RailStaff October 2016

OCTOBER 2016 | ISSUE 227

EMBODYING RAILWAY SUCCESS

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PLUS NEWS HEALTH & SAFETY EVENTS TRAINING CAREERS

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CONTENTS OCTOBER 2016 | ISSUE 227

CURZON PLAN BRINGS HS2 BOOM TO BIRMINGHAM | 07 Birmingham has unveiled ambitious plans to maximise the benefits of HS2.

RAIL STAFF CONQUER MOUNT KENYA | 20 A team of 20 intrepid rail staff has raised £90,000 for the Railway Children in a dramatic 11-day expedition to the summit of Mount Kenya.

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RAILSTAFF AWARDS 2016 | 29 Find out about this year’s RailStaff Awards winners.

INNOTRANS 2016 | 52 Marc Johnson reviews the highlights from this year’s InnoTrans exhibition in Berlin.

CROSSRAIL ARCHAEOLOGY | 56 Clive Kessell looks at some of the archaeological finds unearthed by the Elizabeth line.

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S U C O F

S E TURN S U O g South H ER nstratin W o O m 4 e P d 6 , B| ERN tices NORTHNTICESHIP HwUcohort of appre. n e h E APPR lebrated its n nticeship pus re in ce the app Intertra ’s role in e ir h s rk Yo

APPRENTICES GOING UNDERGROUND WITH 4LM | 62 RailStaff speaks to Thales apprentices Mitchell Nelson and Aaron Lendor.

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Staff

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2016

NEWS

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The long haul

Contact us: Publisher:

Paul O’Connor

Editor:

Andy Milne

Production and design:

Adam O’Connor

Senior Reporter:

Marc Johnson

Senior Writer:

Colin Garratt

Track Safety:

Colin Wheeler

Event Sales:

Jolene Price

Advertising:

Asif Ahmed

Chris Davies

Craig Smith

Keith Darlison

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

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© All rights reserved. No part of this magazine OCTOBER be reproduced in any form without the prior written permission of the copyright owners.

Industrial confidence stems from self -worth, a quality on exhilarating display at a number of events and festivals capping a glorious summer for the UK and its rail back bone. Here is the yearned for confidence that post-Brexit Britain needs.

Wrong though it is to court complacency in this industry, conventional views of late running trains, lack of seats and industrial action, have been joyously counter balanced with new train orders, main line projects completed and new railways like HS2, tram and local lines progressed. A vocal chorus of new apprentices and graduate trainees

helps the industry put on muscle and stamina as it taps its own Illyrian Spring of youth. It is important to keep hold of these truths in the face of the challenges, both relational and political, which the UK faces.

The real value of the rail industry is the ingenuity and courage of its constituent people - so gainfully portrayed at the RailStaff Awards 2016 in Coventry. The value of any organisation is not to be found in the steel, glass and concrete it owns but in the people it draws on. Winners at the RailStaff Awards reflect credit not only on themselves but on the teams and organisations from which they spring. Similarly, behind every exhibit at Berlin’s magnificent InnoTrans exhibition are the idealists and designers translating unguessed at wonders into the railways of the future. This long haul represents a career commitment, an investment of life and strength, that fuels a solution-literate industry.

The railway is dependent upon people with perhaps the highest customer- provider interface of any industrial operation. Inspired people backing local railways has been given heady expression by the Community Rail Awards in Southport. RVE 2016, in Derby, notched up similar success. Infrarail in London portrayed an industry hungry for growth as did Rail Live 2016.

We are here to encourage all who work in the rail industry. This strategy is of direct benefit to a Britain coming to terms with the referendum result last summer. Charity charter trains, a 94 year old railstaff member taking his first foot plate ride and Matthew Stokes, Paul O’Connor and Dave Cox of Rail Media who stayed on after InnoTrans to run the Berlin Marathon, all point to a confident industry with lessons for the wider United Kingdom. We may not all be able to manage a marathon but we are all in this for the long haul. andy@rail-media.com FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF | @RAILSTAFFUK | RAILSTAFF.UK

© Jago Miller

Tel: 01530 816 444

Confidence in the rail industry continues to climb with all the solidity of a Railway Children expedition trekking to the summit of Mount Kenya. It’s a long journey for everyone - bad weather, steep gradients - but railway people are in this for the long haul.

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NEWS

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2016

Tiny trains Virgin Trains East Coast put on the ‘world’s smallest train exhibition’ at King’s Cross station earlier this month.

Tiny trains carved from pencil tips by artist Salavat Fidai were displayed at the station for one day only for the ‘Icons of the East Coast’ exhibition.

Fidai specialises in pencil lead carvings. In the past, he has sculpted the Eiffel Tower and a bust of Darth Vader.

The micro-sculpture display included a miniature Flying Scotsman, a train from the route’s past, and a mini Virgin Azuma, a train for the future. Magnifying glasses were provided.

Says David Horne, managing

director of Virgin Trains East Coast, ‘The Virgin Azuma is set to be one of the most state-ofthe-art trains on the network when it arrives in 2018. What better way to celebrate one hundred weeks to go than to showcase its elegance alongside other landmark trains with these stunning intricate sculptures.’

Paul Kirkman, museum director at the National Railway Museum, added, ‘The National Railway Museum is home to over 300 years of rail history and we’re always looking for interesting ways to make this history come to life.

‘We’re delighted to see Flying Scotsman in this exhibition, which is a fun way to showcase to the public a snapshot of the incredible advancements in passenger train travel over the ages.’

More miles for Manchester Manchester is planning a new 3.4-mile extension to its Metrolink network through Trafford Park.

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has been granted the legal powers it needs by Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling, and work could start this winter with the aim of opening in 2020/2021.

The new Trafford Park Line will be predominantly off-road, resulting in higher speeds and quicker journey times. It will leave the current network at Pomona and take in six new stops at locations such as

Wharfdale, the Imperial War Museum and intu Trafford Centre.

Funding is already in place through an ‘earn back’ devolution deal, and TfGM consulted the public on its plans over 12 weeks during the summer of 2014.

Metrolink currently has a length of 62 miles with 93 stops, and is used for more than 35 million journeys each year.

Tony Lloyd, Mayor of Greater Manchester, welcomed the news, ‘This new line will boost our economy and bring us closer to our goal of a world class transport system for Greater Manchester.’

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Rail chief calls out big business to build railways Big business should get more involved in funding rail projects, says Network Rail chief executive Mark Carne.

‘Railways are not just important because more and more people are choosing to use them, they are also a major driver of economic growth,’ argued Carne, speaking at a London First event.

‘We know that rail can unlock housing supply to bring communities that have traditionally been cut off within reach of major urban conurbations.’

Network Rail has identified almost 200 sites across the country which will deliver almost 12,000 new homes. Railway land is already helping rectify Britain’s housing shortfall.

‘All over the country, we have seen the impact of rail improvements, new stations, new lines,’ says Mark. ‘When railways are introduced or upgraded, investment in housing inevitably follows as businesses choose to move or set up in or near those areas.’

Increased capacity and a digital railway will mean more services and better connections.

Rail chiefs think it’s time for business to back rail. ‘We know that rail investment, such as transforming stations, can drive regeneration. But we cannot continue to rely on public funding to do so. It is clear that we need to increasingly source funding from those people, authorities and businesses that directly benefit from better railways.’

Britain’s railway has doubled passenger numbers over the last

two decades and slashed the cost of running the railway by 40 per cent in the last decade.

Private sector ethos is the way forward, says Carne who recommitted the industry to putting the passenger first.

‘We may be a public-sector organisation, but my vision is that we behave like a private sector business – relentlessly customer focussed, cost-competitive, commercial and with a highperformance culture and a plan to deliver a railway fit for the future. Transformation is not a choice, it is a necessity.’

Looking to the future, Mark outlined how, with passenger numbers predicted to double again within 25 years, he plans to be able to run many more trains on the current infrastructure.

Using digital signalling technology, similar to that which has revolutionised the Victoria and Jubilee lines in London, Network Rail will run many more trains on existing tracks. ‘We need to accelerate the transition to digitally run railways so we can unlock the benefits before the network is gridlocked,’ he said and added: ‘This will be the biggest transformation in the history of Britain’s railways. And I consider it a national imperative.’

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2016

NEWS

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Curzon plan brings HS2 boom to Birmingham

Birmingham has unveiled ambitious plans to maximise the benefits of HS2.

City leaders have launched the Curzon Investment Plan, a 30 year strategy to regenerate the 141 hectares of land around the planned HS2 Curzon Street Station.

Almost £1 billion of investment is being committed to the project. HS2 will help create 36,000 jobs, 4,000 new homes and 600,000 square metres of commercial floor space.

The HS2 station at Curzon Street will form the focus for a regenerated neighbourhood, with houses, offices, shops and squares.

Theresa May, Prime Minister, welcomed the plan. ‘I’m delighted that Greater Birmingham is making this investment in the future, working to maximise the potential of HS2 by investing in jobs and housing – and encouraging more business investment.

‘It was in Birmingham where I outlined my plan to build an economy that works for all, with a proper industrial strategy that delivers

Dual dynamic The end of October should see the successful doubling of track between Corby and Kettering. The six-week closure allowed engineers to upgrade the line and strengthen the bridges and viaducts needed to support extra trains that will run on the second track. prosperity, job creation and higher wages across the country, not just in London. That’s what the Curzon Investment Plan aims to do in Greater Birmingham.’

She added that her administration was right behind the initiative. The Curzon Regeneration Company will take responsibility for driving the delivery of Curzon.

Says Rob McIntosh, route managing director for Network Rail, ‘The project is part of our exciting Midland Main Line Upgrade Programme that will allow more trains to run, more frequently as well as reducing journey times on the routes which serve the people of Sheffield, Nottingham, Derby, St Pancras and, of course, Kettering and Corby. We have been on site for a year installing a second track between Corby and Kettering.’

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NEWS

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2016

RSSB rule book app Rail staff could soon be using a mobile app to check on safety critical rules and procedures, thanks to an RSSB-led programme to modernise the Rule Book.

Rule Books are practically as old as the railways themselves.

Individual companies produced their own rules before being encouraged to adopt shared, standardised rules in 1876. Nowadays the Rule Book is an essential reference for the 120,000 rail staff responsible for operating Great Britain’s railways, as it sets out clear instructions that must be followed.

Currently, rail staff receive paper copies or can view the Rule Book on the RSSB website, but an app will allow it to be more easily accessed and updated. RSSB has appointed technical content specialists Mekon to help develop the Rule

Book app. A prototype is set to be tested by a sample of staff from across the industry. The results will inform how the app can be developed for the industry.

RSSB’s professional head of rail operations, Gary Portsmouth, said, ‘The Rule Book going digital will bring a whole host of benefits in terms of the way users will be able to access Rule Book content. It’s a potential win-win, where staff have a Rule Book which is easier to use and keep up-to-date, yet which is more cost-effective for the industry as a whole.

‘We’re currently working with people who use the Rule Book to develop the prototype that will influence the final design, thus ensuring we deliver a product that is intuitive and fitfor-purpose, whilst providing the industry with an opportunity to realise other related benefits.’

3Squared receives Queen's Award for Innovation

Rail software company 3Squared has received the Queen’s Award for Innovation from the Lord Lieutenant of South Yorkshire, Andrew Coombe, at its Fountain Precinct offices in Sheffield.

The Lord Lieutenant met James Fox, commercial director, and Tim Jones, managing director, and was introduced to the company’s

40-strong team.

James and Tim set up 3Squared in 2002 after graduating from Sheffield Hallam University where they read computer science.

3Squared has been recognised for the major efficiencies its RailSmart suite of apps offers train operating companies. Rail companies report significant cost savings and improved operational efficiency as a direct result of the

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software, which monitors and records the competency of train drivers and other staff.

Says James Fox, ‘It was an honour to welcome the Lord Lieutenant to our business to present this accolade to our whole team. Achieving the much coveted Queen’s Award for Innovation is a major milestone in our business as we strive towards enabling rail companies to take advantage of

the latest technology to enhance safety.

‘It’s not just one or two of our staff who have played a part in this, it’s been a real team effort, with everyone involved in making RailSmart the success it has become already.’ He added, ‘It’s not every day that we welcome Her Majesty’s representative to our business and this visit was the culmination of what has been a fantastic year for us. It has been a truly memorable celebration that reflects the great achievement of our people who should be really proud of themselves.’

Rail industry figures congratulated 3Squared. Says Justin Willett, head of operational standards at SWT, ‘We would like to congratulate 3Squared on their fantastic achievement of winning a Queen’s Award for Innovation. RailSmart is a key tool that has enabled us to improve our competency management, giving us much greater visibility of critical information, and easing the burden of admin.’

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Beresford-Groombridge Director for Linbrooke bonus for SNC-Lavalin SNC-Lavalin has announced two senior rolling stock appointments within its UK Rail & Transit team (formerly Interfleet).

Jason Groombridge (left) has been promoted to rolling stock director, while James Beresford has come on board as a principal engineer.

Jason first joined the former Interfleet business in 2005 and was subsequently appointed as business leader for passenger rolling stock in Australia. Since then, he has held several highprofile roles within the company’s Australasian and UK operations.

Most recently, Jason was head of consulting for SNC-Lavalin Rail & Transit in the UK. His 20-year career within the rail industry also includes jobs at Railcorp, Booz & Company, National Express Trains, Wessex Trains and HSBC Rail.

James Beresford (right) joins SNC-Lavalin’s Rolling Stock

Enhancements team from Bombardier Transportation.

During his 15 years there, James led a number of key projects. His most recent title was cabs and interiors engineering manager.

Previously, James worked for VBK Transport Interiors, Reckitt & Colman Europe, Metool Products and ABB Transportation.

‘As a business, we have an established worldwide reputation for our rolling stock expertise, and I have every confidence that this product area will go from strength to strength under Jason’s leadership,’ says Michael Grace, regional director, SNC Rail & Transit UK. ‘We’re also delighted to welcome James to the team. His knowledge and experience will prove invaluable to our clients and to us.’

Founded in 1911, SNC-Lavalin is now one of the leading engineering and construction groups in the world.

David Clarke has joined Linbrooke as business development director. The move caps a dynamic career charting a 20 year rise to the top - the last 15 in the rail industry.

Graduating from Nottingham Trent University with a degree in business administration, David Clarke began his career in 1995 as an assistant manager for First Leisure PLC. Continuing to work in a variety of management positions, David joined the rail industry in 2001 as Jasmin Plc’s business development manager where he was key in selling their Customer Information System (CIS) to Northern Rail and Chiltern Rail.

He moved on to become the business development manager for Funkwerk in 2004 where he worked as an account manager for Network Rail, responsible for timetable planning software.

Alongside developing the CIS business, he also successfully introduced Funkwerk’s CIS system to the UK. Joining Telent in 2007 as the business development manager, David was responsible for successfully developing its TOC

business, making Telent one of the UK’s largest suppliers of TOC maintenance.

Progressing through the position of account director and on to sales director, Clarke helped further develop long term business growth in the UK rail market, planning all sales and marketing activity. Leaving Telent in 2016, David brought his expertise to Linbrooke to become the business development director.

With considerable knowledge and capability, David has fresh perspectives and views on how to continue adding value to Linbrooke’s rail-based workstreams. His primary roles are to lead, direct and focus on rail client engagement and business development programmes alongside growing Linbrooke’s growing client base. In his free time, David enjoys property renovation and attending football matches with his two sons.

Graduates for Costain Paul heads RFEM The Rail Forum East Midlands (RFEM) has elected Paul Francis as its new chairman. Paul is managing director of Derby-based Porterbrook Leasing and sits on the executive of the Rail Supply Group.

Paul replaces former RFEM chairman Colin Walton who held the post for over 10 years and now becomes president.

Says Paul, ‘I would like to congratulate Colin on his election as Rail Forum president, and I am very pleased that he has agreed

to continue working with our members to promote the East Midland’s rail industry.

‘Transport Secretary Chris Grayling MP recently called our region ‘Britain’s transport engine room’. And so it is. As chair of the Rail Forum, I am determined that we will build on this reputation by helping to grow skills, stimulate innovation and increase exports, so that the East Midlands’ rail industry can lead the way in delivering post-Brexit prosperity.’

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Costain has welcomed the ‘Class of 2016’ - a group of carefully selected graduates.

This year, Costain took on 65 graduates in 15 disciplines, including civil, mechanical and electrical engineering, finance, health and safety, procurement, design and technology.

The competition and quality of the candidates was extremely high, with 30 applicants for each graduate place.

Training started with a ‘Boot Camp’ at the De Vere Hotel in Daventry designed to introduce them to the company and spell out what is required to work as part of a business team.

Over the five days, the graduates heard from a number of

top directors and managers.

Says Tim Embley, Costain’s Group innovation and knowledge manager, ‘It is clear that another talented team has joined Costain.

The careful selection of individuals, in line with our business strategy of ‘Engineering Tomorrow’, will deliver our business goals and continue to provide a range of services that address our customer’s most pressing needs.

They were especially interested in understanding how to deliver technical excellence through innovative services.’

During the week, the graduates focussed on soft skills like communication, presentation and decision making ahead of being deployed to work on their first projects.

