RailStaff October 2017

OCTOBER 2017 | ISSUE 239

SIEMENS ALSTOM RAIL GIANTS TO MERGE

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PLUS NEWS PEOPLE EVENTS INTERVIEWS FEATURES HEALTH & SAFETY GEAR & TECH COMPANY FOCUS TRAINING CAREERS

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CONTENTS OCTOBER 2017 | ISSUE 239

SIEMENS ALSTOM - A MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE | 06 Siemens and Alstom have announced plans to merge their rail businesses and create a ‘European Champion in Mobility’.

CROSSRAIL ENTERS MCGUINNESS BOOK OF RECORDS | 17 Crossrail is set to become an operational railway as the last rail clips were secured to complete the permanent track for the Elizabeth line.

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WALES AND BORDERS WHEN A FRANCHISE ISN’T A FRANCHISE | 24

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A commitment to guards, electrification and a South Wales Metro – what the new Wales and Borders franchise has in store.

RAIL SAFETY SUMMIT 2017 | 28 Network Rail and HS2 led this year’s discussion around rail safety performance.

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S

T H G I L T O P

4 ITAL | 4 IG D T E LET’S Gr Loosley says

te is just RIA’s Pe te. control ine rou in a tr l a nspenn ra digit T e for th the start

ON BOARD A GREATER ANGLIA AVENTRA | 48 Stewart Thorpe visited Bombardier in Derby to preview Greater Anglia’s new Aventras.

This month's cover features a COSS working at London Bridge.

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

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NEWS

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The kindness of strangers

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It’s the little people who matter most. Our response to them defines our humanity.

Forget sucking up to the boss or hero worshipping a showbiz star. All too often our plastered saints turn out to have feet of clay.

How easy it is to overlook the check out girl, the barman, newsagent and courier. Yet when things go wrong it’s them who get the blame. Little people can be annoying. From the naughty schoolboy on the train to the myopic pensioner crawling along in third gear, it’s hard not to mentally swat them away. For the necromancers in their tall towers little people are seen as an inconvenience.

In fact every life created is of equal and enduring value. We lose our moral compass when we forget this basic truth. Amidst the carnage of the Las Vegas massacre several

complete strangers rescued a stranded British woman in a wheelchair. Not only was she stuck in the line of fire, but she had been positioned on a raised dais so as to get a better view of the stage. The actions of her rescuers articulate a deeper, passionate desire on the part of almost all men and women to combat the ugly and the desperate.

Mercifully we do not have to wait until called upon to risk life and limb. Rescue starts with little actions: the smile for the lollipop lady, the handshake for the Polish deliveryman, the conversation with the cashier. Once in a village in England a Rumanian lorry driver overshot his turning.

Confused, he tried to back up. Several passers by watched in stoney silence. Then a white van man bowled round, pulled over and jumped out. After a brief conversation, the van driver waved the Rumanian back and directed him on his way with a cheery wave. One of the sad side effects of the Brexit vote has been the open xenophobia of Her Majesty’s less-gifted subjects.

In many cultures, to welcome the stranger is to welcome the divine. What you do for the least of those among us furnishes an enduring testimony to the real you. How little effort it takes to crack a joke with the shelf stacker, to thank the harassed airline official, to talk, or rather listen, to the old person tottering through the closing chapters of her life. Mercy is not the sole preserve of the righteous, but an imperative for everyone. Earlier this month, the RailStaff Awards gave a much-needed boost to the industry’s most dedicated subjects - look out for the November issue to find out about all this year’s winners.

In the end all of us will be dependent on the kindness of strangers. andy@rail-media.com FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF | @RAILSTAFFUK | RAILSTAFF.UK

6

FEATURE

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2017

SIEMENS ALSTOM: A MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE BOTH COMPANIES HOPE TO FINALISE THE MERGER BY THE END OF 2018

F

ollowing several months of rumour and conjecture, Siemens and Alstom have announced plans to combine their railway businesses to create a ‘European Champion in Mobility’.

The ‘Franco-German merger of equals’, as it was described in a statement on 26 September, still has to overcome the necessary regulatory hurdles but, if it goes ahead, the resulting business will have a combined revenue of €15.3 billion and an order book of €61.2 billion.

Siemens and Alstom hope to finalise the merger by the end of next year, creating a combined business with around 62,300 employees spread across more than 60 countries.

At a press conference, the heads of both companies said the merger was a response to various market pressures, including increasing competition from manufacturers in China

‘Today is a key moment in Alstom’s history, confirming its position as the platform for the rail sector consolidation.’

HENRI POUPART-LAFARGE, CEO, SIEMENS ALSTOM

and Japan. Siemens and Alstom have said that combining the two businesses will result in annual synergies of €470 million. How that will affect jobs in the UK will become clearer over the coming months.

Both companies are active in the UK’s rolling stock and infrastructure markets and the merger will have wide-reaching implications. This is illustrated by the Deep Tube programme, for which Siemens and Alstom are bidding against each other with competing products.

Neither company currently builds trains in Britain. However, Alstom has already indicated that its new site in Widnes has the potential to become the

company’s UK rolling stock manufacturing base.

PARIS HEADQUARTERS Alstom and Siemens will both own 50 per cent of the combined business. The new company will be led by Alstom’s chief executive, Henri Poupart-Lafarge, who joined Alstom in 1998 and has been the group chairman and chief executive officer since February 2016. The Siemens Alstom global headquarters and rolling stock management team will be located in Paris and the headquarters of the Mobility Solutions business will be in Berlin.

Siemens and Alstom believe their combined global footprint will allow the new business to access growth markets in the Middle East, Africa, India and Middle and South America where

Alstom is active and China, the USA and Russia where Siemens has a strong presence.

Siemens has announced, Jochen Eickholt, the former chief executive of Siemens Mobility, has been appointed as the integration manager to oversee the merger. He will be succeeded

by Sabrina Soussan, chief executive of Siemens’ Mainline Transport and Urban Transport businesses, and Michael Peter, the current chief executive of the company’s Mobility Management Business Unit, which looks after rail automation and traffic management systems.

There will be 11 members in total on the new company’s board of directors. Siemens will appoint six members and there will be four independent directors and the chief executive.

Both companies are active in the UK’s rolling stock and infrastructure markets and the merger will have wide-reaching implications

© Siemens

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RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2017

FEATURE

7

© Siemens

RAIL SECTOR CONSOLIDATION In a statement, Henri PoupartLafarge said, ‘Today is a key moment in Alstom’s history, confirming its position as the platform for the rail sector consolidation. Mobility is at the heart of today’s world challenges.

‘Future modes of transportation are bound to be clean and competitive.

Thanks to its global reach across all continents, its scale, its technological know-how and its unique positioning on digital transportation, the combination of Alstom and Siemens Mobility will bring to its customers, and

ultimately to all citizens, smarter and more efficient systems to meet mobility challenges of cities and countries.

‘By combining Siemens Mobility’s experienced teams, complementary geographies and innovative expertise with ours, the new entity will create value for customers, employees

and shareholders.’

During the press conference, Henri said the merger was like a sudden attraction between two people who had previously been too tentative to approach one another and like a ‘classical wedding ceremony’. A marriage of convenience in the truest sense.

Our new Ballast Feeder System 40 and Railvac® OTM operating together increases S&C and Plain Line reballasting productivity together with all other track excavation and backfilling works.

Always non-intrusive, with the track in situ and without disconnections.

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8

NEWS

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2017

THEO takes the

TRAM

Transport Minister Paul Maynard MP helped launch Sheffield’s first Citylink Tram Train.

Maynard was joined by transport leaders and representatives from Sheffield Children’s Hospital.

Stagecoach Supertram and South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive named the first tram after the Children's Hospital Charity’s mascot, Theo.

Passengers on the first journey were able to make a donation to the charity rather than paying a fare.

Says Transport Minister Paul Maynard, ‘South Yorkshire's tramtrain project is the first of its kind in the country and will transform services for passengers, enabling quick and easy movement across the region, reducing journey times and boosting the economy.

The first passenger service is a significant milestone for this scheme, which remains on track to be completed next year and will improve journeys between Sheffield and Rotherham.’

The launch of Theo the tram marks an important milestone for the unique pilot scheme, and has allowed passengers in South Yorkshire to be the first in Great Britain to travel on the innovative tram vehicle.

South Yorkshire’s new Citylink vehicles, which have been designed and produced

by Stadler, will be used in the regular Supertram timetable from October. They will support the existing tram service across the network until the new tram-train route from Sheffield to Rotherham is opened in 2018, once rail infrastructure work, testing and driver training is complete.

SYPTE executive director Stephen Edwards welcomed the move. ‘The introduction of the first Citylink vehicle on to the passenger network in Sheffield is an important milestone for Tram Train, and we’re thrilled that we’ve been able to use this opportunity to raise funds for The Children’s Hospital Charity.’

Honey trap for Ordsall Chord When an estimated swarm of 30,000 honey bees took up residence at compound six near Trinity Way - on the Ordsall Chord project - railway staff wasted no time in contacting a registered bee keeper.

Ordsall Chord is reaching its final stages and the site is being cleaned up. No one wanted to see the colony destroyed.

Environment manager Samantha Smith from Skanska BAM said, ‘There was a real buzz in the air when the team discovered our new housemates but, for their own safety, they couldn’t stay. One in three mouthfuls of the food we eat is dependent on pollination at a time when the honey bee population is facing a crisis so it was really important we found them a new home. The Ordsall Chord is a hive of activity ahead of opening to trains in December but it was great we could find the bees a new home.’

First, the honeycomb was placed into frames and stored so the bees would follow before the hive was removed.

The Ordsall Chord is being constructed as part of Network Rail’s £1bn+ Great North Rail Project and is due to be completed by December 2017.

It will connect Manchester’s three main stations, create new direct links to Manchester Airport from the north and reduce congestion at Manchester Piccadilly station by a quarter. The bees are enjoying their new home in Warrington - convenient for Warrington Bee Quay.

Patience says Caroline South Western Railway’s Caroline Landu, 21, could have a hit on her hands. Caroline’s song, Patience - already a hit among colleagues on the railway - has been featured on local radio.

Caroline is a train crew roster clerk at Waterloo, and she is delighted with the support she has received at work. ‘I love my job with the Waterloo team and they have all been very

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supportive,’ says Caroline.

‘Sometimes if I’m completing a routine task, I pop my headphones in and listen to instrumental pieces. I’m occasionally seen bopping my head to the music.’

Says Joe Hellier-Brown, train crew rosters manager, SWR, ‘The whole of the train crew roster team are stars in my eyes but Caroline has taken things to a new level. We’re all very pleased

for her and didn't realise she had this secret talent until we heard her on the radio. We're glad that more people are getting to hear her wonderful voice.’

Caroline’s song, Patience, was recently given the honour of featuring as the 'BBC Introducing Track of the Day’.

To listen to Patience, visit: soundcloud.com/carolinelandu/patience

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Join us today www.rmt.org.uk

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10

PEOPLE

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2017

Tony Cash joins Trenton Fire

Dr Tony Cash has joined Trenton Fire from London Underground, where he served as senior fire engineer and fire compliance manager for over a decade.

At TfL, Tony was responsible for all aspects of fire safety on the London Underground.

As fire compliance manager, he was accountable for the process of managing changes to fire precautions at London Underground stations, train crew accommodation and depots.

Tony’s team coordinated and expedited plan reviews with the fire authority and he managed the issue and revision of fire plans, working closely with the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, Transport Fire Safety Team. In 2013, Tony also coordinated the fire safety case

for the running of the muchadmired commercial steam service for London Underground’s 150th Anniversary.

Tony brings vast experience in fire, safety and emergency planning, with considerable exposure to a wide range of safety regulatory activities in the rail, aviation, oil and petrochemical, marine and military sectors.

Tony will lead, consolidate and develop Trenton Fire’s abilities to meet client needs within these sectors. His extensive skills and experience will further contribute to Trenton Fire’s leading expertise in worldwide fire safety planning and design.

Londoner Tony Cash is married with two sons and in his spare time is a STEM ambassador, a night shelter volunteer and charity fundraiser.

Dr Tony Cash is a fellow of the Institution of Fire Engineers, chartered European chemist, fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and a member of the British Standards Institute. He has worked for the UK Civil Aviation Authority as a rescue and fire fighting services inspector and flight safety officer for international services.

Rail take off for Air-Caroline London Underground has appointed Caroline Sheridan as its new director of renewals and enhancements.

As director, Caroline and her team will be responsible for managing the replacement of tracks, rolling stock and station fixtures and fittings.

Says Mark Wild, managing director of London Underground, ‘Across London Underground, there is a huge range of upgrades and improvements taking place to help make our customers' journeys better.

‘Caroline brings a fantastic wealth of talent and civil engineering experience from her

previous roles which is enviable on any CV. We look forward to welcoming her to London Underground and working with her to help deliver a world-class railway for all.’

Caroline joins from Heathrow Airport where she was most recently delivery director for capital investment in airside and landside locations. While there, she oversaw numerous projects including the construction of the T5 Airfield and Landside, business change of Terminal 2 and delivery of a large number of infrastructure projects across Heathrow. She is a chartered civil engineer and studied at University of Leeds.

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Rail specialist boosts Addleshaw Goddard Rail and asset finance specialist Clive Smith joins Addleshaw Goddard as a partner in its London-based banking practice.

The move marks a further commitment by Addleshaw Goddard to the rail sector.

Clive joins from Osborne Clarke where he was a partner advising banks, lessors and operators, as well as manufacturers, on a range of assets with a particular emphasis on rolling stock fleets.

Other previous roles include work in the City offices of DLA Piper and Norton Rose Fulbright. He is ranked in Band 2 (UK-wide) for both Transport Rail and Asset Finance (Rail Finance).

AG has enjoyed a string of recent successes in the rail sector, including advising Hitachi Rail

Europe on a series of projects for the supply and maintenance of new rolling stock fleets in a period of major investment. The team has also recently secured a milestone appointment to tier 1 of the Department for Transport’s inaugural rail panel.

Says head of transport Paul Hirst, ‘We have significantly grown our transport practice over the past three years, particularly in rail which is a key focus for us. Clive's reputation, expertise and client base will support our plans to continue growing our rail practice into a top tier practice. We are very pleased he is joining us.’

AG’s rail industry clients include Network Rail, the Department for Transport, Hitachi Rail Europe, Freightliner, Keolis, Amey Rail and Metroline.

Graeme Clark to lecture at UCL Graeme Clark, head of business development (rolling stock) at Siemens UK, has been awarded the title of honorary lecturer at University College London.

Graeme will contribute a series of lectures and help assess coursework for students on the MSc civil engineering course during this academic year. UCL is familiar territory to Clark, who has been participating in the department’s lecture series as a volunteer.

Clark’s continued contribution to the course will help educate another cohort of engineering students about rolling stock within a module looking at the ‘Planning, Policies & Organisation of the Railways in the UK’.

The module aims to provide students on the course with an understanding of railway planning, management, engineering and operations, both in the UK and internationally.

Clark’s lectures will look at Siemens’ leading work on rolling

stock as well as provide a wider introduction to different variations of trains.

Says Graeme, ‘I was delighted to be asked to join UCL as an Honorary Lecturer. I have really enjoyed the experience so far, and it is a real privilege to be involved. It’s great to be able to help the next generation, just as so many people have helped me over the years.’

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2017

Tim Bilby to lead Supertram

New platform for Adam Piddington

Tim Bilby is to take the helm permanently at Stagecoach’s Sheffield-based Supertram.

East Midlands Trains’ new customer experience director, Adam Piddington, has hit the ground running heading up a ‘meet the managers’ exercise.

Tim, 45, has been covering as interim managing director since March 2017 when Margaret Kay, previously managing director, moved to South West Trains to oversee the last few months of the franchise. Tim joined Stagecoach Supertram in January 2012 as head of finance and commercial.

