Rail Professional July 2022

JULY 2022 ISSUE 284 £7.95

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A new purple patch After decades of anticipation, one million passengers ride the Elizabeth Line in its first five days

Supply Chain Are you smart enough for smartPCN?

Sustainability Quietly nurturing the green shoots of an eco-revolution

Track and Trackside Track maintenance organisations focused on developing safer working behaviours

WELCOME |

3

JUNE 2022 ISSUE 284 £7.95

www.railpro.co.uk

THE BUSINESS RESOURCE FOR RAIL

A new purple patch After decades of anticipation, one million passengers ride the Elizabeth Line in its first five days

Supply Chain Are you smart enough for smartPCN?

Sustainability Quietly nurturing the green shoots of an eco-revolution

editor’s note

Track and Trackside Track maintenance organisations focused on developing safer working behaviours

PUBLISHER RAIL PROFESSIONAL LTD Hallmark House, Downham Road, Ramsden Heath, Essex CM11 1PU Telephone: +44 (0)1268 711811 EDITORIAL EDITOR SAM SHERWOOD-HALE editor@railpro.co.uk DISPLAY ADVERTISING DEAN SALISBURY JAMIE TREGARTHEN sales@railpro.co.uk RECRUITMENT ADVERTISING recruitment@railpro.co.uk SUBSCRIPTIONS subscriptions@railpro.co.uk ADMINISTRATION CHERIE NUGENT info@railpro.co.uk LISA ETHERINGTON admin@railpro.co.uk DESIGN & PRODUCTION ALICIA BANNISTER LUKASZ SACZEK production@railpro.co.uk COVER TRACK AND TRACKSIDE Image credit: iStock

Rail Professional welcomes contributions in the form of articles, photographs or letters,

It might not be the most wonderful time of the year, but it is most certainly my favourite time of the year. We’re about to kick off a Summer of Sport with Wimbledon and the Silverstone Grand Prix right around the corner and even the increasingly extreme changeable nature of the weather won’t dampen my spirits. One event to add to the Summer calendar, even if it doesn’t fit with my sport theme, is Rail Live which is happening as I am writing this. It seems to be claiming its place as one of the major events to be at in the rail industry and with the event falling at the start of Summer I imagine an outdoor event of this nature will only grow in popularity. All in all 5,000 people attended the two-day event at Porterbrook’s Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre.

Sir Peter Hendy CBE, Chairman of Network Rail said: ‘Rail Live is the premier hands-on rail event of the year – rolling stock, plant, people, techniques. Unmissable. Be there!’ Were you there? I look forward to reading everyone’s roundup over the coming days and weeks.

The other big news this month was of course the opening of the Elizabeth Line, we have a special twelve-page piece on the new line in this month’s issue – with stories from some of the architects behind it and some photos of the new and upgraded stations.

My interview this month is with David Girdler, McCulloch Group CEO, we discussed eliminating manual handling, tailoring solutions to client’s problems and being at the forefront of innovation.

We’re focusing on supply chain and sustainability this month. Stuart Broadbent of the International Institute of Obsolescence Management (IIOM) writes on communicating obsolescence in the rail industry, Elaine Clark, Chief Executive Officer of Rail Forum explains how SMEs can work collaboratively with clients, alongside a piece from the Rail Industry Association.

Covering sustainability we have Andrew McArthur and Brian Anderson from WRc’s management consulting team discussing the climate threat and how responses to this can be woven into existing asset management frameworks, David Woodcock, Business Unit Manager – Rail at DW Windsor looks at how the correct lighting technology and strategy can make a significant contribution to reducing the energy usage of stations, while still meeting all the functional and safety requirement, alongside a piece from Greater Anglia.

Sam Sherwood-Hale Editor

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CONTENTS / ISSUE 284 / JULY 2022 |

5

09 News

33 Viewpoint

Tyne and Wear Metro first railway to have tactile paving on every platform, Business plan marks significant point in EEH’s history, Mechan highly commended for innovation, New hi-tech weather stations closely monitoring heatwave on the railway, HS2 welcomes planning approval for major Birmingham viaducts, Collaboration brings STEAM careers to life for 75 female students at Belfast Grand Central Station site, SLC hosts Women in Rail anniversary event

With Lumo now operating trains between London and Edinburgh, Phil Bulman of Vendigital recounts a journey on the new electric rail service

17 Rail Professional Interview Sam Sherwood-Hale, Editor of Rail Professional spoke to David Girdler, McCulloch Group CEO about eliminating manual handling, tailoring solutions to client’s problems and being at the forefront of innovation

23 The Cheek of it In March 2020, Chris looked at the prospects for a postWilliams rail network in which revenue risk – and therefore the entirety of fares policy – would revert to the Government

25 News XEIAD Opens New Regional Office

27 Laying down the law Breaking down bias and challenging prejudice, one mentoring pair at a time

29 Women in Rail Alongside the state opening of Parliament last month, a number of new pieces of draft legislation were launched which will affect the rail industry

31 Delivering the goods Laura Wright, Rail Freight Adviser, Logistics UK provides an overview of 3Squared’s project and explain why such schemes are so vital to grow the use of rail freight

37 Viewpoint Jonathan Edwards, Transportation Market Leader at GHD analyses a multitude of short and long-term issues across the rail sector

39 Viewpoint Russell Keir, Vice Chair of IOSH Railway Group explains why Train Operating Companies and Entities in Charge of Maintenance (ECMs) must work together

43 Viewpoint As organisations across the rail industry work to meet the obligations of the government’s Safeguarding on Rail Scheme, Emma Halewood UK Partnerships Manager for Railway Children explains the difference it can make to young people

46 Sustainability Andrew McArthur and Brian Anderson from WRc’s management consulting team discuss the climate threat and how responses to this can be woven into existing asset management frameworks

48 Viewpoint Whoosh CEO, Edmund Caldecott explains how to get travellers back on trains, both for leisure and business

50 Supply Chain Stuart Broadbent, Obsolescence Director at Alstom and Chairperson of The International Institute of Obsolescence Management UK (IIOM) on communicating obsolescence in the rail industry

Rail Professional

CONTENTS / ISSUE 284 / JULY 2022 |

7

54 Spotlight Transport for London (TfL) is the integrated transport authority responsible for delivering the Mayor of London’s strategy and commitments on transport

57 Supply Chain The Railway Industry Association (RIA) has been representing rail companies since 1845, and – under various names in the last 147 years – has acted as the voice of the UK rail supply community, speaking to decision makers and influencers, and bringing colleagues across the rail supply sector

60 Supply Chain The team at Rail Products has drawn on decades of front-line working experience in the rail industry to help develop the company into a leading global manufacturer of Rail/Road vehicles

63 Sustainability Green target in sight as more than two-thirds of Network Rail suppliers pledge to limit carbon emissions

65 Supply Chain Two phrases we hear quite a lot are: ‘We need more innovation in the rail industry’ and ‘suppliers need to bring forward their ideas’. But are they fair comments? Elaine Clark, Chief Executive Officer of Rail Forum finds out

69 Ticketing For transit planners, the ability to predict passenger behaviours, needs and wants is imperative to meaningful decision-making, says Philippe Vappereau, General Manager, Calypso Networks Association

97 81 Sustainability David Woodcock, Business Unit Manager – Rail at DW Windsor looks at how the correct lighting technology and strategy can make a significant contribution to reducing the energy usage of stations, while still meeting all the functional and safety requirement

84 Track and Trackside Dr Stephen Fletcher, Director and Occupational Psychologist at the OPC shares some work and initiatives with track workers and track maintenance organisations focused on developing safer working behaviours and improvements to safety culture

87 Elizabeth Line Special Feature The transformational Elizabeth line, valued at £19 billion, opened on Tuesday 24 May, marking the most significant addition to the capital's transport network for a generation

73 Sustainability

103 Business Profiles

The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that passenger and freight transport activity will more than double by 2050

Medigold Health, Snap-on Safety, Relec Electronics, GDS Group, Electro-Wind

74 Sustainability East Anglia’s fragile wildlife populations are finding sanctuary at Greater Anglia’s railway stations – thanks to the efforts of volunteers who are transforming land the equivalent of 34 tennis courts into eco-friendly gardens

114 People Martijn Gilbert, Shamit Gaiger, Dyan Crowther, Kelly Warburton, James Corker, Christian Irwin, Lydia Fairman and Bill Cooke

Rail Professional

8

| NEWS

Tyne and Wear Metro first railway to have tactile paving on every platform

The Tyne and Wear Metro has become England’s first rail network to have tactile paving on every platform edge, delivering a major accessibility upgrade for blind and partially sighted people. Nexus, the public body which owns and manages Metro, has completed a year-long project to upgrade the twelve remaining Metro stations which needed tactile strips installed.

