RailStaff October 2014

RailStaff THE MOST POPULAR PUBLICATION IN THE UK RAIL INDUSTRY

Issue 203 | October 2014

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SHAWFAIR PROMISE for Scotland’s New Railway

‘This time next year, for the first time in almost half a century, people will be travelling by train between Edinburgh, Midlothian and the Borders,’ said Scottish Government Transport Minister Keith Brown as he joined Network Rail’s Chief Executive, Mark Carne in launching the track laying phase of the new railway project at Shawfair.

Brown described the moment the first track was laid as, ‘a hugely proud achievement for those who have worked so hard to deliver this railway and an exciting development for these communities.’

Page 4

IN THIS ISSUE MUNRO URGES NORTHERN ACTION

MICK CASH WINS RMT BALLOT

SUE KERSHAW JOINS CH2M HILL

Firms urged to get involved in HS2.

Page 5

Mick Cash wins RMT election.

Page 6

CH2M HILL’s New Director of Rail for Europe.

Page 9

@StobartRailLtd

MATTHEW TAYLOR (MATT), PROJECT MANAGER Matt joined the company in 1999 undertaking the role of a Road

Additionally the team excavated and provided formation up to

experience on the M74 Upgrade and numerous other major

and reinstated the compound areas back to their original state in

Rail and Civils Plant Operator/ Site Supervisor. Having previous schemes acting firstly as a Plant Operator, latterly as structures and drainage foreman, Matt has gained a wealth of knowledge that has proved invaluable to Stobart and its client base over

bottom ballast for Babcock, Network Rail and Buckingham’s

agreement with the local landowners. The original contract was for 6 months the team left site 3 years and 8 months later.

the years.

Currently Project Managing the Walsall to Rugeley (W2R) Track

As Site Manager on the TV4 (Tamworth to Lichfield 4 tracking)

and positive approach. “Here at Stobart’s we believe working

Matt was part of a team who were contracted to carry out

earthworks on a section of track for Balfour Beatty, 15 weeks of 54hr blocks. Due to their positive ‘can do’ attitude and an

ability to consistently deliver under challenging conditions the team secured many other contracts on the scheme, notably

further earthworks and soil nailing for Norwest Holst, drainage

for Galliford Try, removal of IBJ’s and Stressing for Babcock. In addition to the above work was secured directly with Network Rail for over 30 OLE gantry base installations and removals,

Lowering scheme for Network Rail Matt maintains his proactive together is always best practice. Having experience on a

number of multi-disciplined schemes, maintaining a positive, helpful interface with clients, stakeholders and various other

contractors has proved key to the success of the contracts. On all projects my immediate focus is concentrated upon possible and realistic solutions and communicating this with the client.

Successful outcomes are always that much more satisfying when you share the experience.”

drainage diversions and 12 miles of Safe Cess walkway.

Flying arches return to Chorley Having previously removed the stone arches with a steel substitute, Stobart Rail would like to congratulate The Murphy Group on the successful reinstatement of the original arches.

Working under subcontract to Murphy, Stobart Rail undertook the following:

· · · ·

500m of track lowering 150m of track slab and transitions Installation of new 6FT drainage and new preformed drainage channel Installation of over 240no soil nails up to 18m long.

All works took considerable co-ordination due to short timescales, limited access and extreme ground conditions.

Works were handed back successfully and on time.

Dave Richardson Plant Manager t. 01228 882 300 e. david.richardson@stobartrail.com Gary Newton Contracts and Estimating Manager t. 01228 882 300 e. gary.newton@stobartrail.com Andrew Sumner Business Development and Stakeholder Manager t. 01228 882 300 e. andrew.sumner@stobartrail.com

stobartrail.com

COMMENT

October 2014 | RailStaff | 3

© SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

RailStaff Contact us: Publisher:

Paul O’Connor

Editor:

Andy Milne

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Adam O’Connor

Senior Reporter:

Marc Johnson

Senior Writer:

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Track Safety:

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Jolene Price

Advertising:

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Craig Smith

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Contact Details RailStaff Publications,

It is unlikely that the lessons of the Scottish Referendum and the Clacton by-election will be understood or acted upon by the cosy cartel that controls British politics.

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The British are concerned about the survival of their country. How could main stream parties put its very existence as a political entity at risk? Beyond these shores does its very identity have to be subsumed by a Europe of rules and regulations; diktats that irk the minds of free people everywhere? What real answers does the current political establishment have about tackling the theocratic Ebola that crucifies and kills the innocent? The mania for political correctness appalls the majority of voters.

The striking point about the Scottish Referendum and the Clacton by election is the high turnout - 85% for the Scottish vote and 64% in Clacton. By contrast

The mania for political correctness appalls the majority of voters. the turn out at hitherto safe Labour seat, Heywood & Middleton, was a faltering 36%.

Politicians by and large go into the game because they want to make the world a better place. It may sound naive but meeting people like Baroness Kramer, Chris Grayling, Simon Burns and Alistair Darling it is impossible to over look this or to jeer at their sincerity.

What goes wrong with almost all of them is the growing understanding that they can only deliver the possible, only manage expectation with policies that reflect the tortured values of the times.

Members of the original Independent Labour Party spoke of the dangers of being drawn in to the club-like comfort of Westminster over 100 years ago. Focus

groups, pollsters and analysts have all but put paid to conviction politics, succeeding in neutralising political debate in a way that the great dictators of the past could only envy.

The lesson from Scotland and indeed the Essex coast is that if you want to change politics you have to do it yourself. The ‘demos’ part of democracy means ‘people’ not protest. Britain has six months to go before the next general election. Rather than agonise over who to vote for rise up and ask questions just as safety instructors have long urged.

Keep asking questions. If the answers don’t make sense ask again. The future of Britain as a safe, prosperous and secure place to live depends on the quality of debate not the quality of candidate. © SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

14

48

RailStaff Awards 2014 Review in November

Abellio expands fleet

A cockpit of Success

The RailStaff Awards started in 2007 with an aim of recognising the great work that the people who work in the industry do. As publishers of RailStaff, we saw great achievements, courgage and bravery from rail staff in every edition.

Yet nobody was saying ‘thanks’ or ‘well done’. 2013 saw over 1,000 people in attendance, 1,200 nominations and 32,000 votes.

A gleaming fresh fleet of refurbished High Speed Trains (HSTs) will create a Scottish Inter-City network under plans by ScotRail’s incoming franchisee, Abellio.

The railway, whilst underpinning the economic re-booting of Britain, is also becoming its educational cockpit, charged with developing a new software of success.

NEWS

4 | RailStaff | October 2014

Borders Railway Metals Laid on

A machine laying 1,000 metres of track a day will soon be at work on the Borders Railway. Work has now begun to install almost 30 miles of rail on the new railway by Christmas.

Scottish government Transport Minister, Keith Brown, and Mark Carne, chief executive of Network Rail, visited the new Shawfair station to meet staff and contractors at the start of the next phase of the project.

Says Mark Carne, ‘The installation of track on this route puts rail services within touching distance for thousands of potential passengers in Midlothian and the Scottish Borders.

By the end of this year, rails will connect seven stations along the route to the national railway network for the first time in forty-five years. When services start running next September, the railway will form a new economic artery for the region, 190x40 (October)_Layout 1 02/10/2014 10:09 Page 1

providing opportunities for employment, education and tourism.’

The fitting out of seven new stations – at Shawfair, Eskbank, Newtongrange, Gorebridge, Stow, Galashiels and Tweedbank - gathers pace this winter. The new railway should be complete by next summer with services set to start in September 2015.

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NEWS

October 2014 | RailStaff | 5

Munro Urges Northern Action Alison Munro, director of development at HS2, has urged northern firms to get involved in HS2 or risk losing out.

Speaking at a meeting of North East regional business leaders, Munro revealed a map of firms who have so far registered their interest in becoming part of the supply chain for what promises to be the biggest construction and engineering project in Europe in recent years.

Delegates were shocked to see the map showed nearly all firms registered to be South East or Midlands based and a significant lack of representation from the North East. £50 billion of supply chain opportunities are up for grabs. HS2 is expected to generate some £8 billion of civil engineering work alone. Alison Munro said that HS2 wants to retain as much of the supply chain as possible within the UK. Details of the tendering process and timescales will be made available at HS2’s two forthcoming Supply Chain Conferences, being held in London on October 17, and Manchester on October 23.

Addressing the business contingent in Newcastle, Munro implored North East firms to register their interest in the HS2 supply chain and attend the upcoming conferences to make sure they were in the running to benefit from the project.

‘There are tens-of-thousands of opportunities to business in the development of HS2. The problem here is not a shortage of work.

‘We’ve seen Crossrail manage to retain 97 per cent of

its supply chain in the UK. Although HS2 is on a much bigger scale, we’re taking cues from similar projects to inform the way work is allocated. We recognise we need to continue to make the case for HS2 in the North East, because it’s about much more than a high-speed rail line. There has been some concern that HS2 will replace spending on the upgrading of existing rail infrastructure - this is most definitely not the case.’

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Promoting Railway Safety

NEWS

6 | RailStaff | October 2014

ScotRail mourns David Haines Staff at ScotRail have mourned the murder of aid worker and former staff member David Haines.

Mr Haines was killed by ISIS, the terrorist organisation now in control of large swathes of Iraq and Syria.

In a statement, ScotRail’s managing director, Steve Montgomery, said, ‘We are saddened by the news that our former colleague and aid worker David Haines has been killed in Syria.

‘David worked for ScotRail between 2006 and 2009 as a Station Grade B area relief, covering stations such as Perth, Dundee, Aviemore and Arbroath.

He also spent around a year as acting STM in Dundee. He left us in May 2009 to pursue his passion - aid work overseas.’

David Haines, 44, had been involved in overseas aid for many years. He was born in Holderness, Yorkshire and was brought up in Perth by his parents, Herbert, 77, and Mary, 79, who now live in Ayr. After leaving Perth Academy, he joined the Royal Mail and then the RAF, where he became an engineer. It was while serving with British forces in the Balkans that he saw at first hand the efforts being made by international relief agencies and decided to join them. He went on to work with aid agencies in Syria, Libya, the former Yugoslavia and South Sudan. At the time of his capture, in March 2013, he was working for the French nongovernmental organisation ACTED, or the Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development, which supports

DRS expands Class 68 fleet

people affected by wars and natural disasters.

David Haines leaves a wife, Dragana Prodanovic Haines, who he met in Croatia where they later lived. Mrs Haines is a translator. He also leaves their daughter, Athea, 4, and a teenage daughter, Bethany,

from his first marriage.

Adds Steve Montgomery, ‘Colleagues have described him as sincere, caring and an absolute gentleman. We would like to extend our sympathies to David’s family, friends and colleagues who will remember him with fondness, respect and affection.’

Mick Cash Wins RMT Ballot Mick Cash has won the election to become RMT general secretary.

Vossloh España has won a follow-up order for 10 UKLIGHT Class 68 locomotives from Direct Rail Services. The new order will boost the DRS Class 68 fleet to 25 locos.

The Class 68 is a highly efficient and powerful Diesel-Electric locomotive.

Confidence in the DRS Class 68 is high. Chiltern Railways has signed up DRS to provide six Class 68 locomotives to help run the Birmingham - London Marylebone service.

Vossloh’s UKLIGHT diesel-electric

locos can run at speeds of 100 mph.

With an axle load of 20.5 tons, the Class 68 offers the best power-to-weight ratio in Europe, according to Vossloh.

Access to industrial networks and sidings presents no problems as it also negotiates curves as tight as 80 metre radius.

Cash, 54, a former track worker and rail engineer, saw off four other candidates for the top job, which he had been covering since the untimely death of former chief Bob Crow.

Says Mick Cash, ‘I want to thank the membership of RMT for giving me an overwhelming mandate as the newly elected general secretary. I am proud and honoured to have been given the enormous responsibility of now taking our fighting and militant union forwards, six months after the bitter loss to the labour movement of Bob Crow.’

He emphasised continuity. ‘Let me make this clear. There will be no deviation from the industrial, political and organising strategy mapped out by RMT under Bob’s leadership. Our fight on pay, jobs, working conditions, pensions and safety continues on every front and in every industry where we organise members.’

Cash was a member of the Labour Party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) until the RMT’s expulsion from the party in 2004. He remains a Labour Party member.

PEOPLE

8 | RailStaff | October 2014

Bye Bye Gisby Robin Gisby describes the current railway as enjoying a golden era. It’s a fitting tribute from the man who started out trying to run private sector freight trains on the metals almost 25 years ago.

The outgoing operational head of Network Rail cut his railway teeth in the dark days of pre-privatisation BR. Gisby set up Charterail, one of the first private sector operators to attempt to break BR’s monopoly. Frustrated by steep access charges, Charterail went into liquidation in 1992 and its founder was out of a job. The fate of Charterail was a set back for those who wanted to see greater use made of the rail network by freight. The Rail Freight Group’s director at the time, Julia Clarke, best summed up the frustrations of the small rail freight market at the time of

Charterail’s demise. ‘The confidence in rail freight is already so fragile... I don’t know how people can go back to the likes of Safeway and Heinz and say: why don’t you use rail?’

Out of work, Gisby concentrated on walking the children to school - he has four - and kept fit by running and playing football. Several years of consultancy work followed, including spells with former employers, GKN.

Then Gisby was head hunted for a role at Railtrack in 1997. Back on the metals Gisby plunged once more with renewed zeal into the privatised rail industry. In a stroke of poetic justice he was appointed director of freight.

Later, following the creation of Network Rail, Gisby worked as director of the southern region and director of the eastern region. He became director, operations and customer services in

Hyder Consulting Boosts Bristol Team Hyder Consulting has made two new appointments to its fast-growing rail team in Bristol.

Rachel Bennett and Tom Constantine are joining the company as it expands as a result of several prestigious contract wins.

Rachel Bennett has been appointed structural engineer.

Formerly a civil engineer with Amey Consulting, Rachel’s experience includes re-signalling work and level crossing design. Reporting to principal engineer Jeff Lynn, Rachel will be working on a variety of schemes, including bridge and ancillary structure design on the Great Western Electrification Project.

Says Rachel, ‘Joining Hyder, as it is building its profile in the South West and Wales, is a great opportunity and the ideal next step in my career development. My aim is to become Chartered with the ICE, and I understand that Hyder’s Steps to Excellence Programme will provide the support I need to achieve that goal.’

Rachel lives in Bath. In her spare time she plays rugby for the Bath Rugby Ladies team.

Tom Constantine has been appointed project manager, based in Bristol. Formerly a senior design manager with VolkerFitzpatrick, Tom will report to Ben Adams, Hyder’s rail business director for the South West and Wales region. In this role, he will be responsible for managing the successful technical and financial performance of projects, developing and building client relationships. Tom is a member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineering. He lives in Bath and

May 2004 and was appointed to the board in October 2008.

Says Robin Gisby ‘This has been one of the most challenging but interesting roles in the sector. I feel enormously privileged to have been part of the renaissance of the railways over the last 20 years. We are in a genuine golden era of passenger demand and investment, and the time is right to pass the baton on to Phil. I wish him every success.’

A recurring theme at RailStaff is that the good guys win in the end - to be specific the ordinary men and women building careers in the railways.

Says RailStaff editor Andy Milne, ‘In my view Gisby’s story is that of the little guy, the underdog, coming back and winning the day. Not only did he end up heading the operational aspects of the rail system he witnessed at first hand the unstoppable momentum built up by the new rail industry. Robin Gisby’s career should serve as an inspiration to the many. We wish him well in the future.’

McGivern a Chance Jayne McGivern has been appointed to the Crossrail board as a non-executive director for a three-year term from 1 September 2014.

enjoys cycling, both mountain and road, as well as trail running and playing squash. All this has to be fitted in around the demands of a young family.

Says Ben Adams, ‘Rachel and Tom are great additions to the team. Rachel’s experience is ideally suited to the kinds of projects we’re working on now – which include major infrastructure and improvement projects. Tom’s experience in multi-disciplinary project and engineering management in the rail sector will provide a ‘whole-life’ perspective on rail projects and drive engineering solutions which offer innovation and best value to the client. I’m confident they will make a significant contribution to the many projects we have in the pipeline.’

McGivern is an experienced chief executive in the property industry. Her former roles include chief executive (Europe) of Multiplex plc and managing director of Anschutz Entertainment Group in London during its acquisition and redevelopment of the O2 Arena.

She currently runs Red Grouse, her small private property investment vehicle, and is a member of the board of the London Legacy Development Corporation. Jayne is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

Current non-executive board member Terry Hill CBE has been re-appointed for a further three-year term until 31 August 2017. Similarly Phil Gaffney, non-exec board member, has also been re-appointed for a further three-year term until 31 March 2017.

PEOPLE

October 2014 | RailStaff | 9

Sue Kershaw joins CH2M HILL Hufton to run Network Rail CH2M HILL has appointed Sue Kershaw as director of rail for Europe. Kershaw joins from Grosvenor Britain and Ireland where she was director of programme management.

Phil Hufton, London Underground’s plain-speaking chief operating officer, is to join Network Rail next year as managing director, network operations.

Prior to this she was deputy director of transport at the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) where she helped lead the delivery of a £1 billion portfolio of infrastructure and transport projects including Stratford Regional Station and Orient Way. She was also responsible for the delivery and management of national rail, road and underground rail improvements including the Jubilee Line Upgrade and the Olympic Route Network.

Whilst at the Strategic Rail Authority she progressed the East London Line Project and was assistant director of London Projects. Also at the SRA, she established the London Programme Office. Other large infrastructure projects Sue has worked on include the Royal Docks, Jubilee Line Extension Project and the Bangkok Mass Transit System.

After a grammar school education, Hufton started as an apprentice in Derby at BREL - British Rail Engineering.

‘The practical route was the right route for me,’ Phil Hufton once said. ‘For me it was always about engineering.’

Hufton replaces Robin Gisby who is leaving the company. Phil Hufton will

In her role as director of rail for Europe Sue will focus on building CH2M HILL’s rail portfolio through the company’s technical expertise and extensive programme management capabilities to provide a smart, client-focussed market offering. Sue Kershaw graduated from the University of Surrey in 1982 with a BSc degree in civil engineering. Over the past 25 years, she has become one of the most successful female civil engineers in Britain. She is a fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers.

join Network Rail early next year to effect a smooth transfer. Phil Hufton has been chief operating officer at London Underground since June 2013.

Says Phil, ‘Whilst I am extremely disappointed to leave London Underground at a very exciting time, I am really looking forward to joining Network Rail to help develop and grow the network and further establish a safe and reliable railway. Network Rail plays such a vital role in keeping the nation moving and I am delighted to be joining the team.’

United fan becomes Northern Hub Billy Vickers has been appointed as Manchester Hub stations manager for First TransPennine Express.

overseeing FTPE’s operations at Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Victoria and Manchester Oxford Road.

Says Billy Vickers, ‘I’ve always enjoyed meeting A popular figure, Mr Vickers has been with FTPE and greeting customers; there’s nothing better for 10 years. He was service quality manager, liaising than making a customer smile and seeing that I’ve with BTP and had responsibility for overseeing made a difference to their journey experience. I’m service quality and events management. Billy Vickers committed to driving standards forward and this job is a career railwayman and is looking forward to has given me the opportunity to lead the change to a his new enhanced role. He will be responsible for more responsive and customer-focussed industry.’ transforming customer service in and around the Away from work Billy is a committed family man Manchester area, focusing on managing Manchester with two grown-up daughters. He enjoys walking recruitment-lg_Layout 1 09/01/2014 Airport, Birchwood and Warrington Central,12:49 whilst Page 1and cycling and is a Manchester United fan.

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RAIL ALLIANCE

10 | RailStaff | October 2014

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

Tratos Takes Charge

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

Tratos Ltd has been awarded a substantial grant from the Regional Growth Fund (RGF) to develop its manufacturing site in Knowsley, Merseyside. The grant will help ensure the long term growth of Tratos, one of the last remaining cable manufacturers in the country.

Under the RGF, over £800 million has been made available to SMEs. Over 2,700 SMEs nationally have received cash from the fund. The grant has been awarded to Tratos to invest and strengthen its business and protect existing jobs and potentially create further jobs in the area, one of the most deprived local authority areas in the UK. Investment in manufacturing is at the heart of the Tratos group ethos.

The company recently completed the construction of a Faraday Cage test site at its headquarters in Pieve Santo Stefano, Italy which is believed to be the largest in Europe. This follows on the tail of a €6 million extension to the factory to house a new Continuous Vulcanisation line for completely dry curing of polymeric high voltage cables up to 132kV. Dr Maurizio Bragagni, CEO of Tratos Ltd, explains the company’s commitment to investing in European manufacturing and why this grant is so important to its strategy. ‘As a company with €150 million turnover, we continually invest in new equipment and staff to meet our high quality manufacturing, ethical and environmental goals. Only modern factory facilities with sophisticated, high technology machinery and staff proficient in their use will allow us to compete in this market place. We have injected considerable resources into this business and are passionate about manufacturing in the UK and Europe.’