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2016

PEOPLE

YRP star joins Ford & Stanley

Two-step just the job for Jobson James

Liam Slater is starting a new job as Senior Consultant at Ford & Stanley.

Two new appointments at Jobson James add to the expansion of the company’s dedicated rail sector. Tim Smith was appointed as associate director at Jobson James Rail earlier this year, following the company’s continued growth.

Liam is vice chair of Young Rail Professionals in the East Midlands and joins the respected recruitment team, specialising in rolling stock skilled personnel recruitment.

With over two years’ experience in professional and executive rail recruitment, Liam has a strong network of contacts across the industry having previously worked with a wide range of train operators, ROSCOs, international consultancies and overhaulers and maintainers. In his new role Liam will support the development of Ford & Stanley’s key accounts, securing both permanent and interim talent for some of the UK’s leading

employers within rail.

‘I’m excited to join a team that clearly shares my enthusiasm for success,’ said Liam, ‘To be part of a growing organisation at such an exciting time within rail is something I’m very much looking forward to.’

In his role with Young Rail Professionals Liam assists with the organisation of railfocused events targeting young professionals, graduates and students in the early stages of their career as well as those actively looking to pursue a career in rail. Ford & Stanley specialises in operational, executive and commercial recruitment within the rail and engineering sectors.

Tim has widespread experience in commercial insurance, having been promoted to a senior brokering role by the age of 30 prior to joining Jobson James Rail.

Tim creates bespoke, risk management-led insurance programmes that analyse the exact risks his clients face and how they are managed. His approach to brokering has seen him achieve extremely competitive results time and time again for his clients, whilst ensuring that cover is provided to

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pinpoint accuracy. He is working towards his diploma for the Chartered Insurance Institute and is NEBOSH qualified. Outside of work, Tim is a keen football and F1 fan and lives with his wife, son and daughter.

Clare Brecknell has moved into the role of associate director of Jobson James Rail, after a year as the company’s senior client service advisor.

Clare has 20 years’ experience in business insurance for a variety of industries, but it wasn’t until last year that she began to focus on specialist insurance for the rail industry.

The appointments are a significant move for the company, allowing Keven Parker, previously Jobson James Rail’s sole director, to focus his efforts on overseeing day-to-day operations and securing new business.

Power connection for Ian Smyth Ian Smyth has been appointed director of UK Power Networks Services where he will be leading the commercial division. Smyth joins from Navigant, the market leading advisory firm focused on distributed energy resources, where he was managing director.

UK Power Networks Services designs, builds and operates privately-owned electricity networks and has played an essential role in large national

infrastructure projects including High Speed 1 and the London Underground upgrade.

Ian Smyth at UK Power Networks Services will help clients reap the financial benefits of unfolding trends, such as the shift to a low carbon economy and technological innovations in the ways electricity is generated, distributed and stored.

Says Ian, ‘The industrial and commercial sectors can significantly increase their productivity, release new value from assets and improve

environmental impact by taking advantage of the big changes taking place in the energy sector.

These three benefits can be delivered while the sector moves from fossil fuels to renewables and increasingly localised power distribution. We are at a juncture now in terms of how energy is delivered globally. There are a range of factors at play, including distributed renewable generation feeding into networks, new technologies, more software, intellectual property issues and volatile commodity prices. These

present new risks, but also new opportunities.’

‘This is a hugely exciting time with lots of change; it’s complex and stimulating in terms of the problems you have to solve. We aim to protect our clients during this period of change, so they can focus upon their core business,’ adds Ian.

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RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2016

Nick Brown to head GTR High speed career switch Rail legend, Nick Brown, returns to front line rail operations this November as chief operating officer of Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR). Mr Brown, 56, takes over Britain’s largest railway franchise, reporting direct to Charles Horton, chief executive of GTR. Brown replaces Dyan Crowther who is leaving after two years at GTR to become the new CEO of HS1 Ltd. Nick Brown joined British Rail as a graduate trainee after reading geography at St Catherine’s College, Cambridge.

Active in the Christian Union he was also a member of the Travellers and Explorers Club.

Welcoming him to his new role, Charles Horton said, ‘We’re delighted that Nick is joining GTR. He has a first class pedigree in the transport industry, a wealth of experience and a strong track record of leading businesses in the rail and bus sectors.’

Brown rose quickly through the ranks at BR working in signalling and operations and eventually percolating into business planning at BR’s much respected InterCity Division.

After privatisation he worked for National Express Group from 1996 to 2005 becoming successively managing director of Midland Main Line, Central

High Speed 1, the railway between St Pancras International in London and the Channel Tunnel in Kent, has appointed Dyan Crowther as its new chief executive.

Trains, chief executive of NE’s bus division and then MD of ScotRail and divisional director North.

‘Nick’s broad experience and intimate knowledge of the sector makes him ideally placed to help us achieve our business goals and deliver a better railway and excellent service for our customers,’ added Horton.

In 2005, Nick Brown joined Serco Group plc becoming chief executive for the Transport & Middle East Division. He joined Transport for London in late 2014 as interim chief operating officer of London Underground and succeeded Mike Brown as managing director of London Underground and Rail in July 2015, leaving in spring this year. He was involved in the negotiations to secure the start of Night Tube services.

Popular among staff, Brown’s appointment has been welcomed by the RMT. He is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport.

Crowther will join from Govia Thameslink, where she held the position of chief operating officer and replaces Nicola Shaw, who left HS1 Ltd in May. It is anticipated that she will formally join the business in January 2017.

Dyan Crowther has held senior roles at Network Rail, British Rail and Railtrack. After leaving Middlesex University - with a degree in geography - she joined the BR graduate trainee scheme.

Initial training saw her managing Peckham Rye station in south London. At London Bridge she was on the platforms dispatching trains at peak times. More recently she has been named as one of the 20 most inspirational women in railways - by Women In Rail.

She has a masters in transport and logistics from Salford University and is a member of the Chartered Institute for Marketing.

She has worked across a number of projects including HS1 and was route managing director – London North West with Network Rail prior to joining GTR as chief operating officer in September 2014.

Says Dyan Crowther, ‘I am delighted to be taking on this role.

Emma Dixon makes millennium Emma Dixon, a former retail worker from Spennymoor, has become the 1000th careerwise recruit to join Hitachi Rail Europe.

From a standing start ten years ago Hitachi Rail Europe has powered up to 1,000 staff working at locations across the UK, with a further doubling of rail staff expected by the end of 2019. Ms Dixon works at Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, where she is helping build new trains for the Intercity Express Programme.

Says Emma, ‘I’m really excited to be joining Hitachi, and it’s

a great opportunity for me.

I’m thrilled to be the 1,000th employee and so far all of my new colleagues have been very supportive and friendly, which means I’m looking forward to a happy and rewarding career with Hitachi.’

Emma’s arrival at Newton Aycliffe comes ahead of a wave of further recruitment by Hitachi, which will take total staff at its County Durham manufacturing facility to over 900 - including 50 apprentices. Hitachi has also built new train maintenance centres at Bristol and Doncaster, as well as modernising existing

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facilities in London and Swansea.

These are in addition to Hitachi’s Ashford depot, which has been maintaining Hitachi-built High Speed 1 ‘Javelin’ trains since 2009.

Says Karen Boswell, managing director at Hitachi Rail Europe, ‘The appointment of our 1,000th employee underlines the big plans Hitachi Rail Europe has to match the very largest players by winning new work in a competitive rail market.’ She went on, ‘To achieve our plan HRE is continuing to build a talented team of people, like Emma, drawn from a diverse range of

High Speed 1 is the UK’s only high speed line which has transformed rail travel through Kent and into the continent. Its growth and performance in the last nine years are testament to its success and I look forward to leading the business and helping continue this success for customers and passengers alike.’

HS1 Ltd has the 30 year concession to own and operate High Speed 1 which includes the track as well as the stations along the route: St Pancras International, Stratford International, Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International.

Crowther was part of the team that changed British law on the sale of scrap metal, which has helped to almost eliminate cable theft on the railway. She led a team that involved the British Transport Police, ATOC, and other external partners such as British Telecoms, which in October 2013 managed to make it illegal for scrap yards to buy scrap metal for cash.

careers and backgrounds who are working together to create an exciting and sustainable future.

Our 1,000th UK employee is a significant milestone, and we have clear goals and a strategy to grow our business and double our workforce by the end of 2019.’

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Logical song for Holwell

Rail freight expert John Holwell has joined the Rail Logistics Company, bringing a career’s worth of experience in freight and logistics.

Holwell has worked in-house or as an independent consultant for organisations the length and breadth of the country, from Scotland to Cornwall, Bristol to London, the Midlands to the North East.

John believes his range of experience gives him an insight into how to remove some of the barriers that prevent organisations using rail in their logistical planning. ‘There are sound commercial, political and environmental reasons to bring more traffic to rail. With my knowledge of logistics and rail freight along with my contacts in the retail and manufacturing sectors, I am able to help bridge the knowledge gap between potential rail users and rail providers.’

Not enough companies and individuals know how to go about using rail freight services.

Says John, ‘I believe that with colleagues at the Rail Logistics Company, we can help people make sense of the so-called fragmentation of the railways and support the shift of freight to rail, targeting key areas and the creation of jobs.’

Holwell, from Newcastle upon Tyne, worked for BR for 21 years in a variety of ops roles and joined EWS at privatisation. He has also worked for W H Malcolm and Oxford Rail Strategies. John works as a street pastor in central Newcastle.

RJ Power Group expands rail engineering team The appointment of Simon White as RJ Power Group Ltd’s new rail testing and commissioning engineer is set to consolidate the company’s growth and success over recent months.

The specialist power business has been enjoying an intensive period of activity since restructuring and re-branding earlier this year. This appointment is one of a number of new senior recruitments.

In line with RJ Power Group’s commercial objectives, Simon’s main focus will be to develop the testing and commissioning department to match the projected growth of the company.

Simon, who is a firm believer in educating and developing others, is also a seasoned teacher and is a highly motivated, passionate and caring individual, who also continuously strives for his own self-improvement.

He has worked for 19 years in the electrical and power industries, 14 of those in the rail sector. This has provided him with a broad range of engineering

experience across a variety of infrastructure projects – experience which will hold him in good stead for developing further.

Demonstrating a natural problem-solving ability, Simon has worked his way up the engineering ranks in a variety of roles ranging from electrical installation engineer, to a full Level A test and commissioning engineer – a qualification he has held since 2006.

Simon has achieved a variety of City & Guilds qualifications, such as 2360 parts 1 & 2, 2391 and 2400, and is about to put his passion for learning into a HNC in electrical and electronic engineering. Vocationally, he has extensive experience and training in LV (NICEIC) testing, earth testing, HV pressure testing, fault finding, testing of various protection relays, testing of HV, DC switchgear, rectifiers and transformers and has led and assisted in the testing and commissioning of a number of Network Rail 33kV substations.

Says Glenn Rowatt, managing director of RJ Power Group, ‘I am delighted to welcome Simon to

the group. He brings a unique set of skills and experience to his managerial role and is already proving a great asset to our rail engineering team. Our established rail contracting division was supplemented with a power networks contracting division a few months ago, and the business – operating under a new name and logo – is going from strength to strength. Simon joins us at an exciting time.’

When he’s not working, Simon enjoys spending time with his family and getting involved in various outdoor pursuits including skiing (both on water and on the snow). In characteristic style, he also likes to give something back by coaching rugby to a group of passionate under 6s.

Balfour Beatty boosts on-track team Balfour Beatty has made three senior appointments at its Rail Plant business.

Richard Devall has joined Balfour Beatty as Head of Commercial. Paul Thain takes up the position of Head of On-Track Plant. Peter Watson also joined Balfour Beatty this summer as business development engineer for On-Track Plant.

Richard Devall previously led commercial and bid functions at Colas Rail. He has also worked for

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Bombardier Transportation. Richard has an MSc in Railway Systems from the University of Sheffield and read Mechanical Engineering at Birmingham. In his new position he will progress development of Balfour Beatty’s Rail Plant business.

Paul Thain will lead the development of the Road Rail Vehicle and Special Plant business within the company. Paul has worked within the rail sector for over 30 years and has held various senior positions within Carillion. Most recently he was

programme and commercial lead for Laing O’Rourke. He read electrical engineering at North Staffordshire University.

Peter Watson was business development director for Harsco Rail. Watson was involved in Fastline Track Renewals, based in York. Later he worked for Clough Rail - specialising in signalling, mechanical, and electrical rail systems. Harsco Rail, based in the United States, is a global supplier of railway track, maintenance and construction.

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Viaduct rescue training

Intrepid rail staff teamed up with fire and rescue services to test emergency rescue plans recently at a 100ft high viaduct in South Wales. The 850ft long Cynghordy Viaduct in Llandovery is currently covered in scaffolding whilst railway staff and contractors complete refurbishment work. The historic 150-year-old structure is part of the Heart of Wales line.

The training day began with a first aid and patient trauma session to demonstrate the importance of stabilising a patient and the challenges faced when evacuating a patient from a scaffold structure like the viaduct. This was followed by a practical demonstration from fire fighters who abseiled from the top of the structure to perform a mock rescue. In the afternoon, a trauma patient was rescued from the top of the 13 flights of scaffolding by stretcher, using rope and winch techniques, with Network Rail engineers on hand to support.

Says Chris Howchin, Network Rail Wales, ‘Safety is at the heart of everything we do and this invaluable training day was a great success. It has not only enhanced our emergency planning but has also provided a practical demonstration for the onsite team of engineers if an injury was to occur whilst working on the viaduct. This structure itself also provided the fire service with a unique opportunity to complete this practical rescue training.’

Driver wins award Kirsty Sando, service manager at Heathrow Express, has won the Business Impact Award at the Association of Women Travel Executives’ annual award ceremony.

The Business Impact Award is presented to a woman who has shown great innovation within her role, which in turn, has had a positive impact on the business. Kirsty, 30, won the award for integrating drivers into the commercial and customer service side of the business and introducing a mentor mapping scheme for the driving team.

Says Fraser Brown, director of Heathrow Express, ‘Of her own volition, Kirsty devised a programme, which includes training modules, to integrate the role of train drivers into the commercial and customer service aspects of the business. She has singlehandedly put drivers at the heart of the business and not just in a compartment at the front of a train.’

Kirsty Sando worked her way up at Heathrow Express. She became a fully qualified driver at the age of 24 and progressed to being one of the youngest driver managers in the industry by 27. Adds Fraser Brown, ‘As a young woman in a team of mostly older male managers, Kirsty has changed the dynamic and brings a new outlook and fresh energy that has allowed her and her bosses to make changes to the way the driver team interact with the rest of the business and with customers.’

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House party

Over the past six years, Network Rail has identified housing sites that will provide almost 3,000 new homes in Britain. In a spirited example of the social worth of rail, from Epsom to Walthamstow, Barking and Plumstead the railway is delivering new homes.

In Epsom a mixed-use development scheme, a joint venture between Network Rail and Kier Property, has seen the demolition of the existing station concourse and ticket office and the provision of new and improved station facilities, a 64-bedroom hotel, three retail units including a Tesco Metro, 54 affordable housing units and 63 private apartments. The scheme was completed in July 2013.

A project in Walthamstow will include 148 homes, a new Travelodge hotel and retail space. Planning approval was granted and the first phase is complete with construction work on the second phase starting later this year.

At Twickenham a new station and mixed-use regeneration will deliver 115 homes, retail space and environmental enhancements. Planning approval has been obtained and

construction starts this year.

Once derided as London’s forgotten railway, the GOBLIN, the Gospel Oak to Barking line, looks like being extended 2.5 miles and catalysing a major new housing development. The proposed Barking extension of the London Overground would add a new station at Barking Riverside. The extension would enable construction of 10,800 homes, plus a new school and health clinic.

Down in south-east London, the Crossrail project will help to transform Abbey Wood. The new railway will halve journey times to many central London destinations and is already attracting new businesses and investment to the local area. A new Sainsbury’s supermarket has opened and planning permission has been granted for 220 new homes and a new library and public square close to the station. In addition, Peabody is building 1,500 new homes as well as new retail units and open spaces, linking the South Thamesmead estate with Abbey Wood station.

Rail connections drive house building and create job opportunities. Once again the rail industry is matching commercial imperative with social need. It’s a party where everyone’s a winner.

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Independence day for Anderselite

Transport for London and Network Rail recently brought together movers and shakers from the rail industry’s burgeoning engineering, design and construction sector to discuss the developing Crossrail 2.

The respected management and staff team at Anderselite Limited has bought the UK business from its American partner, CDI Corp.

In March 2016, the government committed £80m, along with match funding from TfL, to take Crossrail 2 to the next stage of development with the aim of putting a Hybrid Bill to parliament in 2019.

Rail chiefs are keen to bring together suppliers and planners well ahead of official go ahead. Leading the symposium were Michele Dix, TfL’s Managing Director for Crossrail 2, Chris Curtis, Network Rail’s Head of Crossrail 2, Mike Brown, TfL’s Commissioner and Lord Ahmad, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport.

