RailStaff - Issue 284 | March-April 2023

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MARCH - APRIL 2023 | ISSUE 284

EXPERT COMMENTARY: NICK MILLINGTON MBE | 18

Matt Atkins caught up with Network Rail’s Wales and Borders Route Director to discuss his career and commitment to safety.

RAIL SAFETY SUMMIT 2023 | 24

The Rail Safety Summit drew delegates from across the industry who were left with much to think about.

XEIAD TRAINING ACADEMYONE YEAR ON | 30

We revisit XEIAD’s Academy, which specialises in training structural inspection engineers with an emphasis on difficult access.

RAILSTAFF AWARDS 2023 | 34

Start preparing for only awards ceremony dedicated solely to rail staff. It’ll be here before you know it!

ADVANCE TRS MARKS

300 PLACEMENTS WITH ALSTOM UK | 54

The two firms have celebrated a huge milestone in their recruitment partnership.

SPOTLIGHT

FIGHTING FATIGUE: A JOINT RESPONSIBILITY | 48 Companies and their staff face a significant challenge in managing fatigue which, if left unchecked, can have severe consequences.

RAILTEX 2023: CAREERS, TALENT, & SKILLS HUB | 56

The rail industry’s showcase exhibition is here once again. Join RailwayPeople.com at its Careers, Talent, & Skills Hub.

Staff BUILDING A SAFER RAILWAY

Contact us:

Editor: Matt Atkins

Production and design: Lauren Williamson Adam O’Connor

Track safety: Colin Wheeler

Advertising: Asif Ahmed Craig Smith Chris Davies

Contact email addresses

News: news@rail-media.com

Track safety: colin@rail-media.com

Pictures: pictures@rail-media.com

Adverts: adverts@rail-media.com

Subscriptions: manda@rail-media.com

Contact details

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

Tel: 01530 816 444

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Web: www.railstaff.co.uk

Email: hello@rail-media.com

The health, safety, and wellbeing of rail staff is a key concern for today’s industry, and rightly so, but that hasn’t always been the case. The railway of the past is renown as a hazardous way to make a living, and it’s only in the past 30 years that matters of safety have become central to its running. In that time, the industry has worked hard to make up for lost time. Major leaps have been taken to improve conditions and countless lives on the rails saved by new working practices, technology, and legislation.

In mid-March, delegates from across the industry gathered at University of Loughborough’s Hollywell Park Conference Centre for the return of Rail Media’s Rail Safety Summit. Last held before the restrictions of the Covid pandemic, the event featured speakers including Andrew Hall, chief inspector at the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB); Marian Kelly, head of SHE at London Underground; and Professor Sarah Sharples, chief scientific officer at the Department for Transport and Professor of Human Factors at the Rail Safety & Standards Board (RSSB).

Returning as a live event for the first time since 2019, this year’s Rail Safety Summit was a true return to form, attracting over 120 attendees who left the venue impressed with the high level of discussion and with real food for thought. RailStaff’s very own Colin Wheeler hosted this successful event, aided by Rail Engineer's Clive Kessell. In this issue, Colin provides us with an overview of the day's highlights and key takeaways.

Off the back of the Safety Summit, I caught up with Nick Millington MBE, another of the event's invited speakers, to discuss his career and his leadership of Network Rail’s Track

Safety Task Force. Our in-depth conversation threw the spotlight on the evolution of health and safety on the rails, today’s pressing safety issues, and the factors which made Nick so dedicated to improving conditions for track workers.

Sticking to the safety theme, I also took a closer look at the issue of fatigue management. Anna Vereker, principle human factors specialist at the RSSB, spoke with me about the signs and symptoms of fatigue, its hazardous impact on staff safety, and how the industry and individuals alike can mitigate its risks.

Considering the wider scope of rail safety, in this issue we revisit civil engineering consultancy XEIAD to discuss its new Training Academy for structural inspection engineers. RailStaff covered the launch of the venture in December 2021 and returns to find it going from strength-to-strength, with many plans for the future.

After bidding farewell to outgoing chair Fiona Westcough in February, we welcome Bonnie Price, a consultant at EGIS in the UK, who takes the helm at Young Rail Professionals (YRP). Bonnie has hit the ground running and is eager to share her vision for the next 12 months. We wish her every success and welcome her to the RailStaff team.

Having kicked off this issue with one successful Rail Media event, we also look ahead to another. The 2023 RailStaff Awards are set to take place on 30 November at Birmingham’s NEC and will be here in no time at all. It’ll be tough to top last year’s extravaganza, but our exceptional events team is sure to work its magic once again. The countdown to the night of the year begins now!

Colin Wheeler hosting the Rail Safety Summit 2023.

Leicester station overhaul revealed

Leicester City Council has released new images which show how the city’s railway station will look following a proposed multimillion-pound transformation.

The historic station building is to be restored to its Victorian glory, relocating its main entrance so that it opens onto Station Street and directly faces the city centre.

The city council has already successfully secured £17.6 million from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund to help realise the ambitious plans. Now, it is working in partnership with Network Rail and East Midlands Railway (EMR) to bring forward the ambitious proposals, with the support of key industry stakeholders.

Under the plans, the area outside the entrance will be remodelled with a ramp and steps leading up to the main entrance to the main concourse and ticket hall. The ticket hall will be re-configured and opened up to provide more space for passengers. New skylights will be installed in place of the existing suspended ceiling to further enhance the sense of space and let more natural light into this part of the building.

City Mayor Peter Soulsby said: “Leicester’s railway station is a beautiful building but is in need of a radical overhaul to help it meet the needs of a modern city the size of Leicester.

“We have been working closely with rail industry partners to develop ambitious plans to revamp and revitalise the station. It is a major project that will make a huge difference to the city. It will help transform the area into a vibrant gateway and make a vital contribution to Leicester’s future growth and prosperity.

Station Street will be closed to traffic and replaced with an attractive new pedestrianised open space, with trees and landscaping, that will link directly to the Granby Street super crossing and into the city centre.

Taxis will be relocated from inside the existing covered main entrance hall – or porte-cochere – to a new purpose-built looped taxi rank area off Fox Street, immediately adjacent to the new entrance. This will free up the glass-roofed portecochere to be revamped as an attractive new plaza for cafes, bars or retail.

The original Station Street façade of the Grade II-listed station building will also be revealed and carefully restored.

The proposed

transformation will require the demolition of the Parcel Yard pub building and the nextdoor taxi office. The owners have been informed of the plans and negotiations are ongoing. Planning and listed building consent will also be required before work can start on site. If given the go-ahead, work is expected to start onsite later this year.

Before then, people will be invited to have their say on the proposals when an online consultation and digital walkthrough of the plans launches next month.

Wales' first hybrid train enters service

On Monday 3 April, Railway history was made on the Borderlands Line between Wrexham and Bidston as Transport for Wales (TfW) introduced the first batteryhybrid trains used in regular passenger service in Wales.

The long-awaited first service operated by one of TfW’s Class 230 trains left Wrexham Central at 07:31, following months of testing and crew training.

TfW owns five three-carriage Class 230 trains, with each having over 120 seats and with capacity for over 420 customers – a significant increase over previous trains. The metro-style trains, which were repurposed from former London Underground trains, provide a more efficient and environmentally friendly service using diesel and batteries.

With fully accessible toilets, power sockets, electronic passenger information, Wi-Fi, bike racks and air conditioning, the trains are a significant milestone for TfW, as they continue to deliver on their plans to transform rail

services throughout Wales and the borders.

Alexia Course, Transport for Wales’ chief commercial officer, said:

“We’re delighted that the first Class 230 train has entered service. With hybrid engines and modern facilities, these trains will significantly improve the customer experience on the Borderlands Line by providing better facilities and increased capacity.

“We’re committed to improving services between North Wales and the Liverpool City Region. We’ve already introduced brand new trains on services between Chester and Liverpool, and we’re planning to increase the frequency of services between Wrexham and Bidston, as well as providing a new direct service between Llandudno and Liverpool via the North Wales coast.”

© Leicester City Council

LNER service celebrates King's coronation

London North Eastern Railway (LNER) is proud to launch a new named service to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III on Saturday 6 May 2023.

The daily 11:00 service between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh Waverley will be called the ‘Carolean Express’, with the inaugural service departing the iconic London station at 11:00 on the day of the King’s Coronation. The era of British history under King Charles III will be known as the Carolean era, the same name that was given to the eras of both King Charles I and II.

The ‘Carolean Express’ will join formal service names such as ‘Highland Chieftain’ and ‘Northern Lights’ which are popular daily services on the LNER route, operating between London and Inverness and London and Aberdeen. The weekday ‘Flying Scotsman’ service operates in the opposite direction, taking customers to London King’s Cross from Edinburgh Waverley at 05:40, stopping only at Newcastle. The ‘Carolean

Express’ operates Monday-Sunday calling at York, Darlington, Newcastle, Berwick Upon Tweed and Edinburgh Waverley.

LNER is celebrating 100 years of proud service on the East Coast Main Line this year, connecting the English and Scottish capital cities and a line which is popular with the Royal Family. Over the century, LNER has named trains and services to mark important royal occasions including ‘Coronation’, ‘The Elizabethan’, ‘Silver Jubilee’ and ‘Queen of Scots’.

David Horne, managing director at LNER, said: “We’re delighted to be continuing the tradition of royal recognition through our fleet of Azuma trains and services with the introduction of the ‘Carolean Express’. We know that our customers like to hear about our named services and fleet and we’re sure this new addition will prove popular.

In our 100-year history we’ve had services to celebrate important occasions in royal history and we are proud to mark the reign of King Charles III.”

Building bridges with Ukraine Rail

Network Rail, working with rail industry partners under the banner UK Rail for Ukraine, has once again delivered large quantities of aid in support of rail colleagues in Ukraine.

The rail industry has come together to offer support because of the key role the railway has played in delivering people to safety and providing vital supplies to the front line.

Network Rail has supplied eight railway bridges and 30 bridge support tower and tunnel repair systems, with a special focus on the country’s essential routes.

Network Rail’s Peter Gibbons said: “We have been on the ground in Ukraine to see the work in progress. We have seen the difficult conditions that the Ukrainian Railway is working under. They have already lost 300 colleagues during this conflict and the personal stories from their employees are heartbreaking.”

The first aid train left Britain on a special DB Cargo service bound for Poland where it was received by organisations working on the ground.

UK Rail for Ukraine is a rail industry initiative, set up by volunteers in early February 2022, to facilitate the delivery of large quantities of aid items to those affected by the crisis in the country.

RISQS reveals top audit failings

The Rail Industry Supplier Qualification Scheme (RISQS) has revealed the top three reasons suppliers are failing their annual accreditation audits.

The RISQS team completes more than 3,500 audits a year, identifying areas of noncompliance and potential risks within railway industry supply chain operations. Evidence from RISQS audits have revealed the three major issues that lead to suppliers failing audits:

1. Failing to effectively monitor safety performance.

2. Being unable to provide evidence of compliance with key pieces of legislation or safety standards.

3. Not demonstrating they have carried out random alcohol and drugs tests on 5% of their in-scope employees during a specified period.

Audits provide valuable insights for suppliers, buyers, and standard setters at RSSB and Network Rail to improve safety, efficiency, and operational performance. Suppliers failing an audit are given a short period of time (usually days) to demonstrate compliance. They are then re-audited within 12 weeks to ensure their processes are embedded in the business.

Phil Smith, RISQS scheme manager, said: “Companies seeking to join RISQS are thoroughly audited to ensure they are competent and safe, before getting access to our web platform linking rail industry buyers and suppliers.

“Our evidence shows the top reasons for companies failing to join the scheme are inadequate monitoring of safety performance, compliance with legal and safety standards and being unable to demonstrate enough of their employees are being randomly tested for drugs and alcohol.

“The rail industry rightly sets a high bar for companies seeking to provide staff or services within its supply chain, but with more and more buyers only using RISQS to pre-qualify suppliers in safety critical areas the benefits of safe and competent companies joining the scheme are clear.”

Network Rail has recently updated its Drugs and Alcohol standard increasing the number of in-scope employees and sub-contractors to be randomly selected for a test each year from 5% to 20%. RISQS audits are currently verifying and validating that companies have processes and plans in place to test 20% of employees, and the results will be verified at a subsequent audit.

Railway bridge revitalised

Historic England has awarded Durham County Council £161,000 to repair and revitalise the remains of the world’s first iron railway bridge.

Completed in 1823, Gaunless Bridge was designed by ‘father of the railways’ George Stephenson and spanned the River Gaunless in West Auckland, in County Durham. Forming part of a line serving the Witton Park Colliery, it originally carried horse-drawn coal wagons, which were then replaced with steam locomotives in around 1833.

The bridge remained in use until 1901 when it was no longer able to take the weight of the increasingly heavy coal wagons.

Whilst the bridge was dismantled - part of which is on permanent display at the National Railway Museum - the stone abutments supporting the structure remained in place and are now part of the Stockton and Darlington Railway Scheduled Monument. In recent years they have fallen victim to anti-social behaviour, which has affected their condition.

The grant from Historic England will be used to repair the abutments, which will support a new bridge deck that will form part of the new 26-mile Stockton and Darlington Railway Walking and Cycling route. Alongside the repair work, Historic England will involve the local community, running sessions about the history of the bridge with local school children and

setting up a volunteer group dedicated to the long-term care of the site.

Giles Proctor from Historic England said: “We are really pleased to be funding this restoration project through the Stockton and Darlington Railway Heritage Action Zone. Gaunless Bridge has a significant role in the history of the railway and the repair of its abutments marks the first step in securing the bridge’s legacy as a part of the new Walking and Cycling Route.”