Tratos is extending its existing International and European rail cable approvals with both London Underground and Network Rail, the cables will be manufactured and supplied from the new Knowsley manufacturing site.

NEWS

October 2014 | RailStaff | 11

Waterloo Sunrise for Joey Essex and Sam Faiers Joey Essex and Sam Faiers attempted to quash recent rumours of a split with a little rail retail therapy.

The pair wowed Waterloo by turning up together to launch new retailer, Doddle, making the first ever collections from its new London store.

The reality TV duo were first through the door at Doddle, a brand new collection and returns retailer that is opening a network of shops at railway stations around the country. Joey handed over a huge teddy bear to Sam as a peace offering.

Says Sam, ‘Like any good Essex girl, I’m a complete shopaholic, so I know all too well how frustrating it can be when you end up missing a delivery. It’s important for my business that I stay on top of trends and never miss a beat, so the launch of Doddle couldn’t have come soon enough. It’s great that there’s

Festive Six Pack Rail engineers at Balfour Beatty have installed the last of six spans of the new Festival Viaduct, part of Network Rail’s £45 million Reading Viaduct project.

freight lines.

Each of the 25-metre spans installed is made up of four concrete beams that were lifted into place by a 750-tonne crane, requiring careful planning and road closures.

The project team plans to hand over the Festival Viaduct in January 2015 ahead of project completion in the spring.

The Festival Viaduct is a secondary viaduct that branches off from the main Reading Viaduct and will carry the cross-country services above the one at my local Chelmsford train station so I can pick up and drop off items really easily around my busy schedule.’

In addition to the shops at Chelmsford and Waterloo, Doddle has also opened its store in Milton Keynes and further shops are opening soon in London, Southampton, Woking, Birmingham, Glasgow, Basingstoke, Three Bridges, Tonbridge and Bromley South. Up to 30 stores are planned to be open by Christmas. Online shoppers are able to order items from any retailer and have them delivered straight to their nearest Doddle store, ready for collection at their own convenience.

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INTERVIEW

12 | RailStaff | October 2014

The Executive

Now Departing from Platform One…

Marc Johnson reports on Phil Hufton’s valedictory address to the Rail Exec Club in London.

Speaking to a packed room of rail industry professionals last month, London Underground’s chief operating officer, Phil Hufton, outlined the raft of changes taking place across the capital’s Underground network. Just a few days later, Hufton announced his departure to become Network Rail’s new managing director. Now London Underground must find someone else to drive his proposals forward.

In the last two months several big changes have occurred on the 151-year-old system. Contactless payment has arrived, marking another step toward a paperless railway, click and collect shopping is now available at a number of stations and the start of 24-hour Tube services has been confirmed.

During his speech at the Rail Exec Club on 9 September, Hufton spoke frankly about his difficult relationship with the unions and what he described as ‘the biggest change programme in the whole history of London Underground’.

In what shape is Hufton leaving London Underground? Boris Johnson has promised Londoners that by the end of 2015 Tube reliability will have improved by 30 per cent. Hufton felt confident that he and his team would in fact deliver 40 per cent. He also said 2013 was the first year where London Underground’s operating costs had

been less than its revenue. All of this is being done at the same time as London Underground looks to close all 270 ticket offices across the network before the General Election in May next year.

‘We need to change our organisational mindset, and I’m now leading the biggest change programme in the whole history of London Underground,’ said Hufton, addressing railway staff under the arches of Vinopolis’ Victorian railway viaduct.’

Very good people ‘When you think about people [where] their fathers, their forefathers have all worked in an organisation like ours, people get into a mindset where there is only one way of doing things and that’s the Underground

way. It doesn’t make them bad people, they’re very good people. There are some great people in the rail industry, but when you get into an organisation [and] you’ve been there a long, long time, people tend to behave in certain ways. For me, changing that mindset is

INTERVIEW

a challenge.’

Hufton argued that with less than three per cent of customers buying tickets from the ticket office and some selling less than 10 tickets an hour, trying to justify keeping ticket offices open for passengers didn’t make sense.

He added, ‘As part of this transformation, bringing people out from behind a piece of glass and bringing them onto the station where they can actually help our customers to get around the network, to help them buy the best possible ticket, to help them with their journeys makes sense.’

However, London Underground doesn’t just plan to move ticket office staff out onto the platform. Hufton said that he is providing 50,000 training days for station staff and that in the future staff would be armed with smart phones and tablets, allowing them to convey live service information to passengers.

‘We’ve got to develop our people in a different way. Having well trained and equipped staff, people that are capable of helping our customers around the network.’

New technology The challenge that looms for London Underground’s new chief operating officer is of a growing population which is filling new services faster than they can be added.

Speaking after his presentation in a quiet corner of Vinopolis, Hufton said, ‘Demand is outstripping capacity...

October 2014 | RailStaff | 13

The expectation is that London will grow by the size of Birmingham by 2030.

‘What we recognise is that we need to be able to run a service that is greater than the 30-34 trains an hour on Victoria.’

Automation is one way in which service frequency could be increased but it remains a controversial topic.

Transport for London (TfL) has enlisted PriestmanGoode, the design house behind the Class 390 Pendolino, to produce a concept showing what the Tube’s new driverless trains could look like.

London Underground has shortlisted Alstom, Siemens, Hitachi, CAF and Bombardier to build the new deep-level Tube trains. A formal Invitation to Tender worth between £1 billion and £2.5 billion is expected to be issued in early 2015 for 250 new trains for the Bakerloo, Central, Piccadilly and Waterloo & City lines, with the Piccadilly line to benefit from the first new vehicle in 2022.

London Underground has indicated that the new trains would be built with a driver’s cab which could eventually be removed. Because of the safety risk of having unmanned

vehicles in the Deep Tube network, the new vehicles would have a ‘train operator’ onboard but Hufton said he had committed to ensuring there would be opportunities for all current drivers to continue driving London Underground trains.

As a farewell, the speech was controversial but reassuring. The message from Hufton was about the need to embrace new technology and working practices in order to meet the changing expectations of passengers.

Hufton’s debut at Milton Keynes will no doubt be watched closely by friend and foe alike.

NEWS

14 | RailStaff | October 2014

Abellio to expand ScotRail fleet A gleaming fresh fleet of refurbished High Speed Trains (HSTs) will create a Scottish Inter-City network under plans by ScotRail’s incoming franchisee, Abellio.

HSTs are consistently popular with staff and passengers alike. The 27 HSTs will be cascaded from East Coast and refurbished. An 80-strong fleet of new trains from Hitachi in County Durham will come on stream from the end of 2017. The new fleets will together deliver a third more seats on Scotland’s rail network.

Building on ScotRail’s success at the Community Rail Awards, Abellio plans to expand the Community Rail Partnership programme with the creation of up to another 20 CRPs. ScotRail will develop more community outreach programmes and offer much more support for the already flourishing station adoption

programme.

Cheaper fare offers and an understandable Dutch sympathy for cyclists further informed the winning bid. Abellio is understood to have worked hard to understand Transport Scotland’s clear franchise specifications.

In a surprise move, Abellio, a subsidiary of Dutch national railways (Nederlandse Spoorwegen), is to relocate its British HQ to Glasgow from London.

Says Jeff Hoogesteger, chief executive of Abellio Group, ‘This is a huge day for Abellio and indeed the Netherlands which has such a rich history of commercial and cultural trade with Scotland.

‘Abellio is delighted and incredibly excited to have been given this opportunity to manage Scotland’s national rail network.

‘For two years our team has been on a journey across Scotland and met

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at Bruges and Veere throughout the Middle Ages. The Scots Brigade, three infantry regiments, served the Dutch for 200 years and is remembered for the bravery of its defence of Begen op Zoom against the French in 1747.

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people from the Borders, across the seven cities and to the very peak of the Far North Line so that we could prepare a plan that would meet and exceed the expectations of the Scottish Government.’

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The extended 10-road sidings at Silwood, near New Cross Gate in London, are finally back in action, says TfL. The 10 sidings can accommodate five-car trains. Silwood has a new signalling system and newly built train crew accommodation.

Cleshar designed and built the 10 new sidings, including a turnout from the mainline and a crossover between existing mainline tracks.

The sidings will provide overnight stabling for 10 trains. Works to extend 13 station platforms to accommodate

the running of five car trains has also been completed.

Says London Overground director Mike Stubbs, ‘The sidings are a key part of London Overground’s improvement programme that will enable the introduction of longer trains to carry more passengers and reduce crowding.’

The project is part of the £320 million London Overground Capacity Improvement Programme (LOCIP) which includes construction of new sidings near Wembley, modifications at New Cross Gate and Willesden depots and platform extensions across the network.

NEWS

October 2014 | RailStaff | 15

Stop-Start Plan for Freight Locos DB Schenker Rail UK is pressing ahead with the introduction of stop-start technology on 90 class 66 locomotives.

The new technology has been tested on loco 66176 in Cornwall on the Imerys traffic flow.

Auto Engine Stop-Start technology (AESS) stops the engine idling when stationary. AESS is manufactured by ZT. Says Andrew Byrne, head of

maintenance and infrastructure DBSR UK, ‘The Auto Engine Stop-Start technology (AESS) provides huge opportunities to improve the environmental impact of rail freight. Although rail freight is a more environmentally friendly mode of transport solution than road, we continually seek to find ways in which the impact of rail freight can be reduced further. We aspire to become an ecopioneer, and this project is a key part of that strategy.’

Edinburgh Tram Success In its first 100 days of operation, Edinburgh’s new tram system attracted 1.5 million passengers.

One-hundred-and-thirty-thousand people used the new tram in the first week alone. This shows that, despite the troubles surrounding its construction, the tramway is providing a successful and welcome service.

Success is in large part down to the efforts of staff both on the trams and behind the scenes.

Says Tom Norris, Edinburgh Trams director, ‘The last 100 days have been a success for everyone at Edinburgh Trams, from our drivers and ticketing assistants to the team behind the scenes at Gogar Depot. We’ve had major events, a busy Edinburgh Festival season, as well as challenges

and disruptions that are part of being a transport operator. I hope passengers feel they can count on us to get them to their destination and we continue to listen to feedback from our customers which we’re using to improve our service further. We’re off to a really promising start and I’d like to thank all our staff for their efforts and our new passengers for getting on board with us.’

Grangemouth Freight Growth

WH Malcolm has started a new freight flow between Daventry and Grangemouth Operated by DB Schenker Rail UK. The new service operates seven days a week.

This freight flow is in addition to the Daventry to Mossend service which DB Schenker Rail UK has been running since early April. The new service also carried the first 50 feet long containers to travel by rail in Britain.

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NEWS

16 | RailStaff | October 2014

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The Night Has a 1,000 Ayes

Black Cabs bested by Heathrow Express The Heathrow Express is threetimes quicker and nearly fourtimes cheaper than a black cab between Paddington station and the airport, a study has found.

Night workers, party goers and rugby fans have welcomed TfL plans to run a 24-hour Night Tube service at weekends from the early hours of 12 September 2015.

The new service has been made possible thanks to the continued modernisation of significant parts of the London Underground network and improved levels of reliability.

TfL and the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, are keen to better serve what they call the Night Economy. In order to meet the expected demand for Night Tube services, there will be six trains per hour through central London on all Night Tube lines, including the Jubilee,

Victoria and most of the Piccadilly, Central and Northern lines.

On the Northern line there will be eight trains per hour to meet demand at busy stations between Leicester Square and Camden Town. The new service coincides with the start of the world’s third largest sporting event, the Rugby World Cup, which takes place in England between 18 September and 31 October 2015. The tournament will be hosted in 13 venues around the country, including three in London - Twickenham Stadium, Olympic Stadium and Wembley Stadium - and the Night Tube service is expected to be taken up with enthusiasm by fans and tourists alike.

The Express takes 15 minutes to reach Heathrow from Paddington and costs £34 return fare. A black cab will cost you around £132 (return) and takes one hour and 42 minutes on average.

Investigators did the journey in a back cab on 12 separate occasions at different times of day. For the avoidance of doubt, Heathrow Express deducted 5 per cent from its average black cab journey times and prices to allow a margin for error in its data.

During October, Heathrow Express is offering a limited number of onlineonly saver fares - £15 for a single and £29 for a return, rather than £21 for a single and £34 for a return.

Knorr-Bremse Minds the Doors As the fitting out of Crossrail’s tunnels, galleries and stations picks up pace, KnorrBremse Rail Systems has been chosen to provide platform screen doors at selected stations.

The contract covers the installation of full-height platform screen doors at Paddington, Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon, Liverpool Street, Whitechapel, Canary Wharf and Woolwich Crossrail stations.

Says Simon Wright, Crossrail programme director, ‘Crossrail has now awarded the last of the major railway systems contracts. As major construction concludes, work will get underway to fit-out the new tunnels and stations with the necessary equipment and services to enable Crossrail services to operate.

This will include the installation of over 40 kilometres of track, power equipment as well as signalling, ventilation and drainage.’

The supply of platform screen doors will be undertaken by Westinghouse, a specialist division

of Knorr-Bremse, with facilities based in Melksham, Wiltshire and at Wolverton near Milton Keynes. The assembly and testing of the Crossrail platform screen

system will also take place at Wolverton and marks a further step in the growth that Knorr-Bremse plans for the historic railway depot.

NEWS

October 2014 | RailStaff | 17

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Riyadh role for Lloyd’s Register Lloyd’s Register has been appointed as Independent Safety Assessor (ISA) for the Riyadh metro project in Saudi Arabia.

As the ISA, Lloyd’s Register will deliver the high-quality safety assessment with regular assessments and audits of safety plans and processes. Riyadh’s expanding economy has seen rapid urban growth, with a population set to increase from 5.7 million people today to 8.3 million by 2030.

The new system will comprise a metro and bus network. Built at a total cost of $30 billion, it is the largest public transport project in development worldwide. The metro network will consist of 85 airconditioned stations at a mixture of elevated, surface and underground locations. The six-line, 175-kilometre driverless system will connect central districts of Riyadh with outlying residential areas and the King Khalid

International Airport.

Says Mike Elliott, Middle East rail business manager for Lloyd’s Register, ‘There is a responsibility on all parties to ensure that Riyadh’s first ever metro system is completed on time and to the highest possible safety standards.

Though the essence of our role is to retain an objective, independent

stance, we are very much part of the project delivery team and will use our experience of systems in Dubai, Qatar, Abu Dhabi and elsewhere to ensure that best practice is brought across and that potential issues and delays are identified and resolved without disruption to the overall project schedule.’

Lyrical Move for Marketing Man The former head of marketing strategy at Transport for London (TfL), Steve Gumbrell, has joined Abellio Greater Anglia as head of marketing.

After graduating from Kingston University with a degree in Business Studies, Steve Gumbrell started his career in marketing agencies and worked with clients like AnheuserBusch, Vodafone, Tia Maria, Courvoisier, Tramlink and BAA Rail Strategy. Steve was also interim marketing director at TGI Fridays.

Steve’s interests include playing football, organising charity concerts and writing lyrics for a band.

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NEWS

18 | RailStaff | October 2014

Tim takes Emerald Isle Express Luxury trains have operated around the world - think of the Royal Scot, the Orient Express and the Ghan - but Ireland seems to have missed out. Now Railtours Ireland, an established tourist company operating out of Dublin, is putting that right. Tim Casterton reports.

by the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland. Much work has been carried out on the vehicles to bring them up to a suitable standard including deep cleans and complete exterior repaints. An Iarnród Éireann 071 class locomotive was selected to operate the tour and this was specially cleaned to befit the occasion.

As the name suggests, Railtours Ireland makes extensive use of rail and, in partnership with Iarnród Éireann, transports tourists around the country visiting beautiful and famous locations.

Until now the tours have been either day trips or trips of a duration of a few days, making use of block bookings on scheduled service trains. ‘The Emerald Isle Express’ is designed to be different. A specially chartered train that operated around the network over six days, it also has motor coach support - laid on to meet trains and take passengers to castles and cathedrals and to and from overnight hotel accommodation.

Ill-fated Titanic

Vintage vehicles The carriages chosen were 1950 vintage vehicles built by the Cravens company for CIE and are now owned

The tour departed from Dublin’s Connolly station on Monday, 29 September, heading south along the spectacular Dublin and South Eastern route to Wexford via Bray for a tour of the internationally famous Waterford Crystal factory. Participants were transferred to their accommodation in Waterford by coach following this, whilst the train ran empty via the South Wexford line (currently without any scheduled services operating over it) to Waterford.

Day 2 saw the train running from Waterford along the beautiful Suir Valley to Limerick Junction and then south through the Golden Vale to Cork for a coach trip to Blarney Castle and overnight at Fota.

Day 3 saw guests taken to Cobh, the last port of call for the ill-fated Titanic and then re-joining the train for a

spirited run to Killarney for a coach tour around the Ring of Kerry (and overnight in Killarney).

Day 4 and the train retraced the route to Mallow and Limerick Junction and on to Ennis to see the Cliffs of Moher followed by a Medieval style feast at Bunratty Castle and overnight at Dromoland Castle.

Day 5 and the train departed from Ennis along the Western Rail Corridor for a visit to the ‘Rebel City’ of Galway, arriving in time for lunch and an afternoon to explore the beautiful city before retiring for the night.

Day 6 started with a coach tour to see the stunning scenery of Connemara, lunch at another castle, then Clifden

and the Sky Road before Kylemore Abbey, Leenane and Westport where once again participants joined the private train to return to Dublin, enjoying dinner and entertainment aboard.

Director of Railtours Ireland First Class, Jim Deegan spoke about the tour. ‘A fabulous itinerary from start to finish. This idea of a land cruise by rail in a special train through Ireland coupled with luxury five star hotels and the Railtours Ireland coach always shadowing the train for transfers, tours, and luggage - has never been done before and will firmly put Ireland on the increasingly popular world rail touring map.’

FEATURE

20 | RailStaff | October 2014

Britain’s Railway network transport mode of choice Andrew McNaughton joined HS2 Ltd in 2009 as chief engineer and then technical director. Previously he was chief engineer of Network Rail from 2001. McNaughton has worked in the railway industry in construction and operation since 1973. He is a visiting professor of engineering at Nottingham University, Imperial College London and Southampton University.

In his recent address to the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s 2014 Sir Henry Royce Memorial Lecture in London this September, Andrew McNaughton set out his vision for the future of Britain’s railways. Outside of commuting, the vast majority of people in Britain today don’t use the railway that often, he contends. In his speech, McNaughton set the scene for Britain’s railway becoming a world-class transport mode of choice - beating car and plane.

‘Is it the transport of last resort or the transport of choice?’ is a wonderful phrase that has often been used, and looking at the results of PwC’s most recent consumer survey, the answer would be last resort.

According to PwC’s Voice of the Consumer (VoC) survey published in June last year, most regions showed predominant car usage as part of their daily commute, some nearly as high as 70 per cent. The highest were West Midlands, South West, NI and East of England. London was the lowest at 25 per cent. And if money was no object, most people would still choose to go by car – either driving themselves or being chauffeur driven.

Nevertheless, demand on Britain’s major rail networks is forecast to increase significantly and it is essential that a transformation of the network occurs in order to cope with this demand. The West Coast main line for example, is the busiest mixed-use railway in Europe, and is used by 12 different operators and carries a quarter of all UK rail freight. The cities it connects are growing, population is growing, and the West Coast main line will be at capacity by 2025.

By 2030, overall volumes are expected to be around 120 per cent of current levels, growing at a rate of 3.3 per cent year-on-year. From a passenger perspective, passenger numbers have increased at a faster pace than expected and they continue to rise.

Big demand, greater expectations According to Network Rail, each day four million people use the network, which carries 50 per cent more passengers than 10 years ago.

Meanwhile, a report published earlier this year by Arup predicts that Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road and Farringdon stations could serve as many as 250 million visitors into and out of central London by 2026.

Driven by population and employment growth in London and the South East, Arup’s figure represents 65 million more passengers than estimates suggested just 10 years ago. On an annual basis, this number is equivalent to some 166 million additional passengers using the three stations today.

From a commercial perspective, ensuring capacity for rail freight is vital to protect the diversity of UK supply chains, to support decarbonisation and fuel security in the future, and to enable UK companies to import and export goods efficiently to compete internationally.

Extensive research has been conducted globally attempting to gauge exactly what it is that freight users and passengers will need from and expect of railway systems in the future. All conclude that the ideal system would be easy, convenient, and utterly reliable, dependable, and secure. Why has this not yet been achieved in Britain?

Mindful of the gap The challenge is delivering on what a railway needs to be from a customer user viewpoint, creating a mode of transport passengers would choose above all alternatives. This means eliminating the significant gaps that exist currently between customer expectations and service delivery. It is important to start with an understanding of where we are today, because it provides a baseline for establishing just how much our railways must change if they are to be all of the things expected of them.