It means that all 60 stations on the network now have tactile surfacing, which create a visual and physical alert to the presence of a platform’s edge to aid people who are visually impaired – as well as step-free access from street to platform.

Major Projects Director at Nexus, Cathy Massarella, said: ‘I am delighted to say that Metro is the first railway in the country to have tactile paving on every platform edge. This provides a major accessibility improvement for customers who are blind or partially sighted.

‘We worked closely with RNIB, Guide Dogs, and other local

disability campaigners to bring this project to fruition. Forty-eight stations on our network already had tactile strips and this project was all about bring this in at a further twelve stations so that all 60 stations have this feature.

‘It is a huge stride forward in making our network safe and secure for people who are visually impaired. It means that Metro corresponds with the national accessibility guidance set by the Department for Transport.

‘Metro has a very high accessibility standard. We have already invested in tactile paving, dual height handrails and anti-slip surfacing to improve accessibility for customers with disabilities.

All of our stations have step-free access from the street to the train door.

‘When our new trains arrive they will have automatic sliding steps, allowing for seamless boarding, eliminating the gap between the train and the edge of the platform. The new Metro fleet will be transformational in terms of improved accessibility.’

Lewis Winton, RNIB Regional Campaign Officer for the North East, said: ‘Tactile paving is not just an accessibility measure, it is fundamental to the health and safety of passengers and pedestrians.

There should be no train platforms without tactile paving. The feature is essential in enabling blind and partially sighted people to travel independently and safely. We are delighted that the Tyne and Wear Metro has become the first rail network in England to have tactile paving installed on all its platforms and we would urge all rail networks to follow suit.’

The final two stations to see tactile edges installed were Whitley Bay and Tynemouth, both of which needed listed building consent.

Whitley Bay will see a further £2 million invested by Nexus this summer to restore its historic glass canopy roof.

The work has been carried out at the following Metro stations: Monument, Manors, St James, Jesmond, Gateshead, Heworth, Four Lane Ends, Regent Centre, Byker, Chichester, Whitley Bay and Tynemouth.

Business plan marks significant point in EEH’s history England’s Economic Heartland is moving into the next phase in its history after publishing its business plan for the next three years. The plan set outs how EEH will evolve its focus and capability to become a unit that not only sets the strategy and identifies investment priorities for the region. From 2022/23, EEH will also play a proactive role in progressing the case for individual schemes, while supporting local authority partners with the capacity to do the same for their own projects.

Based on the indicative funding from DfT, nearly £1 million will be allocated by EEH to supporting the development of strategic outline business cases by 2025 when the plan concludes.

At the same time, during 2022 EEH will develop its proof of concept for a ‘centre of excellence’ which will support local authorities on their individual early scheme development. Following the trial, EEH will look to secure additional funding to realise the proposal for a centre of excellence in full.

Other work priorities in the three-year plan demonstrates how EEH will: • Significantly upgrade its evidence base while continuing to ensure it is accessible and free to use by all partners in the region.

• Shape the national agenda on the need for localised, place based approaches to planning connectivity and cutting emissions.

• Produce a robust regional investment pipeline based on its Rail Professional

• •

technical work, including the programme of connectivity studies which will complete by 2025.

Help realise an integrated transport system with active travel and public transport at its heart.

Strengthen engagement with the Heartland’s world class innovators to harness their expertise and trial new solutions within the region.

Chair of England’s Economic Heartland, Cllr Richard Wenham, said: ‘This three-year business plan marks a significant point in England’s Economic Heartland’s history. For the first time, EEH is able to produce a plan for the longer term thanks to the confidence the Department of Transport has placed in us by indicating its level of funding over the next three years. Our core values will remain just as true over the next three years as at the time of our inception in 2015. We will continue to be collaborative and transparent; ambitious and evidence led; and operating at a scale which provides tangible benefit for the region.’

England’s Economic Heartland has also published its annual report for 2021-2022. Alongside progress on work being carried out by EEH, the annual report details the significant organisational changes made over the last year, including Cllr Wenham becoming Chair and Naomi Green being appointed Managing Director.

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| NEWS

Mechan highly commended for innovation

Sheffield-based rail depot equipment specialist, Mechan, is in the running for a national accolade celebrating the achievements of those pushing the industry forward. The firm has been shortlisted in the ‘small scale project’ category at this year’s Railway Innovation Awards for a bespoke bogie drop it created for Norwich’s Crown Point depot.

The awards showcase outstanding innovations and novel technologies from across the rail sector and are judged by a panel of industry experts. Winners will be announced at a special ceremony in London on July 1.

A bogie drop allows complete bogies and other underfloor modules to be changed at track level, without decoupling the train. This means the process can be completed in less than two hours and vehicles return to service more quickly than using traditional methods, which require the carriages to be lifted or split.

Mechan’s specialist engineers designed and built the custom-made unit for Crown Point to enable underframe equipment to be removed from Stadler and Bombardier trains. The drop had to be completely bespoke as the Stadler vehicles have articulated bogies, meaning two carriages need supporting during removal.

Lindsey Mills, Mechan’s Sales Director, said: ‘We are honoured to be shortlisted for the prestigious Rail Innovation Awards – the longest running awards in our industry. We pride ourselves on creating equipment that meets the specific needs of depots and to have our design and build skills recognised by our peers is a fantastic endorsement of our work. We look forward to finding out who has won the coveted prize in a month’s time!’

To find out more about Mechan’s award success or its wide range of rail depot maintenance equipment, telephone (0114) 257 0563, visit www.mechan.co.uk or follow the firm on Twitter, @mechanuk.

CONTACT Messe Berlin GmbH Messedamm 22 14055 Berlin Germany T +49 30 3038 2376 innotrans@messe-berlin.de

12

| NEWS

New hi-tech weather stations closely monitoring heatwave on the railway

A network of new hi-tech weather stations are in action for this first time during hot weather to reduce rail delays on the West Coast main line, and rail routes in the West Midlands and North West. Last year a system of 60 solar-powered weather stations were installed* to monitor extreme conditions in real-time so railway staff can keep more trains moving instead of imposing region-wide speed limits.

Right now across Network Rail’s North West and Central region they’re being used to predict where the railway could be at risk of damage with temperatures hitting 30°C in places in June. The hot weather, particularly direct sunlight, can cause track temperatures to reach more than 50°C. Steel rails absorb heat easily and tend to hover around 20 degrees above the surrounding air temperature.

When steel becomes very hot it expands and rails can bend, flex and, in serious cases, buckle.

By using the new technology, Network Rail teams are ready to respond to any issues caused by the heatwave and impose speed limits in local areas if they are needed. The network of 25,000 volt overhead electric cables which power cables is also susceptible to the hot weather. It can cause the steel wires to overheat and expand causing them to sag. They can then hang too low and get caught on passing trains causing them to come down. Railway staff are ready for this challenge on the West Coast main line south of Crewe, in the West Midlands and on the Chiltern line.