Says Michele Dix, ‘Crossrail 2 could support up to 60,000 full time jobs during construction and via our supply chain so it is vital to build a close working relationship with all those organisations potentially involved in developing and building the railway.

By engaging with our supply chain we can work together to drive innovation, ensure a smooth procurement process and deliver the new railway as efficiently as possible.’

The idea is to steal a march on events by planning properly and getting all interested parties onboard. Transport Minister Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon is right behind the initiative. ‘It is an exciting time for transport with major investment across the country, in Crossrail, Thameslink, HS2 and the biggest rail modernisation since Victorian times,’ he said. ‘But we must plan properly for Crossrail 2 to ensure it is the right scheme to help make London’s transport network fit for the future. This is why it is vital to work with businesses and all interested partners as early as possible to make sure we collectively make Crossrail 2 a success.’

Says Andereselite managing director, Simon Trippick, ‘For over 30 years, Anderselite has been providing talent to firms in the construction, civil engineering and rail sector. We are completely focused on these sectors and have gained a reputation for deep market knowledge and expertise both with our clients and candidates.

‘We are looking forward to continuing to provide high quality and innovative recruitment services while developing new solutions and services such as our Intelligent Staffing model.’

Steve and the team will continue to grow the business which has an extensive involvement in rail. ‘We have a team of highly skilled and experienced recruiters operating from eight locations across the UK,’ says Steve Smith. ‘This transaction will allow Anders to invest and focus on our core markets.’

Anderselite will continue to serve its clients from offices in Southampton, Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow, Leeds, London, Manchester and Newcastle.

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Expansion for rail apprenticeships

Network Rail is to expand its award winning Advanced Apprenticeship Scheme.

The company has pledged to recruit 140 new apprentices to start training in March 2017.

The three-year scheme will now offer 300 young people the chance to ‘earn while they learn’ in 2017.

Apprentices will be recruited in two intakes – in March and September – gaining valuable work experience, transferable skills and recognised qualifications.

As well as the 50 per cent increase in the number of opportunities available over the year, Network Rail has moved the Advanced

Apprenticeship to a new home at its modern training and development centre near Coventry in the West Midlands.

Apprentices will spend the first five months of the three-year scheme at the training centre, specialising in one of five areas: electrification and plant, overhead lines, signalling, telecoms or track. They then move to local depots for on-the-job training on the railway’s front line, gaining knowledge and vital skills from experienced team members.

Says Network Rail apprentice, Hamzah Kola, ‘I’m currently working in my depot and getting to put the theory that I was taught during my first year of the scheme into action. Most of my

Digital drive for Hitachi Mark Carne’s vision of a digitally operated railway is already being taken forward

by Hitachi Rail Europe which is pioneering modern in-cab signalling systems. A Class 37 locomotive, fitted with ETCS technology, recently did a test run on the Cambrian line.

Hitachi has been given approval to use its modern in-cab signalling system on passenger services in Britain.

This is important progress for the Digital Railway programme. The potential long-term benefits of the programme include allowing up to 30 per cent more trains to run across the country.

In a joint project with Network Rail, Hitachi was able to run a train along the Cambrian line, in Wales, controlled by its

European Train Control System (ETCS). The testing, which was successfully completed recently, helped Hitachi become the first train manufacturer in the UK to have its digital signalling system authorised to run passenger trains by the rail regulator.

Rather than relying on the old Victorian signalling system, which operates like traffic lights, Hitachi’s new ETCS technology tells the driver when to accelerate, brake or about upcoming hazards – making running trains far more efficient.

The information, which is fed directly to the train’s cab, is drawn from the trackside system that monitors every train’s movement and position on the railway. The trackside system on the Network Rail-managed Cambrian line was installed – also in a UK first – by

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managers are former apprentices so I can see there is lots of opportunity to progress within the organisation and Network Rail offers so many career paths and opportunities. Joining the Advanced Apprenticeship scheme is the best decision that I’ve ever made.’

Apprentices join the 20,000-strong orange army of front line engineers and technicians responsible for Britain’s rail infrastructure.

The majority of those coming through the apprentice scheme build successful careers with Network Rail. Eighty-five per cent of those who started on the scheme in 2005, when it was first launched, are still working for the organisation.

Ansaldo STS, now owned by Hitachi Rail Europe.

This more sophisticated system, which forms part of Network Rail’s digital railway programme, understands where every train on the network is and gives drivers much more journey information.

In this way, Hitachi’s ETCS system allows more trains to operate safely across the same number of lines and offers a more reliable service for passengers; helping provide more capacity, relieve crowding and responding to the tremendous growth of Britain’s railways.

Says Andy Rogers, project director of Hitachi Rail Europe, ‘This is a big step forward for digital innovation on the UK rail network and, once implemented, can deliver revolutionary benefits for rail passengers.

‘Hitachi is hugely proud to be the first to achieve this milestone, which is a testament to the hard

work of our testing and signalling teams. Our thanks go to Network Rail for its role in achieving this milestone, and we look forward to working with them to implement ETCS across the network.’

Following ORR approval Hitachi plans to install its ETCS in the 160 new trains it is building.

The first of these modern trains – the Class 800/801 - enters passenger service next year on the Great Western Main Line, as part of the Intercity Express Programme.

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Rail staff conquer Mount Kenya

A team of 20 intrepid rail staff has raised £90,000 for the Railway Children in a dramatic 11-day expedition to the summit of Mount Kenya. Climbers braved storm force winds and bad weather to raise money for the charity which helps children at risk on the streets.

At a height of 4,985m, the group had to contend with the effects of altitude, including headaches, nausea and exhaustion as well as freezing temperatures. The bold attempt to reach the summit was nearly cancelled by winds of 90 mph.

Says Katie Mason, events manager from Railway Children, ‘This year we saw some of the toughest conditions ever. But despite a couple of the group suffering from extreme vertigo, they conquered their fears and, as dawn broke, all twenty reached their goal and were rewarded with a sensational sunrise over East Africa. The support from our sponsors, Worldline, has been amazing and to have raised £90,000 is a fantastic achievement for everyone involved. Funds raised from the trip will go directly to children in need in East Africa, India and the UK. From providing shelter, food, and clothing to medical supplies, education and counselling, we will be able to reach and transform the lives of so many more children.

Children like Ravi, aged just three years old, who was found a couple of weeks before tied to a tree in the middle of a forest with burn marks and a broken arm. Thanks to the Mount Kenya trekkers, children like Ravi now have a future.’

After the trek, the group travelled to Kitale and spent a day at a drop-in centre for street children funded by Railway Children to see first hand what a difference their fundraising RAILSTAFF.UK | @RAILSTAFFUK | FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF

efforts will make. The group also visited a short-term home in Birunda, where children stay until Railway Children can help them be reunited with their families or an alternative long-term solution can be found.

Says Lisa Coleman, UK&I chief executive, Worldline, ‘The challenge of climbing Mount Kenya was hard by our standards, but incomparable to the daily hardships these children have faced, the horrendous conditions, the starvation, just to survive another day. And Railway Children’s frontline staff at Kitale are incredible. Seeing how they connect with the

children, working with each one individually, as well as supporting the children’s families to get them the best possible outcome for the future is truly inspiring.’

Robbie Burns, Alan Ross, Lisa Coleman, Elaine Stewart, Mirco Danesi, James Bain, Sarah Kendall, Michael Holden, Matt Watson, Nathan Howgego, Vicky Ridout, Terence Watson, Phil Whittingham, Anna Lee, Gareth Powell, John Sullivan, Gwyn Griffiths, Brian Jackson, Jago Miller, Katie Mason.

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Call Newcastle Anniversary charter for GB Railfreight GB Railfreight has celebrated 15 years of operations with a recordbreaking charity charter train tour.

GBRf raised a record £125,100 for its selected charities, following a fourday charity charter train tour of the UK. Starting on 8 September, the tour took in Swanage, Harwich, Inverness and Liverpool and was hauled by locomotives that included Class 87s, Class 59s, Class 20s and the famous ‘Evening Star’. Tickets for the tour sold out within 24 hours.

The ambitious programme was led by business manager Paul Taylor; account manager Dale Williams, and train planner Richard Owen. Over 30 additional GBRf staff volunteered to work in their own time on the four-day trip. The charter train tour formed part of the freight operator’s year-long fundraising efforts for the British Heart Foundation, Woking Homes and the Ripple Project.

Says John Smith, managing director of GB Railfreight, ‘Every year, our staff and their families go that extra mile to raise funds for our nominated charities. With this four-day charter tour, Paul Taylor and his team took it that stage further.’

John thanked the team. ‘I’d like to thank the GBRf staff and all of our suppliers who helped make the charity charter tour happen, raising a record figure of £125,100. I can’t begin to imagine what the team will come up with next to build on these achievements.’

The gentle tones of the north east will soon be reassuring and advising passengers using Virgin Trains.

The company has opened a new call centre in Newcastle, creating 85 new jobs in the city.

The new Customer Solutions Centre is designed to improve customer service by bringing roles in-house using staff who work and travel locally.

The centre is based at Virgin Money’s headquarters, in Gosforth.

Says Newcastle City Council leader Nick Forbes, ‘It is great to see Virgin further establishing itself in Newcastle, bringing more jobs and careers to our city.

Not only does the North East have strong historical links to the railways and the East Coast Main Line, but, as these new jobs will demonstrate, the line continues to play an important role in our regional economy.

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themselves will be an asset to both Virgin Trains and Newcastle and I welcome this news.’

Jonathan Walker, North of England Chamber of Commerce, agrees, ‘This decision is a testament to the region’s reputation for friendliness and diligence, which makes us a natural home for high quality customer service operations.’

The leader of Newcastle City Council, Nick Forbes (left), opens Virgin Trains’ Customer Solutions Centre with Virgin’s customer experience director Alison Watson and managing director David Horne.

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Cab ride for railman Retired railway man Harold ‘Andy’ Anderson celebrated his 94th birthday with a special train cab ride to London Fenchurch Street.

Daughter Linda Mead contacted c2c to ask if it was possible for her father to have a ride in the train cab as part of his birthday celebrations and a tour of Southend Central station as he had worked there before serving in WW2. Staff at award-wining c2c were happy to help.

Says Andy, ‘This has been such an interesting morning and it was a revelation to see all the changes that had taken place since working at Southend Central station all those years ago. Thanks so much for organising my birthday treat – it’s been marvellous.’

‘I didn’t realise that a train cab ride was one ambition he thought he never would have the chance to achieve,’ said Linda. ‘He was so full of memories for the rest of the day that he didn’t sleep much Friday night. I can’t thank you enough for making a very happy 94-year-old’s birthday and year.’

Andy started his railway career at Southend East booking office in 1939, aged 16, earning just £45

per year. While working in the parcel office there, a young lady called Hildergard Ehrlich arrived with a large wicker hamper for her voyage on the SS Athenia from Liverpool Docks. Andy never forgot Hildergard and recently discovered that she sadly lost her life when the ship was sunk by a German U boat on 3 September 1939.

In 1940, he moved to Southend Central’s parcel office and can vividly remember eschewing the safety of the bomb shelter to sit at the end of the platform to watch the Battle of Britain take place overhead on 15 September 1940.

Andy joined the Royal Engineers when he was 18 and served in North Africa and Italy. After the war, he returned to working on the railways as a clerical officer at St Pancras.

Here he met his late wife Jessie, who had also worked for the railway during the war years. He was based at many different London stations before returning to Southend Central as area administration officer. He retired in 1982.

Linda Mead, Andy Anderson with Driver Bob Speirs.

Scotland's next railway?

The LevenMouth Rail Campaign is drumming up support for the reopening of the five-mile railway between Leven and Methil.

Although out of use with heavily overgrown track, the line is still part of Network Rail’s infrastructure and has an operational connection at Thornton Junction. Supporters argue it would serve a population of 37,000, the largest conurbation in Scotland without a rail service. There is also potential for two intermodal freight trains a day to serve Diageo’s distillery and bottling plant, one of the largest in the UK. On 23 September, LMRC arranged a conference in Methil to progress the campaign. This was attended by three MSPs and the local Westminster MP, who all expressed their strong support. Fife Council has committed £2 million for the development of the scheme, which includes funding for two feasibility studies. Deputy Leader, Lesley Laird, expressed frustration that the next step wasn’t clear as there is no roadmap for rail re-openings.

LMRC is now seeking Scottish Government commitment to this project. As the Levenmouth scheme would bring benefits comparable to the Borders railway at a fraction of its cost, they feel they have a strong case.

Rochester by rail Historic Rochester in Kent has had two Southeastern trains named after its iconic castle and cathedral. The trains were named Rochester Castle and Rochester Cathedral at a special ceremony held at Rochester station.

Rochester Castle is one of the best preserved and finest examples of Norman architecture in England. Parts of Rochester Cathedral, which is England’s second oldest, date back to 1080 AD. Happily the two Class 375s are much younger.

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Philip Hesketh, Dean of Rochester Cathedral, unveiled the train named Rochester Cathedral.

‘There cannot be many places where the cathedral and castle were built by a bishop – Bishop Gundulf,’ he said. ‘They stand majestically together on the River Medway and the approach by train from London is one of the most impressive in Britain. It is great that a train has been named after it and I was delighted to be there to unveil its plaque.’

Alan Jarrett, the leader of Medway Council, named the other train Rochester Castle.

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Double success Hard working engineers and track staff at Network Rail have now completed final track laying around Peartree and Wolvercote in Oxford. The Orange Army has transformed the old 20-40 mph branch line into a 100 mph main line. Fast services from Oxford to London Marylebone via the new line start in December.

The £320 million project, including an investment of £130 million from Chiltern Railways, was first conceived in 2002 and approved in 2013. The first section of the route opened from Oxford Parkway, a new station, in

October 2015. Once open, two trains per hour will run throughout the day from Oxford city centre to London Marylebone with journey times from around an hour.

Says Martin Frobisher, London North Western route managing director for Network Rail, ‘This important landmark in our nationwide Railway Upgrade Plan will offer a great new travel option not just for business and leisure passengers in Oxford going to London but also for those in London heading to Oxford. It will bring economic benefits to the Oxford region and with it new opportunities for people living there.’

Berlin Marathon men Not content with walking the halls of InnoTrans, the team from Rail Media complete the Berlin Marathon to raise money for children’s charity Brainwave.

The 26-mile course circles around the city, finishing just beyond the iconic Brandenburg Gate in Berlin’s Tiergarten.

Representing Rail Media was Paul O’Connor, Matt Stokes and Dave Cox. All three were competing in their first marathon.

Of the three, Dave finished quickest with a time of 3:59:30.

Paul came second, recording a 4:55:31, while Matt came shortly after, clocking a 5:14:26.

By crossing the line, the trio helped raise over £1,000 for Brainwave. The charity provides support for children living with conditions such as autism, cerebral palsy and Down's syndrome.

Dave's nephew Louis has a Lissencephaly, a severe brain condition that has left him unable to walk or talk. Despite a difficult start, through the support of charities like Brainwave, his development has improved.

To donate to Brainwave visitjustgiving.com/fundraising/ 3-amigos-berlin.

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Road to the South The Campaign for Borders Rail is setting out the case for extending the line southwards.

The line has celebrated its first anniversary as passenger volumes exceed all expectations. Despite performance problems on the line, ridership continues to grow and services are popular with local people.

Says Allan McLean, chairman of the Campaign for Borders Rail, ‘The return of trains is incredibly popular in the Scottish Borders. The line has boosted the economies of the Borders and Midlothian. This proves that people were right to argue for so long in favour of railway services. The time has now come to enhance the existing route to match the level of demand and to prepare for the extension of tracks to serve more communities by train.’

The Borders Railway runs largely on the trackbed of the

northern third of the Waverley Route. This closed in 1969 but the original railway connected Edinburgh and Carlisle through Galashiels and Hawick. The new railway deviates from the original alignment between Edinburgh and Midlothian to serve a new development at Shawfair. Stations at Tweedbank, Galashiels, Stow, Gorebridge, Newtongrange, Eskbank and Shawfair are doing brisk business. Borders trains also serve stations in Edinburgh at Newcraighall, Brunstane and Waverley.

The Borders Railway was formally opened by the Queen on 9 September 2015, a few days after initial passengers were carried by ScotRail. Over its first 12 months the new railway’s 21,000 train services have carried a million passengers. Verified passenger numbers for the first year of operation are not yet available, but they are expected to exceed the forecasts made in the original business case.

Arbroath waits on midnight hour Arbroath’s station clocks are to be decommissioned after decades spent hanging from the roof. The old station clocks were struggling to keep accurate time. They will remain in place as part of the 168-year-old Keptie Street station’s heritage with both hands turned to 12.

The present Arbroath station was built on a link line between the Forfar line and the Dundee and Arbroath Railway. Jointly run by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway and the London and North Eastern Railway after the Grouping of 1923, the station then passed on to the Scottish Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948.

Until 1990, the station had three active platforms and was the terminus of a regular local service from Perth and Dundee that called at all of the intermediate local stations. The former platform three and its associated loop has also been taken out of use and lifted.

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TRACK SAFETY

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WHAT NEEDS

TO BE DONE REPORT BY COLIN WHEELER

TO REDUCE ACCIDENTS AND ENSURE ZERO WORKFORCE FATALITIES?

