite a dismal weather forecast, 3,000 visitors arrived at RAIL2015 to be met by beautiful blue skies and glorious autumn sunshine. Leading companies from the rail industry supply chain were on display, demonstrating the skills and expertise that drive the dynamics of the new and rapidly expanding sector. This year’s show was home to over 200 exhibitors - including both Rail Alliance members and non-members. Yet again it proved to be the perfect platform for the industry to provide hands-on displays and demonstrate ingenuity and innovation in real-life conditions. Over the course of the show, visitors were able to witness an array of interesting and lively technologies from dive tank demonstrations to geotechnical drilling, innovative magnetic track lifting technology and all-terrain excavators.

Great quality The show proved to be extremely popular with exhibitors. Claire Wilson of TPA Rapid Rail Access (Vp Plc) spoke for many when she said, ‘We had a fantastic time at Rail 2015! The show was well organised, well put together. The foot fall was consistent and of great quality. A big thanks to Paul Smith from Torrent for making his vision a reality and allowing us to showcase our Rapid Rail Access Range. ‘We are very excited about it and proud of our new division and it seems others in the rail industry and people within the Vp group share that view which is amazing. We had some strong interest in our range and we gained some quality contacts.’ The Rail Alliance members marquee, which adjoined the RSSB’s Collaboration, Ingenuity and Skills hub, proved to be a real hit with visitors too. With 34 Rail Alliance members in one side of the marquee and a further 10 on

the RSSB side, it was a hive of activity and again showcased the variety of disciplines and the true appetite for ingenuity within the rail sector.

Vital links Also exhibiting within the RSSB hub were the YRP, NTAR, University of Birmingham, Sheffield University, Cranfield University, Coventry University and Loughborough University. The hub enabled all the associated parties to demonstrate the vital links between the vocational/academic arena and industry and to show off the vast pool of skills available to the sector. This proved to be an invaluable showcase of industry and academia working so closely and

successfully together. As the ultimate recognition of approval, none other than esteemed gentleman the great and legendary George Stephenson - Professor Felix Schmid, BCRRE, University of Birmingham - made an appearance at the show. It made for a wonderful photo opportunity to see him walking gallantly down the main throughway, mingling with the modern engineers of today in the midst of a sea of orange. RAIL2015 showcased a supply chain filled with passion, commitment and a desire to be the best. This was a show that proved that the pioneering spirit of rail is well and truly alive! Roll on RAIL2016!

Play your part in railway history Here at the National Railway Museum we are very proud to be recognised as the world’s leading railway museum and the most visited museum outside London with over 800,000 visitors each year. Our visitors come from all over the world because they are fascinated by our collections and the story they represent. As a national charity, we rely on the support of people young and old to preserve and care for our collections now and for the generations to come. One way of supporting our work is to leave a gift to the National Railway Museum in your Will. A legacy gift of any size really does make a huge difference to our work and the future of the Museum. As a railway employee, past or present, we know that you care as much about our railway heritage as we do, so if and when the time is right for you to include a legacy in your Will, please remember us.

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

NEWS

12 | RailStaff | October 2015

Test Carriage for Crossrail Staff at Litchurch Lane in Derby have made up the first test carriage of what will become Crossrail’s new Aventra fleet. The bodyshell will be used to fine tune design and strengthen manufacturing techniques. Crossrail’s 66-strong fleet will include 594 carriages. Trains will be over 200 metres long and will load 1,500 passengers. However, three sets of doors per carriage, per side, means instructions to pass right down inside the cars won’t be so daunting.

Says Howard Smith, Transport for London’s Crossrail operations director, ‘It’s really exciting to see this first bodyshell from Bombardier’s new purpose-built testing and commissioning facility. It not only brings Crossrail closer but also highlights how the project is creating jobs, opportunities and economic growth in other parts of the country.’ Manufacture and delivery of the 66 Crossrail trains and depot at Old Oak Common is supporting 760 jobs and 80 apprenticeships. Train company

Steve Lives On MTR says it will employ over 1,000 staff, including around 400 drivers, to operate the new services. The Class 345 Aventra project itself has helped guarantee jobs at Bombardier’s highly respected railway works in Derby. The first trains will begin to operate between Liverpool Street and Shenfield from May 2017, running through the central section in 2018 ahead of the full Crossrail route from Reading and Heathrow in the west to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east in 2019.

Cancer fundraiser Stephen Sutton has had a train named in his memory. Pendolino 390002 was named ‘Stephen Sutton’ at a ceremony at Birmingham International station. His mother, Jane Sutton, unveiled the name plate. Stephen, who died of cancer aged 19, raised over £5 million for the Teenage Cancer Trust. Donations continued to come in following his death in May last year. ‘Stephen was an incredible person, someone from whom we can all learn so much,’ says Phil Cavender, general manager, Virgin Trains. ‘It is only right Stephen’s inspiring story lives on, and we are overwhelmed by the support of his family in allowing us to name one of our Pendolinos in his honour.’ ‘Stephen’s Story’ on Facebook proved hugely successful and has inspired further fundraising. Jane Sutton thanked all at Virgin. ‘It was lovely to meet so many of the staff today, so massive thanks for making me feel so welcome.’

Return of the Flying Scotsman After a comprehensive restoration, steam locomotive 60103 Flying Scotsman returns to the metals next year. The National Railway Museum (NRM) says the much-loved loco will be seen around Britain as it thrills a new generation with the engineering science behind steam traction. Staff at Bury-based Riley & Son are close to completing the £4.2 million project. An inaugural run between London King’s Cross and York will mark the Flying Scotsman’s official completion and return to steam. Celebrations will continue at the opening event for the National Railway Museum’s February Flying Scotsman Season. Says Jim Lowe, head of operations at the National Railway Museum, ‘With its new BR Green No. 60103 guise, Flying Scotsman will be starting a new chapter in its long and fascinating history as the oldest mainline working locomotive on Britain’s tracks. ‘Its first outing in its latest incarnation will be a triumphant return home with the inaugural run.’ The steam loco, which was built in Doncaster in 1923, was saved from the scrap heap in 1963 by Alan

Pegler. The loco was restored and went on tour in the United States heading a British exports drive. However, when Pegler went bankrupt in 1973, Sir William MacAlpine, lifelong rail enthusiast, stepped in, bought it and shipped it home. The loco is now owned by the NRM.

The Flying Scotsman, in its black undercoat, will be undergoing test runs at the East Lancashire Railway and then resplendent in its BR green livery at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway in Pickering, North Yorkshire and the Severn Valley Railway in Kidderminster, Worcestershire.

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14 | RailStaff | October 2015

Worksop Man in Race Triumph About Tyne Two Phil Sheard and Nigel Dawber have raised over £1,200 for Prostate Cancer UK. The pair ran the Leeds 10k and their initial £700 was topped up by employer Northern Rail. Nigel, 61, a ticket office clerk at Worksop station, was diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer in April and decided to run the race with his manager Phil, 47. ‘Nigel has been inspirational since his diagnosis,’ said Phil. ‘He’s taken

everything in his stride and completing the 10k was a fantastic achievement for him. ‘We’re delighted to be able to make this donation to Prostate Cancer UK and help fund research into the disease. Nigel is still at work, covering his daily shift at Worksop and has maintained a 100 per cent attendance record throughout, even after his diagnosis, what a man.’ Nigel also ran the London Marathon back in April in three hours 47 minutes, shortly after his diagnosis.

Nexus, which owns and manages the Tyne and Wear Metro, has taken on ten new apprentices, including its first female apprentices for 20 years. The female recruits – Morgan Saville, 18, from East Boldon in South Tyneside and Sam Davenport, 17, from Fulwell in Sunderland – have joined the Nexus Apprenticeship Scheme along with eight other trainees. Says Director of Rail and Infrastructure for Nexus, Raymond Johnstone, ‘This is our third consecutive year of apprentice recruitment, which is vital for securing Metro’s long term future. I’m pleased to say that we have had two successful female applicants this year. We are committed to seeing more women in engineering roles. This scheme delivers an excellent standard of vocational training. The successful applicants will get to embark on an exciting career in the railway industry. We expanded our apprentice recruitment in 2013 to get fresh skills into the organisation for the

years to come.’ Nexus apprentices study at Gateshead College and the Nexus rail engineering base at South Gosforth in Newcastle. Gateshead College has been working with Nexus since 2013 developing a programme covering all aspects of rail engineering including electrical and mechanical, signalling and communications training. Apprentices can achieve NVQ Level 2 in Performing Engineering Operations and BTEC Level 3 Diploma in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. They will also gain English, Maths and IT skills at Level 2. Apprentices then work towards an HNC in electrical engineering on a full time programme of just under six months.

Pan Up for Electrification TransPennine and Midland Main Line railway electrification is back on line after the Secretary of State for Transport, Patrick McLoughlin, green flagged both projects. Network Rail and the Department for Transport (DfT) plan a more ambitious electrification of the line between Stalybridge, Leeds, York and Selby. The new plan aims to significantly increase capacity between Manchester, Leeds and York as well as delivering faster journey times. The upgrade will knock 15 minutes off today’s journey time between Manchester and York. The whole route from Liverpool to Newcastle, via Manchester, Leeds and York, will be fully electrified by 2022. Meanwhile, the Midland Main Line, which serves Britain’s industrial

heartland, will also benefit from increased line speed and capacity improvement with works already in hand to electrify the line north of Bedford to Kettering and Corby by 2019. Major electrification of the rest of the line north of Kettering to Leicester, Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield will be completed by 2023. Both projects had been stopped while Network Rail’s new chairman, Sir Peter Hendy, considered how Network Rail was going to resource and deliver the work. Says Hendy, ‘The temporary pause in the programme has given us the space to develop a better plan for passengers. People can expect more services and faster journeys. ‘We face some difficult challenges, and there is more work still to do, but the Secretary of State’s decision means we can now move forward with our plans to electrify

TransPennine and Midland Main Line.’ The rail industry has broadly welcomed the news. ‘The pause to these major schemes affected the whole of our membership, from design engineers to train builders, from contractors to consultants, and manufacturers of everything from rails to computer systems,’ said Railway Industry

Association (RIA) director general Jeremy Candfield. ‘Delivering projects of this scale efficiently requires considerable planning and investment in skills and resources across the whole supply chain. We will continue to work closely with Network Rail in developing a robust and achievable programme for these and the ongoing electrification work,’ he said.

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16 | RailStaff | October 2015

Scottish Options

for HS2 Report by David Shirres

Under current plans, in 2026 HS2 phase one will provide 225 mph running for Glasgow London services at the southern end of the route, saving 40 minutes. But the HS2 classic compatible train fleet will not tilt, so 11 minutes will be lost on the conventional route.

Modal Shift from Air

After HS2 phase two opens, 47 per cent of the route to Glasgow will be on high-speed line. However, with the demand for HS2 paths, time will be lost as combined trains for Edinburgh and Glasgow split at Carstairs. This was confirmed at a high-speed rail conference in Glasgow on 3 September, organised by Greengauge 21. Keith Brown, Scottish Government Minister for Infrastructure, felt that high-speed rail ‘didn’t just matter for Scotland, it is essential.’ Brown recalled that in 2011 the Scottish Partnership Group for High Speed’s report, Fast Track Scotland,

Brown felt that a high-speed link between the South East, the northern conurbations and central Scotland would ensure a more balanced and resilient economy. ‘Together these areas are greater than the sum of their parts,’ he said. By the late 2020s, he noted that transport links between Edinburgh and Glasgow would be at capacity. Hence, there was a need for a high-speed line between the two cities linked to the UK high-speed network. He was therefore pleased to announce that a HS2 study, commissioned by the Department for Transport and Transport Scotland, is to report on high-speed route options to

stated, ‘The case for high-speed rail in the UK is strong, but it is stronger when Scotland is included.’ This group, a partnership of 15 public and private organisations, had shown that there was a real consensus for high-speed rail in Scotland.

Scotland by the end of the year. Speaking at the conference, Donald Sutherland of HS2 and Jim Steer of Greengauge 21 stressed the importance of a three-hour journey time between London and Glasgow - Edinburgh to give significant modal shift from air travel. Currently, rail’s share of this traffic is only 19 per cent. Steer explained how a sensible mix of upgraded and new lines could give a three-hour journey. However, any proposal to increase capacity and speed has to consider routes for the increasing amount of freight traffic. The current mix of 40-75 mph freight and 125 mph passenger trains significantly reduces capacity on the steeply-graded route north of Preston.

Frustration To further illustrate the need for additional rail capacity to Scotland, delegates heard that between 2008 and 2013, west coast rail traffic to London, Birmingham and Manchester had

increased by 144 per cent, 261 per cent and 191 per cent. Hearing this, some expressed frustration that nothing had been done in the four years since the publication of the Fast Track Scotland report. Yet this is not quite true. Sir David Higgins has made this case to drive through the HS2 route to Crewe in 2027 instead of 2033, thus benefitting Scotland and northern England. In December, the Scottish Government will know more about HS2’s crossborder options and will be able to firm up plans to ensure Scotland is included in the UK high-speed rail network. The Scottish Government is then to sponsor a high-speed rail conference on 17 February to announce its plans. These are likely to propose a highspeed line between Edinburgh and Glasgow, providing both extra capacity between the two cities and, via a link with the high-speed route from the south, reducing journey times to England.

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18 | RailStaff | October 2015

Rail chiefs blasts re-nationalisation plans Industry leaders have hit out at Labour plans, announced by Jeremy Corbyn, to renationalise the railway. As the industry continues to grow, attracting more customers and investment, the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) released figures showing that the railway and its supply chain contributes £10.1 billion a year to the economy, employs 216,000 people and pays £4 billion a year in taxes. Burgeoning rail use and extra revenue has seen most lines switch from subsidy dependant operations to net contributors to the treasury. ‘When rail franchising was introduced, the railway ran at a £2 billion a year loss in terms of its day-today costs but today, it virtually covers its running expenses,’ says Seb Gordon, head of news at the RDG. ‘This phenomenal financial turnaround has happened because journeys have grown faster here than on many other European railways, resulting in almost six times more money being paid back by train operators to government for rail investment.’ A growing economy and a private sector railway keen to take advantage of it means Britain’s railway is among the fastest growing in Europe.

‘While other countries have invested heavily in their railways, none has come close to matching the success of ours because they don’t benefit from the winning combination of private-sector competition and government funding,’ says Gordon. Passenger numbers have more than doubled since privatisation from 801 million to 1,654 million. The number of train services being run each year has increased by 28 per cent. Stagecoach boss Martin Griffiths, who chairs RDG, says the privatised railway is benefiting every household in the land. ‘The railway and its supply chain are vitally important to every household in the country, linking people with jobs, paying taxes which help fund public services and increasing economic output.’ Pete Waterman, who started his working life on the railway as a fireman before becoming a songwriter and pop impresario, is even more robust in his defence of private sector railways. ‘Nationalisation doesn’t work. It has never worked. Once I started working in the music industry, I travelled on the nationalised railway for 25 years and it was a disaster.

‘The rolling stock got older, it fell apart, it ran late. Everybody has these rose-tinted glasses on, but they didn’t travel on the trains back then. It was painful. So if you think it was better in the old days, you are kidding yourselves.’ Waterman is a regular commuter on WCML between his home in Warrington and London.

Flower Power for New Oxford Trains Ahead of the October opening of the new Oxford Parkway London Marylebone line, test trains are being run over the new track and new trains unveiled. The line is the first new rail link between London and a major British city for over 100 years. The new railway has now been connected to the Birmingham - London line with signalling systems updated. Since Chiltern Railways achieved final approval for the line in 2013,

a partnership with Network Rail has seen an army of rail workers transforming the old low speed branch line into a 100 mph high speed corridor. Says Stephen Barker, chief project engineer at Chiltern Railways, who was involved from the beginning, ‘The project has been over 10 years in the making, constitutes an investment of £130 million for Chiltern and we are thrilled to see the first driver instruction trains travel across the junction onto the new line.’

The line between Bicester and Oxford brings together the Chiltern Railways scheme and part of the infrastructure required for East West Rail services. Chiltern Railways has unveiled additional trains featuring on-board loos modelled on the Oxford Botanic Gardens. Scenes depict the lush gardens and hot house which features many exotic and rare plants from around the world. The trains will be in service between Oxford Parkway and London from Monday, 26 October.

Highland Wedding A dedicated team of volunteers helped make the wedding of Shaun Allan and Carol McLaughlin an occasion to remember. The couple from Banchory elected to get married on a train at the Royal Deeside Railway. Says David Pearson of the Royal Deeside Railway, ‘I would like to pass my thanks onto all the dedicated volunteers at the station who helped make the day run like clockwork. Particularly Frank Grant who was the mastermind behind organising everything on the day.’ The bride arrived in a bubble car and 50 guests attended the nuptials.

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20 | RailStaff | October 2015

Adonis to Head New Commission The appointment of Andrew Adonis as head of the new National Infrastructure Commission is good news for the railway industry. Andrew Adonis served as Transport Secretary under the last Labour administration, where he pushed forward with HS2 and secured Great Western electrification. Adonis backs Crossrail 2 and is a strong supporter of better railways in the north of England - he once alarmed fellow peers by suggesting the House of Lords be relocated to Salford in Manchester. The National Infrastructure Commission is a new independent body that will enable long-term strategic decision making aimed at building effective and efficient infrastructure. As well as energy supply, the commission will be working out how best to progress Crossrail 2 and HS3.

Says John Cridland, director general of the CBI, ‘Updating the UK’s infrastructure is critical to sustainable growth and productivity, and we’ve long called for an independent body to assess our longterm needs.’ Adonis is definitely the man for the job. The son of a Greek Cypriot immigrant, he was brought up in local authority care after his mother walked out. His break came when he won a place at Kingham Hill School, a private boarding school in Oxfordshire. From there he went to Keble College, Oxford, where he read history. As an academic, he taught at Nuffield College before joining the Financial Times. He joined Blair’s Number 10 policy unit in 1998, and was Minister for Schools from May 2005 until October 2008 before moving to transport. Adonis has resigned the Labour whip in the Lords to take on his new role. ‘Without big improvements to its transport and energy systems, Britain will grind to a halt. I look forward to establishing the National Infrastructure Commission as an independent body able to advise government and Parliament on priorities,’ says Lord Adonis. ‘Major infrastructure projects like Crossrail and

Rooting for Rail Freight Consumer demands for good food - in and out of season - as well as cars and white goods is fuelling a buoyant increase in rail freight. Rapid delivery and specialist produce is helping to fill 80 more freight trains per week compared to this time last year, says Network Rail. Figures show this demand has been steadily increasing over the last decade, with a 75 per cent uplift in the volume of consumer goods travelling by train since 2005. Everything from liquidisers and luxury cars, to refrigerators and rhubarb is travelling from plot and port to retail centres by trains, covering an extra 20,000 miles each month compared to the same time last year. This is more than 600,000 miles in total.

major new power stations span governments and parliaments. I hope it will be possible to forge a wide measure of agreement, across society and politics, on key infrastructure requirements for the next 20 to 30 years and the assessments which have underpinned them.’ Political consensus should be feasible - the idea of the commission comes from the Labour Party and enjoys cross-party support.