In the longer term the data gathered will help Network Rail weather experts to predict which parts of the network are more vulnerable to bad weather before it even hits. Since 2015 in Network Rail’s North West and Central region, extreme weather has caused half a million minutes of train delays – or more than 400 days.

HS2 welcomes planning approval for major Birmingham viaducts HS2 Ltd has been granted Schedule 17 consent by Birmingham City Council for two viaducts which will take the new high speed railway into Curzon Street Station in the city centre. Curzon Viaduct No.3 and Lawley Middleway Viaduct are part of the Curzon Street Station Approach area, which is made up of four connected viaducts between Duddeston Junction Viaduct and Curzon Street Station in central Birmingham. The other viaducts are Curzon Street No.1 Viaduct (furthest from the station) and Curzon Street No.2 Viaduct.

A number of design refinements have resulted in a shorter construction programme and less concrete needed to build the viaduct, bringing positive environmental and community benefits.

The viaducts are being designed by a Design Joint Venture of Mott MacDonald and Systra and architects Weston Williamson + Partners, all working for HS2’s civils contractor Balfour Beatty VINCI

joint venture.

The Curzon Viaduct No.3 is approximately 300 metres long, the height above ground level varies between 5 metres to 6 metres, it is 65 metres wide at the widest point and will be supported by 30 piers. As it approaches Curzon Street Station, the deck of the viaduct widens from a single deck at the eastern end to four separate decks at the western end.

The viaduct will widen to four separate decks near Curzon Street Station to maximise daylight in the public space underneath. V piers have been developed to support the viaducts because they take up less room at ground level and will also have a side recess for future potential services to be visually integrated. As well as separating the viaduct into four separate decks, the V piers will also help to maximise the opportunities to create a usable and flexible public space under the viaduct.

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NEWS |

15

Collaboration brings STEAM careers to life for 75 female students at Belfast Grand Central Station site A careers open day, held at the construction site of Belfast Grand Central Station, brought together 75 female students from five schools in the city for an interactive experience event designed to inspire the next generation of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) talent.

Farrans Sacyr, the main works contractor for Belfast Grand Central Station, hosted the day in collaboration with Translink, W5, CITB and ConstructTuition ahead of International Women in Engineering Day on 23 June.

The five leading organisations have joined forces to build a more diverse and inclusive talent pipeline for the construction sector, with Equality Commission NI figures showing that only eleven per cent of engineers are female.

Year nine students from St. Louise’s Comprehensive College, Hunterhouse College, Strathearn School, Victoria College and Methodist College took part in a site tour, an engineering railway challenge, a virtual reality experience, Minecraft, a structural engineering challenge and workshops on sustainability, health and safety and the commercial aspects of running a live project. The event concluded with a selfie competition, sponsored by W5. Belfast Grand Central Station will deliver a modern, world-class integrated transport hub to enhance local and international connectivity with bus, coach and rail links across Northern Ireland and beyond. It will offer greater capacity with an increase to 26 bus stands, 8 railway platforms, enhanced walking and cycling connectivity, greater comfort and accessibility encouraging greener, active travel for a healthier, smarter city. The Weavers Cross development delivered as part of the project will regenerate the lands around Grand Central Station and facilitate economic growth and urban regeneration.

Belfast Lord Mayor, Councillor Tina Black, commented: ‘It’s wonderful to see these young women being encouraged to consider careers in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.

We have an immense amount of talent in our city – and we’ve made a commitment in The Belfast Agenda to help every young person living here to reach their full potential.The investment we’ve secured through the Belfast Region City Deal – and the delivery of landmark infrastructure developments like Belfast’s Grand Central Station – are going to help create new and better jobs in these growth areas, so

it’s fantastic to see that employers are making concerted efforts to stimulate a more diverse and inclusive talent supply pipeline.’

Lisa McFadden, Translink Programme Manager, commented: ‘This exciting new fully integrated transport hub will represent a step change for public transport. As a fully multi-modal transport facility it will improve connectivity for everyone in Northern Ireland and beyond and act as a highly impressive gateway. It is the largest construction project undertaken by Translink to date, and requires significant engineering works from building and bridge construction, road upgrade works through to extensive railway and signalling works and we have been delighted to showcase this important project to these female students. As an organisation we are committed to actively encouraging more females to apply for transport jobs.

Being part of this event is a great opportunity to demonstrate the many opportunities open to females within the engineering and construction side of our business and show how a career in public transport can help play a major part in tackling the climate crisis and enhance air quality, for a healthier, smarter and more sustainable city for everyone.’

SLC hosts Women in Rail anniversary event SLC, the rail station design and build specialist, welcomed over 40 people from across the rail industry to its offices in Birmingham’s Brindleyplace on Thursday 16 June. The event – embracing our uniqueness to create winning teams – is the first in a series of special events being held to celebrate 10 years of the Women in Rail charity. It was organised by SLC’s Apprentice Engineering, Lucy Dyer, and it involved activities and networking.

Sam Uren, Engineering Director of SLC Rail said: ‘It was fantastic to welcome so many people to our new office in Brindleyplace. Lucy worked hard to create an event that got people networking and having fun whilst demonstrating the importance of embracing our uniqueness. It was a very enjoyable evening.’

Claire Burrows, Chair of West Midlands Regional Women in Rail Group, said: ‘We are very grateful for the support of SLC Rail in organising and hosting this special anniversary event for us. It was super to be back with an “in person” event and there was a great atmosphere and real buzz amongst attendees.

’Women in Rail was created to improve diversity in the UK rail industry by providing networking opportunities and support for all women within the sector.

Rail Professional

Impaired health is estimated to cost the rail industry

£889 million a year*

RSSB is listening to industry and their concerns, and we have developed a suite of training courses to help improve the health and wellbeing of individuals in the railway. Courses include e-learning and trainer-led remote deliverables.

Visit www.rssb.co.uk/training for more information, or email training@rssb.co.uk if you’d like RSSB to deliver any of our mental health courses as a bespoke training remotely or at a location of your choice.

www.rssb.co.uk/training *The Costs Benefits of Health and Wellbeing, RSSB (2019)

Scan Me

RAIL PROFESSIONAL INTERVIEW |

17

Interview

David Girdler, McCulloch Group CEO Sam Sherwood-Hale, Editor of Rail Professional spoke to David Girdler, McCulloch Group CEO about eliminating manual handling, tailoring solutions to client’s problems and being at the forefront of innovation

McCulloch Group has been in business for 30 years, having joined in 2021, how much have you’ve learned about the company in that time?

In the year that I have been here, it was important to me to get to know the founders, twin brothers Danny and Billy, and the McCulloch team, some of whom have been here since the business’ inception, to gain an understanding of the DNA of the business and I can confidently say that McCulloch Group has been at the forefront of changing the way we work on the railways.

The company began with Danny and Billy working on the railway and observing standardised working practices. This lead to the identification of better ways to complete certain tasks on the track, new methods, as well as inventing and developing new and patented machinery which would not only improve efficiency plus health and safety practices, but also saves time and money. We have documented evidence of some clients reducing previous high injury workstreams to achieving zero accidents and incidents through the adoption of our innovative plant.

From an industry perspective, obviously technology is continually evolving, and we have to respond to that by developing our products and processes. A good example is our response to the climate crisis which is going to be, if not already, the biggest

challenge the rail industry faces in the next ten years. We’ve recently launched our first entirely electric product, the TRTe™, which we believe to be the first zero-emissions rail solution in the world.

As we enter our thirtieth year as a business the biggest change is the transformation from an entrepreneurial

Eliminating manual handling is at the core of everything we do at McCulloch Group and it’s the primary focus of much of our innovative kit

style of business to one based on a formal business footing. We are positioned for exponential growth and the new structure is imperative to facilitate sustained success.