A

fter the round of political party conferences seems a good time for a review of how our railways are doing.

Brexit could benefit our railways and it is good to hear the repeated support for High Speed 2. But are we doing enough to keep our railways safe and ensure zero rail worker fatalities?

“I do it for the railway”

Last month’s article included dramatic pictures of damaged and derailed trains. Finding pictures for this month has been equally easy. I suggested that leadership, management and the creation of a workforce safety culture are all crucial. I quoted from a report that said “management needs to be forced out, walking the job, talking and listening to people.” If more people did so in the rail industry I would have less to write about!

Many decades ago I was working as a member of a track maintenance gang at Neville Hill Depot near Leeds. One day Harold the regional Chief Civil Engineer unexpectedly joined us at lunchtime in our lineside cabin for a mug of tea. Everyone knew him and spoke openly.

He asked our clog-wearing ganger how his racing pigeons were doing.

He was a good listener and understood his workers.

Years later I recall thanking a bridge examiner for identifying and reporting new colliery subsidence cracking of brickwork. He did not like his supervisor and told me so, but added “I always try and do a good job for the railway”.

Train drivers fell asleep On September 29th RAIB (Rail Accident Investigation Branch) issued its report into two similar incidents where signals were passed at danger.

One occurred at Reading West Junction on March 28th 2015, the other at Ruscombe Junction on November 3rd also 2015.

They involved DB Schenkler freight trains on similar services between Acton and Westbury. Both drivers told the RAIB that they had momentarily fallen asleep before passing the signals. The report says that both incidents occurred because drivers “had not obtained sufficient sleep which in part was due to rest facilities at Acton not being fit for purpose and because the drivers were nearing the end of a long night shift”.

Underlying factors identified included “supervision and management at the drivers’ home depot at Westbury and the general approach to the management of fatigue within the company”. Unusually the report includes words from Simon French, RAIB’s Chief Inspector. He comments that the report, “highlights the real world experience of train drivers” and adds “I urge freight operating companies, their employees and trades unions to work together to find practical ways of reducing fatigue at work”.

I suggest receptive listening 24/7 by both supervisors and all levels of management is needed!

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Inspections and the Go to Jail card

Inspections of all parts of the infrastructure as well as trains are a prerequisite for the safe maintenance and use of railways.

For track and structures this vital work needs to be under the control of qualified engineers who carry personal professional responsibility for safety.

I welcome the increased use of electronically driven equipment, but the eyes of an experienced trackman who understands the potential defects that may occur is crucial. Equally important is detailed knowledge of the maintenance history of each section of track. Similar comments apply to the periodic structural examination of bridges, tunnels and other structures including stations.

When I carried those responsibilities I relied on selected, trained, time served tradesmen (steel fitters, bricklayers, joiners etc.) who were my direct employees and had local knowledge. Their appreciation of subtle year on year changes was most important.

When additional focus was put on the underwater inspection of bridge foundations I was reassured when we engaged the services of divers with technical and trade qualifications.

The reason was simple. I knew I carried the go to jail card if something went wrong and was aware that their technical and local knowledge together with their commitment and sense of responsibility was second to none.

Bridge collapsed onto open railway RAIB have begun their investigation into an incident that occurred at 2350 hours on August 1st.

Part of a stone bridge parapet and footpath collapsed leaving a large volume of masonry on the Midland Main Line at Barrow on Soar (see picture). Drilling was being undertaken as part of an investigation into a depression in the south side footpath.

Although the footpath was closed to pedestrians, both lines of the railway beneath the bridge were open to rail traffic. The initial advice comments that Network Rail had been monitoring defects in the bridge for some years.

An empty train had passed beneath the bridge just five minutes before the collapse and a Nottingham passenger service ten minutes before that. Soon after drilling began cracks appeared in the footpath; then the wall and footpath together with the drilling rig fell onto the railway below.

Passenger train derailed and a collision at Watford Tunnel RAIB are also investigating a passenger train derailment and subsequent collision that occurred at 0655 am on Friday 16th September.

The southbound 0619 Milton Keynes to Euston train consisting of two, four-coach, Class 350 EMU’s travelling at 70 mph was

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2016

TRACK SAFETY

27

Much of the repair work at Barrow upon Soar has taken place during the night when trains are not running.

derailed when it ran into a landslip just before entering the north portal of Watford Tunnel. It partially blocked the other line (see picture).

Two minutes later the derailed train was struck by a northbound Euston to Birmingham Class 350 EMU with four coaches. It was a glancing blow and the northbound train was not derailed although both trains were significantly damaged.

In total these trains were carrying more than 150 passengers. The driver of the southbound train used his in-cab radio to alert other drivers and the northbound driver was able to reduce his speed from 80 mph to 32 mph as a result.

The landslip came from the steep sided deep cutting slope on the tunnel approach after two hours of heavy rainfall. An earlier train had passed the site just 12 minutes before the derailment.

The initial advice notes that “the sides of the cutting were being strengthened at the time of the accident but this work had not reached the location where the landslip occurred.”

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Near miss at Kyle Beck and a collision at Plymouth A near miss for a train driver on track occurred on 3rd August although it did not appear on the RAIB website until 2nd September.

Kyle Beck is on the East Coast Mainline near Tollerton in North Yorkshire. RAIB reported that “the train driver narrowly avoided being struck by an express train”.

They have undertaken a preliminary examination but have decided against a full investigation so we can expect them to publish a “safety digest” instead.

However a full RAIB investigation is underway following a collision at Plymouth Station on Sunday April 3rd. At 3-54 pm a train entering platform 6 collided with a stationary one already in the platform. 42 people including both drivers were injured.

The service arriving usually used platform 7 but this was unavailable due to its lifts being closed for maintenance. The signaller decided to signal the approaching train into platform 6 to stand behind another train

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TRACK SAFETY

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2016

which had arrived 34 minutes earlier, consequently there were just two crew on board at the time.

The second train driver braked when he saw the stationary train but it was too late and his train collided with the stationary one at 15 mph with many passengers standing ready to alight.

Sheffield tram collision On October 22nd last year at 8-25 am two trams collided. Tram 120 ran into tram 118 which was standing at Shalesmoor tram stop and a number of passengers and one member of staff were injured.

Tram 118 was unable to set off because of road traffic queueing at a yellow box junction ahead.

The RAIB report says that, “tram 120 was not being driven in a manner appropriate for the conditions and its brakes did not provide the level of braking the driver expected”. Low adhesion and the performance of magnetic track brakes were included in their enquiries.

Tram 120 was still travelling at 8 mph at the point of collision.

Shalesmoor is an area with high risk of rail head contamination due to leaf fall. Prior to 5-30 am that morning a team had been blowing leaves away.

The report adds that “under reporting of low adhesion had not been recognised by management.”

Level Crossing near miss and collisions An RAIB investigation is underway into a near miss at Dock Lane level crossing between Lowestoft and Ipswich.

The car driver telephoned the Saxmundum Signaller for permission to use the crossing.

Permission was given and the driver opened the near side gate and was walking across the track when his passenger heard the approaching train and shouted for him to stop. The train passed over the crossing narrowly missing both the car and its driver.

The RAIB advises that it will shortly publish a “safety digest” following its preliminary examination of a collision at Yafforth level crossing on the Wensleydale Railway in North Yorkshire.

At 2-05 pm on August 3rd a train consisting of a Class 27 locomotive and three carriages collided on the crossing with a VW Polo car. The driver was trapped in her car, then released and taken to hospital by air ambulance with leg and head injuries.

At 2-30 pm on Friday August 3rd a Land Rover was struck by a train on a user operated level crossing between Waterbeach and Stretham on the Cambridge to Ely line. According to RAIB’s initial advice the signaller had not been contacted before the vehicle began to cross. The injured driver was airlifted to Addenbrookes Hospital.

The level crossing collision resulting in the most dramatic picture was the one that

occurred on 10th September on the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway.

The consequence of the train colliding with a tractor on the crossing is evident! Again after a preliminary investigation the RAIB has decided not to carry out a full investigation but will be publishing a safety digest.

At this time of year increased agricultural use is made of user crossings. I suggest it might be timely, (remembering that trains have become lighter and faster whilst tractors and other items of farm machinery are growing in size and weight year by year) for a review of the ways in which farm and user crossings are now being used?

What needs to be done?

The increasing use of “safety digests” when preliminary investigations have produced clear evidence of the causes of incidents seems to me to be sensible and should produce quicker advice.

In respect of the other incidents I have featured, my concerns remain. Management at all levels needs to engage with, listen to and work with those doing the work.

They need to create single minded teams who are motivated to do the best job possible and never let the side down. Sadly, we have a long way to go before we reach the levels of individual commitment that once motivated individuals to take pride in working on and for the railway!

Both the landslip and partial bridge collapse raise questions about engineering competence and judgement.

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HARD R E WA R D IN G 10 Y E A R S O F N OF N AND WOME E M G IN K R O W IN D U S T RY… T H E U K R A IL

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RAILSTAFF AWARDS

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2016

OUTSTANDING CUSTOMER SERVICE AND FIRST FEMALE ENGINEERING AWARD WINNER

D

by staff throughout the company.

‘Danny’s done some outstanding work for us at TransPennine working at Grimsby station - part of a small and really dedicated team delivering for our customers on the line there in north Lincolnshire.

‘He’s gone out of his way to deliver not just great customer service but also really managing safety in an excellent way, caring for vulnerable people and working both with his colleagues at the station and other agencies on the railway to make sure that we’re looking after our customers and going the extra mile.’

RailSport sponsored this year’s Outstanding Customer Service Award. Established by the British Rail Staff Association, RailSport has been pitting rail staff against one another in sporting competition since the early 1990s, culminating each year

anny Roberts of TransPennine Express and Natalie Dickinson from ISS Labour were the first winners of the night at the 2016 RailStaff Awards.

Danny, a customer service assistant at Grimsby station, won the Outstanding Customer Service accolade. His nomination described a dedicated member of the team, who on a number of occasions has shown great compassion and care in dealing with vulnerable members of the public.

Chris Nutton, major projects director at TransPennine Express, collected the award on Danny’s behalf. He said Danny’s achievement reflected the quality of service provided

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with the annual RailSport Games, which next year will be held in Loughborough. The award was presented by RailSport secretary Cliff Robinson.

The second award of the evening was won by Natalie Dickinson, who was named Rail Engineer of the Year and became the first woman to receive the award in the event’s 10-year history. Natalie joined the rail industry 13 years ago and currently works as an engineer within ISS Labour’s OLE Division offices in Salford. During the 2015 Christmas works programme, Natalie took on a new and challenging role which involved reviewing OLE designs, ordering materials and ensuring projects kept to strict deadlines.

Nominating Natalie, ISS Labour chief executive Simon Higgens said, ‘Natalie’s breadth of experience and engineering knowledge is vital to the development and nurturing of the next generation of linesmen.

As such, Natalie will be playing a key role in the mentoring of ISS Labour’s new batch of OLE engineers, where her exceptional communication and interpersonal skills will come to the fore.

‘Natalie thoroughly deserves the recognition that this award will convey. Modest, humble and not seeking attention, she has achieved a significant amount in her career and is an exceptional example to us all.’

A couple of days later, having had time to reflect on the award, Natalie said she was ‘genuinely astounded’ to have won. ‘I was so surprised to have been nominated. To have won is amazing. It was completely out of my comfort zone being nominated for such an award and to be up against 19 other strong nominees was quite daunting.’

‘The award has made me realise that I am accepted and valued by the team that I work within. I think that to be acknowledged for your effort is important for everyone who works in a team. For me personally, I feel very proud and motivated. I also feel a great deal of loyalty to both the team that I

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2016

work with and ISS Labour who I work for.’

Natalie, who joined the rail industry as a team organiser, said she hoped becoming the first female winner of the award will help in some way to raise the profile of female engineers.

‘To find out that I am the first woman to receive this award in the 10 years the event has been going is a tremendous achievement. The rail industry is notorious for being male orientated; however, this is changing and becoming more diverse. I hope this will inspire more female employees to reach their full potential.’

She added, ‘I would like

to thank my four colleagues that nominated me as the words they used for the nominations proved to me that they know I am passionate about my work. I’d also like to thank everyone who voted for me, past work colleagues, family and friends who have supported me throughout my 13 years working within the rail industry.’

Rail Engineer of the Year was sponsored by Keltbray Rail, part of the Keltbray Group. Keltbray Rail, which holds a principal contractor license with Network Rail and a Plant Operators Scheme Licence, offers electrification design and build services, as well as rail and civil engineering and plant delivery

OUTSTANDING CUSTOMER SERVICE HIGHLY COMMENDED

• Siobhan Maloney, Pro Rail Services Ltd • Zoe Hemes, Southern Railway

RAIL ENGINEER OF THE YEAR HIGHLY COMMENDED

• Abdul Rehman Savant, Alstom Transport UK Limited • Steve Butt, Bridgeway Consulting Limited

services. Projects Keltbray Rail has recently contributed its expertise to include the Welsh

RAILSTAFF AWARDS

31

Valley lines, Crossrail Anglia, Great Western and the West Coast Main Line modernisation scheme.

Innovation in Engineering

Keltbray Rail is part of Keltbray Group and plays a key role in maintaining and developing Britain’s infrastructure.

We provide electrification design and build, as well as rail and civil engineering project solutions and plant delivery services for the UK’s rail industry. We work to accredited and award-winning standards, and are helping to develop and upgrade some of the UK’s greatest railways.

Our fleet of road rail vehicle fleet is the largest and most modern in the country, and our people are experienced and focused on maximising rail availability while minimising disruption while providing high standard rail solutions, delivered safely, on time and budget with care for the environment.

Proud to be a finalist in the 2016 Rail Staff Awards

St Andrew’s House, Portsmouth Road Esher, Surrey KT10 9TA T 020 7643 1000 F 020 7643 1001 E enquiries@keltbray.com www.keltbray.com

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32

RAILSTAFF AWARDS

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2016

A CELEBRATION OF TEAMWORK AND ENGINEERING INGENUITY

T

he winners of the Rail Team of the Year category provided one of the most uplifting stories of the night. When driver John Burrows suffered a lifechanging stroke, the team at Blackpool North stepped up to help.

While John was in hospital, a leak at his house had ruined his kitchen. Determined for John not to return to such devastation, the team of 18 repaired and renovated his home, installing a new kitchen, fitting new carpets and buying new furniture. Later in the year, the team returned, again in their own time, to spruce up his garden. Funding for the work came from drivers’ union ASLEF and the Blackpool North Welfare Fund.

Nominating the team, Paul Wilkinson said, ‘When John came home from hospital he was welcomed with a new kitchen, carpets, furniture and freshly decorated rooms. This had all been done by his colleagues at Blackpool North train station in their own time. This included drivers, conductors, station staff and management from all across the station and depot.’

‘This is the pinnacle of it,’ said Northern’s James Brennan, collecting the award. ‘I’m here in normal tie because we don’t have black ties, we don’t have dickie bows, we’re not that kind of people. We’re average people that live in Blackpool and we do our bit.’

Coyle Personnel, one of the largest suppliers of contingent labour to Britain’s rail industry, has sponsored the Rail Team of the Year category this year.

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As well as employing around 900 sponsored staff, Coyle Personnel also has full-time management and administrative teams working out of its 10 offices around the UK. Coyle Personnel became incorporated in 1988 and specialised in construction labour. Rail now represents a large part of its business. As well as other major industry clients, Coyle Rail is a supplier of electrification and plant works (E&P) and signalling contingent labour to Network Rail.Says Phil Cambridge, Coyle’s rail manager, ‘They were just so genuinely, genuinely delighted to win it and genuinely surprised that they did as well.’

He added, ‘I think what makes it different to a lot of industry awards is it’s much more personal… I think it’s great that the award’s

given to that person for their efforts and not to that project.’

Next up was Jai Smart, a power engineer with 15 years experience in the rail sector, who was presented by sponsor Westermo with the Signalling and Telecommunications Person of the Year award.

Jai, who works for Alstom Transport UK, was praised by his colleagues for demonstrating ‘a common-sense practicality when developing and evolving bespoke power applications for the railway environment’. He was also described as a great manager and a great role model.

Jai, who joked that the award was his first since completing the 50m breaststroke at school, said his aim now is to grow his team and promote the field of engineering.

‘My position is to promote engineering

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2016

and power in the business and make sure the signalling actually works,’ said Jai. ‘I’m looking to actually recruit and develop the department and provide a better engineering base towards the industry,’ said Jai. ‘I was an apprentice in the 80s and everybody went into the public monetary sector and finance rather than doing engineering, so that’s one of my focuses at the moment to try and get graduates and trainees back into the engineering sector to bring back and put engineering where it needs to be.’

This is the fifth time that Westermo has supported

the Signalling & Telecommunications Person or Team of the Year category.

Founded in Sweden in 1975, Westermo has been manufacturing industrial communications systems for over 40 years for a variety of sectors.

In the UK, Westermo is an established supplier of lineside and on train communications infrastructure. Its communications networks support the CCTV, passenger information and remote condition monitoring systems we encounter every day.