Ideally, I want the person choosing rail to feel as individual and in control of their journey as if they were driving in their car. For example, this means being able to choose a seat with privacy or together with friends, to recreate the experience of being in an office or mingling with a happy crowd; or choosing a seat with extra space for them or their belongings, or more economically with more limited room. They should be able to select a guaranteed seat up to a few minutes before a train is due.

I also want them to have real-time information at their fingertips all the way through their journey, alerting them to move from concourse shopping to the platform just in time for their train. And not just anywhere on the platform, but

to guide them to the place where the door of the train nearest their allocated seat will be when it stops. Then to be greeted by name by the staff on board, who know exactly who is travelling and whether or not they have any special requirements because their systems are all fully connected.

Moreover, the system will alert the passenger when the train is arriving at their stop, and will then guide them to connecting transport with the same fidelity. And on the rare occasion of perturbation, the system will re-plan that passenger’s specific journey, not advise them to ‘use alternative routes’.

Such a system will also adjust the speed of trains, and connections, to optimise flow through key stations and junctions, thus ensuring minor delays never get in the way of the passenger’s journey while reducing the energy use of the railway through the smoother running of trains.

Intelligent by design In my IET lecture, I have discussed how future station and rail system design should ensure that passengers do not need to wait on the platform for their train. The aim is to provide an informed and high-quality service such that passengers are confident they can arrive at the station five minutes before

FEATURE

the train is expected. Should they have a problem at the last minute and miss their train, they automatically have a reserved seat on the next one.

For freight, delivering the railway system of the future effectively comes down to providing the same type of experience. Because freight is about logistics, and at its essence, people are self-loading freight. So the core concepts discussed previously still apply – i.e. easy, convenient, and utterly reliable, dependable, and secure.

It is important to consider what the delivery of this type of customer experience will mean for the train operator. Technical elements and training, staff and staff roles, and operational processes also have to come into play, as does the engineering of the system, including the IT solutions needed. For example, how does the IT that delivers passenger information integrate with the IT that controls the train and handles operational issues?

Ultimately, it is about delivering an intelligent infrastructure, and bringing together myriad engineering disciplines – mechanical, electronic, civil, and others. Naturally, some of the capabilities outlined will come with significant cost; others will cost very little.

The crucial point is that the technology exists to deliver all of this today.

October 2014 | RailStaff | 21

Global view Last year, the Central Japan Railway Company introduced its N700 Advanced high-speed train, which includes a form of automatic train operation allowing the network control system to manage the trains’ progress even more accurately throughout the journey than their legendary drivers. Passengers may not notice the additional punctuality given the already high performance, but the prize is an extra train path every hour on an intensively used corridor, made possible by the reduction in allowance necessary for minor perturbations at key junctions.

A simpler form of this technology can be seen in the development of Driver Advisory Systems – non-safety critical supplements to conventional control that guide the speed of trains approaching key junctions so that they arrive when signals are clear to proceed.

Reducing ‘stop-start’ driving not only improves punctuality and potential capacity at vital pinch-points, it can pay for itself in reduction of traction energy and brake wear. This is why the idea is being pursued so enthusiastically on the heavy freight networks across North America.

In many smaller cities, the attractiveness of the rail network is compromised by the remoteness of the main station from the city centre.

A variety of different solutions around the world are showing how this can be overcome.

In Auckland, New Zealand, the solution was to take advantage of urban redevelopment to extend the railway from its historic terminus, by cut and cover, into the edge of the central area with a new combined public transport facility at Britomart, using a former post office as the passenger concourse.

At the same time, a suburban station was moved from a redundant location and sited underneath a main highway.

This created an easy and cost-effective interchange with the bus network, enabled the remapping of bus and rail, and promoted rail for the heavy radial flows, fed by the bus network.

Best railway in the world?

The German ‘tram-train’ takes the combined public transport facility further. This not only brings the tram network out to the station, but connects the systems to allow through-running, by using lightweight rolling stock and the appropriate technical systems to make the tram-trains capable of mixing with heavy rail traffic. First developed in Karlsruhe, it is seen in a more advanced form in Kassel, where passengers are conveyed to within a short walk of their destination. Capacity is freed-up in the main station either for growth in longer distance travel or even property development.

A further innovation around this type of system can be found in Zwickau, also in Germany. Here, connectivity has been enhanced by simply extending the tracks for the lightweight suburban trains from a remote terminus into the central city square along a public transport road corridor. Interestingly, while there has been much said about converting old railways to roads, it is now possible we will see the reverse.

In Perth, Western Australia, a whole new north-south suburban railway

has been built – the Mandurah Line.

Apart from the tunnelled ‘last mile’, it has been carved out of the generous central reservation of a dual carriageway highway. Integrated bus and car interchanges have been set out at regular intervals to provide easy access from the sprawling suburbs.

When it comes to choosing the ‘best railway in the world’, the heavy haul railways of the Pilbara region of Western Australia lay claim to this title.

They have a single business purpose of conveying huge quantities of iron ore from inland mines to coastal ports. The railway is considered as an integrated engineering system and every aspect of it is continuously improved within a total model that values infrastructure, rolling stock and control system together. The result is a totally reliable, profitable, justin-time operation carrying 200Mt each year in some of the most inhospitable territory imaginable.

Fundamental change Many people today think of railways as a fascinating Victorian invention, vaguely useful, potentially more environmentally friendly than cars but still quite expensive and not really a preferred mode of transport. The fact is the railway must change fundamentally.

More importantly, it can change fundamentally. The technology exists today and there are examples from around the world that demonstrate that if you blend best practice with next-generation technology, much can be achieved.

I want my IET lecture to inspire Britain’s engineers to help develop a control system that ingrates all of the necessary elements and provides the engineering backbone of a future railway system that delivers the best possible passenger and freight experience. With Britain’s engineering heritage there is no reason why Britain should not once again have the best rail network in the world.

NEWS

22 | RailStaff | October 2014

Shrewsbury Rides Again Direct services from Blackpool and Shrewsbury are set to return in December.

Virgin Trains has received the green light from the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) to introduce the additional services.

Shrewsbury will have two services in each direction on a weekday, calling at Telford Central, Wellington, Wolverhampton, Birmingham New Street, Birmingham International,

Metrolink Moves Up

Coventry and Rugby and London Euston.

Blackpool North will have one red eye service a day to London Euston leaving at 05:25 and calling at Kirkham & Wesham, Poulton le Flyde, Preston, Wigan North Western, Warrington Bank Quay, Crewe and Nuneaton before arriving in London at 08:34.

The Shrewsbury service will commence on Sunday, 14 December 2014 with the Blackpool operation starting 24 hours later on Monday, 15 December 2014.

Transport for Greater Manchester has confirmed an expanded order for more trams.

Under the new £34 million deal, 16 new trams will be built by Bombardier using cash from the government’s Local Growth Fund. Alongside another recent order for 10 trams, this order

means Metrolink’s fleet will be boosted to 120 vehicles by 2017.

Metrolink’s distinctive yellow Flexity Swift trams can carry more than 200 passengers and first began running back in 2009. Since then, all the older ‘T68’ vehicles have been gradually phased out. The Metrolink fleet is under five years old.

Said Hugh Bayley MP, ‘It is a pleasure to open Network Rail’s new rail operating centre here in York. It is the largest in the country and a huge vote of confidence in York as a strategic railway centre. The new centre will ensure that York’s links with the railways are maintained and strengthened. Hundreds of jobs have been created and the state-of-the-art

training facilities next door will ensure that future generations have the skills they need to work in the rail industry.

‘The new centre is a great asset to York and to the local economy. I am glad that Network Rail has built the new centre in York, and I congratulate everyone who has made this possible.

I hope Network Rail will continue to invest in York.’

York Talk The Rail Operations Centre (ROC) in York is now complete and has been opened by local MP Hugh Bayley.

Network Rail staff will move in this autumn and start training ahead of the ROC’s official operational debut next January.

The ROC will replace the current route control building at the back of York station.

Says Phil Verster, route managing director for Network Rail, ‘The new centre (one of 12) will ultimately control signalling and rail operations on the east coast all the way from King’s Cross to the Scottish borders.

York is the ideal place for the centre with rail links right across the country.

‘This investment in new technology will contribute significantly to improvements in train service punctuality, increased capacity and will

also provide an improved service to passengers. This new facility represents a vote of confidence in York as a railway city.’

Once fully occupied, around 400 people will work at the York ROC. This will be a combination of Northern Rail, East Coast and Network Rail employees, with a maximum of 87 on shift at any one time.

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O13RSF

New awards ceremony

with a twist Rail Media is launching a new rail awards ceremony in November where you don’t need to enter to be a winner.

The ‘Rail Exec Most Interesting Awards’ has been set up to draw attention to some of the most challenging and ingenious industry projects and initiatives from the past 12 months, as decided by the team at Rail Media.

The editors and writers of The Rail Engineer and RailStaff will pick some of their favourite railway infrastructure projects, technological innovations and safety programmes, among other areas, in order to recognise and highlight the industry’s achievements as a whole.

Taking on a Manhattan theme for 2014, the Rail Exec Most Interesting Awards will quickly become the place to celebrate your company’s achievements and cap off the end of another successful year.

Says Rail Media events director Lianne O’Connor, ‘The RailStaff Awards broke the mould first. They are for people, not companies. The nominees and their partners get a chance to dress up in fancy dress and enjoy a Saturday night out with excellent entertainment and then dancing to a great live band.

If you have spoken to a member of the team then you could very well be on the list already.

‘There are still awards to present, but it’s all done in a relaxed manner that is in keeping with the theme of the evening - a celebration of the people who work on our railways and their individual achievements.

The awards will take place on Saturday, 29 November, at Athena in Leicester. Designed in 1936 as an Odeon Cinema, Athena is now one of the East Midlands’ most extraordinary venues.

‘We hope to continue this theme with the Rail Exec Most Interesting Awards and reward the organisations, as well as the people, who offer solutions to the industry’s various challenges.’

For more details see www.railexec.com

RAIL EXEC

Most Interesting

awards

FEATURE

26 | RailStaff | October 2014

Community Rail Awards Get Better Together The 10th Community Rail Awards at Scarborough attracted railway volunteers, staff and supporters and representatives of the emergency services from far and near. The high-spirited event marked a further coming of age for ACoRP which is now involved in franchise provision across the network.

Kramer, a Liberal Democrat, worked for many years in the take-no-prisoners world of American high finance, based in Illinois. She is right behind the community rail movement. ‘ I want it [community rail] not just to survive but thrive. I’d like to see community rail recognised in all future franchises,’ she said.

Social responsibility Transport Minister Baroness Kramer, hot foot from Hexham, mingled with the crowd before launching proceedings with news of the Newcastle - Carlisle Tyne Valley Line. This has now been designated a community rail service, opening up the line to greater social and local involvement. The scheme builds on the rapid success of the Tyne Valley Community Rail Partnership.

Kramer spoke movingly of the work done at Hexham station kiosk where young people with learning difficulties serve refreshments to the wider public.

‘It’s changed the lives of these students. They take money, serve the community and it’s the local CRP that has given them that. It’s changed passengers perceptions too. It’s incredibly inspiring,’ she said.

It’s a theme echoed by Neil Buxton, ACoRP’s genial general manager.

Of itself the railway is a social and environmental force for good. Making it more socially responsible and better attuned to the people it serves is where community rail steps in. Neil affirmed that ACoRP is closely involved with the Department for Transport (DfT) - representatives of which nodded sagely throughout - in determining what franchisees should be doing to help the people in their sphere of operations.

Dr Paul Salveson, founding father of the community rail movement, praised what he described as Baroness Kramer’s obvious enthusiasm. Paul acknowledged the new spirit abroad at DfT. ‘If we are going to stick with franchising, let’s get as much out of it as

we possibly can,’ he said. Salveson also called for a widening of horizons. ‘We need to stop thinking just ‘railway’ and look beyond the railway fence - other forms of transport - but also how rail and complementary transport can be at the core of sustainable communities.

It isn’t about having loads of money, it’s about how we do things better, differently.’

Salveson also acknowledged the role of the new industry and the need to think commercially. Paul revealed that he himself was no stranger to such disciplines and, with his usual irreverence, added that his speech itself was in fact sponsored by the Tripe Marketing Board.

The awards themselves saw an inspiring progression of men and women who between them had run special trains, decked out stations, harnessed the energies of schools and students and launched new plans and strategies to bring railways back to the towns and villages they serve.

Polraen Hotel The Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership won the outstanding teamwork award alongside First Great Western, Network Rail and Dawlish

Town Council for The Rebuilding of Dawlish Station. Still in the west the ‘Love Looe’ campaign, backed by Rail Media, won best marketing campaign.

Gill Bridges, who runs the Polraen Hotel near Sandplace station, had grown increasingly concerned about the effect the negative press coverage of the flooding of winter 2012/2013 was going to have on Looe. Major roads were closed and repairs took a long time.

The Love Looe campaign was set up involving the CRP, local tourist offices and railway people and a plan put together. So successful was the campaign that the line saw passenger figures soar to their highest level that June and July. Says Gill, ‘I am delighted with this award, absolutely over the moon.

‘The need to fight negative press reports about Looe being closed was essential. I’d like to thank everyone who helped with the PR campaign.

It was a collective effort by many businesses in and around Looe. Visit Cornwall and the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership were wonderful with the unstinting help and support they gave us. The campaign was a real team effort.’

FEATURE

The overall winner of the awards was the Scottish railway network, already much in evidence in the prize giving. These included the staff and supporters of ScotRail, numerous station adopters, new CRPs and Transport Scotland. The accolade marked a personal achievement for John Yellowlees of ScotRail who is generally acknowledged to have done a great deal with his quiet diplomacy, encyclopaedic knowledge of railways and enviable connections to advance the values and benefits of community rail.

Yellowlees led a huge clan gathering up on stage as the crowd applauded to the sound of Scotland the Brave and the Proclaimers. The pipes and drums, and obvious delight on stage, brought a lump to the throat of many a rail official in the audience. Could the UK really have managed without such friends? The answer from Scarborough is a heartfelt no, not very well at all.

Cornish Tartan John Yellowlees sported a yellow and black tartan tie. ’Is that the Yellowlees clan tartan?’ One journalist asked referring to the wasp-belly livery. ‘Uh, no, it is in fact the Cornish tartan - part

October 2014 | RailStaff | 27

of my family come from Cornwall,’ said Edinburgh-born John, once again exhibiting the quiet diplomacy that has become the hallmark of the community rail movement.

As this was the 10th anniversary of the Community Rail Awards, a huge celebratory cake had been baked.

However, as the staff were slicing it up the fire alarm went off. Standing outside overlooking the North Sea on a balmy evening, delegates were able to applaud once more as two tenders from the Yorkshire Fire Brigade bowled along the sea front within seconds.

A thorough check was conducted.

‘How many candles did you light on that cake?’ A fire captain asked.

Officials moved quickly to deny there were candles before realising this was another phlegmatic example of Yorkshire humour.

As Neil Buxton said, community rail is in a good place and Scarborough was an even better place to affirm that success. Community rail is a movement that has emerged as a major element in the extraordinary phenomenon of the new rail industry. From Hexham barista to London baroness it now enjoys a bigger, bolder, level of support than at any time in the past.

OBITUARY

28 | RailStaff | October 2014

Graeme Bickerdike looks back at the life of an exemplary railwayman, his friend and safety campaigner Ron Dunnabie who passed away in September.

Jungle Ron Remembering

Trackworkers lost a friend last month, even if they don’t know it: an advocate of the underdog, a voice for the silent. He was someone you could turn to when adversity came knocking, no matter who you were.

He spoke up for what was right without belligerence, arrogance or showmanship, making the reluctant listen. And when they did they learned something because Ron Dunnabie knew the railway from the ballast up. He understood railwaymen too - what makes them tick, what makes them fallible and there is no more precious a commodity in a workplace of high risks and fine margins.

Teenage Ron had no great aspiration to join the railway, but was persuaded to follow his father’s career path whilst waiting for something better. His eye was on an apprenticeship and expected his time with Darlington’s S&T department to be short-lived: a few months maybe. That was 1955. He retired in 2005 after serving the industry for just shy of 50 years.

Things were very different on the Fifties’ railway.

Safety was unrecognisable. In the winter, trackworkers wore long black overcoats which soon became saturated when the weather turned inclement.

Line blockages - when such things were vital - were secured by buttering up the signalman. Knowledge of which football team he supported stacked the odds in your favour. It was all very informal. Working in traffic was the norm, even at night. Under cover of darkness, trains would emerge from nowhere to pick off those in the wrong place at the wrong time. Fatalities hit home hard. The on-track community was tighter knit in those days and the names of local casualties were rarely unfamiliar. It was this experience that motivated Ron’s later role as a workforce safety agitator.

Ron was a diligent S&T man and well respected as such, both within his gang and more widely. He knew how important the job was and the need to get it right. Short cuts were not tolerated; neither was injustice from above, as any boss who crossed him

would testify. He was the epitome of a team player, but his focus and sound judgement made him a natural leader: often firm, always fair, one for all and all for one.

His work took him to outposts on the north-east’s network that have long since grassed over - names that will spark memories for those of a certain age: Stooperdale Junction, Thorpe Thewles, Fighting Cocks. But he was at the cutting edge too, witnessing at first hand the development of Tees Yard as part of BR’s modernisation programme in the mid-Fifties.

When serious defects were later found in the relay room there, Ron led one of the teams that rewired the place from top to bottom, working around the clock. Grangetown was a regular haunt, becoming a familiar face at the adjacent steel works where the canteen and steam room provided a welcome retreat.

Call-outs to reset the tokenless block equipment on the branch to Boulby Mine did little for family life but proved a financial godsend. His mortgage was a substantial beneficiary of its incessant failings.

It was clear that Ron had qualities that would take him beyond the frontline. He was never off duty as a union rep, standing alongside those whose world was crashing around them through misfortune, error or recklessness. Even if the fight looked futile, he would always do his best for them at disciplinary hearings and won some unlikely victories. So it was no surprise when Ron took on a bigger role, earning a place on the RMT’s National Executive Committee in the early Nineties.

Union life was never dull. With a national strike looming, he was called to attend a conference as the last-minute replacement for another local rep who had gone sick. This involved a seven-hour overnight drive to Plymouth in ‘Black Bessy’, his faithful Austin Allegro. He played his part in a campaign to ensure that every prime mover had a proper headlight - an issue that might seem rather marginal to those sitting in offices, but not to Ron. He knew that even in bright sunlight it’s the first thing you see. This remained one of his proudest achievements, alongside efforts to secure a fair deal for the workforce at Jarvis. His relationship with management there was robust but cordial, and his willingness to engage reasonably with them earned a respect which brought dividends.

He recalled their agreement - following difficult negotiations - as being amongst the best in the industry.

My first encounter with Ron was at the Track Safety Strategy Group where a collection of like-minded individuals came together in an effort to tackle the industry’s safety management shortcomings: trialling new kit, promoting better working practices and the like. Ron was part of the furniture having joined at inception as the RMT representative; I was there as a servant - a lowly video maker - with little understanding of what I was getting into. Ron lent a guiding hand - something I was very thankful for although I still have the burn marks from the look he once gave me for finishing one of his sentences!

The meeting dynamics were fascinating. Of the 30 or so members, only a handful would speak on any

OBITUARY

given subject. Some offered a practical perspective, others pushed the corporate line. And then Ron would put his hand up. His contributions were understated but always sharp and insightful.

He could be very dry, cutting any managerial nonsense to ribbons with well-honed proficiency. Either way, it was all based on irrefutable logic; as a result, he often had the last word.

Like many, Ron became disillusioned with the TSSG as its voice was increasingly stifled by a thought-police mentality.

Practitioners melted away to be replaced by suits and so-called “safety professionals”. He didn’t have much time for them. But his last job reconnected him with reality, fielding calls from COSSs who rang into a Jarvis control centre to verify their safe systems of work. Look upon it as Rimini with a human face; a safety net where people replaced paperwork. And it worked too until Rimini brought its demise, much to Ron’s dismay.

Retirement brought a change of pace but he never lost the passion, continuing to make his presence felt through outpourings on the Death by Health and Safety website. He revelled in the nickname ‘Jungle’ Ron, bestowed by the TSSG in honour of his one-man campaign for the return of safe cesses, the long-gone sanctuary alongside our railways offering refuge from passing trains. His focus on this said much about the man: with Ron it was all about feet on the ground, literally and metaphorically. But those above couldn’t see how right he was, even when poor cess conditions contributed to fatalities. And they did on more than one occasion.

Personally, I lost a friend too in September. For seven years, Ron and I made time for a monthly outing, visiting the country’s remotest corners in pursuit of adventure. Many trips were revelatory and uplifting, some were a bit daft in hindsight; but there were always laughs and chocolate éclairs. When Nigel came along - another old-timer from the S&T - we must have looked like refugees from Last of the Summer Wine, scrambling down embankments or up to our knees in mud. But what’s life without whimsy?