However, the entrepreneurial culture is at the forefront of everything we do and the business will always maintain a quirky edge, which I personally love.

How do your different machines reduce man/machine proximity?

Most of our machines have been designed to replace manual railway tasks, be it removing and replacing rail panels, lifting or laying cable, or even transporting waste and debris away from the track. By utilising our machines to complete these tasks, particularly in the case of machinery that is remote controlled, it creates an exclusion zone allowing on-track workers to have a safe clearance. The vast majority of rail machinery is adapted from civils equipment.

This is inherently inefficient as it is a corruption of plant that was inefficient to begin with.

An example being that McCulloch equipment generally lifts from within its own footprint. This is essentially more stable and efficient than the business as usual kit on the market.

All of our machinery is certified for work under live overhead line equipment – so that in itself means we’re keeping men off the track under live environments and removing the dangers that these environments entail. This creates an exclusion zone and keeps the operators out of harms way. This is complemented by the halo and camera system which is also in use on some of our plant. It would be a simple step to have no boots on the ballast at all, with our equipment fully operated remotely. Clearly Rail Professional

18

| RAIL PROFESSIONAL INTERVIEW

there is some way to go to enabling such change, but we are ahead of the curve and are also working on fully automated systems with some external partners.

We are developing a system that will completely revolutionise the repair and removal of switches and crossings (S&C).

I expect this to be delivered within this

All of our machinery is certified to work under live overhead line equipment. This is an incredible advantage as it can save around four hours per shift and this opens up mid-week working to operators and owners of infrastructure.

is invented and developed out of a vision to improving the way in which works are undertaken in the railway and quite often this has a regulatory aspect, so we always take regulations into consideration when developing new, or existing machinery. Our purpose at McCulloch Group is to make rail infrastructure projects safer, greener, more cost-effective and time efficient. We can only do that by continually developing our offer in line with not only UK regulations, but also those in all the continents where we operate, from North America to Australasia and most places in between. We have a saying that ‘If you don’t have McCulloch equipment, then you can’t compete’.

It is recognised that UK regulations are at the top end of global standards, so given that all our kit is approved for use in line with UK regulations we know it will also meet regulations across the world with little or no change required to achieve compliance.

You also enhance your machinery throughout the years, such as the plough attachment on the TRT, what is that process like? How do you go about upgrading the machines?

The Panel Lifter was developed around Network Rail’s decision to prohibit the use of any Road Rail vehicle from lifting 60ft concrete track panels. Do you typically look at regulations when developing new machinery in this manner?

We like to use the phrase ‘built for rail people, by rail people’ when talking about our products. Our product development cycle is driven by people who have extensive track experience, many of whom still work on track; who are on top of what’s happening in the industry, developments in regulations, new projects etc. They see the equipment in use and are full of ideas when it comes to how we can continually improve ontrack projects. Historically, Danny’s work in Operations compliments Billy’s innovations and there is a strong synergy between the siblings which drives this process and keeps us relevant.

Although our kit performs exceptionally well, we always have an eye to future innovation. Nothing stands still in this industry, but if we are standing still, we are going backwards.

Examples of creating new attachments for the TRT or even the creation of the TRTe, its entirely electric sibling, are made in direct response to what we see happening on track and a sheer determination to make it better, as well as customer requests – and this is a growing aspect of the business. We have a team of designers and innovators who relish solving the challenges brought to them. Combined with our manufacturing capability, including an existing relationship with Unipart Rail who assemble some of our equipment, our sizeable research and development team are cycling many innovative additions through the product cycle. This is n area of huge growth and the team is ever increasing to keep pace.

Regulations are extremely important but I would not say that we are driven solely by regulatory issues. Most of our equipment

What machinery do you have that is certified to work under live overhead line equipment?

financial year and it will enable significant savings to be made in planning and execution of S&C works. A recent trial saw the panel placed in just 14 minutes! This will be shared on our new website and social media platforms in due course.

How do you eliminate manual handling?

Eliminating manual handling is at the core of everything we do at McCulloch Group and it’s the primary focus of much of our innovative kit (you can research our products to understand this more fully on our website). We work on the railway and so are actively engaged in the evolution of our own equipment with trialling and development being seamlessly integrated into our work. By the time new equipment hits the market, we will generally have put at least 100 hours of real time usage on the system.

As key products have proven popular, we’ve continually developed new additions with Billy inventing new machines and attachments to eliminate more manual handling and Danny from an operational perspective.

Rail Professional

All of our machinery is certified to work under live overhead line equipment. This is an incredible advantage as it can save around four hours per shift and this opens up midweek working to operators and owners of infrastructure. It is incredibly inefficient to wait for isolation. We experience this first hand on a regular basis. Just last week we were able to remove two 709ft rails and had also replaced one of them before the Road Rail Vehicles (RRVs) had even moved. This efficiency gain makes mid-week working viable and it ought to be the first choice for working. We know of the pressures that isolating overhead line equipment can cause, not only to infrastructure projects, but also to the railway network as a whole.

Our products carry out the manual tasks within the live environment, controlled remotely from track teams who can then stay within the appropriate distance from the track, keeping in line with regulations, and getting the job done quickly, efficiently, and safely.

Tell me about the McCulloch Rail trolley system, what does it do and how does it work?

The McCulloch Rail Trolley system is designed to transport heavy pieces of scrap and rail materials to and from the track.

Our product development cycle is driven by people who have extensive track experience, many of whom still work on track

It’s the piece of kit that’s designed to be used alongside other machines like the TRT or the Panel Lifter to create a seamless production line. This stops track teams from doing any heavy lifting or using clunkier manual machinery, such as Iron men, to transport individual pieces from the track to the designated place, a safe distance from the track. We have developed a far safer and more efficient method, so it is really disappointing to see such archaic practices still being used and smart employers have embraced the change and are reaping the rewards, as are the staff who can be deployed on other work. The industry faces a significant challenge in securing the resources required to maintain the railway and this will only worsen in the future. Our equipment allows that precious resource to be better used in a safer and more efficient manner. Everybody wins.

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20

| RAIL PROFESSIONAL INTERVIEW

When a client comes to you with a particular problem, what’s your process for coming up with a solution? And how closely do you work with clients throughout the project?

We talk a lot about our products, which are inventive in themselves, but what’s a bit harder to get across is how we tailor solutions, using our range of products, to the challenges our clients present us with.

As previously mentioned, we are increasingly getting a lot of new clients coming to us with problems, seeking solutions and we have a dedicated team of designers and innovators who, if they haven’t seen it before, can find a solution.

The UK rail industry has a fairly small number of organisations responsible for

Rail Professional

By the time new equipment hits the market, we will generally have put at least 100 hours of real time usage on the system.

railway infrastructure, so we tend to have close working relationships with the same people and companies. If a client comes to us with a project and its associated challenges,

we look at that project holistically before assessing which products and contractors are required, before working out projected timescales and costs. A lot of our kit is designed to move about the track easily and within restricted spaces like tunnels, so bringing different machines together for specific projects is pretty simple and fairly seamless. We like to solve as many issues as possible and contribute to a safer railway.

It is an incredible industry and I am very proud to be part of a team that is at the forefront of innovation and practical improvements. I’m certainly highly optimistic about the growth of McCulloch Group into the next 30 years.

David Girdler is McCulloch Group CEO

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VIEWPOINT |

23

The Cheek of it Chris Cheek

More public sector control: is it really the answer for our railways?

In March 2020, Chris looked at the prospects for a post-Williams rail network in which revenue risk – and therefore the entirety of fares policy – would revert to the Government

W

ith the ‘will he, won’t he?’ question now answered over HS2 and other funding announcements for future transport projects out of the way, attention must once again turn to the outcome of the Williams Review of passenger rail franchising.