‘We’re just so proud to be part of this industry,’ said Phil Mounter, sales manager for the company’s

rail business in the UK. ‘It’s just so rewarding to work in an industry that’s proud of itself,

RAILSTAFF AWARDS

33

proud of the people that work within the industry. It’s great to work with people like Jai who really go the extra mile.’

RAIL TEAM OF THE YEAR HIGHLY COMMENDED

• Marylebone Station Team, Chiltern Railways • East Midlands South 'Flying Scotsman' team, British Transport Police

SIGNALLING AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS PERSON OF THE YEAR HIGHLY COMMENDED

• Christopher Wilson, Siemens Mobility UK • RETB, telent FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF | @RAILSTAFFUK | RAILSTAFF.UK

34

RAILSTAFF AWARDS

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2016

COMMUNITY CHAMPION AND STAR RECRUITER HONOURED

A

n emotional Suzanne Nicholls collected a deserved Station Staff of the Year award at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena and was followed by Recruiter/HR Person of the Year winner Adam Razzell.

Suzanne, Preston station’s community champion, is dedicated to making the station a community hub and has recently won an award for her charity work. She works with local businesses to arrange pop-up shops at the station and with schools to educate children on railway safety.

‘I’m absolutely over the moon. I can’t believe it,’ said Suzanne after collecting her award. ‘This has just bowled me over completely,’ she

added. ‘I did this off my own back because I enjoy doing it.’

Nominator Cheryl Marland wrote a glowing appraisal of Suzanne’s achievements over the past year. ‘I don’t know how she does it,’ said Cheryl. ‘She is a great team player and extremely level headed but with a brilliant sense of humour and she’s very ‘real’. You can approach her with anything and she will do her level best to help without compromising the task in hand.’

TBF, the sponsors of the Station Staff of the Year category, is a charity set up to support transport sector staff in times of need, hardship and distress. The organisation was established more than 100 years ago to support the families of staff fighting in the First World War. The fund has changed a lot in that time and recently became a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO).

A small £1 contribution every week allows TBF to help its members by paying for complementary and alternative therapies or equipment not covered by the NHS, arrears on household bills or providing cash grants. Since 1997, the organisation’s membership has increased almost sixfold to more than 47,000 and every year the charity awards around £2 million to members in need of support.

Chris Sullivan, chair of TBF, said it was obvious Suzanne had a ‘benevolent streak’. At its heart, TBF believes that everyone in the industry has a moral responsibility to support one another, particularly when safety is a factor.

‘You’ve only got to make one mistake with a train,’ said Chris, talking about how

Helping to make a difference

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personal and financial problems can be a distraction for staff while at work. ‘We can take some of the strain of it.’

Adam Razzell, who has gone from being a junior consultant to head of Advanced Resource Managers’ (ARM) rail division within just four years, was named the Recruiter/HR Person of the year, outshining a talented bunch of rail recruiters from around the industry.

In one of the many nominations for Adam, Paul Welland wrote, ‘I speak to many recruiters regularly and unlike most, Adam provides a professional service far in excess of others.

I would not hesitate to

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2016

recommend him.’

Over the past year, Adam has maintained a high placement average and weekly timesheet.

He has also introduced positive initiatives within the business, including the creation of clientspecific microsites, open days and the introduction of preinterviews on site.

‘It feels great. Great to win an award, especially an industry award like this,’ said Adam. ‘For me, I only learn from the industry, so the industry people I speak to - the contractors, the clients - they teach me all that I know so for them to then nominate me it’s great, it’s a great

achievement.’

Global Rail Jobs, a global careers website covering the international rail industry, sponsored the Recruiter/HR Person of the Year category.

Says Asif Ahmed, director, Global Rail Jobs, ‘We talk about the railway skills shortage as a UK problem, but it’s something that companies around the world are getting to grips with. Recruitment and HR professionals understand the challenge better than anyone and all of the finalists and nominees have played a central role in the past year trying to find, train and place skilled people within the industry.’

GLOBAL

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Jobs

STATION STAFF OF THE YEAR HIGHLY COMMENDED

• George Heffernan, Chiltern Railways • Esther Hayward, Southeastern

A world of opportunities

RECRUITER/HR PERSON OF THE YEAR HIGHLY COMMENDED

Proud sponsor of the Recruiter / HR Person or Team of the Year

• Chris Stupack, Mane Contract Services • IP Track HR Team, Network Rail FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF | @RAILSTAFFUK | RAILSTAFF.UK

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RAILSTAFF AWARDS

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2016

CELEBRATING NEWCOMERS AND SEASONED PROFESSIONALS

A

n outstanding apprentice and a leading project manager both took to the stage to collect awards for their exceptional efforts over the

past 12 months.

‘It feels good,’ said Billy Welch, the winner of the Apprentice of the Year award. Billy, who works as an apprentice civil engineer for Costain at London Bridge, had worked as a HGV driver prior to joining the rail industry three-anda-half years ago.

During his 18 months on the project, Billy has gained the respect of senior colleagues on what is a complex project, producing reports that have contributed to the Start of Shift (SoS) briefings and helping to

ensure works are completed safely.

‘It’s quite hard to stand out at London Bridge due to the amount of staff and the vast amount of work that’s going on,’ said Billy. ‘But you have to make sure you try and stand out from the crowd.’

Jessica Andrews, who nominated Billy, wrote, ‘It is doubtless to say that one day Billy will walk through London Bridge station and be proud of what he has achieved.

‘Billy is also very keen to ensure that the quality aspect of all work is second to none and meets with Network Rail’s whole-life quality criteria. He achieves this by using Inspection Test Plans (ITPs) to ensure that work has been completed in accordance with project design documentation and engineering/ construction specifications.’

and

Celebrating Rail Apprentice Talent Gore Workwear and Ballyclare Limited Honoured to support young rail talent Railstaff Awards – Apprentice of the Year For more information visit gore-workwear.co.uk and ballyclarelimited.com ©2016 W. L. Gore & Associates. GORE-TEX®, GORE®, and designs are registered trade marks of W. L. Gore & Associates.

RAILSTAFF.UK | @RAILSTAFFUK | FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF

‘I think it’s good to receive some recognition for the work you do; it’s quite easy to go unnoticed in a project but once you receive the recognition it spurs you on to keep working and keep working towards another goal,’ Billy said.

This year, the Apprentice of the Year category has been jointly sponsored by Gore and Ballyclare, which together have been supplying rail PPE products to the industry for the past 25 years.

In a joint statement, Gore and Ballyclare said, ‘It was clear that Billy’s hard work, inquisitive passion and holistic approach to the mechanics of his current project, ‘London Dungeons’ section of the London Bridge station redevelopment, had gained him the admiration and

respect of his peers and senior colleagues.

‘Added to this, his enthusiasm for his onsite work was equally matched by his thirst for on-going training, his current studies for a HND in construction in the built environment and his desire to become a fully certified engineer.’

Winner of the Project Manager of the Year category was Craig Young. He joined the Network Certification Body (NCB) as a senior rail vehicle conformance engineer in 2013. Twh years later Craig was appointed project, planning and resource manager.

He has risen to the challenge of the role and now oversees a portfolio of around 600 projects.

‘I’m an engineer

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2016

by trade, so I’ve developed project management skills through my engineering,’ said Craig. ‘It is really nice and I’m going back into work on Monday with a big smile on my face and say a big thank you.’

CPMS sponsored the Project Manager of the Year category.

CPMS was formed in 2012 and delivers rail electrification project management services and resources to the industry. Starting out with only four employees, the company now has a team of more than 60 and has supported several major programmes, including the replacement of 320

km of overhead line between Chelmsford and London’s Liverpool Street station and laying the foundations for the Great Eastern electrification scheme.

Says Mat Baine, managing director, CPMS, ’When they asked us what category we wanted to sponsor, it was only going to be one choice.

‘Project management is the lifeblood of the rail industry, and we need quality project managers coming through, people like Craig, delivering week in week out and driving the industry forward. It was a nobrainer for us as a company.’

APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR HIGHLY COMMENDED

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simplifying the complex

Delivering over £500m of works for our clients CPMS stands for Collaborative Project Management Services.

Its not just a name, it’s our project delivery philosophy.

We deliver project solutions by providing strategic planning on multi-disciplinary rail projects from conception to completion

• Annais Siddall, Linbrooke Services Ltd • Ramiro Aldana, Amey Sersa North Alliance

PROJECT MANAGER OF THE YEAR

We supply expertise both on and off-site to enhance the capability of existing teams We provide a wide range of consultancy services from full project reviews to health checks

HIGHLY COMMENDED Proud Sponsors of

To find out more call 020 3009 3120

• Kristine Harris, Network Rail • Hannah Jones, Young Rail Professionals

or visit www.cpmsrail.co.uk.

FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF | @RAILSTAFFUK | RAILSTAFF.UK

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RAILSTAFF AWARDS

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KIROW TEAM AND LIFELONG RAIL ENGINEER SCOOP 2016 HONOURS

V

olkerRail’s Kirow Team, winners of the Rail Plant and Equipment Team of the Year award, are used to scaling dizzying heights.

With over 1,500 days without a RIDDOR, VolkerRail’s Kirow Team prides itself on being one of the most reputable plant teams in the sector.

Since acquiring the UK’s first Kirow crane 15 years ago, VolkerRail has expanded its fleet substantially. The company now employs 30 delivery staff to operate its fleet of five cranes.

‘It’s recognition of 15 years achievement,’ said Steve Shields, business manager, VolkerRail. ’We often go into projects that are, shall we say, out of scope,

that need a different slant on how you’re going to deliver them; and we’re always there to give our clients and our customers a top level service.’

The sponsors of the Rail Plant and Equipment Team of the Year category, Amey, know the challenges of operating and maintaining large equipment fleets. Amey’s rail business is currently delivering Network Rail signalling, electrification and track framework contracts and in the South West it is working with Network Rail on the electrification of the Great Western Main Line.

Says Simon Rhoden, Amey’s business director, ‘We were delighted to sponsor the Rail Plant and Equipment Person or Team of the Year Award because at Amey we recognise the skills required for this work and that teams and individuals work tirelessly to ensure our railways operate

Helping to keep Britain moving We deliver innovative and versatile asset management, engineering design and operational solutions to Network Rail, Transport for London, train operating companies, passenger transport executives and other rail providers.

Through standalone provision and joint venture partnerships with Sersa, Inabensa, and Keolis we’re helping to enhance performance and efficiency for our customers to improve service levels for the public.

Proud sponsors of Rail Plant and Equipment Person or Team of the Year www.amey.co.uk

linkedin.com/company/amey @ameyplc

RAILSTAFF.UK | @RAILSTAFFUK | FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF

smoothly.

‘We were impressed by all the nominations and are proud to have been able to celebrate the hard work and dedicated attitude of our colleagues in the rail industry.’

As well as its design and consultancy services division, Amey looks after more than 100,000 Network Rail assets as part of its civils examination framework contract. Earlier this year, the company was also named as a member of the construction alliance which is currently building Manchester’s Ordsall Chord.

Shortly before the mid-session break, Keltbray’s Les Blake, who has worked in the rail industry for 54 years, won the Lifetime

Achievement Award. Now 73 years old, Les began his career in the freight department of British Rail before moving over to rail electrification. Since, then he has worked on practically every major electrification project in the country. He remains at the sharp end, working most recently on the electrification of the Great Western through the Severn Tunnel.

During his time at Keltbray, Les has been dedicated to training and mentoring apprentices and junior linemen, but his crowning achievement came recently,

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2016

working with Keltbray to bring a brand new road/rail full tensioning wiring unit to the UK. But Les said he feels the industry has given as much back to him as he has contributed throughout his long career.

Following the death of his wife three years ago, work has given Les a comforting degree of normality. ‘When you get up in the morning it’s all about sadness,’ said Les. ‘When you head off to work you’re back to what you’ve always done.’

As long as he feels he has something to contribute, Les will

continue to get out on track. ‘My family say it’s about time I did slow down, take a bit more time off, and maybe I will do that but at the moment likewise when you get things like this Severn Tunnel coming up you can’t not want to be involved with it. It’s another challenge.’

Specialist video production services provider High Viz Media sponsored the Lifetime Achievement category in 2016.

Says managing director Nick Collier, ‘Presenting the award for lifetime achievement was an immense privilege; it serves as a great reminder that whilst the industry is increasingly becoming

segmented, the railway family still exists and

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the drive and passion to remain part of it is very much alive.

SPECIALIST FILMING OF LIVE AND CORPORATE PRODUCTIONS

RAIL PLANT AND EQUIPMENT PERSON OF THE YEAR HIGHLY COMMENDED

• Van Elle Rail • Keltbray Electrification Plant Wiring Team, Keltbray Rail

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT HIGHLY COMMENDED

• John Skinner, AECOM • Nigel Stockdale, Bridgeway Consulting Limited

www.highvizmedia.com

info@highvizmedia.com | 0203 598 6383

FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF | @RAILSTAFFUK | RAILSTAFF.UK

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RAILSTAFF AWARDS

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CHARITY AND SAFETY TAKE CENTRE STAGE

N

myself, I’m delighted that we’ve won the award because it just reflects the importance to the industry of safety and the work we’ve done which we hope to further improve our already impressive health and safety performance.’

He added, ‘To put it in context, Britain’s railways have never been safer and I’m proud to say that over the last few years we have become the safest railway in Europe. But there is still considerable room for improvement on many aspects, whether that’s to do with the workforce in terms of health and safety, but also there’s further improvements that can be made to passenger safety and public safety. ’ Bridgeway has been the sponsor of the Safety Person of the Year category since the first RailStaff Awards in 2007. Like the

etwork Rail’s Bill Cooke would have been briefly disappointed to miss out on the Safety Person of the Year award to John Abbott and colleague Roan Willmore, but his fundraising exploits ensured he’d come away with a trophy before the night was over.

John Abbott, from RSSB, and Network Rail’s Roan Willmore collaborated to produce the recent ‘Leading Health and Safety on Britain’s Railways: A strategy for working together’. The strategy looks at what the industry can do over the next 10 years to further improve its health and safety performance.

Says John, who collected the award, ‘On behalf of Roan and

Geomatics Services

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e

enquiries@bridgeway-consulting.co.uk

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0115 919 1111

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awards, Bridgeway has grown in stature since it was formed by three British Rail underwater inspection unit divers in 1995, now employing some 700 members of staff and holding a Network Rail principal contractor license.

The company provides a range of engineering services, including on site and ground investigations, isolations, geomatics, Business Information Modelling (BIM), utilities, structures examinations including diving and rope access, AC/ DC isolations, possession management, worksite management, permanent way engineering and signalling and telecommunications.

Says managing director Pino De Rosa, ‘As a rail industry stakeholder, as an organisation that has a commercial challenge to succeed and to survive and

prosper, the one thing that underpins everything we do is the importance of making sure that all our people go home safe at the end of every shift.’

He added, ‘There are people out tonight working in the dark, in the cold, in the rain potentially, and it’s really important that we make every effort to make sure they’re safe so being the sponsor of the Rail Safety Person or Rail Safety Team of the Year means a lot to me on a personal level.’

Bill Cooke received the Charitable Person of the Year title having helped to raise more than £460,000 for charity over the past 13 years. This has in part been down to Bill’s Annual Charity Partners Golf Day, a popular event which is supported by companies across the rail industry.

Adrian Fricker wrote

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2016

in his nomination, ‘The amounts that Bill has been able to raise for a number of charities over such a sustained period are exceptional and his passion, enthusiasm and commitment go far above the norm of charity fundraising.

‘He has been an active member of the Network Rail Charity Panel for a number of years and is seen as a role model in terms of his behaviour and delivery.’

The Charitable Person of the Year category was sponsored by

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41

Force Contracting Services (FCS).

FCS provides construction, civil engineering and rope access solutions to the rail industry. From its base in Worksop, FCS supports clients nationwide, including J Murphy and Son, AMCO Rail and Kier.

Jim Broe, who presented the award for FCS, said it was great to be able to recognise ‘anyone that takes time out above and beyond what they do’. ‘It’s key and very important to society in general.’

CHARITABLE PERSON OR TEAM OF THE YEAR HIGHLY COMMENDED

• Crystal Danbury, Chiltern Railways • Luke Gardner, Trans Pennine Express

RAIL SAFETY PERSON OF THE YEAR HIGHLY COMMENDED Proudly Sponsors

• Bill Cooke, Network Rail • Stobart Rail Safety Department, Stobart Rail

Head Office: 01909 509475 162292

4901805

159616

205496

www.forcecontracting.co.uk

FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF | @RAILSTAFFUK | RAILSTAFF.UK

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RAILSTAFF AWARDS

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AWARDS FOR MTR DEPOT TEAM AND AGA LIFESAVER

M

TR Crossrail’s maintenance team were recognised with the Depot Team of the Year award for their contribution to the service’s fast-improving reliability and satisfaction scores.

Within just three months of being set up, the maintenance team had implemented new maintenance management software and procedures in ready for the launch of TfL Rail services between Liverpool Street and Shenfield in May 2015. They’ve also overseen a full fleet refreshment programme which has helped double the reliability of the fleet.

