Rail Engineer - Issue 164 - June 2018

by rail engineers for rail engineers

JUNE 2018 – ISSUE 164

Getting

electrification

right

THAMESLINK ATO The first passenger train has run through the Thameslink core while controlled by ETCS with an ATO overlay.

INFRARAIL REVIEW

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TfL’s new depot is ready to maintain and service the Elizabeth line’s fleet of new Class 345 trains.

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RAIL ENGINEER MAGAZINE

CONTENTS

24

10 14 18 22

Feature

06 24 30 34 40 44 50 52 66

Feature

Getting electrification right David Shirres considers how to improve future electrification schemes.

Why electrify?

What are the benefits of electrification? And why should it continue?

The energy challenge Jenny Illingsworth explains how optimising energy usage reduces carbon emissions.

Power upgrades in Sussex Siemens has been working to meet increasing DC traction power demands.

News Andrew Haines, Crossrail 2, hydrogen, Class 365.

Main line ATO becomes a reality Clive Kessell reports on the first run of a train controlled by ETCS with ATO.

Understanding the commitment to the Digital Railway Mark Carne and Chris Grayling roll out the digital strategy for rail.

What is Digital Ready?

Paul Darlington explains one of the digital strategy’s core requirements.

An environmental example for the future Graham Coombs visits Transport for London’s new depot at Old Oak Common.

Ushering in a new era Commissioning a new low-cost digital-ready modular signalling solution.

GTR & the digital railway An operator’s view on the implications of going digital.

Enhancing Newton Heath Stobart Rail plans to modernise Arriva Rail North’s depot ready for its new trains.

Technology takes centre stage Stewart Thorpe was fascinated by all the innovation at the Rail Technology Summit.

Infrarail Review

18 62

56 62

The industry at Infrarail The UK’s major rail industry exhibition of the year was a great success.

Infrarail’s oddities and novelties What the editor found at Infrarail 2018.

Rail Engineer | Issue 164 | June 2018

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RAIL ENGINEER MAGAZINE

EDITORIAL

Electrification can be affordable

T

his month we focus on the benefits of electrification and how it can be delivered at an acceptable cost. For example, our ‘Why electrify?’ feature shows that, when diesel driven, current bi-mode trains have only two-thirds the traction power of their electric mode.

Chris Grayling’s parliamentary statement cancelling various electrification schemes included the comment that “bi-mode trains can improve journeys without the need for electrification”. Yet, as a recent National Audit Office report revealed, when he decided to cancel these schemes, he was advised that bi-mode rolling stock with the required speed and acceleration did not exist. To use a term coined by the Trump administration, Grayling’s comment was an alternative fact.

A significant factor in his decision was the almost-threefold increase in GW electrification costs. There are many reasons for this, from which it is important to acknowledge mistakes rather than assign blame. In this way, the lessons learnt can ensure that future electrification can be delivered in a costeffective manner. One such mistake was overengineered OLE structures, as is evident in comparison with continental high-speed lines and previous UK electrification.

Yet, during a recent inspection of the GW electrification scheme, Rail Engineer was advised that its structures were deliberately chunky as lightweight East Coast electrification equipment was prone to weather extremes.

This is another alternative fact. Rail Engineer understands from various sources, including one of its previous route directors, that East Coast wiring problems were primarily due to lack of maintenance. Furthermore our ‘Getting electrification right’ feature explains how the GW OLE structure design issues have been acknowledged and addressed.

This feature describes the good work being done by Network Rail’s engineers and the Railway Industry Association to show how electrification can be delivered at half the cost per mile of the GW electrification scheme.

This is not just a theoretical aspiration, as electrification is currently being delivered at, or below, this lower cost in Scotland and

Germany, where there is a steady rolling programme.

In contrast, the historic UK feast and famine approach to electrification drives up costs.

It is due to dramatic swings in Government policy, which can have a disastrous effect on companies that have invested in an apparently expanding electrification programme.

Another factor driving this approach is the need to have the full route ready for its new electric train fleet as soon as possible. Now bi-mode trains enable routes to be electrified on an incremental basis and thus offer the flexibility to facilitate a rolling electrification programme.

Britain has less of its railway electrified than other European countries, which therefore get greater benefits from environmentally friendly, more-powerful electric trains that are cheaper to run. If the UK is to fully realise these benefits, the government has to be convinced.

In this respect, Mark Carne’s statement that “we’ve discovered the cost of electrification of the network is very expensive” is unhelpful, as it implies the only thing wrong with recent electrification projects was their cost estimates. This comment undermines the work done by his engineers and project teams where they have shown affordable electrification can be delivered.

Network Rail should correct this statement as part of an industry campaign to promote the benefits of electrification and its affordability.

Although this is understood by the Scottish Government, if Westminster can’t be persuaded, further significant electrification in the foreseeable future is unlikely and the work done to reduce electrification costs will have been largely in vain.

Work is also being done within Network Rail to reduce signalling costs, as Paul Darlington explains in his feature on the latest version of

a modular signalling system that was recently commissioned in North Wales.

Digital railway signalling has been in the news recently. Clive Kessell explains the significance of the first Automatic Train Operation of a Thameslink passenger train whilst Nigel Wordsworth reports on the highprofile launch of the National Digital Railway Strategy. Part of this is the commitment to digital-ready conventional signalling schemes, which we explain in a separate feature.

The digital glue of telecommunications that binds the Digital Railway was the subject of a presentation by our writers Clive Kessell and Paul Darlington at the recent Technology Summit. This, and much else, is featured in Stewart Thorpe’s report on this event.

New innovations featured amongst the many things seen at Infrarail. For those who weren’t there, or just ran out of time to see everything the show had to offer, we have two features which include the show’s impressive speakers and a description of the exhibition stands, including their oddities and novelties.

At Old Oak Common, as one depot closes to make way for HS2, another has just opened to service Elizabeth line trains. Graham Coombs reports on how this depot is an environmental example for the future.

Although such best practice is laudable, traction energy has the greatest potential to improve the railway’s green credentials.

Whilst batteries and hydrogen have their place, as we explain, electrification is the only way to achieve significant environmental progress on intensively used lines. Electric trains have no emissions at point of use and around half the CO2 emissions of diesel trains, with the potential for further reductions as renewables generate more electricity. This is yet another benefit of electrification that Government needs to understand.

RAIL ENGINEER EDITOR

DAVID SHIRRES

Rail Engineer | Issue 164 | June 2018

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THE TEAM

NEWS

Editor David Shirres david.shirres@railengineer.uk

Production Editor Nigel Wordsworth nigel.wordsworth@railengineer.uk

Production and design Adam O’Connor adam@rail-media.com Matthew Stokes matt@rail-media.com

Engineering writers bob.wright@railengineer.uk chris.parker@railengineer.uk clive.kessell@railengineer.uk collin.carr@railengineer.uk david.bickell@railengineer.uk graeme.bickerdike@railengineer.uk grahame.taylor@railengineer.uk lesley.brown@railengineer.uk malcolm.dobell@railengineer.uk mark.phillips@railengineer.uk paul.darlington@railengineer.uk peter.stanton@railengineer.uk stuart.marsh@railengineer.uk

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Rail Engineer | Issue 164 | June 2018

Andrew Haines to replace Mark Carne Acting on behalf of the Network Rail board, Sir Peter Hendy has appointed Andrew Haines, currently the CEO of the Civil Aviation Authority, as the successor to chief executive Mark Carne.

It was announced in February that incumbent Mark Carne, who joined Network Rail in 2014, would retire and that a new CEO would be in place for the next five-year control period, CP6, which begins in April 2019.

Andrew, who is expected to take up his new role in early autumn following a period of handover with Mark Carne, is no newcomer to the rail industry. He is a former managing director of both First Group’s rail division and of South West Trains. He is also currently a nonexecutive director of Eversholt Rail UK, an appointment he will relinquish on joining Network Rail. He received the OBE in 2016, for services to transport.

Network Rail has also revealed details of Andrew’s pay package. His salary will be £588,000 inclusive of benefits, which is 27 per cent lower than his predecessor’s and will be reviewed annually. He will also have an ‘at risk’ performance related pay element of up to nine per cent of basic salary,

meaning that it will be dependent upon performance measured against safety, financial, asset management, project delivery and customer and train performance metrics.

Sir Peter Hendy said that Andrew was “the most outstanding candidate in a highly competitive appointment process. Andrew’s broad experience of rail and transport, and his reputation for relentless delivery and improvement, makes him the ideal candidate to carry on with the transformation of Network Rail that has been led by Mark Carne.”

He added: “Mark has been exceptional in his personal leadership of the delivery of the biggest ever upgrade programme in the railway’s history, and ensuring that Network Rail has focussed on delivering for passengers, freight and the public.

“His focus on devolution and empowering people has transformed safety and the performance culture of the organisation. Mark leaves a significant legacy for Andrew to build on.”

NEWS

Armitt wants to

coming soon...

kick-start Crossrail 2 The chair of the UK's National Infrastructure Commission (NIC), Sir John Armitt, has called on the Government to complete the crucial next steps to kick-start Crossrail 2.

An independent funding review of the proposed £30 billion railway needs to be completed “as soon as possible” said Armitt, speaking at a conference in London on May 23.

Firm decisions on the megaproject’s timetable and funding should be made by the end of 2018, he added.

Armitt continued: “The next stage of consultation should then follow to enable the introduction of a hybrid Bill later this parliament, with the overall aim of opening Crossrail 2 in the early to mid-2030s.”

Sir John Armitt was appointed chair of the NIC, which provides the government with impartial, expert advice on major long-term infrastructure challenges, following the resignation of Lord Andrew Adonis at the end of 2017.

Concerns within the rail industry have been previously raised over the government’s commitment to the new railway, which would connect southwest and northeast London, help relieve congestion on busy routes in the capital and support economic development.

However, transport secretary Chris Grayling announced an Independent Affordability Review into Crossrail 2 in March, which was first mentioned in the 2017 autumn budget.

This review, commissioned by the Department for Transport (DfT) and Transport for London and led by former Thames Tideway Tunnel managing director Mike Gerrard, was set up to ensure the project “demonstrates affordability and value for money to the taxpayer”.

It was also tasked with ensuring those who stand to benefit from new infrastructure contribute to funding it. At the time, the DfT said that initial conclusions from the review were expected in the summer of 2018.

Crossrail 2 is still at an early stage of design and no final decisions have yet been made.

JULY 2018 / JANUARY 2019 STATIONS Rail Engineer reports on station construction and redevelopment, using technology to improve the passenger experience, and managing access and revenue.

Accessibility, Architecture, BIM, Barriers, Buildings, CCTV, Car Parks, Catering, Cleaning, Escalators, Landlord Permissions, Lifts, Lighting, Maintenance, Passenger Information Systems, Planning Issues, Platform / Train Interface, Platform Screen Doors, Platforms, Records, Refurbishment, Reporting, Retail, Security, Software, Smart Ticketing.

AUGUST 2018 / FEBRUARY 2019 RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE Rail Engineer looks at what’s involved in maintaining and renewing the UK Rail Infrastructure and the latest technology and innovations making it faster, easier and more cost effective, especially in these areas: Asset Management, Cable Hangers, Construction, Drainage, Examinations, Lifting, Modular Systems, Painting, Plant & Equipment, Precast Sections, Refurbishment, Replacement, Rope Access, Scaffolding, Spray Concrete, Surveying Equipment, Surveying Techniques, Tunnel Boring, Ventilation, Waterproofing.

SEPTEMBER 2018 / MARCH 2019 SIGNALLING & TELECOMS Three of Rail Engineer's writers specialise in this complex field that keeps the railway running and will provide the key to increased capacity and safer running in the future: Barriers, Broadband, CCTV, Displays, Driverless Systems, Equipment, ERTMS, GSM-R, Gantries, Hazard Warnings, IP Networks, Information Systems, Level Crossing Surfaces, Loudspeakers, Operating Systems, Protection Systems, Radio, Resignalling Schemes, Signalling Power, Software, Training, Warning Systems, WiFi

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Rail Engineer | Issue 164 | June 2018

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NEWS

Hydrogen for Class 321 Alstom is working with rolling stock operating company Eversholt Rail to introduce its hydrogen technology to trains in the UK. Rail minister Jo Johnson announced ambitious plans to phase out diesel trains by 2040 in February and Alstom believes that its hydrogen technology can help to meet this challenge. The Coradia iLint (pictured) is the first Alstom train based on hydrogen fuel cells and batteries and is currently on test in Germany.

Alongside Eversholt, Alstom unveiled plans on 14 May to upcycle Class 321 electric trains by fitting hydrogen tanks and fuel cells.

Alstom UK & Ireland managing director,

Nick Crossfield, described the potential for hydrogen trains as “enormous”. He added: “The Government has set a clear objective of removing diesel rolling stock by 2040 and this requires a bold and innovative response from the industry.

“Not only are hydrogen trains zero-carbon, they are near-silent and emit no particulates, which means they offer substantial air quality and noise pollution benefits too.”

Nick also highlighted the potential for hydrogen trains to help avoid electrification.

He said: “We think the potential long-term application of hydrogen in the UK is very significant. Less than 50 per cent of the UK network is electrified, and much that isn’t electrified is unlikely ever to be so.

“Starting with this conversion, we think hydrogen could offer the right zero-carbon solution for many parts of the network.”

(Editor’s note: Hydrogen only provides zero-carbon rail traction if it is produced by electrolysis using electricity generated from nuclear power or renewable energy.)

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Class 365 to run in Scotland The introduction of Hitachi’s new Class 385 trains, due to run the service between Edinburgh and Glasgow, has been delayed due to problems with the windscreens distorting the driver’s view. With 16 of the current Class 170 DMUs due to be transferred to Northern, operator ScotRail had to hunt around for a solution.

This came in the form of 10 fourcar Class 365 EMU sets that have become redundant after their London to Peterborough services were taken over by Thameslink Class 700s.

As these units were not gauge cleared, the first three were transported to Scotland by road, with the first one arriving at the end of April, to allow static training and modification work to start.

Within two weeks, the gauge assessment had been completed so the remaining units could travel to Scotland by rail and for driver training to start. To run in Scotland, the units require a bogie centre pivot packing piece to raise them by 20 mm and for their passenger doorway steps to be cut back by 45 mm, work that is being carried out

by Knorr-Bremse RailServices at Springburn in Glasgow. The units used for initial driver training have all their doorway steps removed to avoid the need to wait for a

modified unit before this training could start.

Such a short timescale required cooperation between ScotRail, Network Rail, DGauge, SNC Lavalin, Eversholt Rail, Knorr-Bremse RailServices and the trains’ previous operators, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), which provided maintenance training at its Hornsey depot.

Meanwhile, the cause of this frantic activity, the curved windscreens on the Class

385 trains, is close to resolution. ScotRail recently announced that, following trials of a new flat windscreen, feedback from all parties, including the driver’s union Aslef, was positive. Now the type approval process has to be finalised, mileage accumulation runs completed and the new flat windscreens fitted, work which will also be undertaken by Knorr-Bremse RailServices at Springburn.

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09:58 Rail Engineer | Issue 164 | 26/03/2018 June 2018

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ELECTRIFICATION & POWER

Getting

electrification

right

DAVID SHIRRES

I

n 2007, the UK Government published its white paper “Delivering a sustainable railway” which concluded that the case for network-wide electrification has yet to be made. One reason for this was that it was considered that

“developments in hybrid technology, biofuels and hydrogen fuel cells will improve the carbon performance of self-powered trains.”

A joint response from Network Rail and the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) pointed out that the UK is one of the few countries in the world with diesel powered high speed trains and that “using 'diesel' trains as 'mini power-plants' for traction power is inefficient and wasteful”.

Soon afterwards, Network Rail published its route utilisation strategy, which made the case for electrification.

By 2009, the Government had changed its mind and announced the Great Western main line (GWML) and North West electrification programmes. At current prices (as are all

Rail Engineer | Issue 164 | June 2018

prices in this article), the GWML programme was to cost £1.28 billion. It is now likely to cost £3.17 billion or £4 million per single track kilometre (stk).

Understandably, this huge cost increase caused a rethink of Government electrification policy. As a result, in July, Chris Grayling announced electrification programme cutbacks including the Midland main line scheme. He justified this decision by explaining that electrification is no longer necessary as new bi-mode trains, and the development of battery and hydrogen power, will offer the same passenger benefits.

In this way, Grayling turned the wheel of Government electrification policy full circle back to 2007.

What went wrong?

Amongst the various investigations into the GWML electrification programme was one by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). This concluded that Network Rail failed to plan the work properly and its cost estimating was poor. It

ELECTRIFICATION & POWER also noted that Network Rail was unable to explain why there had not been a Transport and Works Act application to avoid a piecemeal approach to the required consents that had delayed the programme.

The committee was also critical of the Department for Transport (DfT) which, it considered, was not an effective client. Furthermore, it found that the DfT had not managed the electrification programme and the associated train procurement as a whole. Thus, rather than being derived from a bottom up programme, the GWML electrification completion date was set by the delivery date for the trains that the DfT had ordered.

The National Audit Office (NAO) report concluded that Network Rail’s original plan was based on overoptimistic assumptions including underestimating the amount of bridge work and overestimating the output of its new ‘factory train’ at 18 piles per shift instead of the average of five achieved in practice.

A key factor not mentioned in these reports was that, when work started on the GWML programme, there had been negligible electrification undertaken in the previous twenty years. As a result, both Network Rail and its contractors had lost key skills and knowledge since the 1994 Heathrow electrification.

In addition, there were inevitable inefficiencies associated with the rapid mobilisation of the supply chain for large-scale electrification work.

Britain’s ‘feast and famine’ approach to electrification is illustrated by the graph of UK electrification volumes delivered since 1958. This year, Britain will electrify almost 900 stk, followed by less than 200 stk the following year, after which there are no committed schemes. In contrast, Germany has been electrifying around a steady 200 stk a year for the past 40 years.

Network Rail has now changed its project planning process to provide more robust time and cost estimates (issue 156, October 2017). Mark Carne’s response to the high GWML electrification costs is that “we’ve discovered the cost of electrification of the network is very expensive” and that “in the meantime the trains are getting better”. This reflects the Government view that electrification is just too expensive and, with bi-mode trains, no longer necessary.

Electrification cost challenge As our accompanying feature “Why electrify?” explains, a diesel-powered bi-mode can never offer the performance, environmental and reduced operating cost benefits offered by electric traction.

This is also the view of Dr Jenifer Baxter, head of engineering at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, who, in a recent press release, stated that it is wrong for the Government to claim that the benefits of electrification can be delivered by bi-mode trains as they “do not provide the required performance or offer the most efficient or environmentally friendly solution”.

However, electrification’s benefits will not be realised unless the industry can convince the Government that it can be delivered at an acceptable cost.

This is a significant challenge given that, in its report on the cancellation of electrification projects, the NAO noted that, in addition to the previously mentioned increase in GWML costs, Midland main line electrification costs had increased from £695 to £1,297 million between October 2013 and November 2014. Furthermore, electrification project delays do not inspire confidence in project delivery.

The Railway Industry Association (RIA), however, feels that the industry can and must deliver electrification at a lower cost.

Hence, its “Electrification Cost Challenge” initiative is intended to demonstrate that electrification need not be so expensive.

This is being led by RIA technical director David Clarke, who advises that RIA considers that electrification remains the optimum technical solution for intensively used railways if it can be delivered at an acceptable cost.

Although much has gone wrong with GWML electrification, David considers that it is not helpful to assign blame,

Rail Engineer | Issue 164 | June 2018

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ELECTRIFICATION & POWER especially as he feels that “the whole industry got it wrong”. The important thing is to recognise the problems and learn lessons as RIA’s electrification cost challenge initiative is doing. Rail Engineer has seen the initial findings of this work, which includes benchmarking and cost saving opportunities.

RIA’s benchmarking includes the electrification of 1,362 stk in Denmark over a twelve-year period and in Germany, the 225 stk Ulm to Lindau electrification, both of which are costing circa £1 million/stk. It would seem that these relatively low costs are the result of a steady rolling programme.