Ron Dunnabie made a difference, something we should all aspire to. Those he supported or worked alongside will remember his commitment and how much he cared. On learning of his death, one former TSSG member wrote: “I have met a couple of people in my life whose goodness transcended language and earned respect from people, regardless of perceived rank or status. Ron was one of those guys. He was a gentleman.”

October 2014 | RailStaff | 29

TRACK SAFETY

30 | RailStaff | October 2014

REALISING MARK CARNE’S VISION FOR RAIL SAFETY

AND WHY WE NEED TO ASK THE MAN ON THE SHOVEL WITH BALLAST SCRATCHED BOOTS WHO KNOWS THE ANSWERS BUT HASN’T BEEN ASKED THE QUESTION YET SAFETY Colin Wheeler colin@rail-media.com

I recently met with Network Rail’s Chief Executive Mark Carne. Whilst in the reception waiting area on the sixth floor of Kings Place I read a display board signed off by him.

Under the title “Safety” it set out Network Rail’s “Vision, Belief and Personnel Commitments”. A second board (with which many are more familiar) listed their “Life Saving Rules” under the five separate headings namely “Working Responsibly”; “Working with Electricity”; “Driving” : “Working at Height” and “Working with Moving Equipment”. Whilst worthy in themselves it struck me that the Life Saving Rules are equally applicable to many industries in Britain.

Doing better every day When I met Mark Carne I discovered that his motivation and commitment (like my own) is part founded on memories of fatalities at work years ago. He told me of the inadequacy of some company’s accident and incident investigations, and of his conviction that when safety is right both quality and performance will improve as well.

He intends to change peoples’ expectations to “doing better every day” and to make management more accountable through the efforts of a performance management forum. He went on to make clear his intent to bring to an end the activities of speeding company vehicle drivers and expressed his dissatisfaction with the scrap

material that is both hazardous and scars the railway. I discovered nothing with which I did not agree.

Sentinel will stop excessive hours working Sentinel Update 15 was issued just last month and describes what the latest Sentinel cards can and will be able to do.

They will give Network Rail “the ability to know which track-workers have entered and left their rail infrastructure”. Workers will swipe in and swipe out every time they start or finish a shift beginning this December.

Their use will allow site inductions to be recorded and be used to record a real time log of competence use. The briefing also refers to recording the sharing of safe systems of work planning and the potential for preventing people from working excessive hours or double shifts.

Undervaluing track staff During September I met with a number of rail industry people who have other concerns that even the most sophisticated electronic equipment cannot address. One safety concern is inadequate sharing of lessons learnt following accidents and incidents.

Another, the low value ascribed to the professionalism and expertise of the on track workforce.

The rate of change in our industry is seen to result in gaps in the availability of competent people where they are needed. Some couple this concern with the less than ideal leadership message

coming out from some who are making excessive assumptions on the practical skills of part trained individuals. Overall I remain convinced that we undervalue our colleagues with ballast scratched boots and their managers fail to listen to and learn from them as they ought.

Driven by management or pulled by the team?

Steve Featherstone, Network Rail’s Programme Director Track recently quoted from a report that concluded that “safety is still being driven by management rather than being pulled by the overall team.” I have also heard another comment with which I totally agree. Allegedly it came from Steve Featherstone’s father; “If you have a

question – go ask the man with the shovel, he knows the answer but no-one has yet asked him.” How many managers when interviewing supervisors for promotion ask candidates when they last listened to and used a good idea from the workforce?

On the positive side Network Rail’s track renewals set up in Wessex recently tried what I hope will be a precedent for the future. They worked “Adjacent Line Open” but with the addition of a special agreement that they could, when necessary request all lines blocked. The Signaller would then stop trains. Working this way 700 yards of jointed track and 1,000 yards of CWR (Continuous Welded Rail) were renewed and the track was handed back at 50 mph.

TRACK SAFETY

October 2014 | RailStaff | 31

has prohibited the use of some JOST cranes within the collapse radius of their infrastructure. The question I suggest that ought to have been asked is was the operator made aware of the reasons for leaving the slewing brake off and the potential consequences of not doing so?

Track Safety Group

“The Expendables”

January’s crane collapse

I have also learnt that track engineers in Scotland working on switch and crossing renewals have recently brought back recently retired track engineers with knowhow. Someone has evidently recognised they have knowledge; even if they have been dubbed “the expendables”.

More can be learnt from the less recent past too. A boffin engineer (i.e. British Rail Research) friend of mine wrote in having read my comments about using Dynamic Track Stabilisers and handing back track following renewal at higher speeds.

He reminded me that in 1985 in the Newcastle area and using “Lab 22” equipped with “measuring instruments and computers with less power than today’s greetings cards” we were able to tamp track and use dynamic track stabilisers to carefully build up consolidated new track.

The result of careful controls and accurately measured track geometry was line-speed hand-backs at 125 mph. Will Network Rail seek to emulate our achievements of almost thirty years ago in future?

Sharing information is always good.

Network Rail’s Safety Bulletin 33 relates to the collapse in Croydon on 25th January this year of a JOST JTL 158.6 luffer crane in high winds. Three other failures had occurred in the previous year.

The investigators found that the operator had failed to leave the slewing brake off whilst the crane was out of service. Consequently Network Rail

Network Rail’s Safe Work Leader scheme which is intended to clarify responsibilities and improve track work safety will soon be with us. I still have concerns that the man on the shovel is not being asked about his concerns or for his opinions on how work can be made safer.

Recently a reader drew my attention to the advertising of a new job within Network Rail which appears to be focussed on leading the investigation of how track warnings of approaching trains might make use of improved automatic warning devices. It read as if an outsider was being sought.

Decades ago an organisation called the Track Safety Strategy Group existed.

Its purpose was to bring together people directly involved and listen to their ideas. It was also used to vet and sometimes even veto ideas from ivory towers dreamt up by experts in offices.

Consequently when the group backed an idea it had a degree of credibility for track workers from the beginning.

Trapped by the wrist On Wednesday June 5th this year a passenger at Newcastle Central Station got her wrist trapped in the door of a train as it was leaving Platform 10.

The train travelled for some 20 metres reaching a speed of 5 mph before it stopped leaving her with a severely bruised wrist.

Unusually the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) report makes a simple statement about the immediate cause. “The accident occurred because the conductor did not carry out a safety check before signalling to the driver that the train could depart.”

Platform 10 at Newcastle is a curved platform. The safe despatch procedure includes the undertaking of predespatch safety checks. However the train doors comply with the current standard but the report goes on to state that in some circumstances it is possible for the doors to trap a wrist but still lock without detection by the obstruction sensing system.

The report carries two recommendations for the Rail Safety and Standards Board, two for train manufacturers and one for train operators. Returning to the wise observation that management should always ask the man with the shovel since he will have the answer; I suspect that at Newcastle Station and in the drivers’ restroom the likelihood of such an incident has been recognised for some time.

For safety’s sake now must be the time to listen to the men (and women) who actually do the work. A safer railway for everyone will result and everyone going home safe every day as well as zero fatal accidents can once more become a reality.

THE WISDOM OF COVENT GARDEN It may be hard to imagine perspicacious staff at the Office of Rail Regulation jumping up and down and banging their desks in celebration, but they have every reason to.

Passenger figures are up once again for the first quarter of 2014-15. The 2% rise in ridership boosts passenger journeys to 393.9 million over three months.

According to ORR the rise is attributable to additional train services, revised timetables and attractive offers facilitating cheaper travel. Major capacity enhancement schemes, improvements to stations, and Britain’s bounce-back economy have all helped boost rail usage. However our jovial colleagues from Covent Garden have overlooked one essential element in the success equation.

The underlining reason railways are carrying more people on better, brighter, services is down, in no small part, to the hard work and ingenuity of railway staff at all levels.

The railway is ploughing increasing resources into recruiting, training and developing more people as well as building the skills and proficiencies of existing staff. This works well because almost all who work on Britain’s railway believe in it and back it.

From drivers to cleaners and train planners to track layers ,Britain’s railway community is delivering a better understood, better managed railway than ever before.

The conventional press may be full of fare hikes, flooding and industrial unrest but we at RailStaff, the rail engineer and the RailStaff Awards are determined to counter balance the negative publicity that goes unchallenged in the public domain. Not for us the dire warnings of boom or bust, failure and distress.

The railway is expanding, capturing the public’s imagination and centring itself as a well spring of economic endeavour. The RailStaff Awards - just a few days away, book your seats now - is part of the process of reaffirming the pre-eminence of rail as the transport mode of choice. The essential element in the railway is the people who bring it about through wind and rain, darkness and danger.

The return of the railways has wider lessons for Britain itself. Once written off as an economic basket case and fated for grass-grown oblivion, this industry thundered back. Once judged a shambles - BR was split into 400 different companies - the railway survived and now operates as an allied whole.

Unity and purpose should be watchwords of a modern democracy. The answer to the Midlothian question, for us, is seven new stations and 30 miles of gleaming new track. The railway unites, fulfils and advances the fortunes of those who hold it dear.

Like Covent Garden itself the fruit and vegetable market may be long gone as are the porters with their economic baskets stacked perilously on their heads. However as a place to do business in the vibrant heart of London it is without equal. The railway, too, might have changed almost beyond recognition, but like Covent Garden the sense of theatre, fun and commercial dynamism flourishes anew.

Rail officials can be forgiven from not joining the street dancers and fire breathers of Long Acre. Time enough to party and celebrate the good fortune of the railway industry at the RailStaff Awards. This year’s circus theme will be welcomed by all. Be sure to join us at the Coventry Ricoh Arena on 25th October 2014.

INSIDE: FINALISTS ANNOUNCED!

Cleshar Sponsors Apprentice of the Year Award Cleshar is sponsoring the Apprentice of the Year at the RailStaff Awards 2014.

The company has itself pioneered an ambitious apprenticeship scheme and is also developing a new training academy - scheduled to open early next year.

Cleshar is a UK-based contractor operating in facilities management, maintenance, construction support and capital works with particular expertise where safety critical resources are required.

Says Tom O’Connor, managing director, Rail Media, ‘I am delighted to see Cleshar backing this important award. Apprenticeship schemes are the ink on the blueprints of the future for our industry.

‘We need to attract young people, school leavers and students to build

rewarding careers in the rail industry.

Encouraging apprentices is the responsibility of us all and Cleshar has certainly shone a light on this growing area of the railway success story.’

Cleshar’s apprenticeship scheme is the cornerstone of a comprehensive training and development programme.

It sets the foundation for developing the high standards demanded by Cleshar and customers in establishing workforce competency and ensuring a sustainable future.

Based in North West London and with a dedicated national rail office in Lenham, Kent, Cleshar is constantly on the look out for talented people to join the team.

In the rail industry, Cleshar’s activities span the national rail network, Docklands Light Railway and the London Underground. Cleshar, via its in-house training company,

Infrastructure Training Services Ltd, provides hands on support to its own and external contractors in respect of safety and skills training. The company,

which has been trading since 1993, celebrated 20 years in the business last year and is looking forward to further expansion.

APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR 2014 FINALISTS Proud to Sponsor

‘Apprentice of the Year’ at the RailStaff Awards 2014

Cleshar is a leading civil engineering company specialising in the Railway Industry

Heather Park House, North Circular Road, Stonebridge, London NW10 7NN Tel: 020 8733 8888 Email: info@cleshar.co.uk

www.cleshar.co.uk

34

Dale Jarvis Transpennine Express

Daniel Durkan Cleshar Contract Services Ltd

Stefano Agnello Network Rail

Tony Cheung London Underground

Alexander Maher Merseyrail 2002

Ashley White Thales

Christopher Brierley Morson Vital Training

Jessica Keers Network Rail

Ayub Mahamud GPX Engineering

Sam Keenan McGinley Support Services

RAIL PERSON OF THE YEAR 2014 FINALISTS

The Rail Alliance are proud to be associate sponsors of the RailStaff Awards 2014

Peter Harding Southern Railway

Paul Elstone First Capital Connect

Claudine Smith Network Rail

James Easton Progress Rail Services

Tyron Woodford Network Rail

Simon Woodey First Great Western

Maurizio Valuto Network Rail

Dave Kenneth First Great Western

Darren Ward East Midlands Trains

Katrina Joyce First TransPennine Express

Dave Barnes Network Rail

Revd Stephen Sorby Railway Mission / National Rail Chaplaincy Service

Michael Murray Network Rail Andrew Powell Bridgeway Consulting Paul Oglesby First Transpennine Express

Nicola Griffiths Virgin Trains Adam Voller Network Rail Keith Nelson Virgin Trains

Frank Weir Network Rail Linda Moran Transport For London

Network Rail is proud to sponsor the RailStaff Awards 2014 It’s the hard work of individuals and teams within our industry that’s helping us build a better railway for Britain. From pioneering investment and development projects, to innovations that make everyday services faster, smarter and safer, we believe in recognising the excellence that’s enabling the transformation of our network.

That’s why we’re very proud to once again sponsor this year’s RailStaff Awards.

Building a better railway for a better Britain. networkrail.co.uk

C52280 RailStaff Awards Ad 190x130mm.indd 1

01/05/2014 12:28

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DEPOT TEAM OF THE YEAR 2014 FINALISTS Tech Team, Old Oak Common First Great Western

Helensburgh Central Train Drivers First ScotRail

FCC Continuous Improvement Team First Capital Connect

Glasgow Delivery Unit Network Rail

Reading Driver Management Team First Great Western C’Shift (Bounds Green Depot) East Coast Cleethorpes Driver Team First TransPennine Express Network Rail (High Speed) Network Rail Yoker First ScotRail

Market Leaders Market Leaders Market in rail Leaders in rail Market in rail Leaders recruitment recruitment in rail recruitment recruitment Proud Sponsors

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GNGE - Babcock Rail - Annesley Babcock Rail International Stonebridge Park Off Track Team Network Rail Craigentiny Material team East Coast Yoker S&T depot Network Rail High Output Doncaster Team AmeyCOLAS JV

Technical Recruitment Specialists

Local Distribution Centre (NSC) Network Rail

Call now on: 01923 470 730 www.mane.co.uk rail@mane.co.uk

GRADUATE OF THE YEAR 2014 FINALISTS

GRADUATE OF THE YEAR 2014 PROUDLY SPONSORED BY SIGNALLING SOLUTIONS

excellence in train control A Balfour Beatty and Alstom Company

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www.signallingsolutions.com

Daniel Rozday Network Rail

Sam Barrett Network Rail

Emma Parry Colas Rail

Eleanor Kiff Network Rail

Joe Rose AD Porta Limited

Victor Leon Pullman Rail

Violetta Lynch Network Rail

Sophia Morgan Network Rail

Peter Harley Thales

Thomas Addison Signalling Solutions

Albina Jevsejeva Amey Consulting

Stephen Head Young Rail Professionals

Alex Laver Network Rail

David Garner Network Rail

Jade Feeney Network Rail

Peter Johnson Southern Railways

Antoine Mailfert East Coast

Luke Brown Colas Rail

Ben Cumming Colas Rail Sara Martinez Colas Rail

Progress Rail Services UK Ltd proudly sponsors

"Project Manager of the Year" at the RailStaff Awards 2014

Progress Rail Services is the U.K.’s largest manufacturer of permanent way infrastructure, specialising in the design and manufacture of permanent way trackwork and materials for mainline, freight, industrial and light rail customers in the UK and globally.

RailStaff Awards recognises the Professionalism, Innovation, Service and Excellence of individuals and companies in the rail industry.

Join us on 25th October 2014 at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry.

For more information and to book your place visit www.railstaffawards.com

PROJECT MANAGER OF THE YEAR 2014 FINALISTS Tom Kirkham Network Rail

Paul Devoy Network Rail

Ian Rathbone Cleshar Contract Services

Huw Thomas Bridgeway Consulting

Gavin Clare-Campell Heathrow Express

Keith Boyd Bridgeway Consulting

Mike Fallows Network Rail

Kenneth Macdonald Network Rail

Linda Miller Crossrail

John Johnson Network Rail

James Renwick Balfour Beatty

Andy Littlejohns Network Rail

Kobi Mustafa Network Raii

Craig Melhuish Network Rail

Graeme Follin Northern Rail

Simon Olorenshaw Merseyrail Andrew Dalgleish Thales Alison Chew Transport for Greater Manchester Shaun Hodges Network Rail Steve White Bodyguard Workwear

RAIL ENGINEER OF THE YEAR 2014 FINALISTS Shaun Merrifield URS

Linda Kitchen Kier Construction

Arnie Russel Network Rail

Mark Lindahl Bridgeway Consulting

Alex Boynton Network Rail

William James Network Rail

Barry Brunton Bridgeway Consulting

Arnab Chakraborty Network Rail

Mark Watton telent Technology Services

Nick Matthews Network Rail

Gareth Kinsey Amey

Alex Percival Network Rail

Peter Williams Atkins

Abdul Rehman Savant Signalling Solutions

Peter Martell Network Rail

Darren McCarthy First Capital Connect

David Atkey Network Rail

Morson International is the UK’s No1 Rail Supplier.

Gareth Houghton Colas Rail Dominic Trueman London Underground Michael Earley London Underground

We proudly sponsor the Rail Engineer of the Year Award.

Find out what Morson Group can do for you today.

Contact us on:

T: Manchester 0161 707 1516

T: London 0207 633 2040

W: www.morson.com

E: rail@morson.com

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Charity Role for Colas Rail Colas Rail is sponsoring the David Maidment Award for Charity at the RailStaff Awards 2014. The category is named after David Maidment, founder of the Railway Children charity. This award recognises the huge efforts made by staff across the industry to raise money for an inspiring variety of deserving causes.

2014 marks a busy year for Colas Rail.

Colas Rail was selected by Network Rail as one of the preferred bidders for the delivery of its £800m conventional track renewals and enhancements programme for the 2014-19 funding period. Colas Rail also signed a freight haulage contract with Network Rail with a value of approximately £90m.

The requirements of the new contract and the growing demand on its rail freight business were satisfied by the acquisition of 10 new Class 70 locomotives announced earlier in the year and the purchase of 10 class 60 locomotives, enhanced to ‘Super 60’ specification. Colas Rail expanded its Rail Services operations too by

acquiring Amey’s on-track tamping machines business. Colas Rail has the largest and most advanced fleet of modern on-track plant in the United Kingdom.

The David Maidment Award for Charity forms a welcome centrepiece at the RailStaff Awards. The philosophy behind the RailStaff Awards is that people in general in the rail industry do far more than what is required of them on the original job description.

Inevitably this works through into private and social life. Every month RailStaff publishes stories of railway people backing a charity that has in some way been involved in the care and treatment of friends and family.

TRAINER / TRAINING TEAM OF THE YEAR 2014 FINALISTS Steve Wiskin Inspiring Safety Solutions Class 350/4 Training Team First TransPennine Express Workplace Coach Assessor Team Heathrow Express Clare Ballard & Cindy Major Network Rail Dean Johns & Teresa Pellet Network Rail Qualitrain Team Qualitrain Learning and Development Team East Coast

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‘Managing Suicidal Contacts and Trauma Support Training’ team Samaritans Matthew Leavis Morson Vital Training Retail Training Doncaster East Coast

Fit for the Future Stations Team Transport for London

GA L&D Team Abellio Greater Anglia

Driver Assessment and Training Team DB Schenker Rail

Southern Driver Training Team Southern SAP Education Transport for London

Says Tom O’Connor, managing director of Rail Media, ‘We are delighted to welcome Colas Rail to the RailStaff Awards 2014. As a leading Rail Freight Company the expansion of Colas Rail neatly parallels the growth and reach of the new rail industry.’

The Colas Group is the world leader in road construction. The railway division is one of the leading providers of rail infrastructure services in the world. In the UK Colas Rail combines

the engineering skills of all specialist businesses to provide total solutions in all aspects of railway infrastructure, from high speed rail systems to light and urban rail.

Colas is part of the Bouygues Group, a diversified industrial group. With a turnover in excess of €33.3 billion and operations in over 80 countries, it has more than 128,000 employees. For more information please visit www.colasrail.co.uk

PROUDLY SPONSORING TRAINER/TRAINING TEAM OF THE YEAR

Colas Rail Training Colas Rail Fast Line Training Services Team Fast Line Training Services

Heathrow Express & BTP Team Heathrow Express

Stephen Haynes, Managing Director, Rail Services, Colas Rail with Steve Featherstone of Network Rail surprise David Maidment OBE with the naming of the Colas Rail heavy freight engine.