Margaret Kay has worked for Stagecoach since 2000, initially as HR director for South West Trains and then East Midlands Trains, before taking up the position of managing director of Stagecoach Supertram in 2012. She was named one of the rail industry’s most inspirational women by Women in Rail.

Kay will continue to work with Stagecoach, supporting the rail division on key projects.

Says Tim Shoveller, managing director of Stagecoach Group’s Rail Division, ‘I would like to thank Margaret for her

significant contribution, both as managing director of Stagecoach Supertram where she has overseen the major Tram-Train project, and more recently in managing the last few months of the South West Trains franchise and the start of the major work at London Waterloo.

Margaret is one of the most talented executives in the UK rail industry, and we are pleased she is staying with Stagecoach to help us lead on key rail projects.’

Mr Shoveller congratulated Tim Bilby on his appointment and praised the work he had already done during the past few months.

Head office staff used the National Customer Service Week in October to get out and meet passengers and public. The theme for East Midlands Trains for this year is 'Inside Out', which encourages teams from support functions who normally work on the 'inside of the business' and who don't normally have face-to-face interaction with customers, to spend some time supporting the front-line teams and hearing direct feedback on how services can be improved.

Adam Piddington, who was previously customer service director for South West Trains, has held a variety of senior roles in customer service, security and revenue protection both at SWT and Silverlink.

PEOPLE

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Says Adam, ‘Having been in the business for around four weeks now, it’s very clear that at East Midlands Trains our customers are genuinely at the heart of everything we do.'

He added, 'I was very pleased that East Midlands Trains scored so highly in the recent independent National Rail Passenger Survey with 89 per cent overall satisfaction.

‘National Customer Experience Week now gives us all the opportunity to improve on that further by reflecting on the level of service we offer to our customers and gaining some real insight into the areas they want us to improve.’

Levers pulled in as relationship manager Ford & Stanley has appointed Jonathon Levers to support its clients as the company’s new relationship manager.

Jon studied at the University of the West of England and has previously worked for organisations such as the Page

Group and Resource Group Technical Recruitment Solutions.

In his new role, Jon will work with clients to ‘develop deeper partnering arrangements’.

Says Jon, ‘Initially sceptical following past experiences in traditional recruitment businesses, I knew within 10 minutes of being

welcomed into Ford & Stanley that I wanted the job. I am genuinely excited about my role.’

Group chairman Peter Schofield added, ’In today’s skill-short market you simply cannot serve every employer in recruitment terms. Jon will be instrumental in helping

to implement our strategy of reducing the actual number of rail clients we currently serve, whilst growing our business by integrating the wider talent services we offer such as onboarding, training, performance coaching and mental wellbeing support.’

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NEWS

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2017

Railway football hero Gavin Johnson has swapped his boots for racing colours as he pushes ahead with motor racing plans in a Porsche 924.

Motor racing offers him a powerful opportunity to raise money for children’s charity Zoe’s Place.

Gavin, 36, who works as a project manager for Siemens on the Liverpool Lime Street resignalling programme, has represented Railsport GB as a striker on several European football tours and has been on the railway for 17 years.

‘This year I have secured sponsorship to race in the BRSCC Toyo Tires Porsche Championship in a Porsche 924, and as I speak I sit second in the championship behind my PDC Racing teammate going into the final round at Brands Hatch. In my last outing at Rockingham, I secured my first pole position, fastest lap, lap record and race win.’

Gavin receives some sponsorship from Orion Rail Group but needs more. ‘For

Gavin Revs up for Zoe’s Place

© Jon Elsey

every point I earn - since the Anglesey round-island race - I am personally donating £1 to the Lime Street project charity Zoe’s Place. This is an independent registered charity providing palliative, respite and end-of-life care to babies and infants aged from birth to five years.

‘As a team, we also visit local primary schools to talk to children about the importance of teamwork, friendship, wellbeing and aspiration.’

Rotterdam success for Amy Pressland Amy Pressland, who works for DB Cargo UK, successfully represented Team GB in the Age Group World Triathlon Championships in Rotterdam.

Dr Amy Pressland, 32, from York, is International HR projects manager at DB Cargo UK, but is currently seconded to group partner Euro Cargo Rail SAS based in Paris, France.

Amy took part in the four-day event in Rotterdam in September. She achieved 27th place in her category - the 30-34 AG Female Sprint - and competed against 56 other women.

Amy completed a 750m swim, a 20km bike race and a 5km run. There were over 20 nationalities taking part in the competition.

During the swim, the water temperature was 16 degrees Celsius but that didn’t deter her. Says Amy, ‘The swim was quite choppy but it's my favourite discipline, so I didn't mind too much.’

Amy qualified for Team GB at an event in Redcar in July of this year. She came third in her category which gave her automatic qualification to the Age Group World Triathlon Championships.

She already has her sights firmly on the next competition. ‘I wanted to come in the top 30 at the World Championships; I came out of the water in

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16th place, swimming is my strongest discipline, and finished the race in 27th overall.

‘As it was my first World Championships, I wanted to finish in the top half and was really pleased with my result. It was a tough race but I loved representing Team GB.’ Amy’s been competing in Triathlons for seven years and has a gruelling training regime. She trains between 10-12 hours a week ‘I’m competing in the European Age Group Triathlon Championships next August in Strathclyde and my aim is to finish in the top 20.

The standard of the other competitors at the World Championships was really high and it was a lot to take in, but I'll be better prepared when I put on my Team GB triathlon suit again next year.’

Says Sandra Buchser, head of HR at DB Cargo UK, ‘This is an outstanding achievement for Amy and we as an organisation are proud to have her as part of our team. She is passionate about her sport and that dedication and commitment carries through to the role she has at DB Cargo UK. ‘As an employer, we encourage people to take part in activities outside of work as that’s what makes them unique and therefore an asset to our business and an inspiration to others.’

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2017

NEWS

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#AskEddie takes the field Twitter sensation Eddie Smith has earned his junior football team a smart kit sponsorship deal from Southern Railway.

Whyteleafe FC Under 16s right back "#AskEddie" Smith with the side's new kit and pre-season tournament trophy.

The Croydon teenager proved a social media sensation with his witty, unflappable style when he took charge of Southern’s Twitter account during work experience earlier this year. His social media stint generated interviews and a guest appearance on Channel 4’s The Last Leg. Southern wanted to reward Eddie, but at just 15 years of age he is too young to be paid. As part of its community support activities, the company had already pledged a donation towards the cost of new kit for Whyteleafe FC Under 16s, the team Eddie plays for, so it raised the amount to cover full sponsorship.

The new white kit had a winning debut in a pre-season tournament hosted by Old Coulsdon Colts FC at Coulsdon, Surrey.

Whyteleafe, with Eddie at right back, won the final 1-0.

Whyteleafe Under 16s manager is Eddie's

older brother, Tom Cope, a train driver with Southern who helped secure Eddie’s work experience. ‘We were thrilled when Southern wanted to sponsor the football team as a thank you for all his hard work on Twitter. His teammates spent the first few sessions having photos with him and forwarding them on to other friends as they wanted a picture with the main man. When we travel around South London we often get asked why our shirts have #AskEddie on them.’

Eddie tweeted, ‘Promising start, winning pre-season tourney in our new kit. Big thanks to Southern Rail for sponsoring us after my time there as #AskEddie.”

Warm embrace Staff from Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) have raised £12,000 to help an Eastbourne charity open a therapy centre for children with special educational needs.

GTR adopted Embrace as one of its two corporate charities, for its Southern Railway network, following a vote by staff last year. Big-hearted railway staff have been fundraising ever since.

The new centre has opened next door to Eastbourne railway station and offers sessions in a new sensory room, a parent support group, law clinic, messy play, singing and signing, a children’s hairdressers and a Saturday club.

Says Eastbourne’s area station manager, Andy Leister, ‘Embrace is a fabulous charity and very important to the people who work here at Southern.

‘Station staff, engineers, drivers, on board staff, people from our head office - we've all got together to raise money and on their behalf I can honestly say we're delighted to help Embrace move into this wonderful new building and become our new neighbours.’

Local MP Stephen Lloyd cut a ribbon to open the centre.

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14

NEWS

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2017

New freight depot for Liverpool Mayor of Liverpool Steve Rotheram and local MP Maria Eagle joined together to open the new Tarmac rail depot at Freightliner’s Garston complex.

The depot will take around 10,000 trucks off the roads every year.

Freightliner and terminal handling business Rail Freight Services will receive up to 300,000 tonnes of aggregates a year for onward supply to Tarmac customers across Merseyside and Cheshire.

Tarmac wants to move more of its material by rail. Says Richard Kirwin, area director for Tarmac, ‘We’re delighted to mark the official opening of our new depot which is part of our national strategy to increase the movement of material by rail. The operation at Garston enables continuity of high quality material supply to customers in the North West at the same time as supporting an important drive towards more efficient, sustainable transport and a lower carbon built environment.’

Maria Eagle, MP for Garston and Halewood, welcomed the new depot. ‘Garston is a perfect location for such an important rail freight depot to serve the Liverpool City Region and beyond.

We have years of underinvestment in our national infrastructure to catch up on, and I am really pleased to see Garston playing such an important strategic role in this. I particularly welcome the new jobs that the rail depot will create, and I look forward to working with Tarmac in the future.’

The Tarmac Garston depot, approximately five miles from Liverpool city centre, will support long-term employment locally. Tarmac is one of the UK’s largest private sector-users of rail freight, transporting nine million tonnes of material by rail across the country each year.

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Skelmersdale rail link proposal A rail link to Skelmersdale – the second largest town in the North West without a rail connection – could be a step closer after funding was agreed to develop plans for the new railway.

Merseytravel will be contributing up to £765,000 to the work, adding to £4.32 million already set aside by Lancashire County Council to further build the case for both a new station at Headbolt Lane in Knowsley, and for a new railway branch line to Skelmersdale town centre.

The plan would see Merseyrail services extended from the current terminus at Kirkby

station to serve Headbolt Lane, Rainford and Skelmersdale. Skelmersdale would become the new interchange for Merseyrail, and Northern services on to Wigan and Manchester.

Should a strong business case for the scheme be developed and appropriate funding – currently estimated to be in the region of £300 million – be identified and secured, the scheme could be delivered within 10 years. The Skelmersdale Project is led by Lancashire County Council, involving Merseytravel, West Lancashire Borough Council, Merseyrail, Northern Rail and Network Rail.

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AECOM BACKS HEATHROW SOUTHERN RAILWAY

Heathrow Southern Railway Limited (HSRL) - a private-sector venture set up to build an eight mile rail link to Heathrow Airport from the south – has received a significant boost from AECOM. The global infrastructure firm has committed to invest in preparations for the link.

HSRL intends to create fast rail access to London’s main airport from the west end of the Terminal 5 station. A connection to the existing Windsor-Staines line will enable trains to run between Heathrow and London Waterloo via Clapham Junction, Putney, Hounslow, Twickenham, Richmond, Staines and other intermediate stations.

A further connection to the existing Virginia Water-Weybridge line will provide a new, direct link between Heathrow and Woking. As well as transforming Heathrow’s accessibility, this dramatically improves connectivity between Surrey and London.

Welcoming the agreement, HSRL chair Baroness Jo Valentine said, ‘Coming from such an internationally

respected organisation as AECOM, this funding represents a significant vote of confidence in our project. The funding from AECOM will be used for developing the project to the next stage, which will include further stakeholder engagement - vital given that our proposed new rail connection will benefit many communities in the region. This is a significant step forward for the Heathrow Southern Railway, which will be fully financed privately – at no net cost to the taxpayers – and could be operational by as early as 2024.’

Whether or not a third runway is built, Heathrow is forecast to handle as many as 90 million passengers per year by 2030, up from 76 million today.

Says David Barwell, chief executive, AECOM London, ‘We are delighted to announce our investment in Heathrow Southern Rail. As a long-term partner to Government, AECOM is delighted to bring its development, engineering and delivery capability to resolve current and future infrastructure needs and to bring private-sector funding to accelerate the delivery of critical public infrastructure.’

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17

OPERATIONAL

RAILWAY

CROSSRAIL ENTERS McGUINNESS BOOK OF RECORDS Crossrail is set to become an operational railway as an engineer, Ellen McGuinness, secured the last rail clips completing the permanent track for the Elizabeth line.

For Howard Smith, Transport for London’s Elizabeth line operations director, it marks the changeover from tunnel building site to running railway. ‘It’s a huge moment in the project, turning it from a construction project into a railway, with around 15 months until our customers ride the first trains beneath the streets of London. Crossrail will continue working hard to fit-out the line and stations ahead of TfL preparing to run and maintain the Elizabeth line from next year.’

Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling and Deputy Mayor for Transport Val Shawcross joined Crossrail chairman Sir Terry Morgan and chief executive Andrew Wolstenholme 35 metres below ground, in

the eastbound tunnel of the new Whitechapel Elizabeth line station – where the final rail clips were affixed to the track by Ellen McGuinness, track quality control engineer, to commemorate the milestone.

With the track fully laid, the £14.8 billion project has entered a new phase, as construction trains are now able to travel the full length of both new tunnels from end to end. A construction train completed the journey for the first time earlier this summer – entering at Plumstead in east London, passing through nine new central station platforms and exiting at Royal Oak Portal in the west, with light at both ends of the tunnel.

Over 1,000 rail engineers and rail staff have installed the 63,000 sleepers and 51,419 metres of rail which make up the new 50+ kilometres of Elizabeth line track. Over 13,500 square metres of concrete – enough to fill several Olympic-sized swimming pools, was

poured by the concreting train as part of the track installation.

Sir Terry Morgan, Crossrail chairman, said, ‘The completion of the permanent track brings us another crucial step closer to the Elizabeth line opening in December 2018.

We’re delighted to be officially marking this important milestone as it also signifies a great achievement for all the dedicated men and women who are working on the project. The Elizabeth line will transform rail travel across London and the South East for millions of passengers with faster journeys, less congestion and improved travel links for a better connected London.’

With just over a year to go until the Elizabeth line opens, the Crossrail project is now focused on the installation of platform screen doors, signalling, tunnel ventilation and communications systems along with the overhead lines that will power the new trains.

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DB cements Welsh friendship

DB Cargo UK and Cemex UK made history when a 660-metre long jumbo train of 34 wagons transported 2,300 tonnes of building materials to be used in the construction industry from Cardiff to Acton, London.

The train carried limestone from Cemex’s Wenvoe and Taff’s Well quarries, on the outskirts of Cardiff, for use in the production

of asphalt and concrete in London and southeast England.

Transporting the materials by rail saves the equivalent of 80 truckloads on the country's congested roads.

Says David Fletcher, head of major projects at DB Cargo UK, ‘Using longer trains makes rail an even more efficient and competitive mode of transport.

DB Cargo UK is pleased to

have worked with Network Rail to deliver this new service for Cemex. The 660-metre long train requires the use of two locomotives because of the inclines in the Severn Tunnel.’

Cemex UK plans more jumbo trains. Says Cemex UK’s rail manager, Mark Grimshaw Smith, ‘This is the first freight train of this size to ever travel from South Wales. Usually only 21 wagons

are used but using 60 per cent more wagon capacity makes it more efficient and definitely more environmentally friendly.

‘We hope that we can use this type of jumbo train on other parts of the rail network where we have rail heads in quarries and materials are coming into conurbations such as London where the roads are most congested.’

Oldham magic for London Underground More than 60 per cent of material used by TfL to run London’s railways comes from companies up the country.

Recently London’s Deputy Mayor for Transport, Val Shawcross CBE, opened a new, expanded, factory in Oldham, Lancashire. TfL supplier, local firm, John Bradley and Son (Springs) Limited makes sheet metal and supplies tool cabinets for the London Underground, which are used both in depots and out on track.

Local MP for Oldham West and Royton, Jim McMahon, joined Shawcross and members of the company’s 110 staff at the opening of the new 110,000 square feet facility.