This project is part of the Stockton and Darlington Railway Heritage Action Zone, a five-year project focused on rejuvenating and restoring the 26 mile stretch of historic railway, and to help realise its potential to become a major heritage attraction and visitor destination in the build up to its 2025 bicentenary.

Cllr Elizabeth Scott, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for economy and partnerships, said: “As the world’s first iron railway bridge, Gaunless Bridge is a key part of our rail heritage, both at a local and national level.

“We’re really pleased therefore that this funding is allowing us to restore and repair the abutments, helping preserve this important site.”

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Northern announces penalty fine progress Northern has issued 10% fewer penalty fares in the first month since the government increased the ‘fine’ to £100 compared to the same period last year.

3,831 people caught travelling without a valid ticket or ‘promise to pay’ notice were issued with a penalty fare, compared to 4,261 in the same period last year.

The government’s new £100 penalty fare came into effect on 23 January. Since 2005, the penalty fare had been just £20 –but it was felt by the industry that that figure was too low and was no longer an effective deterrent to would-be fare evaders.

The £100 penalty fare forms part of The Railways (Penalty Fares) (Amendment) Regulations 2022. Penalty fares are reduced to £50 if paid within 21 days.

The rail industry remembers

On Thursday 23 March, three years after the first Covid-19 lockdown, the rail industry came together to hold a memorial day to celebrate the vital role played by its people during the pandemic, while also remembering those from the industry who lost their lives to the virus.

The National Railway Museum in York hosted a memorial service for hundreds of employees who helped to keep key workers and essential goods moving throughout the pandemic. Network Rail’s chief executive, Andrew Haines, and chair Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill were present at the event in York, where Lord Hendy unveiled a plaque dedicated to the railway employees who served the country during the pandemic.

Organised by the Railway Mission, and the brainchild of Liam Johnston, executive director of the Railway Mission, and Rachael Etebar, director of people and culture at British Transport Police, a minutes’ silence was also held at midday and observed in railway offices, depots and stations across the country.

GB Railfreight invests in health & wellbeing

GB Railfreight (GBRf), operator of rail freight service across the UK and employer of over 1,300 staff, has announced the opening of new health and wellbeing centres in its London and Doncaster offices.

GBRf aims to be the safest and most supportive rail freight business in the industry. Today’s announcement delivers preventative, convenient healthcare for all employees helping to create a safer, healthier and happier work environment.

The centres cost £22,000 to build and are equipped with the latest technology to check hearing, vision, blood pressure, and complete electrocardiograms (ECGs). Health and Wellbeing is core to GBRf’s sustainability strategy.

Northern staff reveal worst passenger habits

Train crew and station staff working for Northern have revealed the worst passenger habits 'of the few that affect the many' on the train operator's 2,500 services a day.

Their biggest bugbears range in scale from simple bad manners and those showing no consideration for other passengers to dangerous behaviour and criminal acts. Actions making the list include:

• People putting their feet, bags and pets on seats – feet and bags are an ‘old-school’ problem that prevent others from being able to sit down, but more recently, people encouraging their dogs (in particular) onto seats presents a hygiene problem and/or worse for people with severe allergies.

• Playing music through loudspeakers instead of using headphones – not everyone shares your taste in music.

• Vaping on-board – just like cigarettes, this is not allowed on-board trains in England and hasn't been since 2014.

• People who leave their rubbish behind –Northern employs 500 train presentation officers but putting your rubbish in the bins provided will allow them to focus on the tougher elements of train cleanliness.

• People sitting in priority seats that don’t give way to fellow passengers who are more inneed – not all disabilities are visible, please

be considerate of others.

• Making contact with the train (knocking on windows etc) as it’s about to depart - this represents a serious safety risk, particularly if the person is under the influence of alcohol.

• People not giving way to passengers getting off the train before trying to board – this is a simple action that will make the process easier and quicker for all.

• Fare evading – conductors and revenue officers have seen it all before (and heard every excuse); passengers have a duty to buy a ticket before they travel.

Tricia Williams, chief operating officer at Northern, said: “We welcome around one million customers on-board our trains each and every day and the overwhelming majority are polite, considerate and respectful of others.

"However, it's no wonder given the numbers involved that our train crew and station staff encounter the occasional bad-mannered individual from time to time. What doesn’t surprise me is that the things that bug my colleagues are those which have a negative impact on other customers. They have our customers’ backs.

“To anyone guilty of any of the ‘traits’ included in this list, I would ask you to think of others when using our services. I know my team would appreciate it.”

© Ladanifer

© Northern

technology provider, Be My Eyes - a free app offering video support at a moment’s notice from sighted volunteers and professionals who lend their eyes to solve tasks. This collaboration means customers using Travel Companion have the option to use the Be My Eyes app to ask for assistance on queries that may not be easily communicated via text alone.

Avanti West Coast launches

'Travel Companion'

Avanti West Coast has launched a dedicated communications channel to provide disabled customers with instant help during their journey in a first for the UK rail industry.

Called ‘Travel Companion’, the channel utilises the widely used messaging app, WhatsApp, to connect passengers on the West Coast Main Line to someone with similar experience who can offer specialist support while travelling.

Staffed by specialist members of Avanti West Coast’s social media team, Travel Companion

aims to improve journeys when the unexpected happens by giving disabled customers the opportunity to chat to someone that really understands. This means they don’t have to explain in detail what support they need –making it a better experience for the customer.

Customers can reach out for extra assistance by messaging Avanti West Coast Travel Companion on WhatsApp. A member of the team will then exchange messages with the customer to check their needs and help in a way that’s right for them.

To support blind or partially-sighted people, the intercity operator has teamed up with

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Travel Companion is ultimately designed to be a safety net for any disabled customers travelling on the west coast - a resource they can rely on for extra help if the unexpected happens and they cannot find assistance from a member of staff themselves.

Brandon Peat, accessibility and inclusion manager at Avanti West Coast, said: “We know the value of creating a dialogue with those who have a shared understanding, which is why we’ve launched Travel Companion to connect our disabled customers with accessible travel experts during their journey.

“Through the use of accessible technology, our partnership with Be My Eyes, and first-hand knowledge from our people, we want to build a rapport with our disabled customers, so we can assist them in the best possible way.

“By providing a dedicated channel, we hope those who may need additional assistance are reassured they can get that bit of extra help when they need it, as well as give them more confidence to make journeys independently.”

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© Avanti West Coast

MOBO winner narrates Elizabeth line guide

Transport for London (TfL) has launched a set of free audio guides about the 10 stations that make up the central section of the Elizabeth line. The informative threeminute guides cover each station’s art, architecture and more, and are accessed by simply scanning a QR code featured on a poster within each station.

Each guide is narrated by someone who has a long-standing link with the local area. MOBO Award-winning rapper Guvna B, who was born and grew up in Custom House, voices its station guide; the Paddington station guide is voiced by author Karen Jankel, the daughter of Paddington Bear creator Michael Bond; well-known British actor Scott Maslen was born in Woolwich and narrates its station guide. The Whitechapel guide, narrated by the station's customer service supervisor Neil Dalton, is available in Bengali and English, and references the bilingual Bengali signage at its entrance that was installed in recognition of the local Bangladeshi community.

By listening to an audio guide while walking through a station, Londoners and visitors will discover things that they might have missed or simply taken for granted.

Nearly a year on from the opening of the Elizabeth line. More than 100 million passenger journeys have been made since its launch in May 2022, around half of which were carried

out in the central section between Paddington and Abbey Wood. On Sunday 21 May, TfL will introduce the final version of the Elizabeth line timetable as planned.

The central section Elizabeth line stations combined have a capacity to accommodate more than 290,000 customers every day. This allows customers, including those with mobility requirements, to access one of the busiest cities in the UK with more ease than ever before.

Emma Strain, customer director at Transport for London, said: “We are delighted that some incredible Londoners have lent their voices to this series of free audio guides. The Elizabeth line has transformed travel in London and beyond, and these guides offer a great way to find out more about the central section stations’ art, design and much more. We hope that Londoners and tourists will visit all 10 stations and listen to the full set on their travels.”

Guvna B, who narrates the Custom House audio guide, said: “I was born and bred in Custom House, it's the place I call home. I grew up around working class English people as well as first-generation Brits from Africa, the Caribbean, Europe and Asia. We were all so different but our differences united us and that's the beauty of this place.”

Network Rail announces Southern alliance partners

Four partners have been selected to join Network Rail’s Works Delivery team in forming an innovative, performancebased alliance to deliver the Southern Region's up-to £9 billion estimated renewals portfolio over the next 10 years.

The partners will be VolkerFitzpatrick for Buildings and Civils, Octavius for

Electrification and Plant, VolkerRail for Track, and Atkins for Signalling, and will cover Control Period 7 (2024-2029) and Control Period 8 (2029-34). Work is underway deciding the renewals budget for CP7 as Network Rail works to agree a final settlement with the regulator.

The alliance, known as Southern Integrated Delivery (SID), will be part of a new

enterprise model based on the Institution of Civil Engineers’ Project 13 principles, developed following significant crossindustry consultation over the last two and a half years.

With the SID, the Southern Region seeks to make a transformational change in how renewals work is delivered by merging the capabilities of Network Rail and its supply

chain to develop an integrated and coordinated approach to delivery.

Through tying efficiency savings found by partners to increasing the workbank, and linking profit to extra work delivered, the SID will make the best use of resources, maximise efficiencies and be collectively incentivised to deliver value for taxpayers and the right outcomes for passengers, freight and railway funders.

Ellie Burrows, managing director for Network Rail's Southern region, said: "I am really excited for the future of project delivery in the Southern Regionthe rail industry has consistently demonstrated that when it comes together, it can do amazing things - this transformational step will bring all those ingredients together for the long-term delivery of renewals and make a tangible difference to passengers and freight-users alike."

A new advertising campaign to entice commuters, business and leisure travellers back to the railway has been launched by the Rail Delivery Group, train operators, Network Rail and the Great British Railways Transition Team.

The new campaign called Nothing Beats Being There uses a number of scenarios to showcase how rail connects passengers to the people, places and things they love, which in turn supports local communities, boosts economic activity and drives a green recovery.

While the popularity in leisure travel has seen revenue rise to 125% of pre-pandemic levels, the latest industry figures show that

Get back on board

overall revenue is still at around 78% of 2019 levels, with commuting and business travel at considerably less than in 2019.

The advert is a call to customers to take the train to experience something in person whether that is to attend a meeting, have a business lunch or visit some friends, as it is a reminder of real life experiences and there is no better way to experience them than by rail. Using a mixture of shared social media footage and filmed footage, the advert seeks to boost demand from the leisure, commuter and business markets.

Presently, taxpayers are making up the lost revenue of the rail industry by up to £175 million a month, so it is important to attract new and

SWR backs Travel with Confidence

South Western Railway (SWR) has joined with Hampshire County Council (HCC) to support ‘Travel with Confidence’ - a project to help those travelling with non-visible disabilities.

The project, which is organised by Hampshire Community Rail Partnership (CRP), aims to provide information and training on how to enjoy travelling by public transport for people who have non-visible disabilities such as autism, anxiety, or phobias which can make travelling by bus or train a difficult experience.

The first phase of the project, funded by HCC Adult Services, was completed by the CRP with the publication of a booklet of resources called ‘Help is at Hand’ after extensive consultation with local disability groups. This booklet is a wonderful resource which can be shared with groups and organisations supporting people with non-visible disabilities.

The project’s second phase is now underway, supported by SWR. This sees Hampshire CRP and other groups working with Winchester Go LD, a local charity, to teach people with non-visible disabilities how to travel with confidence. They will also be helping learning disability groups with individual travel planning resources followed by visits to stations and rail journeys together.

Winchester Go LD is also producing video resources which teach important skills such as

existing passengers back to the railway.

Jacqueline Starr, chief executive of the Rail Delivery Group, said: “Rail is fundamental to helping connect passengers to the people, places and things they love, supporting local communities, boosting economic activity and driving a green recovery. Nothing Beats Being There is a rallying call to customers to experience the power and joy of being there in person in a world where our lives have become more and more digital and screen-based.

“It has been over a year since the latest restrictions were lifted, and revenue for commuting and business travellers has still not returned to pre-pandemic levels. So we want to use this campaign to encourage everyone back to rail, so they can experience what rail has to offer, and to help put industry finances on the best possible footing and secure rail’s long-term future.”

The advert was shot by the award-winning photographer, Sophie Ebrard after spending over five days travelling by train, and follows the Let’s Get Back On Track campaign from 2021 which saw people respond stating that the campaign made them feel more confident to travel again.

boarding trains safely and how to seek help at stations.

Paula Aldridge, SWR’s Community Rail Manager said: “SWR is always looking for ways to improve access to railway travel and so we were delighted to support Hampshire CRP’s project.

“We want all our customers to feel confident and comfortable on our services and we hope these resources and the work that Winchester Go LD are doing will make their future journeys on public transport easier.”

© RDG

© RDG

First electric trains on TRU in sight

The Transpennine Route Upgrade continues to build towards the future of electric rail travel in the North, as industry leaders hail the latest upgrade work at Stalybridge station.

Engineers have worked around the clock over 26-days to complete their largest phase of work to date, including a full junction remodelling, installing over 2km of new track and 23 new signals, upgrading 13 crossovers and fitting new overhead line equipment for future electrification, which will improve journeys along this key route.

The multi-billion-pound Transpennine Route Upgrade is set to revolutionise rail travel in the North, better connecting towns and cities

through more frequent, faster trains, running on a cleaner, greener and more reliable railway.

Rail Minister, Huw Merriman said: “Our multibillion-pound Transpennine Route Upgrade will transform our railways for generations to come and this major piece of work at Stalybridge station is just another way we’re investing to improve rail in the North.

“These vital works will support economic growth, connect communities and deliver

New WMR fleet enters service

A brand new West Midlands Railway (WMR) train fleet has carried its first passengers on the Hereford Line.