The report was supposedly imminent in December but postponed because of the General Election, but still had yet to emerge at the time of writing.

This doesn’t stop further leaks and speculation about what will be proposed.

And the consensus seems to be that a new version of OPRAF/SRA will take over the running of the network from DfT Rail on a more arm’s length basis, letting concessions to run services as opposed to the current franchises. The main difference, it is suggested, being that the contracts will be let on a ‘cost plus’ basis, with revenue risk remaining with the new government body – with heavy emphasis placed on incentives/

penalties for performance.

This is similar to the way in which the London Overground and Crossrail contracts are let by Transport for London which, it is argued, have delivered higher levels of performance than the revenue risk model operated on most of the rest of the network.

Advocates of the system point out that not having to worry about revenue risk frees the management to focus on quality, since that is the means by the operator can earn additional income or avoid penalties.

There are, however, downsides to such a system – both from a customer and a taxpayer point of view. The first is the danger that handing control of all fares to a single, Government-funded body will result in a less flexible, more rigid system promoted on the back of ‘simplicity’ – stifling innovation and increasing the cost of millions of journeys.

Secondly, the change could well end the tentative moves towards the introduction of more competition on the network – both between existing train operators but also by

killing off open access operators. This would particularly be the case if, having created a

Between them, the three big regional franchises received £862 million of revenue support in 2018/19 (that’s aside from Network Rail funding).

new public body to manage the train services alongside an infrastructure operator that is

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| VIEWPOINT

already in the public sector, the opportunity was taken to remove any independent economic regulation of the industry.

Thirdly, such a system would inevitably maintain close and detailed control by the public sector of timetabling and service provision, alongside rolling stock provision.

If the railway industry is to play its part in helping to deliver the shifts in transport demand needed to tackle climate change, we need to forge a railway network that is forward-looking, enterprising, fl exible and dynamic.

Since these are the issues where the existing system has been most criticised, it would still leave too much power in the hands of public sector officials in Whitehall (albeit with some moves towards devolution – though of course without the control over funding that is necessary to make local decision-making work). This would not end the micro-management that has been a consistent criticism of the current system since 2005 and would again stifle innovation and competition.

The fourth concern is that it would not end cost creep. Operating costs, and particularly labour costs, have tended to rise at rates higher than inflation – even rising in real terms when wages were falling in other industries. Managing contract bids, using assumptions provided by the client, mean

that it is compliance with the budget plan that matters rather than constantly striving to reduce costs.

Issue number five concerns the government’s ongoing willingness to provide revenue support to those parts of the railway network that still need it. Recent events in Northern Ireland offer a worrying sign of the way things might go. There, the state-owned transport operator seems to lurch from one financial crisis to another, despite achieving strong market growth and value for money – simply because governments in Belfast and London do not deliver the necessary levels of funding.

To those of us who have previously worked for the nationalised transport industries in the past, this is a depressingly familiar story, which may well get replicated in London if nothing is done to resolve TfL’s funding shortfall. The only consequence is service cuts, increased fares or other cost savings which impact on the quality of the product. We’ve been there before too many times in the years since 1945.

Between them, the three big regional franchises received £862 million of revenue support in 2018/19 (that’s aside from Network Rail funding). The Northern and Welsh franchises currently enjoy average train loads in the mid-fifties and Scotrail in the low sixties. That’s around a quarter of the figure seen on the busiest InterCity routes, and roughly one third of the level seen on the London commuter franchises.

This means that a very great deal of quite rapid growth would be required to make those services self-funding. Meanwhile, providing additional capacity to cope with the growth that is already happening on these routes actually puts the subsidy bill up in the short term: that is a funding trap that we must be wary of.

Providing capital funding for rail reopening schemes is all very fine and nice, but we need to remember that those routes are unlikely to be commercially viable in the short term, and provision needs to be made for ongoing revenue support too.

For the last few years, the subsidy issue has been buried because premiums paid by profitable TOCs have exceeded the costs of subsidy. However, in a changed regime, that may no longer be the case, and with all government revenue expenditure subject to ongoing scrutiny, it is likely that

…the danger that handing control of all fares to a single, Government-funded body will result in a less fl exible, more rigid system

these ongoing costs will come under the microscope, as they did in the early 2000s.

If the railway industry is to play its part in helping to deliver the shifts in transport demand needed to tackle climate change, we need to forge a railway network that is forward-looking, enterprising, flexible and dynamic. We need to remember that each one per cent of demand switched from private car to train means a 13 per cent increase in rail demand or a 17 per cent increase in bus demand. In a situation where the government envisages reducing private car use by ten per cent, the challenges to be faced by our public transport operators in the next decade or so are huge.

Unlike many, I am by no means convinced that increased public sector control of the railways (or indeed the buses) is the correct solution to the issues currently faced, much less the future demands that are going to be placed on the network.

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25

XEIAD Opens New Regional Office XEIAD have officially opened their new Swindon Office which provides a central location to deliver services to their clients in the South and West of England XEIAD are a specialist engineering consultancy providing structural inspections and investigations on civil engineering assets such as bridges, tunnels, walls and culverts. Primarily providing services throughout the transportation sector for clients including Network Rail and National Highways, they also support the design and delivery of major infrastructure maintenance and renewal contracts in other areas including Ports and Harbours, utilities and defence. They carry out scheduled inspections on over 20,000 structures each year to keep critical infrastructure safe throughout the UK. Formed in 2003, XEIAD have historically specialised in providing complex access solutions to allow their Engineers to access hard-toreach areas with the use of rope access, confined space, diving and powered access platforms. In 2021, XEIAD were awarded a number of large engineering inspection contracts which has resulted in significant growth for the business increasing the staff numbers from 70 to over 200 employees each with their own specialisms. Having launched their York office last year, the opening of the Swindon office is the second new regional office in the past twelve months for XEIAD. These both provide a platform for continued growth and have already facilitated the employment of new staff in the local area.

Managing Director, Paul Capener says: ‘We have seen significant growth since 2021 now with over 200 employees, opening new offices in both Swindon and York, this is another huge milestone for

the company. We have continued to successfully secure more new contracts in the South of England and our Swindon office not only gives us the ability to work closely with our clients on project delivery but also provides recruitment and upskilling opportunities for new and existing staff in the local area.’

Mike Smith, Network Rail Route Asset Manager, said ‘It’s a pleasure to come to the office opening and meet the site staff and attend their technical briefing. The establishment of the office in close proximity to Network Rail will allow continued collaboration between the partners.’

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VIEWPOINT FEATURE | |

Laying down the law

27 27

Martin Fleetwood

Get ready for changes to procurement practices Alongside the state opening of Parliament last month, a number of new pieces of draft legislation were launched which will affect the rail industry

A

consultation document has been produced for the Railways Bill and all industry stakeholders are recommended to respond to it. However, more concrete is the new Procurement Bill (the Bill) which has already received its first reading in the House of Lords.

Taking control of the procurement process The Bill follows on from the UK leaving the European Union and is part of the Government's objective to ‘take back control’ of how goods and services can be procured.

While there is a change in the form of language used in the Bill compared to that in the EU Directives, expect some legal arguments as to how much that actually changes some of the substance.

Where there will be real change is in how parties can manage a procurement competition and subsequently deal with the management of the contract once awarded. A whole section of the Bill deals with contract management and current proposals include the ability to increase or decrease the duration of a contract by up to ten per cent without the need to run a fresh procurement.

Use of performance measures Some of the most important issues for bidders and suppliers to the public sector, and the main focus of this article, are proposals for the use and publication of contract performance measures and the extra jeopardy around exclusion from future

procurements. Key aims of the Bill include improving the quality of delivery of services and holding suppliers to greater account for their performance. The government is also subjecting itself to greater transparency on how it runs procurements and manages contracts.