In Scotland, the Cumbernauld to Springburn electrification project that was delivered in 2014 cost £1.2 million/ stk. The information I have from working on the 2010 Airdrie to Bathgate project shows that its electrification element was delivered at a similar cost.

The factors that RIA considers to have increased electrification costs include those identified by the PAC and NAO as well as the electrification famine prior to the 2009 GWML announcement. RIA’s cost challenge also considers cost reduction from efficient delivery including the optimisation of high output plant, foundation depths, TSI compliance, consents, bridge reconstruction, the OLE system, reduction in mast numbers and the power supply.

Although his work is still ongoing, David Clarke is convinced that RIA’s report will show that electrification can be delivered at an acceptable cost through its benchmarking and case studies.

Rail Engineer | Issue 164 | June 2018

Network Rail’s challenge statement Network Rail also has an electrification challenge statement: “Smarter, more efficient electrification”. This is one of its challenge statements that are intended to raise industry awareness and promote research into key priority areas.

Phil Doughty, professional head of contact systems, explained to Rail Engineer: “Everything we do is being examined to see how it can be done in a more cost-effective manner.” He added that Network Rail was addressing many of the issues that RIA had identified.

He acknowledged that the GWML electrification structures and their foundations had been over-engineered and felt that one reason for this was that contracts had encouraged a risk-averse design approach. This initially resulted in foundations being designed from first principles, without considering the industry experience gained from installing OLE masts over the past seventy years - one example of knowledge lost due to the many years with no electrification. However, this has now been addressed by a new 2017 standard that incorporates previous empirical methods of foundation design.

Phil advised that Network Rail is developing automated design tools that would incorporate this previous foundation philosophy and promote lighter structures. This tool would also take account of the wider range of master-series cantilevers that are being developed. The previously limited range had sometimes resulted in the use of a heavier cantilever than required.

Although the new electrification TSI had resulted in significant costs, Phil acknowledged that this was generally due to the way the standard had been applied. He considers that improvements in Network Rail’s riskbased approach has now made it more

likely that challenges to clearance requirements will be accepted. In this respect, his team were working closely with the University of Southampton on clearance requirements to structures.

This study included a series of tests done under controlled conditions to test the effectiveness of surge arresters which can limit the overhead line voltage to a level compliant with the available electrical clearance value if there is a voltage surge elsewhere, say from a lightning strike. In Cardiff, this technique, together with protective coatings, has eliminated the need to raise a bridge with an estimated cost saving of £10 million.

Team Scotland Transport Scotland’s director of rail, Bill Reeve, recognises that electrification provides faster, lighter, greener trains that passengers like. He knows that, in most parts of the world, there is a good business case for it, but he recognises that the UK Government has lost confidence in electrification due to its high costs. In contrast, the Scottish government has had a consistent policy and programme of electrification since it took over the responsibility for Scotland’s railways from the DfT in 2005. It remains sympathetic to further electrification if it can be delivered at an affordable cost.

To determine whether this is a realistic aspiration, Bill recently arranged for David Clarke to present the current findings of RIA’s electrification cost challenge to those responsible for the delivery of electrification in Scotland, both in his team and in Network Rail. I was invited to this meeting, in part due to my involvement with the 2010 Airdrie to Bathgate project, which included electrification of 106 single track kilometres.

ELECTRIFICATION & POWER

It was clear from this meeting that Scottish electrification generally costs less than in England. For example, the electrification element of the 2010 Airdrie to Bathgate project was well under £1.5 million/stk. On this project, the Network Rail project team had integrated the delivery of many different contracts to ensure the project was delivered on time and to provide clear accountability. Network Rail Scotland’s route delivery director, Iain McFarlane, advised that this project delivery model is used on current Scottish electrification projects and felt strongly that it works well. Everyone else in the room shared this view.

There was also a strong view of the value of a rolling electrification programme to retain knowledge and skills.

The meeting considered ways in which electrification costs could be reduced further. This reflected the findings of RIA’s electrification cost challenge and the Network Rail initiatives that Phil Doughty described. It also considered the inevitable trade-offs that arise from installing 25kV electrification on the UK’s constrained railway infrastructure. Alan Ross, director of sponsorship for Network Rail Scotland, stressed that such tradeoffs had to consider whole-life cost. For example, this might mean that a ‘track lower’ could cost more overall than an initially expensive bridge lift.

These trade-offs also require consideration of the overall business case. Bill Reeve was clear that any such associated project scope discussions had to be taken in consultation with the client, Transport Scotland. This was one reason why he firmly believes that successful electrification projects require a strong client involvement.

One example of this is the Scottish high-level output specification for Control Period 6, which requires Network Rail to develop “an efficient electrification technical specification optimised for Scotland that, in support of the Investment Strategy, can deliver an efficient and affordable rolling programme of electrification.”

This was certainly a very positive meeting, at which those present demonstrated their will to make electrification work. It will, no doubt, inform future Scottish transport investment decisions and help Bill Reeve deliver his aspiration that electrification work in Scotland will restore wider confidence in electrification.

Convincing the (Westminster) Government Those who find it depressing that the UK Government claims that less-powerful, more-expensive-to-run, polluting diesel trains are better than electric trains should be encouraged by the work being led by Messrs Clarke, Doughty and Reeve. This shows that, with current technology, it is possible to deliver electrification for no more than £1.5 million/stk and that future initiatives should further reduce this cost.

In addition, the table of currently committed electrification projects authorised since 2006 shows that Scotland has a relatively good record of on-time electrification delivery. This helps ensure projects are delivered to budget as the longer a contractor’s workforce is mobilised, the higher the cost.

There is no reason to suggest Scottish project teams and engineers are more competent than their English counterparts, so why is electrification delivery in Scotland more successful than elsewhere?

The two factors that seem to make a big difference are that Scottish electrification is a relatively small rolling programme and that Transport Scotland is a strong, informed client. The current Westminster approach is that, if electrification is too expensive, it should be abandoned, without considering why, by claiming that less-powerful bi-mode trains are as good as electrics. In Scotland the approach is let’s get around the table to fix this.

It is to be hoped that the weight of evidence, aided perhaps by exemplar projects in Scotland, will eventually convince the UK Government that electrification is a good thing.

Otherwise there is unlikely to be any more English and Welsh electrification for a long time to come. As a result, hardwon lessons that have now been learnt by GWML and other electrification teams will be lost.

Bi-mode trains may not be as powerful as electric trains, but they do offer the flexibility to enable long routes to be electrified over a long period to facilitate a steady rolling programme to keep electrification costs down. If used in this way, Jo Johnstone will be right in saying that bi-modes are a “great bridging technology to a low emission future” - which would be electrification.

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Why

electrify?

DAVID SHIRRES

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any within the rail industry feel that the recent electrification cutbacks were a mistake as, to quote the RDG’s long term passenger rolling stock strategy (LTPRSS), “over time, electric trains have generally proved to be more reliable, efficient, environmentally friendly and cheaper than those powered by diesel engines”.

Yet, even when carried out in a cost-effective manner, the price tag for route electrification is measured in billions of pounds. Government has a responsibility to ensure that such large sums are spent wisely and so was right to reconsider the case for committed schemes as the costs of electrification projects more than doubled.

The resultant cancellation of previously confirmed electrification schemes was partly due to the ability of new bi-mode trains to operate in both electric and diesel modes (issue 157, November 2017). As a result, Government considers that passenger journeys can be improved sooner than expected by these “state of the art trains” that “can improve journeys for passengers instead of carrying out electrification works”.

In this article we examine whether this means that electrification is no longer necessary.

Mini power-plants Eleven years ago, the government of the day was not in favour of electrification and also felt that developments in train technology made it unnecessary. In response, a joint Network Rail/ATOC (Association of Train Operating Companies, now subsumed into the Rail Delivery Group) later stressed the benefits of electrification including pointing out that it was wasteful to use diesel trains as

“mini power-plants”. It is also the case that the power output from such on-train generation will be less than an electric train due to weight and space limitations, including the large volume needed for the cooling group of a powerful diesel engine.

At full power, the overhead line supplies a nine-car electric Pendolino train with about 6MW (equivalent to the amount of power needed to supply six thousand homes). 5MW are needed to power the train with a further megawatt or so suppling auxiliary machines and the train’s hotel load.

A nine-car bi-mode train has five underfloor diesel engines with a total power output of 3.5MW, of which about 2.8MW is available to power the train. When these trains operate in electric mode they draw 4.5MW of traction power from the wires, sixty per cent more than in diesel mode.

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ELECTRIFICATION & POWER

(Left) Hitachi Class 800 at Paddington.

(Above Inset) 700 kW diesel engine power pack for a bi-mode train. A Pendolino drawing 6 MW from the OLE. Despite this, the Government claims that electric trains offer “no obvious passenger benefit” over the less powerful diesel bi-mode.

Within the DfT, there is a perception that, even if it were possible to justify electrification for high-speed trains, it is not necessary for slower trains. This is wrong, as electrification offers not just higher speeds but higher acceleration. A Class 380 electric multiple unit can accelerate to 60mph in about fifty seconds, compared with one minute fifty seconds for a Class 170 diesel multiple unit. For this reason, electrification offers significant reductions in journey time on routes with frequent stops.

Cheaper to run Electric trains are significantly cheaper to operate and maintain, as well as being more reliable. The LTPRSS shows that modern EMUs (36,805 MTIN or Miles per Technical INcident) are more than twice as reliable as modern DMUs (15,971 MTIN).

An indication of the additional maintenance cost of a dieselpowered fleet is given by the differing procurement costs of the Great Western and East Coast IEP fleets, which include a 27-year maintenance contract. The Great Western IEP fleet costs £4 million per coach more than the electric East Coast one, mainly because it operates more miles in diesel bi-mode. Thus, the additional diesel maintenance cost of the 369-vehicle GWML bi-mode fleet is around a billion pounds over the period of the maintenance contract.

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ELECTRIFICATION & POWER Diesel fuel is also significantly more expensive than electric traction, in part because electric trains can recover the huge amount of energy generated during braking back into the wires. A recent ORR report showed that diesel fuel accounts for 40 per cent of Virgin West Coast’s traction cost, despite only 15 per cent of its fleet being diesel-powered.

Network Rail’s RUS (route utilisation strategy) for electrification, published in 2009, concluded that diesel fuel cost is generally 19 to 26 pence per vehicle mile greater than electric traction. For the GW bi-mode fleet, which will run about a thousand miles a day with perhaps half of that in diesel mode, this is an additional fuel cost of around a third of a billion pounds over the 27-year maintenance period.

Decarbonisation challenge In February, Transport Minister Jo Johnston called for rail industry proposals to remove diesel-only trains from the rail network by 2040. Bi-mode trains were thus exempt from this requirement.

These are considered to be a “great bridging technology to other low emission futures.”

Johnston considered that, as battery technologies improve, he expects to see the diesel engines in bi-modes replaced altogether and that perhaps both batteries and diesel engines will be replaced by hydrogen units.

The IPEMU (independently-powered EMU) trial in 2015 was described in “Batteries included” (issue 125, March 2015). This used a four-car EMU that had a 7.2 tonne, 424kWh battery pack fitted under one coach (pictured). Running under electric power for seventy percent of the time was sufficient to provide a battery charge that provided performance comparable to an EMU over 77 kilometres.

Thus, the trial demonstrated the feasibility of using batteries to power a train for short distances off the electrified network, although cost comparisons with a diesel power pack have yet to be published. However, the use of batteries to power a train beyond electrified wires for much longer distances, such as Kettering to Sheffield and back (305km), would require the development of batteries with a much higher energy density. It is wrong to plan transport policy on such an unpredictable development, which, even if possible, could be many years away.

Hydrogen has been shown to be a viable traction technology for medium-range applications.

However, it has a low efficiency. When produced by electricity, hydrogen trains require around 3.4kW to deliver one kilowatt of traction power. If electricity is fed directly into a train, only 1.2kW is required.

Like batteries, hydrogen also has a low energy density, which is a tenth that of diesel. For this reason, Alstom’s hydrogen powered iLint (pictured above) has the entire roof of each vehicle taken up with hydrogen tanks and fuel cells. This gives it a range of 700 kilometres at speeds of up to 140km/h. Hence hydrogen cannot be used for long-distance high-powered trains unless passenger space is sacrificed to provide more space for its tanks and fuel cells.

Hydrogen traction equipment consists of fuel cells, a traction battery and traction converter. Incorporating this, and the hydrogen fuel tanks, into a train requires it to be built around this equipment.

This is another reason why Johnson’s vision that bi-mode trains are a bridging technology in which diesel engine power packs can be replaced by hydrogen units is unrealistic.

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Electrification should be the answer For the foreseeable future, the only viable self-powered rail traction technology for high-powered, high-speed trains is the diesel engine. This is particularly true for freight trains that require “mini power-plants” of around 2.5 MW. Thus, the only possible answer to Jo Johnson’s call to decarbonise the rail network is further electrification with the use of hydrogen and batteries on branch lines and rural routes. Electrification eliminates pollution at point of use and offers potential carbon reductions by enabling rail traction to be powered by renewable energy sources. It also reduces dependence on fossil fuels that, in the future, could become increasingly costly due to pollution taxes and shortages of supply.

A further consideration is the impact of the cancelled electrification schemes on the rolling-stock cascade. The LTPRSS forecasts that, by 2029, the revision of the electrification programme in England and Wales will require an additional 500 selfpowered vehicles. At the same time, large numbers of surplus EMUs will be scrapped. It is doubtful whether the cost of these additional vehicles was considered before the decision to cancel electrification schemes was taken.

This raises the issue that electrification would be a governmentfunded investment, whilst the more expensive rolling stock needed to avoid electrification is procured from private finance. This was no doubt a further government consideration.

As always, there are lessons from beyond the English Channel where the benefits of electrification are recognised by many countries that have a high percentage of their rail network electrified. These include Netherlands (76%), Italy (71%) and Spain (61%). In the UK, 42 per cent of the network is electrified.

Although there are strong arguments in favour of electrification, its case is significantly weakened by high project costs. Hence the industry needs to convince the Government that it has learnt lessons from over-expensive projects and can now deliver electrification at an affordable cost. If not, it is unlikely that there will be any significant increase in the UK’s electrified network for the foreseeable future and we’ll all just have to live with resultant increased costs and unrealised passenger and environmental benefits.

Further information about the business case for the electrification of UK railways is available at the website of the campaign to electrify Britain’s railways www.railwayelectrification.org

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egally bound by the Climate Change Act of 2008, the UK needs to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent in comparison to the 1990 baseline by 2050. Resulting from initiatives across UK plc, emissions have already come down, and the challenge remains for all energy users to meet this target.

Transport is the UK’s biggest energy consumer, representing 38 per cent of the UK’s consumption, and accountable for 20 per cent of UK greenhouse gas emissions.

Rail, whether electric or diesel-powered, has plenty of opportunities to clean up its act and look towards low-carbon propulsion, despite accounting for only one per cent of the transport sector’s emissions.

Added to this is the 2017 Rail Capability Delivery Plan, which sets out themed areas of development towards “optimum energy usage” and a zero-carbon railway and, more recently, Rail Minister Jo Johnson announcing the phasingout of diesel-only trains and railway decarbonisation by 2040.

So how can this be done? The Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education (BCRRE) at the University of Birmingham has been asking itself the same question.

BCRRE and UKRRIN The BCRRE is Europe’s largest universitybased centre for railway research and education, with more than 150 academics and researchers and around 500 taught

JENNY ILLINGSWORTH

Rail Engineer | Issue 164 | June 2018

Energy Challenge The

students. It boasts a well-recognised profile within the industry and academia in the UK and overseas, engaging globally across the entire breadth of railway technology.

Research ranges from the fundamental to the applied, in partnership with over 50 companies from more than 20 countries.

Projects have improved railway efficiency, capacity, safety, and energy consumption through innovations such as in-service intelligent condition monitoring, with revolutionary new algorithms now used extensively across the UK rail network to monitor points and reduce delays.

BCRRE’s aerodynamic research has informed new levels of infrastructure design and safety and its simulators have been used to evaluate billions of pounds worth of rolling stock contracts around the world, while its use of novel smart-grid strategies has already optimised energy efficiency and reduced carbon emissions on numerous UK and global rail networks.

The BCRRE is lead partner in the £92 million UK Rail Research and Innovation Network (UKRRIN), a unique collaboration

between industry and academia to create three core academic Centres of Excellence and a fourth in Testing. Of these, Birmingham will house the Centre of Excellence in Digital Systems, with Huddersfield University leading the Centre of Excellence in Rolling Stock and the University of Southampton hosting the Centre of Excellence in Infrastructure.

Together with these, Birmingham will be home also to an interim Centre of Excellence in Railway Energy and Power Systems. Birmingham’s Digital Systems centre will focus on future railway operations and control, data integration and cyber security, smart sensing and autonomous systems, and introducing innovation.

The Railway Energy and Power Systems centre responds to the current policy agenda and addresses its decarbonising theme. It will build on existing capabilities in Birmingham and across UKRRIN, and will set the scene for research in future railway traction systems. One of its key academics is Dr Stuart Hillmansen, senior

ELECTRIFICATION & POWER

lecturer in electrical energy systems, who also leads BCRRE’s Power and Traction Group. Stuart researches energy efficiency and decarbonisation, exploring how to reduce the energy needed on the basis that energy used in a process creates associated emissions.

trains) and then to use the data recorded to extrapolate to a full-fleet energy total.

The team developed a method that can achieve this within a level of accuracy acceptable to an industrial setting: it is already benefiting the Southeastern network.

Driver behaviour and understanding energy demand

The hydrogen revolution - reducing dependency on diesel

Based on the idea that small changes in the way in which a vehicle is driven can have significant impact in energy efficiency, Dr Hillmansen led a project to look at driver behaviour in light rail and tram systems.

The BCRRE team used its multi-train simulator extensively to analyse energy use and electrical losses across the MerseyRail network. Results were used to compute more accurate energy losses for that Electricity Supply Tariff Area (ESTA) which, in turn, affected the EC4T (electric current for traction) prices for that region during the last control period.

These results established an optimisation method to work out more energyefficient train trajectories which, in turn, informed how the driver can drive the train: the group found as much as 20 per cent energy could be saved compared with standard driving by following the algorithm-based style.

Developing this further in partnership with Ricardo Rail has led to the launch of the company’s ‘SmartDrive’ product and driver training programmes. One success story already is a recent rollout with Edinburgh Trams, where the company is already seeing energy savings.

More recently, Stuart’s team undertook a short project on behalf of Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC), now part of the Rail Delivery Group, under the leadership of the Traction Electricity Steering Group (TESG). This stakeholder group wanted a methodology for partial fleet energy measurement: ATOC proposed that it might be possible to fit electricity meters to a portion of train fleets (rather than put meters on all

Simply put, hydrogen trains produce electricity to power the traction system by an electrolytic reaction that produces a potential difference at the anode and water at the cathode. Not only is this a clean reaction, it is combustionless, meaning zero carbon-based emissions at point of use. However, there are carbon-emissions from the production of hydrogen, whether from organic feedstocks or in operating the electrolysis process (unless powered entirely from renewable sources).

BCRRE constructed the UK’s first hydrogen-powered narrow gauge locomotive in 2012 and has been investigating the use of fuel cells for railway traction for many more years.

In theory a train could be powered by hydrogen fuel cells alone. However, BCRRE studies have shown that it is

more effective to combine these with batteries: the fuel cell can be operated at an optimum mid-range level, where it is most efficient, and batteries can meet variable power demand - such as starting and uphill gradients. Combining fuel cells with regenerative braking means energy can be harvested from more than just the fuel cell alone - with associated added benefits.

Funded by RSSB’s Future Railway programme, Dr Hillmansen teamed up with Hitachi Rail and Fuel Cell Systems Ltd to respond to the challenge of novel powertrain solutions for railway vehicles.

The team looked at how to convert mid-life DMUs to fuel-cell hybrids, and whether a typical day’s journey could be achieved using them. Using BCRRE’s Single Train Simulator, together with operational data from RSSB, the team simulated a sample route and obtained traction energy needs.