The 70 year-old family business now combines three previous sites in one, enabling better efficiency during production.

Says Nigel Bradley, managing director of John Bradley and Son (Springs) Limited, ‘We are proud of the work that we do with TfL, which helps Londoners and visitors to the city travel smoothly. The relationship we have with TfL is a great example of how organisations can work together across different regions to benefit both areas.’

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Rail chiefs launch HS2 On Track The High Speed Rail Industry Leaders group, HSRIL, has launched an upbeat report called ‘HS2 On Track’ at an event supported by Rail Minister, Paul Maynard MP.

HS2 On Track September 2017

The report details work already proceeding in support of HS2. A series of fifteen case studies highlights tasks being undertaken.

HS2 On Track shows how collaborative innovation has already inspired a generational shift in station design. Securing the next generation of rail staff is of paramount importance. HS2 On Track highlights cooperation with the National College for High Speed Rail which welcomed its first students

Night owls avoid the flap

in September. Alongside Birmingham Centre for Railway Research & Education, HSRIL is actively delivering resources for the UK to build on its reputation as a world leader in railway engineering.

Says Iain Anderson, director of HSRIL, ‘We are delighted to launch HS2 on Track.

It captures the work already underway on HS2 by HSRIL members, and the lessons being learnt and benefits being felt. HS2 will transform Britain. There is no question about that. But it must also transform the industry. It will enable us to invest in skills, develop ever more innovative solutions and improve our efficiency. The industry is wholly committed to making this happen, and this HSRIL report shows the work already underway.’

GTR helps out after Monarch abdication Govia Thameslink Railway’s three train companies that serve airports leapt in to commit to honouring rail tickets held by beleaguered Monarch passengers returning to Britain after the airline went into administration.

Distressed Ryanair customers left frustrated after a raft of cancellations by the airline are being offered a lifeline by Caledonian Sleeper. In another wake up call for the aviation industry the overnight train is offering a 20 per cent discount to passengers with a valid Ryanair booking between Scotland and London over most of the affected dates.

The offer, which runs until 28 February

2018, will allow flyers grounded by recent cancellations to secure alternative travel at a discounted rate. Says Keith Wallace, Caledonian Sleeper managing director, ‘We want to give people affected by the Ryanair cancellations peace of mind.

‘We offer an alternative way of travelling between Scotland and London, which will allow affected passengers to fulfil their previous travel arrangements, getting where they need to be as they originally planned.’

In another example of the rail industry stepping into help out aviation victims, GTR said the helping hand extended to passengers with advanced pre-dated rail tickets from Luton (with Thameslink) and Gatwick (with Gatwick Express, Southern and Thameslink).

A sympathetic GTR chief operating officer, Nick Brown, said, ‘People stranded by the Monarch problems have enough to worry about and this is something we can do to ease the last leg of their journey.’

Nice one Nick!

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Volunteers back Samaritans Volunteers from emotional support services and the rail industry covered over 1,200 miles on trains in the run up to World Suicide Prevention Day (September 10), listening to passengers from communities across Scotland talk about whatever was on their minds.

Representatives from ScotRail, the Railway Mission, Samaritans, Breathing Space, Network Rail, SAMH, British Transport Police and others took part in the events in and around the Scottish rail network.

Says Ruth McBean, Railway Chaplain Edinburgh, ‘We’ve spoken to a huge number of people going through all sorts of difficult issues at the moment. What has been heartbreaking is the large number of these people who have been

affected by suicide in some way, either personally or with close family members, friends and neighbours. All were really grateful for an opportunity to talk about it.’

Those involved greeted passengers with drinking water, travel card holders and information on sources of advice and support. They also made themselves available to talk, and listen.

Says Samaritans’ regional director for Scotland, Sheila Ottiwell, ‘We were delighted to be supporting these events with ScotRail, Breathing Space and others as part of suicide prevention awareness week. Suicide affects so many people each year, and these community events can help us reach a huge number of people across Scotland.”

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Drivers run for Max Appeal

Two train drivers are running long distances to raise money for the Max Appeal, a charity linked to the rare genetic condition DiGeorge Syndrome.

Helen Biggs and John Doyle have raised almost £1,000 for charity so far competing in a series of endurance races.

Helen and John, who drive

for Thameslink and Southern Railway respectively, were inspired to take up the cause as a fellow driver’s son is a sufferer.

Both drivers took on the Great North Run in Newcastle and John ran the Winchester Half Marathon before Helen completes the series with the 10km Great South Run in Portsmouth next month.

Parent company Govia Thameslink Railway has made a donation to Max Appeal. Despite not being widely known, the condition - also known as 22q11 syndrome - affects an estimated one in 4,000 people and can cause lifelong physical and mental problems.

Helen, 32, lives in Brighton and has been a driver on Thameslink since 2008. ‘I chose to support Max Appeal as I know they do really important work to help the families affected by 22q.

As a small charity, every penny raised and every conversation that raises awareness goes such a long way,’ says Helen.

John, 55, from Merstham in Surrey, is based at Epsom and has been a driver since 1988.

‘I’ve supported Max Appeal since another driver, Mark Tripp, invited

Readers can donate to Max Appeal via Helen’s and John’s JustGiving web pages at: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/helenbiggs2017 and www.justgiving.com/fundraising/john-doyle21.

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me to run the Great North Run in 2016 on their behalf,’ he says.

‘Looking into their aims, I found they are not very well known compared with the main charities everyone hears about. Having met people who are either directly or indirectly affected by 22q, I can see the benefits of the wonderful work they do, and I jumped at the chance of a second opportunity to raise their profile this year.’

Mark Tripp is a trustee of the charity. His son has the syndrome. ‘22q11 is very much a condition that requires the close support of all those around, and both Helen and John have once again emphasised the fact that the railway is like a family with the support they have shown to me, my son and Max Appeal,’ Mark said.

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Virgin backs steam team A third group of engineering apprentices from Virgin Trains has joined engineers building the new Gresley class P2 steam locomotive No. 2007 Prince of Wales. The project, based in Darlington Locomotive Works, continues apace with the manufacture of the cladding to fit around the boiler.

The class P2 2-8-2 ‘Mikado’ locomotives were among the most powerful passenger steam locomotives to operate in Britain. They were designed by Sir Nigel Gresley to haul 600 ton trains on the arduous Edinburgh to Aberdeen route. Sadly, the design was

never fully developed and they were rebuilt in 1943/44 and scrapped by 1961. The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust (registered charity and builders of famous new steam locomotive No. 60163 Tornado) is building the seventh member of this class over seven years at an estimated cost of £5m. The project will demonstrate how the design can be fully realised through use of modern computer design techniques, enabling the new locomotive to deliver its full potential hauling passenger trains at high speed across today’s national network.

As part of a sponsorship agreement with Virgin Trains, apprentices are given the

opportunity to experience a different railway environment at The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust’s Darlington Locomotive Works.

The third group of apprentices includes Ondre Brooks, James Henshaw and David Harrison from Bounds Green depot in London.

Says John Doughty, engineering director for Virgin Trains, ‘While we look forward to introducing our new Virgin Azuma train fleet from 2018, it’s important to promote and preserve the history and heritage of our east coast route. Our sponsorship of the Trust gives our apprentices the opportunity to experience a very valuable taste of the heavier side of railway mechanical engineering.’

Scottish stations among the best in Britain Nine Scottish stations have been named among the top 100 in Britain, according to a new book.

Simon Jenkins, author and founder of the Railway Heritage Trust, profiles his favourite British stations in his new book ‘Britain’s 100 Best Railway Stations’.

Erstwhile BR board member Jenkins rates the stations on their architecture, ambience and historical significance. Jenkins travelled the length and breadth of the country to narrow down the list from 2,563 to just 100.

Of the nine Scottish stations that made the list, two also made the top 10 – Glasgow Central and Wemyss Bay. Glasgow Central station - the secondbusiest in the UK - was chosen for its atmosphere, as well as its category A-listed structure. It recently received a 95 per cent customer satisfaction score in the recent National Rail Passenger Survey.

Wemyss Bay, which features on the cover of the book, was picked for its stunning Edwardian building. Built to cater for holidaymakers heading from the city to resorts on the Clyde, the station features a covered promenade from the platforms to the adjacent ferry terminal.

Peter O’Connell, the ScotRail Alliance’s head of stations and retail development, said, ‘It’s great that so many stations in Scotland have been included in this list. We recognise the importance of stations as focal points for local communities, and we are very lucky to have fantastic teams who help keep our stations looking bright and welcoming all year round. We couldn’t have done this without the dedication of them and also our station adopters, who really go the extra mile.’

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Adagio for London Bridge Leading classical pianist, Julian Jacobson, performed live at London Bridge station in October testing out the superb acoustics in what is reputedly Britain’s largest station concourse.

Jacobson, piano professor at the Royal College of Music, serenaded passersby on a grand piano at the country’s fourth largest station.

Commuters also had the chance to play the Yamaha grand piano themselves. Network Rail is working with a variety of cultural groups to make the most of its new concourse.

Says station manager, Denis Kirk, ‘More than 140,000 people use our station every weekday and we’re always looking for ways to make their journeys more enjoyable and make a difference to their day. This is

a fantastic space to hear music and I’m looking forward to more pianists who commute through our station playing here.’

Julian Jacobson’s performance, organised by Beyond Platform 7, is part of a season of artistic events at London Bridge station including George Orwell readings, exhibitions, poetry, photography workshops, architecture talks, and other live performances.

Maidment publishes Magnum Opus David Maidment OBE has produced his latest locomotive book – and it’s a big one!

The former British Rail executive, who founded the Railway Children charity, has become a prolific author in recent years. His latest work, ‘The Development of the German Pacific Locomotive’, dwarfs all his previous books – the proceeds of which bring in thousands of pounds a year for the charity he started.

Says David, ‘This one really is my magnum opus. It is 400 pages long and includes 500 photos, half of which are in colour – but this is the one I’ve been wanting to write for years.

I’m really pleased with how it has turned out and it looks great – a real coffee table book that would make a great gift for a train buff – and a valuable reference book for model-makers.

‘I did German at university and have spent a lot of time in the country. I’ve always loved their transport system because in Germany, and in France too, they held on to steam for so much longer than we did. We went a bit mad on diesel-isation but there were still steam engines across the networks of mainland Europe in the 70s.’

Green ink David wrote his first ever book when he was still working, using the time he spent commuting by rail between Cheshire and London. Maidment sat and scribbled notes throughout the train journey. Apparently to make sure they didn’t get mixed up with BR work papers he penned his first novel entirely in green ink.

David Maidment’s latest tome follows on from the six trainspecific ones he has already written with publishers Pen and Sword - he has contracts for six more. As well as four novels, he has also written two books on street children – a cause he has been passionate about for decades.

‘I am lucky because I enjoy writing books which enables me to give the royalties from all sales to Railway Children,’ says David.

Last year, I gave the charity a cheque for over £7,000 which makes me very proud. That amount of money will help them make a very real difference to the lives of children forced to survive on the streets in Africa, India and here in the UK.’

Emergency care £7,000 would pay for Railway Children to give emergency care

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and a bed for the night to 250 children found on the streets of East Africa. That could be the turning point that changes their lives.

Travelling around the country’s rail fairs and galas, David sells his books to a loyal following of fans and fellow enthusiasts. At the same time, he is always armed with a pack of Railway Children’s charity Christmas cards that he also helps to promote.

‘The same people who like my books generally like our Christmas card range too,’ he says. ‘This year we have 10 railrelated designs to choose from and three of those are new for 2017. They always sell well as they’re only £5 a pack, and as with the income from the books,

that money genuinely does change lives.’

Get a six-pack The £5 cost of one pack of cards alone could provide school materials for a child in India.

Buying six packs could fund first aid for 10 children on a railway platform or feed a child in Kenya for a month.

To order Railway Children Christmas cards visit www. railwaychildren.org.uk/ shop and to order a copy of David Maidment’s book ‘The Development of the German Pacific Locomotive’ or any of his other books visit the Pen & Sword website or contact David Maidment directly by email – maidmentrail@aol.com.

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WALES AND BORDERS WHEN A FRANCHISE ISN’T A FRANCHISE A COMMITMENT TO GUARDS, ELECTRIFICATION AND A SOUTH WALES METRO - WHAT THE NEW WALES AND BORDERS FRANCHISE HAS IN STORE

T

he new Wales and Borders franchise competition has deviated sharply from the process that awarded the previous contract to Arriva Trains Wales 14 years ago.

The Welsh Government has aspirations to run a ‘not-for-profit’ railway that delivers for passengers, but how much do we know about what it will look like?

On 28 September, an invitation was issued to Abellio Rail Cymru, Arriva Rail Wales, KeolisAmey and MTR Corporation (Cymru) to submit their final bids for the new franchise.

The bids will seek to address a list of priorities set out by the Welsh Government for the new 15-year franchise which, it says, is deliberately less restrictive than a typical Department for Transport (DfT) tender to allow for some

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© Welsh Government

creativity in the bidding process.

The successful bidder will become the custodian of a network that is growing in popularity. Passenger numbers grew from around 18 million in 2003 to 29 million in 2013 – a trend that has continued.

The Welsh Government has already said the new deal will include no increase in the subsidy level and will be run very much like a concession, where the operator is paid a certain amount to run the railway but doesn’t accrue any profits from ticket revenue. The aim is to put the focus on running a good quality service where the profits are invested back into the railway.

Although much of the detail won’t become clear until the winning bid is announced early next year, the Welsh Government’s aims for the route give some indication as to how the country’s railways will change from October next year.

OPERATOR AND DEVELOPMENT PARTNER ‘It's different isn’t it,’ said Mike Hewitson, head of policy at Transport Focus, which was approached by Transport for Wales (TfW) to gather passenger views and expectations for the future franchise. ‘You’re not even allowed to use the F word for this one,’ he joked.

One thing we know for sure is that the role of the new franchisee is changing. The winning bidder will become the Operator and Development Partner (ODP) for the route, essentially making it responsible for operating services and maintaining part of the network.

Ownership of a section of the route will change hands from Network Rail to TfW. The Welsh Government has said that Network Rail will retain the infrastructure outside of the Core Valley lines. However, it is unclear

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2017

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at this stage how the assets would be split and whether Network Rail would have to be contracted to carry out certain activities, like high output track renewals or rail grinding.

ROLLING STOCK

WALES

The need for investment in new rolling stock on the Wales and Borders route was highlighted in a report earlier this year, which showed that the average age of its fleet was 27 years old. Arriva Trains Wales did announce in July that it was acquiring five four-car Class 319 Flex bi-mode trains for commuter services in Cardiff - although these are far from new.

New trains will likely be a central part of all of the bids. The Welsh Government has issued a handful of priorities for the prospective operators around rolling stock requirements beyond 2018. This includes procuring electric © Oscar Johns / Shutterstock traction on the Valley Lines which it hopes to electrify – at least partially – within the next franchise term. The new Arriva Trains Wales Rail Network operator would then be able to look at phasing out its Class 142 and Class 143 Pacers.

Other expectations include having controlledemission toilets, complying with current accessibility requirements and offering Wi-Fi and charging points to ‘meet increasing passenger expectations’.

This matches the research undertaken by Transport Focus. Unsurprisingly, it showed that passengers wanted to see longer trains, more seating or better standing areas and to feel that they are getting value for money. There was also a lot of feedback around station facilities, said Mike, something that could well feature highly in the final bids.