Changes which flow from these proposals are: • Publication of key performance indicators (KPIs) and supplier performance against them.

• Exclusion grounds for poor performance.

• Greater due diligence on supply chains.

• Pipelines of future procurement activity.

How will performance measures affect future procurements?

Contracts over £2 million in value must be published within 90 days of being entered into. KPIs must also be published and the supplier's levels of performance in meeting them reported at least once a year.

If a supplier is underperforming or there has been a breach which has resulted in termination/damages/settlement, this must be reported (although this does not apply to private utilities). As a result, suppliers are publically held to account for living up to their promises.

Failure to meet those promises can have significant impact, including exclusion from future procurements. A new discretionary ground for exclusion has been introduced which gives contracting authorities the ability to exclude a bidder. This ground applies when a supplier has:

• Breached a relevant contract in a sufficiently serious way; or • Not performed to the authority's satisfaction (and has failed to improve after notice was given).

With underlying performance data being made public, it will be much harder for the bidders to pick and choose their best contract experiences. The worst performances will be available for all to see. The Bill also proposes that a central debarment list will be created, detailing those poor performing suppliers who can be excluded from applying for public contracts.

Until it becomes clear how this list will be managed, this will be a major concern for bidders.

Information provided by bidders will be subject to greater scrutiny. If a bidder fails to provide information requested by the procuring party or provides incomplete, inaccurate or misleading information, the bidder can be treated as an ‘excluded supplier’. In such case, the awarding authority will have the ability to terminate a contract where a supplier has, since the award of the contract, become an excluded supplier or excludable supplier. This would include a situation where a supplier is subcontracting work but did not state this in its bid.

In addition to bidders themselves, their supply chains will be more closely scrutinised. Whole supply chains and not just ‘key’ or ‘essential’ suppliers will also need to satisfy the mandatory and

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| VIEWPOINT

discretionary exclusion grounds. Bidders will therefore need to take more care over their supply chains, ensure they meet the required standards and be able to fully answer relevant questions about them.

One positive is that bidders should be getting better warning that a procurement is due to be launched. Contracting authorities (but not private utilities) expecting to pay more than £100 million under relevant contracts in the coming financial year are required to publish a pipeline of those contracts having an estimated value of more than £2 million.

What should bidders do and when?

While the requirement to publish performance data is likely to only apply to contracts entered into under the new rules, contracting authorities may seek to publish performance data on all contracts. Care will be needed to ensure that confidential data in contracts is not published as part of performance metrics.

Bidders should take time now to: • Review commercial and technical information used in performance management to indicate which data should be redacted if the contracting authority wishes to publish performance data.

• Ensure that KPIs used in current contracts are drafted appropriately and there are sufficient warnings if a metric is likely to be missed. Failures to meet current KPIs could have an influence on future contract bids.

• Review the list of exclusion grounds in the Bill. Bidders should take steps so that they avoid falling into any ahead of them coming into effect. This goes for the bidder's supply chain as well.

• Take stock of their supply chains and ensure that they do not represent a risk to winning (and keeping) a contract.

Consider including policies governing behaviour in sub-contracts, particularly relating to standards which (if breached) could lead to exclusion from public contracts.

and allocate resource to projects which align with their strategy. It may result in procurements being more competitive and challenged more regularly as most bidders will be better prepared and more specifically targeting relevant contracts, so this should be anticipated.

Bidders should look to have a firm understanding of their business, ensure their supply chain is strong and healthy and their contracts are realistic in terms of performance requirements. Plan to allocate the resource needed to manage the company's public sector activity to give it the best chance of success.

Reporting and ongoing due diligence will also be key. Bidders will need to be alive to the health of their supply chains and putting forward the best teams for public contracts.

If not already there, reporting obligations should be built into these subcontracts.

Martin Fleetwood is a Consultant at Addleshaw Goddard’s Transport practice. The Rail Team has over 30 lawyers who advise clients in both the private and public sectors across a wide range of legal areas.

As well as contractual issues, the team advises on operational matters, franchises, concessions, finance, regulatory, property, employment, environmental and procurement issues.

Better opportunities for diligent bidders The obligation on contracting authorities to publish pipelines of contracts should allow diligent bidders to identify opportunities

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. It is recommended that specific professional advice is sought before acting on any of the information given.

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VIEWPOINT FEATURE | |

29

Women in Rail

The Women in Rail mentoring programme Breaking down bias and challenging prejudice, one mentoring pair at a time

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s 2022 marks the ten-year anniversary of Women in Rail, we look back at one of its achievements over the last decade – the WR Mentoring Programme and its future aspirations.

Since its inception, the charity has become a movement with an ever increasing following and presence. Women in Rail has achieved its core aim of promoting greater diversity and inclusion across the rail sector, with a key focus on the development and progression of females within a predominantly male industry.

Rajinder Pryor MBE, Network Rail Telecoms and Women in Rail board trustee, spoke about her experience of mentoring and the huge impact it had on her: ‘It was back in 2015, I was stuck in my career. I was stuck within myself, and I couldn’t see how to move forward. Mentoring was the magic ingredient added to everything else which got me where I am today.’

Launched in 2014, the programme was initially created with a commitment towards matching female mentees with mentors from different organisations within the rail industry as a nine-month development programme.

The programme has since grown from just twelve mentoring pairs in its first year to 270 pairs in 2018, and in 2019 Women in Rail made the decision to partner with Moving Ahead to take the programme to the next level. This new partnership brought with it a new perspective. Although the programme’s ethos remains centred around promoting and retaining diverse women across the industry, in 2020 the participant criteria was extended to include both female and male mentees.

Whilst women’s development and career progression remain a priority, the programme has manoeuvred itself to establish mentoring as a way for fostering

more inclusive workplace cultures through working closely with male allies – both as mentors and mentees.

Women in Rail and the programme is founded on ideals of diversity, equality, and inclusion. In bringing onboard male allies the endeavours for change have had an even wider reach within the industry as with it comes the realisation that men need to be part of the journey alongside women.

Jon Witt of the Rail Delivery Group participated in 2021 and was recognised as Mentor of the Year. Reflecting on his experiences, Jon said: ‘From the very first introductory meeting with my mentee, I immediately felt a strong connection with her – which is testament to the brilliant matching process. As well as sharing some of my own experiences and thoughts, I also learnt a huge amount from the programme. My primary consideration was to always provide some value through our conversations – sometimes this was through a general catch up, but other conversations were more focussed on specific themes such as building confidence, raising one’s profile and exploring new areas of professional interest. The relationship was really collaborative and two-way, and the highest compliment I can pay to my mentee and the programme was that we built a great friendship beyond the end of the programme.’

It comes as no surprise that the programme took its scope even further following the successful addition of male mentees, and as part of its repowered programme has created a charitable ProBono Fund. The purpose of this is to enable women associated with the industry to take part in the programme as a mentee free of charge, opening up spaces to job seekers, women in transition, on care leave, or women from organisations not able to take part in the programme.

The programme continues to attract interest, with seven of the 22 organisations participating in 2022 programme being new.

With more organisations coming onboard, it is clear that Women in Rail’s influence is ever expanding, and its shared desire for change is spreading.

The incredible feedback from participants every year is true testament to the success of the programme. Many new organisations have signed up after participants have moved on to different organisations and continued to advocate for the programme.

One such example is Jenny Dempsey from Diamond Rail, who recalled her experience: ‘Having benefited hugely from the Women in Rail programme at the start of my rail career five years ago as a mentee, it was an easy decision to bring my business to the table this year. My mentor introduced me to self-development literature that truly changed my mindset, and I am looking forward to giving back and becoming a mentor myself this year’.