New, longer, freight trains capable of carrying greater loads have been pressed into service as rail engineers push ahead with urgent track enhancements designed to improve the flow of freight traffic. According to the Rail Delivery Group (RDG), the rail freight industry is now adding over £1.6 billion a year to the British economy and this is predicted to rise to £2 billion in 2023 with continued investment. Rail chiefs and staff are playing the environmental card as commercial retailers strive to improve their social responsibility and green credentials. Says Justin Kirkhope of the Co-operative Group, ‘Cutting CO2 emissions and minimising environmental impact is a priority, and we believe that moving goods by rail is an efficient, carbon friendly means of transporting large volumes quickly. ‘Congestion and delays are often less of an issue which supports our goal of exceeding our customer’s expectation for delivery, availability and fulfilment.’

Glasgow Glee for RBF

Over £22,000 was raised by people at the 9th RBF annual dinner held in the Grand Central Hotel, Glasgow. A delighted RBF chief executive, Abi Smith, said, ‘My grateful thanks to everyone involved in making the event such a success.’ Abi also thanked volunteers for helping run the event. ‘The 10 volunteers from ScotRail who helped the event to run smoothly deserve special mention.’ RBF is a charity for railway people funded by railway people.

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TRACK SAFETY

22 | RailStaff | October 2015

THREE QUESTIONS

WHO IS TAKING RESPONSIBILITY? DOES MANAGEMENT KNOW WHAT IS REALLY HAPPENING? SHOULD RAIB AND HMRI BE RECOMBINED? SAFETY Colin Wheeler colin@rail-media.com

Last month I commented on the Class Investigation report published by the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) that identified 714 possession irregularities which occurred in just two years. 440 related to possession protection and 9 were categorised as potentially fatal.

I was not surprised when in response I received the letter (right) from a retired officer who worked for Her Majesty’s Railway Inspectorate (HMRI). I have little difficulty in empathising with the writer, although as an engineer who had responsibility for track-work I would expect local Network Rail track engineers to be out on site checking on possessions working as I did years ago, and listening to the concerns of their staff. This should always be the greatest priority!

Collapsed signal post hit by HST The RAIB has published its report into the signal post collapse near Newbury that occurred on November 17th last year. It was at 2-35 pm on the afternoon of that day when the HST passenger train travelling at 110 mph ran into the top of the collapsed signal. The train was fortunately travelling on the Up Westbury line which was only partially obstructed. The adjacent Down Westbury Line was completely obstructed by the fallen post. The train was not derailed and there were no serious injuries. The 168 mm diameter, 6 mm thick hollow steel post had completely rusted through just above ground level and was rusted both inside and out. Signal posts are visually examined every year, but the external corrosion was concealed by ballast. The report comments that “the examination regime was vulnerable to missing such defects”.

“I was deeply saddened to read the opening paragraphs of your Safety article published in the September issue of “Railstaff. I find it hard to believe that there are still over 200 irregularities per annum (that is 4 per week!) relating to possession/protection arrangements. Is ANYONE taking responsibility? Is anyone in management or ORR getting off their backsides and finding out what is actually happening? I retired from HMRI over a decade ago, but surely section T3 of the rule book is essentially the same? How difficult is it to get out and see what is happening in possessions other than having the inconvenience of getting out on a cold and wet Saturday night and giving up a weekend of leisure? I remain passionate about track worker safety. I used to spend one weekend a month checking on possession work. The procedure was quite simple: • Find out from the Weekly Operating Notice what possessions were planned for the weekend. • Visit the controlling signal-box and talk to the PICOP. This gave me a feel for their competence and confirmed the precise limits of the possession and the protection arrangements. • Examine the location and effectiveness of the protection and talk to the blocked-road man (if I could find him!). • Check all was in order, then go and find the possession worksites, check that they were where the PICOP thought they were and talk to the Engineering Supervisors (ES) about the jobs and their understanding of protection afforded, train movements in the area, etc. Also check that no work was being carried out without protection. • Advise the PICOP of anything that I found that was incorrect or hazardous and receive his assurance that it would be corrected. During my years on the job, I got to know the signallers, the PICOPs, the ESs and many of the staff on the ground. Once I had their confidence, they would talk to me about their concerns. I could write a book!! What really bothers me, however, is the sheer number of incidents that are still taking place. I believe that every time there is a possession irregularity, there is potential for a fatality. Who is looking after the poor old track worker? Anyone? How I wish I was 20 years younger!!” Look for yourself Examiners are well trained and doubtless technically competent. I recall an earlier age when good, fully time-served tradesmen were trained to be examiners. These steel-fitters, bricklayers joiners etc. intuitively

noticed when something changed on one of their structures and reported on it. Their reports were signed off by a chartered engineer who was responsible for the structure. I recall signing but selecting any that concerned me and then visiting them myself. Is

TRACK SAFETY

there a competent qualified engineer responsible for checking the report on the signal post that collapsed near Newbury?

Spigots damaged plaform copings at Moston On January 28th the 0357 freight service from Apley Yard Warrington to Doncaster hit the down platform copings at Moston Station near Manchester. The RAIB report says that the displaced copings were then struck at 0617 by the 0612 Manchester Victoria to Leeds passenger service. The damage was caused by the projecting spigots used to secure containers to the freight wagons. They had been left projecting beyond the width of the wagons. The RAIB examination of a CCTV recording showed that the spigots were left in the extended position when the train left Warrington. Yard staff are apparently required to check that the spigots are stowed, but the wagons do not have a restraint system for them. The platforms at Moston are set at a tight clearance and do not meet current criteria for new platforms.

Ineffective repairs The RAIB report on a derailment at Heworth last year has been published. On 23rd October a Class 66 locomotive was hauling 25 two-axle empty PCA cement wagons at 51 mph when the leading wheelset of the tenth wagon derailed on track with cyclic top. (Cyclic top track develops regular dips in both rails). The derailed train ran on for a further 1.4 miles before it was brought to a halt after a signaller realised that there was damage to the signalling system. The tenth wagon had suffered a loss of suspension damping due to unidentified worn suspension on its leading right hand corner. This was caused by a wheelset alignment problem. The cause of the poor top was poor drainage, a problem repeatedly identified by track inspections. Occasionally, the report says the maintenance team carried out manual repairs but these were ineffective and “often no repair took place.”

Management of track maintenance and reduced numbers The Heworth report concluded that “the reduced numbers of track

October 2015 | RailStaff | 23

maintenance staff over a long period of time, changes to the track working safety arrangements, restrictions on track access at Heworth and how the track was inspected all contributed to the derailment.” It adds that a further underlying cause was a failure of Network Rail’s audit and self-assurance processes to alert senior management to the extent of non-compliances or to trigger action to resolve the problems in the local track maintenance team’s area. RAIB made five recommendations. One relates to the wagon suspension problems, the other four are all concerned with the management of track maintenance by Network Rail. Surely management must have been aware?

Train hits buffer stops, fourteen injured An accident at Kings Cross Station at 12:18 pm on September 17th is currently under investigation. The 1055 Class 317 EMU from Cambridge was being driven by a trainee driver under supervision as the train arrived at Platform11. It entered the platform at normal speed but then according to the RAIB, “the brakes were not applied so as to bring the train to a stand before the collision with the buffer stop occurred”. It ran into the buffer stops at 5 mph pushing them back a short distance. Fourteen passengers reported injuries, four were treated by the ambulance service and two were taken to hospital but released later the same day. Interior coach fittings were dislodged by the impact and one passenger was struck by a detached lighting diffuser. The RAIB investigation is focussing on the design and performance of the buffer stops, their maintenance, that of the train itself and “other management issues”.

the Office of Road and Rail which incorporates Her Majesty’s Railway Inspectorate.

Staff motivation Motivation and management of people I believe is a paramount requirement for the safe running of our railway. Rules, regulations, specifications and processes can be useful. But when working on track or driving a train, dedication, skills, concentration and commitment are even more important. I find it difficult to believe that the failure of a signal post at Newbury came as a surprise to everyone. Local staff must have suspected that it was not in the best condition. At Heworth was it not inevitable that after repeatedly reporting the faults and seeing nothing done about it, local staff lost motivation? The RAIB Kings Cross inquiry will look at buffer designs and driver training but surely such incidents come down to individual responsibility? How often do you hear someone say, “It’s wrong but I dare not say anything”?

Unite RAIB and HMRI? Mr Corbyn wants to renationalise our railways, but as I understand it we already own them. More usefully I suggest consideration now needs to be given to reviewing the respective roles of the ORR and RAIB. Funding and regulation matters should remain with ORR to keep the detailed regulation of our railways out of the five yearly political cycle. But would it not be better to transfer HMRI into a separate organisation with the RAIB so that all relevant actions needed as a result of accidents and incidents came back together as they were many years ago. I suggest that the concerns of my retired correspondent, (which I share and endorse) illustrate yet again the need for delegation, empowerment, management and motivation. There are still far too many able people working on our railways who don’t dare speak when they know something is wrong; and too many managers and supervisors who are all but tied to their desks and computer terminals!

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Blame and liability It is difficult not to conclude that all the accidents featured this month are the result of human errors. RAIB’s terms of reference are referred to in every published report and include the statement that reports are “not to establish blame or liability” and that consequently “it is inappropriate” for them to be used to assign fault or blame. Those responsibilities lie with

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Help: The Watchword of Success When it comes to a vote of confidence in railways it doesn’t get much bigger than the RailStaff Awards 2015. Over 40,000 rail staff voted in the RailStaff Awards this year, choosing the industry’s winners in 20 separate categories. 1,200 nominations were received. On the night itself, over 1,000 railway staff, friends and family piled into the Ricoh Arena in Coventry for what is a unique celebration of a prosperous yet caring industry. Help! might be a cry of desperation in any other industry but not in railways. Almost all the winners at the RailStaff Awards 2015 can be defined as having helped members of the public, fellow workers, new recruits or second careerists in some way. It would be facetious to suggest railway people are kinder and warmer than their counterparts in aviation, the motor trade or the ships and ferries that ply our seas. Make no mistake, railway companies are as dynamic and commercially hard headed as the most ruthless dot.com buccaneers. Marketing specialists go to enormous lengths to load trains off peak. Contractors certainly drive a hard bargain. Trade

unionists and senior management lock horns in bullgoring discussions about wage demands and jobs. All of this is faithfully reported in the conventional media. Fare hikes and strikes seem to be the backbone of public perceptions of railways.

Concerned staff That said, a brief look through the pages that follow this one shows a more concerned and caring side of an industry forged in steel and struggle, coal and cold, showers and… well all sorts of weather. These are stories of kindness and compassion, encouragement and support. Pro-active helpfulness defines the award winners: how better to drive up customer care, recruit new staff, save that life, improve safety? How many lives have been saved by the intervention of concerned staff? How many injuries prevented by staff safety feedback and the spread of best practice? This is also an industry that specialises in second chances. We see young apprentices joining up, often after a few years in jobs that offer little future and no sense of adventure or achievement. Rail rehabilitates offenders, takes on ex-servicemen and actively recruits former teachers, drivers and retail staff - anyone, in fact, keen to join the greatest growth phenomenon of our time. That’s in addition to a growing phalanx of graduates and school leavers. For the truth

is railways need more people to build the infrastructure of tomorrow - needed now with an urgency passengers and freight forwarders are only too ready to affirm.

Watchword of success The main catalyst behind the success of the rail industry is the helpfulness and ingenuity of railway people, the ability to go beyond the initial requirements of the job description or contract. Needs and situations are anticipated, not just suffered with a siege mentality. This is what distinguishes an industry actively answering the challenges of its time. It is this basic ethos that informs the diligence of planners and engineers driving forward projects designed to increase capacity, reduce costs and make transport safe and efficient throughout the UK. It is nowhere more apparent than in the kindness and compassion of frontline staff. Help transcends questions of ownership or political identity. The railway’s idea of helpfulness, of initiative, imagination and vision goes far beyond the routine customer care guff we hear in other industries. It is a tenet of belief that sits right at the heart of the railway industry. Help is not a despairing doomsday scream, no, in the railway industry it is a reasoned statement of intent. It’s the watchword of success. This ethos finds its recognition and affirmation at the RailStaff Awards. Congratulations to all our winners, their supporters, families and friends. That celebration was your night; recognition for your hard work. Let’s hope it’s a help.

RAILSTAFF AWARDS 2015

26 | RailStaff | October 2015

Apprentice Accolade for Ben Cox Positive and helpful, with a sense of humour and optimism that’s always well received, is how colleagues describe Ben Cox, named as Apprentice of the Year 2015. During periods of high pressure, Ben is recognised for displaying exceptional composure, keeping his cool and managing critical relationships between teams. It’s a great achievement for Ben, who has been working on Crossrail and joined the project nine months ago. Part of the famed Mile End Team, he’s serving his apprenticeship with Skanska and is already putting his knowledge and experience to good use with the Costain/Skanska Joint Venture (CSJV) team. Says Ben, ‘It’s fantastic! I’d like to thank Paul Gully, Keith Perry and Richard Plant for their support and guidance. Says colleague Saad Slimani, ‘While he is a relative newcomer to the construction industry and the Crossrail C360 project, Ben deserves the Apprentice of the Year Award for his commitment, work ethic and passion for achieving objectives as part of a team. ‘As well as improving his engineering expertise, Ben has firmly grasped responsibility for day-to-day operations and the management of health and safety onsite. This is evident from the growing respect he has from his seniors, the site supervisors. ‘He has been responsible for weekly checks of key safety equipment as well as updating all signage and inductions on a constantly changing site. We

have absolute faith in Ben’s ability to manage the safety procedures that govern the wellbeing of all staff and visitors to site.’ Ben not only soaks up experience transmuting it into professionalism but is making a greater contribution to the job. ‘Ben uses his initiative to foresee potential problems before they arise,’ says Saad. ‘In several instances he has suggested changes to procedure, and then drafted revisions of procedures and method statements for approval without being tasked with ownership of this.’ Ben Cox has consistently performed to a level that is far beyond his age, position and the expectations of the team. He has become competent at using and setting out equipment, carries out quality checks for subcontractors’ work and has been given a key role in running the daily coordination meeting to prepare the Start of Shift (SOS) briefing for the next day. ‘Despite his youth, Ben Cox confidently presents the SOS and toolbox talks to a workforce of approximately 40 operatives. Colleagues point out the audience gives him complete attention and respect. ‘This might seem a daunting prospect to some but such is his depth of character, Ben simply takes it in his stride,’ one said. Apprentice of the Year was sponsored by Shorterm Group, which provides specialist recruitment services and technical support for the engineering industry. The award was presented by Shorterm Group’s director of rail, Lawrence Dobie. He said, ‘It’s nice to be able to

recognise the achievement and certainly for an award like Apprentice of the Year where you’ve got a young person who’s new to the industry. I think it’s really good to get that sense of achievement early on in their career.

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RAILSTAFF AWARDS 2015

October 2015 | RailStaff | 27

Charity Work Makes Tim Brawn Smile Every year on his way home after Railway Children’s Three Peaks by Rail challenge, Tim Brawn, a control centre manager at First TransPennine Express in Manchester, says, ‘Never Again!’ Then between Fort William and Manchester, Tim, who has served 30 years on the railways and won this year’s David Maidment Award for Charity, changes his mind. Tim has been helping organise the Three Peaks Challenge since its inception. Says First TransPennine Express manager Luke Gardner, ‘Tim has donated vast amounts of his time for many years to the Railway Children charity, having a very large involvement in the Three Peaks by Rail annual tour. ‘He first participated in 2005 and has been involved ever since. This includes briefing teams, manning checkpoints, assisting on board the train and

helping to identify the train paths for it to run. During this time the event has raised £2 million.’ Tim has himself scaled Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds and afterwards visited the Mzombi project, a residential home for former street kids in Arusha. For the past three years, he has been heavily involved with the planning and organisation of three charity Railtours run in association with the Branch Line Society on behalf of First TransPennine Express. The idea was his original brainchild. Back in the days of First North Western, he had organised six similar charter trains. Onboard the tours, fundraising continues with raffles, quizzes, cab rides and change collections. ‘Tim’s enthusiasm in raising funds for the Railway Children, from initial fundraising concepts to the organising of further charity money spinners on the day, is relentless,’ says Luke.

Track Partnership is proud to sponsor the David Maidment Award for Charity

‘He has a particular skill at picking people up when the going gets tough, motivating people to see projects through to the end, clear in his mind how the money raised will benefit the thousands of homeless children around the world. ‘The total money raised from these three railtours at TPE alone is in excess of £70,000, a figure that would certainly not have been achieved without Tim’s commitment to the project. His involvement with so many other projects makes this total significantly more on a personal level.’ A delighted Tim Brawn said, ‘I’d like to thank the people who nominated me, the people at the charity and all its supporters.’ The fundraising keeps him going. Earlier Tim said, ‘Being involved in charity work and to have contributed to making a difference to so many others lives makes it all worthwhile. This year saw me on my 12th Three Peaks adventure and as always on the Saturday night on the way home from

Fort William I said never again, but I’m always back for more. ‘To have played a big part in raising over £170,000 through personal and work projects is starting to become mind blowing. It’s one of the few things that still makes me smile in this turbulent world. ‘Overall Three Peaks has now passed the two million mark, something the whole industry should be proud of.’ The award was presented by John Hardy from award sponsor Track Partnership - a strategic alliance between London Underground and Balfour Beatty Rail. He said, ‘The whole success of the rail industry at the moment is around people and the way people work together - people and relationships. ‘It passes on benefits that we have in this boom time for railways to the wider community, and it also has a real benefit to teams who contribute. It pulls the teams together, improves morale and it gives something back to the wider community.’