The Class 196 train left Birmingham New Street shortly before 6pm on Monday 17 April for its maiden journey to Worcester Shrub Hill. The rollout means the fleet is now serving passengers in new locations including Bromsgrove, Droitwich and Worcester. The start of passenger services on the route follows the fleet’s introduction on the Shrewsbury Line in October.

There are a total of 26 trains in the Class 196 fleet, whose features include intelligent air conditioning, plug and USB chargers at

every seat and extra storage space. The trains offer 25% more capacity than the fleet they replace.

Jonny Wiseman, WMR customer experience director, said: “I am delighted that even more passengers are now able to take advantage of our newest train fleet with the rollout of the Class 196s onto the Hereford Line.

“With smart air conditioning, power points at every seat and extra space on board, I am certain these trains will prove a hit with our passengers in Herefordshire and Worcestershire.”

The Class 196 is the first new fleet to be introduced to the West Midlands franchise for more than a decade and is part of WMR’s

faster, greener and more reliable services across the region.”

Hannah Lomas, Industry Programme Director for Transpennine Route Upgrade, said: “We'd like to say a big “thank you” to passengers for bearing with us while we did this work; it means that trains will be able to move through Stalybridge station faster and more reliably.”

Additional follow up work will take place at Stalybridge on 20-21 May.

£690 million investment in new trains and infrastructure.

Initially a small number of journeys on the Hereford Line will be run by Class 196s as the new trains are drip-fed into service over the coming months. The trains are also due to enter service on the Leamington to Nuneaton route later this year, serving communities including Coventry, Kenilworth and Bedworth.

One of the trains in the fleet – 196004 - was officially named “Sir Edward Elgar” by the High Sheriff of Worcestershire Andrew ManningCox at a special ceremony last month. The name was chosen by WMR staff to honour the Worcestershire-born composer recognised as one of the greatest Britons of all time.

The first train in passenger service was formed of a pair of two-carriage trains - 196005 and 196006.

Images © Network Rail

the best

Rail Minister views Mountfield Tunnel engineering progress

On 12 April, Fiona Taylor, Network Rail’s Kent route director, hosted a visit by Rail Minister Huw Merriman to the Mountfield Tunnel near Robertsbridge, where worn out track is being replaced.

Mr Merriman was there to see the progress on track upgrades and the strengthening of embankments along this key commuter line between Tunbridge Wells and Hastings.

Inside the tunnel, the existing track slab – a concrete block which supports the track, conductor rail and tunnel structure – is being removed. Built in the 1970s, it needs replacing after 50 years of wear and tear. A new track slab, reinforced with four tonnes of metal bars, will be installed plus 900 metres of specially coated track, specifically designed to withstand tunnel environments.

Elsewhere on the line, engineers are working tirelessly to complete a number of other vital upgrades, surveys, monitoring, and general maintenance to support the reliable running of the railway.

At Wadhurst and Frant, sections of a reinforced concrete wall will be built to prevent trees and soil reaching the tracks.

On sections of the line near Snape Wood, 230 five-metre-long soil nails will be driven into the cutting with 600m2 of wire mesh to stop material falling onto tracks below.

Once complete, this work will increase the reliability of this important line, built 170 years ago.

Fiona Taylor, Network Rail’s Kent route director, said: “It was a pleasure to welcome the Rail Minister to see first-hand the work we’re doing to improve the reliability of this important line between Tunbridge Wells and Hastings which carries around 120,000 passengers a week between Kent and London.

“It’s a really complex part of the railway which was built in the 1850s along very hilly ground, which meant that the Victorian engineers had to excavate steep cuttings, long tunnels and build miles of embankment. As a result of its age and geographical setting, this stretch of line has required regular repairs and upgrades to maintain its reliability.”

Network Rail’s partner for the Mountfield Tunnel project was Rhomberg Sersa Rail Group (UK). The firm was awarded the Southern Slab Refurbishment project back in 2020, but planned works were cancelled in October 2022, at Network Rail’s request, to perform emergency works

on a short section of concrete slab. This led to the latest stage replacing 500 metres of track, including 250 metres of concrete track slab. Speaking after his visit, Mr Merriman said: “The Hasting to Tunbridge Wells mainline is a key commuter route for those travelling across East Sussex and Kent and I was pleased to see the ongoing work to improve reliability for those passengers.

“From track upgrades to strengthening the embankments, these improvements will deliver a more resilient and dependable rail network for years to come, and I’d like to thank local residents for their patience while these works are carried out.”

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EXPERT

COMMENTARY

NICK MILLINGTON MBE - ROUTE DIRECTOR, WALES AND BORDERS ROUTE

Nick Millington, Network Rail’s Wales and Borders Route Director, was awarded an MBE in the 2023 New Years Honours list for services to the railway, charity, and the NHS. In his 30-year career he has worked across the industry, led multidisciplinary engineering teams, and driven significant programmes of business change. Throughout his career, Nick has displayed a strong commitment to the safety of rail workers and for this reason RailStaff caught up with him to discuss his career and contribution to health, safety, and wellbeing.

Thanks for joining us, Nick. To get started, could you give us a brief outline of your career to date and tell us what attracted you to the rail industry?

I was always interested in transport – trains, planes, cars, you name it. When I was young, I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to do, but I remember I did want to be a chartered engineer. My dad was keen for me to go to university, but I wasn’t so eager at the time, although I did go later in my career.

I remember when I was 15, my mother’s friend came around to the house with a newspaper and pointed out an advert for apprenticeships with British Rail. I applied, and two weeks after I turned 16, I started working on traction, rolling stock and engineers’ plant. I then spent around 10-12 years as a site engineer in mechanical, electrical, and civil engineering before moving into asset management. I was part of a team that introduced high output track renewal machinery and all the equipment. That was around 2004 to 2007. During 2007/8, I worked on the Reading Station

redevelopment programme and, after that, moved back to track renewals and enhancements, where I stayed until 2012. After working on infrastructure projects from 2012 to 2013, I became the national track renewals director of safety and assurance, before becoming a project director on railway infrastructure projects. For a year, in 2016, I was the chief of staff for Network Rail, working for Mark Carne, CEO. Following that, I became route infrastructure maintenance director for the Western Route. After we lost two workers at Margam, in south Wales, I was asked to lead the national track worker ‘Safety Task Force’. Since June 2022, I’ve been Route Director for the Wales and Borders Route.

COMMENTARY ROUTE

Safety on the railway is a key feature of your career. What inspired your commitment to safety and how do you encourage that in others?

Safety is a mindset. You can choose to be safe or you can unconsciously choose not to. That’s the difference between having an accident and not having an accident. Those who cut corners or flout safety rules are more likely to come to harm. Those who consciously stick to safety measures, remove the risks.

When you look at the work we do in the railway industry, we’re dealing with huge risks. We work at height, we work with high voltage current, we work with flowing water, and with trains. Each one of these factors is enough to easily result in serious harm. You don’t get a second chance when dealing with these types of risks, so you have to be on top of your game. There is the right way of doing things, and there is the dangerous way.

I have always advocated that if you've got a good plan, as well as competent people, the right resources, and the right timescales, that you’ll also have a safe plan. When you see people making things up as they go along, when resources are low and time is short, that's when you start to see dangerous things happen. There’s also human culture to consider and, unfortunately, some people are natural risk takers.

So where does my passion for safety come from? Partly it’s because I was taught the right way to do things when I was brought up, and I’m glad I was. I understand the balance of risk probabilities and that if you do things properly, you're more likely to succeed in terms of operational outcomes, financial outcomes, and safety outcomes.

The challenge we have in rail is to get everyone to think of safety at all times. It’s difficult to get everyone on the same page, but there are a few ways of doing it.

First, there are some things that you mandate people do. Our lifesaving rules describe these. For example: exclusion zones around large machinery; ‘test before touch’ when working on high voltage conductors; and not working on railways lines that are open. These are all part of our legal duty to prevent risk to our workforce, and as leaders we can do this.

But that’s not everything. The second challenge is to look at human factors. People will be people, after all. To counter this, we can encourage teams to look out for one another. We can educate and enable others as teams, and as individuals, to have each other’s backs. We can encourage people to speak up if they see unsafe practices and instil in them the confidence to do so.

We can also gather data and analyse it to find out where our risks lie and then plan to remove them. The railway is never riskfree, but you can purposefully reduce risk with focus.

It’s striking that in just 30 years, safety on the railway has improved so rapidly. Why do you think safety awareness was less of a concern around the time you started your career?

Safety on the railway has been an evolutionary process. If you look at the railway industry 100 years ago, 400 people died, each year, at work. In the 1960s, there was a fatality every week. During the 1980s, this was reduced to one a month. Through the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, this number has dropped further, but colleagues are still getting seriously injured, sometimes fatally.

Injuries and fatalities on the railway were once tolerated as an acceptable risk, but around the 1990s, after some very bad accidents, industry leaders became more uncomfortable with the situation. The legal framework also started to really sharpen up. The introduction of ‘The Management of Health and Safety at work Regulations 1999’, for instance, had a fundamental impact. It made risk assessments a requirement and introduced a principle of prevention, meaning there is a duty to reduce risk so far as is reasonably practical, and then plan to remove that risk. I think this was a profound moment in safety, particularly on the railway. As a response to this, in 2003, Railtrack introduced ‘Rimini’, which is an acronym for risk minimisation. This was a precursor to ‘Network Rail Standard RT/LS/S/019’, which manages the safety of track workers on or near the line, and is still in use today.

These new regulations and standards shifted the focus on rail safety from one of hindsight, or rather simply investigating why accidents happen, to foresight – spending time looking for possible risks and removing them before accidents happen. Today, it’s about acting rather than reacting.

You’re well known for your work with Network Rail’s Track Worker Safety Task Force. Could you give us an overview of the Task Force, including its origins and successes?

In the 2010s we were seeing somewhere in the order of 70-plus near misses between track worker groups and trains every year. This put up to 150 colleagues at very high risk of being struck by a train. Previous investigations into fatal accidents by RAIB and the ORR strongly suggested that unassisted lookout working was by far the most high-risk way to undertake work on or near the line. We were conducting 25% of our track work (32,000 hours a week) using human lookouts, in 2019. Going back to the Management of Health and Safety and Work Regulations, we weren’t preventing risk as far as was reasonably practicable.

After the fatal accidents at Stoats Nest Junction in 2018 and Margam in 2019, our safety regulator voiced its concern. Network Rail’s response was to build from the near miss reduction programme and step up the ‘Safety Task Force’.

Martin Frobisher, Ian Joslin, and Alan Spence and I, consulted on compliance criteria with the ORR and came up with 12 criteria for change by improving planning, deploying new technology, and enacting more effective leadership oversight.

Over two years, the ‘Safety Task Force’ reduced open line working by 99%. When you look at near misses, this was the highest risk category, and we removed it.

We reviewed 28 million maintenance tasks, twice, and shifted work orders into safer existing possessions or line blockages. We reassessed the signaller workload on all of our 677 workstations, set line blockage quotas, and increased additional protection for simple line blockages from 4% to over 40%, and that's still rising.

A simple line block is 20 times safer than the lookout flag. An additionally protected line block is 100 times safer. So, in doing this we’ve reduced near misses by 70%. On top of that, we’ve introduced a new planning system to 25,000 users called ‘Rail Hub’. This is a collaborative tablet-based, paperless planning system, which is used by every single work group.

There's still work to do, and that work is ongoing. Each of the 13 routes has a time-bound action plan that they're working to, and that includes the provision of train-activated warning systems, continuing to drive additional protection for simple blockages, provision of site signage, simple wayfinding to help trigger situational awareness, and the creation of access points and walkways to safely separate track workers from trains. That work continues. But over three years, we’ve improved planning, reduced the immediate risks of working on open railways, deployed safety equipment, increased additional protection for simple line blockages, and much more.

The demographics of the industry are weighted towards older workers with decades of experience. Is it difficult to introduce new safety innovations or technologies to staff who have worked in the industry for such a long time?

There can occasionally be pushback but, overall, I find that some of the best innovators I know have been in the industry for decades. I think experienced engineers are able to blend their intimate knowledge of the railway with new practices. Engineering is about innovation, and you’ll find that some of our more experienced staff are just as excited about technological advancements as our newer employees.

I understand the concern that some staff have around new technology and the anxiety that this could result in redundancies, but, ultimately, we must keep everyone safe. The key thing that we’ve got to do is develop apprentices, recruitment, and future operating models. We need to promote good industrial relations and make safety innovation something that’s exciting, rather than concerning.

On top of everything else you do, you’re also a mental health champion. How well does the industry address mental health among its workforce?

Historically, railway culture has been male dominated and that culture doesn’t really promote talking about perceived weaknesses. But when you open up to others, it’s not something

to be embarrassed about. In the track renewals business, my team introduced mental health first aid champions. When we looked at sickness and absenteeism due to mental health issues, we initially saw it increase, but as people became happier to talk, it began to decrease. When I was the infrastructure maintenance director on Western I did exactly the same thing, and I’m doing it again in Wales. By this time next year, I'm aiming to put a mental health first aider in every operational location, on every site, and in every van.

How is the cost-of-living crisis impacting worker’s mental health, and is this a concern from a safety perspective?

Looking at the current economic climate and how it is impacting mental health - it would be remiss of me as a director and a leader to say that everything’s fine at the moment, because it isn’t. When you consider incidents and accidents, human factors are often involved - we all become tired and we can become absent minded, at times. If you add to that the pressure of worrying about how you’re going to pay your next heating bill, or the rising cost of living, you’re certainly not going to be on top

of your game. So yes, the current economic situation will impact upon safety, in that it will increase the burden on some people’s mental health. That said, mental health awareness on the railway is growing and it is appropriate that the industry supports those who are struggling. We ensure all of our staff have access to mental health support, which we signpost to regularly in our internal communications.