MANCHESTER

Manchester PICCADILLY Oxford Road Newton-le-Willows Earlestown Stockport Warrington Bank Quay Manchester Airport

Bidston

Llandudno

Holyhead

Deganwy

Valley Rhosneigr

Shotton Hawarden Buckley Penyffordd Hope Caergwrle Cefn-y-Bedd Gwersyllt

Dolgarrog

North Llanrwst Llanrwst

Betws-y-coed Pont-y-pant

Dolwyddelan

Abererch Pwllheli

Criccieth Penychain

SOUTH WALES VALLEYS Rhymney

Merthyr Tydfil

Pontlottyn

Aberdare

Maesteg Garth Tondu

Gilfach Fargoed

Quaker’s Yard

Pengam Hengoed

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Ystrad Mynach Llanbradach Energlyn & Churchill Park Aber Caerphilly

Coryton

Pontypridd

Crosskeys Risca & Pontymister

Pye Corner

Wrenbury

Wrexham Central

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Church Stretton

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Eastbrook Dinas Powys Cadoxton Rhoose Cardiff International Airport

Nantwich

Borth

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Llantwit Major

CREWE

CHESTER

Dovey Junction

Llanharan Pencoed

Bridgend

Llanhilleth Newbridge

Whitchurch Lisvane & Trefforest Rhiwbina Thornhill Trefforest Estate Birchgrove Llanishen Taffs Well Ty Glas Radyr Heath High Level Danescourt Llandaf Heath Low Level Fairwater Cathays Waun-gron Park Pontyclun Ninian Park Cardiff Queen St.

Sarn Wildmill

Pyle

Bargoed

Merthyr Vale

Mountain Ash

Penrhiwceiber Ynyswen Treorchy Ton Pentre Ystrad Rhondda Llwynypia Tonypandy Dinas Rhondda Porth Trehafod

Ebbw Vale Parkway

Brithdir

Troed-y-Rhiw

Fernhill

Maesteg (Ewenny Rd)

Tir-Phil

Pentre-Bach

Cwmbach

Treherbert

Ebbw Vale Town

Penrhyndeudraeth Llandecwyn Talsarnau Tygwyn Harlech Llandanwg Pensarn Llanbedr Dyffryn Ardudwy Talybont Llanaber Barmouth Morfa Mawddach Fairbourne Llwyngwril Tonfanau Tywyn Aberdovey Penhelig

Helsby

Hawarden Bridge

WREXHAM GENERAL

Roman Bridge

Blaenau Ffestiniog

Porthmadog Minffordd

Wilmslow

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Runcorn East

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Abergele & Conwy Llandudno Junction Pensarn Glan Conwy

Penmaenmawr Llanfairfechan

Ty Croes Bodorgan

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Prestatyn Rhyl

Colwyn Bay

Llanbister Road Dolau

Penarth

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Pen-y-Bont

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Whitland Clunderwen

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Narberth

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Milford Haven Pembroke Pembroke Dock Lamphey Manorbier

Llandeilo

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Llandybie

Kilgetty Saundersfoot Tenby Penally

Ferryside Kidwelly

Ammanford

Pantyffynnon

Aberdare

Pontarddulais

Merthyr Tydfil

Rhymney

Abergavenny

Ebbw Vale Town

Lydney

Llangennech Pembrey & Burry Port

Llanelli

Pontypool & New Inn

Bynea Gowerton

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Llansamlet

Skewen

Neath

Briton Ferry Baglan

Treherbert

Cwmbran

Chepstow

NEWPORT

Severn Tunnel Junction Caldicot

Maesteg

Port Talbot Parkway

CARDIFF CENTRAL

© Crown copyright 2015 Cartographics • Welsh Government

October 2015

© Welsh Government

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RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2017

© LandFox / Shutterstock

SOUTH WALES METRO The creation of a South Wales Metro is the most eye-catching proposal. All options appear to be on the table and consultant Mott MacDonald is supporting the delivery. In this role, it is looking at possible new stations, enhancements to the existing network and even potentially replacing the Core Valley Lines with a light rail system.

Whatever technical solution is pursued, the government has set out some minimum service requirements. The new operator will need to provide at least four trains per hour on the Core Valley Lines, with higher frequency services south of Pontypridd and Caerphilly into Cardiff, reduce journey times by

20 per cent and introduce new direct services between certain large residential areas.

STAFFING When Transport Focus was asked to gather passenger views on the Wales and Borders rail service, it was the friendly and helpful staff that received some of the highest praise.

Last month, the Welsh Government offered a few concrete commitments around staffing for the new franchise.

The most notable was a promise to have a 'safety critical conductor (guard)' on all services – a response to the trade union stance on driver-only operation (DOO).

Following discussions with © Shutterstock

© Welsh Government

the Wales TUC trade union body, First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones said there would be 'more staff not less employed on the franchise' and that technology would be introduced to 'complement staff and not replace them'. There will be a trade union representative on the TfW board, pensions will be protected and there will be no compulsory redundancies.

In a statement, Carwyn Jones said, ’Our hard-working railway staff are a major asset in delivering a modern and safe railway and it is right that they are central to our ambitious plans for the new Wales and border services and South Wales Metro.’

PASSENGERS AT ITS HEART Transport Focus has been working closely with the DfT over the past few years to ensure that passenger feedback is helping to shape future franchises, so passengers are at the heart of the discussion. ‘If we do the research early enough we can try and get it into the specification in the first place,’ said Mike.

Research carried out by Transport Focus around devolution, which particularly focussed on developments in the North West, found that, although there was general support for local influence on services, passengers still wanted to be part of a national network. We’ll just have to wait and see how the new franchise will balance local priorities with the aims of the national network.

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REPORT BY COLIN WHEELER

RAIL SAFETY SU NETWORK RAIL AND HS2 LED THIS YEAR'S DISCUSSION AROUND RAIL SAFETY PERFORMANCE

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he offices of solicitors Eversheds Sutherland near St Paul’s Cathedral in the heart of London was the venue this year. It was my pleasure to introduce Rail Minister Paul Maynard MP - more correctly described as the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Rail, Accessibility and HS2.

He is MP for Blackpool and Cleveleys and has a degree in history from Oxford as well as having been educated at St Ambrose College Altrincham in Cheshire.

Rail Minister’s concerns Understandably, he referred to fatigue as the late night Brexit

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Bill vote the previous evening had caused him to lose sleep!

He said we have the safest railway in Europe and welcomed the RSSB’s clarification of the Rule Book requirements for despatching trains. He highlighted areas of concern about the platform edge, bank slips and the attitudes and culture of some workers. He repeated Network Rail’s mantra about staff getting home safely.

Referring to the Office of Rail and Road’s (ORR) annual report, he stressed the importance of heritage railways and the need for improvements to be made due to the worrying number of incidents involving their operations. Acknowledging that railway suicides are not within anyone’s direct control, he told us that one in 20 of the 200 or more

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UMMIT 2017 suicides a year take place on the railway. Franchising agreements now include provisions for vulnerable people and suicides.

Five billion pounds a year spending Our second keynote speaker was Francis Paonessa, managing director of Infrastructure Projects, Network Rail. A chartered engineer, Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, with a degree in aeronautical engineering from Manchester, his previous employment has included work as a mechanical designer.

His organisation employs 4,300 people, 3,000 suppliers and spends ÂŁ130 million in an average week. Crossrail, Thameslink and London Bridge were all mentioned. Although

his organisation has seen a reduction in lost-time accidents, people are still suffering lifechanging injuries. He commented on the improvement in safety culture immediately following a trench collapse incident, adding that road traffic accidents are now the largest cause of injuries.

He expects digital railway train control systems to provide risk reducing opportunities and drones will soon be in use for surveying sites (due to their improving accuracy).

Infrastructure Projects use 40,000 possessions each year and overrun delay minutes have halved over the last two years. He was pleased in August when, during their largest-ever job, staff stopped the job after deeming it to be unsafe. He said this reflected the right degree

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HEALTH+SAFETY

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2017

Dr Francis Paonessa

of empowerment. Answering a delegate’s question, he commented that two thirds of their possessions are for less than eight hours, and on the current 14 hours door-to-door rule for workers.

Tolerability of Risk – fish and lettuce Nicola Uijen is a chartered safety professional with over 20 years rail experience, now working for Costain Rail.

Following work with Network Rail and automatic track warning

systems, she spent time with Costain Highways before returning to rail.

She is deputy chair of the Safety Leadership Group and has worked with the RSSB. She highlighted the increase rail has experienced in significant injury accidents, before referring to risk tolerability where she compared rail to North Sea fishing and the risk from eating bagged lettuce!

She explained Costain’s decision to change their focus from ‘zero accidents’ to ‘halving harm’. She also commented on the adoption of a positive approach to safety, with the use of PPE always being the last resort.

“Don’t chase the glitter ball” She described events on Crossrail leading up to the site visit by Her Majesty the Queen.

Towards the end of 2015, a spate of non-conformances were put down to ‘a bad day before Christmas’. Then three serious RIDDOR accidents happened in January in the week before the Royal Visit.

For the visit, there was no written Safe System of Work and no briefing was given. Back to basics was the aim; forget time and performance just get it right. This continued afterwards with supervisors starting each task on site. Subsequently communications improved, the result is that there hasn’t been RAILSTAFF.UK | @RAILSTAFFUK | FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF

a RIDDOR since January last year. She said time constraints are a danger. Short possessions increase risks, safety should be a valued necessity rather than a priority and in matters of safety ‘Don’t chase the glitter ball’.

Repeated mistakes, pockets of excellence and mental health Ian Prosser is Chief Inspector of Railways for the ORR, as well as being board member. He is an engineer with a chemical engineering first degree from Imperial College London and a Masters from Cambridge.

He worked in chemical, pharmaceutical and automotive industries before coming to rail.

He stressed the importance of ORR’s actions being proportionate and consistent. Good safety he opined is good business, but he asked why it is that the industry continues to make the same mistakes? He added that whilst there are now ‘pockets of excellence’ in the industry, there are still many who may be described as merely ‘middle of the road’. Consequently enforcement still has to be used.

Referring to target zero, he suggested that everyone should now strive to achieve a year without a single improvement notice. Safety by design without gold plating was a second theme of his presentation.

He stressed the importance of

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2017

name given to their remotely activated/controlled track circuit operating device which has Network Rail approval at SIL 4 level. It can be used as a semipermanent installation in the fourfoot and or may be installed at any convenient time before a single or series of possessions. It can be activated by a smart phone.

In Amsterdam they have been fitted to 205 sets of points. The speaker described their use to the growing interest of all.

Avoiding 157 annual close calls!

talking to people face to face and his concerns over the increasing number of assaults on rail staff.

He said that communication to ground level needs to improve.

Early next year, he expects Network Rail’s chief executive to launch a safety campaign involving the Samaritans organisation focussing on mental health awareness.

Psychological factors in developing a safety culture Mandy Geal is the founder of Learning Partners. She aims to emphasise the ‘personal’ aspect of personal safety. She stressed the psychological factors that affect behaviours. People’s reactions when threatened and concerns for their own safety may include the wish to fight or take flight; become aggressive, freeze, or take action to avoid the situation.

She went on to explain how removing fears and being rewarded affects motivation and conscious awareness.

Workforce culture and the need for individual engagement and involvement, as well as developing a balanced view of risk and safety, should always be taken into account.

A psychological trust in safety matters and the performance of colleagues plus the open admission of mistakes and the outlawing of a culture of blame

are all needed for a good safety performance.

Listening and being seen Emma Head (above) was appointed corporate safety director HS2 in August 2015, having previously been director of safety strategy at Network Rail. Safety culture and responsibility were her themes.

She spoke of the importance of caring for the workforce, designing for safety, construction, operations and maintenance. Listening to people, being seen and approachable were all necessary if confidence and a good safety culture is to be achieved. HS2 has started from first principles.

Emma said they had produced projections based on HS1’s construction.

They found that if they didn’t do anything differently, HS2 would suffer three fatalities and 713 non-fatal accidents. Their holistic health strategy aims to ‘put safety at the heart of all they do’; and prevention rather than mitigation is the aim.

David Underwood a civil engineer project manager Track Renewals with Network Rail had previous experience with London Underground. He described the use they have made of the ZKL 3000 system in West Yorkshire.

Their organisation has two high output track relaying systems and five ballast cleaning ones.

The former undertake some 70 per cent of the track renewals carried out by Network Rail each year. For track renewals on average there are 12 line blockages taken every night with for ballast cleaning.

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During 2016/17, the placing or misplacing of possession protection resulted in 157 close calls. The use of ZKL 3000 has used a dispensation from the putting out of detonators etc, resulting in fewer people at risk on track and considerable time saving.

Further developments currently being trialled include an in cab ‘flexible train arrival point’ system and personal warning systems together with remote temporary speed restriction boards. The question and answer session included the comment from the ORR that the current CP6 submission should include ZKL 3000 system introduction.

Freight wagon maintenance James Collinson is the managing director of the Network Certification Body (NCB) and a chartered mechanical engineer.

His focus was on freight wagon maintenance and loading. He began by explaining the task operators faced following rail privatisation.

Over 3,000 vehicles both two axle, with bogies and specialist

RISQS is holding a series of events for buyers and suppliers in October and November to explain enhancements being made to the system.

To book places please go to www.risqs.org

“Network Rail continue to support the Rail Industry Supplier Qualification Scheme and RISQS shall continue to operate, albeit administered by a new supplier from May 2018. RISQS is a scheme by the rail industry, for the rail industry, and suppliers will not be required to subscribe to any scheme other than RISQS.” Ken Blackley, Network Rail Head of Commercial, Process & Governance for Route Services

A Smart T-COD Lex Van der Poel is chief executive officer of Dual Inventive and an adviser to the European Committee for Railway Standardisation.

His interest in the Internet of Things resulted in the development of the MTinfo 3000 cloud platform. ZKL 3000 is the FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF | @RAILSTAFFUK | RAILSTAFF.UK

32 types were privatised to the freight operating companies but without clear responsibilities for their maintenance. The problems were recognised by the ORR and after twenty years in CP5 by a legislation change identifying capability and responsibility.

Asymmetric loading data analysis from 183,000 wagon recordings revealed only 380 were outside the set limits. Further condition monitoring at specific places is being carried out using a vehicle identity recognition system.

Safety incident legal expectations Tim Hill, partner of Eversheds Sutherland is a solicitor advocate, specialising in criminal regulatory matters including fatalities, corporate manslaughter and health and safety.

He was involved in the Ladbroke Grove Inquiry and more recently on industrial relations issues of Driver Only Operation.

Delegates were reminded of the new guidelines that have been in place since 1 February last year in respect of corporate manslaughter and health and safety offences.

Sentencing guidelines take into account continuous improvement and ALARP initiatives but company turnover (especially ÂŁ50 million or more) now influences fine levels, although one third discounts are awarded for early guilty pleas.

Investigation techniques Simon French is the Chief

Slip Pavers

Stobart Rail has a major investment in specialised construction plant for laying, curing and texturing concrete slabs, they are called slip pavers, and follow-up machines. The pavers (Wirtgen SP954 and Power Paver 3000) can place and level concrete bays, four meters by nine meters wide and up to 500mm deep.

The design of the slip paver makes it possible to lay the concrete either with steel reinforcing or unreinforced and without the need of any shuttering, thus allowing the paver to lay up to 100m of concrete an hour.

The follow-up machine (TCM 95) is a self-propelled texture curing machine which follows on from the slip paver applying the surface texture. To complete the cycle, a broom lightly brushes the newly laid surface to which a curing agent is sprayed on.

The pictures above are before and after examples of the paver being used at a site in Tilbury.

For further information please email: graeme.wharton@stobartrail.com

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Inspector of the Rail Accident Investigation Branch. Railway risk and its management are central to their investigations. He spoke of his concern at the number of trackworker accidents in particular.

He said that their investigations look for gaps in safety defences and their purpose is to capture lessons learnt and recommend improvements.

Amongst current concerns he cited Cardiff where an investigation had uncovered rostering of 10 successive 12-hour shifts without a day off; and on South Devon Railway a toilet available for travellers with a large hole to the track in its floor - he showed the picture with the toilet roll still in place. Drilling down to ‘shop floor’ level is their aim, as is the uncovering of hidden relationships. He concluded by referring to their class investigation into workers on track whilst trains run, and said that he was looking forward to the end of red zone working.