Looking back the achievement of the programme has been incredible. As it continues to develop year on year, and with inspirational speakers including Squiggly Careers co-founder, Helen Tupper, author and disability rights activist, Dr Amit Patel (amongst many more) it is clear that the Women in Rail Mentoring Programme has blossomed.

A great way to mark ten years of Women in Rail and pay tribute to how it’s founder Adeline Ginn has created a sought-after opportunity to help drive change within the rail industry. A special thanks to all the organisations who have and continue to support Women in Rail and its work.

If you’d like to know more about the mentoring programme and how to get involved email WRMentoringTeam@moving-ahead.org or wr@womeninrail.org.

Rail Professional

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VIEWPOINT FEATURE | |

31

Delivering the goods Laura Wright

Powering innovation in rail freight Laura Wright, Rail Freight Adviser, Logistics UK provides an overview of 3Squared’s project and explain why such schemes are so vital to grow the use of rail freight

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he Department for Transport (DfT) launched its Transport Research Innovation Grants Programme (TRIG) last year; a scheme designed to support feasibility and proof of concept projects that will foster innovation within the UK transport sector and build links between policy teams in DfT and innovators. With the desire to grow rail freight use in the UK a government goal, 3Squared, a company specialising in consultancy and technology solutions to overcome rail challenges, secured funding through the programme with a scheme designed to maximise current rail freight capacity, unlock additional space, and build greater flexibility and responsiveness into the mode.

The challenge Road haulage is often seen as an easier and more accessible transport method to rail freight, especially for those needing to transport a small consignment of goods, or those who need a responsive service at short notice. As increased government emphasis is placed on the need for the logistics industry to decarbonise its operations – and with every tonne of freight transported by rail producing 76 per cent less carbon emissions compared to road – the industry must identify ways to drive uptake in rail use to assist in decarbonisation efforts.

3Squared’s scheme centres on the concept that untapped demand exists amongst companies in the supply chain who have tried, and failed, to move from road onto rail; 3Squared aims to level-up freight by creating a demand-led solution which opens the market to the wider supply chain. The ambition is to make the use of rail for freight as accessible and easy to use as the road

network; an aim supported

by Logistics UK, which is helping 3Squared to gather feedback from logistics companies on how it can best achieve this outcome.

To maximise the opportunity of rail as a freight transport mode, it is vital that connections to road are considered and incorporated into planning decisions. For example, all rail heads should have strong road links to enable to goods to be transported to the mode via HGV first.

To enable modal shift and drive the greatest efficiencies in logistics movements, rail, road, sea and air should all be viewed cohesively, rather than modes in isolation.

The project The main objective of 3Squared’s project is to make rail freight a more desirable option. This project specifically tackles the problem of freight train profitability, by helping to fill them completely before they depart ports and rail’s responsiveness to changing customer demands, by improving the process for running additional trains at short notice.

3Squared is carrying out a proof of concept at Rail Professional

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Southampton Western Docks (SWD). The core innovation of this project is creating the right conditions to facilitate modal shift and then opening up space on trains, and on the network, to the freight community.

3Squared’s PathPlanner tool can find additional paths where freight trains can run and directly request these from Network Rail to run as new trains at short notice; this helps open up more network capacity and provides much-needed additional space to move containers away from ports more quickly. 3Squared is aware that trains often leave SWD with empty wagons, so it will therefore develop capability to expose available wagon space to the supply chain.

Network Rail has already invested £17 million in the area to run longer freight trains (from 520 metres to 775 metres) in and out of Southampton, and between them, Solent Stevedores and the Association of British Ports is now investing in strengthening its ability to run longer and additional trains from SWD. By April 2023, it will have lengthened the platform for loading and unloading; doubled part of the track; and added a crossover so that turnaround times are reduced. This will enable more trains, increasing from nine to 16, and longer trains, up to 725 metres, to run each day.

Why now?

There has never been a better time to drive innovation in rail; the changing landscape of the rail industry presents a real opportunity for change and a higher profile for freight, building on the visibility it gained during the Covid-19 pandemic as the industry stepped up to deliver for the nation. Rail freight customers want their goods to be delivered on time, at a competitive price and connected to an endto-end multimodal journey; ease of use and optimising efficiency are central to making the most of this opportunity. And, as logistics transitions to a net zero industry, it is imperative that the sector generates the right conditions to help create a modal shift from road to rail. Programmes, such 3Squared’s project, are essential to drive innovation in rail, and, through careful examination of the factors curtailing its growth, rebuild rail freight into a transport mode that works for operations of all shapes and sizes.

Help inform the project 3Squared is keen to engage with the freight and logistics community to understand the current barriers to moving freight from road to rail, capture the pent-up demand from freight users at ports, and

understand how we accelerate modal shift, especially from those who would like to move their container freight onto rail from Southampton. If you would like to help to make this project a success, Jason Durk at 3Squared would love to hear about your experiences of using rail, or why you do not currently use rail, and how services could be improved. Email jason.durk@3squared.com or visit https://3squared.com for more information.

Logistics UK is one of the UK’s leading business groups, representing logistics businesses which are vital to keeping the UK trading, and more than seven million people directly employed in the making, selling and moving of goods. With COVID-19, Brexit, new technology and other disruptive forces driving change in the way goods move across borders and through the supply chain, logistics has never been more important to UK plc. Logistics UK supports, shapes and stands up for safe and efficient logistics, and is the only business group which represents the whole industry, with members from the road, rail, sea and air industries, as well as the buyers of freight services such as retailers and manufacturers whose businesses depend on the efficient movement of goods. For more information about the organisation and its work, including its ground-breaking research into the impacts of Covid-19 on the whole supply chain, please visit logistics.org.uk.

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VIEWPOINT FEATURE | |

33

Taking a train ride to the future With Lumo now operating trains between London and Edinburgh, Phil Bulman of Vendigital recounts a journey on the new electric rail service

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n an industry with such a history and heritage as the railway, finding ways to modernise Britain’s rail network has been a challenge, particularly when passenger numbers nose-dived during the pandemic. However, new-look open access rail services, run by licensed operators such as Lumo, are beginning to break the mould.

To find out what makes Lumo’s services different and discuss next steps for the rail industry’s evolution, a group of cross-sector experts recently boarded a train at London’s King’s Cross, bound for Newcastle-uponTyne. The group included Jason Holt, former chief executive Swissport Western Europe and head of operational strategy at EasyJet plc, Andrew Mellors, managing director of non-franchised businesses for FirstGroup’s Rail Division, the parent organisation of open-access operator, Lumo, and sector specialists from management consultancy, Vendigital.

Lumo currently operates ten services daily between London, Newcastle-uponTyne, Morpeth and Edinburgh, with some also stopping at Stevenage in a bid to attract people who might otherwise choose to fly from Luton or Stansted to Newcastle or the Scottish capital. Despite some of these services only starting this year, demand for tickets is high. The cross-sector experts booked in advance, paying just £25 for a single ticket, and the train was fully booked right through to Edinburgh. While attractive ticket pricing is obviously a key reason for popularity of Lumo’s services, it isn’t the only point of difference.

Learning lessons from aviation Reminiscent of the low-cost revolution in the aviation sector in the 1990s, the UK’s rail industry is embarking on its own transformational journey, led by a small but growing band of open access disruptors, including Lumo. Lasting industry change is unlikely to come quickly however and not without a significant shift in approach to people management in the sector. The two-year lead time for new trains can make it difficult for new operators to scale up

quickly, particularly if second-hand trains are also in short supply. In addition, licences for open access operators require new services to focus on attracting new customers to the railway, such as those who would normally travel by air or coach.

The sense of achievement that comes from doing things differently in order to create services that are more efficient and offer customers better value for money, was palpable onboard the train.

Andrew Mellors commented: ‘Despite preparing and launching services during Covid, customer take-up has been fantastic and the performance of the Hitachi Class 803 trains has given the business the best possible start, proving that the approach we’ve taken really has legs.’