Says team member Tetyana

Nedilko, ‘We’ve been working really hard to achieve this to get where we are.’

Adding, ‘We have a great team looking after our fleet, working together with Abellio Greater Anglia, and they’re awesome. Thanks for their efforts and we also have a great team in engineering at HQ who were all amazing. Thanks for all your hard work.’

Seaton Rail is the proud sponsor of Depot Team of the Year for 2016. Set up in 1995, Seaton Rail is managed by father-and-son team Shane and Matthew Seaton. Seaton Rail, which is based in Bridlington, specialises in possession and works planning. In 2008, the company also began offering contingent labour supply, training and on-track protection and warning services.

Seaton Rail, an approved Rail

Training Accreditation Scheme provider (RTAS) through the National Skills Academy for Rail (NSAR), is also a member of the Association of Railway Training Providers (ARTP) and the British Safety Council.

Shane Seaton, managing director of Seaton Rail said the MTR maintenance team were ‘well deserved winners’ and that he’d found it nice ‘to meet up with some old colleagues’ on the night.

Depot Team of the Year was followed by the Samaritans Lifesaver award, which this year was won by Scott Paton - a performance manager for Abellio Greater Anglia (AGA) who performed a life-saving intervention during a routine station visit.

‘It’s an absolute privilege to be recognised but I feel like all the

Helping to make difference PRO UD SPONSOR S OF D E a P OT OF TH E YE A R THE RAILSTA F F AWA R D S 2 016

TBF is proud to sponsor • Possession / isolation and railway interfaceStaff planning the 2016 Station • Safe system of work planning ofsafetythe Year Award • Railway training and workplace assessments Our services include;

thesafety TOCs, Railtraining and other • With Firstthe aid, help healthofand andNetwork compliance employers throughout the public transport industry • PTS drugs and alcohol screening we now have over 47,000 members.

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nominees were deserving of this,’ said Scott, who doesn’t believe he would have had the confidence to intervene were it not for the training he had received from the Network Rail/ Samaritans partnership.

The award is sponsored

by Samaritans, which in 2010 joined forces with Network Rail to run a rail suicide prevention programme. In the past three years, the programme has received information about more than 2,000 recorded suicide interventions by railway staff and British Transport Police (BTP) officers. Samaritans has seen the number of interventions rise by 30 per cent in the last year.

He went on. ‘It’s nice to be recognised by judges, peers, everyone, and it just proves that this is not just about me it’s about

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2016

the Managing Suicidal Contacts course and what the Samaritans do as well.’

The programme’s Managing Suicidal Contacts training aims to give staff the skills and confidence to identify vulnerable people and act. To date, more than 11,500 railway staff have completed the course. The charity also runs trauma support courses for train drivers and other staff who have been affected by a suicide. More than 1,500 people have attended one of these courses to date.

Says Ola Rzepczynska, strategic programme manager, Network Rail, ‘It’s absolutely inspiring. It’s above and beyond a day job.

‘For most of us, we don’t go into our daily job thinking that something like this, someone taking their life, might actually happen… but unfortunately on the railway it is, so giving people the skills to be able to cope with that is hopefully making that difference and we believe at Samaritans that suicides can be preventable and as does the suicide prevention programme that we’re all part of.’

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TALKING SAVES LIVES Samaritans is proud to sponsor the Lifesaver award at this years’ RailStaff Awards 10,000 rail industry personnel and British Transport Police officers have been trained with the skills to help a person in need. These skills can encourage people to talk about their problems and help save lives.

DEPOT TEAM OF THE YEAR HIGHLY COMMENDED

• Bristol Traincrew Depot, Great Western Railway • Fatality Cleaning Team Streatham Hill, Southern

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

SAMARITANS LIFESAVER AWARD Supported by

• Andrew Reid, Great Western Railway • Lee Klingenspor, Land Sheriffs A registered charity

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RAILSTAFF AWARDS

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ACCESS TEAM AND MERSEYRAIL MANAGER SHARE THE SPOILS

B

ridgeway’s Access Services team took home the Rail Infrastructure/ Possessions Team of the Year award and were followed swiftly by the 2016 Rail Manager of the Year winner, Merseyrail’s Ian Taylor.

The Bridgeway Access Services team has been providing possessions, line blockages, AC and DC isolations for clients across the UK since 1995. Recent projects include Thameslink and Crossrail East/West.

Mike Harris, access services director, Bridgeway Consulting, said the few people there on the night represented a team of between 300 and 400 people within the company. The team

0207 434 0300

includes delivery managers, planners, engineering supervisors, PICOPs, COSSs and safe work leaders.

‘We were against some stiff opposition out there. There’s a lot of people that we really respect and there’s lots of people out there that really we’re in awe of, but we work really hard to deliver for our clients. What we look at is exceeding expectations in what we deliver. We’re both pleased and humbled by the award really.’

Deploy UK Rail, part of the DE Group, sponsored this year’s Rail Infrastructure/ Possessions Team of the Year award. Deploy UK Rail was established in 2013; at the time with just three employees.

Since then, the company has grown substantially and now employs over 300 sponsored

railteam@deployuk.com

Proud to Sponsor RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE / POSSESSIONS TEAM OF THE YEAR

RAILSTAFF.UK | @RAILSTAFFUK | FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF

RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE/POSSESSIONS TEAM OF THE YEAR HIGHLY COMMENDED

• PPS Rail, PPs Rail Ltd • Dover Sea Wall, Costain

RAIL MANAGER OF THE YEAR HIGHLY COMMENDED

• Kissore Kher, Heathrow Express • Andrew Fawkes, VolkerRail

staff. Initially focussed around London and the South East, Deploy Rail has gone on to open regional offices in Plymouth and Manchester, and has plans to open more in the future.

Ian Taylor was named as the 2016 Rail Manager of the Year. Nominators described Ian as an ‘inspirational’ leader and someone who is ‘always actively seeking out better ways to do things’.

‘Absolutely over the moon. I really can’t believe it,’ said Ian, who joined Merseyrail 14 years ago as a mobile technician and is currently based out of the

Birkenhead North TMD. ‘I love working for the rail industry. It’s the togetherness,’ said Ian. On 1 January 2016, Derbybased engineering consultancy Interfleet became SNC-Lavalin Rail & Transit after adopting the name of the company that acquired it in 2011. SNCLavalin Rail & Transit has an experienced team of 1,500 rail experts working on a variety of rolling stock, infrastructure and control system projects around the world.

Says Michael Grace, who

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2016

presented the award for SNC-Lavalin, ‘We’re really focussed on having a sustainable business and the only way we can do that is having good talent coming through the business, so having good managers and good leaders is

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45

absolutely critical.

‘Our number one priority within SNC-Lavalin is staff engagement, the one thing that we focus on more than anything. If we get that right and deliver quality then everything else falls into place.’

FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF | @RAILSTAFFUK | RAILSTAFF.UK

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RAILSTAFF AWARDS

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FIRST CLASS HONOURS FOR NETWORK RAIL GRADUATE AND NTRS

A

mbitious Network Rail graduate Lucy Hoyle won the 2016 Graduate of the Year award.

Lucy, who studied geography at University College London (UCL) before joining the Network Rail graduate scheme in September 2015, said she had always been interested in working in infrastructure and construction.

She is currently part of the Network Rail Transformation team, which is responsible for implementing new ways of working within Network Rail. The role requires Lucy to demonstrate outstanding stakeholder management skills.

‘It’s quite a surprise,’ said Lucy,

reacting to her award win. ‘It’s also really exciting because I think there is a lot of talent in the industry, and I think it’s important to recognise the talent, so I feel really proud to have been recognised as the winner.’

Lucy described her experience within the rail industry as a ‘whirlwind’. ‘I’ve had two six-month placements and they’ve both been completely different, but I think that’s put me in good stead for the future.’

She’s now looking forward to what a career in rail could offer. ‘There is literally so much to see... I think there’s so many more avenues to explore and that’s why I’m thinking going forward I’d like to explore more different opportunities and different teams.’

Graduate of the Year was sponsored by rail telecommunications specialists

Supporting tomorrow’s rail stars… …today 0800 783 7761 telent.com @telent_UK company/telent

Proud sponsors of Graduate of the Year RAILSTAFF.UK | @RAILSTAFFUK | FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF

telent, which has been designing and delivering telecomms networks for over 30 years. telent runs its own two-year graduate scheme for aspiring engineers and project managers.

Says telent’s Stephen Dalton, ‘The industry as a whole is going through a bit of a transition.’

He believed that graduates bringing ‘new passion’ and ‘new energy’ into the industry would play a key role.

‘We at telent, we’re transitioning as a business as well from a traditional lineside operational comms organisation through now to the IP and technology for Digital Railway… and we see graduates playing an important part in that.’

The NTRS training team

won the Training Team of the Year award. NTRS has a City & Guilds-accredited and EALapproved training centre in Sheffield. As well as supporting the training requirements of its parent company, Linbrooke, the centre offers training services to the wider rail industry.

Jason Garside, head of client development for NTRS, said the award was ‘absolutely fantastic’.

Construction and Rail Training (CART) was the sponsor of this year’s Trainer/Training Team of the Year award. Established in 2015, the company has more than 40 years of combined experience within the rail and construction sectors. Initially operating from a single site in Baldock,

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2016

Hertfordshire, the company now has a satellite training centre in Sheffield and is preparing to open a second in Essex.

Alex Pedley, business development and funding director, CART, believed CART and NTRS share the same focus on quality in training. ‘That is what everybody in the rail industry has got to work to,’ said Alex. ‘We’ve seen it in the past where things maybe have not

been done quite right, but it’s getting to that stage now where everything has got to be done to a tee. We’ve got to do it and NTRS are demonstrating that.’

He added, ‘It’s a fantastic night that highlights the quality throughout the industry. I think as an industry as a whole the quality of everything we do from training to delivery to engineering, everything we do, it’s gone through the roof in the last few years and I think it’s only going to get better.’

GRADUATE OF THE YEAR HIGHLY COMMENDED

• Emma Taylor, SNC-Lavalin Rail & Transit • Chris Kelly, Alstom Transport UK

TRAINER/TRAINING TEAM OF THE YEAR HIGHLY COMMENDED

• Steve Tollerton, Jason Alexandre and Rob Christopher, Samaritans' Managing Suicidal Contacts and Trauma Support Training Team • Nigel Roberts, VolkerWessels UK

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BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE FOR RAIL AND CONSTRUCTION SAFETY Proud Sponsors of The RailStaff Awards 2016 COURSES AVAILABLE ICI/LU, PTS AC and DCCR, SPWEE, Lookout, COSS, OLEC 1 and 2, ES, SSOWP, AP, NP Assessments and more including recertifications.

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RAILSTAFF AWARDS

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'COMMUTER'S HERO' AND YOUNG RAIL PROFESSIONAL STEAL THE SHOW

S

outhern driver Steve Copley, described in his nomination as a ‘commuter’s hero’, was named the RailStaff Awards Train Driver of the Year.

Steve, possibly the only driver in the world with his own hashtag, hosts a daily guess the year quiz in an attempt to brighten the day of his passengers.

Says Steve, ‘I am absolutely overwhelmed. I never thought for a million years that I would win considering the tough competition from people who have had fatalities and done a lot more worthy things than I have.

‘All I’ve tried to do is keep people talking on a train.

That’s all, that’s it and I’m really humbled.’

EXPERIENCE WORKING FOR YOU hitachirail-eu.coM

Steve, who is based at Victoria, worked for London Underground as a track engineer before achieving a childhood goal of becoming a driver nine years ago.

He explained where the idea of hosting a quiz came from. ‘It started off sitting at a red signal when there’s only so many things you can say… It was just something to do to pass the time.’

Steve thought it was the ‘human touch’ he provides which had led to his nomination. ‘You can put the automatic announcement out, say we’re sitting at a red [signal], but that doesn’t really help anyone.’

Hitachi Rail Europe sponsored the Train Driver of the Year category this year - a reflection of its growing status as one of the UK’s premier train builders.

In September last year, the company opened its Newton Aycliffe site, which is currently delivering the Class 385 fleet for

Whether we’re delivering new trains across the UK or ensuring our current fleets go into operation on time each day, at Hitachi Rail Europe we are driven by our values of harmony, sincerity and pioneering spirit. To find out how we’re leading innovation throughout our industry, visit us at InnoTrans 2016, Hall 4.2, Stand 304.

HitachiRailEU

Proud sponsors of

RAILSTAFF.UK | @RAILSTAFFUK | FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF

ScotRail. It later acquired Italian manufacturer AnsaldoBreda and a majority stake in Ansaldo STS, developing its rolling stock and rail systems business across Europe.

Says Ian Dawson, head of operation and delivery, Hitachi Rail Europe, ‘Hitachi are delighted to have this particular award and Steve is, quite rightly, humbled because the competition was incredible, it really was. When I read all the citations it was a really, really tough category to decide on but he’s done an excellent job. If you get on his train in the morning, it’s a different experience.

‘His people have spoken.

He could probably have won three maybe even four of these categories, so I take my hat off to him. If Hitachi had drivers up and down the line, I would certainly recommend that my MD hired him

tomorrow.’

The final accolade of the night, Rail Person of the Year, was won

by Adam Stead. As well as running his own consultancy business, Adam is a prominent supporter of Young Rail Professionals (YRP), the Railway Study Association and INCOSE. This year, Adam spearheaded Rail Week, a series of some 150 events around the country run over one week in July to engage young people with the rail industry.

Adam’s friend and YRP colleague Stephen Head, who collected the award on his behalf, described Adam’s passion for the rail industry.

Says Stephen, ‘Adam’s done a tremendous amount of work with Young Rail Professionals, which is all voluntary, and that’s all about

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2016

promoting the rail industry and promoting young people in the industry. He’s made some fantastic initiatives and really helped YRP grow as an organisation, helped a lot of young people in the industry come together and network , and just to understand more about this industry we work in.’

This year the sponsor of the Rail Person of the Year category was City Surveys. A Network Rail principal contractor, City Surveys started with just one member of staff and a couple of pieces of surveying equipment.

The company, which offers track

surveys and monitoring, ground investigations, ecology surveys and utility mapping services, now employs around 60 people at three offices around the country.

Ian Johnson, key accounts director at City Surveys, said he believed the category ‘embodies the entire awards’ in the way it recognises such a wide variety of roles.

He added, ’A lot of the awards ceremonies seem to focus on companies, teams, organisations, significant projects… and too often the individual can be the person who gives the most and is most valuable to that project.’

TRAIN DRIVER OF THE YEAR HIGHLY COMMENDED

• Davinder Shanker, East Midlands Trains • Ian Palmer, Northern

RAIL PERSON OF THE YEAR HIGHLY COMMENDED

• Lee Clinton, telent • Ajmal Akram, Great Western Railway

RAILSTAFF AWARDS

49

The UK’s railway measurement specialists Holder of the coveted Network Rail Principal Contractor’s Licence, we’re one of the largest, most respected multidisciplinary surveying firms in the UK • Topographic & track surveys

• Structural investigation & scanning

• 3D modelling/laser scanning

• Geotechnical engineering

• Building & elevation surveys • Railway track monitoring

• Ecological surveys & assessments

• Site & technical engineering

• Minor civils

• Structural monitoring

• OLE & power services

• Gauging surveys

• Telecoms design & installation

• Utility mapping surveys

Talk to us t:0330 024 4988 | e: info@citysurveysltd.co.uk www.citysurveysltd.co.uk Survey, Monitoring & Investigative Engineers Professionalism, Performance, Safety, Sustainability

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BE PART OF A

blockbuster!

More than 1,100 guests helped make 2016 a blockbuster year for the RailStaff Awards.

Now we want to make the railway’s pre-eminent staff awards even more spectacular in 2017.

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Call Jolene now on 01530 816 449 or email jolene@rail-media.com to find out how you can be part of the biggest rail staff recognition event in the UK. YOUR COMPANY CAN ENJOY THE BENEFITS OF

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a key part in that…

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Y E A R

A N N I V E R S A R Y

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2016

NEWS

51

Railway Children appeal raises £1 million

Last autumn Railway Children launched an appeal to raise enough money to reach nearly 3,000 vulnerable children living on the streets in East Africa.

Thanks to huge public generosity and support from the rail industry and partners like RailStaff, the three-month If I Grow Up appeal raised more than £589,000 and the government has matched this figure - bringing the final total to £1,178,000. This means Railway Children can carry on its essential work in Kenya and Tanzania for at least another two years, as well as helping to reach more desperately vulnerable children in the UK and India too.

The project will contact over 2,000 children and young people on the streets in East Africa, providing support such as out-ofschool education, medical care and shelter, and return nearly 500 children - with the intensive family support they need to make sure they don’t run away again.

George’s story When George was seven, his mother died.

He was sent to live with an aunt who beat him and made him drop out of school. Eventually he ran away. It took him a week to walk to the nearest city where he began begging and sleeping rough at a bus stand.

Children sleeping rough in Mwanza are commonly stolen from and beaten. Many are raped. Some are killed. Those who do survive often dull the pain by sniffing glue or petrol.

But Railway Children found George in time.