Highly commended • East Coast Christmas Charity Charter Train, Virgin Trains • Lee Hallam, Linbrooke Services Ltd

RAILSTAFF AWARDS 2015

28 | RailStaff | October 2015

Ashford Team Pioneers National Example The team responsible for Hitachi Rail’s Ashford Train Maintenance Centre has won this year’s Depot Team of the Year Award. ‘We are absolutely elated,’ says fleet manager Nigel King, who received the award with Michael Hill, duty shift manager. ‘There are too many people to thank. Ashford is a real team effort, operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, delivering services to the customer,’ adds Nigel. One-hundred-and-sixteen people work at the depot. The team has performed so well at Ashford that lessons learnt there are being applied to other depots. Says managing director of Hitachi Rail Europe Karen Boswell, ‘I am once again thrilled for my team at Ashford whose hard work in setting the highest standards in partnership working and customer service has been recognised. Congratulations to the team on this great achievement.’ The Hitachi Rail Ashford train maintenance centre has been established and recognised as a centre of excellence. Efforts by the team at Ashford have seen the Class 395 highspeed services racking up top marks in passenger satisfaction ratings. The dual voltage Class 395s, built by Hitachi Rail, are the UK’s first domestic high-speed commuter trains and were delivered on time with a preview service launched six months ahead of schedule in June 2009. As Hitachi Rail ramps up to delivery of the first Class 800/801 trains for the Intercity Express Programme (IEP), the flagship service offered at Ashford has acted as the blueprint for a fully

integrated support infrastructure that will give Hitachi Rail a combination of new, refurbished and existing depots in the UK. Hitachi Rail is building on its solid foundation of maintenance practice in Ashford to fulfil the demanding requirements of the IEP and ScotRail contracts with regard to fleet availability and reliability of the trains. The newly built and refurbished IEP depots across Britain have benefitted from the success factors at Ashford, together with the lessons learned from fleet improvement activities and the standardisation of all maintenance activities. ‘Our skilled team of Ashford engineers is always willing to go the extra mile to ensure that we deliver the highest quality of service to the customer,’ says Nigel King. ‘The improvements the team at Ashford deliver directly translate to benefits for passengers – more trains, more seats and improved fleet reliability, resulting in a positive impact on capacity as well as the passenger experience and comfort. Close collaboration with our manufacturing colleagues drives a continuous improvement programme in Ashford ensuring better reliability and maintainability.’ There’s been a Traction and Rolling Stock site at the depot for over 150 years. Ashford has deep roots in the history of the railway and is right out ahead leading the railway’s future. Depot Team of the Year was sponsored by Furrer+Frey, which supplies overhead contact line solutions to the rail industry. The

Highly commended • Bristol Driver Depot Team, Great Western Railway • Doncaster High Output Depot, Network Rail

award was presented by Noel Dolphin, managing director of Furrer+Frey GB. He said the rail industry had an

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RAILSTAFF AWARDS 2015

October 2015 | RailStaff | 29

Tyler Corbishley wins Graduate of the Year Tyler Corbishley joined the railway for a six-week summer job at Preston and never looked back. He read environmental science at university and went to work for First Great Western (FGW). ‘Tyler has spent the best part of a year with FGW, now renamed Great Western Railway, and worked around various parts of the business,’ says colleague, Mike Smith. ‘It was obvious very quickly that he is not keen on sitting and observing but wants to be involved in actually completing “real” work.’ ‘Throughout his time with us, he has shown continued dedication delivering greater results on a number of projects than many full-time staff. These have included setting up a digital rostering system for the revenue protection team.’ Until Tyler arrived the team had been completely paper-based. He

also delivered training for frontline staff on a project aimed at improving management deployment during the first hour of disruption. Tyler went on to research and write a report on a notoriously poor-performing branch line, examining the causes and main locations of delay. Theories were backed up by appropriate data. ‘This all culminated in him developing his project management skills and being the obvious choice to organise the operational deployment of the region for the longest duration mainline possession on the Western route for 40 years in the Bath area,’ says Mike. The Boxwood Tunnel project preparing Bath for electrification - has been hailed as a great organisational and engineering triumph. Amazingly, the Bath helpline only received 26 calls from the public during the works, a tribute to Tyler and the many other staff involved at all levels.

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Tyler has shown immense dedication and versatility and has been involved in customer service delivery, management deployment, operational risk assessment and operational delivery. Says Mike, ‘He has played a key part in all of these areas, and in every piece of work, regardless of how much he enjoyed it, he has shown determination to succeed and has delivered tangible results.’ Says Tyler, ‘I’d like to thank all the people I work with and particularly Mike Smith and Rob Mullen at Central - Great Western’s Bristol-based operation.’ A popular figure at GWR, several team members wrote in supporting his nomination. ‘Tyler is an asset to the rail industry and he deserves to be the Graduate of the Year,’ said one. ‘I just wanted to inform you that I found Tyler a pleasure to work with, very

professional and his work was of a high standard,’ said another. Credit must also go to Virgin Trains staff at Preston station for hiring Tyler that first summer and inspiring him to take up a career on the railways. Graduate of the Year was sponsored by Telent Technology Services, which provides a range of network and communications services to the rail industry. The award was presented by Jo Gretton, head of legal and commercial at Telent Technology Services. She said, ‘To recognise people, young people, coming in at the start of their careers is as important as recognising people who have done a lifetime of achievement. ‘Nothing happens in any industry, particularly this industry, without everybody really going above and beyond what they’re asked to deliver, and it’s that extraordinary effort that really makes the projects happen.’

Highly commended • Oscar Tucker, Furrer & Frey • Rob Williams, Costain Skanska JV (CSJV)

RAILSTAFF AWARDS 2015

30 | RailStaff | October 2015

Intertrain Founder wins Lifetime Achievement A junior technical officer who started work with British Rail 47 years ago has won this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Keith Jessop joined the railway in 1968 and rose to become British Rail’s chief civil engineer in Euston. Undaunted by the unlooked for challenge of railway privatisation, he founded Intertrain 18 years ago, basing his idea on three decades of engineering experience, a spell as Eastern Region’s central training manager and an unshakeable conviction that the railways would make a comeback. Jessop believed a resurgent railway would need skilled professionals, new apprentices and journeymen to take it forward. Pete Canning describes the man at the helm of Doncaster-based Intertrain. ‘What initially started out as a one-man band operation now fulfils the needs and aspirations of hundreds of young people through apprenticeships, working with colleges and universities as well as thousands of personnel entering the doors to receive safety critical training. ‘On top of all this, Keith has been adamant that he wanted to help those who are less fortunate and supports community-based projects such as the Prince’s Trust.’ Keith Jessop is also helping the railway cast its net wider in a bid to recruit more people. Says Vince Tennison, head of compliance at Intertrain, ‘One area where Keith’s influence and philosophy can be seen is in supporting the Offender Rehabilitation programme. Keith has championed taking on offenders who are coming to the end

of their sentence and giving them a place to work and develop their skills as well as assisting them finding work once they have completed their term in prison. Providing such help and support to offenders is something that not a lot of people would engage in and some would disapprove of, but Keith truly believes that he is in a position to make a difference and that by providing the right support, individuals who want to work hard and make positive life choices have a future on the railway.’ Jessop believes in supporting and encouraging both students and staff. One trainer, Eddie Duncan, described a boss who regularly goes the extra mile to help. ‘I am of a certain vintage and thought I was too long in the tooth to be completing a Level 4 Teaching Qualification,’ says Eddie. ‘But Keith changed my mind. He gave me the confidence that I could do this and indeed I did, being one of the first to achieve my Level 4 Teaching and Assessing Qualification. ‘This is just one example of how Keith has supported me through my time at Intertrain. He always has the time to listen and advise if you need it. I truly believe that my story is replicated throughout the organisation.’ Says Keith, ‘I’m delighted to have won this award, it’s a great surprise. I’d like to thank the people I’ve worked with over the years. In particular Tom Grysdale and John Midgley - sadly no longer with us. Even after 47 years in railways, I am enjoying it now more than ever because of Ian Raeburn and Alex Pond.’ FirstGroup sponsored this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award. The award was presented by FirstGroup’s

employee director, Mick Barker. Speaking about the category, Mick said, ‘I think we’ve probably got the best one. You can’t beat a lifetime. ‘In saying that, it’s wonderful to see RailStaff in the way they’re recognising absolutely everybody, especially at the sharp end of the

We’re all proud to sponsor The Lifetime Achievement Award

Highly commended • Dennis Moss, Bombardier • Ann Turner, Virgin Trains East Coast

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RAILSTAFF AWARDS 2015

October 2015 | RailStaff | 31

Gail Satchell Wins Outstanding Customer Service Award A relative newcomer to the industry has won this year’s Outstanding Customer Service Award. Gail Satchell from Chippenham in Wiltshire joined Siemens Rail Automation in February and hit the ground running as a technical training administrator. Says Barrie Fulker, training liaison manager at Siemens Rail Automation, ‘Gail joined the Siemens Rail Automation (SRA) Capability team in February 2015 as a technical training administrator. ‘The team is small with five members. Gail’s role is crucial to the team which is responsible for ensuring that the SRA business, with 1,600 employees, has the engineering capability and competence to fulfil its project delivery commitments. ‘Gail’s customers are SRA employees along with external customers and training providers, who are all reliant

on the effective management of the dynamic SRA Technical Training Plan. ‘Gail manages, with great professionalism, enthusiasm and a smile, the co-ordination of this plan. By applying herself, Gail has gained the credibility and confidence of her customers which is necessary for the plan to work.’ Says Gail, ’I’d like to thank Barry Fulker for nominating me and the team I work with. They have been very supportive and welcoming.’ On her own initiative, Gail completed a series of the company’s technical training e-learning packages which explain the company’s products and processes. This was over and above what was expected from her. A measure of good customer service is the retention and growth of customers. This is evident in the numbers of customers currently being provided with a service by Gail through the SRA technical training plan. The plan currently has 170 live technical

GB RAILFREIGHT KEEPING THE ECONOMY MOVING GBRf is focused on delivering innovative and outstanding services for its customers Our team of over 600 people operate in excess of 1,000 trainloads a week, moving Britain’s rail freight with 99% reliability.

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training courses for SRA customers and 46 live external customer training courses with a total of 1,300 delegates booked to attend - a 50 per cent increase over the same period last year. Says Barrie, ‘A great example of how Gail manages her work and provides the great customer service required is the co-ordination of the Safe Work Leader programme for all SRA control of site safety and engineering supervisors - more than 200 people. This was a requirement of a customer, Network Rail, which needed to be co-ordinated in very short timescales. Gail stepped up to the plate on her very first day to demonstrate her commitment and skill by speaking to many people to ask for their support in getting the job done.’ A construction manager said, ‘I worked with Gail while acting as the route implementation manager in the East Midlands. I found her to be exceptionally pro-active and helpful in ensuring all the training went smoothly; she is highly efficient, friendly and professional in her approach. ‘What struck me the most, compared to others I dealt with, was the way she wasn’t afraid to ask for more clarity or help. This may not seem important but it meant whenever we corresponded, I

knew she fully understood what was required.’ The Outstanding Customer Service Award was sponsored by GB Railfreight (GBRf). GBRf employs more than 600 people and operates over 1,000 trains a week, transporting 15 per cent of Britain’s rail freight. Says GBRf managing director John Smith, ‘The key thing is they’re being recognised by their peers, so the people being nominated are being nominated because people think they’re good. And that’s who they work with which is brilliant.’

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RAILSTAFF AWARDS 2015

32 | RailStaff | October 2015

Project Manager Ankur Honoured at RailStaff Awards Ankur Ankur of Furrer+Frey won this year’s Project Manager of the Year award. Ankur was singled out for his dedication and work on the Edinburgh to Glasgow Improvement Project (EGIP). Says managing director of Furrer+Frey GB, Noel Dolphin, ‘Ankur has made a real difference to the EGIP project. He has coordinated with multiple parties, liaising between our design, plant and installation teams and ABC and Systra’s teams. ‘He has helped brief and train the Scottish teams on our overhead line electrification systems and brought a real sense of camaraderie, having spent a long time on site supporting and coordinating with the various parties. ‘We are an SME so only a small part of EGIP, but Ankur has still managed to make a big impact. He has managed to put the contract aside and work to everyone’s mutual advantage that will make the project a success.’ It’s a view widely shared by colleagues. Comms manager, Carol Elvin, describes Ankur’s crucial role in introducing the Rigid Conductor rail system to the UK for Furrer+Frey. ‘The initial installation on the Edinburgh to Glasgow Improvement Programme is part of a £742 million project that includes three key tunnels: Winchburgh, Falkirk and Queen Street. Ankur faced many challenges, not least the management of all the stakeholders in the alliance and getting relevant information to all parties, including the workforce for whom the rail system is completely new.

‘Communication was key, connecting designers with customers, including tunnel details which are crucial to the design of the anchor fixings. The major challenge was having to design, validate and supply the system with the much shorter than normal timelines to meet the Winchburgh 44day blockade. ‘Ankur also organised for the dedicated precision drilling rig to be imported from Switzerland and be ready for action during the 48-hour shift towards the end of the blockade - all of this while managing the tight budget. For someone new to the UK, just having to find your way to Winchburgh by sat nav has been a challenge in itself.’ Says electrification engineer Rob Daffern, ‘I worked with Ankur on the Stanton Tunnel conductor bar trial installation. ‘I was impressed by both his knowledge of the technology and his enthusiasm to get things done. Nothing phased him and he worked sensibly around obstacles that cropped up and ensuring a quality end result was delivered. His determination, drive and dynamism have really made the work possible.’ Project Manager of the Year was sponsored by the Network Certification Body (NCB) - a subsidiary of Network Rail which acts as a fullservice certification provider to the industry. Says James Collinson, managing director of NCB, ‘Project manager roles are incredibly intense… but at the same time incredibly rewarding when they’ve delivered something.

Highly commended • Lee Berry, Merseyrail • Robert Hickey, Network Rail

‘For me, the project manager’s role is one of those things where you can look back at something and say

that’s what I did. And so I think to be able to reward that kind of effort and determination that often goes with that is very much what this is all about.’

James Collinson (NCB) and Erica Cheuk who accepted the award on behalf of Ankur.

RAILSTAFF AWARDS 2015

October 2015 | RailStaff | 33

Engineering triumph for Amey Rail’s Andrew Loveday A good sense of humour and strong team spirit are the winning qualities Amey Rail’s Andrew Loveday brings to his work as a site manager and civil engineer on the Crossrail project. Says colleague Andy Gibbs, ‘With over 30 years’ experience on the railway, there is not much about civil work that Andy doesn’t know, and I have seen him work with the more junior members of his team to really develop their knowledge. ‘Andy always has a ‘can-do’ but safe approach – Andy will get a job done, but he will never let safety be sacrificed, which explains, I feel, why he has such a superb reputation. ‘I have known him identify a safety concern regarding access to a new structure and then stay late in the night to build a safe working platform for access in order to prevent accidents and to drive the project forward.’ Andrew Loveday goes above and

beyond contractual requirements to give clients a bespoke solution to their project needs - one of the reasons the Crossrail project is on time and on budget. ‘For the last year, Andrew has been the site manager and lead civil engineering operative for Amey Rail’s contribution to the Crossrail Outer Area Project,’ says Amey project manager, Oliver Jackson. ‘Andrew has shown great leadership and innovative skills to successfully deliver the civil engineering construction of nine separate structures.’ Based in Exeter, the job means he’s been living away from home for eight years. His experience has added great value to a young and relatively inexperienced workforce. ‘Andrew’s contribution to the project and attention to detail are a testament to his character,’ continues Oliver Jackson. ‘This is a selfless, dedicated, engineer, who takes great pride in the quality of his work and

his consideration for others. To relate one incident: On completion of his construction task (which followed the approved design rigidly) Andrew observed that the structure he had constructed, whilst correct, did not address the needs of the contractor who was to complete the signalling installation. The structure did not provide safe access for installation works before final completion. Andrew, having finished his work returned to the depot to construct a temporary access stairs and platform. This allowed the following contractor to access and work in a safe manner. This was above and beyond what was required of him, but Andrew once again could not just walk away. The safety of people he had not even met had been considered and any issues resolved before he felt comfortable in going home. ‘Andrew has built many structures during his 38 years of railway work. None of these structures carry his

name, but they represent a working life of leadership, commitment and dedication. Andrew’s contribution to Amey Rail is not just in his physical achievements but also in his example to younger, less experienced engineers of thoroughness and work ethic.’ Andy Gibbs adds, ‘Andy has a great sense of humour. He has a really good team spirit and often really cheers the team with his own deadpan sense of humour!’ Rail Engineer of the Year was sponsored by Morson International, which supplies a broad range of skilled personnel to rail projects around the UK and overseas. Jeff Marshall, client service manager, Morson International, presented the award. He said, ‘Morson International are at the forefront of the rail industry, and have been for probably 25-30 years. ‘I think it’s important we recognise people who make the standout achievements, go the extra mile, and we’re proud to support it.’

Highly commended • Andy Merritt, Network Rail • Matt Bower, Network Certification Body

RAILSTAFF AWARDS 2015

34 | RailStaff | October 2015

Rail Infrastructure and Possessions Team of the Year Award PPS Rail may be relatively new in the rail industry but it draws on the combined strengths of its members to provide the rail industry with a top performing integrated project management team. Initially formed as a dedicated access planning company, PPS Rail has quickly expanded its operational services to provide civil engineering works and site services. Melissa Follon is a fan, ‘I have chosen to nominate this team as they have continuously proven to be the best. They work amazingly and efficiently as a team and strive for the very best. They put a lot of value on their employees and it shows clearly in the level of professional dealings they are involved in. ‘They show time after time that they look after their own and are always first to try and deal with any situations in a professional manner. They are a well-suited team and will continue to go on and progress further and achieve more.’ PPS Rail is providing Help for Heroes by employing ex-forces staff and mentoring them until they achieve a level of knowledge which allows them to feel confident on site. They then become an integral cog in the PPS Rail family machine. Employing service personnel in railways is increasingly popular in the rail industry thanks to pioneering work by PPS Rail. Robert Lane knows firsthand what it’s like trying to adjust to civvy street. ‘When I came to PPS Rail Ltd I had recently left the army with nowhere to go and not much prospect of a future. I spoke to the RFEA (Regular forces

employment agency) who suggested that working on the railway could be an option. I paid for the course but unfortunately, because I suffer from PTSD, I was unable to work on track. This is when I met the guys at PPS Rail.’ Robert Lane has served in Iraq, Northern Ireland, Kosovo and Bosnia. He was injured in a bomb blast in Kosovo. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder may have been a problem in another company but not at PPS Rail. ‘The director, John Mills saw something in me, and decided to take me on as a planner, even though I had no rail experience at all. PPS Rail showed faith and had the courage to take a punt on an ex-squaddie with an issue.’ The move paid off and Robert Lane is now a valued member of the award-wining team based in Runcorn. Adds Robert, ‘The guys in PPS Rail have been very supportive, understanding and very professional. We’re an integrated company. Everyone helps each other from the apprentice to the managing director, to the PTS staff, we all work as a team and strive to be the best in our field. We always go the extra mile to achieve this.’ Andrew Frost, managing director, PPS Rail, said, ‘I’d like to thank all our staff, we are a 30-strong team, professional and fully integrated. ‘The team have established themselves across all areas of the country and managed various different projects large and small.’ With a wealth of railway experience, glowing customer testimonials and the added bonus of military know-how, PPS Rail is on the winning side and poised for further expansion. Says managing director of award

Highly commended • Harbury Landslip Emergency Response Team, Network Rail • Van Elle Rail

sponsor Intertrain, and Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Keith Jessop, ‘The award recognises teamwork, something which is essential for completing projects and completing them safely. It’s right that we celebrate the outstanding contributions teams and individuals make every day to the running of the

railway. It’s a challenging industry to work in at times but it can also be one of the most rewarding. ‘I wish the winner, highly commended and all teams nominated for this award every success in their future careers in the rail industry.’