Cost, learning and incidents Simon Grundy, innovation manager at Amey, has worked in the rail industry for just two years. Acknowledging the zero fatalities achievement of 2015/16, he reminded everyone of the 6,597 workforce injuries and 157 life-changing injuries that occurred at that time. He spoke with passion about the electrification project worker who was killed when a driver using a mobile phone

crossed the central reservation and collided with him head on.

He stressed the importance of self-accountability, correct behaviours and risk perception as well as the danger of complacency. Incidents he said were not inevitable. He described the use of task rehearsals, site familiarisation and operational briefings, before advocating the use of virtual reality equipment to simulate near misses, and drones to assist with inspections.

Stressful situations, a new way - Havening Mark Wingfield from Max Training spoke about the work he has done to help individuals suffering trauma following train assaults. He described the process of Havening which can be effective in reducing fears and stresses following incidents. It is a psycho-physical process which he explained uses delta waves in the brain.

In a first for the Rail Safety Summit, he demonstrated the technique to all present by encouraging the audience to stimulate delta waves by crossing arms and stroking heads and sides of chins before almost rubbing noses with the delegate sitting alongside. Participation levels were high.

Improving track safety without lineside signals This was a joint presentation from Pat McFadden of Network Rail and Tom Lee Director of

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Standards at the Rail Safety and Standards Board. They explained that the Digital Railway incorporates rail traffic management, automatic train operation, telecommunications, European Train Control Systems and connected driver advisory systems.

The overall aim is to reduce cost, reduce carbon emissions and increase capacity. Whilst the individual elements referred to are known, the collaboration between the two organisations aims to knot the elements together so as to achieve maximum benefit.

Diesel fumes, ballast dust and other risks The final speaker of the day was Matt Coldwell an occupational hygienist with the Health and Safety Laboratory who spoke of managing health for the future. He began by telling us that currently 1.3 million people are suffering from work-related illness. He said that this was being addressed by the ORR’s 2014/19 Occupational Health Programme.

His involvement covers mental health, lifestyle choices and health risks. He gave illustrated

rail site examples including diesel fumes, ballast handling and dust. He acknowledged RSSB’s initiatives which have led to exposure controls including the use of water suppression to reduce ballast dust.

He criticised inadequate training and risk assessments, the lack of occupational health expertise and

a general over-reliance on the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).

Thank you all I had the pleasure of thanking both our hosts at Eversheds Sutherland and the speakers who had ably answered delegates’ questions

throughout the day when I drew the proceedings to a close. I concluded by offering a huge thank you to Tom O’Connor and all the Rail Media Team for making the arrangements, including the excellent buffet-style lunch, and ensuring that the day ran smoothly.

0203 598 6383

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SPREADING THE

MESSAGE

YOU HAVE TO GO BACK MORE THAN 100 YEARS TO FIND EVIDENCE OF BRITAIN’S FIRST RAIL WORKER SAFETY CAMPAIGN

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booklet entitled ‘The “Safety” Movement’ was handed out to Great Western Railway employees in 1913 to try to encourage its workforce to adopt safer working practices.

It came too late for the 30,000 rail workers who were either killed or injured in that year alone.

This chapter from the rail safety history books was one of several case studies unearthed by RSSB for its Rail Safety Week communications activities. Another explained the first rudimentary method of railway signalling, which involved a policeman flagging off trains from the station platform every few minutes. This system was eventually refined, adding a second policeman at the next station to signal that the first train had departed and the line was clear – the earliest example of a fixed-block signalling system.

They highlight how much – and in some cases how little – things have changed over the centuries and decades.

Rail Safety Week returned for its second year between 25 September and 1 October, coinciding by chance with the USA’s annual Rail Safety Week campaign. The event, which this year was backed by more than 120 companies, is an opportunity for businesses to promote good safety practices within the industry as well as to passengers and the general public.

‘It’s promoting rail safety but it’s also celebrating what people do well,’ said Rail Safety Week organiser Alan Tarrant.

The week-long awareness event was launched at Liverpool Lime Street – a station which is about to undergo a significant remodelling programme.

The underlying message has emanated around the country, with school visits, stand-down days and site briefs held in Alan Tarrant (centre) support across the network.

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JUST A FEW EXAMPLES Alan, a director at Fission Recruitment Services, said the aim of the event was to try and get everybody involved to pass on at least one safety message to their family, friends and colleagues.

Numerous topics were covered throughout the week, including level crossing risk, trespassing and mental health. The safety message was aimed not just at those who work in the industry but to anyone who lives or works near the railway. ‘We want you involved,’ said Alan.

Recruiter Randstad published a report having surveyed more than 3,000 construction workers to highlight how widespread mental health issues are across the workforce. In the report, it indicated that 34 per cent of respondents had experienced a mental health condition in the last 12 months and that 73 per cent didn’t feel that their employers recognised the early signs of mental health problems.

PUBLIC AWARENESS Much of the activity around Rail Safety Week was aimed squarely at the public.

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and operator KeolisAmey Metrolink took a tram simulator to Manchester Piccadilly to give the public the chance to experience what it’s like to be a driver and better understand how their actions can sometimes make the driver’s job more difficult.

The dangers of trespassing on the railway were also restated. Last year, BTP caught 555 children trespassing on lines around the country. The ScotRail Alliance’s Rail Safety Week event focussed on this risk and the partnership held interactive workshops to demonstrate the consequences of misuse.

© VolkerRail

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HUMAN FACTORS AND BEHAVIOURS According to the ORR, there was one workforce fatality in 2016/17 – compared to zero in the previous year – and a slight increase in workforce injuries (6,713). Some of those were life changing for the victims.

Staff injuries were down on the London Underground. However, there was a rise in the number of workforce injuries on Britain’s other tram and metro networks. There were 308 workforce injuries in 2016-17 compared to 247 the year before and 68 in 2008-09.

Alan said it was important to get the message across to everyone – even the most experienced staff members. ‘It’s sometimes those type of people that are their own worst enemy… It’s highlighting it to them as well… It’s still an extremely dangerous place to work.’

One of RSSB’s other safety case studies looked at the rise of human factors and the way this area has affected how equipment is designed and how people are trained.

VolkerRail and Amey are working with the School of Social Sciences at Leeds Beckett University to analyse and attempt to influence the behaviours of their employees in the hope it will reduce accident risk. Announcing the partnership, Stuart Webster-Spriggs, HSQE director for VolkerRail, said it is allowing the company to ‘react to what really drives [the workforce] to make further improvements’.

PROGRESS Within a lot of organisations Rail Safety Week was an opportunity to further embed and reaffirm good safety practice. AECOM, for example, encouraged everyone in its rail offices to get on social media and spread the Rail Safety Week message.

The activities around Rail Safety Week clearly demonstrate progress. We have gone from an industry that sought to address the deaths of tens of thousands of colleagues by printing a booklet to an industry that, although not perfect, constantly strives to do the right thing.

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VR AMEY’S INNOVATION MANAGER, SIMON GRUNDY, EXPLAINS HOW THE COMPANY IS USING VIRTUAL REALITY TO MAKE ITS WORKFORCE SAFER

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n 2015-16, there were zero workforce fatalities for the first time since the ORR Rail Safety Statistics series began. There were, however, 6,597 workforce injuries on the mainline - 157 of those being major accidents.

It is also well documented that people who have been involved in a near miss or who have experienced an incident often have much better safety behaviours than people who behave unsafely because they’ve never been hurt before whilst working in an unsafe way.

Heinrich’s triangle, for example, suggests that for every 330 unsafe acts, 29 will result in minor injuries and one in a major or lost-time incident. But why does it take an incident for an individual to change how they act?

We’re born into this world with limited knowledge and rapidly develop an understanding of the environment we know and live through interaction and our experiences. In school, we’re taught that we have five senses: taste, touch, smell, sight and hearing. In reality, humans have many more senses than this. No, I’m not referring to the sixth sense some of us believe to possess; I’m referring to senses such as a sense of balance. These sensory inputs, processed by our brain, ensure that we gain a continuous flow of critical information from the environment. From this, we are then able to make cognitive decisions about how to react to situations whether something is safe or not, for example.

Everything that we know about our reality comes by way of our senses. The truth is we often don’t perceive risk to ourselves and therefore end up learning from our mistakes. In high risk working environments such as a live rail line, or working at height, there can be potentially fatal consequences if you act unsafely.

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Investing in technology For us, the safety of our employees is of paramount importance, injuries aren’t inevitable. So how can we eliminate risk to our people and improve safety behaviours.

The answer lies in technology and especially the learning we can take from the gaming and entertainment industry, which is why we’re investing in disruptive technology.

The increasing demands placed on the ageing network mean that inspections of railway assets, such as bridges, may need to be carried out more regularly. This can often mean our employees are required to work at height or in confined spaces which subsequently presents a safety risk.

Together with a world-leading technology firm, VTOL, we’re developing a unique flying wing drone, which will change the way assets are inspected and reduce the requirement for inspectors to have to work at height. Drone technology complements handson inspection techniques and also enables examinations of areas that have previously been inaccessible.

This was the case recently when Amey was involved in inspection works to the Britannia Bridge in Anglesey. By using drones, we were able to keep the bridge open, prevent disruption to travellers as well as removing risk to those carrying out inspections at height.

A safety game changer The safety of our people is not a game, but with the advancement in game graphics, screen technology and more affordable portable hardware, virtual reality offers our industry a way to remove risk whether something is thought to be too dangerous, expensive or impractical, by simulating an activity before it is conducted.

In simple terms, virtual reality fundamentally means ‘nearly reality’ and is the creation of a virtual environment presented to our senses in such a way that we experience it as if it was real.

It’s critical to note, that the more senses that we can present with false data, aligned to the other sensory experiences, the more immersive and real the situation becomes.

At Amey, along with most other organisations in the rail industry, we take a zero tolerance to the statement ‘Accidents can happen and there is nothing we can do about it’. Our campaign ‘Target Zero’ has been extremely successful and places accountability on everyone to raise close calls throughout the

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A SAFETY GAME CHANGER

business no matter how small.

Target zero is a way of life, encouraging people to take the attitude home with them.

Targeting zero accidents from dusk till dawn With around 10 per cent of our employees working night shifts, our approach to safety doesn’t just stop at the end of a shift.

The Government’s Road Safety Strategy, ‘Tomorrow’s Roads: Safer for Everyone’ identifies driver fatigue as one of the main areas of driver behaviour that needs to be addressed, with shift workers six times more likely to be in a fatigue-related crash, whether that be at work

(operating machinery or vehicles) or commuting.

By trialling wearable technology and using virtual reality, we have taken steps to address this and remove fatigue-related incidents by ensuring our employees are safe from when they get up in the morning to when they return home at night.

Through our membership with the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), we’ve worked with Holovis - a company that primarily creates immersive and mixed reality solutions for theme park attractions - and, together with one of our rail suppliers, Keltbray, we’ve created a driver simulator.

The simulator uses virtual reality technology to emphasise the consequences of driver fatigue and helps users understand the catastrophic incidents that can result from making the decision to get behind a wheel when fatigued.

The use of basic applied intelligence and tracking enables the computer to generate varied scenarios based on the user’s interaction, making

the situation unpredictable and more realistic. The device continually analyses the user interaction and generates different hazardous events for the user to experience. This provides a behavioural shock, with the aim of stimulating safe behaviours in the real work environment.

Due to the versatility of virtual reality technology, we can also use it for a variety of different types of beneficial activity. Although the focus is currently on safety, we can also use the equipment for task rehearsal activities, enabling users to gain experience in a safe environment away from unnecessary exposure to risk. It also allows us to create more immersive operational briefings, which were previously carried out verbally with site diagrams and drawings, allowing us to identify and review site hazards in advance.

In essence, virtual reality technology is helping us deliver training in a stimulating way that ensures our people learn in a safe and controlled environment.

In an environment where our employees are exposed to high risks every day, maintaining the rail network to help keep the UK moving, virtual reality technology can help us to minimise unnecessary risk to our teams, clients and the people around us, targeting zero accidents. Imagine experiencing the everyday dangers our employees face such as working next to a high-speed live rail line from the comfort of your office chair.

It’s impossible to say when exactly virtual reality in our industry will become the norm but, with the associated safety benefits that it brings, it’s only a matter of time before it does.

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EVENTS

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2017

EVENTS OCTOBER

ICE BIM 2017

NOVEMBER

conference conference exhibition

RAIL NETWORK RESILIENCE

conference conference exhibition

tech exhibition

13th October press conference tech press conference London, UK network www.ice-conferences.com network awaards awaards dinner /ice-bim-2017/ dinner

tech exhibition tech press conference press conference

2nd November London (ARUP)

TRANSPORT LED conference conference DEVELOPMENT exhibition tech exhibition

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

DECEMBER 10TH ANNUAL SCOTTISH RAIL CONFERENCE conference exhibition

tech 5th December press conference Edinburgh, Scotland 14th November press conference tech press conference network www.mackayhannah.com/ DLA Piper, London www.waterfrontconferencecompany.com network network awaards network awaards awaards dinner conference www. network free awaards dinner dinner free awaards dinner conference SOFTWARE waterfrontconferencecompany.

HIGH INTEGRITY SMART METRO (CBTC free conference dinner free free exhibition conference conference com/conferences CONFERENCE (HIS) 2017 WORLD CONFERENCE) exhibition ROLLING STOCK free tech exhibition tech exhibition free conference tech tech MAINTENANCE 17th Octoberpress conference 6th - 8th November press conference exhibition press conference press conference tech Bristol Novotel Paris Est INTERNATIONAL RAILWAY 6th - 7th December conference press conference network conference exhibition network www.his-2017.co.uk www.smartmetro.eu SUMMIT London network network awaards tech exhibition awaards awaards awaards tech dinner www.rolling-stock-maintenance.

15th - 17thpress November network conference dinner dinner dinner press conference conference awaards com Kuala Lumpar, Malaysia RFEM - ANNUAL MECHE INTRODUCTION exhibition free dinner free free network tech conference free CONFERENCE TO ROLLING STOCK www.irits.org network awaards exhibition press conference free awaards tech dinner 19th October 7th November DEVELOPING A TRANSPORT dinner press conference conference network STRATEGY FOR THE Pride Park Stadium, Derby IMechE London IMECHE – TRAIN CONTROL exhibition free free awaards tech MIDLANDS conference www.midlandsrail.co.uk/events/ www.imeche.org/trainingAND SAFETY SYSTEMS network exhibition dinner press conference awaards tech rfem-annual-conference-2017/ qualifications 15th November 14th December dinner press conference free network IMechE London Birmingham free conference www.imeche.org/training-awaardsdinner www.westminsterforumprojects.

RIA ANNUAL CONFERENCE IMECHE TRACTION network exhibition conference awaards tech conference exhibition conference qualifications co.uk/conference-diary (AGM) AND BRAKING exhibition dinner press conference tech exhibition free tech 20th October 8th November tech press conference press conference free press conference network Oulton Hall, Leeds IMechE London RAIL AND METRO CHINA RFEM – CHRISTMAS LUNCH conference awaards network conference www.riagb.org.uk www.imeche.org/trainingEXPO exhibition network dinner network tech exhibition awaards awaards tech qualifications 21st - 23rd November 15th December dinner awaards press conference dinner press conference free Shanghai, China Cathedral free Quarter Hotel RBF ANNUAL DINNER dinner free network free en.railmetrochina.com www.midlandsrail.co.uk/events/ 20th October network awaards awaards dinner rfem-christmas-luncheon-2017/ IMECHE VEHICLE DYNAMICS Glasgow dinner AND VEHICLE conference – TRACK www.railwaybenefitfund.org.uk/ ROLLING STOCK free conference free conference conference INTERACTION exhibition index.html PROCUREMENT FORUM exhibition tech exhibition tech exhibition tech 9th November press conference tech 21st November press conference press conference press conference Addleshaw Goddard, London DELIVERING AND INVESTING IMechE London network network FUTURE INFRASTRUCTURE www.imeche.org awaards www.waterfrontconferencecompany. network network awaards conference conference awaards awaardsEVENTS KEY conference dinner dinner exhibition PROJECTS conference /training-qualifications com/conferences exhibition dinner dinner exhibition conference tech conference exhibition tech conference conference 31st October CONFERENCE conference free freeexhibition press conference tech conference techexhibition press conference exhibition free free exhibition exhibition conference EXHIBITION London, UK press conference WORLD RAIL FESTIVAL RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE exhibition tech tech techtech press conference tech network exhibition tech TECHNICAL VISIT www.email.insidegovernment.