Customer Experience Learning & Development Team Transport for London Virgin Trains Talent Training Team Virgin Trains

ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC ENGINEERS

craig.king@setecltd.co.uk | 07748 32 88 31

The Colas Group is a world leader in railway infrastructure services Our capabilities: Track Renewals Rail Plant & Freight Services Multi-disciplinary Railway Projects Design & Survey Training

DAVID MAIDMENT AWARD FOR CHARITY 2014 FINALISTS Julie Foy East Coast

James Frizzle Network Rail

Ron Wiltshire East Midlands Trains

John Kennedy Network Rail

Warren Johnson Heathrow Express

First Capital Connect Volunteer Group First Capital Connect

Anna Stimpson Chiltern Trains

Bill Cooke Network Rail

Kamal Basra Bodyguard Workwear

Martin Sull Virgin Trains

John Kennedy NRL

Sue Millington Network Rail

Richard Lloyd Network Rail

David Thorpe East Coast Andy Ridout advance-TRS Colin Martin Abellio Greater Anglia

Proudly sponsoring David Maidment Award for Charity www.colasrail.co.uk

020 7593 5353

Sally Ralston Merseyrail

Colin Harding Network Rail Rachel Dwyer Network Rail

Dawlish Project Team Network Rail, Bam Nuttall, John Sisk, AMCO

RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE TEAM OF THE YEAR 2014 FINALISTS Kerins Gravesend Station Remodelling Team Spencer Rail

AD Porta Site Access Control / Security Team AD Porta

Ipswich Chord Team Spencer Rail

Holme Tunnel Reconstruction Project Team Network Rail / AMCO

Geomatics Team Bridgeway Consulting PRB Consulting Anglia Planning Team PRB Consulting Projects Team Bridgeway Consulting

Thames Valley Planning Access Team Network Rail Wessex Works Planning Team Network Rail Amey (Enterprise) LUPU1A Amey (Enterprise)

39

SAMARITANS LIFESAVER AWARD 2014 FINALISTS Nirmal Singh Southern Railway

Chris Ricketts Land Sheriffs

Andrew Hutchinson First ScotRail

Charles Hull Network Rail

Timothy Nixon Network Rail

Paul Kray First Great Western

Matthew Leathers Abellio Greater Anglia

Jimmy Carr Network Scaffolding

Brett Jones Balfour Beatty Civils

Matt Lenton Southern Railway

Jamie-Leigh Grubb East Coast

Liam Gormley and Michael Lawrie CrossCountry

Simon Repeti Network Rail

Amy Piper Harfield British Transport Police

Richard Mager Virgin Trains

Steve Rowley Northern Rail

James O’Reilly London Underground

Jason Blow Land Sheriffs Steve Clark Land Sheriffs

Jack Farrant Virgin Trains

SAMARITANS/ NETWORK RAIL PARTNERSHIP are proud to be sponsoring the Lifesaver award at this years’ RailStaff Awards Talking saves lives Over 5000 rail industry staff and BTP have been trained with the skills to help a person in need, and are using these skills to prove that encouraging someone to talk about their problems can save lives.

For more info and to nominate yourself or a colleague go to

www.railstaffawards.com A registered charity

In partnership with

Proudly sponsoring ‘Signalling & Telecomms Person of the Year’ Proudly sponsoring Proud sponsors of the RailStaff 2014 ‘Signalling & Telecomms PersonAwards of the Year’ Westermo is a global player in mission criticalAwards data communications Proud sponsors of the RailStaff 2014 solutions. Westermo products thrive in the harsh environments of Westermo is aatglobal player in mission critical data communications the trackside the edge of today’s enterprise networks. solutions. Westermo products thrive in the harsh environments of theQuality trackside at theaudited edge ofbytoday’s … systems leadingenterprise global railnetworks. companies Designed for highaudited reliability and long life leading … Quality systems by leading global rail companies to reduced maintenance costs … Designed for high reliability and long life leading … Legacy serialmaintenance communications to reduced coststo Ethernet IP networking solutions … Legacy serial communications to Ethernet … Secure and resilient networking solutions IP networking solutions Tested and to EN50121-4 EMC standard and … Secure resilient networking solutions operational at extreme temperatures … Tested to EN50121-4 EMC standard and … Wide range at of extreme Networktemperatures Rail operational accepted products … Wide range of Network Rail … accepted Low power consumption helping products to build sustainable railway … Low power consumption helping to build sustainable railway railwa

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SIGNALLING & TELECOMMUNICATIONS PERSON OR TEAM OF THE YEAR 2014 SSL Telecomms Team SSL

Signalling Design Group - Crewe Network Rail

Paul Carney Atkins

Charlie White Amey - Consulting Rail

Ben Griffiths Network Rail

Acton Stage 19 Signalling Team Amey/ Network Rail

Gary Mills Amey

Steve Whelan Network Rail

Cambridge PSB Shift Managers and Signallers Network Rail

MECX Technical Services Team MECX Technical Services

RECRUITER / HR PERSON OR TEAM OF THE YEAR 2014 FINALISTS Orla O’Connor Signalling Solutions

Sarah Peters SNC-LAVALIN

Rail Recruiters MPI Limited

Natasha Higgins Morson Group

Michael Schruyers Resourcing Solutions

Lisa Brackner Bridgeway Consulting

Mary Doody-Jenkins Network Rail

David Murray Universal Piling and Construction

Adam Street Morson International

Luke Kosowski Crossrail

Suzy Skipper TUSP

Ann Marie Healy Maple Resourcing

Mark Moffett Network Rail

Daniel Forth-Rumley advance TRS

Andy Ward Northern Rail

Bombardier Account Team Shorterm Group

Hayley Welch Morson International Dan Jacobs CDI AndersElite Steve Smith Bodyguard Workwear

SHORTERM ARE PROUD TO SPONSOR

RAIL MANAGER OF THE YEAR 2014 FINALISTS

Rail Manager of the Year

Adam Smith London Underground

Lorna Stemp East Coast

John Dowsett Geoffrey Osborne

Mohammed Mayet London Underground

Ann Turner East Coast

Mat Baine Network Rail

Hannah Watson Southern Railway

Frances Williams First Great Western

Ian Moffatt London Underground

Keith Jipps Govia Thameslink

Calum Laird Progress Rail Services

Ian Williamson Transport for London

Nick Reid First Great Western

Ross Moran Network Rail

Julie Davis National Express c2c

Tara O’Toole First TransPennine Express

Chris Roberts Network Rail

Nikki Murphy Merseyrail

Stuart Murphy Network Rail

Daniel Taylor Ford & Stanley

Category at the Rail Staff Awards 2014

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41

01/09/2014 17:15

GB Railfreight Celebrates achievements of suppliers GB Railfreight is backing the Outstanding Customer Service Award at this year’s RailStaff Awards.

In an industry with a high ratio

of customer-supplier contact the award is one of the most important.

Moreover as the relationship between suppliers and purchasers emerges as the key quality link in delivering services and projects on time and on

budget, customer service is taking on the role of game changer in the new rail industry.

John Smith, Managing Director of GB Railfreight, said: ‘GB Railfreight prides itself on its level of customer service and ability to be innovative and flexible in the face of new and variable challenges. It’s for this reason that we recognise the importance of developing client relationships and supporting quality service delivery across the rail industry. The RailStaff Awards 2014 allows us to celebrate the achievements of suppliers and we are delighted to be sponsoring the Outstanding Customer Service Award.’

GB Railfreight is one of the rail industry’s great success stories.

Launched in 1999, GBRf has built a business employing over 600 staff with a turnover in excess of £100m. It is one of the fastest growing companies on the railway.

We’re all

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 2014 FINALISTS Robert Laird Progress Rail Services

Jim Waddell Network Rail

Jeanne Illsley London Underground

Ian Scotchford Network Rail

John Ireland Geoffrey Osborne

Gordon Pleasant DB Schenker

Nigel Stockdale Bridgeway Consulting

Mike Richardson Atkins

John Gallagher DB Schenker

Bob Davies Abellio Greater Anglia

Pino de Rosa Bridgeway Consulting

Ged Mason Morson Group

Gordon Reed National Railway Museum

Lenny Aristodemou Network Rail

Jim Taylor NRL

Tony Brabbs TICS (Global) Ltd

Graham Ellis McGinley Support Services

John Robey East Coast Steve Kirby Amey

Says Tom O’Connor, managing director, Rail Media, ‘Accepted wisdom is that outstanding customer service is the essential element in any successful business. The rail industry rightly celebrates the increase in investment, new projects and ideas coming on stream. Part of the confidence leaders and investors feel in the rail industry is based on their own experience.

‘This is an industry like no other.

The customers see it taking shape on 1,000 construction sites and they experience the railway, live, on any train or station. That railway staff stand up so well to the constant unblinking public scrutiny of their industry is greatly to their credit. GB Railfreight itself provides consistent and inspired examples of customer service. It is excellent news that GBRf has joined the RailStaff Awards. We wish every nominee every success on the night itself.’

proud to sponsor THE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

at

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42

We keep Britain moving

Proud Sponsor of Outstanding Customer Service Award

OUTSTANDING CUSTOMER SERVICE AWARD 2014 FINALISTS Gareth Locke First Capital Connect

Gary Taylor East Coast

Andrews Oduru London Underground

Stephen Capps Abellio Greater Anglia

Robert Crocker Southern Railway

Jamie Fabian First Great Western

Angelo Bonandi Abellio Greater Anglia

Jefferey Carter First Capital Connect

Jonathan Connolly CrossCountry

Irene Foxcroft First TransPennine Express

Simon Todd Network Rail

Steve McKibbin Merseyrail

Ray Morgan Balfour Beattty

James Hull London Underground

Anabela Ferreira Virgin Trains

Natasha Wilding Northern Rail

Paul Singleton Network Rail

Elaine White Bodyguard Workwear

Westleigh Simmons First TransPennine Express Sandra Smith First Great Western

GB Railfreight

15–25 Artillery Lane, London E1 7HA T: 020 7904 3393 info@gbrailfreight.com www.gbrailfreight.com

Proud Sponsors of

RAIL SAFETY PERSON OF THE YEAR 2014 FINALISTS Clare Williams Southern Railway

Martyn Guiver Northern Rail

Sarah Tack Thales

Helen Barnes Network Rail

Shabir Khalfey Fenchurch Street

Lauren Smith Network Rail (High Speed)

Nigel Goodman Bridgeway Consulting

Richard Sams Network Rail

Garry Miller Abellio Greater Anglia

John Hannan VGC Group

Teresa Pellett Network Rail

Platform Train Interface Improvement Team (Sonia Ortella) Heathrow Express

Paul Blackham DB Schenker Brian Paynter Network Rail

Sharon Fink Network Rail

ASSURANCE & COMPLIANCE SERVICES

SAFETY CONSULTANCY

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Rail Safety Person of the Year

Robbie Buckland Merseyrail Kristian Hepworth DB Schenker John Jebson McGinley Support Services

We know that the quality of our people ensures that we provide a quality service and this is why we are pleased to sponsor the Rail Safety Person of the Year in the Railstaff Awards 2014. w e t

www.bridgeway-consulting.co.uk enquiries@bridgeway-consulting.co.uk 0115 919 1111

Engineering the future

43

Heathrow Express Backs Train Driver of the Year Heathrow Express is backing the Train Driver of the Year award at the RailStaff Awards 2014.

The popular category is the first that comes to mind when people talk of the RailStaff Awards. Top performing Heathrow Express is best positioned to make this award.

Heathrow Express was launched

in 1998 and carries an average of 17,000 passengers a day. It enjoyed the distinction of being the first train company in Britain to employ a majority of women drivers. Early services were crewed by French and German Eurostar drivers on secondment. Other drivers joined from Gatwick Express and many were recruited fresh into the rail

STATION STAFF OF THE YEAR 2014 FINALISTS Sean Gumley East Coast

Anthony Steel National Express c2c

Les Toombs Heathrow Express

Ian Cole Virgin Trains

Roy Gregson Northern Rail

Mark Jackson C2C Rail

Paul Moore Northern

George Warriner Merseyrail

William Bolt First TransPennine Express

Richard Worswick Network Rail

Gareth Shelley Virgin Trains

Michael Sheridan London Underground

Joey Stephens First Great Western

Smita Deakin London Underground

Alison Clement Virgin Trains

44

industry. Other firsts include launching e-ticketing direct to customer mobile phones. Also from the start passengers could watch live TV on board the train.

Heathrow Express offers the fastest way of reaching the airport taking just 15 minutes to complete the journey between London Paddington and Heathrow terminals 1, 2 and 3 - and a few minutes more to reach terminals 4 and 5.

Says Andy Milne, editor of RailStaff, ‘Heathrow Express has come to exemplify all that is dynamic and uplifting about the new rail industry.

Performance ratings of 98% put it at the top of the game. Friendly staff, often multi-lingual and always helpful, make it the clear choice of people travelling to and from Heathrow.’ Andy Milne worked for Heathrow Express at its launch. ‘Rod Hoare, the first chief executive tells a story of being down on the platforms at Paddington

one morning. A train pulled in and a group of tourists from overseas were puzzling over a map. The driver left his cab and seeing them walked over.

Not only did the driver advise them but walked them over to the soon to depart service and saw them safely aboard. Good news stories from Heathrow Express have provided some of the most dramatic and heartfelt we have ever run in RailStaff.

How appropriate that Heathrow Express is backing this year’s Train Driver of the Year Award.’

Heathrow Express is a nonfranchised, non-subsidised, private company which owns its own trains, the stations at Heathrow, and the below-ground section of the line between the Great Western Main Line at Airport Junction and the airport itself. Heathrow Express is owned by Heathrow Airport Holdings Limited, formerly BAA.

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Steven Avery First Great Western

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William Finnigan Merseyrail

Phil Dent First TransPennine Express

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RAIL TEAM OF THE YEAR 2014 FINALISTS Spencer Rail Team Spencer Rail First Scotrail and Network Rail Scotland Train Planning Teams Network Rail Glasgow Central Station Team Station Team Network Rail & First ScotRail Peterborough Station East Coast Engineering and Innovation Team for IP Track Network Rail Pullman Service Teams First Great Western Oval Underground Station London Underground

VCP Performance Engineering Team London Underground Crewe Station Team Virgin Trains HOPs Operational Crews AMEY

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TRAINING FOCUS

48 | RailStaff | October 2014

The Cockpit of Success The news that a two-site campus will be created to house the railway college for high speed rail, taken with the creation of a welter of academies, university courses, apprenticeships and conversion courses, is proof that the railway, whilst underpinning the economic re-booting of Britain, is also becoming its educational cockpit, charged with developing a new software of success. This has implications far beyond training and track trigonometry. To develop a world-class railway Britain needs futuristic technology, incisive ideas and academic discipline.

As the new academic year unfolds this autumn the value of good education has never been better attested. To succeed in a knowledgebased economy pre-supposes knowledge, training and education.

It is not enough to learn by rote the manuals and practices of yesteryear.

Real knowledge is gained by practical experience, discussion and most important of all: questioning. Why do we do this in this way? How is it done? Show me again. By discussion, reasoning and enquiry the truth of the matter is arrived at.

Safety trainers will always tell students: if you have not understood

any aspect of this, ask me. We’ll go through it again. Covering up ignorance is foolhardy. Out on track it may be too late to ask once more.

In similar fashion, university teaching down the centuries has been delivered not just by books and lecturers but in small groups. Teacher and student discuss the subject, argue it back and forth, disagree, agree and understand.

Knowledge, intellectuals argue, is fluid; perceptions of truth change.

In the wider world the answer to the hand wringing over what to do about the terrorists of the east, the communist hegemony in China and the eternal struggle against evil is to question

assumptions. Challenge beliefs. Discuss the reasons behind the action. Read widely, debate over and above the narrow prejudices of the tap room.

In this way the shallows and reefs of imposed authority are exposed. The crazed jihadi or communist apparatchik has no credible answer to this.

Dictatorships eschew the laughter and license of debate. They have no choice other than to suppress free speech and free assembly as is happening in Hong Kong. For to allow discussion is to resign, to admit a bankrupt ideology.

A civilisation depends for its survival on the quality of its intellectual debate, its spirt of enquiry and its commerce

of ideas. Students and apprentices, railway trainers and instructors are engaged on a project of far wider reaching consequences than the induction notes indicate. That’s why we have devoted so many more pages to the training section in this issue. It is one of the most important activities the wider industry is engaged in.

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TRAINING FOCUS

50 | RailStaff | October 2014

Double Campus for HS2 college

High Speed Two’s new national high-speed rail college will have two campuses - Birmingham and Doncaster.

Set to open in 2017, the National College for High Speed Rail is being established to train the future generation of rail engineers who will deliver HS2, providing vocational training in high-speed rail engineering.

The Doncaster campus (pictured) will be located at the heart of the town’s railway community at its 5.1-acre Lakeside Campus. Birmingham’s city centre Science Park will accommodate the West Midland’s centre.

Birmingham and Doncaster were shortlisted alongside Manchester and Derby in June.

Constructing HS2’s training facilities

outside of London is one way that the Government hopes to demonstrate the project’s benefits for the country as a whole.

Throughout the construction of HS2, around 2,000 apprenticeships and 25,000 jobs will be created.

More than 10,000 people are currently employed within the rail sector in Doncaster, according to the Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), which supported Doncaster’s bid.

The college will be headed by Crossrail chairman Terry Morgan.

Prime Minister David Cameron said, ‘The benefits of high-speed rail will not just be seen by those commuting between London and the North, but through the thousands of local jobs and apprenticeships created because of HS2.

‘The opening of this National College will also ensure that we have a pool of locally-trained workers with the right skills to draw upon for future projects.’

The national HS2 college will develop a ‘hub and spoke’ model, bringing in other training providers that can support the college’s skills objectives.

Managing director of Unipart Rail T&RS George Tillier is the interim chairman of the Centre for Rail

Engineering and Technical Expertise (CREATE), which led Doncaster’s bid.

He said, ‘This decision is tremendous news for the rail and engineering sector in Doncaster and further afield.

‘There has been incredible backing from so many people to bring this high-speed rail college to the region and their commitment has been fully justified by the decision. Doncaster’s rail heritage, connectivity and cluster of leading rail businesses is second to none.’

TRAINING FOCUS

October 2014 | RailStaff | 51

Interview Feedback Essential If at first you don’t succeed try, try, again - and get feedback to help you. That’s the message from East Coast on-board chef turned guard, Will Barber.

Interviews are daunting prospects for many job applicants.

‘I’d been in catering for over six years and was looking for a new challenge,’ says Will.

‘I applied for a guard job in March but didn’t get it, which didn’t surprise me as it was my first attempt.’ Undaunted, Will, a keen runner , decided to have another shot at becoming a guard. Training for the Great North Run may have helped. Will lost 40 pounds running and eating sensibly.

However the real hero of the story is Tina Thompson, Team Manager of East Coast’s top performing guards group. Tina had interviewed Will and later he went back to see her. ‘She was great at giving me feedback and explaining where I’d gone wrong. The next guard vacancy that came up, I was well ready for it – thanks to Tina!’ Commitment is also important.

Will Barber, music lover and keen traveller, gave up travel plans and tickets to watch the Eurovision Song Contest live in Copenhagen as it clashed with his recruitment psychometric testing.

Seasoned traveller Will has backpacked around Asia and later this year plans to use up all his leave at once, spending

a month in Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand. Right now he’s hard at work training as a guard, learning everything from fixing door and air conditioning faults, to checking tickets, and memorising the routes from Edinburgh to York, Aberdeen and Glasgow. ‘I really enjoy talking to customers, answering their questions and helping them out. But, importantly, I also feel confident enough to take charge in an emergency,’ says Will.

B&Q help for railway apprentices Staff from Kidderminster B&Q helped deliver £8,000 worth of tools to the Severn Valley Railway. The equipment has been donated by the company for use by apprentices. B&Q staff then joined the train for a trip up to Bridgnorth. The tools will be used at the SVR’s Locomotive Works at Bridgnorth and the Carriage and Wagon depot at Kidderminster. Each apprentice was presented with a personal tool set.

Westermo on the move Westermo is embarking on a new initiative to bring signalling and telecommunications equipment demonstrations and training directly to the industry.

Using its new Mobile Training and Technology Centre (MTTC), Westermo is planning on visiting companies around the UK, making it easier for engineers to learn about the company’s latest certified communication technologies.

The MTTC is equipped with networked product displays incorporating industrial modems, line extenders and Ethernet switches. These are arranged to show the evolution of industrial communications technology.

During a recent visit to Network Rail Milton Keynes, Westermo’s Tony Samm said, ‘Our experience of exhibiting at large, annual or even bi-annual exhibitions has highlighted the difficulty in reaching the engineers who work with communication equipment.’

Samm added, ‘We aim to make rail engineers more comfortable with the technology that is growing within the

industry.’

The MTTC also supports a range of training courses to be delivered at a customer’s premises, including a new one-day introductory IP training course.

Audio-visual systems will provide interactive demonstrations of the WeOS operating system as well as training presentations and product capability videos.

‘Our experience of exhibiting at large,

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annual exhibitions has highlighted the difficulty in reaching the engineers who work with communication equipment.’