Thanks for talking to us, Nick. Was there anything else you wanted to add?

The key point that I would like to get across is that in terms of increasing safety consciousness, everybody must be a safety leader. That’s my genuine belief. Being aware of risk and taking steps to remove or prevent that risk must be the responsibility of every single person and every single team.

On another note, Rail Safety Week, which runs between 26 June and 2 July, is getting close, and people can use the next few weeks to plan for it. Leaders can use this time to engage with their staff and their safety representatives. They can look at new technologies, innovations, new PPE, engage with their people, check in, listen to their concerns, and really aim to reduce risk.

WALK THE WIGAN TO BOLTON RAIL TRAIL

Throughout Britain there are 70 community rail partnerships (CRPs) that work with train operators on various initiatives including bringing stations to life. The idea is to help people get the most from their railways, and promote social inclusion and sustainable travel.

One such partnership is the South East Lancashire CRP (SELCRP). This covers 24 stations on lines between Bolton and Preston, Wigan, Bromley Cross, and Manchester. It was established in 2019 and grew out of the work of the Bolton Station Community Development Partnership which was formed to make best use of the station’s unoccupied space. With support from Northern and Network Rail, the former guards’ messroom on platform 5 is now a community room and the former general waiting room has become the ‘P5 Platform Gallery’ which hosts a programme of exhibitions.

SELCRP is one of 21 CRPs for which Northern Trains (Northern) provides core funding totalling £630,000.

SELCRP members walking the route at Westhoughton.

projects including hate crime awareness, community arts, as well as active and integrated transport such as a bus link between Bolton and Rivington Country Park. It led a project to provide an artwork in the subway at Wigan North Western Station which featured ‘Wiganese’ words and phrases. This was funded by Avanti West Coast and won first prize in the 2022 community rail awards category ‘Community Creative Projects and Station Art.’

Wigan North Western subway artwork.

Avanti has also funded SELCRP’s Community Rail Trail project between Wigan and Bolton which is also supported by Bolton and Wigan councils, Northern, and Transport for Greater Manchester. This has been developed by SELCRP volunteer

Vernon Sidlow, who explains that it was inspired by walks organised by the Bolton Station Community Partnership for various community groups. These one-way walks, with a train from Bolton and back, proved to be very popular events.

Vernon advised that his role was to devise the route between Wigan North Western/ Wallgate and Bolton stations via the stations between them (Hindley, Westhoughton and Lostock). This included the identification locations for way markers of which he has fitted 54 along the route. This work was supported by Ann Kolodziejski who sought

permission from landowners and occupiers, and liaised with the local authorities.

Having developed its first Community Rail Trail, SELCRP is now developing a walk between Bolton and Manchester’s Victoria/Piccadilly via intermediate stations.

As well as promoting health and well-being, this project aims to boost awareness of the area’s rich industrial and social history which is explained on graphic route maps which

also include photographs that Vernon took along the route. These were used to produce 1000mm x 500mm interpretation boards which are specific to each of the six stations along the trail and are now being installed at the route’s stations.

Images of these boards, the route of the Wigan to Bolton walk, and a download of the trail for the Komoot app is available at https://www. southeastlancscrp.org.uk/

community-rail-trails/.

“Surprise yourself by walking between Wigan and Bolton!” is the message on the trail’s interpretation boards. With its nature reserve, wildflower meadow, impressive station gardens, ancient woodland, and the Leeds to Liverpool Canal, this walk is worth a train journey to Bolton or Wigan where there is also a chance to learn ‘Wiganese’ from the station’s mural.

REPORT BY DAVID SHIRRES

Rail Trail way marker.

Rail Media’s annual Railway Safety Summit Conference was held on Tuesday 14 March at Loughborough University’s Holywell Park Conference Centre. With 136 people in attendance, the conference hall was packed.

Returning as a live event for the first time since 2019, this year’s Safety Summit was a real return to form. I was delighted to act as host and guide both delegates and speakers through the day’s proceedings.

BEWARE: RARELY IS NOT QUITE NEVER!

The day’s presentations were kicked off by Andrew Hall, chief inspector of the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB). His lecture, which came under the challenging title ‘Rarely is Not Quite Never’, began by reiterating that our railway is safe, with serious accidents becoming uncommon as a result of the huge efforts made over the last 25 years. However, he queried the dangers hidden in this positive story, stating that the rarity of these events can lead people to believe that accidents do not happen in their world.

SPEAKERS

Andrew spoke of the need to learn from accidents and use them for statistical studies leading to future investment. He warned of the pitfalls of historic norms, and the everyday errors made by “good people”. He showed graphic pictures of freight train derailments at Duddeston 2007 and Camden 2013, and commented that though our railways are statistically safe, recent accidents including Carmont, Margam, Llangennech, and Salisbury, could have been much worse.

RAIL SAFETY SUMMIT 2023

HOST

Colin Wheeler, Railway Civil Engineer, Trustee Robert Stephenson Trust, past Editor of the Rail Engineer magazine

Ian Prosser CBE, HM Chief Inspector Railways and Director of Railway Safety, Office of Rail Regulation

OFFICE OF RAIL AND ROAD

Unfortunately, although I had hoped to welcome ORR Chief Inspector Ian Prosser in person, he was unable to attend the event. However, Ian did provide a pre-recorded presentation which provided a welcome reminder of the role and achievements of the ORR. Sadly, as Ian could not attend in person, delegates did not have the chance to ask questions or seek clarification of any points of his presentation.

Marian Kelly, Head of SHE, London Underground

SAFETY ON THE UNDERGROUND: EVOLUTION AND REVOLUTION

Marian Kelly, head of Safety, Health and the Environment for London Underground gave us a history of safety on the London Underground and a look ahead to its approach in the future. Delegates were reminded that the London Underground, at 160 years, is the oldest metro system in the world and is used by between four and five million people every day. Marian said that the organisation’s present approach to safety is influenced by the Moorgate crash of 1975, Kings Cross fire of 1987, Clapham Junction rail crash of 1988, and the Sandilands derailment of 2016. She also spoke of the London Mayor’s Transport Strategy and the ambition that: “No one will be killed or seriously injured on the Transport for London network by 2041.” This ambitious aim will, said Marian, be achieved with an increased reliance on automation, culture, and behavioural improvement, and more effective learning.

ELECTRICAL ISOLATION: HOW DIFFICULT CAN IT BE?

Peter Dearman, formerly engineering director at Atkins, sometime electrification engineer with Network Rail, and now an independent consultant, reminded delegates of the importance of the ‘Test before Touch’ rule that should always be followed. Speaking about electrical traction systems he stressed the critical importance of “crucial issues around human factors and culture”.

He stressed the need to balance the protection provided by clear, consistent, and precise rules with measures to maximise vigilance by the individual exposed to risk. Peter reminded delegates that electrical safety affects all who work on or use the railway and emphasised that “no human sense detects electrical charge but contact with it can be catastrophic.”

Accidents involving people other than those working on the traction system are low, and those affecting the general public generally involve reckless behaviour. Notwithstanding this, he reminded everyone that the ongoing record is of “one fatality or life changing injury every 18 months or so.” He went on to explain who is most at risk and emphasised the “vulnerability of individuals due to lapses of attentiveness.” He added that traction systems cannot be enclosed, and attention lapses can be fatal.

Peter went on to describe the safety processes used for high voltage working. He repeated his earlier message that always following “test before touch” was the critical mantra together with ensuring one stayed within the boundaries for safe working. In conclusion he suggested that a good way forward would be to emulate military training, including both supervision and surveillance by supervisors acting also as safety wardens.

John Jebson, OHSE Director, McGinley Support Services

THE SUSTAINABLE WORKFORCE

John Jepson, OSHE director at McGinley told us that he sees his role as supporting his firms’ workers, for which he draws on his 30 years of experience in rail, civil engineering, and construction. He said the financial crisis has affected workers’ occupational health as, on average, they were £5,000 per annum worse off than before the pandemic; as well as being affected by inflation topping over 10% in January this year. He also reminded us of the increases in fuel and food prices. John added that many rail workers were unaware of the availability of financial support.

Polls indicate that 54% of construction workers would go to work whilst suffering with Covid-19 due to money worries and 44% admit to a degree of mental stress due to financial concerns. To illustrate the McGinley approach, he used a building block diagram to illustrate how McGinley tries to support its workers.

Rupert Lown, Chief Health, Safety & Wellbeing Officer, Network Rail

NETWORK RAIL’S SAFETY FRAMEWORK

Rupert Lown, chief Health, Safety and Wellbeing officer at Network Rail, addressed attendees and began by showing a chart of Network Rail’s past safety performance. It showed three categories of injury and fatalities using weighted averages between 2018 and 2022. He also used a chart of train accidents and high-risk potential incidents between 2019 and 2022.

Network Rail’s safety framework has six defined elements: safety culture, first line assurance, leadership capability, communication, life-saving rules, and separating people from trains. Six areas have been detailed for safety improvements and were underpinned by Network Rail’s Safety Taskforce. These were leadership, culture, assurance, communications, life saving rules, people, trains and machinery, and both the public and passengers. Following Rupert's presentation, the event broke for lunch, giving delegates the opportunity to catch-up with friends and colleagues, and to wander the numerous exhibition stands which showcased new technologies and services.

RAIL SAFETY: TAKING A TRANSPORT SYSTEMS PERSPECTIVE

Professor Sarah Sharples spoke about automation in transport and safety. In addition to her role as Chief Scientific Adviser to the Department of Transport, Sarah Sharples also works within the Faculty of Engineering at Nottingham University as the professor of Human Factors. She emphasised the importance of innovation and decarbonisation. Putting these aims in context she said that 70% of disabled people have some mobility impairment, two million are living with loss of sight, and 12 million with hearing losses exceeding 25dB.

Prof. Sharples questioned the meaning of “safe by design”, passenger service effects, responses to climate change, the potential impact on safety of using hydrogen as a fuel, and questioned the need for station ticket barriers. She concluded by stressing the importance of sharing best practice between transport modes and said that a good safety culture needs to be reinforced by asking all the right questions!

Peter Dearman, Independent Consultant (Former Engineering Director, Atkins), Dearman Engineering

Prof. Sarah Sharples, DfT, Chief Scientific Adviser and Professor of Human Factors at Nottingham University

James Le Grice, Head of Rail Safety and Standards, Department for Transport

THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT IN RAIL SAFETY

James Le Grice, Head of Rail Safety and Standards at the Department for Transport delivered a presentation on “the role of government in safety.” Safety, he said, was driven by interlinked elements which include culture, oversight, regulation, and investment. Speaking to a slide titled “fixing gaps in the regulatory regime”, he showed pictures selected from RAIB reports. He also made reference to the 2005 Railways Act, the freight growth target, the decarbonising of transport and the coming implementation of the Williams-Shapps plan for rail (Great British Railways etc.). James concluded with a reminder that there were no fatal rail accidents between 2007 and 2020 and stated that “the United Kingdom is a world leader in rail safety”.

SAFER RAIL MAINTENANCE

Before taking up his current role as Acting Route Director Wales and Borders for Network Rail, Nick Millington MBE led NR’s Safety Task Force. His presentation brought home the human cost of rail accidents with pictures showing four trackworkers who have died after being struck by trains. During a two-and-a-half-year period, 11% of track work was planned to use lookouts and look out warning systems (LOWS). But tellingly 70% of all near misses involved lookouts/LOWS. This led to the decision to stop the use of lookouts. The challenge for the Task Force came from these facts.

A 98% reduction in lookout protected working has been achieved and working in possessions and under protected line blocks has increased from 31% to 60%. The move from unassisted lookouts and LOWS to line blocks has increased the dependency on protection technology. Track workers now work over two million more hours between near misses. The case for change was built on data as well as tragedy, and front-line teams were involved. Nick said that the biggest risk now is that we slip back when the focus moves to other things.

Ali Chegini, RSSB, Director, System Safety & Health

CHANGING TIMES – RETAINING RAIL’S RISK FOCUS

Ali Chegini Director of System Safety & Health at the Railway Safety and Standards Board (RSSB), fired the starting gun on the afternoon session. He began his presentation by reminding us all that RSSB is an “independent safety, standards and research organisation guided by facts and analysis”. RSSB aims to lead on health and safety matters whilst both collaborating with the industry and sharing best practices.

He added that “boardrooms and finance directors are not viewing safety as a business risk or an opportunity to reduce costs.” Identifying lessons learnt is crucial, he said, as is recognising the threat of complacency. By way of example, he referred to the Carmont accident as a reminder of the importance of monitoring extreme rainfall and improving rolling stock. He also stressed to the value of freight vehicle maintenance, citing Llangennech as an extreme example.

Leo Scott Smith, CEO, Tended

GEOFENCING FOR TRACKWORKER SAFETY

Leo Scott Smith made the final presentation of the day, but its contents provided a great challenge to planning and protecting track workers. Leo is the chief executive of start-up company Tended. Its equipment is being trialled and has attracted the interest of the Network Rail Safety Taskforce. When working adjacent to an open line, workers need to each wear a small device which will reliably provide an individual warning if the individual crosses an electronic geo-fence boundary.

In trials, geofencing has demonstrated an accuracy of just one and a half centimetres with warnings triggered in a mere half second. Occasions where track workers lose situational awareness, wrongly identify access points, leave equipment on site, or instances of incorrect placing of possession protection, are all potential future uses of this technology.

A RESOUNDING SUCCESS

This year’s Rail Safety Summit was a true return to form and delegates left the venue with real food for thought. The day’s presentations covered many aspects of rail safety, looking in-depth at long-recognised problems and introducing novel ideas. I was particularly impressed by the high level of discussion and the discussion and debate

generated by each presentation. My personal thanks go to all the team at Rail Media for the excellent arrangements and to all those who attended the Summit and asked searching questions. Special thanks also to my fellow Rail Media writer Clive Kessel for his chairing and hosting of the afternoon session.