NETWORKING 13th-15th November network press conference press conference press conference awaards conference press conference tech press conference networkawaards / TRAINING / WORKSHOP press conference exhibition co.uk Amsterdam 23rd November dinner dinner tech press conference awaards network PRESS CONFERENCE www.terrapinn.com/conference/ Roundhouse, Derby network free dinnerpress conference network network network free network awaards NETWORK awaards network rail-festival/index.stm www.rinevents.co.uk/ HALLOWEEN NETWORKING awaards awaards awaards awaards dinner network dinner network free awaards AWARDS EVENT – RFEM dinner awaards dinner dinner dinner awaards DINNER dinner 31st October dinner dinner free FREEfree TOfreeATTEND Pentahotel, Derby free

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free free

free free free

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GREAT TURNOUT FOR

RVE SHOW

MORE VISITORS THAN EVER ATTENDED DERBY'S RVE (RAIL VEHICLES AND ENHANCEMENTS) EXHIBITION

A

n annual one-day exhibition for the rolling stock supply industry, RVE has been steadily growing in size over the last few years.

For 2017, RVE moved to Derby Arena, the purposebuilt velodrome that was opened in 2015.

The track’s infield easily gave room for the 88 exhibitor stands, with space for more as the event expands further in future years.

Opened by Derby’s mayor, Councillor John Whitby, over 1,100 visitors attended this year, up from under 700 in 2016. They were drawn to the event by the opportunity to see suppliers who don’t normally appear at the more ‘general’ railway exhibitions.

The range of products and services on show was staggering. Everything from lighting to lubricants, connectors to couplers, and testing services to communications systems were there to be looked at, picked up and enquired about.

All of the stands had experts on hand to answer those questions, and many of the visitors took all day to go around all of the exhibits. Malcolm Dobell, former head of rolling stock for London Underground and now a writer for sister magazine Rail Engineer, was one of them.

‘There are so many interesting things here,’ he said. Highlights for him? A demonstration of self-locking nuts showing how some types come loose when others don’t, and a hand-held bolt tightening system that can ‘apply 500Nm of torque without taking your arm off!’

In addition, to the serried rows of stands, there were other activities to keep visitors occupied. At one end of the hall, an amphitheatre-style conference area, hosted by industry observer Ian Walmsley, featured speakers on such diverse subjects as communications networks, electromagnetic compatibility risk management, train refurbishment, well-managed supply chains and innovation.

The Department for International Trade staged a meet-the-buyer event that was extremely popular. Fully booked weeks in advance, UK suppliers could sit down with buyers from Alstom, Eurostar, Hitachi, MTR Tech (Sweden), SBB (Swiss national railways), Siemens, ÖBB (Austrian state railways) and CAF (Spain). One-hundredand-fourteen companies successfully registered to meet these buyers, and so many more applied that ‘we had to beat them off with a stick’, as show organiser Kevin Lane eloquently put it.

All in all it was a great show. Plans are already afoot for next year, and there is space for another 20 stands or so, so it should be another good one. Watch out for it.

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COMPANY FOCUS

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2017

SETTING THE DIGITAL AGENDA HOW THALES IS COMBINING INTELLIGENT SIGNALLING, DATA ANALYTICS AND FRESH THINKING TO MAKE THE RAILWAY SMARTER

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RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2017

‘

The digital agenda’s with us, but we need to just go quicker in my view,’ said Shaun Jones, vice president of Thales UK’s Transport business.

As a forerunner in technological advances in the transportation sector, Thales is used to operators seeking solutions to their operational challenges.

In the 1980s, Thales developed communications-based train control (CBTC) – a system which is now used by metro networks around the world – and its ETCS signalling solutions have been controlling train traffic in Europe for decades.

Thales is continuing to lead in the next generation of signalling and traffic management technology for the railway and, with capacity demand ever higher, the outlook is positive.

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© Shutterstock

‘The broad message is the business outlook for us is good because of the capacity challenge, and the fact that we’ve got solutions that can help to overcome it,’ said Shaun, who joined the company’s aerospace division in 2005 before coming down to earth to help lead the transport business last year.

Shaun started out as an MoD apprentice and spent the first 20 years of his career in the aerospace industry. He had been the vice president of Airbus prior to joining Thales – at a time when the company was looking to enhance the performance of its aerospace business.

In his current role, one of his main priorities is to look at how the company can progress the digital agenda already underway and help its customers make the transition.

DELIVERING CAPACITY A flagship project for the company in the UK is the Four Lines Modernisation (4LM) project, which in essence involves resignalling London Underground’s sub-surface network: Circle, District, Metropolitan and Hammersmith & City lines.

Thales is replacing the existing fixed block signalling system with a moving block CBTC system, increasing capacity significantly across the entire 400km network (Circle 65 per cent, District 24 per cent, Hammersmith & City 65 per cent and Metropolitan 27 per cent).

4LM represents a continuation of a long-running relationship between Thales and Transport for London (TfL), which began back in the 1990s with the Jubilee line upgrade, developed further with the Northern line modernisation and 4LM; the company will be keen for it to continue with the Deep Tube programme in the coming years.

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COMPANY FOCUS

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2017

‘The biggest thing that we are proud about with the Northern line is it kind of went live with no one really noticing,’ said Shaun, who was keen to stress that lessons have been taken from each project coming into 4LM. Significant progress has been made on 4LM since Thales took over the delivery in 2015.

The company has reached a key milestone in demonstrating that the technology works, using radio communications instead of the existing inductive loop system, and train testing is now underway. ‘It’s a big, complex, challenging programme but again we’ve learnt lessons,’ said Shaun. ‘We’re off. There’ll be challenges en route but we’ve got a team with the expertise to work with them.’

Lessons have also been learnt from the collaborative approach applied during the London 2012 Olympic Games. Shaun described how the ‘Olympic mindset’ saw businesses showing a high level of commitment to project delivery above and beyond their contractual obligations.

IMPROVING WITH PREDICTIVE ANALYTICS As well as delivering the next generation of signalling technology for London Underground, Thales is part of a consortium delivering an expansion of the Manchester Metrolink network and its engineers are also developing ETCS and traffic management solutions for the UK’s mainline rail network.

Thales is currently introducing traffic management at the Romford and Cardiff Rail Operating Centres (ROCs). A decision support system will go live around the turn of the year, advancing the industry’s ambition to create a truly intelligent rail network for Great Britain.

But for Shaun, some of the most interesting technological innovations are being pursued in other areas of the business.

‘We monitor about 48,000 assets for Network Rail, so we’re monitoring the

condition and advising the operators,’ said Shaun, explaining the work Thales does around asset monitoring and maintenance.

Thales is working with customers around the world to advance a new data analytics tool.

‘We’re really looking at how we use predictive analytics so that we’re not just monitoring; we’re actually providing information that predicts failure points, so the operators can intervene before that.’

The technology is being trialled in other parts of the world but the company is hoping to bring it to the UK at some stage.

‘This is real, it’s not a powerpoint idea, it’s something we’ve proven over time,’ said Shaun.

HIGH-PERFORMANCE INDIVIDUALS Shaun said the aim of the company over the next few years is to take its work around the digital agenda to ‘another level’ - apprentices and graduates are key to achieving this, he believes.

Says Shaun, ‘At the heart of what I’m doing is trying to create a high-performance business that’s predictable and to create a high-performance business you need high-performance teams and individuals.’

He added, ‘I have to say, every time I meet our apprentices and graduates they just inspire me with their confidence, the freshness of their thinking, their ideas. In terms of serving our customers and meeting these capacity challenges that the industry faces, we’ve got to unlock their potential a lot better, not just in Thales but across the industry.’

Thales, which employs around 6,500 people in the UK, is working on ways to overcome the same demographic challenges that other large technology companies are having to confront.

Retaining under 35s within the business and having processes in place to ensure proper knowledge transfer is equally as important as attracting new talent. The company is also looking to tap into new initiatives. It recently employed eight young people through a programme run by the Prince’s Trust.

Thales’ message to new candidates is ‘Great Journeys Start Here’. Shaun explained the importance of that line, ‘Great Journeys Start Here is relevant whether you’re coming up to retirement, whether you’re an apprentice or whether you’re a graduate... Ten per cent of our workforce are now graduates and apprentices, so we’re investing in the future skills of the railway, how we digitise the railway, how we change our skills.’

He went on, ‘How we get people to really believe in what they’re doing is so important to me because then they’ll do the best for themselves, their teams, ultimately the business and that serves the customer better.’

© Shutterstock

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GEAR+TECH

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OFFICIAL AUTHORISED DISTRIBUTOR

PEAK PERFORMANCE

T

he name may provide a clue but the focus for Himalayan Safety Footwear has always been to design a boot that can cope in any situation. There’s no sterner test than a dark winter’s night out on track.

The manufacturer has teamed up with Bodyguard Workwear to create a product designed specifically to handle the challenges of a railway environment.

Bodyguard Workwear, which has been a Himalayan Safety Footwear distributor for 15 years, is helping the manufacturer bring its new ReflectO range to the market and was instrumental in its design and development.

Says Guy Lomas, Himalayan's sales director, ’Due to an already existing excellent working relationship being in place, it seemed logical to approach Bodyguard Workwear, who have a superb record of producing bespoke garments and items to suit the needs of this specialist sector.’

The range has been designed with the user in mind.

Features include full-grain leather uppers, reflective laces/ trim detail, and a bright orange PU/PU sole. The boots also have a TPU stitched in scuff cap which protects the leather from becoming damaged and keeps the integrity of the product intact.

Particular focus has also been put on the high-quality PU moulded shock-absorbing outer soles which will provide additional protection when walking on uneven surfaces, track ballast being one example.

The boots are fully waterproof and have been designed to meet the S3 specification - the highest level of safety footwear protection defined by European safety standards.

The S3 specification requires that the boots demonstrate a toecap protection of 200 joules.

Says Kamal Basra, managing director of Bodyguard Workwear, ‘Our customers are constantly looking for a new innovative product and, going into the winter, are looking for something with additional ankle support and weather protection. These are criteria which we specified from Himalayan as we worked together to design the new range.’

To find out more about the ReflectO range contact Bodyguard Workwear at sales@bodyguardworkwear.co.uk

FEATURES AVAILABLE IN SIZES 6-13 WATERPROOF MEMBRANE AND STITCHED IN SCUFF CAP BRIGHT ORANGE LACING AND OUTSOLE SRC HIGHEST ANTI-SLIP RATING ISO EN20345 S3 STEEL TOE CAP AND MIDSOLE HIGHLY VISIBLE WIDE FITTING PRODUCT EVA HIGH-COMFORT INSOLE

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44

FEATURE

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2017

LET'S GET DIGITAL

A

£5 million cash injection to pursue digitised train control on the Transpennine route has been welcomed but a much more extensive infrastructure upgrade programme is needed to enhance services and build up capacity on the route. This was the assessment of Peter Loosley, policy director at the Railway Industry Association (RIA).

Last month, Transport Secretary Chris Grayling announced plans to install a traffic management system (TMS) on the Transpennine route, creating what would be the UK’s first digitally controlled intercity rail corridor.

Network Rail will receive up to £5 million to look at the feasibility of implementing traffic management between Manchester and Leeds. The money will come out of a £450 million digital railway fund announced in the autumn.

‘We are about to see a digital revolution in our railways, and we want the North to lead the way,’ said Grayling.

THE HARDWARE The principal aim of Network Rail’s Digital Railway programme is to introduce new digital systems on the network to generate much-needed extra capacity. New signalling systems – like ETCS – and TMS are the key bits of hardware.

Network Rail has already identified several routes as candidates for ETCS. However, the DfT has said the £5 million fund only concerns the overlay of traffic management.

The installation of digital signalling has already started. Network Rail is about to begin implementing a new system on the Norwich, Great Yarmouth/Lowestoft route. The new system – which will see much of the lineside signalling equipment removed and the existing mechanical interlocking replaced by a digital equivalent – has been designed to be converted to ERTMS in the future.

Says Peter, ‘We support the digitalisation of the rail system as a means of improving capacity through increasing the frequency of trains. By using digital technologies like in-cab signalling and traffic management systems, we can provide a higher number of more reliable train services. This is integral to

© Shutterstock

the sector’s strategy of utilising our existing rail infrastructure as best we can and this development funding is very welcome.

‘However, demand for rail services continues to rise on the Transpennine corridor, and we cannot just rely on the current infrastructure we have in place, even with a digital upgrade. We also need to add new capabilities, such as Northern Powerhouse Rail - integrated with HS2 – to connect different regions across the UK. ‘These two options should not be seen as mutually exclusive. Instead, the Government and Transport for the North should see them as two crucial elements in developing a modern, reliable rail system.’

ELECTRIFICATION Prior to the announcement, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) reiterated its desire to also see the Transpennine route fully electrified. Despite several electrification schemes being deferred over the summer, there hasn’t been any official announcement about the Transpennine route - although the transport secretary has suggested that it is unlikely the line will be fully electrified as originally planned and that further use of bimode trains should be expected.

The government has said it remains committed to improving rail services in the North and, ahead of the Conservative Party conference, Chancellor Philip Hammond said a further £300 million would be provided to meet that aim.

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TMS EXPLAINED Train operations are planned around a working timetable, but every day the timetable plan is disrupted for a variety of reasons. Operators then have to make decisions to re-plan train movements such that disruption is minimised. This can be difficult and not always optimised.

A traffic management system (TMS) brings data processing intelligence to this exercise by continually capturing train running information across a wide area and then using expert decision-making tools to optimise the resulting train plan.

TMS is able to compare actual train running with the intended timetable by knowing each train’s position in the area, their current and predicted speeds, the time that trains will arrive at stations or junctions and then plan the optimum routing through platforms, junctions and any other pinch point such that delay to individual trains is minimised.

A simple example would be to hold a late stopping train at a station longer than necessary to allow a faster train to overtake it and thus not cause that train further delay. The more difficult

assessments are the routing of trains across flat junctions where conflicting paths can create more ongoing delay if the right decisions are not made.

TMS inputs come from timetable data, train describer steps, train performance

characteristics and increasingly from satellite tracking. The results from TMS can either be offered to the signallers as screen-based advice for them to do the route setting or more likely, to interact with any existing automatic route setting (ARS) system so as

to re-program its route setting algorithms. The ultimate benefit will be achieved by linking TMS with C-DAS (Connected Driver Advisory System) such that optimised speed information can be given to individual train drivers.

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COMPANY FOCUS

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2017

Colin Johnson and the team at DGauge

GAUGING

EXPECTATIONS COLIN JOHNSON, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF DGAUGE, DISCUSSES HIS VISION AND ASPIRATIONS FOR THE COMPANY AND THE CHALLENGES THAT LIE AHEAD

B

ritain’s rolling stock fleet has entered an era of rapid modernisation.

Entire fleets are being replaced and older vehicles will be refurbished, re-engineered and cascaded to other parts of the network.

The investment has been welcomed by the industry and passengers, but for the engineers tasked with making these new trains fit the network, the challenges are numerous.