A useful by-product was that it also provided information on how much energy could be obtained through regeneration. The team used this to develop a conceptual design for a hybrid arrangement and initial analysis indicated that a Class 156 DMU could operate and accommodate fuel sufficient for around 500 miles - ideal for many routes currently served by diesel.

Benefits of switching from diesel Switching from diesel to a hydrogen fuel source can save up to 100 per cent of the carbon, assuming the hydrogen is sourced from a carbon-neutral supply, and potentially 100 per cent renewable.

Even if using hydrogen generated from steam methane reforming, Stuart’s team

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calculated that roughly 30 per cent carbon saving can be achieved in comparison with a diesel engine-powered unit.

Analysis from another, similar project showed that, for a constant journey time and range, energy reductions of 34 per cent can be achieved with hydrogen-only, and 55 per cent with a hybrid fuel cell and battery arrangement. The fuel cells can be specified for the train’s average power need, not peak power, which in turn results in a more cost-effective, lighter, and more compact power train.

Electrification The traditional alternative to combustion-powered engines is electrification: from the overhead catenary or third rail. Whereas the vehicle itself becomes close to zero-carbon, the source of energy plays an important part. As the amount of electricity produced by renewables increases, correspondingly less is produced by coal and gas, which currently generates about half of the UK’s electricity generation. Thus electrification is not an entirely ‘green’ option.

However, electrically powered rail remains the most viable option on intensively used services. BCRRE researchers are actively looking at how to improve the efficiency of power transfer from the catenary through the pantograph and how to reduce OLE impedance to allow higher-power trains and/or increase the feeding distance. By modelling advanced OLE configurations using BCRRE’s multi-train simulator, they have found potential solutions to this issue.

They are also looking at discontinuous electrification: backup batteries to power the train where there is a break in electrification supply. A recent project

Rail Engineer | Issue 164 | June 2018

in power electronics on static frequency converters has global relevance for new 25kV high performance railways.

Educating the next generation of railway engineers What about the future? BCRRE’s core educational offerings - Masters in Railway Systems Engineering and Education and in Railway Safety and Control Systems teach tomorrow’s railway business and engineering leaders. Both programmes combine a systems-thinking approach and include modules on traction and power that are informed by research.

BCRRE academics teach traction within Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) courses in electrification and traction, and the topic is covered in the University of Birmingham’s undergraduate degrees in Civil & Railway Engineering and Electrical & Railway Engineering.

Worldwide, traction and electrification is included into programmes of study in Singapore, where BCRRE delivers a bespoke PG Certificate for SMRT engineers, and in short courses offered to many international organisations.

What does this mean to the UK? The launch of UKRRIN sets the scene for the UK to lead the world in railway research and innovation, taking advantage of policy objectives to drive the right investment in the right direction. Efficiency gains, improvements to reliability, realising savings and providing extra services are the kind of advantages where the passenger remains blissfully unaware of developments, but which are very much noticed when things go wrong.

Closely aligning research with education means the UK has a unique opportunity to drive research, development and innovation across the railway landscape, to optimise energy use across all aspects of the railway industry, and to deliver the change and value that tomorrow’s railway needs.

Dr Jenny Illingsworth is head of operations of the Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education, part of the School of Engineering at the University of Birmingham. More information on the BCRRE and UKRRIN can be found at www.birmingham.ac.uk/ railway and www.ukrrin.org.uk.

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D

iscussion of the state of electrification in the UK usually revolves around a few major projects. Great Western, North West, Welsh Valleys, Scotland’s central belt, Midland main line - all have been in the news, many for the wrong reasons.

But there is still a stream of normal, everyday electrification work that goes ahead quite successfully, day in and day out, that doesn’t hit the headlines. Much of this is to improve the third-rail DC network.

Running through Control Period 5 (CP5), from 2014 to 2019, Siemens Rail Electrification has worked on a number of major improvement and expansion projects for Network Rail across the south of England, working in close partnership to deliver programmes that are part of the Infrastructure Projects Southern (IPS) framework.

Spanning power delivery, power distribution, signalling and mechanical and electrical works, the framework was introduced in 2014 to improve collaboration between Network Rail and its suppliers, as well as bringing a sharper focus on the importance of safety in the rail industry.

For Siemens, this provided an opportunity for the company to employ its resources at each stage of a project, from design through to installation and commissioning.

Within IPS, the company has been involved in a wide range of projects - including high voltage (HV) and direct current (DC) switchgear renewals; track paralleling

POWER

upgrades IN SUSSEX hut (TPH) to substation conversions and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and signalling works, as well as the installation of negative short-circuiting devices and earth farms.

Commenting on the work, James Goulding, business development manager at Siemens Rail Electrification, said: “During CP5, and working extremely closely with Network Rail, we have undertaken 45 contracts and successfully delivered work at over 65 sites across the IPS region. In terms of rectifier transformers, we have so far installed a rated power of 41 megawatts and introduced over 70 of both HV and DC switchgear panels - either as new equipment or as upgrades to existing switchgear. Finally, we have established power supply to electrical auxiliary equipment through the installation of 26 new auxiliary transformers.”

Major projects Two of the key programmes the company has been involved in include the Sussex Power Supply Upgrade (PSU) and the Brighton main line programmes.

The challenging Tunnel substation location in Kent, where the existing TP Hut has been upgraded to a full traction substation.

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Operating on a DC electrification system through the South East route, the Sussex PSU project consisted mainly of a 33kV distribution system. Upgrading the route to meet increasing power demands and to accommodate the introduction of new rolling stock for the revised timetable, Siemens worked closely with Network Rail to achieve infrastructure readiness for the higher-intensity timetable by reducing the risk of component failure.

To achieve this, the company built four new traction substations on the West Sussex Coastway route and replaced legacy equipment at a number of substations and TPHs with modern equipment - in some cases also installing additional equipment.

Across 14 sites, Siemens has worked from the design stage right through to the testing and commissioning of 13 substations and the conversion of one TPH to a substation.

One of the most significant projects the company has carried out during CP5 has been the design and implementation phase associated with the installation of negative short-circuiting device (NSCD) units across

ELECTRIFICATION & POWER the Brighton main line. These installations have delivered key safety improvements, with the conductor rail now able to be isolated for maintenance works without the need for members of staff to access the infrastructure. The risks associated with two of the most severe types of accidents in the railway industry - contact with live electrical equipment and train ‘hits’ - have therefore been significantly reduced.

In addition to providing a safer, more secure workplace, Siemens’ work has also improved maintenance efficiency. With each shift proving to be around 20 per cent more productive and with plant being used to carry out significant maintenance improvements (including the ability to remotely isolate the conductor rail), the available possession time has substantially increased.

Switchgear options For projects across IPS, the core products supplied by Siemens have been the company’s traction power supply equipment, with the gas-insulated 8DA10 switchgear key to meeting the increasing power demands on many of the southern electrified routes. This compact, low maintenance, medium voltage switchgear has provided the perfect combination of benefits to meet Network Rail’s objectives.

As a leader in the design and manufacture of switchgear for high and medium voltage applications, a variety of Siemens’ air- and gas-insulated switchgear panels are now being used in traction power supply systems across the IPS region. The company’s portfolio includes the 8DA MV switchgear series, which with more than 1,200 panels successfully in operation across the Network Rail infrastructure, is proving to be one of the most environmentally friendly gasinsulated switchgears available. The 8BT2 air-insulated 33kV switchgear provides the option to remove the gas insulation entirely.

New equipment installed to make track electrification isolations safer and faster during possession works.

Successfully operating in seven sites (four substations and three TPHs) across the Thameslink region, as part of over 700 Siemens DC switchgear panels in service for Network Rail, Siemens’ Sitras DSG switchgear system is type-tested in accordance with the latest British and international standards. Economical and flexible, the system was developed to be virtually unaffected by environmental conditions, thereby ensuring a low life cycle cost. Developed to suit the limited space available within substations, the 600mmwide Sitras DSG switchgear also includes a DC high-speed circuit breaker panel, with a rated current of up to 8kA. James Goulding said: “We remain committed to developing and bringing to market new traction power products that offer our customers additional efficiencies, as well as safety and performance improvements. In particular, as we move into CP6, we continue to invest in solutions to meet the challenges of Network Rail’s safer isolations programme - serving both the AC overhead line network, and DC third rail network.”

Capabilities System design and railway electrification are among Siemens' key areas of competence, with the company able to

New auxiliary transformers installed to supply traction substation and signaling low voltage systems.

combine its engineering expertise with advanced software to provide high quality, tailored electrification solutions for clients.

Using programmes such as Siemens’ Sidytrac for power modelling, it can calculate the power supply network using train-run simulations. This data can then be used to make informed decisions to optimally meet the specific requirements of each project.

At the design stage for IPS projects, Siemens drew on its experience and expertise of planning and assessing existing installations, including questions of protection, electrical safety stipulations and the aspects of perturbation between different systems.

As part of its in-house capabilities, the experienced Siemens delivery team is able to provide reliable and cost-efficient project management on projects of varying scope and complexity.

James Goulding continued: “Using our PM@Siemens process, we provide a service that helps secure quick acceptance of the project deliverables by the customer. We believe that setting out clearly defined and transparent requirements, that are developed with the stakeholders and take into account all needs and expectations, is fundamental to attaining the project goals and achieving acceptance. Through close collaboration with our engineering team, we can smoothly transition from the design phase to construction and then to testing and commissioning.

“Over the course of CP5, we have grown to become a leading solutions provider in the rail electrification sector. Our work with Network Rail’s Infrastructure Projects Southern region has been a shining example of this, with great products and really strong, collaborative working relationships combining to deliver outstanding results.”

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FEATURE

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uch publicity has been given to the recent running of the first passenger train across the Thameslink central core in London using ETCS Level 2 with Automatic Train Operation (ATO) superimposed on to it.

Rightly considered as a significant event in the development of rail signalling, a search for a deeper explanation as to what is involved resulted in Rail Engineer being invited, along with the IRSE International Technical Committee, to see how the system was developed and to ride through in the cab so as to witness the ATO performance in real terms.

Map showing part of the ‘Thameslink’ route in 1914.

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FEATURE

Selecting ATO operation on a Class 700 train.

Early days It is easy to think that Thameslink is a new north-south rail link across the capital in the same way that Crossrail (Elizabeth line) is for the east-west connection. This is far from true, since the Thameslink route was provided in Victorian times and had a passenger service up until the First World War. Never a commercial success, mainly because its extremities were controlled by different railway companies, which did not have the vision for operating through trains, the route soldiered on as a cross-London freight artery until the 1970s.

When this ceased, the line closed and the track was lifted on the short section from Farringdon to Holborn Viaduct, leaving only the spur line to Moorgate with a peak hour passenger service from the Midland main line at St Pancras. Luckily the track bed remained undeveloped.

With the coming of the British Rail business sectors, and the creation of Network South East, the erstwhile BR Regional mentality was swept aside and the potential for a north-south link became apparent. With track relaid and signalling installed at minimum cost, the route reopened in the late 1980s and became an instant success.

However, with the difficult linkage at the southern end, primarily getting paths through London Bridge and the continuing commitment to provide services to Moorgate and Holborn Viaduct, capacity constraints were evident from day one. Something had to be done to provide even a half decent service.

Closure of Holborn Viaduct station, being replaced by the new City Thameslink station, which entailed putting the line underground south of Blackfriars and removing the overbridge on Ludgate Hill, improving the view of St Pauls Cathedral in the process, was a first step and enabled 15 eight-car trains per hour (tph) to be run in each direction.

These changes helped, but the line was never going to be capable of coping with the traffic potential. More drastic solutions were needed.

The Thameslink programme Key elements were identified as necessary if Thameslink was ever going to be the railway that mirrored what Paris had achieved with the creation of the RER network. These were: »» Lengthening platforms to accommodate 12-car trains; »» Closure of the Moorgate spur and train service in 2009 to permit platform lengthening at Farringdon, also enabling additional trains to be run through the entire central core; »» Sorting out the conflicting paths at the south end of Blackfriars station; »» Remodelling the approaches to London Bridge station to eliminate as far as possible all flat junctions for Thameslink trains; »» Provision of a new station at Kings Cross/St Pancras to cope with both domestic and international travellers; »» Connecting the Thameslink route to the East Coast Main Line via the new Canal Tunnels; »» Provide a signalling system that could cope with the 24 trains per hour (tph) goal.

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FEATURE An increase in capacity to 16tph was achieved by December 2011, and all but the last of the above elements have now been completed. Many articles reporting progress on these have appeared regularly in Rail Engineer, the completion of the huge London Bridge project being a major feature in issue 160 (February 2018).

In parallel, the challenge of providing ATO on main line railways was examined in issue 150 (April 2017). This is associated with the last point above and is the focus of this article.

Why ETCS and ATO? Thameslink has a modern but conventional signalling system, so why is this not good enough?

Extensive analysis and modelling revealed that, to achieve the intended 24 tph, optimised braking and acceleration rates would be required with trains closing up to the shortest possible separation.

Only with ATO can this be achieved, but this requires a signalling system that can support it.

A metro solution using CBTC (communications-based train control) would be possible, but Thameslink connects to main line railways including the ECML where ETCS is the intended solution for the signalling of that line.

As such, it made no sense to equip the Thameslink fleet with two separate systems, one of which would only be in use for the short four-mile central core section. Thus, ETCS was the only real choice, but with the need to develop the ATO package superimposed upon it.

Train cab simulator in the laboratory.

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Much has been written about ETCS Level 2 within the overall ERTMS package. This provides a well-proven ATP (Automatic Train Protection) SIL4 (safety integrity level 4) system giving speed and ‘distance to go’ Movement Authority (MA) information to the driver by means of the GSM-R track-to-train radio link.

The ATO element is primarily to interpret the ETCS commands and interface these to the train traction and braking systems.

Enhancement of the normal ETCS infrastructure is fairly minimal but does require additional balise groups to achieve the necessary accuracy to stop trains at the right station platform position. With safety being assured by the ATP system, ATO has only to be designed to a SIL2 category and the package has been adapted from metro ATO equipment used elsewhere.

The development has been a 10-year joint exercise between Network Rail, Siemens, supplier of both the Class 700 train fleet and the signalling system, and Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), which developed the operational concept and will run the train service as well as take

ultimate responsibility for the train-borne equipment. Network Rail is the system integrator on behalf of the Department for Transport.

An initial modelling of the core route from just north of St Pancras International to Blackfriars led to a system integration laboratory being set up with all the infrastructure and train-borne elements present to allow integration testing.

Equipment used is mainly standard component parts proven in service elsewhere and includes: »» A Westlock solid state interlocking; »» A Radio Block Centre (RBC), as commonly used on ETCS projects; »» A European Vital Computer (EVC), which is the intelligence on the train; »» A dynamically programmable track balise to represent balises encountered on the simulated route sections; »» An underfloor train antenna to read the track balises; »» Three GSM-R base stations to provide a reference radio network; »» Simulated train odometers to measure distance travelled with a speed probe unit to simulate wheels going round; »» A Doppler radar to measure speed independent of wheel rotation and transmitters to simulate movement; »» A Class 700 cab complete with ETCS DMI (driver-machine interface - the visual display), ATO indication and GSM-R radio.

This provides a simulation of the system performance with the ability to ‘drive’ trains through the core section using video images of the track layouts and routes. These test the interaction and integration between trackside and trainborne components in given operational scenarios.

Having designed and proven the system in laboratory conditions, a trial system was then set up at the ETCS National Integration Facility (ENIF) on the Hertford Loop using the Class 313 ERTMS test train, this taking place from 2015 onwards.

FEATURE ECML KX

ATO operation The class 700 trains can operate in four possible modes: »» Level 0, meaning no supervision with both ETCS and TPWS/AWS isolated - to be used only in an emergency situation should failures occur; »» Level NTC (National Train Control), which is the normal UK standard for train operation employing both TPWS and AWS plus lineside signals; »» Level 2, using ETCS for a line equipped with an RBC, Eurobalises and GSM-R radio; »» ATO for trains equipped with both ETCS Level 2 and ATO equipment.

Another feature, known as L2 Inhibit, will allow trains to be driven in the ETCS area in NTC mode, using lineside signals and TPWS/AWS, for drivers not trained on ETCS operation.

ATO operation can itself exist in three classifications: »» Standalone - acceleration and speed are maximised and station dwell time is minimised; »» Timetable-based - the ATO drives to the timetable; »» Trackside-driven - the ATO receives updated trip time and dwell time commands as the train journey progresses.

The Thameslink central core ETCS operation commences just south of Kentish Town on the Midland line, at the entrance to the Canal Tunnel on the ECML through to Elephant & Castle on the line down to Herne Hill and to just east of London Bridge Thameslink platforms.

At the start of ETCS capability, the train passes over a four-balise group that triggers GSM-R registration and session management to establish secure communication between the RBC and the train EVC equipment. The train identity is established with the location to allow transmission of the initial MA. Drivers have to acknowledge Level 2 supervision after which they will drive the train to the limits of the MA. If the driver fails to acknowledge ETCS L2, the train will stop.

Once in ETCS L2 full-supervision mode, ATO operation can commence, this being offered by a flashing yellow button on the driver’s console that, when pressed, starts the ATO mode with the yellow light on continuously. The train then proceeds ‘hands off’ and will continue until the next station stop with the acceleration, speed and braking

MML WH

CANAL TUNNELS

TB

KINGS CROSS

ST PANCRAS INTERNATIONAL KINGS CROSS THAMESLINK (CLOSED) FARRINGDON

CITY THAMESLINK

(IN BOX)

BLACKFRIARS

CANNON STREET

TB

TB

CHARING CROSS

TB

CONNECTIONS BEING REMODELLED

Also, in 2015, and once the whole ETCS concept had been verified, an important next stage was the transfer of control for the whole central core section onto new ETCS-capable work stations at Three Bridges ROC (Railway Operating Centre), as having a single control centre would be one less complication. This enabled initial testing of both ETCS and ATO to take place overnight on the central core using a Class 700 train.

In December 2017, the Canal Tunnel link, from St Pancras to the ECML just north of King’s Cross, was brought into use, thus completing all the routes that would make up the extended Thameslink service.

Enhancements to the GSM-R infrastructure have been made to give improved resilience in case of a basestation failure. Some problems with radio interference have been noticed, which are being investigated and potential solutions sought.

The 115-strong Class 700 train fleet all came fitted with ETCS and ATO equipment, with two units being used specifically for integration testing.

This has allowed further ETCS and ATO testing to take place through the central core.

Although Siemens is the supplier of both ETCS infrastructure and trainborne equipment, the two come from different generations of design. The RBC emanates from the Invensys product, developed originally in Spain, and is at software version 2.3.0d, whereas the train kit comes from the Siemens Berlin factory and is at version 3.3.0 software, thus meeting the interoperability requirements. It is recognised that once the ECML ETCS goes live, both ETCS infrastructure and train borne equipment may require upgrading to whatever the latest software version is at the time.

The GSM-R radio infrastructure comes from Kapsch, with the train and cab radios being supplied by the Siemens facility in Poole, Dorset. For the present, the GSM-R connection between ground and train is circuit switched meaning a continuous connection between the control centre and the train once log-in has occurred. Again, the move to the packet switching GPRS standard may need to happen once the East Coast line ETCS goes live in order to ensure sufficient capacity within the GSM-R bandwidth allocation.

ELEPHANT & CASTLE

SEVENOAKS/SUTTON/ WIMBLEDON VS

NEW BOROUGH MARKET VIADUCT

(SEGREGATED ROUTE FOR CHRNG X TRAINS)

LONDON BRIDGE

TB

ECTS/ATO KX KINGS CROSS PSB WH WEST HAMPSTEAD TB THREE BRIDGES ROC VS VICTORIA ASC

(LOCATED AT CLAPHAM JNC)

EAST CROYDON/ BRIGHTON/KENT

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FEATURE Driving ATO

controlled by the train equipment in accordance with the ETCS MA. A double set of balises and the train odometry equipment will ensure a stopping accuracy of Âą0.5 metres.

When the train has stopped at the station, the ATO drops out and the doors are released automatically. With station duties completed, the driver closes the doors and re-presses the ATO yellow button, whence the train will move off and proceed to the next scheduled stopping point.