They took him to a short-term care home where he began counselling to help him

recover from a childhood wrecked by abuse, loss, fear and neglect.

He told his counsellor he’d love to live with his grandparents. Railway Children’s staff tracked them down and travelled over 300 miles to visit the family to check whether George would be safe and happy with them.

They found his grandparents were loving and responsible and already looking after George’s three sisters. But they’re desperately poor - so Railway Children is giving the family practical help to improve their finances and keep all the children in

school. George is safe now - and happy. He won’t go back to the streets. He’s got his future back.

Pete Kent, Railway Children’s East Africa regional director, said, ‘The support from the team at RailStaff and its readers is already changing lives. I’ve just returned from East Africa, where our highly trained staff are giving families the support they need so their children will not need to run away again.’

Visit www.railwaychildren.org.uk for more information on how your support has made a difference.

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INTERNATIONAL RAIL

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2016

INNOTRAINS 2016 HYDROGEN TRAINS AND DIGITAL RAILWAYS

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RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2016

INTERNATIONAL RAIL

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UNIFE World Rail Market Study predicted average growth of 2.6% in rail globally over the next six years.

I

n the middle of a row of trains on InnoTrans’ outdoor exhibition centre was the latest product to roll off the production line at Alstom’s Salzgitter factory. As the company’s chief executive said during its presentation event, it looks like a normal train but it absolutely isn’t.

What makes the iLint unusual is that it won’t run under wires nor does it have a diesel engine; instead it uses hydrogen. Although hydrogen locomotives are nothing new, sticking a hydrogen fuel cell on to the top of a passenger train is unusual. The power that drives the train is generated by exposing the hydrogen in the fuel tank to oxygen.

This energy is then stored using lithium ion batteries.

Currently, Alstom has built two of these trains and it plans to put them into service by 2018, alongside the diesel version of the same train currently operating in Germany’s Lower Saxony region.

It wasn’t the only example of this technology in Berlin. DB Bahnbau Gruppe, a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn (DB), also presented a hydrogen fuel cell product. Instead of powering a train, its fuel cell provides backup power for signals or for temporary site monitoring systems.

These are the kind of innovations that InnoTrans is known for teasing out and a reminder of just how much technology moves on in the two-year break between shows.

DIGITISATION AND SUSTAINABILITY The trade fair, the largest of its kind in the world, also provides an insight into the political movements in rail. This year, it comes just a few months after Brexit an event which has left many countries, not just Britain, questioning its future participation in the European Union.

As the iLint demonstrates, some common goals remain, particularly the promotion of rail travel as being central to building sustainable transport networks. During the exhibition, Germany’s Federal Ministry of Transport awarded Bombardier €4 million

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54

INTERNATIONAL RAIL

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2016

to develop its battery-powered Talent 3 EMU, which was unveiled during the show.

The Talent 3 builds on the Independently Powered Electric Multiple Unit (IPEMU) trialled

by Bombardier, Network Rail, Abellio Greater Anglia and the RSSB in the UK. ‘Diesel trains currently service lines where catenaries are either uneconomical or not yet in place – particularly on secondary lines,’ said German Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt.

‘Our investments will help develop a zeroemission, energy-efficient and cost-effective alternative to diesel trains. Deploying fuel cell and battery technology for rail transportation will usher in a new era for non-electrified routes.’

Digitisation was a recurring theme throughout the week’s press conference schedule. DB chief executive Dr Rüdiger Grube and the president of SNCF,

Guillaume Pepy, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote closer working on digital technologies between the two organisations.

‘In 1998, the phrase “digital railway” didn’t even exist; let alone the word “digital” being mentioned at InnoTrans,’ wrote Hitachi Rail Europe’s sales director Nick Hughes, reflecting on his first visit to InnoTrans in Hitachi’s InnoTrans blog.

‘The UK wasn’t facing quite the same capacity crunch as it is today. Our country has more than 4.5 million train journeys made each day. That equates to 1.65 billion passenger journeys a year, double what it was 20 years ago. The dilemma of solving over-capacity without building new routes or tracks was unthinkable in the past. Now, all eyes have turned to digital signalling and traffic management systems to ensure our network can still function.’

What was noticeable about this year’s InnoTrans exhibition was the adoption of virtual reality (VR) technology by many companies; not just the quantity of headsets on show but the imaginative ways VR was being applied. The technology has existed for several years but companies appear to now understand how to utilise it.

Bombardier created an entire virtual city for visitors to explore, which showed off its range of light rail, monorail and metro products, including the Movia Maxx metro which it launched at the show.

Virtual reality provides manufacturers with a way of showing off these concepts without the expense of building and transporting life-size mockups. Speaking to these companies, VR will never replace the need for mock-ups entirely.

Customers will always need the opportunity to jump on seats and waggle arm rests, but the exhibition demonstrated how useful VR can be.

Bombardier created an entire virtual city for visitors to explore, which showed off its range of light rail, monorail and metro products.

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RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2016

WHAT’S NEW?

The German Aerospace centre (DLR) showed off a double-deck high-speed rail carriage it has developed with the support of RSSB for HS2.

The outdoor display, as always, included the most diverse collection of modern rail vehicles anywhere on the planet. Stadler, a company growing in stature in the UK, captured the attention of visitors with a short five-car version of the EC250 highspeed train it is supplying for Switzerland’s SBB. Another of the more striking displays was Siemens’ Riyadh metro train. The luxurious interior features some of the most ornate handrails of any train anywhere in the world. For a week or so, the 3.5 kilometres of track at the Messe Berlin also housed one of several Windhoff maintenance vehicles ordered

by Norway’s rail infrastructure manager, Jernbaneverket, a Newag ‘Dragon’ locomotive for Freightliner Poland and a mini milling train - the same as the one ordered for the Elizabeth Line - from Linsinger.

For train manufacturers, InnoTrans is also the ideal platform to launch new product concepts. Siemens and CRRC presented models of concept trains they hope to find customers for - Siemens with an intercity train designed for desert railways and CRRC with a double-deck ‘intercontinental’ train built to carry both passengers and freight.

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55

UK PAVILION Of the almost 3,000 exhibitors at this year’s event, around 130 were British companies.

Shortly after the show the Railway Industry Association (RIA) put out a press release reporting another ‘successful promotion of the UK rail supply industry’. Rail Minister Paul Maynard attended the show on its second day and visited many of the British stands.

No doubt there were discussions about Brexit and what it will mean for Britain’s rail industry in Europe. This will be clearer in two years time, but there was plenty of evidence at this year’s exhibition of the importance of the UK market to the international rail industry.

On display was a Class 707 for South West Trains - built by Siemens in Germany - and a Class 88 locomotive for Direct Rail Services - built in Spain by Stadler, formerly Vossloh.

Suppliers like Westermo, Deuta-Werke, Linsinger, Herrenknecht and Windhoff, which each had displays in Berlin, all have strong ties to the UK industry.

InnoTrans takes visitors and exhibitors out of the bubble of their home markets and makes them appreciate the scale and enterprise of the industry globally.

Although Britain is seeking to distance itself from Europe in many respects, InnoTrans demonstrates that the UK rail industry is doing everything it can to embed itself further.

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56

FEATURE

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2016

REPORT BY CLIVE KESSELL

CROSSRAIL ARCHAEOLOGY

T

he building of the Elizabeth Line, the biggest infrastructure project in Europe, has revealed a wealth of archaeological treasures. Artefacts from earlier times have excited archaeologists and are considered well worth a major exhibition which will be staged at the Museum of London Docklands near Canary Wharf from the 10 February to 3 September 2017.

The museum is one of the few old buildings to survive in London’s Docklands. The erstwhile No.1 Warehouse for Sugar at West India Quay looks proud but out of place amongst the sea of glass, steel and concrete. Inside it affords a timely reminder of what the London Docklands were like some 60 years ago.

The scope of finds Jackie Keily, the lead curator for the exhibition, tells of 10,000 individual artefacts being found, of which around 300 will be in the exhibition. All of these originate from the central core of the Crossrail route, covering Stratford in the east, Abbey Wood in the south and Westbourne Park in the west.

Most have been found where the new tunnels are close to the surface.

Some 200 archaeologists worked at the various sites when tunnel boring work was at its peak. The findings tell the story of the men and women who lived and worked in the locality several thousand years ago.

A sample of findings

Relics include: • A neolithic flint scraper used for tool making found near North Woolwich station and dating from 8,000 years ago (b) • A Tudor bowling ball probably used for games at Johns Court Manor and found near Stepney Green station (c) • Seventeen Medieval iron horse shoes (known as hipposandals) found near Liverpool Street, then a gateway to the city and clearly where much horse changing activity took place • A selection of 16,000 jam and pickle jars from the Crosse and Blackwell bottling factory that existed near to Tottenham Court Road station in Victorian times • Medieval animal bones fashioned into skates for times when the river was frozen over (a).

Five skeletons found to contain the 1665 Great Plague bacteria.

Excavation of Broadgate ticket hall at Liverpool Street, April 2015.

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(a)

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FEATURE

57

Not all the finds have been that pleasant. Many human remains were found in a mass grave at the Bedlam burial ground near Liverpool Street.

DNA evidence shows that these people died of the plague. Animal remains also abound and most of the environmental findings were concentrated in Liverpool Street.

Preserving the past

Archaeology begins at Bedlam burial ground.

(b)

(c)

With the massive boring machines used to excavate the tunnels, the question is: how does the work stop before the machines churn up all that goes before them? Jay Carver, the archivist for Crossrail, explained that this needed very careful planning and consistent team work.

Research from earlier archaeological digs had indicated the likelihood of finds in the various layers of soil. In these areas, specialist archaeologists were assigned to the boring teams and were given time to inspect the earth in the particular spot. Should the machine bring out something of interest, then work would be stopped for a short period to allow hand excavation to take place. Thus a process developed that all parties recognised as vital to the unearthing of history. No serious disruption to the work programme occurred.

Many other relics were unearthed and it begged the question as to when the past begins. The answer is ‘yesterday’ as many items emanating from the late 20th century will be of interest to future generations. More recent past finds have to be treated with a degree of pragmatism and genuine rubbish is consigned to the bin where it should have been put in the first place.

Keep an eye on the publicity for Tunnel: the Archaeology of Crossrail.

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YOUNG RAIL PROFESSIONALS

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S L A N IO S S E F O R P L I YOUENBRGARTINAG AND MENTORING CE L F U T U R E LE A D E R S

T

his month brings the launch of the Young Rail Professionals Annual Dinner 2017! This black-tie event is one of the most important in the YRP calendar, and we are excited to announce that over 600 of the rail industry’s most ambitious young talents, and some of the industry’s most influential managers, will come together on Thursday, 6 April, at the famous Troxy venue in London.

The special event celebrates the past year in rail and recognises the young professionals who continue to excel and drive the sector.

The event is open to all YRP individual and corporate members, as well as those wanting to find out more about YRP. The evening includes a delicious three course meal, industry-leading guest speaker (to be announced soon) and a host of entertainment. YRP will once again be awarding the Young Rail Professional of the Year Award to an outstanding young professional (nominations will open in January).

YOUNG RAIL PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR Sabrina Ihaddaden, National chair of YRP, said, ‘The 2017 dinner is due to be the biggest and best YRP Annual Dinner so far. We will celebrate the achievements of the rail industry and recognise some of the best young professionals in the industry with the Young Rail Professional of the Year Award.

‘Over the last few years, YRP has grown to over 4,100 members and last year organised over 100 networking and development events and outreach workshops across the country. Our seven regional committees have really become embedded in local areas, allowing us to reach out and support young rail professionals throughout the UK.’ CPC Project Services has once again shown its commitment to developing and supporting young talent by exclusively sponsoring the event.

Steve Mole, CPC’s managing partner, said, ‘Our relationship with the Young Rail Professionals goes from strength to strength each year. Again, we are proud to sponsor YRP’s Annual Dinner and support them as they continue to encourage and nurture young professionals in the rail industry.

‘YRP is an excellent organisation, dedicated to young professionals and their ongoing development, and we are delighted that so many of our staff are active members who are committed to building their careers in rail project management.’

Tickets for the corporate tables, corporate tickets and early bird tickets are now available on the YRP website (www.youngrailpro.com) or email dinnerenquiries@youngrailpro.com

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WOMEN IN RAIL MENTORING PROGRAMME We are also this month delighted to announce that YRP has collaborated with Women in Rail (WiR) to launch a cross-industry mentoring scheme open for the first time to both female and male Young Rail Professional members.

YRP’s aims and purposes are aligned with those of WiR in that each group’s core objective is to encourage men and women in the rail sector to work together in the development of new talent. YRP’s strong links with other organisations across the railway industry also enhances the pool of mentors available to the programme, and, all this taken into account, it made great sense for Women in Rail to collaborate with us on this initiative, culminating in a greatly enhanced programme for both organisations.

The WiR mentoring programme is specially developed to help colleagues in the industry receive the advice and guidance they need from a more senior industry professional to get a better understanding of the rail industry and/or support them in furthering their career and realising their full potential as a rail industry leader. YRP has recently undertaken a redevelopment of its website, which now contains a new page solely dedicated to the WiR and YRP delivery partnership.

Visit the YRP website to find out more information.

To become a mentor, mentee or both, you simply need to log on to the WiR website (www. womeninrail.org) and register.

Once registered, applicants will be sent a Mentor Information Pack or Mentee Information Pack as applicable. Candidates will be invited to a two-hour Mentoring Information Session in London, York or Derby, where they will be given a presentation on how to gain the most from their mentoring

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relationship, get a chance to meet prospective mentors and mentees and indicate any preferences they may have. No formal matching will take place during that session.

The Women in Rail Mentoring Team, in conjunction with YRP, will then pro-actively undertake a screening process to identify a mentor or mentee that is the most suitable for each candidate.

Once matched, the Women in Rail Mentoring Team will contact the mentors and mentees half way through the mentoring relationship to ensure that each individual is satisfied with the progress of the programme and make any adjustment deemed necessary. Women in Rail and YRP also remain available at all times should mentors or mentees require any assistance and to answer any queries arising.

Anyone who works in or is/has been affiliated to the rail sector

can register for the programme, either as mentor, mentee or both.

Women in Rail and YRP have found that some mentees were keen to also act as mentors to younger colleagues, and we have welcomed this enthusiasm!

To be a mentor, you need to be able to give eight hours a year to your mentee. You can be an executive, senior manager, mid manager or a graduate yourself.

You just need to be willing to give your time to share your knowledge and experience.

To be a mentee, you need to be able to make yourself available to your mentor and be clear as to what you are seeking to achieve. You will be driving the sessions.

At YRP we are so proud to support the delivery of this scheme with Women in Rail – please visit our webpage to find out more: www.youngrailpro.com or www.womeninrail.org

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The 2017 dinner is due to be the biggest and best YRP Annual Dinner so far.

April

06

YRP ANNUAL BLACK TIE DINNER AND DANCE Tickets are now on sale for the Young Rail Professional’s Annual Dinner 2017. The black tie event will be taking place at the famous Troxy venue in London and is proudly sponsored by CPC Project Services. Book your ticket now at www.YoungRailPro.com

YOUNG RAIL

PROFESSIONALS

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TRAINING

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2016

LEAVING A LEGACY OF PRODUCTIVITY FOR THE RAIL INDUSTRY

T

he rail industry is an exciting place to work, with huge challenges ahead to deliver a railway fit for the future.

To meet these challenges, many rail organisations are creating new opportunities for apprentices and for young people coming from outside the rail industry, and with these opportunities comes a need for staff training and development.

Some organisations, however, are not investing in training and development because of cost pressures and tight deadlines. They are relying on experienced people and leaving inexperienced staff to pick up skills and knowledge by chance. Unfortunately this is only a short-term view.

Bombardier Transportation provides an excellent case study on the cost benefits of training inexperienced staff and developing them into skilled role models and champions of the railway. Since 2012, the operations team building Class 377/6 trains for Southern has invested in staff development and significantly improved efficiency, reduced costs, and increased productivity year on year.

Maurice Bermingham, Bombardier’s area manager, has led the Southern Operations team since 2012. Maurice explains their success.

‘We didn’t just focus on the hard tasks; we became experts in the efficiency of hearts and minds. Whenever changes meant that team leaders moved on, we had ready-made replacements waiting in the wings.’

DAY JOB The story starts in 2010, when Francis Paonessa, newly appointed president of Bombardier Rolling Stock UK, introduced a change programme to improve performance. He appointed Learning Partners, a people development company already well established globally with Bombardier, to design and lead the change programme.

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Learning Partners focused on improving team effectiveness, strengthening leadership, and building collaboration between projects and functions on the Derby site. As part of this programme, Mandy Geal, director of Learning Partners, worked closely with experienced operations staff to produce an Operations Role Family that clearly described the roles and responsibilities of leaders and managers from team leaders through to the operations director.

She explains, ‘The purpose of a Role Family is to provide clarity of what’s expected of people in their work on a dayto-day basis, and where they fit into the overall organisation.

When people are clear about what they, and their colleagues, are accountable for, they can make effective decisions, taking into account their own and other people’s priorities and outputs. It makes for efficient and productive ways of working.’