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Staff Awards Telephone: 0844 800 3397 Email: intertraininfo@intertrain.biz www.intertrain.biz

RAILSTAFF AWARDS 2015

October 2015 | RailStaff | 35

Life Saving manager wins award A station manager who brought a passenger back from the dead has won this year’s Rail Manager of the Year. Brian Keenan, a station manager at Heathrow Express, had just finished testing safety equipment one Saturday, little knowing he would soon be using it for real. Lynn Crump, communications manager at Heathrow Express takes up the tale. ‘On the 5.10 train from Paddington to Heathrow on Saturday, 4 April, some fellow passengers raised the alarm about a man in his 40s who appeared to be very unwell on the train. ‘The on-board customer service representative (CSR) informed the driver who made the decision to keep travelling towards Heathrow, where there is good medical equipment readily at hand, and excellent emergency processes.’ The CSR had the presence of mind to

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radio ahead and talk to Brian, who was on duty at Heathrow Central Terminal Area (CTA). As soon as the train arrived, Brian boarded the train and attended to the ill passenger. This involved opening the man’s shirt and shaving his chest. Without this step the defibrillator would not have worked. ‘His eyes were locked open - no dilation,’ said Brian, who has been with Heathrow Express for 11 years. ‘Brian had never used a defibrillator on the platform before, but he took the CSR’s advice in bringing one to the scene,’ says Lynn. ‘He performed CPR for more than 12 minutes, something which the paramedics who later arrived said was “outstanding,” and literally the difference between the man living and dying. The paramedics also explained that Brian put down between 105 and 132 compressions per minute - an extraordinary number. The man had ‘flat-lined,’ in other words died, on the train, and he

stopped breathing for an estimated seven minutes before Brian resuscitated him. He was later taken to Hillingdon Hospital, where he subsequently made a full recovery. Says Heathrow Express controller Nikki Sohal, ‘I was one of the controllers on shift when Brian Keenan saved a man’s life. ‘I liaised with the paramedics until they arrived on the platform to take over. ‘After the incident, I had a few paramedics mention to me that Brian’s skill and training in using the defibrillator, and remaining calm under pressure whilst using it, without doubt had saved this man’s life. I mentioned this to Brian and he said it was very much a team effort, which it was, but Brian showed great leadership and remained calm under pressure in a difficult situation. ‘When the man was taken to hospital, Brian’s first concern was for the rest of the staff working at the station. Very well done Brian.’ ‘I am elated at winning this,’ says

Brian. ‘I certainly didn’t expect it. It’s an award for all of us. I’d like to thank my workmates. Without them nothing would have happened - it was a real team effort.’ Says colleague Brian Timmins, ‘His courage, confidence and bravery quite simply brought back a life. I have not witnessed this before during my 10 years at Heathrow Express. ‘Brian should be enormously proud of his achievement here, which made the difference between life or death.’ Rail Manager of the Year award was sponsored by infrastructure support service provider Amey. Says Amey’s Lee Jones, who presented the award, ‘Amey is proud to support these awards and recognise the amazing contributions made by the unsung heroes of our industry. ‘We’re particularly pleased to sponsor the Rail Manager of the Year Award which highlights the great work and achievements of those who have taken on very demanding leadership roles. Congratulations to all nominees and winners.’

Highly commended • Pam Williams, Northern Rail • Simon Cassidy, Great Western Railway

RAILSTAFF AWARDS 2015

36 | RailStaff | October 2015

Bridgeway Man Scoops Rail Person Award John Matheson, a team leader at Bridgeway Consulting, has won this year’s Rail Person of the Year. The award caps a successful career for the quietly spoken railwayman from Nottingham. John has been with Bridgeway for the last five years, during which time he has increased his skills by studying civil engineering and construction at New College Nottingham. Says Mark Lindahl, an associate director at Bridgeway Consulting Ltd, ‘John joined Bridgeway in March 2010 as a contract for services labourer having already had significant experience of working on track with his previous employer in many roles but recently as an assistant track welder and controller of site safety.’ Bridgeway bosses were quick to spot John Matheson’s ability to go beyond the job description and earmarked him to take a lead in the company’s burgeoning works portfolio. ‘John was quickly identified as having exceptional potential,’ says Lindahl. ‘His manner on site with his ability to learn new tasks whilst all the time conducting the works in the safest manner set him apart from other new intakes we had seen. This led us to fund John’s further studies by enrolling him on an ONC in civil engineering course. Despite being a very busy man workwise, John stuck it out and graduated with a distinction which when working shift work is no mean feat.’ John went on to study a Higher National Diploma in construction and civil engineering, which he completed this summer. The daunting syllabus covers construction projects, computer-aided design, estimating,

advanced mathematics, structural mechanics and land surveying. Multitasking is second nature to John. Says Mark Lindahl, ‘John has the ability to focus on several things at once and complete them all outstandingly. This skill when working on rail is one of the best if not the best skill to have. ‘John often acts in a safety critical role up to and including engineering supervisor/Safe Work Leader Level 2 whilst at the same time organising site teams to conduct drilling/coring/ trenching/pitting activities to completion in line with his safe system of work. His ability to adapt has meant that he has now taken on, in conjunction with other duties, that of lead cable percussive driller, operating our new bespoke Dando LHR D1500 tracked Cable Percussive Rig which, to date, has been a resounding success.’ Says John Matheson, ‘I’d like to thank the company and all at Bridgeway; without them I wouldn’t be here. Winning this award is really overwhelming. I didn’t think I’d win.’ At Bridgeway, John Matheson is held up as role model. ‘His careful and meticulous nature in the safety critical role, combined with his calm manner, has meant he has helped the company create some exceptional safety staff in his mould with excellent knowledge not only of the rule book but, just as importantly, how to apply it practically on site,’ says Mark. ‘John is the consummate rail professional and one all others in our field of work would do well to emulate.’ Rail Person of the Year was sponsored by TXM Plant - a leading

supplier of plant solutions to the UK rail industry. Says TXM Plant business development manager Rob Killen, who presented the award, ‘John started as a trackman and then he had the initiative to go to college to learn civil engineering, while

working full time as a trackman, and that’s how he’s built himself up through the rail industry to the position he has now. ‘That is exactly the type of person we want within the industry.’

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RAILSTAFF AWARDS 2015

October 2015 | RailStaff | 37

Transition Team take High Output Award The team that organised the transfer of High Output Track Renewals from Amey Colas to Network Rail wins this year’s Rail Plant and Equipment Person or Team of the Year Award. Says Keith Gibbs of Network Rail, ‘In April 2014, Network Rail decided to in-source the delivery of High Output Track Renewals (HOTR), worth approximately £100 million per annum. ‘Over the subsequent 11 months, Network Rail’s High Output insourcing transition team delivered this multi-faceted change programme, successfully completing the transition of 507 individuals on 26 March, 2015. This represented an example of high quality programme management in a complex, multi-stakeholder environment, combining people, process and technological change.’ Network Rail commenced HOTR in 2004, replacing rail, sleepers and ballast using a professional workforce

and factory-like trains working in shortduration overnight access windows. Eleven years later, the programme has grown to comprise six factory-like track renewal and ballast cleaning systems, collectively delivering 70 per cent of Network Rail’s track plain line renewals programme. It’s a seven-days-per-week operation, employing 800 staff on site and 400 people in maintenance and office-based roles. The breadth and scale of the transition process was substantial, incorporating 14 different work streams and over 100 full and part-time staff, almost all of whom had their regular ‘day jobs’ to undertake too. Adds Keith, ‘The High Output insourcing transition team really went the extra mile. It took a huge, collaborative team effort to overcome the numerous obstacles and significant challenges along the way, all within extremely demanding timescales.’ Caring for rail staff was an important

part of the programme with over 500 colleagues transferring under TUPE legislation from parent organisations in which they had been employed for many years. The team at Network Rail knew it was important to reassure and look after incoming staff. The move has created a less complex, more specialist and stable organisation and the High Output team has started to develop into a safer, more effective www.protracksolutions.co.uk and more efficient team. The HOTR www.protracksolutions.co.uk brand is getting stronger, supported by Professional Worldwide service sales@protracksolutions.co.uk a single culture and vision, all working from a UK company Professional Worldwide service for the same organisation. The team is sales@protracksolutions.co.uk from a UK company FLEET TRACKING I ASSET TRACKING now more collaborative, sharing good PERSONAL TRACKERS I SMARTPHONE TRACKING practice and information across the FLEET TRACKING ASSET TRACKING country. PERSONAL TRACKERS SMARTPHONE TRACKING sales@protracksolutions.co.uk Shortly after transition, the team held a lessons learnt workshop to review the programme. Emerging practices pioneered by the team have led to increased collaboration, continuous improvement and recognition. Many new friendships were formed along the way. Several of the models, tools

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38 | RailStaff | October 2015

Rugby star wins Rail Safety Person of the Year Adrian Fricker, lead union health and safety rep at Network Rail, has won this year’s Rail Safety Person of the Year. Says Paula Marshall, scheme project manager (Environmental) at Network Rail in Milton Keynes, ‘Adrian has been instrumental in establishing and promoting the work of the Track Safety Alliance (TSA), an industry-wide group which focuses on improving the health, safety and wellbeing of track workers.’ The TSA was formed in 2011 to help companies across the track renewals industry to develop and share best practice. TSA wants to drive a step-change in safety leadership and management throughout the organisations delivering track renewals and enhancement activity on the railway. The Alliance consists of Network Rail, the Tier 1 principal contractors, the supply chain and the trade unions. This is largely focused on the improvement of health, safety and wellbeing of track workers. A large part of its success so far is down to the hard work and ingenuity of people like Adrian Fricker. Paula Marshall continues, ‘Having defined and set up the leadership and management structure of the alliance, he set about organising staff reps and technical forums for front line staff, technical staff and leaders of the principal contractors. Over 1,500 track colleagues have attended these forums to openly discuss and debate safety issues like working at height, PPE and fatigue.’ Adrian Fricker is not afraid to challenge sponsors and leaders, reminding them of the commitment they made to

improve working conditions for staff. New ways to promote the safety work of the alliance emerge and a veritable harvest of good ideas and best practice is finding its way into agreed practice and safety protocols within the rail industry. ‘Under Adrian’s safety leadership, and as a direct result of feedback from track workers, the TSA has led the design and development of a number of safety initiatives including surveys on fatigue, trials of soft drinks on site, pilot of nominated safe drivers and the new ‘safe tea trolley’ - a refreshment trolley, which will allow frontline people to get hot and cold drinks while out on track. ‘Adrian also organised and ran the first TSA safety improvement suggestion scheme, which awarded five cash prizes to track colleagues who came up with practical safety improvements.’ Adrian Fricker is an S&T engineer by trade and lives in Rugby. Based at Milton Keynes, he has been instrumental in the development of the TSA website. He helped make five film briefings, including close calls, fatigue, working at height and safer lineside materials. Says Adrian, ‘To go there and to be nominated is really humbling. When you walk from the back of the room through all the people and everyone is clapping, it’s quite moving.’ Contractors are now eager to join the alliance and participate in the forums. ‘Without doubt this is down to Adrian; his enthusiasm and passion is never ending. He is a relentless advocate of safety and is tireless in getting colleagues involved in the TSA. In addition to his huge workload in managing and promoting the TSA, he is a passionate supporter of the ‘close call champion’ training and has been

instrumental in getting 150 close call champions trained in Network Rail IP Track this year,’ adds Paula. Adrian always has time for colleagues and has been known to undertake numerous middle of the night site visits getting alongside inexperienced staff, where he displays the same knowledge, good humour and passion to challenge unsafe behaviours. ‘He is a pleasure to work with and the success of the TSA is largely down to his perseverance, hard work and absolute determination to get safety on everyone’s agenda,’ says Paula. Safety Person of the Year is sponsored by Bridgeway Consulting. Founded in April 1995 in the back of the Victoria Inn outside Beeston station by three British Rail engineers, the company has grown to employ over 600 staff on a comprehensive array of infrastructure projects around the UK rail network.

The award was presented by Bridgeway’s managing director, Pino de Rosa. Reflecting on the importance of safety within the industry, he said, ‘It means a lot to me. Safety is a key part of what we do as a business. It’s the one thing that has the biggest life-changing impact if it goes wrong. ‘If things are going well, safety is a really passive thing and you hardly notice it and that’s what we want. But actually every action that any individual takes in terms of culture, the way they perform their duties or their attitude, the way they bring team members on, has an impact on the whole rail industry.’

Success through our people Network Rail have recently awarded Bridgeway Consulting a number of contingent labour contracts across the UK and we are looking for experienced S&T, P Way, OHLE and PDSW staff in the following disciplines: SIGNALLING AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS

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RAILSTAFF AWARDS 2015

October 2015 | RailStaff | 39

Knutsford wins Rail Team of the Year Team Knutsford, Northern Rail, has already received a measure of recognition for its dynamic, go ahead work at the station on the busy Chester - Manchester line. Says station manager, David Tyrer, ’In January, Knutsford station won the ‘In Bloom’ award for Cheshire in partnership with the Mid Cheshire rail user group. The staff and helpers transformed areas of the station into a more pleasing environment.’ Later that same month ‘Team Knutsford’ were in the local paper for helping a customer who had just missed her train. Staff looked after the lady and gave her a cup of coffee, a small gesture but one that the customer didn’t expect and she wrote in to the local newspaper. In April, Knutsford station received a letter of praise from another passenger who was trying to get to Macclesfield. The man was full of

praise for the team and thanked them when they explained all the options open to him. The man subsequently wrote in to Northern Rail praising the team. This is not an isolated

example. A lady wrote in thanking the team for sorting out a difficult journey to Bristol. The customer was so impressed

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with the cheerful member of staff saying that nothing was any trouble to them. Another lady had left her laptop at the station. Inside was the address of the company that she worked for. Team Knutsford sprung into action and managed to reunite the customer with her laptop. The lady was in a panic when she arrived back at the station. Members of the team rallied round and made her a hot drink and chatted to her until her train came. The lady was grateful for the laptop and the drink and took the trouble to write in and say so. More recently the team received a letter of thanks from a passenger who realised he was travelling without the necessary funds. The customer wrote in praising the staff for helping him out of the dilemma he found himself in. Says Cheryl Crompton, who works

at the station, ‘Everyone is very friendly at the station and we are all one big family.’ ‘The team at Knutsford comprises Cheryl, Chris, Ged, John and Roy,’ says David Tyrer. ‘They are very much a proactive team, and I am really proud to work with such staff.’ Rail Team of the Year was sponsored by Softech Global, which provides signalling, telecoms, permanent way and OLE services to the UK rail industry. Says managing director of Softech Global Manoj Agrawal, ‘I think it’s very important we recognise the individuals within the industry. ‘Often it is the company which has been recognised… the individuals feel a bit left out that they have done the hard work and somebody else, their MD or the director, has won the award.’

Highly commended • Young Rail Professionals (YRP) • Merseyrail Safety Team, Merseyrail

RAILSTAFF AWARDS 2015

40 | RailStaff | October 2015

Morson Group’s Charlotte Mollart Brings Home Award Charlotte Mollart, recruitment account manager for Crossrail at Morson Group, has won this year’s keenly contested Recruiter and HR Person or Team of the Year Award. ‘I’d like to thank the whole team. MI42 we call it. It’s a tough challenge encouraging clients to take more people onto the railway industry.’ Charlotte Mollart has certainly answered that challenge at work on Great Western Electrification and Crossrail in her four years at Morson or MI42 as her colleagues call Morson Group. Says Gary Smithson, associate director of Morson Group, ‘Charlotte has worked at Morson since 2011. She started as a resourcer and has quickly progressed to the recruitment account manager for Crossrail. ‘She works tirelessly to support her client. She has an ability to understand their needs and translate this into the relevant numbers of contractors for project after project. She has been described by the client as a ‘superstar’. She has combined the necessary attributes of a good recruiter, a good HR man manager to ensure success for her client and a great working environment for her workers.’ ‘The contractors that she has hired love to see her on site, as she is very good about making sure their individual issues are always resolved promptly,’ says a Crossrail colleague. Says Aaron Gallavan, ‘Charlotte and the Morson team have made an outstanding contribution to the Crossrail, electrification and Great Western Route Modernisation programmes. She and the team work

tirelessly in finding competent and quality staff in a market where the demand for experienced people is already saturated. ‘They have literally covered the globe in bringing staff to the programme from all corners including Delhi and Australia. The programmes have already achieved so many milestones which wouldn’t have been possible without the support and dedication Charlotte and the Morson team have given to us. There are many more challenges ahead for which the team have already embraced the challenge and are continually looking to better the standards for lower costs. A fantastic company and an outstanding member of the team.’ ‘Charlotte is an invaluable member of our team,’ says Gary Smithson. ‘I can always rely on her and have full confidence in the way she runs this account. Her work with Crossrail and similar projects has made a real difference. Her work ethic has challenged us all to be better and created a more personal interaction with both the clients and candidates.’ Happily for the rail industry and its construction partners in London, the spectre of unfilled job vacancies on Crossrail is kept at bay by Charlotte ‘M’ Mollart and the teams at MI42… The Recruiter/HR Person of the Year Award was this year sponsored by Stobart Rail - one of the leading names in rail network maintenance and enhancement. The award was presented by Stobart Rail’s business development manager, Andrew Sumner. He said, ‘I think the individuals make the rail industry. ’It’s vital that we recognise the

people, the personalities, the hard work the individuals put into the rail industry.’

Highly commended • Gemma Platt, Senior HR Advisor, GB Railfreight • Jason Garside (Recruiter of the Year), NTRS

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RAILSTAFF AWARDS 2015

October 2015 | RailStaff | 41

Knotty Ash Hero Scoops Lifesaver Award Gary Campbell of Virgin Trains has won this year’s Samaritans Lifesaver Award. A normal afternoon at Crewe station turned into a life and death drama after a woman tried to take her own life on the station. Gary Campbell of Virgin Trains was at the station for a meeting when he learned of the crisis. Arif Mahmood, station team leader at Virgin Trains, takes up the story. ‘It was just a normal afternoon at Crewe station when Heather Hodkinson, a newly appointed station manager, came out of a meeting and received a call from a colleague passing through Crewe station.’ The concerned call was about a woman who had locked herself in a toilet cubical on the station. Heather rushed to the scene and asked Gary Campbell, an office manager at Liverpool, who was also at Crewe for a meeting and had just missed his

train back to Liverpool, to assist. Immediately abandoning thoughts of getting home to Knotty Ash, Gary joined Heather and together the pair went into the ladies toilet where they found one of the cubicals was locked. Someone was inside and was refusing to open the door. ‘Heather and Gary tried negotiation tactics but were unsuccessful. Both had a gut instinct about this situation and decided to open the cubical door,’ says Arif. Paramedics who later attended the scene praised Gary and Heather’s intervention. Happily the

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lady recovered. Gary works as a route office manager in Liverpool. ‘This award is great. Who do I thank? Various colleagues but especially Heather Hodkinson, Cheryl Guyler and Arif Mahmood.’ Ola Rzepczynska, strategic programme manager, Network Rail, said, ’Samaritans are delighted to have sponsored the Lifesaver Award for the fourth year in a row. ‘We have been working with the rail industry since 2010 on the suicide prevention programme and have delivered our suicide prevention courses to over 10,000 staff, giving them the tools to be able to help vulnerable and potentially suicidal

people on the network. ‘During this time there have been many examples of potentially lifesaving interventions by rail industry personnel and British Transport Police officers all over England, Scotland and Wales. ‘All of these individuals have proved that having the courage and taking the time to talk and listen to someone in need can make a real difference to that person’s life. It is fantastic that we have been able to recognise the huge positive difference that rail industry staff have been making on the network at the RailStaff Awards this year, and we hope to continue doing so in years to come.’