Nick Millington MBE, Network Rail, Route Director, Wales and Borders Route

The Rail Safety Summit has proven time and time again that it is a must-attend event for up-to-date rail safety information.

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YOUNG RAIL PROFESSIONALS CHANGE AT THE TOP

Hello! Welcome to my first column as the new Young Rail Professionals Chairwoman for 2023/2024. My name is Bonnie Price and I work for EGIS in the UK. I am also a part-time master’s student at UCL. With a background in project management consultancy, to say I have a passion for getting things done would be an understatement.

It has been an exciting past year for Young Rail Professionals. Nationally, over 70 events were held for our 8,000+ member organisations – from Cardiff to York, London to Bristol, and even Milan!

This issue arrives after YRP’s Annual dinner and awards, which was held in Birmingham with over 500 people in attendance. I hope, dear reader, that some of you were in attendance and had a wonderful time. For those who were not, I hope to inspire a little FOMO (fear of missing out) and that I’ll see you at next year’s event!

I am pleased to say that EGIS and Schweizer Electronic joined us this year as corporate members, and hopefully we will attract more corporate members as the year goes on. This is on top of the funding from our 22 other corporate members whose funding is vital for us to be able to deliver key events for the good of the industry and our members. This couldn’t be done without our fantastic members, to whom I am so grateful.

In the past 12 months, YRP has spoken at many industry events, including InnoTrans, Railtex, and Rail Cymru, and we are looking forward to what we can deliver this year. We’ve been in the privileged position to be

able to judge on panels for the RailStaff awards, the Rail Industry Association’s RISE awards, and the Rail Business Awards.

So, what is next for YRP?

This is our fifteenth year in action and we are making some changes, improving on what works well, and tweaking things to further enhance what we can offer to our volunteers and members.

We are moving our RailWeek initiative to February to allow more time to plan and hopefully further grow its offering. We have added an Alumni event to RailWeek to further encompass the industry and offer an event to our previous committee members. We will also be having themed days of events, and seeking sponsorship for this were possible, but I won’t spoil any surprises about those themes just yet.

Our INTOrail offering is changing slightly, with a view to performing more direct outreach with schools in deprived areas and to children’s homes, as well as to joint ventures with charities for Young People who are out of social care.

Bonnie Price.

Committee Members

We are re-launching two regions this year: North West and Scotland. If you would like to get involved, please sign up on the website. Being a YRP member is, and always will be, free. We are also seeking more committee members all over the UK so we can continue to expand our offerings to our committees and members. Everyone is welcome at YRP and hopefully we will see you at one of our events soon!

I don’t wish to be doom and gloom, but the industry’s skills shortage is not going to go away

unless radical action is taken. Our corporate sponsorships help to attract and support the rail professionals of the future.

So, if your company is not listed as a corporate member with us, perhaps it should be? We are 100% volunteer led, meaning every penny we get goes directly to generating a better rail industry for young people.

All that’s left to say is thank you for joining me - I hope you enjoyed my first column! I look forward to telling you more about what YRP is getting up to in the next issue.

Corporate Members

XEIAD TRAINING ACADEMY ONE YEAR ON

In December 2021, RailStaff spoke to civil engineering consultancy XEIAD as it prepared to launch its new Training Academy. Just over a year later, the venture is going from strength-to-strength, and we caught up with the firm once again to discuss its success and its vision for the future.

Since its founding in 2003, XEIAD has grown to become a leading engineering consultancy firm, specialising in rope access, diving, and confined spaces providing technical engineering services to industry. Its teams boast exceptional experience of inspecting structures such as bridges, culverts, retaining walls, tunnels and shafts. The firm is an expert at delivering cost effective and reliable engineering examinations on all sorts of structures across many industry sectors, working notably with National Highways, the Ministry of Defence via Babcock, and Network Rail.

Based at the firm’s offices in Ilkeston, the Training Academy gives engineers and technicians the skills to tackle specialist inspections within a condensed timeframe. Historically, trainees have been taught relatively slowly while still working their day job and have then shadowed qualified examiners for around two years. XEIAD, however, delivers a tightly focused training pathway which provides three months of intensive training, focusing purely on structures and inspections. This is followed by a focussed period of mentoring to ensure that candidates gather sufficient experience and rail-side knowledge to complete their competence assessment process. Graduates of the training programme are fully competent and have all the qualifications they need to go out and do their job.

THE RIGHT MINDSET

INTENSIVE TRAINING

The XEIAD Training Academy was established to help the rail industry address its shortfall in inspection engineers, particularly those trained for structures examinations. The trend is a major issue for the industry. Among other things, it has led many to leave their employers and set themselves up as sub-contractors, charging rates higher than the industry can bear. By controlling the training, XEIAD aims to ensure that competent employees are rolled out within a timeframe that helps to ease the industry’s recruitment difficulties and importantly, to support XEIAD’s delivery of structures examinations throughout the country.

The beauty of XEIAD’s Training Academy is its egalitarian approach to recruitment. The firm does not require any key qualifications, rather it seeks individuals with a basic grasp of engineering and a logical mindset, who are inquisitive and who ask questions. Being comfortable working in the outdoors is also essential. The Training Academy also attracts candidates who are already in the industry and are looking to retrain, as well as those working in similar sectors who can bring relevant technical skills across with them.

“There’s no real limit on the basic skills required to do this job,” says Paul Capener, XEIAD’s Managing Director. “We’ve had people from all different backgrounds and

industries. The training academy has attracted track workers, mountain rescue team members, postal workers, even a university lecturer.

People with military experience are also a great fit because they’re focused, reliable, they are keen to learn new skills and they’re used to working in tough environments.”

The pressing challenge of developing a deep pool of inspection staff drives XEIAD’s open recruitment policy as well as it’s condensed training regime. Successful applicants are guaranteed a high-quality learning experience, delivered by experienced trainers who themselves are examiners and engineers, and benefit from a robust mentoring programme which provides expert advice whenever it is required. The rail industry has long been crying out for such a programme and XEIAD certainly delivers.

“Investment in people is something that simply cannot wait and XEIAD is at the forefront of developing its people,” says Luke McInerney, who joined XEIAD in January 2023 as Head of Rail. “The quality of the training is exemplary, with huge attention to detail and the sharing of in-depth experience from industry experts, which ensures that everybody joining the company is provided the best possible footing. Whether just starting a career, transitioning from another industry or being a ‘seasoned expert’ the training academy provides an excellent pathway.”

SUCCESS STORY

By all accounts, the Training Academy’s first year in operation has been a resounding success, delivering on XEIAD’s objectives when the programme launched in 2022.

“When we established the Training Academy, we planned to have three cohorts of trainees in the first year,” says Paul. “I’m pleased to say that we've delivered on all three of those cohorts and from that we have nearly 30 additional STE4 Structures Examiners, half a dozen STE7 Underwater Examiners, and close to a dozen new STE2 Reviewing Engineers. It’s been a very successful first year for us.” But the firm hasn’t sat on its laurels, continually reviewing and developing the programme it ran last year to provide an enhanced offering for future cohorts.

“For every cohort we’ve run, we've reviewed all of the outcomes and made incremental changes, for instance by ringfencing our training teams so all they have to focus on is delivering the programme rather than working a day job as well,” says Paul. “We’ve also enhanced our induction and onboarding process to make the best use of trainees’ time and ensure they’re learning at every available opportunity.

“We’ve also tweaked our training materials as the year has gone on, because not everybody learns in the same way, and, with the introduction of the CIV1000 standard by Network Rail, we’ve scrutinised our assessment process to meet the increased levels of competency assessments that it demands.”

James Marshall is just one of XEIAD’s success stories. Prior to joining the training Academy early last year, he was teaching construction trades and engineering in a further education setting. Having read RailStaff’s previous article, James decided to apply for the academy to progress his professional engineering career with the company.

“I was welcomed into the Tunnel Team to assist with carrying out tunnel inspections and other associated works,” says James. “I have been very lucky to

work extensively on Mersey Rail so early in my rail journey as this is unique rail infrastructure as it contains many tunnel systems with some traveling under the River Mersey. I enjoy inspecting structures in detail but also appreciate the hard work that went into building these. By understanding the past, we can plan for the future management of these assets.”

LOOKING FORWARD

Building on its achievements in 2022, XEIAD has a bold vision for the next year and beyond. The firm is planning to double its numbers of trainees, with 72 individuals qualifying in six cohorts in 2023 and again in 2024. It also plans to expand the scope of its training.

“We're going to do some additional modular training this year,” says Paul, “which means we will end up with nearly 50 new Structures Examiner's and at least a dozen Tunnel Engineers. We’re also opening up to some highways Bridge Inspectors as well. After proving the concept last year, we've now formed a dedicated ringfenced, team of Trainers and Competency Assessors and we're still recruiting additional staff members to beef that up.”

Looking further ahead, Paul sees the Training Academy’s aims progressing and serving a wider client base.

“The plan is to continue to run the cohorts for as long as there's a need to do so,” he says. “I think what we'll see is an evolution of the of the Training Academy. At the moment, it is very much focused on Structures Examiners but we’re starting to look more at some of the other engineering roles, and also some of the non-rail roles too. As we satisfy the needs of industries within rail, we’ll start to explore other needs elsewhere, how we can assure competencies that are being managed in other industries and train new people into those areas.”

INDUSTRY SUPPORT

XEIAD has been involved with the Rail industry since its inception and currently delivers examinations on multiple routes on over 15,000 structures per annum. The firm’s work in keeping critical infrastructure safe, providing exceptional training for existing rail workers, and attracting new recruits makes XEIAD a major asset to the industry as a whole. In return, the firm enjoys stalwart support from some of Rail’s major players.

The Training Academy benefits greatly from XEIAD’s close relationship with Network Rail. In August 2021, while building on its successes serving the needs of Network Rail's Northwest and Central region, XEIAD won a major contract to deliver its services for the Eastern, Southern and Western regions. The contract opened up further investment for the firm’s training operations which, in return, enhances XEIAD’s abilities to provide its services for the rail network.

“Network Rail’s Eastern Region owns and operates over 20,000 structural assets,” says Christopher Heap, Head of Asset Management, Eastern Region, Network Rail. Examination of these assets is essential in order to inform our Asset Management risk-based decision making. Condition reports significantly contribute to intelligence which directs our

safety-critical operational maintenance activities and also input into our publicly funded multibillion pound five-year control period settlements with the Department for Transportation.”

Since RailStaff last reported on XEIAD, the firm has been acquired by BES Group, a trusted advisor in end-to-end testing, inspection, certification and compliance solutions firm. Taking ownership in August 2022, BES Group has thrown its weight behind the Training Academy, investing heavily and providing the support to push the initiative onwards.

“The XEIAD training academy is a fantastic initiative and we’re delighted to be celebrating its first anniversary,” says John Campbell, CEO of BES Group. “Developing our people with the very best training and coaching is extremely important to us across the BES Group and the training academy does just that. Introducing this really reinforces the value we put on our people and the importance of our team and we look forward to seeing our training academy continue to grow and support even more people over the coming years.”

These firm industry connections make XEIAD a crucial link in the UK’s rail industry, and whatever the firm gains from these relationships, it gives back tenfold. The success of the Training Academy will see hundreds of structure examiners channelled into the rail resource pool, ensuring that safety-critical work can continue unimpeded and allowing major projects to press onwards. XEIAD’s commitment to retaining specialised staff and attracting skilled individuals to the rail family will ensure that valuable knowledge is preserved and passed on for many years to come, safeguarding the skills that enable the network to keep us all travelling safely.

RAILSTAFF AWARDS

It’s that time again – the countdown to the RailStaff Awards has begun, and although 2022’s event set the bar impossibly high, this year it will be bigger and better than ever!

Last year’s extravaganza wowed everyone in attendance. From rail managers to customer service assistants, apprentices to training managers, the full breadth and depth of the industry’s workers was represented and a record 143,000 votes were cast to decide the finalists.

Guests were welcomed into a bustling alpine party village, complete with log cabins and fir tree forest. Once inside, they mingled at the venue’s double-storey ski resort before a delicious meal ahead of the awards ceremony, hosted by comedian Ed Byrne. It might sound tough to top that, but believe us, we will.

Every year, the RailStaff Awards gains more attention, more nominations, and more positive feedback, but what is the key to its success?

While the industry has its fair share of awards evenings, only the RailStaff Awards, which began in 2007, stand out as being completely different from the rest.

One major difference is that the Awards are solely for the industry’s amazing staff – the people that keep the wheels turning. Firms can encourage their employees to enter and even help them through the process, but at the end of the day, the individual takes home the prize, not the company.

The RailStaff Awards recognise those who go the extra mile, whether that’s supporting their co-workers, making the railway safer, helping society at large, or just making peoples’ days a little brighter.

In short, they’re the people who work beyond their jobs, setting aside their precious time for others, and teaching us all to show a little more humanity.

If you work alongside a colleague who deserves some recognition, nominate them in one of our 18 categories today. THE CATEGORIES IN FULL:

• Apprentice or Newcomer of the Year

• Award for Charity

• Customer Service Award

• Depot & Freight Staff Award

• Digital Railway Person or Team Award

• Graduate Award

• Health & Wellbeing Award

• HR, Diversity & Inclusion Person or Team

• Learning, Development & Investing in People Award

• Lifetime Achievement

• Rail Engineer of the Year

• Rail Manager of the Year

• Rail Person of the Year

• Rail Team of the Year

• Recruitment & Talent Acquisition or Team

• Safety Person or Team Award

• Samaritans Lifesaver Award

• Station Staff Award

AWARDS 2023

SHOW YOUR APPRECIATION

The most common feedback we receive is when nominees express their appreciation for those who’ve put them forward for an award. By nominating a railway superstar you’re recognising the amazing work they do and the impact they have on those around them. Past winners and finalists all agree that hearing their name read out on the night is one of the proudest moments of their lives.