At full operational capacity, it is likely that a train following closely behind the preceding one will be stopped at a signal or ETCS block marker before the station stop. If this happens, the ATO remains active and the train will move again once the MA is extended.

It must be emphasised that the core section has (and will continue to have) lineside signals. Both the MAs associated with ETCS and ATO operation are commensurate with these signals and the system does not permit trains in ATO mode to pass a red signal. An MA will not be given from the RBC until the signal aspect changes. This is to avoid driver unease and contrasts with some systems on the European mainland where ETCS operation can allow red signals to be passed in order to get capacity benefits.

As part of the learning curve, ATO is not mandatory and it is perfectly possible for trains to transit the central core by manual driving to ETCS MA limits. It is likely that, on Sundays and late evenings when the traffic density is lower, drivers will use this method to keep abreast of ETCS operation.

In the daytime, and especially peak hours, drivers will be expected to use ATO. Another decision taken to optimise familiarity is the process of accepting ETCS supervision before commencing ATO both could happen simultaneously but introducing them sequentially is judged a safer option. The driver can disengage ATO at any time by pressing the ATO yellow button, moving the Power Brake Controller (PBC) or pressing the emergency stop button.

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From the cab ride, ATO appears little different to manual driving, but all movements are optimised. The acceleration rate is identical to normal driving and the braking rate is only 80 per cent of the full service brake application. The ATO is underpinned by an electronic representation of the infrastructure known as the track data base (TDB). This information will need to be updated to take account of any permanent way alterations or changes to the route’s speed profile and will eventually be downloaded to the entire fleet via an ATO server.

Adhesion issues are duly considered and low adhesion conditions can be implemented - the Class 700 trains have automatic sanders, which were witnessed in operation when accelerating from Blackfriars. The core section contains some steep gradients in the City Thameslink station area.

Currently, eight drivers are fully trained in ATO and they, in turn, are training the driver managers. When complete, all of the drivers employed by GTR will be trained, this consisting of one day in a classroom, one day on a simulator and then out on a test train with an instructor alongside.

The training simulators are located at Hornsey and Three Bridges, the main depots for the Class 700 fleet.

Traffic Management To ensure the best possible train regulation and adherence to the working timetable, in parallel with ETCS and ATO provision, a Traffic Management System is being supplied by Hitachi and will cover the majority of the future Thameslink routes. The timetable will be downloaded into the TMS at the start of each day, whereupon the TMS constantly reviews train movements against the timetable with the intended ability to transmit revised trip and dwell times out to each train before entering the central core ATO area.

TMS will detect timetable conflicts and late running to then offer the optimum pathing plan to the signallers so that potential disruption is kept to a minimum.

Once a new or revised train plan is agreed, the routes can be set either by the signaller or automatically, with the TMS interfaced with the ETCS/ATO. The latter will require the integrity of the data to be guaranteed before being contemplated.

So far, timetable data for a few days ahead has been compiled from Luton to Crystal Palace and is being tested within the TMS for conflicts and errors. TMS will become a subject for further articles in due course.

Proud to be first The Thameslink ATO project is not going to solve the challenge of providing ATO on main line railways, since it has only a single type of train (the Class 700) with all trains having the same stopping pattern through the central core. It does, however, give a useful insight into the application of ATO on the main line and the interfaces needed between conventional signalling and ETCS/ATO operation.

ATO will permit 24tph operation when the final Thameslink timetable becomes live in late 2019. From May 2018, an enhanced Thameslink timetable of 18tph will be implemented, giving new route destinations.

Driver training for ETCS and ATO will start this year with routine ETCS and ATO usage beginning in early 2019. Eyes from across the world will be watching to see how effective the ATO will be. The project is a UK-first, and one to be proud of.

Thanks to David Thomas, Philip Powley, Jim Doughty and David Harris from the Thameslink Programme team and to Scott Wilson and Selina Clarke from Network Rail for explaining the technical features and enabling the visit to take place.

Approaching Blackfriars on the ATO test train.

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Rail Engineer | Issue 164 | June 2018

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FEATURE

Understan ding the c ommitme nt

to

y a w l i a R l a t i g i D the

NIGEL WORDSWORTH

I

t’s easy to be cynical about the Digital Railway. For a start, the technology and the terminology are difficult for the uninitiated to understand.

As an example, one core technology of the Digital Railway is ERTMS, with its component parts of ETCS, GSM-R and ETML. ETCS Level 2 with an ATO overlay is being introduced on Thameslink, but GSM-R, being an out-dated 2G system, is struggling for capacity. It is likely to be replaced by a 4G/LTE/5G system in the future but may well be used with GPRS in the interim. ETML is yet to be properly defined, but other TMS solutions are being introduced, supported by C-DAS to improve reliability and efficiency.

See what I mean? Regular readers may decipher those acronyms correctly, but even non-signalling railway engineers may struggle. And I didn’t even mention DMI, RBC, MA, EVC and the dreaded Eurobalise.

Another problem with Digital Railway’s credibility is that it is seen, in some quarters, as the solution to life, the universe, and everything. You want to fit more trains onto an already-overcrowded route? The Digital Railway will do that for you. The increased number of trains running into Manchester Piccadilly over the Ordsall Chord will necessitate building extra platforms? No they won’t, Digital Railway will optimise the utilisation of the

Rail Engineer | Issue 164 | June 2018

existing platforms. How will we better inform passengers of train running times?

The Digital Railway… What’s the best way of getting services running again after an incident? The Digital Railway… How do I make a better cup of tea? The Digital Railway…

And the Digital Railway is not new. ETCS (or is it ERTMS?) has been running on the Cambrian Coast line since 2010 - plans were announced in 2006 - and the test facility on the Hertford Loop has been in operation since 2013.

As you can see, the Digital Railway is fair game for cynics, critics, doom-mongers and the “it will never work” brigade.

Which is a shame, as the combined technologies have the potential to increase performance dramatically while saving the railway a load of money.

The future of digital So when Rail Engineer was invited to meet with the Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling and Network Rail chief executive Mark Carne to hear “key policy announcements and some detail of our rollout plans for the digital railway

programme”, there was really no choice, it was off to York to find out what was going to be announced.

It was quite a gathering, as well as the rail industry press, there were representatives from a number of Network Rail’s suppliers and members of local authorities and interest groups. All busily drank Network Rail’s coffee and wondered what was about to be revealed.

Rob McIntosh, route managing director for the London North East & East Midlands Route and the host for the session, introduced Chris Grayling first.

As is normal, the Secretary of State spoke about the “surge in passenger numbers over the past twenty years”, adding: “We need a railway that is sustainable, reliable and delivers a better experience for our passengers - one which accommodates more trains, faster journeys, with improved safety and reliability.

“Well - that is exactly what the Digital Railway will help us do.”

“It is no coincidence that we awarded £450 million for digital signalling in the National Productivity Investment

FEATURE Fund,” he continued. “It was because we recognise the essential contribution of a well-performing, efficient rail network to our country, and to the working lives of millions of commuters.”

Grayling went on to list some of the Digital Railway’s key selling points - better information, quicker incident recovery, and in-cab signalling.

He then touched on the “three important challenges” that the railway is facing - the pace of delivery, funding and integration.

“By the end of 2018,” he added, “we will have fitted around 200 trains with specially designed digital in-cab signalling systems, including Thameslink Class 700s and Hitachi trains in the South West and on the Great Western line. And we’re funding state of the art test facilities to trial and approve the latest digital technologies away from the working railway.

“Given the clear benefits, I am as impatient as anyone to see the Digital Railway delivered. I want these technologies to be commonplace on the network within a decade. But we do need to be pragmatic about timing and pace.

“Where possible, improvements must align with signalling renewals, and must be deployed where they deliver the most benefit. That is why I want the industry to make plans for all signal renewals and upgrades - from next year - to be digital, or at least digital-ready. This will mean we are making best use of funds already earmarked for renewals, and we will also consider the best way to use the franchising process.

“And whenever new passenger trains are being ordered, we will have already ensured that those will be digital or digital-ready.”

The Secretary of State then went on to restate the benefits of, and the need for, a digital railway. He did have the grace to state: “Frankly, government doesn’t have a great track record when it tries to control every aspect of major rail projects. Costs can spiral. Deadlines can be delayed.

“We will change the way we contract work, so suppliers are incentivised and focused on the best way to deliver results for passengers without government trying to manage every detail.”

The next 15 years Mark Carne then took the stand, telling his audience: “We are here today to launch our National Digital Railway Strategy and set out our fifteen year roadmap for the technological transformation of Britain’s railway.”

He also reiterated the benefits of a digital railway, and stressed why going digital was so important. He enthused about the recent successful introduction into testing of digital signalling on Thameslink (ETCS with ATO for those who can cope with the acronyms), and asked four questions.

Is the technology ready? The Thameslink introduction shows that it is, and countries such as Denmark and Norway are already implementing it across their entire networks.

Can we afford it? Yes we can, as 60 per cent of the country’s signalling system will be time expired within the next fifteen years. Money will have to be spent on signalling and control anyway, so it can be spent on digitisation as easily as on likefor-like replacement. With the benefits that can be achieved, the actual question is - can we afford NOT to do it?

Do we have the capabilities we need?

A lot of people will need to be retrained and upskilled, but Mark added: “There is no doubt that we will need a new cadre of engineers to help deliver the Digital Railway. So harnessing our existing training centres and established academic partnerships, we will create a Digital Railway Academy.

“I am confident that an industry with a digital vision will excite the next generation of engineers and project managers and will help us, as an industry, to attract and retain the best apprentices and graduates. So this isn’t a barrier - it’s a fantastic opportunity to continue to grow our industry!”

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Can we confidently deliver this transformation? The next 15 years mentioned above covers control periods CP6-8. Mark split this down for the audience.

CP6 (2019-2024) will focus on a line of route deployment. Funding is in place for the early development phases of converting the East Coast main line and the Transpennine route upgrade will be the first digital intercity railway. Five further programmes will include Crewe becoming ETCS-enabled to interface with HS2, an ETCS-enabled renewal at Feltham to lay the ground for the Digital Railway in Wessex, and the introduction of traffic management on other routes.

CP7 (2024-2029) will build on this experience and capability and be focused on regional deployment of ETCS. Major resignalling opportunities will start to create ETCS railways - for example, the whole track, 40 miles from Waterloo, will be ETCS within 10 years, providing the potential for a metro-style service into Britain’s biggest commuter station.

CP8 (2029-2034) will see the linking of the regional routes and the coming together of a national network. By the end of the period, 70 per cent of journeys will be ETCS and traffic management enabled, in time for HS2 to arrive in Manchester in 2032.

After warning of the dangers of inaction, Mark Carne concluded with a positive statement for the future. “The case for a Digital Railway is compelling. It is a chance to deliver huge benefits for our passengers and for the freight that this country depends on. It is the most cost efficient way to deliver the future railway Britain needs.

Rail Engineer | Issue 164 | June 2018

“It amounts to the biggest transformation since steam to diesel. But, in some other respects, it’s even more profound as it demands fundamental changes in all parts of our railway.

“We have taken time to think through all the barriers that we will have to overcome to enable this transformation. We know it can be done.”

So what was new?

Both statements, from Mark Carne and Chris Grayling, had been very positive.

But what was new? Seemingly, apart from a commitment to establishing the digital railway over the next three control periods, the only two ‘new’ comments had been that “plans for all signal renewals and upgrades - from next year - (are) to be digital, or at least digitalready” and “whenever new passenger trains are being ordered, we will have already ensured that those will be digital or digital-ready.”

But isn’t that already the case? Isn’t all of the modern electronic signalling equipment “digital-ready”, and aren’t all new trains already wired up for in-cab signalling?

So what was new?

To answer that question, and those doubts, Mark Carne and Digital Railway managing director David Waboso sat down to explain.

First of all, Mark tackled the subject of digital ready trains. “What we’re wanting now is that all trains are wired and ready to run,” he stated. “There are some that we don’t believe are yet fully wired for it, but there’s the commitment now that they will be.

“It’s much simpler. At the moment, every time we have that discussion, (we) have a separate debate with the Treasury about whether that is value for money for that franchise. And now we don’t have that debate anymore because it’s a policy decision…that we only buy trains that are fitted like this.

“Now, there is a question, ‘Do you put the box in the train as well or just the wiring?’ but I can deal with that. What we want is the wiring and we avoid that whole discussion.”

So having a policy decision that all future trains will be digital railway removes the need for debate with the Treasury, business cases to be made and time wasted.

That covered the train question. But what about the signalling infrastructure?

Isn’t new equipment already compatible with digital?

David Waboso answered this one.

He said that the question wasn’t about the signalling kit at all, it was about the infrastructure design. Currently, signalling distances and layout are designed on

FEATURE a traffic-light basis, but in future it will be built and designed from an ETCS perspective. It will still be fixed block, but with potentially more blocks.

“You design it with more blocks; you design it now so that you have the capability ultimately to switch over into ETCS,” David Waboso explained.

“Because, if you replace the signalling system today and put in modern traffic lights with digital control then, yes, you can make it part of ETCS but you’ve still got the limitations of the bigger blocks.

“So by designing it from the start by saying, ‘Right, actually how could you run this in a different way with smaller blocks and different systems?’ then there are other advantages.

“The interlockings, generally speaking, are all digital ready, but there’s a big difference between putting a digital-ready interlocking in and putting a full Digital Railway scheme in with the radio blocks in it, the comms, the right data and the right block layout. You’ve got to design it for train control because you design it with a different set of overlaps.”

So in future, the whole design for a signalling renewal or enhancement will be a digital design. Granted, to start with, those parts of the railway will be operated conventionally, but the basic infrastructure

will be capable of being converted to digital control.

Recent programmes, such as Cardiff, have digital-ready interlockings, but haven’t been designed for full ETCS. Feltham and Crewe, however, will now be designed as full digital systems.

Paul Darlington’s more complete explanation of the term 'Digital Ready' can be found elsewhere in this issue.

Hidden content Thanks to the explanations from Mark Carne and David Waboso, the picture was suddenly much clearer.

Buying digital-ready trains isn’t new, but no longer is it a matter for debate and

justifications to those paying the bill. It is now policy.

And signalling designs will be prepared as if for a digital system, with short blocks and all of the ground-based infrastructure.

To start with, there may still be colouredlight signals, and these may be located at the end of every third block (for example), but when converting to digital the blocks will already be there, making the transition much simpler.

So the Secretary of State’s statement, and his commitment to the Digital Railway, really was new and significant.

It’s just that the detail was a bit difficult to understand and confusing.

Isn’t that where we came in?

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FEATURE

What is

Digital Ready?

PAUL DARLINGTON

O

n 10 May 2018, the Secretary of State for Transport, Chris Grayling, and Mark Carne, chief executive Network Rail, supported

by David Waboso, managing director of Group Digital Railway, launched the Digital Railway Strategy.

With digital train control already a reality on the Thameslink core through London Bridge and on Crossrail, they announced that, in the five years to 2024, the industry is planning to introduce more of the same across the Pennines, on the southern end of the East Coast main line into London King’s Cross and onto some of the major commuter routes that feed London Waterloo. Within 15 years, the aim is to see 70 per cent of journeys benefit from digital railway technology.

To enable this transformation, they also announced a commitment that all new rolling stock must come from the factory digital signalling ready and that all conventional resignalling must be provided ‘digital railway ready’. But what does that mean, and what is digital signalling?

Digital versus Analogue It could be argued that all signalling is ‘digital signalling’. The first mechanical interlockings introduced a way in which trains were less likely to run into each other by using interlocked levers connected to points and signals, such that rules for train movement were enforced. The system drove points that were either in one position or another and signals that told drivers to go or to stop - a two-state binary, or digital output.

The next stage of signalling technology involved electrically operated relays.

Effectively imposing signalling rules via long strings of relays processing ONs and OFFs. For example, a series of relays are connected to points, track circuits and signals. If one relay was energised, and another de-energised, with either of two other relays de-energised, then another relay (controlling a route) could be energised. The great thing with relays is

Rail Engineer | Issue 164 | June 2018

that the logic could be designed so that if any relays fail, the system ‘fails safe’.

Railway signalling developed via Solid State Interlocking to modern computer-based interlockings, which use processors and software to replace the relays and mechanical interlocking logic.

The evolution of technology has always provided a similar safe ‘digital’ output to a driver, but on different platforms.

It could even be argued that modern signalling is less digital and more analogue than previous systems.

In-cab signalling displays give drivers information about how far and how fast the train can safely go - not simply the status of the next signal. This is provided in terms of analogue value positions to the nearest metre and speeds to the nearest km/h.

However, today the term ‘digital signalling’ is used to describe computerbased interlockings digitally connected to ‘objects’ (points, signals, fringes, trains) and the way they are controlled,

FEATURE

connected or monitored, so modern signalling is actually ‘networked signalling’ or ‘communications-based’ signalling. Central or distributed interlocking processors control networks of objects using secure digital messages transmitted at high speed, which may include radio to provide movement authority to trains.

The Digital Railway Strategy is to provide in-cab signalling using the European Train Control System (ETCS) to allow trains to run closer together in greater safety and with more reliability.

ETCS, when married with traffic management, can dramatically reduce knock-on delay - which is currently the largest single cause of train disruption.

The world’s first full-scale fixed-block Automatic Train Operation system (ATO) system was installed on the Victoria line in London 50 years ago and telecoms engineers have been using digital multiplexing data transmission for decades. So, as Mark Carne and David Waboso both made the point at the launch of the Digital Railway Strategy, this is not new technology and the industry can’t go on installing inefficient colour-light signalling systems if it wants to improve capacity, reliability and safety.

Digital Railway The Digital Railway solution involves a number of digitally enabled technologies to improve train performance and provide increased capacity on the GB railway network, with the three main components being: »» ETCS and GSM-R radio to communicate between the train and the Radio Block Control (RBC), with

ETCS also providing Automatic Train Protection (ATP), which enforces obedience to signals and speed restrictions by speed supervision; »» Traffic Management System (TMS) - a signalling control system to optimise the throughput and timetabling of trains, particularly in times of train disruption; »» Driving support technologies Connected Driver Advisory System (C-DAS) advises the driver on the optimum train speed profile whilst Automatic Train Operation (ATO) systems can deliver elements of automated driving.

All three systems can be used together or individually to suit the requirements of different routes and railway traffic patterns.

Network Rail is drawing up the deployment and implementation plan that will be used for the majority of signalling and control system upgrades. However, until the Digital Railway components are all ready to be deployed, with trains fitted with the relevant on-board equipment, it will be necessary to continue to install traditional colour light signalling to maintain safe and reliable asset performance.

Signalling renewals, alterations and enhancements will therefore need to be implemented in a way that allows the subsequent introduction of Digital Railway components with minimum alterations, so that the signalling system is ‘Digital Railway Ready’. Network Rail has produced a standard that will enable any signalling works, undertaken in advance of a future Digital Railway deployment, to be upgraded to ETCS with minimum disruption and cost.

Underlay and Overlay An ETCS Overlay scheme will involve overlaying the ETCS on to the existing layout without significant alterations to the train detection sections or signal positions. The train detection sections will be positioned to suit the optimum lineside signal locations. It is envisaged that an Overlay solution will be used where dual running is required (so lineside signals will be retained for a number of services that are not ETCS fitted) or where the existing train detection sections provide the headway performance required.

An ETCS Underlay scheme will be optimised to simplify the introduction of ETCS without lineside signals.

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This involves assessing train detection sections to suit the final train stopping positions of the ETCS solution in any interim design. Any lineside signals are positioned according to the final train detection sections (unless this will compromise the conventional signalling arrangements) or existing signals retained to suit the operating requirements of the non-ETCS fitted trains.

All new interlockings must be provided ETCS compatible. This means all interlockings will be modern computerbased interlockings (CBI) that have been designed to work with an ETCS RBC. The interlocking must be provided with a communications link, protocol and software capability to communicate with an RBC.

Scheme designs All signalling renewals or enhancements will be designed and constructed to allow for reduced intervention for subsequent ETCS deployment (such as a staged introduction of ETCS and its functionality).

The outline signalling scheme design will need to take into account the subsequent deployment of ETCS and be developed to enable a simple upgrade path without further interventions or costs. This will need to take into account such variables as train detection limits and level crossing interfaces.