Highly commended • Sam Kariuki, Land Sheriffs • Rachel Stockton, Northern Rail

RAILSTAFF AWARDS 2015

42 | RailStaff | October 2015

Old Dalby Rides Again Old Dalby Test Track Installation and Test Teams for Thales and London Underground won this year’s Signalling & Telecommunications Person or Team of the Year Award. The Thales Ground Transport Services (TGTS) team and Old Dalby Test Track Installation team were asked by London Underground to install, test and commission their radio-based SelTrac system at Old Dalby Test Track (ODTT) - all to a tight timescale. ODTT, owned by Network Rail, is managed and maintained by Serco. The site is situated just outside Melton Mowbray and is a 12-mile track with approximately 2.5 miles fitted with DC conductor rails. The Transmission Based Train Control (TBTC) System is a new adaptation of the SelTrac S40 system developed for the Jubilee and Northern Line Upgrade Project. The TBTC system is being installed at ODTT to validate the integration of Radio TBTC with the new London Underground S Stock Trains. This is to demonstrate both the generic design and its functionality in preparation for the LU Sub-Surface Railway Upgrade Project which will upgrade around one third of the network. Gareth Harrison, installation manager, and Lee Tarr, tester in charge, and their teams were given the challenge of delivering the facility to London Underground for the initial demonstrations in August 2015. The site presents a number of challenges. Old Dalby is a hybrid site with Over Head Line Equipment (OHLE) and electrified rails. Previous

TGTS signalling projects have been on LU infrastructure. Safety was the number one consideration. Says colleague Jason Bourke, ‘Gareth, Lee and their teams have taken a proactive attitude towards safety, identifying the relevant standards they need to work to and ensuring that all staff have been thoroughly briefed and have a high safety awareness. This is demonstrated by our excellent safety record to date. ‘They have clearly set out the expected safety behaviours whilst on site to staff and contractors thus setting the standard for future works. They have demonstrated a commitment to programme delivery without compromising safety whilst working with new equipment and installation methods, as well as managing subcontractors. ‘Throughout the compressed programme they have maintained strong lines of communication with Serco and have provided specific input for new activities.’ This in turn has inspired Serco to update its entire Safety Management System to maintain the high levels of safety that TGTS expect. TGTS Health Safety and Environment (HSE) has been fully embedded within the project teams. The teams have played a major, if largely unrecognised, part in the major upgrade of services on the London Underground. Future generations of passengers will travel in safety and comfort thanks to the hard work of Gareth and Lee and their teams. Signalling & Telecommunications Person or Team of the Year Award is sponsored by Westermo. In the

Highly commended • Claire Beranek, Network Rail • Junction Lighting Design Team, Network Rail

UK, Westermo has been supplying Ethernet and serial industrial communications devices to the rail industry for many years. Says Phil Mounter, who heads the rail division for Westermo UK, ‘The industry puts a lot into our business. It supports a lot of our business, it gives us jobs. It enables us to put more money into research and

development, so in response we want to put something back into the rail industry and this is a good way of doing it. ‘This is the third time we’ve sponsored it, and we will continue to do so because it rewards individuals, not the companies they work for, and it’s the individuals which make the business what it is.’

A Beijer Electronics Group Company

Proudly sponsoring ‘Signalling & Telecomms Person of the Year’ Proud sponsors of the RailStaff Awards 2015 Westermo is a global player in mission critical data communications solutions. Westermo products thrive in the harsh environments of the trackside at the edge of today’s enterprise networks. … Quality systems audited by leading global rail companies … Designed for high reliability and long life leading to reduced maintenance costs … Legacy serial communications to Ethernet IP networking solutions … Secure and resilient networking solutions … Tested to EN50121-4 EMC standard and operational at extreme temperatures … Wide range of Network Rail accepted products … Low power consumption helping to build sustainable railway Lynx managed10-port Ethernet switch PADS: 087/045460

Wolverine industrial Ethernet extender PADS: 087/038364

Industrial RS-232 to fibre optic converter PADS: 087/045462

Industrial PSTN dial-up modem PADS: 087/039595

RAILSTAFF AWARDS 2015

October 2015 | RailStaff | 43

Merseyrail Man wins Station Staff of the Year A man who talked down a potential suicide wins this year’s Station Staff of the Year Award. Daniel Byrne works at Hoylake station on Merseyrail. It’s a busy station with trains every 15 minutes. Even so, Daniel Byrne spotted a distressed lady on the footbridge and sensed something was wrong. Says Sally Ralston, corporate social responsibility manager at Merseyrail, ‘In May 2015 at the station at approximately 15.32 Daniel went to cross the footbridge to collect a printer cartridge off the 15.37 service and noticed a middle-aged woman sitting on the steps on the bridge, texting on her phone. He asked the lady if she was ok, and she replied in a nice manner that she was fine. ‘As the train was coming in, he quickly went and collected the cartridge. On the way back he asked the lady again if she was definitely ok. She replied that she was fine and was getting on

the next train. The train was due in 1-2 minutes, so he thought, he would go and put the cartridge in the office and then see if she caught the train. The 15.39 pulled in and the lady didn’t move from the steps on the bridge.’ Daniel immediately went back out, his suspicions thoroughly aroused. Treading carefully when he approached the bridge, he saw the lady was in tears. Daniel again asked if she was ok, to which she replied, ‘No’. He then thought that he needed to try and calm her and get her off the bridge. ‘Daniel then asked if she would like to come off the bridge and talk to him about it at the bottom, she refused to move and replied. ‘I’ve had enough, I can’t carry on’. Daniel took this as a possible sign of

TBF is proud to sponsor the 2015 Station Staff of the Year Award With the help of the TOCs, Network Rail and other employers throughout the public transport industry we now have nearly 45,000 members. For just £1 a week, a variety of benefits are available to you, your partner and dependent children.

& 0300 333 2000

etd 00 38571 help@tbf.org.uk 8 www.tbf.org.uk

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

suicide,’ says Sally. ‘He then called 170 for an isolation to prevent trains passing through the station and was advised to monitor the lady and close the footbridge. The lady started to pray. In the meantime, a member of the public entered the station who knew the lady.’ The man went up to the lady and eventually he and Daniel persuaded her to come down. When they moved into the car park, officers from British Transport Police and an ambulance crew had arrived. They then took her to a place of safety. Sally Ralston adds, ‘Daniel’s actions that day were taken swiftly, professionally and calmly.’ A popular member of the team, colleague Bill Cook said, ‘I have worked with Daniel for three years and in that time he has been a perfect addition to our station team. He is always available for help and advice and couldn’t be more helpful either to the

station team or the customers. His manner is brilliant, he’s totally reliable and most of all, he cares about what is happening around him.’ Daniel Byrne,’I’d like to thank everyone I work with. We’re like a family and everyone looks out for each other.’ ‘It’s crucial that these awards take place to acknowledge the work people like Daniel Byrne do on a day-to-day basis,’ said John Sheehy, general manager of the Transport Benevolent Fund (TBF), which sponsored the award. John, himself a former train driver, accompanied Daniel back stage and congratulated him on his award. TBF is a registered charity and offers a wide range of benefits including health, legal advice, convalescence and cash help to its members and their dependants. TBF supports those who work in the public transport industry when they are in need, hardship or distress.

Highly commended • Peter Hazeldene, Southeastern Railway • Keith Matthews, Northern Rail

RAILSTAFF AWARDS 2015

44 | RailStaff | October 2015

Frank Hoffman wins Driver of the Year Frank Hoffman has been working on the London Underground (LUL) for over 26 years, 21 of them as a driver. Together with his partner, Mandy, Frank arrived at the RailStaff Awards and later in the evening was astounded to win the Driver of the Year accolade. ‘I’m absolutely stunned,’ said Frank speaking back stage after receiving the award. ‘I never expected this. It was nice to be nominated, but to be recognised…It’s the pinnacle of my career.’ Delighted friends and colleagues will be rather less surprised. LUL duty manager Andy Bamber explains. ‘On Tuesday, 2 June, train operator Hoffman was working Train T22 as part of his duty. As his train approached West Acton, east bound, an emergency handle was operated and he was informed a passenger had collapsed.’ Frank stopped his train in the platform and after informing the line controller what was happening went to the passenger. The man had collapsed and stopped breathing. Frank Hoffman reassured the other passengers in the carriage and started administering full CPR. As he did so, he gave concise information on what was happening to the station staff and line controller. ‘He continued to administer CPR until the paramedics arrived and took over. He then returned to the cab to continue his duties,’ says Andy. ‘Throughout the incident he acted calmly in a professional manor. The paramedics who attended said his swift actions saved the passenger’s life. Train operator Hoffman displayed exceptional professionalism in

managing and dealing with the extremely serious situation he was placed in.’ Colleague Kerry Phillips, also a duty manager at LUL, emphasised Frank’s calm and professional manner. ‘When Frank arrived on the scene, he could immediately see the severity of the situation. In the middle of the crowded carriage, a male customer had collapsed and was not breathing. The customer’s wife was also present and obviously highly emotional, panicking uncontrollably.’ Not only did Frank Hoffman set about saving a man’s life but was able to reassure other passengers and comfort the man’s partner whilst all the time briefing control and the emergency services. Kerry Phillips adds, ‘After the paramedics took over rather than taking time to himself, Frank explained to the casualty’s wife exactly what had happened and provided her with the reassurance she needed. Using his experience as a member of the Trauma Support Group, he provided support to other customers who had witnessed the event - portraying a perfect example of what a valuable and responsible employee Frank is. He truly is an asset to LUL.’ As if all that wasn’t enough, Frank Hoffman quickly moved his train to get the service back up and running, mindful of the thousands of commuters stuck on busy trains behind him. The man made a complete recovery. ‘Train operator Hoffman took no time off following the incident and did not expect any thanks for it.’ says Kerry. ‘I and my colleagues are extremely proud to have Frank on our team, not only

Highly commended • Stuart Creed, Great Western Railway • Jim Finnie, Train Manager, GB Railfreight

did he set a perfect example to the traveling public but also to his fellow train operators.’ Quietly spoken Frank Hoffman is based at Loughton Depot in Essex and lives in a small village near Saffron Walden. Said Frank, ‘I’d like to thank Andy Bamber, Kerry Phillips and Kieran Dimelow, train operations manager, and my partner, Mandy, who has been very supportive.’ This year, Train Driver of the Year was sponsored by Cordant Services, which provides a wide range of cleaning services to the public transport sector. The award was presented by Jamie Reynolds, group commercial director. Says Jamie, ‘They’re the unsung heroes, they’re the people at the front of the trains in the cabins that not

many people see. They moan when the train’s late, but they don’t thank them when they get home every day. Referring to Frank directly, he added, ’His safety record’s impeccable, he’s a well-liked individual and he’s won against tough competition tonight. He should be very proud.’

RAILSTAFF AWARDS 2015

October 2015 | RailStaff | 45

Inspirational Training Team Honoured The ‘Inspire’ team at Abellio Greater Anglia has won the Trainer/ Training Team of the Year Award. Jay Thompson, head of safety and environment at Abellio Greater Anglia, is in no doubt as to the value of the team. ‘The Abellio Greater Anglia ‘Inspire’ team introduced and delivered a customer service programme known as ‘Inspire’ to develop and encourage our colleagues to put the customer at the heart of everything that we do as a company. The aim was to make it clear that no matter what their role, everyone plays an important part in our customer’s journey, as well as inspiring them to deliver a better service to our customers, day in, day out, thereby increasing both customer and employee satisfaction.’ The success of the initial programme meant a second phase of the

programme,“Inspire…Continuing the Journey”, was rolled out this year. This is a continuation and evolution of the original twoday event and has been developed from colleague feedback. These events focus on pride, responsibility, accountability and how colleagues can make a difference to the customer’s experience. To date 603 delegates from across the business have attended this event. The team endeavours to lead by example and embody business values in the way they conduct their roles and work together in a supportive, progressive environment, and also help by volunteering for special events and helping out during disruption.

Challenges the team have faced include encouraging all colleagues to live the values and behaviours consistently while also facing the everyday challenges of ensuring full attendance on each event, hitting required targets and encouraging management buy in. All of the team keep in regular contact with managers and heads of department to update them on the progress of Inspire, encouraging support and cooperation for all the Inspire events. The Inspire team includes Jackie Gibbs, head of service quality standards; Lucy Tomlinson, customer service development programme manager; Charlotte Pearson, customer service development programme trainer; and Stacy Gillespie, customer service programme coordinator. Says Jay Thompson, ‘They are a very strong dedicated team who rely on effective, positive communication with each other to ensure targets are met,

while at the same time encouraging others to deliver the “Abellio Way”. They have shown innovation and creativity in the events by updating and refreshing the session plans as necessary, acting on feedback and their own experiences.’ ‘Thanks to the whole team, they are a fantastic group of people,’ says Charlotte Pearson. ‘We have also had great support from across the company.’ Training Team of the Year was sponsored by the National Training Academy for Rail (NTAR). Says Jennifer Walpole from NTAR, ‘They obviously work really well together as a team to then train these people. It’s important these people are trained, that they get a career progression and move on and be recognised because recognition again for their hard work is really important. It will motivate them for the next 12 months.’

Highly commended • Jayson Gill, Virgin Trains East Coast • Paul Humes, ISS Labour

RAILSTAFF AWARDS 2015

46 | RailStaff | October 2015

Final Word from our Sponsors

Cordant Takes Driver’s Seat Family-owned Cordant Services supported this year’s Train Driver of the Year Award. The award symbolises the RailStaff Awards and is often the first category mentioned by supporters of the industry. Cordant has a comprehensive 15-year experience of providing a complete range of cleaning services to public transport - everything from office cleaning to train cleaning including that all important driver’s cab. Says Tom O’Connor, managing director, Rail Media, ‘This is always the award people refer to - what do you mean, train driver of the year? when they talk about the ideas and imperatives behind the RailStaff Awards. ‘We are very grateful to Cordant Services for taking up this award. Their commitment to integrity, partnership and professionalism reflects the understated values of so

many drivers. It’s a lonely job and the drivers do not get enough recognition for what they do. The RailStaff Awards is here to put that right. Many thanks to Cordant - even as we speak their staff are busy driving up cleanliness and quality in the rail industry.’ With a policy of openness and honesty, Cordant clients can be assured of staff integrity. Teams have knowledge, expertise and a steely determination to provide superior levels of service delivery. Cordant Cleaning has expanded its involvement with transport working with rail companies and leading bus and coach operations. Staff are fully trained and qualified to work within transport environments and are subject to regular documented on-the-job checks and refresher training in health and safety and customer service. All staff receive high levels of support from a dedicated management team specialising in the transport industry.

Track Partnership Backs Charity Award Track Partnership sponsored the David Maidment Award for Charity at this year’s RailStaff Awards. Award-winning Track Partnership is a strategic alliance between London Underground and Balfour Beatty Rail. Responsible for delivering essential track and drainage renewals across the London Underground network, Track Partnership’s innovation and improved planning systems keep four million people moving every day on the world’s oldest, biggest and best metro system. The David Maidment Award for Charity is a popular category at the RailStaff Awards. Big hearted railway staff raise thousands of pounds for a wide variety of causes month by month. David Maidment, a career railwayman, set up the Railway Children charity in 1995 after witnessing at first hand the appalling conditions homeless children endure on India’s railway stations.

RAILSTAFF AWARDS 2015

Says Tom O’Connor, managing director, Rail Media, ‘David’s pioneering work led to one of the most successful charities in the UK. Railway Children operates in Africa, India and Asia as well as the UK. This is an award very close to the heart of the railway industry.’ Editor Andy Milne agrees, ‘The Railway Children is in effect a partnership between all of us engaged in railways at all levels. I’ve lost track of the amount of people who take part in fundraising or simply backing colleagues as they shin up mountains, swim lakes and run races. ‘We’d like to thank Track Partnership for backing this award. The sense of purpose, ingenuity and improvement they’ve brought to the challenging job of restoring and upgrading the London Underground showcases the core values of the rail industry - generosity of spirt, friendship and an instinctive sympathy and respect for other people - it’s all there. Many thanks.’ As railway people, families and

October 2015 | RailStaff | 47

friends gatherered at the RailStaff Awards 2015 to celebrate, there’s no question the Track Partnership team were hard at work carrying out major track replacement works as well as improving crossovers, junctions, sidings and termini. From its base at London Underground’s Buckingham Palace Road, Track Partnership pushes ahead delivering high energy, targeted works during limited engineering hours and longer weekend possessions.

Recruiter and HR Person or Team of the Year backed by Stobart Rail Stobart Rail is supporting the Recruiter and HR Person or Team of the Year Award. Now one of the leading names in rail network maintenance, repair and improvement, Stobart Rail is active throughout the earthworks, structures, permanent way, drainage and lineside infrastructure sectors of the rail industry. ‘We are delighted to welcome one of

the most inspiring names in transport to the RailStaff Awards,’ says Tom O’Connor, managing director, Rail Media. Stobart Rail holds a Network Rail Principal Contractor’s Licence and is an approved On Track Plant Operations Scheme Provider in addition to holding a comprehensive list of RISQS product codes. The company’s wide-ranging expertise, innovative approach, experienced workforce and extensive fleet of plant is also deployed undertaking development projects and delivering improvement works at a number of major Eddie Stobart facilities. ‘Recruitment and human resources people are the oil that keeps the rail industry flowing,’ adds Tom. ‘Not only do we need more people with a range of different skills, railway companies know they have to keep abreast of the latest legislation governing employment law, terms and conditions, as well as health and

RAILSTAFF AWARDS 2015

48 | RailStaff | October 2015

safety procedure. A motivated, well looked after, workforce is the single greatest asset of any rail operation. Much of the ground work driving the success of this is laid out and strengthened behind the scenes by this army of HR professionals. We should all be grateful.’ Founded in 1993 by Andrew Tinkler, Stobart Rail, formerly WA Developments, has been built upon a special understanding of the demands of the rail civil engineering industry. Today, Stobart Rail is one of the most respected organisations in the industry yet the company remains vigilant of the need to meet and respond to the challenges of an everchanging environment. Stobart Rail’s investment in a large fleet of road rail vehicles (RRVs) and an innovative approach to projects, when combined with a highly skilled and well-motivated workforce, has proven to be an unbeatable combination.