Individuals and teams can be nominated by colleagues, co-workers, management, friends, union reps, and even the public. Anyone can nominate, but there’s one rule - you can’t nominate yourself.

Once all the nominations are received, public voting commences. Anyone and everyone can go onto the Awards’ website and cast their vote, whether that’s for an entry that really captures their imagination or just to show support for a friend or acquaintance.

With all the public votes in, details of the top 15 nominees in each category are sent to an independent judging panel composed of industry leaders. The judging teams choose a winner and up to two ‘highly commended’ entries for each category.

ENJOY THE EVENING

The RailStaff Awards is always a spectacular event but, more than that, it’s a celebration of the people that make the industry great. It’s an evening when the whole railway family comes together to honour its brightest stars. Winners and finalists come from all levels of the industry to mix and mingle and have a fantastic time.

Join us in November for a spectacular evening. Enjoy a delicious meal and spectacular entertainment and, once the Awards ceremony is over, dance the night away with your friends and colleagues.

If you’ve never attended the RailStaff Awards, make 2023 your year. It’s not a ball, it’s not a networking event, and it’s not a corporate event – it’s all of those things and more.

ENGINEERING SUCCESS

The rail industry’s army of engineers keep the rail network running day and night, 365 days a year. Since the first days of the railway, engineers have provided the insight and expertise required to drive the projects and systems on which the transport of millions depends. The Rail Engineer of the Year Award celebrates their extraordinary efforts and this year specialist inspections and survey’s firm GeoAccess has thrown its support behind the award.

Established in 2014 to address the need for inspections on difficult access sites in the rail sector, GeoAccess works nationwide, covering a broad range of industries. Utilising its highly experienced Geotechnical and structural engineers coupled with UAVs, ROVs, Rope Access, and Confined Space Techniques, the firm looks at every job holistically.

By using tried and tested methods as well as implementing highly innovative cutting-edge techniques, it delivers the most efficient cost-effective solution to its client’s needs. GeoAccess takes pride in its ability to tackle every job no matter how big or small, with the same professional flexible approach, believing that anything is possible.

“The fact that rail engineers are being recognised for their

excellent and critical work is brilliant,” says Managing Director Mark Coleman. “The Rail Engineer of the Year Award is a such prestigious title for someone to take home, and its great to think it might inspire others within the industry to aim high and get their ideas noticed.

At GeoAccess, we're all about striving to make things better. Our big project at the moment is our earthwork inspections for Network Rail. We’re the sole framework supplier for Wales, Western, and all of Southern delivering earthwork exams. As part of that contract, year on year, we’re trying to improve on it – introducing new ideas, trying to reduce our carbon footprint, improve on sustainability and our environmental impact. We are genuinely making a change, and that’s why it's so fitting that we sponsor this award.”

Transport for Wales’ Chloe Thomas took the coveted prize at the 2022 Awards ceremony. Chloe joined the railway back in 2015 as a fleet maintenance apprentice, now she is a Fleet Support Engineer who has completed her BSc Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Along with her many academic achievements, Chloe’s innovative work impressed colleagues at Canton Depot, where she successfully implemented new battery testing equipment that uses conductance testing to determine the health of the battery on the Class 150 Fleet. Her project will enhance the performance of the batteries resulting in increased reliability of battery systems as this project will implement preventative

maintenance into the exam regime.

“The RailStaff Awards are fantastic,” says Mark. “From nominations, through to judging and the award ceremony, the

event raises the profile of so many talented individuals and of the industry as a whole. We’re proud to be sponsoring the Rail Engineer of the Year Award and can't wait to be part of the event once again.”

TRAIN’D UP HONOURS TEAM PLAYERS

Train’d Up is proud to sponsor this years’ ‘Rail Team of the Year’ award, recognising the amazing teamwork that goes on every day in the UK rail industry.

In a national industry, built on and driven by effective communication, great teamworking is an essential component. Effective teams are formed by highly skilled individuals, displaying collaboration, competency, and leadership skills, in addition to being subject area specialists. Research shows that collaborative problem-solving leads to better outcomes, with staff more likely to think ‘out of the box’ and be innovative when supported by a team. Working in a team also encourages personal development, increases job satisfaction, and reduces stress.

The Rail Team of the Year Award gives nominators broad scope, with few restrictions on what role that team has in ‘real’ life. Two recruiters, ten train cleaners, or 20 timetable planners all are valid entries, as is a group of workers

who come together to help the wider community.

The 2022 Award went to a group of amazing volunteers who stepped up to act in the face of tragedy. UK Rail for Ukraine, a crossindustry initiative set up by volunteers, was mobilised to despatch muchneeded aid items to help Ukrainian citizens after the country was invaded in February 2022.

The idea of an aid train for Ukrainian citizens was suggested on LinkedIn, leading

hundreds of volunteers and supporters to come forward. A team was quickly formed and started to contact charities and other organisations to share the idea and seek guidance on what could be most useful to people in Ukraine.

Each partner organisation and individual stepped up, juggling their day job, and donations were sourced from organisations across the country.

Moving all the donated items, loading containers, producing all the documentation required, and planning the journey took many hours of volunteers’ time, and significant support from rail industry organisations and government teams.

The UK Rail for Ukraine train was waved off from

London on 7 April.

Since Train’d Up was formed in 2003, the company has fast become a nationally recognised centre of excellence for innovative training and development solutions, and a leading national provider of apprenticeships and work-based learning solutions to the rail and engineering sectors. With five locations strategically located throughout England and Scotland (Bridge of Allan near Stirling, Newcastle, Manchester, Birmingham, and London), Train’d Up is well placed to meet the needs of the rail industry nationally.

For further information on Train’d Up’s services, please visit www.traindup.org or call 0330 058 8300.

HEROES REAL-LIFE

supported someone when they are most

industry, as part of its suicide prevention programme and Network Rail partnership. Since 2010, Samaritans has trained more than 27,000 rail staff, as well as British Transport Police (BTP), in suicide prevention.

Samaritans works closely with the UK rail industry to reduce suicides and support those affected, including award-winning awareness campaigns such as Small Talk Saves Lives.

Delivered in partnership with Network Rail and BTP, and supported by the wider rail industry, the campaign reminds people that they already have the skills, and to simply trust their instincts and start a conversation with a question such as ‘hello, what’s the time?’. This can be all it takes to interrupt someone’s suicidal thoughts and start them on their path to recovery.

Shane Davis, a mobile operations manager at Network Rail, took home the Samaritans Lifesaver award in 2022.

On 5 December 2021, Shane had been called to an incident concerning a distressed male who had placed himself on an overbridge, with the railway situated below. When Shane arrived at the bridge the man was sat with his legs dangling over the edge.

He could clearly see that the individual was in a moment of crisis.

After asking for permission from the police onsite to approach, he engaged the man in conversation. Both Shane and the man opened up, discussing the things that they had both been through and discovering that they had a lot of common ground. They also talked through all of the different options for help. Shane showed real compassion and empathy when this person needed it the most. His quick thinking and perseverance resulted in the man stepping down from the ledge. Samaritans is available day or night, for anyone who’s struggling to cope, and who needs someone to listen without

judgement or pressure. Across communities, in prisons, schools, hospitals and on the rail network, Samaritans is working with people who are going through a difficult time and training others to do the same. It works tirelessly to reach more people and make suicide prevention a priority.

The charity is proud to sponsor the Lifesaver Award and looks forward to welcoming entries for the 2023 awards ceremony. To nominate any of your heroes for a Lifesaver Award, please visit www.railstaffawards.com.

For more information on Samaritans rail suicide prevention programme, or if you’re interested in training, please email railcompanies@ samaritans.org.

“At Land Sheriffs we have been proud of the work our teams do to support the rail industry in suicide prevention. By recognising internally when our staff make interventions we have instilled a culture of intervention making, so we’re thrilled that John and Rob have been recognised by RailStaff for their contribution to this important and life-saving work.”

TYLER LEMAY, LAND SHERIFFS MANAGING DIRECTOR

Chris Gough, Operations Manager at Land Sheiffs (who collected the award on behalf of the winners John Dawson and Rob Shannon), with Steven Tollerton, Training Manager at Samaritans.

FREIGHTLINER

CHAMPIONS DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

he rail industry, like many others, is still getting to grips with including and representing the wide array of cultures, ethnicities, genders, sexualities, and abilities represented in today’s workplace. This pioneering work is being carried out by some very special individuals, and the RailStaff Awards recognises their vital efforts.

Freightliner, sponsor of the RailStaff Award’s HR, Diversity and Inclusion Award, places great emphasis on improving diversity, equality, and inclusion across its business areas.

In recent years, there has been a growing recognition that gender equality is an increasingly important topic for the Freightliner business. New executives have helped to change the mindset of the business and an understanding that improving diversity improves decision making and allows for a more

balanced approach to doing business. In less than two years, Freightliner has increased its female executive members from one to three, including its CEO (interim appointment). On a monthly basis, gender profile is discussed at executive meetings and a target has been set to increase Freightliner’s female population by 1% year-on-year as part of its five-year strategy.

Freightliner has also developed a Diversity, Inclusion, and Cultural awareness programme for all managers and leaders, which will be cascaded to all employees during 2023/2024. The aim is for all employees, regardless of seniority, to understand the importance of diversity and inclusion, including the moral and social benefits. It is hoped this will help transform behaviours and influence cultural change allowing for a more inclusive environment.

Freightliner values first-hand feedback from female frontline colleagues and annually celebrates International Women’s Day (IWD) where colleagues come together in celebration of women in the rail and logistics industry. This is a valued initiative and a wonderful social event used to share experiences and examine and discuss topics that are important to the female frontline workforce (such as personal safety, PPE, childcare, and family challenges).

As a spin off to IWD, a female driver forum was established, chaired by a female train driver, aimed at identifying, voicing, and addressing challenges that impact women in the workplace and particularly for those working in frontline roles. Learnings from this forum allow Freightliner to not only address issues raised but help them make improvements that will positively influence more diverse recruitment into frontline roles. It also ensures every single person in the company is valued, heard, respected, empowered, and feels a true sense of belonging.

In 2022, Freightliner was a driving force behind the publication of a new children’s book, My Mummy is a Train

Driver, aimed at inspiring young children to consider a future career in rail and to showcase the welcoming and inclusive work environment the rail industry continues to foster.

In the words of Freightliner’s HR Director, Glynis Appelbe “Misconceptions of the rail freight industry has created an image problem, which has made the sector unattractive to underrepresented and protected groups. Fostering equality, diversity and inclusion in our industry is about challenging mindsets and putting in place initiatives aimed at retaining and attracting diverse talent to our industry, particularly for females and other unrepresented groups.”

A HEARTS & MINDS COMMITMENT IS NEEDED

Our early railways were dominated by manual work undertaken by a committed workforce who took pride in what they did. On my wall I have pictures showing track workers who had won prizes for their work which was judged by competition to be “a best kept length of track”. When required to work on tracks open to traffic, warnings were given using flags, horns, and whistles, and the gangs relied upon the expertise and commitment of those looking out for approaching trains.

The team spirit was soon enhanced by “improvement classes” providing training in a variety of track skills and the Permanent Way Institution was founded by William Meredith Lewis in 1884 to increase the understanding and skills of trackmen. It was aimed at wages-grade individuals to enhance their track skills, including those of chargehands and permanent way inspectors. By the time I came to work on the railway, staff were further encouraged to work together by membership of British Railways Staff Association clubs. These were a social focus for a wide range of railway workers and their families which helped generate a strong work commitment.

Engineers, and especially railway engineers, enjoy developing more and more sophisticated and clever equipment to keep those working on railway infrastructure safe and effectively outlaw the use of flags, horns, and whistles. More difficult, but I suggest essential to build on the excellent work of Network Rail’s Safety Taskforce, what is

now needed is a high profile and continuing campaign to generate commitment and enthusiasm to work safely. I have reservations about the drafting and use of Safe System of Work plans. Are they all accepted by those who do the work? A hearts and minds safety campaign, endorsed and supported at track level, is needed but should be planned in detail after listening carefully to those who do the work.

NEAR MISS AT PENKRIDGE

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) is still investigating a near miss with trackworkers at Penkridge which happened on 11 July 2022. At 00:06, two trackworkers moved clear of an approaching freight train travelling at 61mph with less than a second to spare! Another train was passing on the adjacent line as the freight train approached. The trackworkers were investigating an ongoing fault with the Overhead Line Equipment (OLE) which had prevented trains with electric traction from using the line, resulting in train service disruption.

LOUGHBOROUGH CENTRAL STATION ACCIDENT

At 11:49 on 14 January this year, a passenger on the heritage Great Central Railway was alighting at Loughborough Central Station but lost their footing and sustained a serious injury. The train had stopped with the leading door of the leading coach adjacent to the platform ramp which “is not intended for public use.” RAIB is investigating and will consider methods of working at the station, management of the risks to passengers boarding and alighting, as well as management factors.

FAILED WING WALL COLLAPSED ONTO TRACKS

At 18:40 on Friday 10 February, the 17:34 Paddington to Hereford passenger service, operated by the Great Western Railway, ran into brick rubble on the single line section at Yarnton between Oxford and Charlbury. Brickwork had fallen from a “failed wingwall” of a bridge carrying a local road over the railway. Although travelling at 55mph the train was not derailed but it suffered damage. The track was briefly reopened on Sunday

Colin Wheeler.