REPORT BY MANDY GEAL Maurice takes up the narrative, ‘We used the Operations Role Family as a backbone to define a ‘day in the life of’ every team leader, production shift manager and area manager involved in building the trains for the Southern projects.’

They had clear responsibilities, clear deliverables and clear interfaces. Staff on every shift knew what to do, why they were doing it, and what to hand over to the next shift, so there were no surprises.

‘This meant we could bring experienced and inexperienced staff to work together, and learn from one another in a structured way,’ Maurice continues. ‘For example, when the team had the challenge of bringing two lines together to meet new shift patterns, they knew exactly which processes and ways of working they needed in order to achieve our delivery targets - on time, cost, quality, health and safety.

‘We made sure we had open communication and clear visualisation; in other words, our governance on one page.’

This clarity meant the team reduced non-value-added activities by 50 per cent and increased throughput without increasing staff numbers.

HIGH SUPPORT AND HIGH CHALLENGES But the work didn’t just consist of clarifying roles, responsibilities, and tasks. Maurice was inspired by the change in culture under Francis Paonessa’s leadership from ‘command and control’ to ‘high support and high challenge’.

People stopped blaming one another and got on with discovering what was working well, as well as what had to change, to drive continuous improvement.

‘It got rid of a lot of fear and stress, and brought a sense of belonging to something special and pride in our achievement,’ Maurice recalls. To achieve the culture change, in 2010 Learning Partners introduced new values and behaviours of building trust, working together, and

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2016

forward thinking, together with techniques for collaboration across all projects and functions in Bombardier Rolling Stock UK. The results were spectacular. Within a year, Bombardier staff in Derby were building four times the number of train cars per week with a four-fold reduction in faults and rework.

On the Southern project, Maurice and his team used the values, behaviours, and techniques for collaboration consistently with the ‘day in the life of’ ways of working. They focused on good people management and ongoing personal development. For example, new staff were briefed on the team culture as well as their responsibilities during induction; training was tailored to specific role requirements rather than generalised activities; managers used coaching and encouragement, giving people time to prepare and ask questions about the day job.

Southern team members expected firm but fair treatment, and welcomed the yearly target of becoming the best yet. All together, this approach became known as the Southern Way – high support and high challenge. Speaking to team members today, they feel empowered to make decisions and they take ownership of their mistakes as well as their successes.

For Bombardier, success means winning orders for more trains. For Maurice and his team, success also means working in a great place alongside great colleagues in the Southern Way, and leaving a legacy of experience and productivity for the future of the railway.

Mandy Geal is a founder and director of Learning Partners Limited, which specialises in business transformation, people development, and culture change.

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Southern Management team (above) and Southern Operations team (left).

Bombardier's new testing and commissioning facility at Derby.

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62

TRAINING

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2016

APPRENTICES GOING UNDERGROUND WITH 4LM

B

eing scouted by a professional team is the goal for any aspiring footballer, but it’s also where the hard work really begins. ‘You’re classed as an apprentice, so you study while playing football for the first two years,’ explained Mitchell Nelson, who was signed by Colchester in 2009 before going on to spend two years at current Premier League side AFC Bournemouth, among other clubs.

His first couple of years as a professional were spent cleaning boots and sweeping up the changing rooms in addition to a demanding training schedule and playing fixtures. However, a bad injury sadly put Mitchell’s football career on hold, forcing him to re-evaluate his future and plan for a career away from the pitch.

Mitchell, 27, is now entering the final year of a signalling apprenticeship with Thales.

His dad and brother were both mechanical engineers and when a friend recommended Thales’ apprenticeship scheme, it sounded like an interesting opportunity.

The three-year scheme incorporates a combination of classroom and on-the-job training, with apprentices spending less time at college and more time completing placements within the business as the course goes on.

Aaron Lendor, 21, who has just graduated from the scheme, had been planning to go to university to study engineering before finding out more about the apprenticeship programme. For Mitchell, university was never an attractive prospect.

‘When they went to university, both my brother and sister were changing their mind a bit,’ said Mitchell. ‘And when they finished they didn’t even do the same thing they actually studied. For me, it was a huge benefit to be able to learn whilst working and earning good money.’

Based in London, Mitchell and Aaron have spent their apprenticeships working on one of the largest re-signalling projects currently underway anywhere in the world. Not a bad way to begin a new career.

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4LM Known as the Four Lines Modernisation programme (4LM), the project covers a series of major improvements to London Underground’s District, Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines.

Installation is now underway and the first section of line to use the new signalling will be commissioned in 2019 - the same year that the new Hammersmith Service Control Centre opens. By the time the project is completed in 2023, the entire network will benefit from service frequencies of up to 32 trains an hour across the network in peak times.

Mitchell worked with one of the teams tasked with surveying the tunnels of the Sub-Surface Lines; the data from which is being used to plan the installation of the sensors that will provide the signalling control centre with the positional data of trains on the network. Both Aaron and Mitchell have been seconded to subcontractor Kelly ITS to work with the teams installing the lineside infrastructure before taking up their role as testers. Opportunities for employees to take on these secondments is one example of the collaborative approach taken by the 4LM supply chain.

‘I was speaking with my mum yesterday and was saying how much of a good opportunity it is for us all,’ said Mitchell.

‘Years down the line, having experience on 4LM will be so good to have on our CVs. We were part of the modernisation of one of the biggest transport systems in the world.’

Paul Scott, who manages Thales’ signalling apprentices, said 4LM was ‘a great advertisement’ for Thales when looking to attract apprentices and graduates. ‘When we’ve got massive projects like 4LM, it’s almost one of the first things they talk about in their interview. It’s so widely known and certainly for those who live in London; it’s personal to work on the Underground lines which some use every day.’

FOCUS ON QUALITY The security and publicity generated by major projects is something the rail industry will need to leverage in coming years to attract skilled young talent to fill the rail engineering skills gap that is so widely discussed.

The UK government has committed itself to creating three million apprenticeships by 2020 and next year it plans to introduce an apprenticeship levy to help provide the funding needed to achieve that target. Companies with a wage bill over £3 million will have to pay into the levy, but in turn will be able to draw from the fund to support apprenticeship programmes.

Most large and medium-sized companies appear to have already seen the value of setting up an apprenticeship scheme and hope the reforms will allow them to do more. Thales is a good example and says it is committed to getting the most from the £1.6 million it expects to pay into the levy from next spring by

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2016

continuing to develop its apprenticeship scheme.

Says Paul, ‘Having run the scheme since 2013, the business is reaping the benefits that apprentices have had on operations, from bringing diversity and new ways of thinking into teams, to having a flexible and eager workforce on hand, keen to work where they’re most needed across Thales’ projects in the UK.’ Mitchell and Aaron both speak positively about their experience. Aaron said the plan for him, and the feeling among his apprenticeship group in general, was to ‘get as high as we can in the organisation as quick as we can’, showing the ambition and vision that undertaking the apprenticeship at Thales has inspired.

Aaron and others in his year have also become good friends. They regularly socialise at the weekends and after work or college.

It illustrates the camaraderie between the apprentice groups, something which ‘makes going into work or college each day something to look forward to,’ says Aaron.

Paul, who began his career as a trainee with British Rail in 1990, was impressed by the progress made by his fledgling engineers.

‘Of all the jobs I’ve had, this is by far the most satisfying,’ he says. ‘To see these girls and guys come in and be very green to the industry and progress to where someone like Aaron is now.

To get them, nurture them to a certain degree, and develop them to become top quality engineers – I’m a proud manager.’

Mitchell still plays semi-professional football: he’s a star defender at Welling United in the Vanarama National League South. But engineering is where his passion lies and he looks forward to promoting apprenticeships to others in the future. ‘I found out about an apprenticeship at Thales by it being recommended to me. I’m proud to talk about it, so if I can do that for other people, the benefit would come full circle.’

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Left to right.

Aaron Lendor, Mitchell Nelson and Paul Scott.

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NORTHERN POWERHOUSE TURNS APPRENTICESHIP HUB

T

his is the start. This is the start of your career… Set your own targets, set your own goals,’ said the Mayor of Doncaster, Ros Jones, directly addressing a new cohort of Intertrain

apprentices.

On September 27, new and current apprentices were brought together at Intertrain’s Balby Court headquarters for a celebratory event entitled ‘Driving for Success’. Sixty-five new apprentices will complete placements with various companies in the Sheffield City Region. The event served to bring local employers together to demonstrate the role they are playing in achieving the UK’s skills strategy.

The group are the latest apprentices to be trained at the Balby Court Business Campus - the largest of Intertrain’s nine sites around the UK. The vast facility includes a 100-metre test track and 16 classrooms, which allows Intertrain to deliver a comprehensive training programme, ranging from courses in track safety, electrification and for becoming a machine/crane controller, among others.

Since Intertrain began offering apprenticeships, with the guidance and support of RNN Training, in 2011, more than 300 apprentices have gone on to gain qualifications, thanks to Intertrain’s experienced team of trainers, and are currently employed by agencies and contractors around the country, including the likes of Carillion, Babcock Rail, Ballycommon, Aspin Group, VolkerRail, Coyle and ISS Labour.

Intertrain’s managing director Keith Jessop said he hoped the open day would demonstrate to employers what the company had to offer. It was also a reminder to apprentices that ultimately the industry needs them to ‘come good’.

150 APPRENTICESHIPS IN 2017 ‘You’ll never have this opportunity again and you have to grasp it with both hands,’ said Brian Jebson, general manager of Carillion Rail Resourcing, in a similarly spirited rally cry. He too joined the railway as an apprentice following the decline of heavy industry in Sheffield during the early 1990s.

Carillion is one of the supporters of Intertrain’s apprenticeship programme.

In recent years, the company has moved to directly employ more of its workforce and has committed in its budget to creating 150 apprenticeships in 2017. Its partnership with Intertrain in South Yorkshire is in addition to the company’s own technical apprenticeship programme. If successful, it’s an approach Carillion may adopt in

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other regions.

Speaking to RailStaff, Brian said, ‘Really it was how do we develop and grow a viable workforce for Carillion. For me, it’s about starting with young people and giving them that chance because that way we can mould them, we can mirror them in our image, we can give them the Carillion values.’

He went on, ‘We are looking to roll this model out in other parts of the country. We’ve a partner we’re looking to meet with in Wales and Scotland.

‘We have the work. We have the workforce to manage these people, so it’s only right to get people in.’

Tom Harty.

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Brian Jebson (left) with Alex Pond.

BLUE HATS

A SOLDIER, A CHEF AND A BOXER Two of the Carillion apprentices who spoke on the day included a former soldier and a chef. Tom Harty, who now works as a crane controller for TXM Plant having come through the apprenticeship scheme, used to be a boxer. Tom qualified for his crane controller license within just three years of starting his apprenticeship. ‘Keep your heads down lads; it’s all there for you,’ he told the group.

Andy Joy, managing director of Carillion Rail, was sat in the crowd as they spoke about their reasons for pursuing a career in the industry.

‘We all recognise that the future of the rail industry requires new talent and new people to be attracted into the industry and this is a fantastic example of providing that first step and entry into the rail industry.’

Much of the focus on apprenticeships has been on driving up numbers, but the way in which schemes are funded and delivered is fundamentally changing. Tim Gladman from RNN Training explained the move towards having independent end-point assessments for all apprentices and, significantly for employers, how the new apprenticeship levy will work.

Andy said Carillion should be in a good position to benefit from the levy. ‘The levy encourages you… Carillion are as well placed as anybody to draw down on that and looks to support the ongoing apprenticeship schemes; and not just apprentices in this environment but also to provide further development and structured learning for our existing employees who maybe want to retrain.’

Although slightly dejected at realising he had become one of those grey-haired managers he remembered seeing early in his career, Steve Welsh, senior programme manager at Babcock Rail, spoke about how he thought the ‘blue hats’ supplied through Intertrain had benefited the business, but acknowledged that their introduction hadn’t been without its challenges. Site managers working to demanding timescales crave a ready-made workforce and Steve said it had taken time to identify the best people to coach and counsel newcomers. ‘It doesn’t matter if they’re white or blue hats for me, it’s how enthusiastic they are,’ said Steve.

Through labour supply agency First Structure, Steve is able to employ eager Intertrain apprentices, giving them the necessary experience to progress.

Alex Pond, managing director of First Structure, said that in order for the industry to address its ageing workforce it needed to bring in young, enthusiastic, skilled people. ‘For me the apprenticeship programme ticks every box.’

Jimmy Wilson, Ballycommon’s rail director, agrees, ‘We are

happy to invest in apprentices because if they are mentored and supported correctly, then they offer real value to the business as well as improving their social and economic status.’

South Yorkshire is already a valuable contributor to rail’s training sector. It will gain international recognition with the opening of the National College for High Speed Rail in Doncaster next year, which will rely on providers like Intertrain for its ‘hub and spoke’ approach to work.

Doncaster’s reputation as a historic railway town was assured

by Mallard and Flying Scotsman, but the training being delivered at Intertrain ensures the railway will be part of its future as well.

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LABOUR SUPPLY THE MODERN WAY REPORT BY MARC JOHNSON

T

he role of labour supply companies and recruitment agencies is changing. ‘It’s a very fine line between being an agency and being a contractor now,’ says Paul Smith, technical sales director at Deploy UK Rail.

It’s a challenging environment for established agencies and newcomers alike, as companies look to add new divisions and areas of expertise to stay competitive.

Deploy UK Rail is part of the DE Group, a multi-sector business which delivers specialist principal contractor demolition, construction, asbestos and hazardous material disposal, construction recruitment, health and safety consultancy and subcontracting services to construction and the rail market.

Deploy UK Rail, now in its third year of trading, is the newest business within the group. Based on Embankment, central London, the company is a 5* RISQS, RIPS & RCC approved to supply contingent labour to the rail industry. It’s already active in a number of areas and from September, it will enter the market of signalling skills.

‘When I am asked what else can we do within the industry by our clients they are generally pleasantly surprised at the range of specialist services we deliver other than the traditional safety critical and labour supply.’ says Paul, explaining the areas which Deploy UK Rail works in.

In 2014, Network Rail published a list designed to fundamentally change the way the organisation sourced contingent labour. The list included four core and 16 specialist labour suppliers that it would use to resource its busy maintenance schedule. It had the potential to have a chilling effect on any new agencies looking to crack the rail industry.

‘It hasn’t affected us at all, it’s done completely the opposite,’ said Paul. He went on to explain how with the core supplier’s resources focussed on these framework agreements, opportunities had opened up on the project side of the business.

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NOT AN OVERNIGHT AGENCY The recruitment market has remained competitive despite these changes. Deploy Rail’s team has grown from just three employees in 2013 to a team of 14 today - five new members of staff have joined so far this year. With a collective 75+ years of experience in the rail industry, Deploy is not an overnight agency.

Paul himself started the business from leaving one of the top three agencies, where he had spent 11 years and prior to that a smaller safety critical supplier.

The company recently recruited Marc Evans, a qualified project manager within rail, power and civils, to strengthen the link between the company’s labour supply roots and its project work. Says Paul, ‘This was a good middle ground for him…

Marc brings the expertise he knows from project delivery, putting the governance in place that we require, and knows what we need to do to make that next step to developing our contracting element.’

Sam Sharples has also joined to expand Deploy Rail’s offerings within the signalling market. Says Paul, ‘Sam has joined to complement our existing offerings to our signalling client base by being able to now provide IRSE competent resources. Sam is someone I have known since he started in the industry and brings that additional knowledge and experience to the signalling part of our business’.

THE NEXT STEPS ‘Like everything in life it all takes time,’ Paul acknowledges. At the same time, Deploy Rail is looking to expand its reach around the country, replicating the success of its London base at regional offices in Manchester and Plymouth.

Paul says these regional offices are all important in tackling one of industry’s most significant staffing challenges. ‘The biggest problem we’ve got industry wide is the shipping of staff around the country.’

When workers do arrive, they are not correctly equipped. Something else Deploy Rail are keen to make sure isn’t an issue with its 300+ sponsored staff. ‘We will come out with bells and whistles,’ says Paul. ‘We won’t just supply the resource. We will make sure the resource comes to you correctly equipped to undertake their duties, which is a small thing, but it makes a real big difference.

It’s about the people involved that deliver to the industry…

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2016

‘The same as the quality of PPE out there. We make sure whatever is required the resources are well equipped.

‘We’ve moved away from the very basic gloves. Now we’ve gone to the Cut 5 as a minimum standard. This move was made due to our work with Network Rail IP Southern Shield and we felt it made more sense to roll this out across all our projects.’

It’s a reflection of how labour supply has moved on. On how the importance of hanging on to staff by equipping them properly and rewarding their hard

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work has never been more important.

Deploy UK Rail sponsored this year’s Rail Infrastructure/Possessions Team of the Year Award at the RailStaff Awards. It was an opportunity to publicly acknowledge the hard work put in by the industry’s workforce.

‘It’s more of them as a team rather than what their business is about,’ Paul added. ‘It’s about the people involved that deliver to the industry… The awards give a fantastic opportunity to include everyone that delivers for their company rather than just the individual managers and directors of the company’

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