NTAR supports Trainer Award The National Training Academy for Rail (NTAR) is backing the Rail Trainer of the Year Award. Ever-growing demand for more and better qualified railway staff at all levels has led to an increased interest in the award this year. The National Training Academy for Rail, strategically placed near the Siemens Kings Heath depot, within sight of the Northampton loop, is the result of a significant investment by the National Skills Academy for Railway Engineering (NSARE) and Siemens. Both contributed half of the £7 million start-up cost. Through the partnership half of the centre’s training capacity will be earmarked for Siemens and half will be released to the wider industry. Says Tom O’Connor, managing director, Rail Media, ‘The hard work that has gone into the new National Training Academy for Rail at Northampton is inspirational. The rail industry needs more skilled staff and NTAR

will be addressing this with vigour.’ Focussing initially on addressing the need for traction and rolling stock (T&RS) skills, the facility includes classrooms, a large workshop and high tech ERTMS and virtual reality labs. NTAR has been set up to help plug the skills gap and act as a national hub for rail engineering excellence in traction and rolling stock. With the first intake of students expected later this month, the academy will help train rail professionals from across the industry. NTAR will specialise in the development of a rigorous tailored curriculum for the academy in order to deliver the next generation of highly skilled rail technicians, engineers and managers in traction and rolling stock. ‘We wish the instructors, staff and students well in the new venture which I am confident will expand to include campuses around the network,’ says Tom. ‘It is hugely appropriate that NTAR

RAILSTAFF AWARDS 2015

is supporting this award. Railway trainers are the backbone of the industry. It is not only new recruits that need training. We are now adapting men and women with other skill sets to enable them to contribute to the railway. Equally important current staff from track workers to engineers and train crew to ticketing staff - need to refresh and expand professional knowledge as technology changes. NTAR will be showing us how it can be done and by supporting this award is already shining a light on the hard work ahead. Thank you NTAR.’

Softech backs Rail Team of the Year This year Softech is supporting the RailStaff Awards top category: Rail Team of the Year Softech was established in 1990 and is now employing 150 staff in three countries. Softech has delivered over 75 rail projects covering significant designs for signalling, telecoms, Pway and OLE for mainline as well as

October 2015 | RailStaff | 49

London Underground. Softech also provides: IT and software services, consultancy and training. Softech prides itself on delivering time critical and challenging projects. Core values include designing safety critical rail systems in a timely manner following all relevant standards. Process and practices are constantly refined and safety placed right at the centre of all activity from planning to delivery, from corporate and social ethics to personal responsibility. Says Tom O’Connor, managing director, Rail Media, ‘I’d like to thank Softech for backing what is arguably one of the most important awards. Team work is what makes the railway greater than the sum of its parts. It underpins the work of the railway and serves to make transport better and more secure. Softech is thoroughly versed in the needs and aspirations of safety critical industries. Such expertise is a real bonus for Europe’s fastest-growing railway.’ Softech aims to contribute

significantly to the growth, popularity, prosperity and recognition of the regions in which it works. Crucially it aims to add value and to empower clients with tools and resources which increase business advantage.

RAILSTAFF AWARDS 2015

50 | RailStaff | October 2015

Person to Person for TXM Plant TXM Plant is supporting the Rail Person of the Year Award at the RailStaff Awards. Headquartered in Milton Keynes, TXM Plant is a leading provider of

plant solutions to the rail industry. With over 25 years of experience and eight depots nationwide, TXM Plant delivers exceptional local service to all customers. The initials are taken from the moral imperative: ‘Whoever compels you to go one mile with him, go with him two miles.’ The team at TXM is always ready to do just that, go ‘The Xtra Mile for you and your team’. Says Tom O’Connor, managing director, Rail Media, ‘The idea of doing that little bit extra is a regular phenomena of the railway industry. Winners of this award exemplify the extra mile phenomenon. TXM Plant is right on the money, adopting this as a core value and I would like to thank them for backing this award.’ TXM Plant is a strong believer in building safety, health and environmental practices which ensure its workforce and all people it works with get home safely every night. TXM Plant ensures mobile plant operators and staff get everything they need to be safe,

compliant and professional in their work. TXM Plant takes corporate social responsibility seriously and is committed to advancing policies and systems that address all aspects of CSR relevant to the business. These include ethical procurement, concern for employee health and safety, care for the environment and community involvement. This category always attracts many entries. Says RailStaff editor Andy Milne, ‘Rail Person of the Year affirms the importance of the individual in a vast and increasingly complex industry. The railway sports its share of characters and eccentrics from boardroom to booking-on point, but the innate heroism of so many rail staff is never in doubt. The aim of the RailStaff Awards is to shine a light on the many acts of bravery and generosity that make this an industry like no other. At the top of its game, TXM Plant is well positioned to power up that light.’

ices

operational and technical roles. We will help your people develop their capability with respect to a particular fleet, a particular role within a depot – and with expertise in a range of ‘real’ component parts. This training will typically take the form of short/medium form courses designed to take skilled intake from other engineering sectors (at Level 3 and 4) and equip them to be job-ready as soon and as effectively as possible.

NTAR will support employers and aid the Overview removal of barriers to entry by offering a service to manage apprenticeship schemes. In short, To deliver the railway to which Britain now aspires, o we will:

that will act as a flagship for UK engineering experti

• Source the courses a network andfrom support economic growth, requires not only exc of colleges engineers but also world-class management. Quite s

• Manage those colleges we need leaders, managers and supervisors who are • Enrol the learners of delivering results under ever greater pressure. • Register the accreditation

NTARplans is working with a number of partners to provid • Maintain the learner

unique suite of management and leadership develop • Manage the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) programmes and qualifications, tailored to the speci contract.

of rail employers. The objective is to ensure that tho

Enhanced apprenticeship lead ourmodules industry are able to access, develop and refi

skills they need to deliver improved performance an

We have also constructed enhanced technical long term sustainable business. and leadership modules to form part of the apprenticeship schemes themselves, to enhance the quality of existing apprenticeships. Alignment with new Trailblazer standards NTAR is attuned to the development of the new ‘Trailblazer’ standards; redefining what it means to be a Rail Engineering apprentice. Our apprenticeship services will evolve in order to respond to the new standards once they go live in 2016/17.

Innovating and inspiring your workforce Contents

15 © NTAR 2015

What is NTAR?

Our Customers

Our Partners

Courses and Services

Our Qualifications

Technical Training Courses

Apprenticeships

Professional Skills Development

CPD Modules - IMechE

CPD Modules - IRO

100

CPD Modules - IRR

114

Professional Skills Development - Other Courses

120

The Digital Railway - ERTMS

126

The Digital Railway - Advanced Telecoms

136

Leadership and Management

156

172

13 © NTAR 2015

Fundamentals of Systems Engineering for Rail for Industry Leaders Learning Objective and Course Overview This course will provide an overview of why systems thinking and systems engineering is important for all leadership roles in the rail industry. This will be achieved by showing examples from rail and other sectors of complex systems and how they interrelate to deliver the industry’s product/s. Qualification Successful completion of all the elements of a module will allow its accreditation towards a postgraduate qualification in railway leadership once this has been put in place. Location Northampton or University of Birmingham

Introductory Vehicle Technicals (for non-technical staff) Learning Objective and Course Overview The course is designed for new employees who have recently joined the rail industry. It will introduce candidates to the common and differing features of the vehicles in service across the industry and the main components of the local class of vehicle. Delegates will be tested on their knowledge at the end of the course. Qualification Successful completion of this course, together with four others from those at the same level, will qualify the candidate for the NTAR Award in Traction and Rolling Stock Maintenance. Location Northampton

3 Days

10 Days

Dates 17-19 Nov, 6-10 Dec

Dates 30 Nov, 11 Dec

Attendees 12

Attendees 8

Cost £1,000

Cost £2,500

Bogie Maintenance

EVAC Toilets

Learning Objective and Course Overview A course covering the maintenance and principles of operation of the bogie.

Learning Objective and Course Overview An overview of the EVAC toilet configuration, designed to give delegates the knowledge they need to successfully carry out routine maintenance and fault finding.

Qualification Successful completion of this course, together with four others from those at the same level, will qualify the candidate for the NTAR Certificate in Traction and Rolling Stock Maintenance. Location Northampton 1 Day Dates 3-5 ,10-12, 17-19, 24-26 Nov 1-3,8-10, 15-18 Dec 12-14, 19-21, 26-28 Jan Attendees 8 Cost £375

Leadership Management Systems 2nd Module Learning Objective and Course Overview To deliver the railway to which Britain now aspires, one that will act as a flagship for UK engineering expertise and support economic growth, requires not only excellent engineers but also world-class management. Quite simply,we need leaders, managers and supervisors who are capable of delivering results under ever greater pressure. Qualification Our courses are underpinned by qualifications that we have developed in conjunction with the Chartered Management Institute (CMI). Location Call for details 3 Days Dates 13-15 Jan, 2-4 Feb Attendees 12 Cost £1,000

Call now to book your course on 01604 594 440 or visit ntar.co.uk

NEWS

52 | RailStaff | October 2015

Manx Thanks for Costain Couple

Eurostar calls in HR Referee

The people of the Isle of Man have a saying, ‘Every man knows where his shoe hurts him.’ Tony Bickerstaff and Alex Vaughan couldn’t agree more, having just completed a 100-mile trek around the island to raise money for Costain’s 150 Challenge. Tony, group finance director, and Alex, managing director for Natural Resources, raised nearly £6,000 for the appeal and this will be doubled when Costain matches it at the end of the year. Alex and Tony walked the famous ‘Raad ny Foillan’, or Way of the Gull, a coastal footpath around the Isle of Man which was created to mark the Island’s Heritage Year celebrations in 1986. They covered the distance in just four days, averaging over 10 hours a day. ‘Without a doubt, the biggest challenge was the physical effect of walking for over 10 hours a day. The

Gerard Jacques has been appointed director of people at Eurostar.

marked changes in elevation and walking conditions included fields, roads, cliff-side single track paths, moors, beaches and meadows. ‘The scenery was as varied as it was spectacular,’ said Tony. ‘I would absolutely recommend anyone to go and do the coastal walk but give yourself at least seven days to do it. Your feet will thank you for it.’ Costain has firm roots on the island. Richard Costain, the company’s founder, was born and brought up on the Isle of Man before emigrating to

Crosby in Liverpool in 1865, where he founded the company that still bears his name. Members of the family still live on the island and Tony and Alex met them. ‘We were contacted by Derek, Hilary and Jennie Costain, all of whom are related to the original Costain family on the Isle of Man. ‘We eventually met up with Hilary whilst we were on the island and she showed a keen interest in how the company is doing. It was great to meet her,’ said Tony.

The HR professional joins from Southern Railway where he was operating as a consultant. Jacques has held senior personnel positions at Mack, Gatwick Airport and Premier Foods. Earlier he was employee relations manager at Corus Steel. Jacques has an MBA from the University of Wales. He’s a rugby referee and keen scuba diver.

Nouveau nom pour Interfleet Next year, rail engineering consultancy Interfleet will adopt the SNC-Lavalin name. From January Interfleet, which in September officially opened a new office next door to its existing site in Derby, will formally assume the name of the Canadian owners that acquired the company in 2011. It is a significant milestone in Interfleet’s history; probably the most significant moment since the mid1990s when the engineering division of InterCity entered the private sector after a successful management buy-out. Since privatisation, Interfleet has grown from a staff of 99 to a 750-strong workforce worldwide, of which 450 are located in the UK. ‘I knew Interfleet from its earliest existence,’ said managing director Richard George, who during his 38-year career spent a period as strategy director for InterCity. Richard replaced David Rollin, who had been group managing director since 1994, in 2013, having spent the previous couple of years formulating the transport strategy for the London 2012 Olympics. ‘I’ve seen the public sector and I’ve seen the private sector, and I’ve seen 20 years of decline followed by 20 years of growth. That’s pretty much the way it feels. ‘We were going down hill for many years, and we’ve

been going uphill for the last 20 which is fantastic.’ SNC-Lavalin, a multi-national civil engineering and construction company which has its headquarters in Montreal, was formed in 1991 following the merger of Surveyer, Nenniger & Chenevert Consulting Engineers (SNC) and Lavalin. The roots of SNC can be traced as far back as 1911. Over the next few months, a carefully choreographed transition will play out, but Richard, the man put in charge of leading the change, doesn’t worry about losing one of the best known names in rail engineering. ‘We’re going to change the name, but we’re not going to change the culture. Our job is to push that culture into SNC-Lavalin, not the other way around. So, am I worried

about us being flattened? Absolutely not.’ Derby will become the home of SNC-Lavalin’s global rail and transport division. Richard believes SNC-Lavalin House is representative of the growth the company is experiencing, as it looks to branch out further from its rolling stock roots into electrification and signalling projects. ‘I think the fear when Interfleet was bought was it would just be gobbled up and spat out by a great big, huge global player,’ says Richard. ‘Actually what’s happened is this great big global player called SNCLavalin has recognised what a talented bunch Interfleet are and is actually concentrating its growth and development on it rather than pushing it out.’

NEWS

October 2015 | RailStaff | 53

Special Train for RBF RBF’s first ever fundraising special charter train will run on Saturday 7 November, organised by SWT working in Partnership with the Branch Line Society. The special train - a five-car class 158/8 and 159 - will travel from London Waterloo to Weymouth, heading out via Southampton and back via Yeovil. Those on board will be able to visit three traction and rolling stock depots at Salisbury, Bournemouth and Northam and ride a steam train at Yeovil Railway Centre. Tickets are £65 standard class and £85 first class and must be booked in advance through the Branch Line Society’s website www.branchline.org.uk. All profits from the charter will be donated to RBF. RBF has published the latest in

its series of online information factsheets, covering Universal Credit the new single monthly payment for people in or out of work. The factsheet explains what Universal Credit is, when it’s being introduced and what it replaces. It also offers RBF contact details for anyone in need of more information. The charity has issued several factsheets containing information on a range of topics including debt, housing, benefits, caring for the elderly, stress and wellbeing. Says RBF’s services manager, Simmy Akhtar, ‘Not everyone feels comfortable asking questions about personal matters, especially if they don’t fully understand the issues. Our factsheets break down the barriers to understanding and offer professional advice and contacts from whom more information is available.’

Chinese Dawn

With remarkable prescience Unipart Rail has been playing host to 50 senior rail managers from China. As Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, urged Chinese industry to get involved with HS2. Hard working rail staff in Doncaster were already briefing delegates from the CRRC Corporation Limited, the Chinese state-owned rolling stock manufacturer. The Chinese delegation visited Unipart Rail’s offices and logistics centre as part of a tour arranged by Nottingham University. Says Balazs Berki, International Business Development Director for Unipart Rail, ‘The day was a very useful learning experience for the visitors as Unipart Rail has many world class practices that provide very efficient logistical support to the rail industry. We spent some time explaining the principles of the Unipart Way which is our unique methodology of driving continuous improvements in the organisation.’

Rail Engineer Heads Forum Andrew Boagey, a career railwayman, has been chosen to chair the Railway Engineers Forum, part of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT). He succeeds Lawrie Quinn and will serve a two-year term. Boagey has been an active member of the CILT for over seven years. He joined British Railways as a student at Durham University in 1983 - he later gained a BSc in engineering. A broad career has included 13 years with BR and then jobs with AMEC, Alstom, KBR and French consultancy Systra. He set up ANB Rail Consulting in 2014 and is currently working with Transport for London on the engineering and operational planning of Crossrail 2. Boagey is a big supporter of railways. Says Andrew, ‘There has never been a better time to join the railway industry, but we still have work to do to ensure that the profession offers the best possible access and pathways

People, projects and services for the construction and rail industries

mainline rail London Underground civil engineering utilities airports motorways for energetic, hard-working young professionals. ‘Career structure and development support have to be excellent if we are to attract and keep the best entrants. The REF has excellent membership support and representation, so we are well placed to drive good practice in this area.’ He is a school governor and a member of the Reigate Beekeeping Association.

We are dedicated to providing high-quality, cost-effective solutions for our clients, and to building long-lasting partnerships with them.

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NEWS

54 | RailStaff | October 2015

From Ladies Bridge to Tf-Elle Transport for London (TfL) has taken on a record number of new graduate trainees 168 - and a third of them are women. Many are being fast-tracked into service on major projects like Crossrail. Since 2010, TfL has created 571 new graduate roles, with the vast majority going on to a permanent job within TfL. Crossrail and its supply chain has also created 428 graduate roles over the last five years. Recent students are chiselling out rewarding careers right at the hard edge of Europe’s largest construction project. Crossrail sees graduates working alongside world-class railway engineers, project managers, contractors and designers. New graduates will work on major transport projects including the

Victoria underground station modernisation and Crossrail 2. Says Danielle Eddington, a second year graduate trainee, ‘I have already been involved in so many interesting projects, including the opening of Tottenham Court Road’s new ticket hall, the improvements that have been introduced on the Victoria line and the £4 billion Road Modernisation Plan.’ Of the new graduates who joined TfL in September 2015, 33 per cent are women. London is continuing a tradition of drawing on the strengths of its women to complete major infrastructure projects. Waterloo Bridge, which opened in 1945, was finished by a female workforce. Men on the project had been called up for service in the Second World War and their roles were filled by women. To this day, the bridge is known locally as the Ladies Bridge.

2015 graduate intake.

Countdown begins to Infrarail 2016 In just six months’ time, the next Infrarail exhibition will be in full swing. More than 80 companies have already selected their stands at the show, which takes place at a new venue - ExCeL London in the capital’s Docklands from 12 to 14 April 2016. Organisers Mack Brooks Exhibitions believe that locating the event in the Southeast will help firms to target the many business opportunities generated by extensive rail infrastructure developments in the region, while providing a good balance with its NECbased Railtex show. Among companies that have already confirmed their participation are ABB, Dura Composites, FP McCann/ Keyline Rail, Prysmian Group and Tata Steel, while first-time exhibitors will include leading German track construction firm Max Bögl with a large stand. Also taking part will be Direct Track Solutions, Sulzer, Trojan Services and Variable Message signs, underlining the diverse range of products to be featured. Reflecting on progress so far, exhibition manager Kirsten Whitehouse says, ‘We have had a great response to Infrarail, with many companies returning after their successful participation in previous shows.