Rail Engineer | Issue 164 | June 2018

The scheme layout design for an ETCS underlay scheme will need to be optimised for ETCS, as the full benefits will only be gained if the design is optimised from the initial scheme plan stage. Interfaces between the level crossing equipment and both the conventional and ETCS control systems will need to be assessed.

Interface specifications for signalling fringes will need to take into account future migration to ETCS and to include an assessment of the interlocking and RBC fringe requirements. The locations where transitions between conventional signalling and ETCS will take place will also need identifying.

Interlocking requirements The interlocking of any signalling renewal or enhancement will require, in addition to the normal 10 per cent spare capacity, to have a further allowance calculated to support final ETCS functionality. This will be established on a project-by-project basis.

The intention will be that the RBC can be attached to the interlocking with no requirement for a change or upgrade to the hardware (other than enabling the interface). The additional capacity will provide for future interlocking expansion to support a Digital Railway and be calculated based on the standard ETCS functions, which includes signalling to allow all reasonable movements in both directions.

FEATURE

included in the interlocking prior to the introduction of ETCS must not impact on the overall safety or functionality of the interlocking.

Train detection

Application data The application design will need to support an increase in capacity and/ or flexibility with minimal change to the data. In order for the future Digital Railway solution to deliver enhanced benefits, it might be necessary to alter existing infrastructure arrangements or create additional block sections. Where future infrastructure changes or additional train detection sections are proposed for ETCS capacity/flexibility enhancements, the conventional signalling will need to be designed to accept infrastructure modifications and the introduction of the extra train detection sections.

The objective of the Digital Railway Strategy is to create repeatable data that can be proven generically and allow the automation of data production. This will require a modular approach to support repeatable design, automated deployment of designs, progressive introduction and removal of functionality and code, together with testability.

The data will also need to take into account the ETCS requirements for emergency release of track locking of points and the emergency release of route locking, swinging overlaps, active level crossings, and pre-defined ETCS shunt areas. Any ETCS-specific application data

The use of axle counters is the preferred method for train detection as the upgrade from ETCS-ready conventional re-signalling to a full ETCS system may require alterations to the axle counter train detection sections which are easier to modify than track circuits. The axle counter trackside architecture should therefore be designed to simplify future modifications.

Altered or additional train detection sections may be required when upgrading to ETCS. This includes optimising train detection sections to match stopping points, rather than colour light signals. The axle counter architecture and interface to the interlocking will need to be designed so that alterations are minimised.

An ETCS Underlay project will be designed to move to ETCS with a minimum of alterations (as the final ETCS layout is already known). Therefore, the track sections can be designed to suit the final ETCS layout to meet the ETCS train stopping positions and headway performance layout.

Migration from ETCS Level 2 to a future level 3 system may require alterations to the axle counter train detection sections, particularly on plain-line sections between

Rail Engineer | Issue 164 | June 2018

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junction areas. The axle counter trackside architecture will therefore be designed to allow recovery with minimum alterations to the signalling system.

If ETCS Level 3 becomes available after the re-signalling, then upgrading direct to Level 3 instead of migrating via Level 2 may be possible. In this scenario, the train detection system may not be required, apart from train detection sections over points. The axle counter architecture and interface to the interlocking should therefore be designed so that recovery alterations are minimised.

Lineside equipment To simplify and reduce the cost of decommissioning and recovering the lineside signals and any signage, the lineside equipment will need to be designed to simplify recovery when ETCS is implemented. For example, separate signal module and axle counter housings would allow for easier removal of signals.

On an ETCS Underlay re-signalling scheme, the lineside signals and associated AWS, TPWS and overlap lengths can be positioned to suit the ETCS optimised train detection sections, to avoid alterations to the train detection when the signals are recovered.

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Where conventional signal positions are not aligned to the final ETCS (optimised) train detection sections, a range of options, including interim alterations to final train detection arrangements, can be considered and subject to risk assessment.

Alternatively, selected or all existing conventional signals could be retained to accommodate non-ETCS fitted trains.

When migrating to ETCS Level 2 (retaining signals) and ETCS Level 3 (no lineside equipment, just train detection), to simplify and reduce the

cost of decommissioning and recovering equipment housings, or the redundant equipment within equipment housings, the housings will need to be designed to simplify recovery. This could be by using separate equipment housings or by making the equipment easy to disconnect and recover.

Telecommunications An assessment of all the telecoms systems will need to be undertaken during any project development to establish GSM-R

FEATURE

and fixed telecoms requirements, including access layer capacity, coverage and any constraints.

GSM-R currently provides a circuitswitched data connection from the RBC to the train ETCS system to communicate a movement authority. The secondgeneration radio circuit-switched data technology used in GSM-R means a radio connection is required to a train, even if no data or very little data is being transmitted.

This is an inefficient method of data transmission and, as ETCS is rolled out throughout the country, GSM-R may not be

able to provide the capacity required.

Therefore, at some point in the future, upgrading GSM-R to packet-switched data in order to provide additional data capacity, or completely replacing it with 4G/5G LTE technology, may be required. Given the age of GSM-R, which is a 2G system, it is likely that replacement with LTE/4G/5G or another form of radio data technology may be required.

The digital railway is a long-term programme that will that will continue until 2030 and beyond. It is therefore inevitable that, in the few first years of the

programme, there will be conventional signalling renewals as well as early ETCS digital railway deployments. In addition, until all trains are fitted with the required equipment, on some lines there will be a requirement for both ETCS and colour light signalling.

The ‘Digital Railway Ready’ standard takes account of these scenarios by requiring engineers to consider ETCS digital signalling as they prepare conventional schemes. It is just one indication of the growing momentum of digital railway delivery.

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Rail Engineer | Issue 164 | June 2018

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GRAHAM COOMBS

A

nother vital step in the opening of the Elizabeth line has taken place, but one which has not been widely publicised and to which most passengers will be completely oblivious. With no public fanfare, Transport for London’s new Old Oak Common Depot has come into service as the maintenance base and main train-crew facility for the Elizabeth line trains. Rail Engineer was given a preview of the new state-of-the-art depot with a tour hosted by Howard Smith, operations director for TfL Rail and the Elizabeth line.

Welcoming the progress made since work began four years ago, Howard stressed the importance of the new depot: “As home to the Elizabeth line fleet, Old Oak Common will be vital in helping us maintain our 70 brand-new trains over the years to come.”

Many of the new Class 345 Bombardier Aventra Elizabeth line units are already stabled at the depot and several driver training and technical testing trips are currently being run each day. From 20 May, TfL takes over operation of local services between Paddington and Hayes & Harlington as well as the Heathrow Connect service, although for the time being this will continue to be operated by the existing Class 360 units.

The Class 345s will soon take this service over too, but the depot will truly come into its own in December, when Elizabeth line services start to operate from Paddington to Abbey Wood. The existing Shenfield to Liverpool Street service will run through the central London tunnels to Paddington from May 2019, with full operation through to Reading due in December 2019.

New depot for new trains Old Oak Common will be the maintenance centre for the whole fleet of 70 nine-car units, with up to 42 located there at any one time. Other stabling facilities will be located at Ilford, Shenfield Gidea Park, Plumstead and Maidenhead.

Bombardier will operate the facility as part of a 32-year construction and maintenance package awarded in 2014.

Rail Engineer | Issue 164 | June 2018

An environmental example for the future Transport for London’s new Old Oak Common Depot

FEATURE Solar heating and photovoltaic panels make the depot roof a valuable resource.

History

Bombardier’s latest Automatic Vehicle Inspection System (AVIS) will be used to scan and analyse trains as they enter the depot, reducing the overall time needed for maintenance and increasing reliability.

As units enter the depot, laser and camera equipment will automatically check wheels, brakes, pantographs and other equipment to identify where attention is needed. The system can even spot graffiti!

Andy Derbyshire, head of UK Projects at Bombardier Transportation, sees the depot as a showcase for the new rolling stock. “Our British-designed and built trains are transforming journeys between Liverpool Street and Shenfield and are to do the same between Paddington and Hayes & Harlington. We are really building momentum towards the launch of the Elizabeth line in December.”

Bombardier employs some 80 maintenance and testing staff at Old Oak Common currently, including eight apprentices. This will increase to 110 by the summer, including a further eight apprentices.

Taylor Woodrow, part of the Vinci Group, was appointed as principal contractor for the design and construction of the new depot. Fred Garner, sector director - rail at Taylor Woodrow, explained the process: “The tender specification laid down a lot of the requirements and Bombardier added others. Taylor Woodrow designed the depot and has delivered it with relatively little change to the bid.

“I believe that one of our key strengths was the development of the advanced environmental package. A special team put together a detailed package with impressive sustainability gains, in line with the Mayor of London’s Transport Strategy.

The environmental systems have already won several awards.”

Over 30 per cent of the depot is powered by an innovative hybrid renewable energy system, integrating

ground source heating and cooling from a combination of 250 energy piles and fifty bore holes each 150 metres deep. Three different types of thermal technologies are used to help control the temperature of the main depot building.

Throughout the depot, there is some 40,000 square metres of underfloor piping which heats the facility in winter and cools it in summer, designed to maintain a comfortable and relatively constant 12 to 14°C temperature, whatever the weather outside.

Up on the roof, there are 140kW thermal solar panels, along with 1,500 square metres of photovoltaic panels.

And, of course, rainwater is harvested and recycled. Old Oak Common is the first rail depot in the UK to introduce all these environmentally friendly measures together. The full integration of the separate systems is expected to save TfL over 500 tonnes of CO2 each year, as well as significantly reducing running costs.

The extensive Old Oak Common site has been in railway use since 1906 when the engine shed and carriage depot, designed by George Jackson Churchward, opened to serve Great Western Railway services from Paddington.

The new depot is located at the north side of the site near the Grand Union canal, in the area which once housed the famous and much-photographed western turntable, the last of the three on the site.

The last remaining parts of the old depot are awaiting demolition to make way for the new HS2 station, which will extend to within a few metres of the TfL depot.

Before the new depot construction started, the site also housed the factory used to fabricate the concrete ring sections for the Crossrail tunnels.

First class facilities Entering from Old Oak Common Lane is still very much going onto a construction site, with work underway clearing the earlier site buildings and finishing construction of the northern part of the stabling sidings. But across the access road stands the fine new depot building, faced by an impressive array of offices.

This smart, modern accommodation includes the base for some 180 drivers employed by MTR Crossrail, as well as housing Bombardier and TfL staff. MTR Crossrail will operate the Elizabeth line on TfL’s behalf.

The simulators replicate the Elizabeth line driving experience, here ‘arriving at Stratford’.

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Depot operations and safety are controlled from a single desk.

The facility is a far cry from train crew accommodation of the past, with comfortable climate-controlled rooms.

Driver training is also carried out here, with classrooms and two Sydac driver simulators. Around 25 per cent of a driver’s training is carried out on the simulators, which replicate exactly the cabs of the Class 345 units. The trainer in the adjacent control room can call up a range of weather conditions, equipment failures and other scenarios as a valuable supplement to training out on the line.

At the London end of the offices is the depot control room. With a good overview of the outside sidings, this is where all train movements are controlled, including the vital interface with Network Rail. The depot signalling is a GE ElectroLogIXS system, designed and built by Atkins. Although widely used in the USA, and with more than 7,000 installations worldwide, this is the first depot system and the most complex application so far in the UK and introduction has not been without its difficulties, but the first part has been commissioned and is in use controlling train movements between the new depot building and the main line.

The whole site will eventually comprise 33 sidings and something that TfL dramatically under-describes as a ‘nine road shed’. This is actually a superb train maintenance facility, including five maintenance roads, two high-level maintenance roads, a heavy cleaning road and a wheel lathe road. One of the roads has a synchronised jacking system, supplied by Mechan, which can lift an entire nine-car set simultaneously, eliminating the need to uncouple vehicles.

Rail Engineer | Issue 164 | June 2018

There is a pair of impressive bogie drops, also supplied by Mechan, with an underground passage leading to the extensive bogie workshop which occupies the side of the building, so that bogies can be brought in and out under the train. The wheel lathe is from Hegenscheidt, complete with a Zephir Kubo tug for train movement.

The train washing plant is located some distance from the main depot, by the throat leading to the main line.

Safety first Being brand new, the depot is immaculate, with coloured floors marked out with walking routes and work areas.

In various places, a cluster of industriallooking piping reveals the outputs from the geothermal piles below.

Safety is, of course, a watchword, and the whole of the depot building is under the management of a Zonegreen Depot Personal Protection System (DPPS). Any staff working on a unit must log on to one of the terminals located by each road and, as a further protective measure, attach a personal padlock to the device. The system gives a clear indication of whether any staff are working on a particular unit, essential when they could be at the far end of a nine-car set.

Energisation of that road and train movement is only possible when all personnel have logged out and removed their padlocks. Train status tags are similarly used to indicate equipment that is being worked on or isolated. A less obvious safety measure is a row of small yellow boxes alongside each track outside the building, which are actually derailers in case of unauthorised movement towards an occupied road which may have people working on it.

Building and integrating the new depot with the existing complex railway infrastructure has required considerable teamwork and collaboration with other organisations. As well as the expected detailed interfaces with Network Rail, the site lies alongside the existing First Great Western depot, adjacent to the Heathrow Express depot and the Great Western main line, and just opposite the former Eurostar North Pole depot, now taken over by Hitachi for its Great Western Railway Class 802 trains. And the situation is further complicated by the imminent arrival of HS2 and construction of the new Old Oak Common interchange station.

Assistant project manager for TfL Edward Hamlyn has been involved with the depot construction since the bidding phase in 2012. He explained how the team was determined to complete on time. “Our guiding mantra was that we would not be responsible for holding up the rest of the Crossrail project. We are proud to be ready for the start of services on 20 May.” Construction of the depot has taken four years, summarised as first access to the site and clearance of existing buildings in 2014, groundworks in 2015, construction of the buildings in 2016 and fitting out in 2017. With the final touches to the depot buildings now being carried out, it only remains for completion of the stabling sidings to see an impressive, environmentally-efficient maintenance facility taking its place as an excellent example for the rest of Britain’s rail network to follow.

The immaculate maintenance roads include jacking and bogie drop facilities.

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FEATURE

Ushering in a new era North Wales Railway Upgrade Project

PAUL DARLINGTON

Object Controller switch on with minimal on site testing.

O

ver the weekend before Easter 2018, Siemens Rail Automation commissioned its low-cost digitalready modular signalling solution on the North Wales Coast (NWC) resignalling programme as part of Network Rail’s £50 million North Wales Railway Upgrade Project.

Control of the line is now carried out from the Wales Rail Operating Centre (WROC) in Cardiff. The project delivered a genuine low-cost resignalling for around 75 per cent of a conventional one, so finally a lower cost signalling solution for such routes is now available.

Traditionally, 50 per cent of the cost base of any signalling project has been associated with the supporting steelwork and copper cabling located trackside, together with the construction of concrete foundations on which to install it all.

In addition, with conventional signalling, there are often a number of bespoke or nonrepeatable signalled scenarios, which have to be individually designed and tested. This low cost signalling solution is designed to remove these costly items.

The Siemens Trackguard Westrace and Controlguide Westcad systems provide a more efficient and future-proof signalling system with much-

Rail Engineer | Issue 164 | June 2018

reduced material content, rapid and low-cost installation, and lower ongoing maintenance and operational costs. They also provide the foundation for the future fitment of ETCS and traffic management system products, such as dynamic route setting and digital conflict resolution. It therefore meets the Network Rail requirement of being ‘digital railway compatible’.

Crewe-Shrewsbury pilot Although the technology was proven in the CreweShrewsbury modular signalling pilot scheme, Siemens has taken that concept and further developed it, leading to the launch of the low-cost, digitalready system that has been demonstrated for the first time as a ‘production process’ on the NWC project. One minor change is that the grill platform base for the object controllers has been replaced with a solid concrete one, to reduce the amount of screw pile foundations required, but no other changes to the system have been made.

FEATURE At the heart of the low-cost signalling solution is Siemens’ Trackguard Westrace Mk2 computer-based interlocking, enabling signalling schemes to be delivered from just a small range of core products. These include object controllers, plug coupled cables, axle counters and lightweight signals.

This enables a number of standard signalling data templates to be used, reducing the engineering resource required for any given scheme significantly, and making the validation and verification processes much faster and more straightforward.

The modular-signalling concept is specified by the Network Rail Modular Handbook. To simplify the system, this includes a number of constraints such as no more than five stopping trains an hour, or three routes from a main signal, and no banner signals or enhancements.

However, Siemens believes that its Westrace product is powerful enough that it can easily exceed the Modular Handbook requirements. For example, a functionality module for four-aspect signalling is available, although it was not required for NWC.

Upgrade Plan Forming part of Network Rail’s Railway Upgrade Plan, the project covers a 30-mile section of the line between Shotton and Colwyn Bay. At an early stage, the NWC programme was identified as an ideal project for modular signalling, as it was developed specifically to allow lines of this type to be cost-effectively upgraded.

The signalling solution is essentially a modern version of absolute block, with ‘islands’ of signalling separated by plain line. Train detection control is by track-circuit block using axle counters and existing train movements, and capacities are replicated in modern form to avoid Network Change issues as far as possible. For the NWC scheme, three ‘islands’ of signalling have been provided at Flint, Mostyn and Rhyl.

Each island is provided with a modular equipment housing (MEH), to house both the Westrace interlocking and its interfaces to object controllers that control signals and points.

Over the three islands, a total of 85,000 metres of doubleinsulated super-armoured fibre-optic cable (DiSAC), 40,000 metres of power cable and 45,000 metres of tail

cables have been provided.

Approximately 30 per cent of the cabling has been installed in troughing, with 70 per cent anchored.

Siemens looked long and hard at the lessons learned from the Crewe-Shrewsbury pilot. One learning point was to avoid any rework and to carefully develop and lock down the requirements early in the design. This enabled a sequential design approach, rather than the riskier parallel design process.

The team included experienced railway signalling engineers together with engineers from other safety critical industries who were not constrained with the traditional ways that railway signalling has always been delivered.

This enabled fresh ideas and innovative solutions to be introduced, along with best practise from other industries.

It is important that remits for these types of projects are performance-based with intelligent requirements, and care needs to be taken to avoid prescriptively specifying what has previously been remitted via ‘copy and paste’ from older schemes. Otherwise, further innovation and the opportunity to reduce costs may be constrained.

Crewe-Shrewsbury was tested both in the factory and on site but, for the NWC scheme, greater use of the factory off-site hangar testing facility has been made, with reduced on-site testing to further

Rhyl station platform 1 looking towards the redundant Rhyl No1 signalbox.

Rhyl station platform 2.

Bi directional signalling has been provided throughout the route.

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FEATURE Work station testing. One work station replaces all seven signal boxes.

contain costs. This, along with using templated designs, standardised plug-and-play equipment and the fast and efficient installation process, has proved the benefits of the modular concept.

Testing the system in the hangar facility at the factory has a number of advantages. A major cost of any conventional scheme is getting people to and from site. It’s also far safer working in a controlled environment, rather than travelling by road (itself a risky undertaking) to a live railway worksite. Fewer disruptive possessions are needed, as well as it being far easier to effect changes to the system, which may be identified by the testing, while it’s still in the factory.

Displaced heritage

Prestatyn signal box may be retained as a railway heritage visitor attraction.

The new workstation at the WROC replaces the signal boxes at Rockcliffe Hall, Holywell Junction, Mostyn, Talacre, Prestatyn, Rhyl No 1 and Abergele. Rhyl No 1 is one of a pair of Grade II listed London & North Western Railway boxes at Rhyl, with Rhyl No 2, at the western end of the station, closing in 1990.

Holywell Junction, Abergele and Mostyn are also Grade II listed. However, plans are additionally in place to use some of the other non-listed structures for new purposes.

Rail Engineer | Issue 164 | June 2018

The local council, MP and community are all involved with Network Rail in plans to retain Prestatyn signal box. Some of the ideas being proposed include a visitor attraction, such as a railway heritage centre, which would link with the old Prestatyn/Dyserth railway line and Offa’s Dyke footpath.