A Beijer Electronics Group Company A Beijer Electronics Group Company

TRAINING FOCUS

52 | RailStaff | October 2014

Air to Steam Training

Engineering dominates graduate pay Students graduating from engineering courses are likely to be amongst the highest paid graduate earners, according to The Times Good University Guide 2015.

Air cadets proved stars of the show at a recent railway family event in the Scottish Highlands.

RAF Aviemore Cadets helped host the Peppa Pig Summer Family Special at the Strathspey Railway.

The Air Cadets are supported by the Royal Air Force and have more than 40,000 members aged between 13 and 20 years old. The aim of the cadets, as well as encouraging an interest in the RAF among young people, is to provide training for life in general and develop qualities of leadership and

good citizenship. Having fun is also part of the aim of the cadets. Over 1200 fans attended the event.

The Strathspey Railway runs steam and vintage diesel train services between Aviemore, Boat of Garten and Broomhill in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park.

Says Stewart Hills, the Civilian Instructor of Aviemore 52 Squadron, ‘The cadets worked with other volunteers at the Railway throughout the day and had fun doing so. Cadets had to help with general public enquiries too.’

Says Institution of Engineering and Technology, Chief Executive, Nigel Fine, ‘It’s very encouraging to see that graduates beginning their engineering careers are starting on such good salaries. There has never been a better time to be an engineer: demand that far outstrips supply, competitive graduate salaries and fantastic career prospects are typical characteristics of the engineering profession today.’

Six of the top ten highest graduate starting salaries are engineering disciplines. The top engineering discipline, and second on the overall salary list, is Chemical Engineering at £29,582, followed by General Engineering at £26,362, Mechanical Engineering at £26,076, Aeronautical

and Manufacturing Engineering at £25,343, Electrical and Electronic Engineering at £24,639 and Civil Engineering at £24,524. Top of the list is Dentistry with an average starting salary of £30,395.

The IET’s 2014 annual Engineering and Technology: Skills & Demand in Industry report highlighted that 51 per cent of employers said they were recruiting engineering staff this year.

The IET is one of the world’s largest engineering institutions with nearly 160,000 members in 127 countries.

This competition is a great way to help young women realise what a career in IT is really about and the fantastic career opportunities that a company like Network Rail can offer.’The Could IT Be You? competition is open to girls aged 16-18 and asks them to explain

how technology can improve their lives and make things better. The winner gets their first year of university fees paid for by Network Rail, and the three runners up, two weeks paid work experience and mentoring with the company’s IT team.

Maggie Philbin Backs IT Girls Network Rail’s campaign to recruit more women to IT continues. BBC Tomorrow’s World presenter and TeenTech founder, Maggie Philbin, is helping Network Rail launch the second year of its award-winning Could IT Be You? competition for girls.

According to the employer body, e-skills UK, the number of women working in the IT industry in Britain is falling. In the 1980s it was as high as 38% but by 2011 had fallen to just 17%. Every year the IT and telecoms professional workforce requires almost 21,000 new entrants directly from education. Currently only 15% of students on IT-related degrees in Britain are female.

Says Maggie Philbin, ‘With the world of technology, and the opportunities within it, hurtling forward at lightning

speed, it is so important that we support girls getting into IT careers and show how they too can help drive this industry forward. Projects like this are a fantastic way of getting young women excited about the opportunities that are out there and showcasing exactly how they can turn their passion into a valuable, exciting career.’

Says founder of the scheme, Susan Cooklin, Network Rail’s chief information officer, ‘Popular culture has helped create a perception among young women that a career in IT is all about writing code in basement offices – the reality couldn’t be further from the truth. The winners from last year’s competition all showed a creative mind for solving problems and good communications, and these are the skills that business leaders are after.

Technology plays an absolutely crucial role in moving 4m people by rail in Britain, safely and reliably, every day.

TRAINING FOCUS

54 | RailStaff | October 2014

These are exciting times for Ballyclare Limited. Under its new owners and new name, the former Cosalt workwear business is now part of a much larger and well-resourced group with combined sales of over £50m.

This is great news for Ballyclare’s customers in the rail sector. All the experience, knowledge and technical innovations amassed by Cosalt over 25 years in the design, manufacture and distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE) and workwear is alive and well within the Ballyclare brand.

A good example is Maggie Shaw, Ballyclare’s National Sales and Service Manager for Rail. A well-known and respected figure in the rail sector, she’s been with the business since 1998 and in the clothing trade all her working life.

“In many ways nothing has really changed from our Cosalt days. Our customers are still dealing with the same people they have always dealt with, from management to sales through to the internal support staff and design team. We have very little staff turnover.

“Our approach to new product development and our commitment to delivering high quality products and great customer service is the same as it always was. What is new and exciting is that we are now part of a much bigger and financially stronger organisation. It

means we have the resources to match our ideas, energy and enthusiasm.

Our history as Cosalt doesn’t define our future as Ballyclare but it does define our beliefs on delivering quality products to the market place,” explained Maggie.

While the company’s proud heritage stretches back many decades Ballyclare only emerged in its present form in 2013 when the business was bought by the entrepreneur David Ross, who made his name with the success of Carphone Warehouse.

Since then it has gone from strength to strength, underpinned by the core values of trust, protection and integrity.

The purchase of the Lion firefighter business in January 2014 from LHD Group signalled the company’s intention to remain a major force in the development and supply of PPE. The amalgamation of Lion’s existing facilities also added two more care and maintenance centres, in Uxbridge and Livingston, to Ballyclare’s existing operations in Stockport and Barnsley, providing further resources to service major contracts across all its core markets.

Further restructuring in July 2014 saw the Ballyclare business moved into a new parent group called Uniform Brands Limited that was set up by David Ross earlier this year. This umbrella organisation also owns Simon Jersey, a leading manufacturer of corporate wear and Logistik Unicorp, a business that provides corporate wear and workwear solutions to customers like Network Rail, Nando’s, Monarch Airlines and the NHS. As well as sharing ideas, innovations and best practice in textile design and production, the support of Simon Jersey has added a new dimension to Ballyclare’s potential offering in the rail sector, particularly for the supply of uniforms for rail staff.

The acquisition of the European subsidiaries of Logistik Unicorp, recently renamed Uniform Brands Trading, has also provided the group with considerable warehousing, logistics and manufacturing capabilities, as well as an established base in Holland to expand sales into Germany and the Benelux countries.

With the purchase also came a stateof-the-art workwear manufacturing facility in Tunisia that can handle fast turnarounds on small run orders.

Central to Ballyclare’s offering in the rail sector is a commitment to providing the end user with garments that deliver

Ballyclare

optimum safety, complete comfort, maximum visibility, absolute protection and total performance at all times. Past and present customers include familiar names like Network Rail, Babcock, Carillion, Bombardier, Tube Lines and London Underground.

Added Maggie: “What makes us special is our focus on building great relationships with each and every customer, getting to know them personally and taking responsibility for the quality of service delivery. They trust us to get it right and I get really upset if anything we do falls short of our high standards.”

Ballyclare also works in close partnership with the quality fabric suppliers that helped shape Cosalt’s reputation in the early days. This ensures the production of garments that are not only fit for purpose but also surpass legislative requirements without compromising on wearer comfort and fit. All Hi Vis garments supplied to the rail industry are GO/ RT compliant and Achilles Link-Up approved.

Said Maggie: “End users can rely on the Ballyclare brand to keep them highly visible in all light levels, as well as dry, warm and comfortable. After all, these are the same garments they have trusted and used for many years.”

Never a company to stand still,

keeps Cosalt’s heritage alive

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October 2014 | RailStaff | 55

Ballyclare will soon launch a new wet weather range of Hi Vis PPE that will give the many small to medium sized businesses serving the rail industry options on fabric choices more suited to their budgets.

Explained Maggie: “Our new range offers excellent levels of protection and is based around a different type of fabric that we are very excited about. More details will be revealed at the launch later this year but we will be offering a redesigned over trouser, jacket and all-in-one coverall.

“Many of the design ideas featured in the range come from the cross fertilisation of technologies we use in other markets. We’re a leading supplier to the fire and rescue services, the military and police, utility companies, motor technicians and businesses in the road construction and aggregates industries.

“We’re also working on a unique range of high performance FR wet weather technical clothing that can protect against hazards like electrical arcing and extreme temperatures. This will also be launched towards the end of 2014. GO/RT compliant, these garments meet all the standards covering flame retardancy, calorific value, static and chemical splash.

It’s an exciting time.”

Integral to the success of the company’s long-standing customer relationships is the strong design capability within the business and a history of developing, testing and trialling new garments to meet a specific need, rather than supply a standard product range, off the

SPECIFIED WITH CERTAINTY. WORN WITH CONFIDENCE. TRUST BALLYCLARE TO DELIVER QUALITY PROTECTIVE CLOTHING BACKED BY A KNOWLEDGEABLE, EXPERIENCED SERVICE. A lifetime of exceptional performance and value - we work with you using our industry leading innovation and experience to deliver world-class protective clothing.

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shelf. This exhaustive process can take up to two years before a new product is brought to market, due to the extensive testing regime that new products undergo to ensure they meet or exceed wearers’ expectations.

Ballyclare is also focused on offering excellent service levels, lead times and delivery turnaround alongside its development of new products and services. The business has the resources to deliver a fully managed service option. This is a turnkey solution that takes safety to a new level, especially in markets like the rail sector that are heavily regulated by health and safety legislation.

The company can manage the complete process of testing, sizing, fitting and supplying personnel with the correct garments. Throughout the service life of each garment Ballyclare takes care of its laundry, maintenance and repair. Ballyclare’s local stock holding facilities ensure garments are supplied quickly and if required there is a rapid response service with a 24/7 emergency hotline.

Looking to the future, Ballyclare is confident it has the people, the expertise, the resources and the customer relationships to further expand its business throughout the UK. Never short of bright ideas and innovative new products, Ballyclare is uniquely placed to serve its customers in the rail industry for many years to come.

For more information on Ballyclare call 0844 493 2805, email info@ballyclarelimited.com or visit the company’s website at www.ballyclarelimited.com.

TRAINING FOCUS

56 | RailStaff | October 2014

Railway engineering for the

next generation Professor Simon Iwnicki began his railway career at the National Coal Board, improving the performance of locomotives with rubber tyres. In the subsequent 30 years, he has played a substantial role in developing the quality of rail engineering education and research in the UK, establishing both the Rail Technology Unit at Manchester Metropolitan University and the Institute of Railway Research at the University of Huddersfield.

In his role as chairman of the IMechE Railway Division, Professor Iwnicki is currently delivering his chairman’s address, entitled ‘Railway Engineering for the next generation’ at all of the IMechE regional centres around the country, concentrating on the role of education and research in railway engineering.

The role of universities Recent growth in passenger and freight demand plus new investment together with an ageing workforce and

increased use of technology has resulted in an increasing skills shortage. There are currently many popular degree courses in automotive and aerospace engineering but very few in railway engineering.

What Iwnicki is keen to demonstrate in his address is that Britain’s universities are taking up the challenge, establishing groups and organising events focussed on encouraging young people to consider a career in railway engineering and supporting those entering the industry.

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Says Professor Iwnicki, ‘Applications to engineering degree courses are up, acceptances into engineering courses have increased 20 per cent over the last seven years. There were 23,000 graduates in engineering and technology in 2012 but the National Skills Academy for Railway Engineering (NSARE) estimates that 3,100 new technicians/engineers are required by the railway industry in the next five years, including up to 1,500 in traction and rolling stock alone.

‘Currently only 16 per cent of railway engineering employees are qualified to level 4 or above (post A level). Looking forward to the challenges the industry faces to deliver cost efficiencies and the introduction of new technology, this clearly needs to increase significantly - so where will these highly skilled people come from and how will we attract them into the industry?’

One way universities are promoting

October 2014 | RailStaff | 57

rail engineering is through the Smallpeice Trust residential courses for year 11 students. Run at the University of Birmingham and the University of Huddersfield, the courses aim to show students that a career in railway engineering is interesting, challenging and rewarding.

The Railway Challenge, set up and run by the IMechE Railway Division, also aims to make young people aware of the interesting challenges facing railway engineers. It is a competition designed for teams of engineering students studying at a university or apprentices working in industry. Teams are required to design and manufacture a miniature (10¼” gauge) railway locomotive in accordance with a set of rules and a technical specification.

The IMechE Railway Division Skills Task Force group has been set up with the aim of addressing some of the key issues which are acting as a barrier

to the entry of new people into the railway industry.

The group has only had one meeting so far but is already working on a monitored professional development scheme for engineering technicians.

A ‘Future Rail Skills seminar’ is being organised by NSARE and the IMechE. This will take place at IMechE headquarters in Birdcage Walk on 12 November this year and will look in detail at the skills shortage in a number of key areas, including ERTMS, and at some examples of what is being done to tackle this.

Research legacy The UK has a tremendous legacy of research from the early pre grouping laboratories, to the major facilities set up by the big four companies, to the internationally leading research carried out in a number of areas by BR Research. Professor Iwnicki indicated

that since privatisation the majority of ongoing research is now carried out by universities but this can make integration with engineers in industry difficult and that this was the impetus for several initiatives. The Advanced Railway Research Centre (ARRC), set up in 1994 at the University of Sheffield with funding from the BR Board, and Rail Research UK (RRUK), a consortium of seven universities formed in 2003 and funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) were early examples.

When the EPSRC funding for RRUK came to an end, RSSB and Network Rail stepped in to fund the core activities and provide a secretariat and in 2010 RRUK-A (Rail Research UK Association) was formed. The association is a partnership between the GB rail industry and Britain’s universities and aims to be an effective bridge between industry and universities. It aims to encompass all academic research that can be of benefit to the railway industry and now includes 43 university members.

‘The publication of the Rail Technical Strategy in 2012 has been a great boost to railway research in the UK,’ says Professor Iwnicki. ‘In setting out the long-term industry strategy, it has allowed researchers to shape their research programmes and supported bids to research funders and bringing additional resources into the sector.’

Professor Iwnicki is currently delivering his address throughout the UK.

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58 | RailStaff | October 2014

Conversion Courses Growing Contribution

Report by Chris Parker

Network Rail is using engineering conversion courses to supplement the number of engineers available to design, manage and support key programmes such as the Great Western Electrification. Former British Rail and Network Rail track engineer Chris Parker spotted an article in Professional Engineering magazine and read of George Hallyar, a friend of the family who had taken the course.

My interest was not just a professional matter. Firstly, the original engineering conversion course run by the company was for track engineering.

This was set up over 10 years ago when I was then employed by Network Rail at its London headquarters. I was given the task of leading the engineering input to the course’s development.

That course was a success and led on to the development of similar courses for other specialist fields of engineering such as signalling and electrification and plant (E&P) within the company. I was therefore pleased to get an update about progress with this initiative.

Adding to my interest was the coincidence that became apparent as I read into the article. One of the delegates on the particular course featured was George Hayllar, who happens to be the son of some very good friends of mine. I decided to

find out more about this course and the training that delegates had experienced.

Non-railway environments The course typically lasts nine months and is aimed at taking experienced engineering professionals with suitable qualifications, whose experience may have been gained in non-railway environments, to degree or HND level. The intent is to “convert” them into railway engineers well able to work in specific fields of rail engineering where the industry need is greatest.

Course delegates attend class based sessions at Network Rail’s own training centres or partner organisations.

Modules for this particular course cover mandatory industry and professional requirements such as H&S, PTS, substation access and CDM regulations followed thereafter by technical modules appropriate to requirements for E&P, new electrification and project engineering.

Crucial also to the course are short work placements featuring design, maintenance, projects and enhancements. A full salary is paid to individuals joining the course from the outset. An additional benefit is that the course is linked with Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) which provides two learning modules with a Post Graduate Diploma in Railway Infrastructure

Engineering awarded to course members on successful completion of all modules both Network Rail and SHU. Following successful completion of the course, delegates transition into their final target role in one of Network Rail’s many infrastructure projects, or in employment with one of the company’s partner organisations with delegates on the course.

New challenge George Hayllar originally graduated in 2003. Having worked in a variety of roles since attaining his first degree, he was attracted by the opportunity when he saw the conversion courses advertised on Network Rail’s website.

‘I studied mechanical engineering at the University of Bath, graduating in 2003,’ says George. ‘Since then I have worked in a wide variety of industries including system design engineering in the telecoms industry, building services engineering, and more recently as a timber frame designer in the construction industry. I was looking for a new challenge in an engineering role and I found the job on the Network Rail job website. It seemed like an opportunity too good to turn down - there are not many companies willing to invest in re-training more experienced people like myself.

‘Working on the railway attracted me from an engineering point of view. The railway is a hugely complex

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system that inevitably involves multiple disciplines. The work in turn is therefore very varied and challenging which appealed to me.

‘The course is split up into three work placements which are generally in design, project engineering and maintenance. These are broken up by blocks of training both in Network Rail premises and in Sheffield Hallam University.

Nice place to learn ‘The course was a mixture of classroom lectures, activities and work placements. Many of the lectures were delivered by current experts in their fields from across the railway industry.

Network Rail has recently refurbished its main training centre at Westwood so this was a particularly nice place to learn. Help was given to organise placements locally to you and, armed with placement remits, it was then up to us to make the most effective use of these and learn from as many people as possible in the time available. On successful completion of the course you are awarded a Post Graduate Diploma and some may choose to complete a full MSc in the future.

‘I really enjoyed working closely with a diverse range of people and I have made some very good friends and working contacts both on the course and in my work placements

October 2014 | RailStaff | 59

which has been great. I also enjoyed learning a brand new job, both in the classroom but also out in the real railway world. I have been lucky to be based in Swindon for my placements

Effects Analysis of the newly designed overhead line equipment - Series 1.

This has been a useful learning task for me as the system must be scrutinised at a component level, so I have got to

“I also enjoyed learning a brand new job, both in the classroom but also out in the real railway world...” which is the central office responsible for delivering the Great Western Electrification Project (GWEP). My placements have been in Network Rail but also in Atkins, enabling me to experience a major rail infrastructure project from within Network Rail and also from the point of view of a design contractor. This gave me a good understanding of how major projects operate in a relatively quick time frame and from both sides of the contractual fence.

‘I have now successfully completed the course, and I am currently working as an assistant project engineer on the huge project that is electrifying the Great Western Railway between London and Swansea. The work has been interesting and varied. I have been involved with Failure Mode

know it well. I have also been involved with obtaining product approval of this equipment to ensure it is fit for purpose and safe for operational use on Network Rail infrastructure.

Privileged ‘These are vital streams of work for the project. Further to this, I am reviewing contractor designs to ensure they meet Network Rail standards and specifications. I am also examining the particular challenge of running overhead line equipment under existing high voltage power lines that cross the railway which may need to be re-designed or re-routed.

‘I feel privileged to be working on such a prestigious project, and I know that the work I am doing now will make a valid contribution to improving

the future railway. The training I’ve had on this course as well as my previous experience has enabled me to hit the ground running, and I know I will continue to learn, develop and progress in the rail industry in the coming years. I would certainly recommend the conversion course to other engineers.’

Significant contribution What can I add to this? It is great to see the continued success of something that I was able to contribute to some years ago, particularly when I have a personal connection to someone who is now benefitting from it.

It is also excellent to see how the original concept has expanded from the single specialism of track engineering to embrace many others, so that it is now making a significant contribution to addressing the rail industry’s huge appetite for skilled people to deliver what this country needs from its railways.

If anyone reading this would like to learn more about this initiative then further information may be found through the following link or by emailing the address below: http://www.networkrail.co.uk/ careers/schemes/engineeringconversion/?cd=1 email: redg@networkrail.co.uk

TRAINING FOCUS

60 | RailStaff | October 2014

Educating Crossrail Report by Marc Johnson

Engineering methods employed to construct London’s railway tunnels in 2014 has come a long since work started on the Thames Tunnel almost 190 years ago.

Where it took Brunel 18 years to burrow 396 metres through London clay, Crossrail’s tunnel boring machines (TBMs) will have covered 42 kilometres in around three years.

Although the UK has a long history of tunnelling, prior to the start of the Crossrail project there was little in the way of skills and training expertise in the area. With such an intensive tunnelling programme ahead and the Thames Tideway and HS2 on the horizon, it was clear that Britain needed to start producing qualified tunnellers.

In September 2011, the £13 million Tunnelling and Underground

Construction Academy (TUCA) opened in response to the looming skills shortage. Three years later and Great Britain now has a dedicated tunnelling training centre, which teaches, among other things, an accredited basic tunnelling qualification in the Tunnel Safety Card (TSC) and an NVQ Level 2 in tunnel operations - both of which are mandatory qualifications for Crossrail workers.

The academy has for the first time created a recognised standard for tunnelling skills. Suddenly the UK has become a world leader in the field.

Envious international guests have already made their way to Ilford to learn from TUCA.

Life after Crossrail Although TUCA was set up by Crossrail, it isn’t Crossrail’s academy.