‘We are also now developing our supporting programme of industry seminars, project updates and discussion forums. We know these are always popular and we are aiming again to make these as informative and varied as possible.’ Taking place alongside Infrarail will be CITE, the Civil Infrastructure & Technology Exhibition. The successful

pairing of these two events first took place in 2014. A significant number of companies exhibiting next year will be active across the entire infrastructure sector and with both events sharing the same hall at ExCeL, visitors will be free to move between the two. More information on Infrarail 2016 can be found at www.infrarail.com, with details of CITE at www.cite-uk.com

Rail Staff

Christmas Carol Service 2015 with

London’s Transport Choir St Mary’s Somers Town Eversholt Street, London NW1

Lunchtime service at 1230

Thursday, 17 December 2015 Light refreshments in the vestry afterwards For further information, call

0300 333 2000

ETD 00 38571 • Auto 1200 38571 Transport Benevolent Fund CIO, known as TBF, is a registered charity in England and Wales, 1160901

Supported by

RAILWAY CHILDREN

56 | RailStaff | October 2015

a rd 3career He started in 1960 as a clerk in the Passenger Train Office at Paddington and finished in March 1996 at privatisation as Head of Safety Policy for British Rail and two years in a similar role with the then government-owned Railtrack. In 1995 he founded the Railway Children charity and for over fifteen years acted as its Chairman, retiring from that post at the end of 2011 to become the charity’s Founder Ambassador. In that role part of David’s fundraising activity has focused on writing articles and books with any profits or royalties being donated to Railway Children.

Radical Development First writing roles followed from his involvement in the radical development of BR’s safety management systems after the Clapham Junction accident. He was a participant in a number of annual meetings of international research academics at Bad Homburg in Germany and contributed chapters each year to a series of safety science books published by the Pergamon Press in the 1990s. At roughly the same time, he started writing a novel during his daily journeys from his home near

David Maidment is becoming established in his third life as a writer. David, a career railwayman and founder of the Railway Children, retired after thirty-six years in railways.

Crewe to London whilst leading the team that was briefing BR’s lawyers at the Judicial Inquiry on the Clapham accident. En route from Euston to his office he passed a Catholic school and contrasted popular images he saw there of the Virgin Mary with cases of abuse of girls and young women in the Middle East that he was uncovering in campaigns in which he was involved as a committee member of Amnesty International’s Children’s Human Rights Network. He reflected that a young girl having a child out of wedlock in first century Israel would also have had a very rough time. The male-dominated repressive sexual culture of the time would have put such a girl, even a thirteen or fourteen year old, at considerable risk of shame and death.

Child Madonna ‘The Child Madonna’ was the result, although the manuscript of the novel lay uncorrected for many years until eventually published by Melrose Books in 2009. Two more ‘Madonna’ novels followed to complete a trilogy, both carefully researched and using knowledge of the culture and politics of the period

– ‘The Missing Madonna’ covering the Holy Family’s flight as refugees from Herod’s police state seeking asylum in Egypt and ‘The Madonna & her Sons’, recounting the youth and ministry of Christ through the eyes of his mother and disbelieving brothers. In the meantime David had written a series of articles for the rail enthusiast magazine, ‘Steam World’ which he was to develop later. However, his next venture into authorship was to write an account of the founding and development of the charity when he retired as its Chairman. Urged by trustees to put something on paper to retain knowledge of the beginning of the organisation, David wrote a history of its first fifteen years entitled ‘The Other Railway Children’. At the same time, as a former Chair of the Consortium for Street Children (an umbrella charity with a membership of over 100 UK charities working for street children internationally) he wrote a 100 page book called ‘Nobody ever listened to me’, a series of essays about the lives of street children, their problems and experiences, supported by case stories from some of the Consortium charities and illustrated with quotations from the street children themselves.

RAILWAY CHILDREN

October 2015 | RailStaff | 57

The Toss of a Coin In 2012 David was persuaded to self-publish an account of his own railway career, ‘The Toss of a Coin’, the title referring to a career-defining toss of a halfcrown by the Cardiff Divisional Manager in 1964 which resulted in a fellow management trainee opting for Stationmaster Ebbw Vale (because he’d heard of it) and David by default becoming Stationmaster Aberbeeg, the operating job, which event then influenced both their career directions. The book covered anecdotes and memories through his South Wales days in the 1960s to becoming the London Midland Region’s Chief Operating Manager in 1982, BR’s first Reliability Manager in 1986 and Head of Safety Policy after the Clapham accident. David also used his railway knowledge to write a novel with an authentic railway background, ‘Lives on the Line’, based on his experience of footplate work at Old Oak Common in the early 1960s. In 2014 a friend of his became Commissioning Editor for a new Transport History imprint of the publisher, Pen & Sword, which had for over fifty years been a publisher of military history books. David currently has six contracts to produce railway books based on his own experience and knowledge. Two have already been published this year, ‘Great Western Eight-Coupled Heavy Freight Locomotives’, the first of a series of ‘locomotive profiles’ planned by the publisher, a high quality book with over 200 photographs and 50,000 words. Pen & Sword also published ‘A Privileged Journey’, the first volume of David’s reminiscences of travel on BR and on the continent behind steam from his days as a trainspotter in the early 1950s through to his experiences as a BR ‘Traffic Apprentice’ which included three months at Old Oak Common in 1962 in possession of a Western Region all-stations footplate pass.

Fiction:

Indian Summer A second volume entitled ‘An Indian Summer of Steam’ is planned for publication towards the end of this year and David has completed locomotive profiles on the GW Moguls and Prairie tank engines, and the Southern Railway’s Urie and Maunsell two-cylinder 4-6-0s due for publication in 2016. David is currently completing his sixth Pen & Sword book, a copiously illustrated volume about the development and operation of all the German pacific locomotives – David was a graduate of London University in German language and literature and spent a term at Munich University in 1959. The Pen & Sword books are on general release in bookshops and on Amazon, although David has a limited number for sale direct at an enhanced royalty for the charity. All David’s other books can be obtained directly from him although they are also available on Amazon as paperbacks or Kindle versions. If obtained directly from David the amount donated to the charity will be much greater than royalties received from the Amazon sources. Perhaps you are interested in purchasing one of his books for Christmas and thus making a donation to the charity at the same time. His nine books are listed in the column on the right.

• The Child Madonna, published by Melrose Books, hardback available from David Maidment, £10 incl p&p (£3.50 per copy goes to Railway Children), paperback or Kindle versions at Amazon. • The Missing Madonna, and The Madonna and her Sons, both published by PublishNation, paperback available from David Maidment, £10 incl p&p (£2.50 per copy to Rly C), paperback and Kindle versions also available from Amazon. • Lives on the Line, paperback, published by Max Books, available only direct from David Maidment, £7 incl p&p (£1.50 per copy to Railway Children).

Non-Fiction • The Other Railway Children, history of the Railway Children charity, illustrated paperback published by PublishNation, from David Maidment, £7 incl p&p (£1.50 per copy to Rly C), paperback or Kindle format from Amazon. • Nobody ever listened to me, essays, stories and quotations about and by street children, illustrated paperback published by PublishNation, direct from David Maidment £7 incl p&p (£2 per copy to Rly C), paperback or Kindle format from Amazon. • The Toss of a Coin, railway career autobiography, illustrated paperback published by PublishNation from David Maidment £10 incl p&p (£3.00 to Rly C), paperback or Kindle also from Amazon. • Great Western Eight-Coupled Heavy Freight Locomotives, locomotive profile, 200 photos and text covering GW 28/38XX, 42/52/72XX, 47XX, RODs and other freight locomotives operating over the GWR/WR between 1900 and 1965, hardback, glossy paper, published by Pen & Sword, available from David Maidment £20 incl p&p (£4.50 to Rly C), book shops or Amazon (incl Kindle). • A Privileged Journey, an account of the author’s extensive travels behind steam traction in Britain and Europe between 1945 and 1962, 150 photos, 260 pages, published by Pen & Sword, hardback, glossy paper, available from David Maidment £20 incl p&p (£4.50 to Rly C), bookshops or Amazon (incl Kindle). To order books direct from David Maidment, send a cheque to him at 32, The Broadway, Nantwich, Cheshire CW5 6JH. www.davidmaidment.com www.railwaychildren.org.uk

FEATURE

58 | RailStaff | October 2015

From Silent Movie

TO TOROUAY TORQUAY The Association of Community Rail Partnerships (ACoRP) is now a central feature of railway planning and policy. Community rail is shouting louder, drumming up ridership and fulfilling a central role in the drama of rail revival nationally. That’s the message from this year’s Community Rail Awards at Torquay. Overall winner was the Mid Cheshire Community Rail Partnership. Together with Petty Pool College, the Delamere station project, ‘Involving Young People,’ was singled out for special praise. This is typical of a growing pattern among CRPs and station adopters of involving people not easily accommodated by the conventional jobs market. The rail industry is readily embracing the need to be socially responsible and to better engage with the communities it serves. In ACoRP, the industry enjoys a ready made avenue of expertise bringing railway businesses, stakeholders and people closer together. Many supporters of

ACoRP were concerned that there may have been a change of direction, politically, following the last election. However, the new administration has embraced community rail with the same eagerness with which it supports railways generally. Neil Buxton, ACoRP’s general manager, paid tribute to this, singling out the Department for Transport (DfT) for special thanks. ‘It’s the DfT’s belief in us and their continuing efforts to ensure that we have sufficient funding – I might add, against considerable odds - that enables us to keep fighting your corner and pushing the boundaries of community rail, which is now recognised as an integral part of rail policy.’ Not only is money for community rail coming in from government but train companies are much more deeply involved. ‘Money is now beginning to be made available through the new franchises, giving us previously unimagined opportunities to expand and develop,’ said Neil. ‘We need to grab this with both hands and show that the faith in our sector is not misplaced.’

Neil urged people involved in community rail to expand their range of ideas and initiatives. ‘CRPs need to start getting deeper into communities, influencing other areas such as education, employment and land-use planning. Social enterprise is another area we should look at and DfT are very supportive of the role that station adoption and community stations can play in developing community businesses.’ ACoRP is expanding its role and working to influence other government departments. Community rail doesn’t just provide transport improvements but enables smaller communities to access goods and services, and to thrive and survive. 2015 has been a busy year for ACoRP as the strength of entries for the awards shows. Next year will be better still. Present at Torquay were representatives of local transport groups in Aachen, Germany, and the Loire Valley in France. Community rail is proving a box-office success in Britain and attracting increased international recognition.

Best is West The Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership won three prizes at the Community Rail Awards. Says Richard Burningham from the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership, ‘These awards show the real breadth of work that takes place to promote our railways – from innovative marketing campaigns, to working with local school children, to learning from our continental colleagues. Congratulations to all involved. ‘By working in partnership, we’re attracting more and more passengers and building stronger links between the railway and the community.’ The ‘Great Scenic Railways Campaign’ won the Rail Media-backed ‘Best Marketing Campaign’ award. The project included the GreatScenicRailways.com website, a stall at London Paddington and an impressive advertising campaign. This led to a 40 per cent jump in website traffic for the Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership in their work to attract more tourists to the region. The family-friendly Minibeast Trail on the Riviera Line between Exeter and

FEATURE

October 2015 | RailStaff | 59

Report by Andy Milne

Torbay was awarded third place in the Small Community Art Schemes category. Working with artist Melissa Muldoon, pupils from Gatehouse Primary School in Dawlish and the Sure Start Dad’s Club Stay and Play in Teignmouth made sculptures of butterflies, dragonflies, bees, ladybirds and snails which were displayed on planters at Teignmouth, Dawlish, Newton Abbot, Torquay and Paignton stations. The Riviera Line’s EU Citizens Rail project was recognised with third prize in the Outstanding Teamwork category. Locally the project delivered improvements to stations, additional services between Newton Abbot and Paignton, and work to engage school children and volunteers along the line. Partners from France, Germany and the Netherlands collaborated on all of these activities, lending their ideas and support, and even donating Dutch tulips to brighten local station gardens.

A Big Hand for Handforth Friends of Handforth Station celebrates 20 years in the railway business in 2016. The success of the group demonstrates

what’s possible when the community rail movement gets to work. Handforth Station, which celebrates its 175th anniversary next year, sits on the Manchester - Crewe line. By the early 1990s, the station was a vandalised eyesore - slated like the rest of the railway for managed decline and closure. Says Andrew Backhouse, secretary of the Friends of Handforth Station, ‘20 years ago, our station building was falling down, staff were withdrawn, and it looked like it was going to close completely. So a group was formed to campaign and take some action themselves. ‘Much of the work might appear to be about being a platform for art to make the station attractive, but for me, the most important things have been to keep it open, smarter, with more regular services, greater usage, better access and better information.’ Community involvement has kept the station open and brought together school children, senior citizens, rotarians, scouts and guides. Staff on stations are essential. ‘Who

wants an automatic ticket machine, no one to ask about times and a dirty station with run down buildings?’ Andrew Backhouse says. Staff were reintroduced by First North Western, making do with a portable building. Then came a new ticket office, built in 2001. Now the station is staffed by Northern Rail, and local businesses help support the numerous initiatives underway. The station looks smart and welcoming. There’s little chance of missing the stop as Handforth station has signs donated by various railways, including the SNCF, Irish Railways, Metrolink, Dublin DART, Isle of Man, London Underground and Strathclyde PTE. Even if the SNCF wanted to call there it would have a hard job fitting in between the now halfhourly service. In 2014, Handforth hosted Theatre

in the Quarter’s award winning ‘Over by Christmas’ show using local school children and a series of volunteer singers and actors from across Cheshire. The performance reminded everyone that people went off to war convinced it would be finished quickly. Eight local descendants of soldiers were invited to the performance. Says Andrew, ‘They spoke movingly of the importance of the friendships their parents and grandparents had found in Handforth, the value of knowing how alike we are across countries and the importance now of working together in Europe.’ Railway communities like Friends of Handforth Station not only improve the local railway but bring people together and bridge the generation gap. Next year promises to be a grand occasion at Handforth Station.

FEATURE

60 | RailStaff | October 2015

History of Russian Railways:

Part 2 - Wars and Revolution Report by David Shirres

Czech troops in Siberia on armoured train in 1918.

“Railways have become an instrument of war without which great modern armies are not able to assemble or move forward. Today you no longer ask how many battalions your enemy has but how many railway lines.” This observation was made by Count Alfred von Schlieffen, author of Germany’s First World War attack plan, in 1906. David Shirres reports on how true this was for Russia’s three wars in the first half of the 20th century. The assassination of AustriaHungary’s Archduke Franz Ferdinand on 28 June, 1914, started a chain of events leading to the First World War. This included Russia declaring a general mobilisation in response to Austria-Hungary’s threat to Serbia, after which Germany declared war on Russia.

Russian military and railway authorities had taken years to prepare detailed mobilisation plans that had variations covering all likely enemies and battles. Each railway had its own section of the plan kept in a locked box at key locations that only senior managers were allowed to see beforehand.

Wartime traffic Mobilisation cleared the railways of almost all normal trains to prepare for heavy military traffic. This included the lines from which staff and rolling stock were moved to the front. The military controlled lines closest to the front, with other lines controlled by the Ministry of Ways and Communications. This split responsibility did not work well. Empty freight cars were commandeered by the military. This halved coal shipments from the

Donetz basin because of the lack of wagons. Changing wartime traffic flows became a huge problem. With the blockade of Baltic and Black Sea ports, Archangel and Vladivostok became the main ports. This overloaded the TransSiberian railway and the narrow-gauge line to Archangel where, by the end of 1914, accumulated supplies clogged the line. The loss of Poland in 1915 required the evacuation of Russian troops, thousands of refugees and factory equipment, placing a further strain on the railway network. Change of gauge proved problematic for both sides. After capturing Poland, German troops changed lines from Russian to standard gauge. Narrowing the gauge was relatively straightforward, except when rails icedup in freezing conditions. By May 1916,

FEATURE

October 2015 | RailStaff | 61

the Germans had re-gauged 8,000 km of track in what is now Poland, Belarus and Lithuania. As well as supporting the war effort, Russia’s railways had an offensive role using 15 armoured trains on which 4.2 or 6-inch guns were mounted. These did not play a major role, although one armoured train successfully repelled a German attack at Lvov in Poland.

Construction and deterioration During the war, 7,194 km of new railways were built. These included by-pass lines to overcome bottlenecks, converting the Murmansk Railway to standard gauge and completion of the Amur Railway. For the extra traffic, 875 2-10-0 locomotives and 31,000 wagons were ordered from America. In June 1917, American technicians arrived in Vladivostok to improve the TransSiberian line. The railways deteriorated as the war progressed. Thousands of skilled railway workshop staff were called up for military service and workshops converted to munitions production. By 1917, there were 46,000 wagons stopped for repair, twice that of the previous year. Dissatisfaction with shortages and defeats led to the abdication of the Tsar in February 1917. The Provisional Government continued the war and could not prevent shortages and rising food prices. In April, the German Government assessed that it would be in its interest to allow Lenin to return from his exile in Switzerland to Russia in a sealed railway coach through Germany. This led to the October revolution in which the Bolsheviks seized control and sued for peace with Germany.

One war follows another The war meant Russia lost Poland, large parts of Ukraine and about 11,000 km of railways. This left Russia with a network of 70,000 km. This was, however, debt-free, as the Bolsheviks cancelled the accumulated debts that funded construction under the Tsars. With war’s end, the mass demobilisation of troops worked many lines to a standstill. Winter fuel shortages caused crews to abandon their trains as they ran out of fuel. Deserted locomotives were damaged as their boiler water froze.

The Bolsheviks’ grip on power was not secure, resulting in a three-year civil war between Lenin’s Red Army, led by Trotsky, and the White Russia counterrevolutionary armies. This led to the collapse of the Russian economy, fuel shortages, transport chaos and famine. During this war, grain and coal shipments were a tenth of those in 1913. In 1919, Lenin declared that March was a freight month with no passenger trains, resulting in twice the normal grain traffic to the cities. The government understood the need for efficient central control of the railways. However, the proletariat

did not. Workers committees were established to run their local lines without concern for a unified railway network. For example, coal for their locomotives was appropriated from trains passing through their area.

War Communism By mid-1918, the policy of War Communism was adopted which banned private enterprise and introduced military-style railway control. A decree asserted that railways were under the control of the People’s Commissioner of Ways and Communications and that anyone who

ST PETERSBURG

MOSCOW

Area controlled by Bolsheviks after advance of White Army in summer 1918

Vladimir Lenin’s funeral train locomotive at the Museum of the Moscow Railway.

FEATURE

62 | RailStaff | October 2015

1929 poster urging the development of transport to achieve the five year plan.

Eel2 - The world’s first useful diesel locomotive.

violated the principle was a ‘wrecker’. In November, martial law was declared on the railways whose staff became liable for court martial for failure to perform their duties. Nevertheless, the railways continued to deteriorate. Locomotive availability fell from 75 per cent in 1917 to 42 per cent in 1920. In a bid to improve productivity,

food was given to efficient workshops and ‘Communist Saturdays’, when work was done without pay, were encouraged. By 1920, the war had destroyed a tenth of Russia’s railway bridges. The Bolsheviks sent armed bands by train to help hundreds of local revolutionary groups put down anticommunist forces. They did not control the entire network but were at the centre and so could easily move their army to new fronts. As a result, at times two thirds of the Red Army was on trains. The railways carried 25 million troops in the civil war. To support the Red Army, 45,000 workers built six new railways totalling 1,500 kilometres. Such was the rail shortage that some new lines used rails from the newly built, but less urgent, Rybinsk to St Petersburg line. After an intensive building programme, by 1920 the Red Army had over a hundred armoured trains, compared with Russia’s 15 armoured trains of World War One. In lightly populated areas of eastern Russia, these proved to be a decisive weapon when used with cavalry, infantry and observation balloons. Trotsky used an armoured train as his mobile command post. There was much fighting along the Trans-Siberian Railway. This was a scene of great misery when those along it were stranded during the winter. The White Army, commanded by Admiral Kolchak, advanced along the railway to the Urals, However, by 1919, the tide turned as Trotsky’s armoured trains pursued Kolchak’s army to Irkutsk,

where he was executed in February 1920. At one stage, the railway was taken over by a 40,000-strong Czech army who had fought with the Russians in World War One and were returning to Europe via Vladivostok. When the Red Army tried to disarm the Czechs they resisted and sided with the White Army. After Kolchak’s defeat, the Czechs were allowed to leave Vladivostok unmolested.