This will help the council to promote and develop its theme of Prestatyn being a ‘walkers welcome’ town.

Talacre signal box is being sold to the neighbouring industrial estate for use as an office. And the bottom portion of Rockliffe Hall signal box is being retained as a rail training centre for Rhyl College.

The manual gate box at Tyn y Morfa level crossing has also closed. Rather than being operating with obstacledetection radar, the level crossing has been upgraded to a manually controlled barrier with CCTV operated from the WROC. As this is likely to be the only manually controlled barrier level crossing with CCTV on the route, it can easily be operated within the overall signaller workload. The Siemens S60 barrier machines are driven directly from the Westrace equipment, without the need for interface relays, to improve reliability.

A major programme milestone was achieved in September 2017 when the first of the three signalling islands was delivered to site, following the successful completion of hangar testing at Chippenham. Installation of all the signalling islands and equipment was completed by the end of January 2018. With the system installed and tested, it allowed two months of poweredup ‘soak testing in shadow mode’ to prove the systems reliability before commissioning.

Power for the signalling object controllers is via 24VDC battery-backed four-hour power supplies, and the size of the batteries is one limiting factor on how busy a route can be.

An object controller is used to control each signal and point machine as well as the fringe signalling interfaces.

The LED signals are provided

by VMS and train detection is via Frauscher axle counters, to deliver maximum availability with the optimum level of safety and low life-cycle costs. In the NWC scheme, 54 new digital LED signals have replaced 96 existing mechanical/colour light signals, enabling bi-directional running on both the existing roads. Train detection is provided by 92 new axle-counter heads, and 21 points have been re-controlled/ converted to in-bearer Clamplocks.

FEATURE A loop has been removed at Abergele & Pensarn station by extending the platform width using an innovative lightweight polystyrene-block solution - designed, supplied and installed by MegaTech Projects as a subcontractor to Alun Griffiths - to successfully overcome challenging soft ground conditions on the site.

A new LED lighting system, signage, waiting shelter and bike rack have also been installed at the station, along with work to improve the drainage and 540 metres of plain line.

Switch and crossings (S&C) and associated track renewals have also been installed on the route. This includes 2.4km of plain line, a passing loop, 13 point ends and 24,000 tonnes of new ballast at Mostyn; twopoint ends, 160 metres of plain line and 1,500 tonnes of ballast at Rhyl; together with four-point ends and 220 metres of plain line at Flint. The Colas Rail S&C South Alliance has delivered all the track work.

The old operators box is lifted out at Tyn y Morfa level crossing.

Collaboration A large part of the success of this project was down to the collaborative approach taken by the teams, with a joint project office established at Prestatyn for all involved. The ‘working better together’ objective delivered benefits, such as minimal changes to scope and the scheme delivered within budget.

As well as Siemens and Colas Rail, Network Rail internal Works Delivery installed supporting infrastructure such as walkways and hollow bearers along with the recovery of some of the old sidings.

Alun Griffiths, as previously mentioned, delivered the platform works at Abergele & Pensarn and Linbrooke carried out the telecommunications changes to FTNx. The signalling system has been developed to operate via Network Rail’s internet-protocol (IP) Fixed Telecommunications Network known as FTNx. This provides both resilience to failure with reduced operational costs and provides Network Rail with complete management responsibility for the telecoms services, rather than using ‘bought in’ telecoms links.

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www.megatechprojects.co.uk Rail Engineer | Issue 164 | June 2018

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Tyn y Morfa CCTV level crossing.

New FTNx access equipment and routers have been provided to connect to the existing telecoms nodes at Chester and Shrewsbury. Two independent Cisco ASR903 routers are installed at each telecom access node, serving an MEH island and fringe and providing 10GB links to the WROC. The configuration provides sufficient redundancy to assure that the required availability of the network is achieved.

Due to the redundancies in the transmission system design, failure of a single router or connection at any point in the network will have no immediate effect on the telecoms services.

A second incident would be necessary before part, but not all, of the transmission network would fail. Total loss of communication from a single FTNx node would not in itself lead to failure of the signalling or level crossing control equipment.

To provide diversity, a fibre cable runs west to Llandudno junction via the Conwy Valley, Ffestiniog Railway and midWales route to Shrewsbury, while a second fibre cable runs east to Chester. At Chester and Shrewsbury, existing FTNx router infrastructure is used to reach the WROC. From Shrewsbury, circuits are routed via Craven Arms to Pantyfynnon, Bridgend and thence to the WROC; or via Craven Arms, Newport, to the WROC; or via Chester to Warrington, Birmingham, Stoke Gifford and Newport and then on to the WROC. The layer 2 and 3 switches

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within the signalling system are monitored from the WROC via a network management system.

Terminals installed at Llandudno junction and Shrewsbury depot are able to connect remotely to the technician’s facility in the WROC to monitor the status of the system. All the routers are monitored and managed from the centralised Network Management Centre (NMC), which manages all of the FTNx network.

The signalling data circuits’ paths through the transmission network are delivered using MPLS (Multiprotocol Label Switching) traffic-engineered pseudo wires. In each case the pseudo wires are ‘route-pinned’ through the network along a chosen path.

Video data for Tyn y Morfa CCTV level crossing is transmitted to the WROC via the FTN SDH (Synchronous Digital Hierarchy) transmission system along with voice circuits for several user-worked and footpath level crossing and signal post telephones. The voice circuits are terminated on the existing Siemens HiPath concentrator system at the WROC in Cardiff.

The future A train driver travelling from Euston to Holyhead will now only see a semaphore signal at Beeston Castle and Tarporley signal box, between Crewe and Chester, before facing semaphore signals on the approach to Holyhead. So, could this be where low-cost, digital signalling is used next?

The future for signalling renewals has to be more automated standard design, simpler installation and offsite testing - all reducing dramatically the need for access and driving down costs.

Siemens is confident of using these principles to deliver the next phases of low-cost digital signalling evolution, which should deliver a further 10 to 20 per cent savings.

The ultimate goal is halving the cost of signalling, while at the same time making the signalling asset base compatible with ETCS and traffic management.

So, the challenge is out.

Which route will be the next one to install a low-cost ‘digital compatible’ signalling solution?

“Excellence in Engineering”

Lundy Projects Limited 195 Chestergate Stockport SK3 0BQ Tel: 0161 476 2996 Email: mail@lundy-projects.co.uk Website: www.lundy-projects.co.uk

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FEATURE

CLIVE KESSELL

GTR&

The Digital Railway

P

rompted by the major timetable change on Southern Railway in May 2018 and the first stage of an enhanced Thameslink train service across London, Govia Thameslink Railway recently organised an event to explain the purpose and implications of implementing a digital railway. With an impressive line-up of speakers, it proved a good opportunity to set out the transformation that digital technology can achieve when applied to all aspects of rail transport.

Hosted in the Digital Catapult building opposite St Pancras, the headline of ‘From the Industrial Revolution to the Digital Revolution - Exploring the Journeys of Tomorrow’ listed some of the elements that are (or will be) part of digital technology - AI (Artificial Intelligence), Machine Learning, Remote Condition Monitoring, Internet of Things, 5G Radio - all aimed at producing greater connectivity.

Charles Horton, the CEO of GTR, stated that 20 per cent of all European rail passenger journeys are in the UK, a remarkable statistic that shows how the rail business has grown in recent times.

However, with growth comes growing pains, and Southern has taken its fair share of criticism from both government and press. Investment benefits are now being realised and the Thameslink programme will see a transformation of north to south London journeys.

The claim that this is the UK’s first mainline digital railway is not quite true, as the Cambrian line has run under ERTMS (European Rail Traffic Management System) digital technology since 2010.

However, with Automatic Train Operation (ATO), it is indeed a first, and the increase in capacity to 24 trains per hour when finalised in 2019 will make a huge difference to reliability and frequency.

Rail Engineer | Issue 164 | June 2018

The advantages of digitalisation The work does not stop there, as digital technology will eventually enable end-toend journey opportunities by interlinking the various modes of transport.

Taking up this theme, David Waboso, who heads up the Network Rail Digital Railway Group, emphasised the benefits that integration of technology can bring.

Whilst ATO is important to overcome the limitations of defensive driving, the optimum train service will only come about when Traffic Management Systems and Connected Driver Advisory Systems (C-DAS) are all linked together. The adoption of ETCS (European Train Control System - the main control element of

ERTMS) in itself will enable shorter block sections and thus more capacity.

Much will depend on the availability of reliable digital radio to the trains and, although not stated, the limitations of the present GSM-R specification mean that a replacement system will soon be needed. Yes, there will be problems with the implementation process, but these can be managed. The key to success is keeping the project teams together to retain knowhow, and from this will come a reduction in costs.

So what do the politicians think?

Sir Patrick McLoughlin, the previous Secretary of State for Transport, remarked on the view overlooking St Pancras and Kings Cross stations. Not too long ago, these were run down and there was even the threat of closure, but they have now become destinations in their own right. Transport has risen up the political agenda, with both Crossrail and Thameslink considered to be revolutionary improvements to rail services.

FEATURE A world of uncertainty An IT industry view of the digital world, given by Irina Parsina from Microsoft, suggested the modern workplace has seen a transformation which needs to impact on the rail industry. The prediction that smartphones will be used for complete journey planning, including routing by different modes, ticketing, reservations, taxi or vehicle hire, and even fall-back plans if things go wrong, may well become possible, but is it enough?

Transformation means change, which brings about fear, and thus culture and human factors, not the technology, will become the critical issues. An awareness is needed as to how individualsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; lifestyles will change. Digital adoption is currently creating an age of uncertainty and disruption, whereas it should be an age of opportunity - surprising words from a company that has been at the forefront of computers for decades.

Questions from the audience reflected some of this unease.

The uncertainty of mobile phones and associated ticketing came across, as did the need for customers to be much more in control of their train journey.

A recognised public fear of driverless taxis could spill over into automated and driverless trains. Equally, whilst safety is important, it may need to be a little more relaxed if progress is not to be impeded.

Network Rail can rightly be accused of over-promising what it can do, but lessons have been learned. For the ECML (East Coast main line) digitisation, a development partner will be employed to ensure realism from the supply industry. The digital railway should help to minimise the hated blockades and bus substitution taking the railway out of service for engineering work will become more difficult.

Congratulations to GTR for staging the event, timed to coincide with the arrival of ATO on Thameslink. Franchises have had their fair share of criticism in recent times, but they are the opportunity for innovation. Those who see the re-emergence of BR as the way forward should remember that this was the biggest franchise of them all - food for thought.

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For more information, visit: www.kilbornconsulting.co.uk Rail Engineer | Issue 164 | June 2018

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FEATURE

Enhancing Newton Heath

A

rriva Rail North’s modernisation is gathering speed, with over £500 million being spent on 98 new state-of-the-art trains,

the first due to be in service at the end of the year. They will be capable of travelling at 100mph, will have Wi-Fi, plug sockets at every seat, be air-conditioned and fully accessible.

The modernisation plans also include providing more than 2,000 additional weekly services by 2020 with faster connections, better stations and improved customer service.

To support this investment, Arriva Rail North is developing Newton Heath TMD (traction maintenance depot) in Manchester to include a new maintenance facility and a wheel lathe installation.

Arriva will use Newton Heath to house and maintain its 55 new Class 195 trains that are being built in Spain by CAF, as reported in issue 162 (April 2018).

Arriva has recently awarded the design and build principal contract to Stobart Rail & Civils, a division of Stobart Group and a business that understands logistics and

Rail Engineer | Issue 164 | June 2018

customer service. The Group owns and operates airports, an airline and a railway station, its Energy division is the largest biomass supplier in the UK and it provides national emergency logistics support for major clients including EDF Energy and the Environment Agency. Its heritage features the UK’s best-known road haulier, Eddie Stobart Logistics.

With this background, it’s only natural that the company’s core engineering capability should capitalise on a wealth of expertise to deliver challenging transport infrastructure projects using a client-focused approach that embeds operational priorities throughout its delivery solutions.

Managing director Kirk Taylor outlined the approach that led to Stobart’s successful bid: “This project is ideally suited to our capabilities and we knew we could offer something special for Arriva. With our rail and civil engineering experience, backed up by our operational knowledge of rail depots, we inherently understand the pressures and constraints that Arriva face every day, and this let us develop a great solution.”

Challenging construction To accommodate the new trains, Stobart Rail & Civils will provide a steel portal framed building that’s approximately 135 metres x 24 metres on plan and includes four maintenance roads, alongside a 113 metre long and six metre wide side annexe to house stores, offices, toilets and kitchen facilities for the depot team.

A vehicle lifting road will fit up to a fourcar unit, and a floor designed with jacking points for sixteen 15-tonne synchronised lifting jacks.

Two examination and maintenance roads will have swimming-pool-style inspection pits - large concrete-lined pits with access steps at the end of the track crossing it on stilts - and fixed roof-level access platforms that will enable the safe and effective maintenance of roof mounted HVAC units, helped by two 10-tonne overhead cranes.

With two roads mounted above pits and two on steel plinths, the concrete base of the shed includes some complex formwork and construction sequencing to deliver the varying finished floor levels. During design development, an

FEATURE

optimised solution was formulated to use thickened ground beams that will also act as permanent earthworks support during reduced-level excavations. This will minimise any temporary support requirements and provide a robust foundation of edge protection for the site team.

Integrated solution Externally, Stobart’s in-house track capability will come into play during construction of the new sidings layout which will serve the maintenance shed and connect to the existing rail network.

This provides an ideal opportunity to deploy the company’s specialist road-rail fleet, which includes laser dozers to grade the bottom ballast, Colmar heavy lifters to position the S&C components and the unique Jack & Tamper unit (issue 160, February 2018) to deliver a perfect track alignment.

This latest piece of kit was developed after a gap in the market for a small format fully remote-controlled S&C and plain-line tamping machine was identified.

It provides high quality track alignment during small renewals, re-ballasting or maintenance activities and removes the need to jack and pack the track using manual labour, reducing risk and the

chance of manual fatigue, and saving time and cost.

For maximum flexibility, the Jack & Tamper unit was designed for road delivery and lifting onto track either

by RRV or a small mobile crane, then either towed to the worksite using an RRV or operating entirely under its own power. Twin Kinghoffer four-tool tamping banks allow independent lateral movement around the many obstructions encountered within S&C, making it ideal for completing the tamping work in the new sidings at Newton Heath.

Finishing off To complete the external work, Stobart Rail & Civils will construct a road-rail transfer point and a new site access route that includes a widened and upgraded connection to the public highway. This route will also provide a link to Network Rail’s nearby track-access point and the depot’s fuel stores - both of which will remain open and unobstructed throughout the construction programme.

A new surface water drainage system will include attenuation situated beneath the new access road - just one of the design’s numerous features that contributes towards the building qualifying for a BREEAM Good rating.

The right team To deliver this project, Stobart Rail & Civils has assembled a team including Craddys, which is providing civils and structural design, Border Steelwork Structures (building superstructure) and Novus Rail for the track design.

Kirk Taylor commented: “Between them, this team has contributed to major projects in the past including roof strengthening at St Pancras Station, Bombardier’s V-Shop that manufactures trains for Crossrail, and TfL’s New Cross Gate Depot in London. I believe that, with this expertise and the way that our team has integrated with Arriva’s team to develop a solution which guarantees unhindered depot operations throughout the delivery phase, we have given this exciting project the best possible start.”

Wheel lathe Separate from the maintenance building, Stobart Rail & Civils is also converting the depot’s redundant paint shed to create a new wheel lathe facility. This will re-use a double-headed wheel lathe that is being refurbished and relocated from Old Oak Common Depot by Richardson Machine Tool Services.

To receive the wheel lathe, the paint shed requires some major modification,

Rail Engineer | Issue 164 | June 2018

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FEATURE not least forming the three-metredeep pit that it will eventually sit inside.

Excavating this pit within the confines of the existing shed poses a major challenge that is further complicated by the high water table found on the site.

Stobart’s innovative solution to this challenge uses secant piles to form a contiguous wall to a depth well below the pit’s formation level. As well as preventing water ingress during the pit’s construction, this removes the need for separate temporary earthwork support using sheet piles.

This is particularly welcome because the limited roof height within the shed won’t allow use of a piling rig of sufficient size to install full length sheet piles, meaning that shorter piles would need to be used and welded together sequentially as they are driven into place, greatly increasing cost and the programme duration.

The wheel lathe will be complemented by new electrical supplies, a swarf removal conveyor system, a jib crane and, to ensure a perfect interface between the trains and the wheel lathe, the alignment of the existing siding will be altered which will also neccessitate modifications to the shed’s gable ends to ensure adequate clearance for the trains.

Collaboration Within a depot environment, the major challenge is invariably delivering the works programme alongside normal depot operations without causing disruption that might affect vital maintenance work.

At Newton Heath, this is a particular challenge owing to the extensive earthworks that are needed for the new shed - with 30,000 tonnes of spoil to remove before more than five hundred piles can be installed.

Carlisle Airport distribution centre.

Rail Engineer | Issue 164 | June 2018

Additionally, the works for the wheel lathe take place in an existing building at the very centre of the depot. The solution here is to use the siding that will eventually connect to the wheel lathe for road-rail plant carrying materials and spoil between the workface and a remote staging point far away from daily activity.

Only then is minor modification needed to a depot walking-route to enable Stobart Rail & Civils to totally segregate its site.

Kirk Taylor further commented: “Ensuring depot operations continue unhindered throughout the works is a key project objective. We regularly work within a rail depot environment and we own and operate logistics sites throughout the UK that include a rail interface, so we understand how important it is to minimise disruption.

Working together with the depot team we have planned our works to ensure full segregation of our activities from depot

operations, and our daily coordination meetings will ensure that all stakeholders stay fully informed of upcoming works.”

Diverse capability This project is another in an impressive portfolio of civil engineering and construction solutions that enhance the UK’s infrastructure. Previous projects include road and rail freight depots for some of the country’s most prominent businesses as well as developing Stobart’s own airports at London Southend and Carlisle Lake District, where runway construction and the new terminal building for the latter were completed in June 2018 for the first commercial flights since 1993.

With the site works at Newton Heath planned for commencement in July, Stobart Rail & Civils is busy concluding the design development phase and finalising the delivery plans.

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INFRARAIL 2018

The industry

at Infrarail

NIGEL WORDSWORTH

F

irst staged in 1994, Infrarail is

Opening

firmly established as Britain’s

Following rain the day before, Infrarail opened in sunshine on the first day of summer - May Day, Tuesday 1 May. The show looked impressive, clean tidy and colourful, as the first visitors were admitted. A wide variety of stands and displays awaited them, with exhibitors anxious to greet them.

The first formal activity was the Opening Ceremony. Mack Brooks chairman Stephen Brooks welcomed visitors and also introduced Darren Caplan, chief executive of the Railway Industry Association (RIA). After extending his own welcome, he spoke on a variety of topics, including the recent Oxford Economics report “The Economic Contribution of UK Rail” which RIA had commissioned.

It examines the contribution of railwayrelated activity to the UK economy, which it values at £36.4 billion annually and supports nearly 600,000 jobs.

Although he supported the funding of £48 billion that has already been promised for the upcoming control period (CP6 – 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2024), Darren was more concerned with the smoothness of that funding and avoiding what he termed the phenomenon of “boom and bust”. He explained: “At the

leading showcase for every aspect of railway infrastructure,

technology and expertise, with a strong reputation for attracting visiting managers, engineers and buyers at the highest level.

Organised every other year by St Albans-based Mack Brooks exhibitions (which also organises Railtex in the inbetween years), the 2018 show was the 12th Infrarail and the second to be held at London’s ExCeL following the closure of its previous home at Earls Court.

Although it is primarily a trade exhibition, Infrarail is more than that. It is also the UK’s largest rail networking event, as over 6,000 of the industry’s movers and shakers get together in one location, and its primary rail conference, with 41 speakers appearing in two seminar theatres over three days.

The list of those speakers was indeed impressive. It included the Secretary of State for Transport, the chief engineer of Network Rail, the managing director of Digital Railway, a director of HS2, the managing director of Balfour Beatty and the chief executive of the Rail Delivery Group.

start of control periods, funding goes up, towards the end it goes down, that means teams get disbanded, SMEs go out of business, and it costs more to renew the railway.”