12 February but closed again a few hours later. It then stayed closed for a further nine days “whilst an adjacent embankment was stabilised”. RAIB’s investigation will include the history of the structure, structural inspections, and a report of cracking in the road in the adjacent embankment. Presumably, the most recent detailed and superficial structural examination reports had been signed off by a professionally-qualified structural engineer whose responsibilities are detailed in his or her job description…

TEIGNMOUTH BOATYARD NEAR MISS

At 01:23 on the morning of 14 February, the driver of a passenger train travelling at 55mph reported a near miss with a track worker on the Down Main line near Teignmouth Boatyard near Dawlish access point. At 01:18 the Controller of Site Safety (COSS) went to place worksite marker boards, having been asked to do so by the Engineering Supervisor. The COSS accessed the track, walked to the required position, and placed the board on the Down Line. The worker had placed the worksite marker board on the line which was still open to traffic. Both the Engineering Supervisor and COSS, hearing a train coming, moved to the open Up Line as the train hit the marker board. Both the trackworker and the train driver were shaken by the incident. Following a preliminary investigation, RAIB has decided to publish a Safety Digest.

TRAM PASSENGER DRAGGED AT BEESTON NOTTINGHAM

On 22 February a tram passenger was dragged for several metres before falling onto the platform at Beeston Centre tram stop. It happened after the passenger had “placed a walking stick in the tram’s closing doors.” The passenger sustained both facial and chest injuries. After its preliminary investigation the RAIB has decided to issue a Safety Digest.

OIL CARRYING FREIGHT VEHICLE BROKE TWO RAILS

Also on 22 February, RAIB released its report 03/2023 about the track damage that occurred on 6 March 2021 between Pencoed and Llanharan in South Wales. One wheelset of a wagon travelling from Robeston Oil Terminal at Milford Haven to Teale was near Reading when a wheel stopped rotating on wet and rusty rails that had not been used for several months. Consequently, two rails within a mile of each other were fractured. The report says that Network Rail was focussed on Autumn leaf fall and had failed to act on advice from a cross-industry working group on the precautions to be taken when re-opening an unused line. The report does not

specify the individual who was responsible. Surely the adequate inspection, maintenance, and timely replacement of freight wagons needs to become a top priority without further delay if our climate change objectives are to be achieved?

TRACK WORKER COSS IN NEAR MISS WITH 125MPH TRAIN

A Safety Digest was published by the RAIB on 16 March following a near miss in November 2022. At around 01:29 on 15 November, a train travelling at 125mph narrowly missed a track worker on the West Coast Main Line near Bulkington, some four miles south of Nuneaton. The worker was the COSS for a team of agency track staff working in the four-foot of a line under possession. The COSS had stepped from a position of safety into the six-foot between the open and closed running lines. The adjacent line was open to traffic at line speed. The COSS returned to the position of safety with just two seconds to spare.

According to the Safety Digest, the COSS had given a site briefing which identified the six-foot rail of the Up Trent Valley line as the “safe area boundary”. The team was instructed to remain on the eastern side of

this and a Site Warden was appointed. By the time the train approached at 01:29, the team had split into two distinct groups working some 55 or 60 metres apart. Darkness and the track curve meant that the Site Warden could no longer monitor the position of the workers. Consequently, the COSS received no warning from the Site Warden to step back.

REMINDER OF LIVE EXPOSED EQUIPMENT

On 1 March, a Network Rail Safety Central Safety Bulletin was issued by its Technical Head of Contact Systems AC/DC, titled “Reminder of Live Exposed Equipment”. During a planned isolation on 17 April 2022, the Nominated Person, discovered that the RoLE equipment used within the isolation had been removed from its position and was in the cess. If RoLE is removed without authorisation this will “contradict the brief and Overhead Line Permit (Form C)”. The Nominated Person immediately reinstated the RoLE and reported a Close Call. The Bulletin contains no details of why or by whom the RoLE was removed, or of subsequent managerial action to prevent a recurrence.

‘TEST BEFORE TOUCH FOR OLE’ ISSUED BY SAFETY CENTRAL 22-03

This was posted on 3 January and is described as follows:

“Following recent electrical safety incidents where colleagues sustained life changing injuries due to inadvertent contact with Live Overhead Line (OLE), a new standard has been published to formalise and improve the “Test before Touch” process for the OLE.”

It adds under a heading of “please remember”:

“Any person within the working party can request for the OLE to be tested before they touch (defined as planning to come within 600mm of a conductor) at any time while the Overhead Line Permit is in place.”

MAINTENANCE OF RAIL HEAD TREATMENT TRAIN WITHOUT PROTECTION

On 1 March. a Safety Bulletin was issued titled ‘Depot Protection’. An external safety audit of Rail Treatment Train (RHTT) maintenance was carried out on 12 October last year. It found that at Slateford Depot in Edinburgh, train maintenance staff were undertaking maintenance work with no protection arrangements in place. The work was stopped “until protection had been applied in accordance with the contracted maintainers Safe System of Work”. On the same day a similar issue was discovered at Coleham Depot in Shrewsbury during a routine inspection.

At Coleham, the RHTT was also being maintained with inadequate protection by contractors from a different company. Again, the work was stopped until the agreed Safe System of Work protection was in place. Presumably, Network Rail management has subsequently taken steps which should prevent any recurrence?

NIGHT WORKING

On a very personal note, I have strong opinions against work being done at night with an adjacent track just six-foot away, still open for traffic. I recall the night, decades ago, when the organisation of which I was part lost a relaying supervisor who was commendably safety conscious but lost concentration. He was struck by a train passing on the adjacent line and lost his life.

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Twenty years ago this month, the Rail Safety and Standards Board was born. RSSB was created after the Ladbroke Grove crash, as a direct recommendation of the Cullen inquiry.

For two decades, we’ve worked hand-in-hand with the rail industry to make the network safer, more efficient and more sustainable. Now our materials and insights form a dynamic, impartial link between innovation, standards and safety. We close knowledge gaps, ensure new technology can be used safely and efficiently, and help codify and share best practice.

For more about our plans for the future, visit rssb.co.uk/RSSBat20

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FIGHTING FATIGUE A JOINT RESPONSIBILITY

All rail staff face a significant challenge in managing fatigue. The nature of the work means staff often work irregular hours or long shifts and need to stay alert and focused for extended periods of time. Staying on top of your game is vital in the workplace, but in some roles fatigue can be deadly. Imagine battling tiredness while driving a train, working on the track, or keeping track of signals.

Fatigue management is a recognised challenge for the rail industry. Being fatigued can significantly impair a person's ability to perform tasks safely and effectively, leading to errors and accidents. In rail, this can lead to severe consequences, such as train accidents, derailments, and other incidents that put the safety of workers and passengers at risk.

While fatigue has been a concern for the industry for decades, it was only seriously accepted as a hazard following the Clapham Junction rail crash in 1988. The accident resulted in 34 deaths, with 484 injured. Clapham resulted from a signal failure caused by a wiring fault introduced when new wiring was installed. An independent inquiry found that the signalling technician responsible had performed the work during his 13th consecutive sevenday work week and was critical of British Rail’s Health and Safety culture at the time. Since then, steps have been taken to manage the problem.

WHAT IS FATIGUE?

While it’s tempting to associate fatigue with simply being tired, this isn’t exactly the case. “There isn't really one single accepted definition of fatigue, says Anna Vereker, principle human factors specialist at the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB). “The definition we use at RSSB is: a state of weariness due to working for too long working against our body clock, heavy physical or mental workload, insufficient rest, or inadequate sleep.

“There's definitely an element relating to sleep, but we also recognise the elements around both workload and environmental factors. If it's been a really hot summer for example, that's going to be extremely fatiguing to someone

sitting in a drivers cab or working on the track. And during hot weather, for example, we also need to take into account other factors such as high humidity.”

External factors are also not entirely to blame. In the case of shift or night working, our body clocks are a contributing factor, says Anna. “Humans are diurnal - we're generally programmed to be doing things during the day. we're just not wired to be at our most alert during the middle of the night. Anytime that we want staff perform productive, safety critical work, during the night, we need to think about how best to manage that.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

As well having a rather broad definition, one of the factors which makes fatigue so dangerous is that it is difficult to measure. The effects of serious fatigue can be compared to being over the drink driving limit and include poor judgement, slow reactions, poor memory, and impaired vision. But those who are getting close to this point might miss the initial warning signs.

“We are generally quite bad at understanding fatigue,” says Anna. “It's not something that's easy to capture yourself – it’s

likely to be something that is first picked up by someone you work with. Of course, anytime you notice that you are yawning or not feeling quite as alert, or if you’re making small mistakes or misremembering things – those are all signs of fatigue. If any of those things occur, it’s probably time to think about what your body’s telling you.”

It doesn’t help that fatigue can effect us very quickly, for example if you’re doing intensive manual work, or can creep up on us very slowly if, for instance, you’re losing an hour of sleep on a regular basis. Either way, being aware that fatigue is becoming an issue is the first step towards combatting it, so it is vitally

important to look out for the warning signs.

You may be more susceptible to the effects of fatigue if you have particular stressors elsewhere in your life. It can be a greater issue for people of a specific age or at different stages of your life. If, for instance, if you have young children or elderly relatives to care for, that physical and mental load can make fatigue in the workplace much more likely. Similarly, if you have problems on your mind, or are living through a stressful event, it all adds up. Making your employer or manager aware of these kinds of issues makes it easier to develop a plan.

“Approaching your manager and simply saying ‘Hey, this is where I'm at right now’ opens up the conversation,” says Anna. “From there, you’ll discover there are steps that can be taken to support you. There may be options to move shifts around. You may be able to take on lighter tasks until you’re more rested. It’s worth engaging with your colleagues at work. If they’re aware you’re going through a tough time, they’re more likely to look out for you and let you know if you don’t seem to be on form.”

JOINT RESPONSIBILITY

That said, it is not the sole responsibility of individual staff members to manage their own fatigue.

“It's definitely a joint responsibility between employees and companies,” says Anna. “The industry has an ethical responsibility to do the best by its staff and get the best out of them while giving them the best options.”

All employers have general duties under the Health and Safety at Work Act and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations to control risks from fatigue. And now that it is acutely aware of the associated risks, the rail

industry has implemented several measures to help manage it. One of the most recent is Network Rail’s Fatigue Risk Management Standard (NR/L2/OHS/003), which provides guidance for managing fatigue and outlines the responsibilities of employers and employees in identifying and addressing fatigue risks.

To reduce fatigue risk to an acceptable level, the regulations encourage managers and site staff to consider fatigue risk at all times throughout a shift, taking into account total hours worked - including site and commute times.

Employers can take a number of steps to address the problem. The RSSB recommends companies establish a robust fatigue management system which includes fatigue reporting. Companies are encouraged to create a culture where staff are encouraged to report their concerns.

Data from workers' schedules, shift patterns, and other factors to assess fatigue risk levels and develop strategies to manage them are included in the consideration of the system. Fatigue management strategies can include measures such as shorter shifts, longer rest periods, and regular breaks.

Those responsible for designing rosters, need to predict fatigue risk and plan accordingly, following simple rules like rotating forward from early to late shifts (not backwards). For example, Network Rail has previously worked with the RSSB to specifically look at how to reduce the impact of fatigue for employees undertaking their first rostered night shift.

In addition to these measures, the industry is also exploring new technologies and innovations to help manage fatigue. For example, wearable devices that monitor workers' physiological responses and alertness levels can provide real-time data on fatigue risks. This data can then be used to adjust schedules, provide additional breaks, or take other measures to reduce fatigue risks.

Many companies are taking proactive measures to mitigate the risks, including those that were found wanting in the past. Following the 2016 Sandilands tram accident, which resulted in seven fatalities and was linked to driver fatigue, the tram operator Tram Operations Limited (TOL) overhauled its fatigue management system. TOL introduced optimised rosters, installed fatigue detection technology in driver cabs, and rolled out a comprehensive education package for its staff, which covered how to talk to family members about the importance of undisturbed sleep for shift or night workers. The firm is now held up as an example for fatigue management best practice.

AN ONGOING BATTLE

Managing fatigue risk in the UK railway industry is a constant challenge that requires the commitment and cooperation of employers, workers, and industry stakeholders. By implementing robust fatigue management systems, providing training and education, and exploring new technologies and innovations, the industry can help ensure the safety and well-being of its workers and passengers.

But the fight against fatigue will always be an ongoing battle. No matter what new technologies or legislation are introduced, and despite the continual roll out of education and training programmes, human nature makes fatigue a risk that will always be present, says Anna.

“We regularly ask people to work on safety critical jobs at times that are not optimal, and that has potential safety consequences for the travelling public, and people who interact with rail as well as the people who work there. Fatigue is not an issue that we can ever solve – it will always be something we have to manage.”

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New managing director for Avanti West Coast

Andy Mellors has been appointed Managing Director of rail operator Avanti West Coast with immediate effect.

Andy has previously held senior roles at Great Western Railway, South Western Railway and most recently as Managing Director of FirstGroup’s non-franchised rail businesses. He takes over from Steve Montgomery, First Rail Managing Director who has been acting Avanti Managing Director since September 2022.

From August 2022 Andy has been supporting the senior team at Avanti West Coast in developing and delivering their recovery programme. Performance at Avanti is steadily improving and since the introduction of the new timetable in mid-December, the number of services operated has increased by more than 40% compared to last summer, with more seats and better frequencies.

FirstGroup has also announced

today an agreement with the Department for Transport to extend the current arrangements for the West Coast Partnership rail contract until October 2023. The West Coast Partnership rail contract comprises operation of Avanti West Coast and acting as shadow operator to the HS2 programme.

Lindsay Murphy announced as UKTram interim chair

The light rail sector’s representative organisation has appointed Lindsay Murphy as its interim chair.