New Economic Policy After the lack of maintenance in World War One and civil war damage, the railways were in a grim condition. The civil war had destroyed 12 per cent of the bridges, including many major structures, and 12,000 locomotives were unserviceable. Two-thousand kilometres of line was also wrecked and a shortage of rails prevented large-scale track laying. As a result, a 16-tonne axle limit was the norm and even by 1940, only 17 per cent of the network was able to take a 23-tonne axle load. Lightweight track remained a weakness of Russian Railways until the 1960s. After the civil war, railways were divided into three categories. Forty percent was category one which was to receive best materials. Category two lines were deprived of their through traffic to become feeder lines; they would receive only half their requirements. Category three received only 30 per cent of their requirements. The New Economic Policy was adopted in 1921. This allowed some

FEATURE

private enterprise to restore the economy. However, railways remained a key enterprise controlled by the state. 1928 saw Russia’s first Five Year Plan, which supported Stalin’s policy of rapid industrialisation. These plans specified the volume of rail traffic needed for all sectors of the Soviet economy and ensured strategic co-ordination, although in practice they were inflexible. Freight traffic doubled during this first plan, yet the railways could not keep pace with the rapid industrialisation and left factories choked with unshipped products or starved of raw materials. As traffic increased so did the accident rate. In 1934, accidents damaged 7,000 locomotives and destroyed 4,500 freight wagons. The Communist Party passed a resolution condemning ‘wreckers’ and ‘saboteurs’ who caused accidents. Yet, the main cause was broken, overloaded trains on poor track - a fact recognised by a further resolution calling for increased investment. Up to then, the railways just had to cope whilst industrialisation had the investment priority. Much was done to increase traffic without investment. Initiatives introduced in the 1930s included block trains, centralised despatching, strict controls on un-loading and diagramming trains on a network basis. Extra traffic was obtained at the expense of efficiency, as this was more important than operating costs.

Stalin’s great purge Transport bottlenecks were considered to be the greatest threat to the Five Year Plan’s industrial targets. Managers who believed no more traffic could be carried were ‘limiters’ and those unable to achieve difficult targets were ‘saboteurs’. Both were at risk during Stalin’s great purge in the late 1930s. Declassified Soviet archives show that during 1937 and 1938, 1.5 million Russian citizens were detained of whom 682,000 were executed. Those who suffered most were railway workers and the military. It was a terrible way to motivate railway staff to do what they had previously thought impossible. Between 1928 and 1940, freight traffic increased from 93 to 415 billion tonne/km. Passenger services were slow as freight took priority. In 1935, it took 205 hours to reach Vladivostok from Moscow at an average speed of 45 km/h. MoscowLeningrad trains were the fastest and

October 2015 | RailStaff | 63

averaged 65 km /h. During this period, 9,400 km of new lines were built. These included those to new raw material sources and avoiding lines in heavily trafficked areas, especially around Donetz. In 1931, the 1,014 km Turkestan to Siberia railway opened - the first major new line since the civil war. Another new line was the railway to Tuapse by the Black Sea. This was later extended to Sochi to develop tourist traffic. This was also a period of technical development. In 1924, Russia produced the world’s first functional diesel locomotive of 1,000 hp, weighing 180 tonnes with a 1E1 wheel arrangement (five powered axles). In 1933, the first main line to be electrified at 3,000 volts DC was the heavily graded TransCaucasus railway. By 1940, there was 1,870 km of electrified line including 300 km of suburban lines in Moscow and Leningrad. In 1932, Russia’s research institute opened its 6 km circular test track at Shcherbinka near Moscow, which remained the world’s only such facility until 1960.

Great Patriotic War During World War Two - known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War - the railway’s contribution to the eventual victory was vital. Germany’s invasion of Russia in 1941 was a shock to the Soviet command, yet within two days the railways were ordered to form 288 military hospital trains, the first of which was completed two days later. These

were to treat and transport millions of wounded soldiers. As the Germans advanced 700 km in two months, the railways responded quickly to evacuate equipment and personnel from 2,500 factories to Siberia. This unprecedented evacuation required hundreds of special trains that used permissive working to run a few hundred metres apart. These had a train crew coach, enabling shifts of drivers and firemen to stay with their train for thousands of miles. After the German invasion, route mileage decreased by 40 per cent, requiring significant changes to traffic flows including the requirement to supply coal from Siberian coalfields because of the loss of Donetz. During the war, 7,000 km of new lines were built, more than in any of the Five Year Plans. These included a 1,400 km line to the Vorkuta arctic coal mines and a 976 km line to Stalingrad. During the siege of Leningrad, all lines to the city were cut, requiring supplies to be taken by truck over the frozen Lake Ladoga whilst a line was being built on the ice. However, this was not needed as a Russian advance opened up a land route on which a line was built within three weeks despite the German bombardment. As it was within range of German guns, it could operate only at night with no lights or signals. Rails for this, and other lines, were lifted from a 180 km Siberian branch line to Tynda that had opened in 1937. This was not re-laid until the early 70s.

German troops use a Schwellenpflug (sleeper plough) to destroy rail tracks while withdrawing from Soviet territory, 1944.

The tide turns The counter-offensive outside Moscow in December 1941 that turned the German advance was only possible after 18 divisions of relief troops arrived from Siberia. These troops, and their 1,700 tanks, were brought by trains that had absolute priority and covered 750 km per day. History’s greatest ever tank battle at Kursk was another Russian offensive supported by the railway. Supplies for this battle required 14,410 trains. As the Red Army began to advance, the retreating Germans destroyed railway lines using a locomotive hauling a massive hook to break the sleepers behind this train. This created a supply problem for the advancing armies and required thousands of horses to serve the reconstruction sites. Once beyond the Russian frontier, railway troops converted standard gauge lines to Russian gauge. This eventually enabled a Russian train to bring Soviet participants to the 1945 Potsdam conference outside Berlin. Such was the scale and brutality of the Great Patriotic War that the Soviet Union lost 27 million dead. It also left the country devastated with a quarter of its capital resources destroyed. Once again, Russia faced a difficult recovery in which its railways would play their part.

YOUNG RAIL PROFESSIONALS

64 | RailStaff | October 2015

Young Rail Professionals Just Look Now:

Visit Scotland in Transition

On October 8 and 9, Young Rail Professionals (YRP) and long-time friends Jonge Veranderaars (JV), or “Young Innovators”, from the Netherlands, joined together for a series of technical site visits in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Between intercity trains and subway trains, rebuilt railways and new franchises, all of the visits in Scotland showed a theme of transformation and great hope for a new era in the future of railways in the region. Runaway success Kicking off the tour was a visit to the newly opened Borders Railway, which is a runaway success with 125,000 passenger journeys already made against a prediction of 55,000 passengers per month. Hugh Wark, the Borders Railway project director for Network Rail, and David Campbell, train crew manager Edinburgh Waverley and Tweedbank for ScotRail, gave presentations on the work involved in the construction of the line, the recruitment of staff and the driver training. Following the introduction, there was a sunny ride to the end of the line in Tweedbank. The day was clear and gave a wonderful view of the scenery, both

for the passengers and the lucky few participants who got to take a cab ride. Upon arrival at Tweedbank, the group visited the station and train crew facilities, which were being officially opened later that day by children from the local primary school who had won a competition to name the offices. Serving as an example of integration, Tweedbank station has extensive cycle parking, connecting buses to the nearby towns of Melrose and Jedburgh and an already full car park. Reflecting the novelty of the station was the impromptu provision of customer information for prospective passengers who weren’t sure about how to purchase tickets. The journey back north to Edinburgh also allowed the group to see the A4 steam locomotive ‘Union of South Africa’ hauling one of the sold-out steam specials that ScotRail have organised to operate on the new line.

Sunshine on Craigentinny Blessed by shirtsleeves weather in the Edinburgh October sunshine, the happy group toured Craigentinny Depot as a guest of the Virgin Trains East Coast crew. A wide assortment of carriages and locomotives were on display, emphasising the scale of the challenge of maintaining such mature

fleets in a historic depot. The pride and excitement of the tour hosts was always palpable, as they spoke of the changes eked out of the business, the depot, and the fleets over the generations. Initiatives that seem so small, like spending years to change all of the diesel tank gauges from mechanical systems to digital systems, was shown to have massive effects. They allow train drivers to safely maintain hotel power for the passengers and also to recover trains safely in the case of OLE failures rather than having to await recovery and block an operational line because of unknown fuel reserves. On the horizon, of course, is a monumental change when the new Hitachi train sets arrive for use on the East Coast Main Line. But if ever there were a crew of people who will tackle the challenge with great aplomb and deliver the best result for the customers, it would be the crew at Craigentinny.

Scotland’s Story A trip to Glasgow the next morning, courtesy of Transport Scotland, offered insight into the process of the recently devolved ScotRail franchise. Gary Brogan, head of franchise bidding for Transport Scotland, gave an in-depth

address about taking the mandated and largely prescriptive franchising structure given to Transport Scotland and working to usher long-lasting change to the system to suit a distinctly diverse franchise, especially in the wake of the overturned West Coast Main Line decision. Overall, the franchise process aim was essentially to make the ScotRail franchise feel like a true part of Scottish culture. Notable aims were to provide community value, to encourage collaboration throughout the industry via alliancing and stakeholder engagement, and to manage the disruptions to communities and passengers during the significant upgrade works in Scotland. Gary spoke of the importance of finding service benefits which were linked with a sense of Scottish national identity, economy, and pride. One example was something as deceptively simple as developing a saltire logo as a brand for all trains, to remain regardless of franchisee, which would ensure not only long-term brand recognition, but also save the excess time and money spent re-painting and re-branding between franchises, reducing franchise bid pricing by

YOUNG RAIL PROFESSIONALS

SPT: The Long Haul While the petite stature of the Glasgow Subway trains was a struggle for the Dutch compatriots, the charming visual design and spectacular upkeep of the rolling stock was a credit to the superb staff of the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT), who greeted the group in a brace of orange high-visibility vests which matched the ubiquitous

branding of the subway system. Indeed, the elfin structural gauge of the subway was the only indication of the systemâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s status as the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s third-oldest underground railway. SPT staff were of a diverse age range, the new smart ticketing system crowned gleaming new station halls and the orange subway logos accented the glass and steel structures of new station frontages. All around the system were signs of renewal and testaments to the value of the first major renewal investment since the 1970s. The presentations and depot tour at the SPT headquarters detailed the past and future challenges of a valuable civic institution, with enthusiastic employees presenting great hopes for the current subway modernisation programme. YRP regularly hosts technical site visits and exchanges for the networking and development of its members. YRP is also looking for enthusiastic young people to help grow the YRP Scotland committee to deliver development and outreach events in Scotland. For more information, and to get yourself or your employees involved, please contact: julianna.moats@youngrailpro.com.

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millions of pounds. Adding to the sense of ownership for the ScotRail franchise was a strategy to partner more closely with the tourism industry. When nearly every journey displays an ever-changing mural of wild Scottish landscape out of the window, why not highlight the very fabric of the country as a point of pride, beauty and character for tourists and locals alike. New opportunities lay in enhancing the customer experience with ontrain audio guides and staff for the most popular tourist routes, but also ensuring that other train services would have knowledgeable staff on board to provide insight which would increase passenger satisfaction across the board.

October 2015 | RailStaff | 65

NEWS

66 | RailStaff | October 2015

Frankie Goes to Cricklewood GB Railfreight is running waste trains from its new North London Railfreight Terminal, at Cricklewood under a three-year contract with FCC Environment. The old freight terminal is back in action following GBRf’s ambitious decision to lease the site from Network Rail. The waste is now moved by train up to the land fill site at Calvert in Buckinghamshire using the Aylesbury Quainton line. The daily service uses 20 box wagons. John Smith, managing director of GBRF, believes rail freight can expand its involvement with London’s booming

construction business as more projects come on stream. ‘As London continues to build, more and more construction, soils and materials need to be able to leave the capital efficiently and with least cost to the environment at a time when London’s roads are already seriously under strain,’ says John. ‘With major projects like HS2 and Crossrail 2 in the pipeline the rail freight sector can provide a reliable solution. This new service out of Cricklewood demonstrates our commitment to doing our bit to support the construction sector in London, removing 350 lorries from the road per week.’

Chippenham Debut

Siemens Rail Automation has recruited 18 graduates to join the company’s two-year training programme. Says Colin Morris, Siemens’ head of capability, ‘The graduates all begin with a period of group training at Chippenham, but then go through a series of individual placements, taking different roles in different areas of the business. After two years, they then progress into a permanent role in one of our offices.’

Staff Plan Poppy Train Staff at Southeastern plan to run a high-speed poppy train just before Remembrance Sunday this November to raise money for the Royal British Legion. Andy Harding, a fleet engineering manager based at Ashford, and Kent Evenden, a high-speed driver manager came up with the idea last year and now plan to run similar trains every year until 2018, marking the centenary of the First World War. Staff give their time for free and last year’s train raised £25,300. The Javelin train will sport new poppy designs and will snake its way from London Victoria through Kent and East Sussex to Eastbourne on Saturday, 7 November. The train will travel on routes that the high-speed trains never normally use. Tickets for the journey are now on

sale and memorabilia will also be sold on the train. Every penny raised will go to the charity. This year’s train will see poppies on the exterior paintwork at the front of the train, a large poppy next to the first door on the cab and further back the message: ‘LIVE ON: To The Memory Of The Fallen and The Future of the Living.’ The first poppy special – the Victoria Cross train – started last year to mark 100 years since World War One. Says Andy Harding, ‘Kent and myself plan this journey in our free time, and it is great that our employers let us do this and let us use their trains for free. It means we can then raise a great deal of money for the Royal British Legion and raise awareness of their important work. Tickets are already on sale so be quick if you want to get on board for this commemorative journey.’

The graduates will eventually achieve chartered engineer status and are mentored by an established engineer. Even the UK managing director, Paul Copeland, is a mentor along with several members of the executive team. ‘The graduates will be exposed to a wide range of challenging and complex projects, but with the right training and support, we’re confident that they’ll go on to play a key role in maintaining the company’s proud and successful association with the rail industry,’ adds Copeland.

CAREERS

October 2015 | RailStaff | 67

Depot Manager – Rolling Stock, Systems and Infrastructure Attractive Salary plus benefits

Glasgow Subway is a key element of public transport in the Strathclyde region carrying approximately 13m passengers each year over 20km of track and through 15 stations. The system is undergoing substantial modernisation with smartcard ticketing delivered and upgrades complete or underway at all stations and on key aspects of the tunnel and track infrastructure. A new driverless fleet of vehicles and CBTC based signalling are being procured together with platform screen doors and a new operational control centre. Leading a team of approximately 60 maintenance and engineering staff and as a key member of the senior management team, the Depot Manager will: • • • • • •

Lead on further depot improvements necessary to meet forthcoming technology transitions Develop the work of the depot across all rolling stock and infrastructure areas Manage the introduction of new vehicles and infrastructure from a maintenance point of view Promote safe depot operation in accordance with legislation, SPT policies, ORR and ROG’s requirements Input to strategy and policy matters at a senior management team level Manage maintenance and capital budgets and maximise efficiencies within the depot

“An outstanding leadership and change opportunity to modernise and maintain a complete railway”

Candidates should have strong people management skills and experience of depot oriented rail maintenance in a change and leadership. Qualifications may include a relevant degree or other tertiary education gained in a relevant rail engineering environment, possibly supported by professional body membership. The role will be based at the Subway depot in Glasgow. Please forward your cv to enquiries@rgsexecutive.co.uk or contact Rod Shaw on 0115 959 9687

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ATA Recruitment are exclusively recruiting for an experienced rolling stock / rail industry Project Engineer. This is an exciting opportunity to join an innovative and progressive company with a unique position in the rail industry. This technical role focuses on designing, documenting and supporting standard and custom s rail service equipment, functional systems, and production support for a variety of related products. In this customer facing design role the Project Engineer will be expected to: • Conceive, design, develop and analyse machine designs and systems as well as development methods to improve existing designs and machine functionality. • Improve upon current designs by reducing cost and increasing robustness and reliability. • Produce revised documentation for existing products.

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Opportunities now exist for skilled Rolling Stock Maintenance Technicians to progress their career with an ambitious and growing market leader. We are looking for electrical bias or dual-skilled technicians with either a full apprenticeship, NVQ Level 3 or equivalent in an engineering discipline. You will be working with a motivated team on modern rolling stock ensuring reliability, performance and production targets are consistently achieved. In return, you can expect long-term career progression and ongoing training and development from a supportive management team who actively seek to promote from within. Apply today for immediate interviews!

Are you an experienced T&R/S Technician looking to progress into a leadership role? Do you have the potential to motivate and mentor teams, using your technical knowledge to develop their skills and capabilities? Are you looking to join a stable environment with excellent opportunities to progress in a long-term career? If you can answer ‘yes’ to the above, we want to hear from you. Our client is going from strength to strength, building a motivated team to deliver to increasing service requirements with further growth on the horizon. Th They are seeking Team Leaders to support this growth and are oﬀering highly competitive packages for suitably qualified and experienced candidates who want to progress their career and have a genuine passion for coaching others whilst continuing to develop their knowledge and skills on the latest fleets. Contact us today to arrange a confidential conversation.

CAREERS

68 | RailStaff | October 2015

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The QTS Group is one of the UKs leading Rail Infrastructure, Engineering and Training Contractors. We are renowned as one of the best providers of engineering solutions on the UK rail infrastructure and are looking to recruit senior management staff to further strengthen our team. We are looking to fill the below positions as soon as possible: Contractors Responsible Engineer (CRE Civil Construction ) Region: LNE Based: Wakefield Office As part of a young and dynamic delivery team, this position consists of providing technical support to the project team delivering schemes under a General Civils Framework contract and larger tender items in the LNE region. Project Manager Region: Western Based: Swindon We are aiming to develop a dedicated delivery team to support our client in this region and are searching for an experienced and dynamic civils project manager to lead this team. We are always looking for new talent, so check our website regularly for any new openings. If you think you have what it takes to join our team send your CV to the email address listed.

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CAREERS

70 | RailStaff | October 2015

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