Darren’s proposal was to get everyone together, the Department for Transport, Network Rail, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) and the supply sector, to smooth out the boom and bust system. “We pretty much all support five-year control periods,” he continued. “How can we eradicate boom and bust? It mustn’t be beyond the wit of man – let’s have that discussion.”

Jon Shaw, Network Rail’s chief engineer, admitted to being ‘very old’ (he graduated in 1994) and to remembering the very first Infrarail. However, he believed that the 2018 event was the most relevant, the most exciting and the most crucial. “We’re going into a new control period,” he explained, “but we’re going into that with escalating costs in signalling and electrification, we’ve got petabytes of data which we need to turn into intelligence, but we need to increase capacity, and to make sure we have a right-time railway, and that means zero service-affecting failures.

“But, in addition to that, we have connected passengers, informed

Stephen Brooks.

Traka.

Sperry.

Darren Caplan.

Rail Engineer | Issue 162 | April 2018

Jon Shaw.

Rosehill Rail.

ETAP Automation.

Hydro.

INFRARAIL 2018 travellers, who require constant communications as we move forward. We also, obviously, need a sustainable railway, but one which is resilient to the extremes in weather that we are now starting to see and which will only increase.”

Having listed the challenges for the future as he saw them, Jon passed the meeting back to Stephen Brooks who formally declared Infrarail open.

Export opportunities Just over an hour later, and the crowds were back at the Rail Engineer Seminar Theatre for the day’s keynote speech.

Rt Hon Chris Grayling MP, Secretary of State for Transport, would be speaking on Increased Investment for the Railway of the Future. The seats quickly filled up and soon there were a couple of hundred people standing in the aisles to hear what he had to say.

“It’s great to be here, great to see such numbers here today, and great to be at what is a highlight of the rail calendar,” he started. “No better place to take the pulse of the industry, to find out how business is going for the supply chain, and to see some really innovative new technologies around.”

He then went on to talk about the Government’s strategy for the railway, to invest for the benefit of passengers and freight users. He reiterated the Government’s commitment to the railway, and to its industry both at home and abroad. But he also set the supply chain a challenge. “If there are opportunities out there where government can make a difference, we won’t know how to help you unless

Chris Grayling.

David Waboso.

you come and tell us how we can help you. So you must regard the door of my department, the door of the Department of International Trade, as being open to you to come and say ‘Please, we can do something here, help us.’ And if you ask us, we will do everything we can to make sure we do.

“There is great opportunity around the world. There are opportunities wherever you look. There are many other countries fighting for that business. I want this country to win more and more of it and I want to work with you to do that.

“It’s a time for real transformation, it’s a time when we need to get the railway really operating as one joined-up industry, and it’s time we really worked together to shape a strong, high-tech, effective, efficient, safe, modern railway as well as a thriving industry we can take around the world as a great British success story.”

After taking some questions from the floor, the Secretary of State left for a conducted tour of the show, visiting several exhibitors and seeing what they had to offer.

For the rest of the day, exhibitors made presentations in the Rail Engineer Seminar Theatre, introducing visitors to some cutting-edge technology. David McGorman of Instrumentel, now a Unipart company, spoke of the condition-based supply chain. Trevor Burton of Fugro Rail Data explained how to survey routes at line speed and Patrick Childs described the development and introduction of Sekisui Chemicals’ synthetic railway sleepers.

Rounding off a busy day, BMT’s Mark Whiteway spoke on asset management,

Seminar Theatre.

David McGorman.

Ian Poulett.

Low & Bonar.

Ian Poulett described how Siemens is improving wireless communications and Iqbal Johal of the Galvanisers Association reminded delegates how hot dip galvanising can protect steel structures for half a century or more.

Enhanced knowledge While all that was going on in the Rail Engineer Seminar Theatre, a separate programme of talks was taking place in the Knowledge Hub, organised by the Railway Industry Association (RIA).

Network Rail’s managing director of the Digital Railway, David Waboso, explained what the Digital Railway actually is – and what it isn’t. It’s about the command and control systems of the main line railway, it’s not about ticketing or smart infrastructure.

David then looked ahead to CP6.

Because it’s a train integration programme, the process starts with train fitment. A significant number of trains are already fitted or enabled with this technology, and the skill now is to match that up with a resignalling programme to start to get a digital railway.

Other speakers in the Knowledge Hub on the first day included Steve Featherstone, Network Rail’s head of track, appearing in his role of president of the Permanent Way Institution, covering Innovation and Professionalism. Adeline Ginn, founder of Women in Rail, also spoke on her chosen topic of bridging the skills gap.

Incidentally, one major change to Infrarail this year was that all of the seminar programme, in both theatres, now qualified for Continuous Professional Development. Visitors

Knowledge Hub.

British Steel.

Rail Engineer | Issue 162 | April 2018

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INFRARAIL 2018

Flexicon.

Sekisui Chemical.

were able to register as attending a talk and could then claim it against their CPD hours for the year.

Looking around Despite all of the interesting talks, there was still plenty of time to look around the exhibits, and what a variety there was. Being an infrastructure show, there weren’t many trains, but there were loads of tools, fasteners, gratings, lights, concrete preforms and geofabrics. Several stands showed off the grey boxes often seen lineside with all sorts of expensive kit inside, while others had that expensive kit on open view.

One good example of the variety on show was Lindapter, which exhibited its extended range of CE-approved fixings that are used for a range of applications including overhead line equipment, station buildings, station fittings, facades, depots, rail bridges, access walkways and structural reinforcement.

Lindapter also exhibited the Type HD clip on the British Steel track area, a pair of tracks with bright orange steel sleepers where equipment from Sperry and Dual Inventive was also on display. Lindapter was demonstrating how its range of Type HD clips provide a quick way to align and secure low-speed rails, providing a strong, reliable and long-lasting connection.

British Steel itself was using the track to show how it carries out track inspections using, amongst other devices, a Greenwood track profile gauge.

British Rail.

Sekisui Chemicals’ display included one of the plastic sleepers that Patrick Childs had described in his seminar.

It also showed a delaminated one, demonstrating how the sleeper was put together, but looking for all the world like an exotic blonde wig!

Although many were attracted to its stand by the excellent free Italian lunch, global cable manufacturer Tratos put fire safety and CPR at the heart of its Infrarail presence as it exhibited its portfolio of cables for mass transit and rail metro applications. The company designs, manufactures and supplies a wide range of specialised cable solutions including medium and high voltage cable for substation connection and switchgear, data and telecommunication cable (copper and fibre optic), signalling power & control cables, and station & premises cables.

The stand proved a focal point for industry engineers from London Underground and Network Rail who were interested in finding out more about the company’s bespoke and fibre optic cables.

Infrarail proved to be a successful few days for the Unipart Rail team, catching up with established industry contacts and meeting new potential customers. During the show, Unipart promoted both supply chain solutions and technology solutions on its stand, linked by the conditionbased supply chain which brings together these two main themes as a business.

Unipart Rail.

Rail Engineer | Issue 162 | April 2018

Mark Bullock.

Tratos.

Lindapter.

Visitors to Roxtec’s stand were able to see the extensive range of ‘adaptable at point of use’ cable and pipe seals, which eliminate delays when the cable/ pipe sizing changes - something the rail industry finds very useful. As well as providing high ingress protection (IP), the product also stops rodents getting where they shouldn’t.

The team held meetings with existing customers - Network Rail, Thales, Transport For London (TFL), ABB and Bombardier to name but a few. Roxtec’s divisional manager for rail David Chalmers was genuinely excited by the new and existing prospects/projects he found at the show.

Rail Media, which incorporates Rail Engineer as well as sister publication RailStaff, online sites and the Rail Summit events, welcomed both show visitors and exhibitors to a stand that was hectic throughout the three days of Infrarail.

Busy day Wednesday 2 May, the middle day of the show, is traditionally the busiest.

Certainly both seminar theatres were full, without some of the hoop-la from the opening day.

The day’s keynote in the Rail Engineer theatre was delivered by Balfour Beatty’s Mark Bullock, managing director of rail and utilities. He looked at the UK rail industry and its challenges from the perspective of an infrastructure contractor, covering skills, innovation and devolution.

Mark acknowledged the £48 billion that Network Rail will be spending

Rail Media.

INFRARAIL 2018

Claire Thompson.

Stewart Burns.

during CP6, and also mentioned HS2 and Crossrail 2. “These mega-projects are hugely complex,” he continued, “they are incredibly risky, very expensive and pose some unique engineering challenges.

“In order to meet those challenges, we’ll require large numbers of skilled and experienced workers, coupled with a huge investment in innovation and plant.

We need competent, tried and tested, experienced tier-one contractors, backed by a strong supply chain, if we are to deliver these schemes, to build the worldclass railway that sits at the heart of the government policy.”

Seven technical seminars followed, on a wide variety of topics. Trevor Moore of Murphy Surveys discussed the changing role of data and the impact of measurement techniques for design, planning and construction. Dr Julia McDaid from Cubis Systems explained that customers benefit from having a technical approach to product innovation and development, while Elvis Kozica of Linsinger described how rail-milling technology can extend rail life and eliminate defects.

Dr Rob Armstrong of Eurofins York, formerly known as York EMC, spoke about the importance of electromagnetic compatibility for infrastructure and products, and Claire Thompson, business manager of signal head manufacturer Variable Message Signs, chose “Illuminating the Route” as her topic.

Raphael Goudard, who is mobile mapping segment manager of Hexagon Geosystems, updated Infrarail visitors

Elvis Kozica.

JSP.

Hexagon.

on the digitisation of the rail network, followed by Dura Composites’ managing director Stewart Burns, who spoke about developing new fire testing standards in collaboration with Network Rail.

Research and opportunity RIA’s Knowledge Hub had a busy day as well. Alex Burrows, who has recently joined the University of Birmingham from Alstom, used his keynote address to introduce listeners to UKRRIN (pronounced yew-krin) – the UK Rail Research and Innovation Network.

“R&D and innovation are obviously hugely important in how we develop our solutions, our processes and our products to take to market for the benefit of our customers,” he said. In response to a question, he then went on to describe UKRRIN as ‘the gatekeepers’. “We will take on your problems, listen to what you want to achieve, and we will try and work out what capability is best suited to supporting your ambitions.”

Other talks were varied in the extreme.

Topics included the role of SMEs, CEEQUAL and sustainable infrastructure, Crossrail, Rail Baltica, a new policy for market-led proposals and HS2 – a 10-year pipeline of opportunity.

Interested visitors The exhibitors around the hall had a busy day as visitors kept arriving at the Docklands venue.

“Attending Infrarail was important for us as a key supplier to support the industry and to meet with our community of clients and new contacts, and to keep abreast of the latest news and opinions in the

Hytorc.

ARM.

industry,” said Trevor Moore, head of infrastructure at Murphy Surveys.

“The UK rail industry is in a period of transition with projects such as HS2 changing the shape of our transport infrastructure. Measurement technology is moving at an incredible pace and new methods and tools for data collection, presentation and management of 3D information enable rail related precision measurement data to be captured faster and more accurately than ever before.

“It’s certainly an exciting time for UK rail and we’re excited to be shaping this journey.”

Silver Fox manufactures cable-labelling systems. UK sales manager Jensen Smart reported: “We met relevant customers and have already started getting business from the exhibition. Personally I enjoyed the show and it was a great learning experience to see the amount of interest and need for this type of product in the rail industry.”

Building engineering services consultant Hurley Palmer Flatt had a good show too.

“We had taken a stand at Infrarail to get our message out to a wider customer base and potential new customers,” Douglas McGregor commented.

“We feel that the show will prove to be a great success for our consultancy in terms of new customers and spreading the word on our companies profile and services we provide. We also met some fellow exhibitors who we believe we can provide services to and them to us. All in all it was a fantastic experience.”

Flexicon, part of the Atkore group, showcased its capabilities when it comes to cable protection for rail. “Our Ultra display was operational continuously over

Alex Burrows.

Rail Engineer | Issue 162 | April 2018

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INFRARAIL 2018 the three days, demonstrating its true IP68 performance under dynamic load,” marketing manager Colin Legg enthused. “We had great feedback on our new UK Rail Infrastructure Brochure which was launched at the show. Designed specifically as a guide for contractors and installers who work on UK rail infrastructure projects, it lists all the Network Rail PADS catalogue numbers and features Flexicon’s 14 approved conduit systems compliant with TFL standard S-1085 for London Underground and Crossrail.”

Infrarail’s Recruitment Wall, powered by RailwayPeople.com, proved popular with both those looking for work and with recruiters, with a steady stream of visitors enquiring how the system works.

Many exhibitors reported on the high quality of the show’s visitors. “The quality of the visitors and the leads overall were pleasing and made our experience worthwhile,” was a typical comment, this one from Stuart Helm, national sales manager of Ellis Patents.

The final day HS2 – A Lasting Legacy was the title of day three’s keynote speech, delivered by Lorna Pimlott, Phase Two sponsorship director. “We, as HS2, have a huge responsibility to get this right, and to do it well,” she said. “We really do need to make sure that the infrastructure we deliver will be flexible, adaptable, and will respond to changing requirements over the years, not least because we’ve got 15 years before it’s actually completed.”

Geosynthetics featured in the first of the day’s technical seminars, as Dave Woods of Low and Bonar explained what they are and their relevance to railway engineering. They are often used under track, so it was appropriate that British Steel’s Stephen Lewis followed with a talk on building stronger railways.

Advances in rail surveying using digital image processing, and using unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) were described by Phil Storr of MRL Eye, while the modelling of rail traction and power distribution systems was explained by Derek Smith of ETAP Automation.

Paul Plummer, chief executive of the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) presented the keynote in the Knowledge Hub. He stated that the RDG’s role is to bring the many parts of the rail industry together.

“Why we are trying to do that is to confront some of the difficult issues between the different bits of the railway, however it’s organised, and also between the railway and its stakeholders, the customers, the government, and challenge the status quo to enable change.”

After Rail Baltica the previous day, which is the project to link Finland with Poland through Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, today it was the turn of Egyptian railways to detail the opportunities presented by development in that country. Speakers from RSSB, RIA, and Heathrow Southern Railway also spoke in the Knowledge Hub on the final day, as did Paul Hodgson of Telent who explained his vision for the future of electrification control.

Despite it being the last day, the stands were still busy. CMP, the cable gland, cable cleat and accessories specialist, had a good show. “The Infrarail exhibition, for us, was a real success,” Lucy Cook confirmed. “We had some really interesting conversations during the show which we are sure will lead to some really successful working relationships going forward. Because I am new to the industry myself, it was a really fantastic opportunity to see the different rail-based technologies used and it gave me a real sense of pride to know that CMP Products is part of that.”

Eric Vigneras of Bigorre Ingenierie, the French company which

Rail Engineer | Issue 162 | April 2018

designs and manufactures gap fillers to overcome those “mind the gap” problems on curved station platforms, was equally enthusiastic.

“It is our first participation Lorna Pimlott. in this show, and it was an excellent experience,” he stated. “It was the first time also in the world that we exhibit our products – mechanical gap filler and our electric scissor lifts adapted for maintenance to the roof of train or bus or on the wing of plane with safety condition.

This show allowed us to meet many contacts and explain Bigorre Ingénierie. the solution to reduce the risk for the gap in many station in curve – probably exist in London Underground!”

ABG, which offers a comprehensive range of geosynthetics suited to rail applications, also had a good show. “Generally, the visitors were of good quality,” said Jim Herbert, civil and environmental Dave Woods. sales specialist. “There was a lot of conversation around HS2 and the various geotechnical earthworks challenges that our geosynthetics can contribute to solving. We also saw a lot of people who were interested in the environmental and installation speed benefits Recruitment Wall. of using our Deckdrain structural drainage system in place of porous block or granular drainage, having seen case studies on some of the high profile schemes that have already used it.”

As the rail industry made its way home, and exhibitors started packing up, thoughts were already Paul Plummer. turning to Railtex 2019, the next time that the UK British Steel. rail industry will come together, to be held at Birmingham’s NEC 14-16 May 2019.

See you there!

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Anti-Trespass

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INFRARAIL 2018

DAVID SHIRRES

Infrarail’s Prysmian.

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oddities and novelties

F

or over a hundred years, London’s once-thriving Royal docks drew people and produce from all over the world. They were once the world’s largest enclosed docks. However, containerisation and bigger ships required even bigger docks further down the Thames, resulting in the Royal docks closing to commercial traffic in 1981.

Today, it is hard to imagine the desolation that was London’s docklands after they closed. An essential part of its regeneration was new transport infrastructure. The first line of the Docklands Light Railway opened in 1987.

London City Airport, built on the quays between the Royal docks, also opened that year. The Jubilee line extension through docklands opened in 1999. This year will see the opening of the Elizabeth line with its dockland stations at Canary Wharf and Customs House.

Also, part of this regeneration is ExCeL (Exhibiton Centre London) built on a 100-acre site on the northern quay of Royal Victoria Dock and opened in 2000.

As the provision of new rail infrastructure has, and continues to be, an essential part of docklands development, this was thus a fitting venue for this year’s Infrarail exhibition at which over 200 exhibitors showcased the latest rail infrastructure technology.

Rail Engineer | Issue 162 | April 2018

Food and flames There were certainly many quirky and interesting things to see as exhibitors sought to entice visitors to their stands.

Italian cable manufacturer Tratos certainly attracted a long queue at its stand for the wine and food prepared by chefs from Sicily. The company has recently invested £20 million on Merseyside in a training academy and new manufacturing facilities which produces some of the

Tratos.

electrical, electronic and fibre optic cables on display on its stand. A fifth of the company’s products are for the rail market.

Cables were also on display at the Prysmian Group’s stand, with a realistic imitation flame below an enhanced fire-resistant cables and connectors assembly. These can withstand a two-hour fire at 850°C, immediately followed by immersion in cold water.

Virtual flames were also to be seen in the simulated welding display on the stand of Flamefast, which provides innovative engineering training. An augmentedreality welding training system allows welding trainees to repeatedly practice

INFRARAIL 2018 their technique without any additional costs, as well as minimising physical risks and gas emissions. In reality, they are ‘welding’ pieces of plastic with a simulated welding torch. What the trainee and instructor see is a 3D image of what a real weld would have looked like.

Track safety Various track safety products were on display. Over the years, Schweizer has continued to develop its track warning systems, which are now more portable and include options for axle-counter and radar train detection. However, Schweizer advises that, typically, only five of its systems are used each day on the UK rail network compared with 400 in Germany. The stand also featured the VaMoS processor-controlled level crossing system - fifty have been ordered for user worked crossings of which twenty have been installed.

The Dual Inventive ZFL3000RC remote controlled line blockage system is a remotely operated TCOD (track circuit operating device) which takes around ten minutes to fit and has a battery life of six to eight weeks. Around 140 are in use in Britain, many of which are semipermanent installations. Their locations are identified by GPS and shown on a mobile phone app into which a PIN is entered to operate the device. Due to its speed of operation, its use is reported to have saved £500,000 on one job.

MRL Eye. On the operational railway, the signalling system ensures collision avoidance.

To provide similar protection within a possession worksite, Protran Technology had its collision avoidance system on display. This operates in ‘travel’ and ‘work zone’ mode. It provides a visual and audible alarm to give machine-tomachine, machine-to-man and machineto-worksite protection. The system is widely used in the United States and is being trialled by four companies in Britain.

To provide enhanced communications within possession worksites, High Motive has a Bluetooth radio headset with long battery life and voice recording which is currently going through the product approval process. Another impressive piece of headgear on show was the PureFlo 3000 lightweight batterypowered respirator with integral hard hat, manufactured by Gentex in Stranraer.

By keeping surveyors off the track, drones are also improving track safety.

We reported in issue 161 (March 2018) how unmanned aerial vehicles can now produce highly accurate surveys for track renewals, so it was good to visit the MRL Eye stand to inspect the Altura Zenith drone that does these surveys.

With its eight 17-inch propellers and a 20Ah battery, this has a flight time of 35 minutes and can carry a 3kg camera payload.