To be able to maximise the space between vehicles and electrification infrastructure, and minimise the stepping distances for passengers, the engineers involved need to be able to access accurate gauging data.

‘As we embed ourselves in the digital age, then so we collect more data, require quicker answers and demand greater accuracy,’ says Colin Johnson, managing director of DGauge, one of the industry’s leading gauging specialists. ‘Our challenge is to create tools and services to meet these requirements.’

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ELECTRIFICATION DGauge develops digital gauging technology and software. In simple terms, systems that can be used to work out what trains can run where, or what needs to be done to the train or infrastructure to accommodate them.

Established in 2008, the company’s formative years were primarily spent undertaking and supporting research into pantograph gauging. The company is currently supporting the Great Western Electrification Programme and is engaging novel gauging techniques as part of the RSSB’s innovation programme ‘Avoidance of Bridge Reconstruction’.

Says Colin, ’Electrification programmes are required to squeeze more space out of tight infrastructure and accurate gauging tools and techniques can be used to understand the space.’

The company continues to invest in and support industry research to this day and is currently working with RSSB to improve understanding of freight wagons, which will lead to improved gauging assessments across the network. ‘As the complexity of freight wagons increases, we can apply some of the more complex tools that we previously reserved for passenger vehicles to unlock space on the network,’ said Colin.

SOFTWARE TO CONSULTANCY DGauge is currently applying its expertise to the introduction of Hitachi’s Class 385s in Scotland on the newly electrified Edinburgh to Glasgow route, the development of Stadler’s Class 745/755 FLIRT units for Greater Anglia and the South Wales Metro proposals for Transport for Wales - to name but a few.

‘Whilst innovative software is at the heart of DGauge, what we saw was the real need to provide a consultancy service to support our customers in all aspects of gauging,’ said Colin, explaining how the volume and detail of information generated by gauging assessment can be difficult for those without specialist tools and knowledge to interpret.

‘If the output isn’t understood, or the wrong question is asked, an overly conservative approach could be taken to a vehicle’s design, or an inaccurate picture of infrastructure modification costs will be generated.’

ROUTESPACE One of the latest solutions DGauge has developed, RouteSpace, is a cloud-based gauging portal that gives customers live access to the latest clearance and stepping information for any chosen route, asset, vehicle or franchise. It quickly and accurately highlights areas of risk or gauging concerns

47

and is constantly updated to the latest infrastructure surveys and vehicle information.

‘We are currently supporting the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) by providing their members with nationwide stepping assessments for individual operators and their associated fleets. This allows them to understand their Passenger Train Interface (PTI) risks without the need to physically measure the infrastructure.’

RouteSpace is the first in a series of innovations that DGauge is rolling out to the industry. ‘The focus is to make gauging accessible, aligned to the latest data, and accurately, rapidly and reliably calculated,’ said Colin.

DERBY MOVE To support its variety of customers and challenges, DGauge has assembled a hugely experienced and passionate engineering team.

The company recently moved its offices to Pride Park in Derby to be closer to its customer base and a wider pool of rail engineering talent.

The company has already forged a partnership with Derby College and currently employs two engineering apprentices.

DGauge strives to be the UK leader in gauging, said Colin, and David Johnson - previously the technical driving force behind the business - is responsible for nurturing new talent within the team. The company’s other experts are now being brought to the fore, demonstrating the wealth of experience that resides within the business.

‘The opportunity to expand is here,’ Colin believes. The company is looking to double its staff numbers over the next three to five years and add to its talented team of software developers and engineers.

‘Unprecedented amounts of new fleets are on their way and, as a result, many older fleets are being cascaded around the country.

Combined with the disruption of infrastructure programme changes and franchising, the challenge will be meeting customer demand.’ © Shutterstock FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF | @RAILSTAFFUK | RAILSTAFF.UK

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FEATURE

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2017

ON BOARD A GREATER ANGLIA AVENTRA STEWART THORPE VISITED BOMBARDIER IN DERBY TO PREVIEW GREATER ANGLIA’S NEW AVENTRAS

G

reater Anglia’s new Aventra is a train built with capacity in mind. Bombardier is manufacturing four variations of the electric multiple unit (EMU) platform for four different customers but, according to project director Alan Fravolini, the Class 720 is one of the most densely populated vehicles they have designed.

The 665 carriages - 89 five-carriage and 22 10-carriage trains - are designed to carry as many people as possible, which was at the core of parent company Abellio’s bid to retain the East Anglia franchise from 2016 to 2025, and is in anticipation of the franchise’s future passenger demands. The Aventra trains will individually carry between 22 and 45 per cent more than the current fleet.

Leased by Angel Trains - which partnered with Bank of Australia to finance the order - the £900 million Bombardier Aventras are not the only new train class joining Greater Anglia’s (GA) fleet. The operator has ordered 383 bi-mode carriages from Stadler to run on its intercity, Stansted Express and regional services, completing the replacement of its entire fleet in the New East Anglia Trains (NEAT) programme. The Aventras - which are replacing the Class 317, 321, 360 and 379s - and the Stadler Flirts will be in service by 2020.

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BOOSTING CAPACITY In September, Bombardier gave media representatives the first chance to inspect and interrogate a life-size, plywood mock-up of a Class 720 interior.

The walkthrough Aventra carriages will have 3+2 and 2+2 seating configurations, as well as fold down chairs and areas for wheelchair users. A five-car Class 720/5 will have a total capacity of 540, compared to 1,146 in the 10-car Class 720/1 - the latter will shuttle large groups of commuters during peak hours.

GA will be able to increase capacity while reducing the number of cars per train. The Aventra carriages are slightly longer than the current fleet 24m instead of 20m - making the 10-car variant comparable in size to a 12-car Class 321.

Innovative passenger information systems will display graphical data which will show where space is available within a train in addition to whether toilets are available, route progression and related updates.

Using a cantilever seat design, Bombardier has created more space for baggage and installed underfloor heating to remove the need for intrusive wall-hugging heaters. One radical move, for which GA is still considering alternative options, is the removal of first class seating, but modern train design – and the need to add capacity – is about compromise, explains Greater Anglia’s vice managing director, Mike Kean.

‘The real heart of our franchise was providing enough

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2017

capacity for the full nine years that we operate it, and also maximising the efficiency of that operation. And we do that really through the Bombardier fleet,’ said Mike, who is also the train operating company’s franchise and programmes director. ‘The Bombardier train really forms the backbone of the franchise, it provides the main commuting stock and it carries the most amount of people in our franchise.’

ALTERNATIVE AVENTRAS But the Aventra trains are not all about capacity. The carriages will be air conditioned, they will have dual USB ports and plug sockets between seats, and passengers will be able to enjoy improved, free Wi-Fi connectivity thanks to GA’s work with BT to improve the trackside and on-train infrastructure.

They will also feature at least one standard and one disabled toilet on each train and four cycle spaces. The trains’ new Flexx Eco bogies provide a 30 per cent reduction in bogie mass and, as a result, consume less energy.

Bombardier’s first Aventra, for flagship customer TfL Rail, entered passenger operation in June this year and will become part of the Elizabeth line fleet. It forms part of a 630-carriage contract for the route.

The rolling stock manufacturer is also making 180 Aventra vehicles for London Overground and 750 for South Western Railway, in addition to the order with GA.

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It also has an order with Great Western Railway for Electrostar trains, all of which will come out of its Derby site. That’s 2,225 vehicles in total from the Aventra family, a brand that Bombardier anticipates will become a mainstay of the UK’s regional fleet for the next 20 years.

CUTTING METAL GA’s new fleet is reaching the beginning of the end of its design stage, with Bombardier soon to start cutting metal.

In November 2017, Bombardier will reach the ‘design freeze’ stage and from February 2019 the five-car trains will begin to enter service. From December 2019, the 10-car units will enter service with GA Aventras running between Liverpool Street and Cambridge, Hertford East, Southend Victoria, Southminster, Braintree, Colchester, Clacton, Walton and Ipswich. Bombardier will then provide ongoing maintenance support to the fleet from Ilford and a new depot near to Manningtree.

Kean says that Bombardier succeeded in the bid process because of its strength throughout and flexibility on vehicle length.

Talking about the train’s benefits, he continues, ‘[Bombardier] are still designing it, so you cannot get any more modern than that,’ describing the new train’s layout as modern and sleek.

‘I think Anglia has an average fleet age of around 20 years and when these trains are introduced it will absolutely be at the top of the leaderboard for UK franchises.’

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FEATURE

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2017

PUBLIC SUPPORT F

RAIL FREIGHT T WRITTEN BY PHILIPPA EDMUNDS, FREIGHT ON RAIL MANAGER, CAMPAIGN FOR BETTER TRANSPORT

he government’s latest announcements about its forthcoming rail plans are deeply disappointing, especially given the socio-economic benefits of rail freight.

Our latest YouGov opinion polling, shows that almost two thirds of the public support rail over HGVs with only 2 per cent wanting to see more freight on the roads. It also reveals that 63 per cent of people also support increasing government funding to allow more freight trains on the rail network, with only 3 per cent opposing such measures.

Furthermore, customer demand for more consumer and construction rail freight services is currently constrained by the lack of space on the rail network. In fact every rail freight slot (path) which comes free at Felixstowe can be filled straight away with repressed demand for another 15 trains a day out of Felixstowe on top of the 33 trains already serving the port each day.

And yet, there is little ambition in the latest High Level Output Specification (HLOS), issued in July, for the next five-year period (Control Period 6), which is concentrating on maintenance, renewals and resilience. A far cry from the previous one in 2012 which continued funding for key upgrades on the Strategic Rail Freight Network and had a shopping list of projects, now replaced by a pipeline approach. The uncertainty over further electrification schemes is short-sighted and depressing as electrification increases rail speeds and capacity as well as reducing CO2 and air pollution.

Conversely, the Government is embracing the five year funding plan for roads and spending £15 billion on the Strategic Road Network during this period with Highways England expanding its network with over 1,300 additional lane miles between 2015 and 2020. While the same document states that HGVs contribute 38 per cent of NO2 emissions from road transport, (even though they only make up 5 per cent of miles driven) close to its motorway network which the Government is expanding. The argument that building more roads, stimulates new traffic has been vindicated yet again by an Atkins report for Highways England which shows that the M25 so-called smart motorway widening has resulted in journey times worsened and traffic increasing by 13 per cent within the first year.

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GROWTH

Rail freight has seen consistent year-on-year growth in key consumer and construction markets. Construction traffic moved by rail freight grew by 7 per cent in the year to April 2017 to a record high of 4.25 billion net tonne-km, according to ORR figures. The largest commodity group is now domestic intermodal which grew by 6 per cent last year, reaching 6.8 billion net tonnekm. Rail freight has been improving its performance; 87 per cent of trains arrive within 15 minutes of due time. Malcolms Logistics which operates supermarket traffic between Daventry and Scotland advertise 98 per cent departure within 15 minutes. PD Ports has achieved 92 per cent departure within 15 minutes on its service between Teesport and Scotland’s Central belt which is crucial for retail customers.

In the same way that passengers need stations to access the rail network, freight needs terminals/interchanges of different sizes and for different commodities both at origins and destinations of freight flows. Therefore, we need a planning system which can protect and deliver new rail/road transfer hubs as well as protecting existing sites from alternative more profitable developments such as housing.

Strategic Rail Freight Interchanges (SRFIs), which show the way the private sector is investing in and supporting rail freight, are important drivers for modal shift as they reduce the transhipment costs, offer value added services such as rail served warehousing and enable rail to compete with HGVs. New figures from the Daventry SRFI, show that the existing rail freight services remove 64 million lorry journeys mainly from the strategic road network each year. Other SRFIs such as I-Doncaster and Howbury Park are coming on stream with the West

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2017

FEATURE

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FOR Midlands Interchange at Four Ashes near Wolverhampton and enhanced rail freight facilities as part of Tilbury2, in the planning process. More small and mediumsized terminals are also needed, especially in urban areas to bring in aggregates; 40 per cent of London’s building materials are delivered by rail; each train can carry enough materials to build 30 houses. So we need all levels of Government, including devolved and local authorities, to safeguard key potential sites by the railway.

ACCIDENTS AND EMISSIONS Rail freight should have a pivotal role in reducing air and carbon dioxide emissions, congestion and fatalities. There was a 4.1 per cent Increase in road fatalities in 2015; in the same year, HGVs were almost six times more likely than cars to be involved in fatal crashes than cars on local roads.

Rail freight produces 90 per cent less PM10 particulates and up to 15 times less nitrogen dioxide emissions than HGVs for the equivalent journey, while HGVs are responsible for 21 per cent of NOx emissions while accounting for five per cent of miles driven.

Research carried out for the Campaign for Better Transport, which used existing Government criteria, found that HGVs pay less than a third of the costs associated with their activities in terms of road congestion, road collisions, road damage and pollution. These conclusions are in line with two other separate reports by MDS Transmodal study in 2007 and

Transport & Environment research issued in April 2016. Given the need to reduce road congestion and air pollution, we believe that the Government, must now take this market distortion into account in its current review of freight access charges, as any increases in rail freight charges will result in trainloads of freight transferring back to road and prevent future rail freight expansion. Of the people questioned for our poll, only around 1 in 10 (12 per cent) were in favour of increasing rail freight charges.

So, please tell your MP (www. writetothem.com) that even though rail freight does not get a vote it is very popular with the public and ask them to urge the Government to continue upgrading the Strategic Rail Freight Network in its forthcoming Statement of Funds Available (SOFA), due in October and the Budget in November, in line with its Rail Freight Strategy of September 2016. This policy states in paragraph 135 – At the same time, we recognise the positive benefits of rail freight for the UK – including its environmental and air quality benefits relative to road freight and its impact on reducing road congestion. These benefits are not currently recognised in the track access charging regime.

Furthermore, please note that the scale of subsidy to HGVs makes a compelling case for the Government supporting rail freight equivalently in its forthcoming review of freight track access charges, as rail freight reduces congestion, road damage, road fatalities and pollution.

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INTERNATIONAL RAIL

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2017

First showing for Pendolino Italo

© Lola Hakimian

Alstom and Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori (NTV) have unveiled the first of 12 new Pendolinos for the high-speed, open access operator Italo.

The ‘Italo EVO’ was presented on 3 October in the presence of the Italian minister of infrastructure and transport Graziano Delrio, NTV president Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, NTV managing director Flavio Cattaneo and Alstom Italia managing director Michele Viale.

Following deregulation, NTV launched its services in Italy in 2011. NTV president Luca Cordero di Montezemolo said it was a moment of great pride for the company as only five years ago Italo was seen as a ‘crazy idea’.

He added, ‘I remember well in December 2006 when, together with some friends, we decided to embark on this journey, looking back at what has been done, but with enthusiasm I look at the future of great development that we are facing.

‘The company is ready to face new challenges and will take on all the opportunities that will be present in Italy and abroad.’

The first four trains will enter service in December 2017, allowing NTV to increase frequencies on the existing sections of its network by 50 per cent.

Between Rome and Milan, the number of daily services will go from 40 to 50 and non-stop services from 15 to 20 - a train every half hour. Daily services to and from Venice will double, rising from the current eight to 16.

With the arrival of the other eight trains in 2018, new routes will be added, like Turin Venice.

The Pendolino Italos can travel at speeds of up 250km/h, are 187m-long, consist of seven coaches and can accommodate 480 passengers.

The ruby red trains are made from recyclable materials and also feature regenerative braking, leather armchairs and USB ports. They have been designed and manufactured at Alstom sites in Savigliano, Sesto San Giovanni, Bologna and Nola.

Once the homologation process is completed, the trains will enter commercial service.

Orient Express set for relaunch A new partnership has been struck to manage the famous Orient Express brand.

French operator SNCF has teamed up with French hotel group AccorHotels, which takes a 50 per cent stake. Since it acquired the brand in 1977, SNCF has been the sole owner.