Training is provided by the National Construction College, with Crossrail as its custodian. With Crossrail’s TBM tunnelling programme expected to end in early 2015, TUCA is now thinking about life after the project and has begun the search for its new custodian.

The academy may already be planning its future but that doesn’t mean its role in Crossrail is finished. TUCA is also a centre for upskilling, offering engineers from different disciplines the opportunity to undertake the training they need to be able to work underground.

‘Just because the tunnelling programme is coming to an end

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doesn’t mean that TUCA doesn’t have something to offer the industry,’ says Georgina Bigam, TUCA strategy and commercial manager.

‘We’re unlikely to be doing full-on mechanical and electrical engineering, but what we can do is take those practicing qualified engineers and say ‘hey you’ve never worked in a tunnel and here are some things you need to be aware of.’

The academy has a simulated pit bottom, facilities for Sprayed Concrete Lining (SCL) and a mini test track for locomotive driver training. Teaching the necessary skills to work on

October 2014 | RailStaff | 61

tunnelling projects is the academy’s main aim but it also needs to prepare students for life underground. The pit bottom has its own AV system and smoke machine which are used to simulate an emergency and teach learners how to stay safe in such a confined environment.

The space is designed to be flexible, says Georgina. Different projects present different challenges. The role of TUCA is to support industry and this means talking to project managers and contractors, so that the academy’s training programmes develop the skills they require.

Georgina added, ‘There will be unforeseen training needs in the future that the academy needs to be flexible to meet.’

Apprentices Crossrail and TUCA are not just creating jobs, they are giving people careers. In August, Bam Ferrovial Kier (BFK) celebrated the appointment of its 100th apprentice. Jordan Malcolm-Taylor came through the academy and is now an apprentice carpenter working on the new station at Farringdon.

Crossrail’s apprenticeship and pre-

employment programmes have been heavily publicised and understandably so. The project has targets it needs to meet in terms of creating opportunities for London’s unemployed, and it is achieving them. It is already close to hitting its target of 400 apprentices and to date, close to 8,000 learners have come through the academy - well above the original target for the life of the project.

It has only been three years, but the academy has already created a legacy for Crossrail. The challenge now for the government and for industry is to retain these skills.

TRAINING FOCUS

62 | RailStaff | October 2014

© SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Does Britain do enough to support returning soldiers to find new employment once they have left the Armed Forces? The jury is still out but for some the transition back to civilian life is a challenge. It can be even more difficult for those who have spent their entire working life in a military environment. However the railway has for many years been making quiet use of returning military personnel.

The safety critical nature, hard work and team ethos of the railway finds ready recognition in the eyes of soldiers, sailors and airmen.

Telecommunications specialist Linbrooke, through its training subsidiary Network Training & Resource Solutions Limited (NTRS), has helped the Ministry of Defence (MOD) deliver resettlement programmes, enabling ex-forces personnel find a future in rail telecommunications and engineering.

Around 60 per cent of Linbrooke’s field engineering teams have come from the British Armed Forces and therefore have firsthand experience of the sorts of additional challenges these learners face.

NTRS’s professional advisors are

Railway Help for Heroes all Career Transition Partnership (CTP) and Enhanced Learning Credit Administration System (ELCAS) approved and can offer advice on resettlement packages and help guide candidates through the MOD funding requirements.

Centre of excellence NTRS’s National Training Academy is a specialist telecommunications resettlement training centre of excellence, with many years of

experience in the telecoms industry and expert tutors. The academy can deliver City & Guilds, EAL and NQF Level 3 qualifications in telecommunications, signalling and information technology; and in the near future electrification and plant.

Courses are aimed at both service leavers and the general public, and can be run either at the academy’s facility in Sheffield or at the convenience of a commercial client.

Linbrooke clients include Network © SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Rail, Skanska, Thales, Atkins and Siemens. Working with these industry leaders, the academy is able to identify the specific skills required by some of Britain’s biggest rail employers and develop training programmes to ensure learners are prepared for a career in the telecommunications industry. This relationship with major industry clients allows NTRS to offer candidates work placements, fixedterm contracts, temporary work or even permanent employment.

The National Training Academy is equipped with a custom-built 36-kilometre fibre optic network that is used by NTRS to reproduce live optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR) testing. The academy has a 240-kilometre dry live sub-sea network that contains three sub-sea repeaters which is also used for testing. There is also an operational GSM telecoms node on site connected to real location cabinets.

NTRS & Linbrooke are able to deliver a menu of Rail Signalling Courses through fully qualified IRSE (institute of Rail Signalling Engineers) licensed and approved trainers, giving trainees the opportunity to eventually gain an industry recognised Level 3 Certificate as a ‘Rail Engineering Functional Tester’ working towards gaining a full IRSE licenced qualification.

Winning the peace as well as the war is often a challenge but it is one the railway industry is better placed than most to help with.

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TRAINING FOCUS

64 | RailStaff | October 2014

Shorterm Launches Apprenticeship Scheme Shorterm plans to recruit 50 new apprentices over the next 12 months as part of an ambitious programme to help fill the skills gap in the rail industry.

Says Lawrence Dobie, director of rail at Shorterm, ‘With massive investment in signalling over the next five years it is important that companies like Shorterm rise to the skills challenge.

We are pleased to announce our commitment to signalling and the launch of our apprenticeship programme. We look forward to working further with industry and our partners to develop the workforce of the future.’

In March, Network Rail unveiled its £38 billion CP5 programme covering the five years from 2014 to 2019. Within this, signalling will have £3.2 billion to spend over the next five years, within which an efficiency gain of £580 million will be expected – a significant challenge.

At present, there is a workforce of around 9,200 people - 4,200 doing maintenance and 5,000 engaged on projects. The age profile is such that 400 are over 60 years old and another 700 are in the range 55-59.

Currently the industry is just about coping, but the National Skills Academy for Railway Engineering (NSARE) has identified that there is

going to be a significant shortfall in two years’ time with an identified work gap of 2,600 - 3,400 of which 47 per cent are at technician/engineer level.

Shorterm Limited is gearing up for the challenge. Through its partnership with TrainsPeople Limited and further education colleges it is launching an apprenticeship scheme for future signalling and telecoms engineers. It is also providing multi-skill training to its existing workforce.

Shorterm will be recruiting up to 50 apprentices over the coming 12 months.

The programme will be delivered from TrainsPeople’s training centre based in West Horndon, Essex. The practical facilities at TrainsPeople were rated as excellent by NSARE earlier this year. The centre boasts an extensive indoor training area that contains a large simulated track facility with a live signalling circuit installation for points, signals and track circuits. The centre is also benefitting from a £100,000 investment in modern classroom facilities.

On-the-job training and mentoring will be provided by Shorterm’s

Signalling & Telecoms division.

Apprentices will work alongside experienced engineers on a wide range of infrastructure projects across the UK. In addition to the apprenticeship programme, TrainsPeople will be offering a wide range of signalling training courses to experienced engineers.

For more information on Shorterm visit www.shorterm.co.uk For information on TrainsPeople’s range of signalling courses call 01277 811 300

TRAINING FOCUS

October 2014 | RailStaff | 65

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TRAINING FOCUS

66 | RailStaff | October 2014

A Question of Degree Konecranes has taken on ten new apprentices as it seeks to develop the highly successful scheme. Seven of the apprentices have joined the service operation whilst the remaining three are based at the company’s crane manufacturing plant in East Kilbride. Training includes a dynamic combination of theoretical classroom and practical on-the-job training.

Says Pat Campbell, Konecranes’ Director of Market Area – Europe West, ‘What we want to show as living proof is that apprenticeship schemes are successful in not only creating highlyskilled, capable and intellectually gifted individuals that are of real benefit to a business, but that they create opportunities for real career progression and can help an individual go all the way to the top.’

Konecranes has the enviable record of ensuring that all its apprentices, upon completion of their training, go into a full-time job position. It’s a philosophy Konecranes takes very seriously. Says Konecranes HR Director, Karen Winfield, ‘At Konecranes it is not just about giving our apprentices a job at the end of their four-year training

Konecranes’ line-up of apprentices who have successfully completed the 4th year of the company’s apprenticeship scheme. Pictured from left to right are: Alec Wards, Billy Hogg, Callum Walker Smith, Marcus Ajimati, Matthew Lilly, Ben Combes, Dennis Tanner, Joe Brightwell.

period, it’s about putting them on a career path that can take them to the top of their profession. We have both senior managers and directors in our business that have gone through the apprenticeship programme in the past, so the scope for continued development not just here in the UK, but on a global basis, is very much a reality.’

This year’s successful applicants will attend colleges for off-the-job training, the aim being to achieve NVQ Level 2 PEO (Performance Engineering Operations). Subsequent training will then be in accordance with the company’s existing apprenticeship programme. On completion of training, apprentices will be qualified as Service Technicians, with a BTEC

Higher National Certificate in electrical and electronic engineering. And for those looking to progress still further, Konecranes will support additional education and training schemes, including the opportunity to embark on a degree course in certain aspects of engineering and business management.

Pat Campbell points out that a university degree is not right for everyone. ‘When it comes to which route into a career is best, it is all about balance and assessing which one is most suitable for the individual in question. University degrees obviously have their place, but they are not for everyone.

What is important is being able to demonstrate to a prospective

employer that the individual in question is not only academically capable but has the practical and social skills necessary to perform in the commercial world. Hence the reason why, even before selection, universities are today encouraging applicants to demonstrate some level of work experience relevant to the course of their choice. This is not rocket science, just common sense, and something that an increasing number of employers are looking for.

The difference with apprentices is that most join an organisation at an early age, so employers can work with them and shape them from day one.

In our eyes this is invaluable and a sure fire way of retaining their skills within the business in the long-term.’

TRAINING FOCUS

October 2014 | RailStaff | 67

IRO Launches New Season of Courses Learning new skills and making new friends is all part of the plan at the Institution of Railway Operators (IRO) as the new academic season gets underway.

The IRO welcomed a new cohort of students early in October. The IRO used the London campus of Glasgow Caledonian University as one venue and Irish Rail’s facilities in Dublin as the other. The introductory course was spread over two weekends and packed with information about the dynamics of the new rail industry.

Cohort 12 came together for the first time from all over the railway. The students had been briefed before by student guides from their own organisations. The guides have all been through the programme themselves and were delighted to help the new students.

Staff and students mingled at the London launch and feelings of nervous anticipation soon gave way to laughter as people of all ages and backgrounds compared notes over tea and coffee. Staff and tutors from IRO and GCU did a thorough job of ensuring every student got off to a good start.

Short introductions from Tricia Meade L&D manager, Fiona Tordoff chief executive and the new GCU Programme head Marty Wright kicked the day off. Students were told about the structure of the programme and who was there to support them.

The tutors emphasised that they wanted students to contact them more. Good communications ensures success. The emphasis was clearly on solving the problems of tomorrow’s railway rather than learning about yesterday’s railway.

Work then began with an overview of how to use the university’s website - essential for any self-respecting distance learning student. After lunch the starter photographs were taken. It was too wet to make use of the venue’s stunning rooftop terrace and so

everyone got up close and personal in one of the lecture rooms. Then certificate, diploma and degree students all made their way to their room for their first tutorial on personal professional development which helps to re-introduce the art of learning.

IRO staff can confirm that of those people they asked all said that their nerves had disappeared.

The students ranged from apprentices to managing directors and were employed in all aspects of rail operations. Students who had never met before left the building with some new friends that they could rely on for the rest of their study. Tutors left impressed once again by the vitality and energy of the cohort and were eager to pick up with them on their railway studies journey.

ShoRT CouRSeS

Tue 4th Nov 2014 at Charing Cross Hotel – All-day

IRO OpeRatIOns leaRnIng… fOR peRfORmance ImpROvement Followed in the evening by the IRO Innovation Concept Awards 2014

Conference chaired by Rob Warnes Planning and Programmes Director, Northern.

Chair of the ATOC Performance Forum.

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Conferences Where it all comes together…

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Further your career development and expertise on our weekend course…

Operational Planning in the Railway Business Friday 21st Nov to Sunday 23rd Nov Ideal if you are relatively new to the industry or you wish to further your career development and expertise in this field. You will get an insight into the principles involved in planning train services and executing them, concentrating on these five key areas… The Network, Timetable Preparation and Resources Planning, Access Management, Capacity, Projects and Developments.

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for more information or to book your place Email learning@railwayoperators.co.uk www.railwayoperators.co.uk/whats-on/title/operationalplanning-principles-practices-2/

TRAINING FOCUS

68 | RailStaff | October 2014

Lessons start for OLE apprentices Report by Marc Johnson The UK’s first overhead line construction apprentices have begun an 18-month training programme designed to meet the urgent demand for electrification skills.

SPL Powerlines and Intertrain, which have jointly developed the programme, selected 15 apprentices from more than 200 applications.

Apprentices who successfully complete their training will gain a Level 2 NVQ Diploma in Rail Engineering Overhead Line Construction and a Level 2 Certificate in Rail Engineering Underpinning Knowledge, both of which are supported by accredited training body EAL. Ambitious plans to electrify large sections of the UK rail network have created a demand for OLE engineers which skills forecasts have suggested the industry won’t be able to meet.

Earlier this year, CarillionPowerlines, a Carillion/SPL Powerlines joint venture, won two major regional electrification framework contracts, one of which covers the installation and modernisation of OLE systems between London King’s Cross and Sheffield.

Launching the programme at Keepmoat Stadium, Doncaster Rovers’ homeground, managing director of SPL Powerlines Martin Hawley, who trained as an apprentice himself, said, ‘One of our critical issues is people. We don’t have sufficient people to go forward.’

The programme has been based around Network Rail’s OLE specification and has been funded with public money through North

“This opportunity is your future, grasp it with both hands and don’t let it go” said Les Blake Notts College.

Les Blake, a lifelong linesman, spoke passionately to the apprentices about his 50 years within the industry. ‘This opportunity is your future, grasp it with both hands and don’t let it go,’ said Les. The talk was also an opportunity to again emphasise to the apprentices the critical nature of the work they will soon be doing. Holding up a closed split pin, Les explained how the simple act of failing to secure that

pin in place could have a disastrous, and potentially fatal impact on the rail network.

Although the first of the apprentices are just a few weeks into their training, SPL and Intertrain are already planning for the next intake and are working with EAL on a new Level 3 qualification.

Says Alex Pond, operations director at Intertrain, ‘By no means is our product the end product. We’re at the start of a journey.’

TRAINING FOCUS

70 | RailStaff | October 2014

Newcastle Launches Rail Academy

September signalled the start of term time at Newcastle College’s new Rail Academy - a multimillion pound investment in training and skills, described by the college as the first of its kind in the country.

Developed with support from NSARE and Network Rail, the Rail Academy will train young people looking to develop a career in the rail sector as well as those wanting to update their qualifications or change career. The facility will also serve employers who need to up-skill or crossskill their existing workforce or simply recruit for future growth.

The academy, which is based in Gateshead, has been designed to help deliver the Government’s ambitious rail infrastructure investment plans.

These include £5.2 billion of previously unveiled projects and new schemes totalling £4.2 billion for electrification and plant, which are to be delivered between 2014-2019.

Supporting the rail industry The £5 million academy allows learners of all ages to be trained on industry-standard equipment, such as indoor and outdoor track with fully functioning switches and crossings, TPWS & AWS, fully operational OLE, and modern S&T equipment. There are also a number of heritage rail sites in close proximity to the site, which gives learners the opportunity to gain valuable experience on live track.

a safe training facility. The railway is recognised as one of the most dangerous environments to work in where the utmost respect for these surroundings is essential.

Blended learning

The Rail Academy’s new head of rail, Marc McPake, has over 13 years’ experience working in the rail industry and understands the challenges that employers face recruiting and retaining the highly skilled workers that will be needed to support the future of rail engineering.

Solid foundations Says Marc, ‘Through the development of the Rail Academy, we are supporting the rail industry in building the solid foundations needed to ensure that there is a pipeline of highly skilled technicians now and in the future. Working with partners, Marc McPake.

we have established what the likely demand for skills and training would be to support a 21st century rail infrastructure and, as a result, we have created a purpose built Rail Academy that will act as a gateway to employment and skills.

‘What’s so unique about our proposition is that we take a different approach. We don’t just offer qualifications, we offer the technical skills required by industry and the opportunity to develop a solid career in the rail or engineering sector. The Rail Academy has been designed to recreate a real-life functioning rail environment in the confines of

‘We offer blended learning, which combines academic study and technical niche skills. Our staff have also come from industry so bring with them a wealth of experience and knowledge.

‘Newcastle College is also one of the only colleges in the country able to develop and validate its own foundation degrees, a huge benefit for those looking for specific higher level skills.

‘Another aspect of our offer is the direct support we can provide to employers.

The academy will provide a pipeline of highly trained, enthusiastic people who are ready to progress straight into employment. We can help employers by identifying the skills they needs and then providing them with candidates that meet those requirements. This approach takes the time, cost and risk away from the organisation, which is a huge benefit.

But alongside providing training, we will also open our doors to companies looking to deliver their own training, or looking to test or showcase their own products in a safe functional rail environment.’

For more information about the Rail Academy visit www.newcastlecollege. co.uk or contact Marc McPake at marc.mcpake@ncl-coll.ac.uk or 0191 2004438.

TRAINING FOCUS

October 2014 | RailStaff | 71

McGinleys in College of the Valleys Partnership Wales’ next generation of railway workers will start training this autumn. The first wave of students arrived this week to join Coleg y Cymoedd’s new Rail Engineering Apprenticeship Programme.

Following the first stage of a £3 million investment in new equipment and facilities at the college’s Nantgarw campus, an initial intake of nine young people from across South Wales has started apprenticeships as rail track engineers. Over the next 12 months, a further 40 new apprentices will join the programme.

The intensive training, which is linked to employment in the industry, is being delivered jointly by Coleg y Cymoedd, College of the Valleys, and specialist recruitment firm McGinley Support Services, a partnership which is 50 per cent funded by the Welsh Government.

The apprentices will earn their Level 2 qualifications working on the college’s industry standard equipment, which includes a section of full-scale replica rail track.

Centre of excellence Further investment is taking place at the campus, and by September 2015 work will be complete on a purpose-built rail facility at the Nantgarw, which will establish Coleg y Cymoedd as a centre of excellence for railway training.

Shay Smallman is one of the first rail

Lewis Morgan, Jack Capelin, Rhys Sanders, Wayne Chawner, Shay Smallman, Mel Jones (Faculty Director Science, Technology & Maths), Jayne Smith (Faculty Director Partnerships), Judith Evans (Principal), Gavin Davies (Head of School Engineering), James Gough, Tony Rowberry, Michael Smallman, Adam Robins, Jed Parsons apprentices to study at the college.

Speaking of his first week’s training, the 18 year old from Gilfach Goch in the Rhondda Valley said, ‘After reading up about the apprenticeship, I saw the great opportunities it offered. I really enjoy practical work so it was a brilliant choice for me.

‘So far we have been learning a lot about health and safety on the track and how to use the equipment properly.

Because there are so many dangers involved, it’s important to learn this now.

We have used the replica track twice so far which is really exciting.’

Tony Rowberry, 21, from Mountain Ash in the Cynon Valley, has already decided he would like to pursue a higher level qualification in rail track engineering after this year is complete. He said, ‘My brother works with McGinley, so I have seen first-hand the amazing

opportunities he has had. I’m really glad I chose to do the apprenticeship because I have loved it so far, particularly because I enjoy learning on the job. Our course tutor has given us amazing support so far, and always been there if there is anything we need.’

Transferable skills In addition to core rail engineering skills, the facility is designed to enhance a number of transferable skills, such as building works and electrical trades, which can be migrated across to the railway environment.

McGinley’s railway apprenticeship course tutor Wayne Chawner, who is based at Coleg y Cymoedd, said, ‘The railway apprenticeship is a fantastic opportunity for these young people to work on a real-life replicated track with proper components in a very safe

environment. This course will provide the learners with first-hand experience with huge career advancements in the rail industry on offer. We have just finished the first week of the apprenticeship, and I have been so impressed at how eager and engaged the learners are.’

Says Judith Evans, principal of Coleg y Cymoedd, ‘We’re very pleased to be working with McGinley, as our latest industry partner, to deliver innovative training that leads to real jobs. With major rail investments planned for the coming years, the prospects are bright for these young people. The investment by the Welsh Government to create a centre of excellence here shows their confidence in Coleg y Cymoedd’s ability to deliver excellent education, training and career opportunities to young people in South Wales.’

Engineering happy

Chase Meadow apprentices

The engineers delivering major rail projects around the capital have been dancing to Pharrell Williams’ hit single ‘Happy’ in a new campaign hoping to attract young people into engineering.

Chase Meadow Signalling has developed a new apprenticeship scheme with Warwickshire College to train the new generation of rail signallers.

Engineers from Crossrail, London Underground and King’s Cross

station all feature in the ‘Engineering Happiness’ video which has been produced by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) London in association with Bechtel.