A transport engineering specialist with over 30 years’ experience, Lindsay first joined the UKTram board in 2019, and her broad experience has already proved valuable to the organisation as it supports its members and promotes the benefits of light rail.

Lindsay has a proven track record in the delivery of major transport projects, including maintenance delivery during network extensions in Nottingham. Previously, at Manchester Metrolink she developed real hands-on experience of asset management and leading effective maintenance teams.

Now technical director at specialist consultancy TXM Consult, Lindsay says she is extremely proud to have the

opportunity to step into her new role at UKTram: “With the launch last year of the Light Rail Strategy for the UK, endorsed by the DfT, the board believes that we are at a critical point in demonstrating the value of light rail to deliver key national strategic transport objectives,” she said.

“The successful delivery of measurable objectives set out in our latest business plan will also be vital in supporting our members, the wider light rail community, other stakeholders and the communities we serve.

Kirsty Williams to chair GCRE Community Committee

Kirsty Williams CBE, has been appointed as the new Chair of the Global Centre of Rail Excellence (GCRE) Community Committee.

When it opens in 2025 the £400 million GCRE, located at the head of the Dulais and Swansea valleys, will be a facility providing world class research, testing and certification of rolling stock, infrastructure and innovative new rail technologies.

To support community engagement, GCRE is establishing a Community Committee which will provide a forum for the business to engage with local elected representatives for the site and government officials. The Committee will provide a forum to discuss local issues relating to the facility and its development.

Kirsty represented Brecon and Radnorshire in the Senedd for over two decades and was Welsh Education Minister from 2016 to 2021. She said: “I’m delighted to be taking on this new role and to get involved in the delivery of what will be a genuinely world class centre of rail innovation and research right here in south Wales.

“The villages and communities around the GCRE site are ones that I know well and I feel very strongly that they deserve the opportunity of the good jobs and prosperity that a facility like GCRE will bring.

“But as with any large and complex infrastructure project of this kind there are always important questions that need to be worked through with the local communities and their elected

representatives. Questions about how the site will be constructed; how it will operate and how it will impact the landscape and the natural environment nearby.

“I see my role as Chair of the

Community Committee to help deliver a successful project and provide a platform for the constructive resolution of issues and challenges we will need to address along the way.”

Tim Shoveller to join G&W as CEO of UK/Europe Operations

Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (G&W) has announced the appointment of Tim Shoveller as chief executive officer of its UK/Europe operations, which include Freightliner, Pentalver, Freightliner Poland, and Rotterdam Rail Feeding.

With Tim expected to join the company by late summer 2023, G&W’s UK/Europe operations will continue to be led by Interim CEO Becky Lumlock, who is a UK-based operating partner at Brookfield Infrastructure, and Jack Hellmann, who serves as Chairman of G&W’s UK/European operations and is G&W’s global CEO.

Tim, who began his rail industry career in 1992 as a trainee driver/guard at British Rail, comes to G&W after nearly four years at Network Rail, where he led a transformation in the North West Central Route’s operational performance. His distinguished career includes roles as managing director of the Rail Division of Stagecoach Group, managing director of South West Trains / Network Rail Alliance, and managing director of East Midlands Trains.

Permaquip welcomes Richard Cradock

Permaquip has announced the appointment of Richard Cradock as product and service development manager.

Richard brings over 30 years of rail experience, having worked globally for companies such as British Rail and Geismar.

“We are thrilled to welcome Richard to our team,” said Scott Harrison, chief operating officer at Permaquip. “His extensive rail experience and knowledge of the industry will be a tremendous asset to our company as we continue to provide the best rail plant systems to our customers, both nationally and internationally.”

Richard’s appointment reaffirms Permaquip’s commitment to delivering solutions to the most critical issues its customers face in track renewal and maintenance.

“I am thrilled to join G&W at such a pivotal time for low-carbon rail-freight logistics,” said Tim. “My priority is to lead the team to optimise the core business for our customers and to drive growth in new markets in the UK and Europe. I look forward to building on the impressive work that is already underway and fostering innovations that extend our industry leadership in safety, reliability, and sustainability.”

Rail Mission names new chaplain for Southern

Giuseppe Marino rejoins Hitachi Rail as group CEO

He rejoins the company after four years, having previously been Hitachi Rail’s COO of Rolling Stock, where he was responsible for the company’s manufacturing of high quality trains around the world.

Mr Marino will lead delivery of new projects in North America, APAC and EMEA, expanding Hitachi Rail’s global footprint. He will also oversee an increase in the scale of the business’ capability, particularly in engineering and project delivery.

Mr Marino said: “Rejoining Hitachi Rail, I’m already aware of the incredible transformation of the business over the last four years. Although Hitachi Rail is now a global integrated player in the mobility sector, I continue to be inspired by the passion and pride of our teams. Our shared mission is to drive decarbonisation and digital transformation in mobility, while delivering growth through our strong partnerships with our customers.”

Railway Mission has introduced Tony Miller as the new Railway Chaplain for the London South and Southern Rail Network replacing John Robinson who stepped down recently.

Tony brings a wealth of experience to the chaplaincy. As well as working as a prison chaplain, Tony has worked extensively within the community of Lambeth, Southwark, Croydon, and West London in reaching out to hard-to-reach people with complex challenging needs.

He has founded community initiatives in partnership with Local Government including leading the prevention and intervention of gang gun and knife crime, and supported families who have been directly impacted by murder, suicide, violence and gun or knife crime.

“Chaplaincy plays an important role in supporting the mental health and well-being of railway staff,” said Liam Johnston, executive director of Railway Mission.

“Railway staff face unique challenges, including exposure to traumatic incidents, and the need to maintain the safety and security of passengers. Tony will be offering emotional support to railway staff who are dealing with the stresses and strains of their work and personal lives, by providing a listening ear, offering comfort and reassurance, and helping staff process their feelings and emotions.”

Giuseppe Marino has begun work as the new group CEO of Hitachi Rail.

© Network Rail

© Railway Mission

© Hitachi Rail

Advance TRS marks 300 placements with Alstom UK

Advance TRS and Alstom are delighted to announce a huge milestone achieved in our recruitment partnership as our 300th permanent starter joins the business this week, following three years of tremendous growth across the business!

Advance TRS is the recruitment partner for Alstom UK & Ireland’s rail recruitment programme, sourcing rail signalling management, engineering, and installation professionals. The Advance TRS and Alstom UK & Ireland partnership has placed over 300 new professionals in permanent roles across the business.

Working in a truly collaborative manner has been a vital factor in the programme’s success to date which has seen both businesses work tirelessly to attract and engage with some of the brightest and most committed individuals across the country. Whilst in the company, the opportunities have not stopped, with new starters building development career paths, taking on additional responsibilities, and achieving promotions as the benefits of working for a leading global engineering firm become a reality.

Having taken a proactive approach to appointing a diverse workforce, we have seen numerous key roles being filled by candidates outside of the sector, with management driving a recruitment focus on individual skills and behaviours rather than simply time spent in the railways. This has led to fresh ideas, new approaches, and opportunities for people to join and excel in the industry.

But the hard work doesn’t stop here! Thanks to an enviable work bank and constantly expanding product offering, Alstom is growing further and can offer outstanding opportunities across engineering, operations, and management as we gear up for the years ahead.

ALSTOM IN IRELAND

Advance TRS & Alstom are recruiting Commercial, Planning, Engineering, Management, Health & Safety professionals for the Cork Area Commuter Rail (CACR) upgrade, a transformative rail improvement programme for the Cork Rail Network.

The Cork Area Commuter Rail programme is the heavy rail element of CMATS and is a transformative rail improvement programme for the Cork Rail Network. Delivering increased train capacity and frequency, providing for more connected communities and a more sustainable transport network, the project represents the largestever investment in the Cork Rail Network.

The programme involves developments and enhancements to the rail network from Mallow through Cork to Cobh and Midleton and will include the delivery of new rail infrastructure and electrification and re-signalling across the three main lines of Mallow, Cobh, and Glounthaune to Midleton.

The CACR programme is being progressed through a number of separate but interrelated projects which will be delivered in specific work packages.

“My favourite part of my role is enhancing and developing new skills and expertise in the development of people. I have fully embraced Alstom’s People Management Cycle and encourage the development of my team members.”

Lead Commercial Manager, Alstom.

“Alstom has committed to training the right candidates to be the perfect fit for the business. They understand that not everyone will be the finished article straight away, but their development opportunities are really encouraging and quick to materialise.” Principal

This is a fantastic opportunity to work on the Signalling and Communications Upgrade to facilitate the proposed capacity and service frequency increases across the CACR network. The preliminary design of the project is well-advanced, and the implementation stage is starting now.

BUILDING A DIVERSE WORKFORCE

A key focus for Alstom is to build a diverse and entrepreneurial workforce with inclusivity at its core. Alstom knows that employee empowerment is crucial to its success and continues to strengthen its culture by promoting diversity and entrepreneurial spirit, with a fundamental commitment to integrity and high ethical business standards and practices.

This key commitment has been embraced and mirrored by Advance TRS, working together

to establish a non-discriminative recruitment process to ensure a diverse candidate pool is available, and promoting opportunities for under-represented communities. At Advance TRS, we believe everyone deserves the same opportunities, and that the diversity of the workforce is an essential part of success. We are committed to supporting clients to build work environments that are free from discrimination and promote equal opportunities for all.

QUALITY CANDIDATE CARE

At Advance TRS, providing a premium quality service to candidates and clients is a core founding principle and forms the backbone of how we approach our work.

We pride ourselves on our exceptional level of customer service and seek to create long-lasting and dependable

relationships. Advance TRS supports candidates throughout the entire process from initial contact and interview, through to remuneration negotiations and onboarding.

PRIORITISING CAREER DEVELOPMENT

Professional development is part of Alstom’s recruitment strategy, with the organisation firmly believing that employee motivation and performance are intrinsically linked, and that the nurturing of employee potential and competencies are key to ensuring the ongoing success of the international brand.

All employees are offered development opportunities via the ‘People Management Cycle’, which helps line managers and HR to design a bespoke training plan for each employee. This

offers high quality learning and development opportunities and supports employees through professional mentoring or coaching.

For those hesitant to take the next step in their career and explore opportunities, such a solid investment into personal development has proven to temper nerves and ease the transition when joining the business.

FIND YOUR IDEAL ROLE

Across the UK, Alstom is winning new projects and securing exciting packages of work, opening up huge opportunities for professionals across the UK.

Are you looking for your next role and does Alstom sound like the right fit for you? View our live jobs or speak to one of our Alstom delivery teams today.

Project Engineer, Alstom.

Principal Project Engineer, Alstom.

RAILTEX 2023: CAREERS, TALENT & SKILLS HUB Hosted by RailwayPeople.com - Stand L51

As ever, visitors can expect to see an impressive array of technologies and innovations, along with many specialised products for the efficient and safe operation of the rail network. On top of this, the event is a great opportunity for anyone looking for a change in their career.

Visitors looking to break into the rail industry or take their career to the next level would be wise to visit the Careers, Talent, and Skills Hub, hosted by RailwayPeople.com.

The Hub will provide a dedicated networking area for all employers, job seekers, and anyone at the start of their journey into the rail industry. It offers a space for visitors and job seekers at any stage of their career to drop by and meet employers from leading organisations in the rail industry. Careers teams from across the sector will be on hand to give helpful advice on graduate/apprenticeship opportunities, CV writing tips, and general advice on the rail career pathway.

Representatives of Network Rail and its partners on the East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP), will also be at Railtex 2023 to showcase ECDP and its benefits. Visitors will be able to see demonstrations of a driver simulator (showing the benefits of digital signalling from the perspective of a train driver) and the ‘Digital Twin’ tool that assists in the maintenance of digital infrastructure.

The Careers, Talent, & Skills Hub is supported by:

• Advance TRS

• ARM

• Atkins

• Colas Rail

• DGauge

• Freightliner

• MPI Recruitment

• Network RailEast Coast Digital Programme

• West Midlands Railway

• XEIAD

• Young Rail Professionals

The Hub will also feature a live feed displaying Railtex exhibitor’s vacancies. Interested candidates will be able to speak with the RailwayPeople.com team directly about the opportunities available or apply online via the website.

RailwayPeople.com is the number one rail job board in the UK. Launched in 2001, it has supported the rail industry for over 20 years

and provides the perfect platform to search for job roles. With up to 1,000 jobs online at any one time, you’re bound to find an interesting and rewarding role, whether that’s in construction, engineering, operations and management, or support services.

With the rail network going through a period of rapid growth, the industry needs workers like never before, and anyone eager

for a change has the odds in their favour. Major infrastructure projects mean that up to 12,000 jobs will be created every year for the next 5-10 years.

If you’re keen to take on a new role this year, then make sure to swing by the Careers, Talent, and Skills Hub where employers will be promoting their current career opportunities and showcasing their training programmes. This is an excellent opportunity for jobseekers to engage with employers and get tips on interview techniques, CV writing, and how best to use job boards to find your next career.

Railtex runs from 9-11 May at the NEC, Birmingham. To book your free ticket, visit www.railtex.co.uk. RailwayPeople.com looks forward to seeing you and helping you achieve your full potential in an exciting and rewarding career.

For more information please email careershub@rail-media.com or call 01530 816 450.

www.RailwayPeople.com

People for Infrastructure

McGinley hires workers or finds permanent employees for companies in the infrastructure sector of the construction industry, building and managing workforces all over the UK

Whether you are looking for a job or a supply chain partner, we have the knowledge and expertise to help you succeed

As true infrastructure experts we have over 40 years ' experience and an unparalleled network. This combined with a large number of accreditations, memberships and awards give you the confidence you need to engage with us.

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• PTS & safety critical contingent labour

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• Overhead line electrification

• Track welding

• Minor works packages

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