Announcing the deal 134 years after the first Orient Express trip was made between Paris and Istanbul, SNCF communications deputy CEO Mathias Vicherat said the company is proud to have contributed to the renaissance of a historic brand.

With AccorHotels on board, plans for developing the Orient Express’ brand within the luxury hospitality sector include: the development of a new collection of prestigious hotels under the Orient Express banner; operating seven vintage carriages for private journeys and events; and the creation of the Orient Express Endowment Fund, to preserve, promote and share the historic train’s heritage.

The first ever Orient Express train left Paris for Istanbul on 4 October, 1883. The route was later shortened to Bucharest, Budapest and then Vienna from the French capital and eventually from Strasbourg instead of Paris, before it ceased to operate in December 2009. In 2014, SNCF announced it was to relaunch the Orient Express train from Paris to Istanbul.

A Belmond-run Venice Simplon Orient Express operates under a licence from SNCF from London to Venice.

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Europe’s next-generation regional train Rolling stock manufacturer Alstom has unveiled its latest generation of Coradia regional train – the Coradia Stream.

The train's first customers will be the Netherlands’ state-owned operator, NS, and Italy’s Trenitalia. NS has ordered 79 Coradia Streams to run on the Amsterdam-RotterdamBreda line and on the Den Haag-Eindhoven corridor. The trains, which have a maximum operating speed of 200km/h, will enter service from 2021.

Trenitalia has ordered 150 Coradia Streams from Alstom, which will be delivered from 2019.

Alstom’s vice president for regional and intercity trains, Wolfram Schwab, said, ‘We are very proud to present today in two different European countries two versions of this train, for intercity transport in the Netherlands and for regional traffic in Italy.

‘With its improved modularity, new passenger experience and weight savings, Coradia Stream opens a new chapter in the commercial success story of the Coradia regional range spanning more than 30 years.

‘The name we have chosen for this train reflects its true spirit: fluid, dynamic, fast and light.’

Driverless freight train completes first test run in Australia Mining corporation Rio Tinto believes it is still on track to launch the world’s first fully automated, heavy haul service next year after completing a trial run in Western Australia.

A pilot service between Wombat Junction and Paraburdoo – a distance of around 100km – has now been completed.

The company hopes to commission its AutoHaul system by the end of next year once it has overcome the necessary safety and regulatory approvals.

Rio Tinto said it has been operating services in autonomous mode since the first quarter of 2017. Around half of its collective fleet kilometres are currently completed in autonomous mode with drivers on board.

Rio Tinto Iron Ore chief executive Chris Salisbury said in a statement, ‘This successful pilot run puts us firmly on track to meet our goal of operating the world’s first fully autonomous heavy haul, long distance rail network, which will unlock significant safety and productivity benefits for the business.’

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FEATURE

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2017

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RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2017

FEATURE

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2,563 STATIONS IN

14 WEEKS RAILWAY ADVENTURES IN GREAT BRITAIN

© Roger Newark

E

arlier this year Vicki Pipe and Geoff Marshall set out to visit all 2,563 railway stations in Great Britain, completing the ambitious journey in 14 weeks, six days, eight hours and 22 minutes.

From Penzance on 7 May to Wick on 19 August, the pair filmed a documentary on what Britain’s railways look like in 2017, as an aged system transports more passengers than ever before.

We asked Vicki and Geoff to summarise their mammoth trip in 14 pictures, and this is how they did it: 1. Railways and railway stations have featured in music, film and TV for decades.

At Cromford station we recreated the single cover of Oasis’s ‘Some Might Say’.

2. Yes, Britain’s railways can be cute! Like the wonderful Parry People Mover which operates between Stourbridge Town and Stourbridge Junction. Definitely the cutest train we’ve ever seen!

3. Art. It’s not just about the trains. Lots of stations and station staff work together with their local community. At Smethick Rolfe Street they recently unveiled a new mural created by young local artists, reflecting the vibrant and diverse cultures of the area.

4. The history and heritage of Britain’s railways are evident almost everywhere. In Bridlington we were in awe of their amazing refreshment room full of incredible railway ephemera, it was like stepping back in time.

5. Britain’s railway signs reflect the incredible diversity of languages spoken across the country, from Punjabi in Southall (West London), Arabic in Oxfordshire (Bicester Village) to Welsh (all stations in Wales) and Gaelic (all stations in Scotland).

6. It’s not just humans that want to catch a train. In all corners of the country animals and the railways live side by side.

7. Travelling on the railways is not always about moving, there are lots of spaces to pause and waiting rooms can offer that perfect moment of reflection.

8. There are currently 147 request stops in Britain. If you’ve never flagged down a train we highly recommend finding your nearest request stop to have a go, it’s lots of fun, especially if the driver toots the horn in recognition!

9. Don’t forget to look up, or step outside at stations to enjoy the amazing architecture of the buildings. Often features are not simply decorative but actually help with wayfinding, like the incredible curved structure of Wemyss Bay. 10. The type of train you travel on can really change your experience of the journey. On the Isle of Wight we were excited to discover that original 1938 London Underground Tube trains serve the national rail network between Ryde Pier Head to Shanklin.

11. There is no better way to see the changing landscape of Britain than by train.

From rolling hills to dramatic coast lines you can see it all.

12. We discovered there are almost as many castles in Britain as railway stations!

Many of them are not that far from the railway, like Harlech Castle in Wales, which looks impressively over the nearby Harlech station.

13. Each train operating company has its own distinct livery, staff uniforms and moquette (seating fabric) which helps to identify the services you’re travelling on.

Throughout our journey we collected them all, though we do confess London Midland was our favourite.

14. Railways can take you to some of the most remote places in the country. At Berney Arms in Norfolk the railway is the only method of transport available to reach the same location.

To find out more about the All The Stations project, visit their website: allthestations.co.uk

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YOUNG RAIL PROFESSIONALS

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2017

S L A N IO S S E F O R P L I A YOUNG R N O T H G I L T O SP ANDS REGION EAST MIDL

Testing school student's model bridges at iRail 2017

YOUNG RAIL

PROFESSIONALS

Networking & Development

WHO ARE WE? Young Rail Professionals are a professional network of young people from across the rail industry, from engineers, to operators, lawyers, marketing, HR, and commercial. Our mission is to promote, inspire and develop the next generation of railway talent.

Broaden your wider industry awareness and meet new people at inspiring Seminars, Workshops and Networking events

Railway Ambassadors

WHY JOIN? We are free to join. Simply register on our website and membership will allow you to: • Attend our free evening seminars • Learn about upcoming workshops and conferences • Join our community of likeminded professionals • Become an ambassador for the rail industry.

Inspire the next generation by helping to promote the rail industry in Schools, Colleges and Unis

youngrailpro.com

/youngrailwaypro

@youngrailpro

/young-railway-professionals

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I

n 2016, YRP devolved into a number of regions to improve our offering across the country and make us more accessible to those not based in London and the South East.

By adopting regional branches, YRP is able to better serve its members by having a better understanding of the particular nature of the industry in their region, to know what is topical, and to be able to reach into organisations and industry for support.

Additionally by having a local presence, we are able to engage with local education institutions to be able to support their education programmes with longer-term commitments to establishing relationships.

This has proven to be a huge success, with each region continuously developing and gaining ever-increasing numbers,

and enabling YRP to provide more events to more people.

In this month’s RailStaff, we wanted to focus on one of the regions, the East Midlands.

Based around Derby but covering all areas across the East Midlands, this is one of our most active regions, with lots of railway activity going on in the area, and numerous opportunities for members to get involved in.

One area is an active ambassador's region, and this was evident in some of the local events that YRP East Midlands has supported, including the ‘Big Bang Near Me’ event in Derby.

The Big Bang is a nationwide hallmark event for schools and pupils who want to learn more about science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The aim of the event is to express the diversity of STEM subjects and opportunities available for young people, hoping to encourage and inspire the next generation of talent.

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IRAIL YRP sent a number of volunteers to talk to 1,500+ students and engage with them about the rail industry and the opportunities available. Another occasion was iRail.

Since 2010, iRail has attracted hundreds of school students from across the East Midlands as part of a programme to inform and engage young people on the range of career opportunities in the railway industry.

Volunteers from the Young Rail Professionals were on hand at this year’s iRail event to provide mentoring and support for the students.

Since its launch YRP East Midlands has grown year on year, reaching out to new and existing professionals in rail. Our aim has always been simple, to create a professional network, provide development opportunities for our members and to ‘promote, inspire and develop’ the next generation of rail talent. We have achieved this through our involvement with iRail, Rail Week, Big Bang, networking socials, STEM training days and many more.

As well as supporting our members, the East Midlands provides development opportunities for all its committee members by providing, management experience, working to a budget, good communication and developing confidence.

LASTING COLLABORATION Farid Omarzaiy, East Midlands chair, said, ’Being a part of YRP has been a lifechanging experience. I have been privileged to shadow inspirational people, learn from great minds and believe together we can achieve excellence. These experiences have allowed me to excel in my career, helping me to become well rounded and overcome any challenge.’

As the East Midlands is one of our most successful regions, to celebrate another year of success, growth and achievement YRP are delighted to invite you to their Annual Dinner at the iconic Derby Roundhouse on Friday 13 April 2018.

Built in the 1800s as a rolling stock design and manufacturing facility, the Roundhouse was the first of its kind. More than 175 years on and £36 million in restorations the Roundhouse continues to be an icon for rail in the East Midlands. With over 400 guests in attendance, you will have the opportunity to fine dine on history and amongst current and the next generation of rail leaders.

The Annual Dinner brings industry leaders and young professionals together to celebrate the industry.

We are pleased to announce that CPC Project Services, a project management consultancy specialising in delivering major rail projects and long-time supporter of YRP, will be the exclusive sponsor for our dinner.

Steve Mole, CPC’s managing partner, said, ‘CPC is a long-term supporter of the YRP, and as a rail supplier for over 25 years, we are committed to driving the rail industry forward.

‘We are inspired by the YRP’s ongoing commitment to promote rail, as a career, and nurture young talent. The YRP Annual Dinner and Awards in 2018 will be a great opportunity to celebrate their member’s successes over the past year and bring together young and experienced rail professionals.’

Paul Case, national chair of YRP, said, ‘I’m delighted that CPC will once again be sponsoring the Annual YRP Dinner and Awards. This lasting collaboration between YRP and CPC has allowed us to continue to grow and added immeasurable value to what is our largest single event of the year. It also demonstrates CPC’s continued commitment to working with YRP to promote the rail industry and inspire and develop the next generation of leaders in rail.’

Once again, we will have a series of awards, nominations and categories to be announced soon. Watch this space for ticket announcements and further information.

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CAREERS

RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2017

www.trsstaffing.com

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Birmingham £320 per day – Inside IR35

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Senior Transport Assessment Manager

P6 Planners

Birmingham £400 per day - Inside IR35

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London, Birmingham, Bristol £300-£500/day or £45-£65k

Quantity Surveyors

Environment Interfaces Advisor

Birmingham, London, Bristol, Manchester £40-£60k or £300-£450/day

Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester £220 per day – Inside IR35

TRS Staffing Solutions are international engineering recruitment specialists.

We recruit for major national and international projects for leading national rail organisations, main contractors and consultancies.

Please email your CV to jonathan.miles@trsstaffing.com or if you’d prefer to discuss any roles call +44 (0)20 7419 5800

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RAILSTAFF OCTOBER 2017

CAREERS

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Transport for the North has been formed to transform transport infrastructure across the whole of the North of England, to drive economic growth.

We are striving to provide the transport links that will enable people to build a life in the North: connecting world class education, skills development opportunities and access to career progression. We are looking for skilled and dedicated people who are excited about helping us deliver our vision.

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), on behalf of TfN, is looking to recruit the following roles: Programme Manager – Northern Powerhouse Rail

Contract Support Officer – Rail North Partnership

Franchise Change Officer – Rail North Partnership

The role: Full-time, permanent postion.wo Year fixedLocation: Based in Manchester, with regular visits to the Leeds Office.

The role: Two Year fixed-term contract / Secondment (public sector bodies only).

The role: Two Year fixed-Term Contract / Secondment (public sector bodies only).

Salary: Circa £65,000 per annum.

Location: Based in Leeds, with regular travel to York, Manchester and London.

Location: Based in Leeds, with regular travel to York, Manchester and London for technical meetings.

Interview Date: 25th October 2017.

Salary: Circa £26,000 per annum.

Salary: Circa £39,000 per annum.

Interview Date: 19th October 2017, in Leeds.

Interview Date: 19th and 25th October 2017.

The Contract Support Officer will provide support to the rail franchise contract work stream and coordinate the management of work stream documentation to assist in the successful delivery of contractual obligations, ensuring timely and collaborative compliance of all related activity leading to the overall economic development of train services across the North of England.

The Franchise Change Officer will provide technical support and project management of franchise change projects. They will be required to manage complex and politically sensitive information relating to rail investment projects, challenging the franchisees to achieve good outcomes and assisting in the successful delivery of improvements to train services across the North of England.

Report writing and the maintenance there of, will be a key part of the successful candidate’s role. This will include areas such as providing regular status updates to senior management and partners, and working to deadlines, with minimal supervision.

Report writing will be a key part of the successful candidate’s role. This will include providing regular status updates to senior management and partners, writing business case proposals for consideration by investment boards, and working to tight deadlines with minimal supervision.

The Programme Manager will support the delivery of the Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) projects and programmes ensuring on-going delivery to time, budget and quality standards in compliance within agreed project management standards and procedures. This role will also involve establishing effective working arrangements with multiple internal and external stakeholders to provide guidance on the development and delivery of programme.

The successful candidate will have a proven track record and experience of successfully managing rail related projects and programmes and extensive experience of managing budgets and other management processes.

We offer a competitive salary, 27 days’ holiday per annum and access to the local government pension scheme.

For more information on the roles available and the kind of people we are looking for, please refer to the role profile and person specifications available at the Transport for the North careers pages to complete your application online – www.transportforthenorth.com/vacancies

Tram Technical Manager c.£40k + Benefits In order to support Nottingham Trams in its desire to be the number one tram operator in the UK, a vacancy has arisen for a Tram Technical Manager. We are an ambitious company, which will provide you with the opportunity to be part of Keolis, one of the world’s leading transport operators.

Qualifications

Nottingham Trams Ltd is responsible for operating and maintaining the tram system, it has a fleet of 37 trams and employs approximately 290 staff.

Knowledge and Experience

The main responsibilities include managing the daily service delivery of the trams and tram cleaning by ensuring that technical standards, maintenance practices and cleaning activities are complied with and that the safety of staff and passengers is given utmost priority by cultivating and promoting a strong safety culture – both on and off track.

Provide technical leadership to our maintenance provider and to NTL through monitoring of the tram reliability and availability, liaising between operations and our maintenance provider and identifying areas of improvement throughout.

Lead investigations into any technical matters and review and approve changes to maintenance standards, processes and procedures for tram vehicles based on sound engineering practices.

You will ensure effective audit and performance management mechanisms are established and undertake regular audits of tram maintenance and tram cleaning contractor’s systems, processes and service delivery to ensure activities are safe, cost-effective and meet the obligations of NTL’s operating contract.

The successful candidate will have BEng or equivalent and CEng or working towards.

You will have experience in managing and delivering train/tram services within a major manufacturer, tram system or TOC and ideally

·· ·· ·

Understand electrical schematics and engineering drawings.

Experience of maintenance management systems (i.e. SAP, Maximo etc).

Good knowledge of current rail/tram technical standards and legislation.

Experience in managing contracts with suppliers.

Excellent skills in data analysis and MS Excel.

You will be a self-starter and able to work autonomously.

To apply write to the HR Department, explaining why you think that you have the right attributes to be successful in this role.

Nottingham Trams Limited Armstrong Way Wilkinson Street Nottingham NG7 7NW

E maria.dobney@thetram.net W www.thetram.net

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