Another way of keeping surveyors off the track is the use of Fugro’s trainmounted rail infrastructure alignment system that was on display at the company’s stand. We reported in issue 151 (May 2017) how this has been used on the Great Western route modernisation project to produce profiles at 10 cm intervals to an accuracy of 10 mm when operating at 100 mph.

Treating steel

Schweizer.

It was hard to miss British Steel’s track display with its orange steel sleepers.

This showcased the company’s innovative products including their Zinoco® corrosion-resistant rail coating, jointly developed with Network Rail to resist aggressive environments, SilentTrack® blocks that give overall reductions in train noise of between 3dBA and 6dBA, and HP335 rail, another joint development with Network Rail, to reduce wear on curved track.

To go underneath the track, Low & Bonar had its Enka Solutions geotextiles on display. This included the radar detectable Enka®-D-Tect geocomposite that incorporates a thin aluminium sheet to facilitate the monitoring of track bed deformation and is in widespread use in Hungary.

Sometimes the old way is the best.

On its stand, Wedge Group Galvanizing had nothing new on show. Instead, staff explained how hot dip galvanising, which

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INFRARAIL 2018

Telice. was first patented in 1836, is the most environmentally-friendly steel corrosion process which offers protection for up to fifty years. The company has 14 galvanising facilities throughout the UK , one of which includes, at 21 metres, the country’s largest galvanising bath.

We often report on structures that require grit-blasting as part of their repair. On its stand Hodge Clemco had a wide range of blast machines, abrasives and associated equipment. This included the particularly interesting, EnviraSponge which is sponge covered grit to minimise blasting dust. When the abrasive breaks after hitting the surface it is held by its sponge. However, the sponge does not prevent the abrasive cleaning the steel as it penetrates the sponge on contact.

Products for the cess On its stand, Cubis was displaying its fire-retardant PROtrough cable trough system which is the same size as, but a fifth of the weight of, concrete troughing.

This has a small number of parts and can accommodate the bend radius of large cables and, with its non-slip surface, it is designed to be walked on.

Ellis Patents showed various ways of carrying cables outside troughs. Its Pegasus corrosion-proof non-metallic cable hanger system meets London Underground’s requirements. It is made from high strength nylon, has a 60-year life and is half the weight of its galvanised steel equivalent. Another non-metallic product is the “No Bolts Cleat”, which provides a stackable design of multiple cable runs and allows for easy installation of additional cables.

Another worthwhile lineside product on show was Asset BaFix ballast shoulder retention system developed by Asset international structures. This lightweight system has Network Rail approval. It has

Rail Engineer | Issue 162 | April 2018

a design life of 120 years and creates a stable level area adjacent to the track which, amongst other benefits, facilitates the examination of bridge structures.

Innovation in electrification The most noticeable feature of Spanish company Telice’s stand was its large background photograph of a Spanish high-speed line with its lightweight electrification structures. A unique giveaway on their stand was a cardboard cutaway model of an OLE structure. Therefore, it was no surprise to learn that Telice design and install rail electrification systems. On the stand was a demonstration of tCat, a lightweight laser-system to measure OLE heights and staggers. The company is working with Network Rail to launch this as a product.

On its stand, Pace Networks had its rail electrification cantilevers on show.

Its lightweight Omnia master series has only five major components, comes preassembled in standard sizes and is easily adjusted and installed with all bolts the same size requiring only one tool.

Freyssinet personnel were explaining the company’s innovative structural and

civil engineering techniques on their stand, many of which are electrification clearance solutions. One such technique is BigaBore which can enlarge a tunnel by cutting chases into its roof which become strengthening ribs once reinforcement and spray concrete is added. Once these ribs are cured, the brickwork lining can be nibbled back to provide the required clearance.

The company’s ElevArch concept of lifting complete brick arch bridges was demonstrated in 2016 (issue 146, December 2016). Since then, there has been no apparent UK interest in its use despite its potential to address consent issues associated with historic structures such as Steventon bridge on the Great Western main line. However, Freyssinet reports that there has been interest in this technique from outside the UK. The Digital Railway clearly involves much innovation. Underpinning this is its early contractor involvement approach to programme delivery. On their stand, members of the digital railway team explained how collaborative teams were being established to progress specific aspects of the digital railway programme such as the TransPennine route upgrade and the Moorgate branch ETCS L2 rollout.

This description of what caught the editor’s eye is of necessity only a small part of the exhibition and so certainly will have missed other worthwhile products for which we can only apologise to the companies concerned. If anyone feels they have a worthwhile story about an innovative product that we missed at Infrarail, do get in touch.

Rail Engineer looks forward to seeing more of what’s new on 14 to 16 May next year, when Railtex returns to Birmingham’s NEC.

Freyssinet.

INFRARAIL 2018

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FEATURE

STEWART THORPE

Technology

takes centre stage Stuart Calvert.

Neil Webster.

I

n 2011, businessman Sir Robert McNulty was tasked by the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Office of Road and Rail (ORR) with assessing how the taxpayer could get better value for money from Great Britain’s railways.

In his findings, McNulty reported that the cost of running the country’s railways would need to be reduced by 40 per cent to reach the levels spent on systems in France, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland, recommending that savings of at least £190 million could be achieved through innovation alone.

So, when the RSSB’s innovation programme director, Neil Webster, revealed that one project in the organisation’s portfolio has the potential to save the industry up to £1.8 billion across 40 years during a recent rail industry address, you can understand why a roomful of professionals were left sitting on the edge of their seats.

Neil was speaking at the Rail Technology Summit, held at the offices of international law firm Bird & Bird in London exactly a year to the day since dozens of techies, innovators and digital

Rail Engineer | Issue 164 | June 2018

disruptors packed into the event’s predecessor, the Digital Rail Summit.

A former aerospace engineer, Neil is one of 10 members of staff, supported by 300 technical experts from the RSSB, who are employed to drive innovation and technology transfer. These colleagues come from the rail sector and also a number of non-rail industries, such as the automotive, digital media and pharmaceutical sectors - a combination which helps them to identify and introduce proven technologies.

FEATURE Chris Thompson.

Serious savings The money-saving project that Neil spoke of is one of the shining examples of this proven process that the innovation team has followed more than 250 times. Vortex Exhaust Technology’s systems had proved effective in saving fuel in automobiles, trucks, and marine vessels by improving the efficiency of their diesel engines. The technology was originally born out of F1 during the 1970s and is a simple piece of kit that sits in an exhaust system to improve its economy.

RSSB’s innovation team partnered with the manufacturer and Northern Rail (which has now been replaced by the train operating company (TOC) Northern) to test the product on a Class 156 diesel multiple unit over the course of six months. According to the results, fuel savings of between 10 and 20 per cent

were achieved. By applying that figure to the amount of fuel burnt each year by the country’s diesel-powered rolling stock - believed to be 162 million gallons (736 million litres) - and based on a locomotive’s 40year lifespan, Neil calculates that £1.8 billion could be saved.

“If we do nothing, that £1.8 billion saving cannot be realised,” he said. “I would argue that the challenge for this industry is not to go into the process of inventing technology from scratch. The technology is already out there, all we need to do is import it, use it, and make it fit for our purpose.

“For us, this is a well trodden path. Technical implementation is not something we do lightly, but it is something we are well practised in.”

Train carriage technology Putting his money where his mouth is, Neil provided further case studies from his portfolio of 240 projects. 42 Technology, a name that may be familiar to some following its launch at last year’s Railtex exhibition, is one such product. It draws on lessons learnt from rapidly reconfiguring Boeing 747 cargo aircrafts from passenger to freight use and vice versa to offer the same flexibility on passenger trains.

He also spoke about Enable ID - the company’s chief strategy officer Chris Thompson was among the summit’s speakers. Enable ID has a portfolio of products and services that help to improve performance through better use of data. Previous clients

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FEATURE Stuart Calvert.

have included the BBC, DHL and Mitsubishi Electric, as well as Chiltern Railways.

Working with the TOC, Enable ID retrofitted wireless sensors and Raspberry PI microcomputers to 24 WiFienabled train carriages to test the company’s ‘MyJrny’ mobile app, a personal travel companion for passengers which has been co-funded by the RSSB. The sensors measure a carriage’s occupancy rate and relay that information to the app so passengers know where to find available seats. Working in real-time, this helped to streamline passenger flow, reduce dwell time, boost safety at the platform-train interface and improve the customer’s experience. A study of this information over a period of time could also help with capacity management and service planning, potentially highlighting opportunities where carriages could be reconfigured for freight during off-peak service times.

Digital Railway

Dave Palmer.

Neil’s presentation laid out some solutions to challenges facing today’s railways, as detailed by keynote speaker Dave Palmer, the DfT’s digital rail sponsor, in his tonguein-cheek presentation ‘Rail Technology: What’s the Point?’

Rail Engineer | Issue 164 | June 2018

Dave painted a familiar picture of Britain’s railways: that growth since privatisation has led to the number of journeys to more than double since the 1990s, with some predicting that this trend will continue, and that, as it gets more congested, delivering punctual, reliable services gets more and more difficult.

He stressed that, not only does the industry need to do things differently using new tools and technologies - referring to examples such as smart ticketing, new traction modes and franchise changes to encourage innovation - it needs to find a way to introduce these changes quicker because, as is commonly stated, the railway is slow to change.

Such step changes as the introduction of digital air traffic control and smart motorways in other sectors should be happening in rail, he added.

Network Rail’s Digital Railway programme promises to deliver such a step-change by providing significantly more capacity on the network, as has been proven with the rollout of modern signalling and train control technology on the London Underground.

John Drake, the summit’s host and chief commercial counsel with Bird & Bird, introduced Stuart Calvert, head of the early contractor involvement programme at the Digital Railway, who reinforced Dave’s points. He said that, while there are now fewer incidents that cause delays, the delay per incident is higher than it has been historically because of capacity constraints.

Echoing Dave Palmer’s comments, Stuart said that the rate of implementing change needs to be improved. In 28 years of ERTMS development, the Cambrian line in Wales is currently the only part of Britain’s railways to have the system fitted, although it will be rolled out as part of Thameslink and Crossrail. This slow rate of change represents an “existential threat to the railway”, he added.

Outlining the programme’s schedule, Stuart said that, based on some estimates, more than 60 per cent of the UK’s signalling assets could be renewed over the next three control periods. Work in CP5 revolved about early deployment and securing government funding; CP6 will involve some targeted schemes, which will start to see the introduction of digital

FEATURE technologies to a much greater extent; during CP7 this will be expanded through the routes; and, in CP8, Stuart said that the programme will be close to a national initiative and deployment.

Digital glue Crucially, telecommunications will be the glue that binds the Digital Railway together and investment in this field will be needed to ensure capacity is available.

Rail Engineer writers Clive Kessell and Paul Darlington, more accustomed to reporting than being reported on, looked at the current 2G system, GSM-R, which has been around since 1992, its problems and whether it will be replaced by 4G or 5G. “Anyone in the room still have a 2G phone?” questioned Clive, who wasn’t expecting one delegate to have a presmart phone device. Although GSM-R has been a success, and has been deployed all over the world, support has only nominally been agreed until 2030, although Clive doubts whether the manufacturing community will still make the parts until then.

He said that GSM-R was primarily developed for operational voice services, and has just about enough capacity to support ETCS, but that it is no good when it comes to wider uses of track-to-train radio.

Meanwhile, Paul looked back on the different generations of telecommunications and shed some light on what could come next. He said: “What appears to be happening, and what we advocate, is that the rail industry would look to use the next generation of mobile radio, which is 4G/5G.” Companies such as Huawei, Ericsson and Nokia are currently trialling 4G technology on railways around the world and, as Bird & Bird senior associate Kimberly Wells - who presented alongside colleagues Cathal Flynn and Toby Bond - explained, studies are also ongoing in China, South Korea, Japan and the US. She said that, following tests and non-commercial implementation, 5G’s full rollout is expected in 2020.

In addition, there is an option for a telecommunications system purely based on WiFi, which is being trialled by ScotRail between Edinburgh and Glasgow as part of the SWIFT project (Super-Fast Wi-Fi on Trains).

This Innovate UK and RSSBfunded proof-of-concept project is being undertaken in conjunction with Cisco, CGI, Network Rail Telecoms and Wittos, but the option of another bespoke system for rail looks unlikely because of the required investment in research and development that would be needed.

Clive concluded: “What is absolutely certain is that doing nothing is not an option, we’ve got to get this international consensus - and I believe it has to be international - as to what is going to replace GSM-R. It may be 4G but, by the time GSM-R is switched off, that’s probably going to be the late 2020s, 5G will be commonplace.”

Clive Kessell and Paul Darlington.

Toby Bond.

Gauging, smarter stations and cyber security The breadth and depth of topics covered at the conference showcased the great work that is taking place in the sector. Colin Johnson, managing director of DGauge, talked about how the available data for

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FEATURE

vehicles and infrastructure has grown “exponentially” since the 1990s, and how this data is improving the speed and accuracy of gauging to meet tomorrow’s project timescales.

Gauging takes into account how big a train may be - which can be changed by such factors as speed, how containers are loaded or whether it is a tilting train - against how small a structure may be to ensure there is clearance to accommodate train movement to a safe margin. The growing trend of stepping and mobility, he added, is becoming as critical as clearance.

Meanwhile Mike Hewitt, chief technology officer at Panasonic, looked at the technology of today, tomorrow and next year and what passenger journeys, transformed by technology, could look like. Delegates who wanted to know more were able to visit Panasonic’s stand in the summit’s breakout area, where they could also find exhibits from event sponsors Frauscher Sensor Technology and Track Access.

Pauley innovation consultant Stephen Collicott spoke about the value from skills

Rail Engineer | Issue 164 | June 2018

training and education in the new transferable digital market place, and Nokia’s business development director Emanuele Di Liberto tackled cyber security, the threat it poses to the industry and what can be done to diminish it.

WSP technical director Steve Denniss brought the summit to a close with a discussion on the recently produced joint WSP/ IRSE paper entitled ‘Making a Success of the Digital Railway’ and emphasised the scale of

the respective skills gap for the Digital Railway programme.

Overall, the Rail Technology Summit provided a great platform to concentrate minds and debate how industry stakeholders can work together - as the many discussions between buyers and suppliers and observers proved.

The next Rail Summits event is the Rail Safety Summit, which will be held on 1 November 2018 in London.

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www.frauscher.com Rail Engineer | Issue 164 | June 2018

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CAREERS

Possession Planner / Safe Work Planner North West of England

Competitive Salary dependant on Qualifications and Experience XEIAD have an exciting opportunity to strengthen our growing Rail Sector team in the North and are pleased to invite CVs from dynamic and professional Railway Operations Planners to join our Engineering Consultancy and Infrastructure Services team in planning and co-ordinating lineside works.

Requirements

As a Possession Planner, you will be responsible for planning and co-ordinating possessions, supporting project arrangements, submitting possession request forms using the PPS system and supporting the SSOW Planner. You shall also be responsible for briefing both management and inspection teams on planned arrangements.

• Competent to prepare all safety critical paperwork including WPP, SSOW.

• PTS and SSOWP Sentinel competencies.

• Competent in the use of PPS for booking worksites and isolations.

• Competent in the use of GZAM system for booking line blocks.

• Trained to the PDSW process.

• Be accountable for, and adopt line management responsibility of other SSOW planners and contribute to the transfer of best practice.

Specialist Engineers for the management of difficult to access structures Diving I Rope Access I Confined Spaces I UAV/ROV xeiad.com

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THE ROLE Accountable for the safe and efficient operations of the railway systems within the port and for the overall line management of the Railway Operations team ensuring everyone works in a safe manner to the relevant policies, regulations and guidelines.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES Accountable for the safe and efficient running of the rail department Maintain all rolling stock and infrastructure in accordance with all relevant internal and external policies, regulations and guidelines to ensure maximum availability at all times.

Accountable for operations and maintenance of the railway assets and infrastructure in accordance with all relevant internal and external policies, regulations and guidelines.

Identify and take responsibility for the delivery of activities and/or projects required to satisfy Port Operations.

Responsible for the line management, health & safety, competency and training of the railway employees.

Provide expertise, advice and assistance with solutions to day to day running of rail including special projects.

To make an application, please email your CV and salary expectations to: recruitment@solentgateway.com or call 02380 664469 for further information.

Rail Engineer | Issue 164 | June 2018

www.railwaypeople.com

Due to the expansion of RRV and Vegetation Management Projects, QTS is looking to recruit a selection of permanent roles in Scotland North East & North West England.

• SMSTS SITE MANAGERS

• RRV EXCAVATOR OPERATIVES

• SSSTS SITE SUPERVISORS

• RRV UNIMOG OPERATIVES

• SWL2 / ENGINEERING SUPERVISORS

• RRV MEWP OPERATIVES

• SWL1 / COSS

• MACHINE CONTROLLER / CRANE CONTROLLERS

• AGRICULTURAL FENCING • NPTC CHAINSAW OPERATIVES GANGS • POSSESSION PLANNER • LEVEL 1 IRATA CHAINSAW • NPTC ARBORISTS

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OPERATIVES

QTS is one of the UK’s leading rail contractors, providing specialist services in vegetation management, drainage service, fencing, training, civil engineering, earthworks, geotechnical services, industrial rope access and specialist plant fleet hire.

NPTC applicants should also hold PTS / OLEC1 / ICI but this isn’t essential.

Applicants must be flexible for working nightshifts / weekends and away from home as required.

• ESTIMATOR (LEEDS OR PRESTON)

QTS is continually looking to recruit people who share our values of excellence, integrity, teamwork and respect.

So, if you think you have what it takes to join us, please send your application and CV stating the positions and locations you wish to be considered for to recruitment@qtsgroup.com or apply online at www.QTScareers.com.

QTS Group is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability or age.

PLEASE APPLY ONLINE AT

QTS Careers.com

NATIONWIDE CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

Due to expansion in its vegetation division, QTS is looking to recruit a selection of roles throughout the UK. ROLES REQUIRED:

AT THESE LOCATIONS:

• TEAM LEADERS (COSS/SWL1)

• LNW NORTH/CENTRAL

• VEGETATION GANGS • VEGETATION OPERATIVES • APPRENTICE ARBORISTS

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• LNE NORTH YORK / LEEDS / HUDDERSFIELD & surrounding areas

• FENCING OPERATIVES

• WESTERN

• AGRICULTURAL FENCING GANGS

• LNE SOUTH

Gloucester / Swindon & surrounding areas LUTON & surrounding areaS

QTS is one of the UK’s leading rail contractors, providing specialist services in vegetation management, drainage service, fencing, training, civil engineering, earthworks, geotechnical services, industrial rope access and specialist plant fleet hire.

Ideally, candidates will have 3+ years’ experience in a similar role and hold PTS certification (with the exception of apprentices). QTS will provide opportunities to upskill where required. Please note that shift work is required for all roles including nights, weekends and working away when required.

QTS is continually looking to recruit people who share our values of excellence, integrity, teamwork and respect.

So, if you think you have what it takes to join us, please send your application and CV stating the positions and locations you wish to be considered for to recruitment@qtsgroup.com or apply online at www.QTScareers.com.

QTS Group is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability or age.

PLEASE APPLY ONLINE AT

QTS Careers.com

Ready, set, go!

Fast track your rail career in Australia.

With new and existing rail networks constantly being developed, there has never been a more exciting time for qualified rail professionals to join us. Our experienced teams in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are growing and we’re seeking passionate individuals to come on board. Are you a UK rail professional or expat interested in moving abroad and settling in Australia?

In June and July, we will be interviewing in London for the following permanent positions:

• • • • •

Technical directors rail Rail project managers Rail design managers Signalling engineers Traction power/OLE engineers

• • • •

Rail systems assurance engineers Rolling stock engineers Permanent way engineers Rail communications engineers

All positions require strong knowledge of UK and international rail systems engineering design standards, guidelines and practices as well as considerable experience in your chosen field. We are open to applications from people with all levels of seniority.

We will be offering competitive salary packages as well as relocation to Australia on an immediate family basis and visa sponsorship.

To find out more and apply for these roles please visit mottmac.com/careers and search for reference number 33735BR.

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