Familiar faces include former Network Rail chief executive Sir John Armitt and ICE’s director general Nick Baveystock.

The Stratford-upon-Avon-based business, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, has developed the programme with the college under the national apprenticeship framework.

In July, Chase Meadow recruited 12 apprentices aged between 17 and 24.

The apprentices were selected from a pool of 29 applicants from across the UK

following a two-day assessment during which all applicants had the chance to understand the practical, emotional and engineering challenges of working in this safety critical industry.

Says Craig Purcell, chief executive at Chase Meadow, ‘The idea behind launching our bespoke signalling apprenticeship scheme is aimed at finding new blood for the industry, to inspire the next generation and to tackle a lack of expertise. At present, there is a shortfall of highly trained signalling personnel across the industry and we want to be a “trailblazer” changing that scenario.

TRAINING FOCUS

72 | RailStaff | October 2014

How Britain is training China’s rail safety staff Technically speaking, China has one of the most advanced railway networks on the planet. In an astonishingly short period of time, the country has built the world’s most extensive high-speed network and has begun manufacturing the world’s fastest high-speed trains. Not content with its domestic network, China is looking to finance and build railways in other countries.

Peter Clack, University of Birmingham, Director of International Relations; Paul Seller, Lloyd’s Registyer director of transportation; Prof Sir David Eastwood, University of Birmingham Vice Chancellor; Mr Li Guoqiang, Chinese Embassy, first secretary of education; Prof Richard Williams, University of Birmingham Pro-Vice Chancellor of education, head of college of Engineering and Physical Sciences.

Substantial investment and political will has in seven years taken China from opening its very first high-speed railway to being the owners of a sprawling 11,000-kilometre network. Although investment in China’s high-speed railway has dipped from its highest point in 2010, it is still growing steadily and more cities are investing in modern metro and tram systems.

However, China’s rail boom has given the sector little time to mature. One area in which China has already had to learn some difficult lessons is health and safety.

In July 2011, two high-speed trains collided on a viaduct in Wenzhou, killing 40 people. An investigation into the cause of the disaster found issues with the design of control centre equipment and was critical of the response by railway staff to the faults that led to the collision.

A year before Wenzhou, Zhejiang University had recognised the need to develop a health and safety culture within the Chinese rail industry and approached the Lloyd’s Register team in Beijing to help it fill the skills gap.

The Lloyd’s Register Foundation issued an invitation to tender asking educational bodies in the UK to design an appropriate MSc programme to train Chinese health and safety professionals.

The Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and

Education (BCRRE) at The University of Birmingham and the High Integrity Systems Engineering Group at The University of York submitted the winning bid and received £1.5 million to develop the programme with Zhejiang.

In autumn 2013, Birmingham and York launched the pilot Railway Risk and Safety Management MSc programme with eight students from Zhejiang.

Twelve months on, the students are returning to China and tutors at Zhejiang are about to start teaching the partner programme in Hangzhou. The course itself includes specific rail modules and some general safety modules. Within a few years, the hope is that Zhejiang will be able to teach the course independently.

‘Railways are very important to this university,’ said Professor Sir David Eastwood, vice chancellor of the University of Birmingham, during a formal launch event in the Edwardian residence and gardens of Winterbourne House within the university’s campus on 3 September.

He added, ‘They are important because we’re the only university with our own station. Also, we’re enormously proud of the railways group here at University of Birmingham. It’s a group in which the university is investing to grow.’

The event was a celebration of how far the programme has progressed in just a couple of years,

but all stakeholders acknowledged that training health and safety professionals was only part of the solution. They will now need to work with industry to establish the health and safety culture which will create the opportunities for their graduates.

Professor Eastwood said, ‘The great global challenges will only be met by collaborative programmes like this.’

China has made it clear that it is looking for opportunities to build and finance rail projects around the world. The signing of a bilateral agreement between David Cameron and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang in June seemed to open the door to some kind of Chinese role in HS2. During an address at the launch event, Li Guoqiang, First Secretary of Education for the Chinese Embassy in the UK, said that Chinese companies are now visiting the UK to discuss cooperation on specific projects.

TRAINING FOCUS

October 2014 | RailStaff | 73

Colorado Crude Control

Investigating standard

North American rail freight companies have recently hosted a national first responders training course aimed at better dealing with crude oil incidents on the railway.

Academics in Australia are calling for the rail industry to adopt a national standard for accident investigator training.

Professor Bert Biggs, from Queensland University of Technology’s Centre for Accident Research & Road Safety, has said a recognised minimum standard for training would remove the current inconsistency that exists between investigators.

Says Professor Biggs, ‘Although several courses are currently available, none offer the baseline breadth of development required for a comprehensive career pathway in incident investigation in Australia, and as such the competency of investigators varies considerably.

‘For too long we have had a varied level of training within the rail industry for rail incident investigators, but this will hopefully change with the introduction of a national curriculum to be delivered through standardised training.’

Firefighters and police officers from Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia completed three days’ training, with instructors from CSX and the Association of American Railroads at the Security and Emergency Response Training Centre, in Pueblo, Colorado.

The training, which was also sponsored by rail freight operator Norfolk and Southern, focussed on preparation for and emergency response to railroad incidents involving crude oil, and included an overview of the history of crude oil extraction, chemical and physical properties of different types of crude oil currently being transported, incident site and damage assessment, and tank car design and construction.

Participants also practiced specialised response techniques and incident command scenarios during mock derailments. Emergency service teams in the US tackled a mock 20-car derailment and fire as part of a training exercise to highlight the dangers of crude-by-rail emergencies.

The safety of crude-by-rail freight has been a major concern since the Lac-Mégantic derailment and explosion in July 2013 that killed 47 people and destroyed a sizeable portion of the town in eastern Quebec.

Says Jason Hudgens, a firefighter and paramedic from Ohio who took part in the event, ‘We were on a 52-acre facility

CN opens training centres

in the desert, and they ignited a fire to create a real-life situation. We could feel the heat and used the hoses to spray foam. You can’t do that in a classroom.’

Says Captain Kathleen Thompson, who serves with the Grand Rapids Fire Department in Michigan, ‘I believe it will make my department and the city I serve safer by attending this program. Not only did we hear some pretty extensive lectures on the science of crude oil and case histories on incidents, but more importantly we participated in multiple hands-on, crude oil live-fire scenarios.

And I now have met and made connections with experts I can rely on if I ever have the need.’

Driver School for Stockholm The operator of Stockholm’s metro system, MTR, has opened a new driver training facility in Sweden.

More than 18 months was spent developing the programmes used by the centre’s simulators, which maps every part of Stockholm’s

Canadian National Railway (CN) has opened two new training centres in Winnipeg and Chicago.

The new facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba, which covers over 100,000 square feet, will welcome more than 350 students each week, offering training courses for train managers,

rolling stock maintenance engineers, signallers and track supervisors.

Claude Mongeau, CN president and chief executive officer, said, ‘The opening of this state-of-the-art training centre is a cornerstone in CN’s workforce renewal, which this year will see the hiring of more than 3,500 employees across our North American network.’

110-kilometre subway network.

As well as allowing drivers to practise the basic skills they will need to operate a train, the simulators can test a driver’s reaction to a number of different scenarios, including a passenger pulling an emergency alarm, a signal failure or hazardous weather conditions.

CHARITY

74 | RailStaff | October 2014

Return the Himalayas

James Walker, an IT specialist for Northern Rail, plans to cycle through the Himalayas in October in a bid to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support.

James, 34, from Withington, South Manchester is no stranger to cycling challenges. Since 2009 he has cycled from Panama to Nicaragua, Kenya to Tanzania and London to Paris, all in aid

of Macmillan Cancer Support.

Says James, ‘Following the birth of my son last year, I decided this would be my last overseas challenge, so I can dedicate as much time as possible to my family.

‘India really holds a special place in my heart after losing my dad in 2010. In 2009 he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma and over the next months spent time in hospital whilst his treatment began, and we talked about lots of things including his work trips to India. Dad wished to go back there one day to see more of the country, but he lost his battle with cancer in June 2010 and was never able to return to India.

This is why it seems the best place to sign off with my last challenge.’

The charity has helped the Walker family a great deal. ‘Macmillan Cancer Support is often associated with nurses, which is true, but they are also so much more than that. My biggest regret following my mum’s death from a brain tumour was that I didn’t know

Coniston Personal Speed Record Liam Riley is safely back on dry land after completing a sponsored swim of Lake Coniston in under three hours.

Keeping cool in tight situations is second nature to Liam who is an air conditioning engineer at First TransPennine Express.

Liam Riley, who regularly takes part in sporting activities to raise money for the

North West Air Ambulance, successfully completed the 5.25-mile length of Lake Coniston together with more than 500 other swimmers. He set himself a personal target of crossing the finish line in under three hours and succeeded, reaching the end in two-hours-and-fortyeight minutes.

In total Liam raised £560 including £250 from FTPE. Liam works for Baileys Maintenance, FTPE’s maintenance

partners.

Says Liam, ‘The weather was perfect and the water conditions were equally good. The swim was mentally as well as physically challenging for me as I had only the lake and the sky to look at for nearly three hours. All of the donations are going towards a great cause and I can’t thank First TransPennine Express enough for helping me reach half of my donation target.’

India really holds a special place in my heart after losing my dad in 2010.

enough about it in the lead up to her death. I wish I had understood more and this is why, following my dad’s diagnosis, I wanted to know everything I could about myeloma.

The information and support that Macmillan Cancer Support provided was invaluable to me. Cancer has devastated my family, but Macmillan Cancer Support has helped me through some of my toughest years.’

To back James go to: https://www. justgiving.com/Jayinindia2014

c2c coffee Trio

Staff from National Express train operator c2c have organised coffee morning events at three rail stations which raised over £1,500 for Macmillan Cancer Support.

The local teams at Benfleet, Shoeburyness and Thorpe Bay stations all baked cakes, made cups of tea and collected raffle donations from local businesses in support of Macmillan.

They were joined by friends and volunteers to run the coffee mornings throughout last Friday’s morning peak, with local passengers donating generously on their way to work.

The collection at Benfleet topped £700, while Thorpe Bay made nearly £450 and Shoeburyness raised over £380.

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To be responsible for preparing bids to secure £200m of investment funding for the UK rail industry from established European innovation funds, and preparing compelling funding bids for projects which will benefit the UK rail industry.

To support the Change Manager in leading the business change theme for Future Railway. Working with industry partners and expert specialist consultants, the post holder will manage change projects which can help enable a stronger innovation culture and practice in the UK rail industry.

You will have overall responsibility for evaluation and appraisal of proposals from train operators to the newly established Train Operator Innovation in Franchising Funding Scheme. This fund has been set up to provide train operators with a source of funding for innovation projects to support the DfTs franchising objectives. Accountabilities will include proposals, evaluation, providing support and guidance to train operators, reporting on progress and benefits achieved from awards under the scheme.

Accountabilities include: • Produce high quality bids for European research funding, principally under the Horizon 2020 framework, to deliver objectives set within the Future Railway team for quantum and scope of such bids.

• Developing and implementing a bid strategy.

• Manage delivery of projects and driving a culture of innovation across the industry.

• Undertake cross industry analysis into the barriers and enablers for change.

• Collaborate with the Change Manager to establish and drive a culture of innovation across the rail industry.

• Leading the bid team.

Bid Manager £

Accountabilities include:

Commercial Lead £

Salary

£30,000 - £40,000 per year

Salary

£45,000 - £60,000 per year

 Location

 Location

Angel, London, England/London All

Angel, London, England/London All

You will write bids to contribute towards securing £200m of investment funding for the UK rail industry from established European innovation funds.

Accountabilities include preparing and submitting compelling bids for projects which will benefit the UK rail industry.

Accountabilities include:

To lead commercial due diligence and investment contract negotiations with innovators, contribute to the development of commercial policy and commission procurement of services from service partners in Supply Chain.

Accountabilities include:

• Support the Senior Bid/Project Manager and other members of the team as needed.

• Provide advice and guidance to Project Managers on commercialisation potential and strategies for Challenge Themes.

• Provide feedback received from the European Community about bids to the rest of the team so that lessons can be incorporated for future bids.

• Liaise with Supply Chain in the contracting process for innovation investments to maintain effective relationships with partners, innovators and stakeholders.

• Ensure that successful bids led by Future Railway are developed into well managed projects.

• Support innovators in developing their commercial plans and models either directly or by providing suitable alternative sources of expertise.

Development Manager £

Salary

£55,000 - £60,000 per year

 Location

2

POSTS

Angel, London, England/London All To contribute towards achieving the objective of winning bids for £200m of investment funding for the UK rail industry from established European innovation funds.

One post will focus on proposals for ‘H2020’ funding and the other post will focus on ‘Shift 2 Rail’ funding opportunities.

Accountabilities include: • Building the necessary relationships with the industry and awarding bodies to ensure that intelligence is collected and collaborations established.

• Working with European partners, generate high readiness levels for bid preparation and delivery, ahead of specific calls – including role clarity, alignment of objectives, expertise and resource availability.

Senior Programme Manager TOC £

Salary

£55,000 - £65,000 per year

 Location Angel, London, England/London All

Accountabilities include: • Manage the proposal process for the innovation in Franchising Funding Scheme.

• Working collaboratively with the TOCs and other industry bodies.

• Provide a high quality internal and external stakeholder management in all matters relating to the scheme.

Engagement Manager (TOC or FOC) £

Salary

£30,000 - £40,000 per year

 Location

2

POSTS

Angel, London, England/London All We are looking for two Engagement Managers; one to work with Train Operating Companies (TOC) and the other with Freight Companies (FOC).

You will be a member of the Future Railway team, attached for 80% of the time to either TOC or FOC and 20% with Future Railway to support engagement with Train Operators or Freight Operators to achieve the industry’s innovation agenda.

Accountabilities include: • Acting as the focal point within the TOCs or FOCs with respect to innovation.

• Provide guidance to TOCs or FOCs and the bid teams in relation to innovation requirements contained in new franchises.

• Support the TOC’s or FOC’s engineering team in their liaison with the Future Railway Team; Network Rail; Rail Research UK Association.

Change Manager £

Salary

£60,000 - £70,000 per year

 Location Angel, London, England/London All

You will have overall responsibility for managing the newly established train operator ‘Innovation in Franchising Funding Scheme’. This fund has been set up to provide train operators with a source of funding for innovation projects to support the Department for Transport’s franchising objectives.

Accountabilities will include establishing and implementing investment criteria, overseeing the evaluation and awards process and monitor and report on benefits realisation.

To lead the business change theme for Future Railway. You will work with industry partners and expert specialist consultants, to develop a strategy and tools to help enable a stronger innovation culture and practice in the UK rail industry.

Accountabilities include:

• Develop and implement supporting programmes across industry to ensure that key stakeholders recognise the changes needed and identify and understand the implications for the individual organisations.

• Lead, develop and maintain the innovation projects portfolio that meets the requirements of the Franchising Funding Scheme.

Accountabilities include: • Coordinate and manage seconded enabling innovation specialists to ensure an effective utilisation of their skills and time.

• Monitor all agreed investments made by the innovation fund to ensure they are demonstrably in line with the investment strategy.

To find out more about these exciting opportunities or to enquire about other vacancies, please contact our team on 020 3142 5300 or email your details to human.resources@rssb.co.uk or visit our website at www.rssbcareers.co.uk

CAREERS

76 | RailStaff | October 2014

B e Lmond B rit is h P u L L man

TRAVELLING TECHNICIAN Battersea, London An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced technician to join the Engineering team for the luxurious Belmond British Pullman.

Working both on-board and in the depot you will ensure the efficient maintenance and operation of the train.

The ideal candidate will have experience as a fitter/technician, preferably with knowledge of older types of Mark 1, 2 or 3 vehicles.

For further information and to apply, please visit BElMond.coM/cArEErs, or telephone 020 3117 1300

HOTELS | TRAINS | RIVER CRUISES | JOURNEYS BeLmond.Com

Stuck in the wrong role?

Coming to the end of a contract?

Or simply looking for a change?

We’d like to talk to you! advance Training & Recruitment Services are offering exciting opportunities for talented individuals at all levels across the following sectors: • Signalling

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CAREERS

The Martin Group of Companies (Est. 1976) provides specialist services to the waste recycling, construction and Rail industries with a turnover in excess of c£80m.

PLANNING AND COMPLIANCE MANAGER Highly competitive salary + Benefits + fully expensed company vehicle Based at our head office (Junction 28/M1)

We are looking for a qualified Planner to provide a comprehensive service in accordance with statutory requirements, client expectations and company procedures. The successful candidate will produce comprehensive documents to comply with Network Rail infrastructure, advise on rail industry requirements and carry out safety audits on management systems and on-site operations.

The main responsibilities will be to: · Produce SSOW packs and task briefings · Provide supporting information to operational staff on methods of work · Deliver advice to stakeholders on safety matters and set standards.

Our requirements: To be considered for this newly created position; you must have a working knowledge of the railway, ideally with a civil engineering background with a recognised engineering qualification; have a good working knowledge of Railway Group Standards, Approved codes of practice (RACOP’s), Guidance Notes and Rail Industry Standards (RISs).

Next Steps:

A downloadable job description is available at www.hwmartin.com/careers To apply, please complete an online application form and return it to humanresources@hwmartin.com with a covering letter and details of your current remuneration, stating your reasons for applying. We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from any suitably qualified individuals.

October 2014 | RailStaff | 77

Head of Safety & Compliance £47,000 - £60,000 per annum (plus benefits) Location: Gosforth, Newcastle Upon Tyne 5 days (37 hours) per week The Tyne & Wear Metro is an iconic light rail network serving the 5 districts in Tyne & Wear. As part of the Arriva group, DBTW operates the Metro on behalf of Nexus. With our customers at the heart of everything we do, we employ around 500 staff, serve 60 stations, run 500 services a day enabling nearly 40 million passenger journeys per year, so we are an essential part of everyday life in the North East.

The Head of Safety & Compliance post is integral to the continued development of the safety culture within the organisation and is the primary interface with regulatory bodies and Nexus on safety related issues.

The successful candidate will provide expertise and guidance at every level of the organisation in relation to the safe operation of the business. Through a small team you will drive a culture of continuous improvement in safety, quality and environmental matters.

The role is suitable for an appropriately qualified, safety professional with at least 5 years experience at a senior level.

An influential leader, your professional credibility and well developed interpersonal skills will make you a strong team player and will underpin your ability to proactively develop productive relationships with key internal and external stakeholders.

Please visit http://www.nexus.org.uk/careers/vacancies-metro for an application pack or contact recruitment@twmetro.co.uk Closing dates for applications: 24th October 2014

Making a difference ...every day Track Partnership is a strategic alliance between London Underground and Balfour Beatty Rail responsible for delivering essential track and drainage renewals to the London Underground network.

Our award-winning team take pride in applying innovation and improving planning process to renew the world’s oldest metro system whilst keeping 4 million people moving in London every day.

Our mission is to consistently deliver high quality, on time, every time, whilst continually improving safety, reducing cost and providing a reliable service for our customers.

If you want to be part of a high-performing team that delivers world class renewals for a world class tube, we want to hear from you.

Based from London, we have a wide variety of vacancies for project staff which include but are not limited to:  Project Planners  Quantity Surveyors  Delivery Supervisors

 Cost Managers  Permanent Way Engineers  Site / Delivery Engineers

To find out more visit www.balfourbeatty.com/careers or email trackpartnershipjobs@tfl.gov.uk

Track Partnership, a strategic alliance between:

CAREERS

78 | RailStaff | October 2014

RailwayPeople.com Fast track your career

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ONLINE www.RailwayPeople.com

Signalling a bright new future for your career Signalling Solutions is a company formed by combining the complementary signalling resources and products of Alstom Transport Information Solutions UK and Balfour Beatty Rail Projects.

If you are looking for a new challenge and want to make a real contribution to the success of our business, we have opportunities across all our locations in the following disciplines: • Design • Testing • Planning • Project Management • Quantity Surveying • Installation Management • Project Engineering • Health, Safety and Environmental • Systems Engineering

If you want to work with a forward thinking company and the latest cutting edge technology, apply today.

In return for your commitment and contribution, you can expect an excellent package and the opportunity to shape your career the way that you want, with training, development and career planning.

All the advertised positions have the following benefits: We offer a competitive salary plus a range of benefits including a contributory pension and 25 days holiday.

To view and apply for our jobs please visit www.signallingsolutionscareers.com

For further information, or to make an application: Tel: +44 (0)1923 635 089 email: recruitment@signallingsolutions.com

a Balfour Beatty and Alstom company

KEEPING YOU ON TRACK

CHARITY

80 | RailStaff | Ocyo 2014

DRUGS AND ALCOHOL SERVICES FROM EXPRESS MEDICALS

Express Medicals provides a full array of drugs and alcohol services including the following:

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Pre-Sponsorship Tests Periodic Tests For Cause/Post Incident Tests Policy Review/Writing

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