There are some interesting parallels to be drawn with the UK’s aviation industry, in particular the market disruption caused by the arrival of low-cost carriers. When operators such as Ryanair and EasyJet arrived on the scene in the 1990s, they quickly stole market share away from the legacy carriers, which were unable to compete on price. At Lumo, low ticket prices are a core element of their market proposition, but rather than pull passengers away from other rail services, the objective is to win new rail customers by enticing passengers away from air and long-distance coach travel instead. By encouraging modal shift from aviation and roads, Lumo is also helping to support the UK’s decarbonisation agenda.

Reflecting on Lumo’s low-cost approach, Jason Holt commented: “The liberal nature of the airline market in the UK allowed changes to be introduced relatively quickly and legacy carriers had little choice but to

adopt low-cost strategies and processes.

While things are happening more slowly in the rail sector, Lumo’s path is closely aligned with the approach taken by low-cost operators in the aviation sector – a path which led to the successful rise of several low-cost airlines and brought benefits for the travelling public.”

Out-of-sector thinking in action A key difference at Lumo is that the business has been built from scratch, complete with its own culture and assets. Having boarded the train at King’s Cross, the industry experts discovered that there were just three crew members on board, half the number that would normally be expected, and coincidentally, all were ex-British Airways.

Two were ‘ambassadors’, responsible for a host of duties including checking tickets, looking after the safety of passengers, providing catering services and onboard cleaning. The other was the train driver, whose official title is ‘customer driver’.

Lumo’s managers aim to recruit people from customer-focused roles outside the sector – specifically from the airline, hospitality and retail sectors – because of their commitment to optimising passenger experience. Staff benefit from an attractive employment package. Train drivers, for example, can expect to earn upwards of £60,000 per annum, and while about half have prior Rail Professional

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rail industry experience, the other half join as apprentices. Importantly, the entire workforce is based at a facility in Newcastleupon-Tyne, which helps to support a great culture of inclusion, with all levels in the business sharing the same space.

The trains operated are differently too.

As well as being fully electric, Lumo’s trains are manufactured by Hitachi according to a standard design, which makes it possible to achieve synergies in project mobilisation, cost and maintenance. A custom seat design has been utilised to allow more space for seating and extra leg room for customers.

Removing first-class carriages and buffet cars created an opportunity to reconfigure the onboard space; allowing more room for seating, which has in turn helped to drive revenues. Inspired by aircraft seating, the seats developed for Lumo’s trains are lightweight, easy to clean and come with their own functional features, including a reading light.

Phil Cameron, Managing Director at Lumo, said: ‘Our partnership with Hitachi has been critical to our success. By working together during the pandemic, we were able to develop an industry-leading, all-electric fleet, which was ready to utilise as soon as passenger numbers started to recover.’

While Lumo’s services are already

Rail Professional

ahead of plan, there may still be room for improvement. Based on other learnings from the airline industry, dynamic revenue management could be used to increase margins and improve profitability.

Commonly used by low-cost airlines, most flyers realise that the later they leave it to book their seat, the more they are likely to pay. Price rises are usually triggered when the volume of ticket sales indicates that the breakeven point for the flight is nearing, which means subsequent sales deliver more value to the bottom line. With most train operating companies selling tickets via multiple platforms, achieving dynamic revenue management will be more challenging in the rail sector. Introducing loyalty schemes and incentivising customers to use a dedicated app to purchase their tickets, could make it possible for open access operators to introduce dynamic revenue management in the future.

Data brings ‘load’ understanding For any transport operator, access to accurate and reliable data is key. As relative newcomers however, open access operators may not have access to historical data about passenger numbers and there may be a general lack of understanding about the ‘load’ required to operate specific services

at a profit. As more open access operators start up, it will become even more important for them to understand the breakeven load factor of each service they operate, based on unit costs and unit revenues.

With greater knowledge of customers’ preferences, operators could introduce more ancillary services and perks, to drive their profitability further. In the airline industry, for example, customers are happy to pay more for the privilege of sitting in a seat with more leg room, or superior functionality. In the rail industry, customers on long journeys may be willing to pay more for help with luggage, premium entertainment services or help with making inward or onward connections.

A recent report published by the ORR has highlighted the opportunity that exists for open access operators to improve service levels, drive revenues and boost passenger numbers. Through its relentless focus on delivering passenger value and encouraging modal shift, Lumo’s out-of-sector thinking is key to its success. It is not yet clear whether other rail operators will follow their open access example, on the way to a more efficient, low-cost future.

Phil Bulman is a partner and transport sector specialist at management consultancy, Vendigital.

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Improving resilience in the rail industry Jonathan Edwards, Transportation Market Leader at GHD analyses the consequences the current strikes will have on the rail sector

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he current rail strikes are a warning for a potential long season of disruption across a post pandemic rail industry that was not Covid resilient, has not yet fully recovered from the pandemic and one that is less prepared for disruption in the future. The recently released GHD disruption index flagged multiple risks for future disruption, including changing consumer demands and ageing infrastructure, across rail.

We know these strikes will have huge and immediate ramifications for the movement of people and goods and fear they will cause long-lasting impact that could set the sector back for many years.

Whilst not engaging in the merits for strike action, its impact is clear and action on the scale we are seeing could not come at a worse time for rail – just as people are returning to the network, new travel patterns are beginning to be understood (a key step in planning for the future of rail) and when passengers numbers and diversification of revenue are sorely needed.

Looking beyond the obvious disruption to travel for passengers for a moment, this is also an alarm for the movement and supply of goods across the UK. Strikes of these kind can impact the movement of freight, fuel, consumer goods and food will be impacted. This is likely to only worsen the very real cost of living crisis facing the country right now and undermine steps towards the long-term decarbonisation objectives of transport.

Rail is one of the most carbon efficient methods of transportation in both the movement of people and goods. Diesel trains produce 76 per cent less carbon emissions per freight tonne mile compared to road and each freight train is able to remove 76 HGVs off the UK roads according to the Rail Delivery Group (RDG). Rail currently removes nearly 6.5 million lorries per year from UK roads, and has the potential to remove much more, and, with an ongoing HGV crisis, switching freight to the road is not a short-term option nor one that should be considered for the long-term.

But if the movement of goods by rail cannot be relied upon then what other choice do businesses have and where are they likely to invest in the future? The Royal Mail and others have set plans to transport more goods by rail, but these plans and similar in the future will be hampered by these and potential further strikes.

Passenger numbers long-term will also be severely impacted.

We know that travel habits have changed and are likely to remain changed forever but will passengers return to a rail network that has just seen the largest fare rise in nine years and is expected, based on current inflation, to be even higher next year, have experienced ‘the biggest strike in modern history’?

Recent efforts to encourage passengers back to using rail, including the recent summer sale of tickets, new carnet style flexible travel and the proposed roll out of changes under GBR and the DfT, are also bought into question. We know that habits stick and travel habits are no different.

Passengers have again been forced to return to their cars for travel and adopt more remote and home working. As a consequence we predict it will only lessen the appetite for public transport in the short and potentially long term, no matter the initiative. This will only slow down our ability to resolve mobility issues and achieve decarbonisation goals as a country.

Finally, the business case for investing in the rail industry, a recently heavily subsidised industry, propped up during the pandemic and about to undergo transformative change, will be questioned.

The funding and plans for essential immediate and long-term development will all be put on hold if we’re not able to now understand passenger numbers and forecast passenger revenue as a result of more disruption.

Union representatives have recently said ‘the public does not want a dehumanised,

AI-controlled, dystopian network’. At GHD we know passengers want improved passenger experience and a rail network that can be relied upon. They want value for money and more sustainable choices in their mode of travel. Post pandemic, rail needs to recover, build improved resilience and fulfill its role of connecting the country. These recent strikes shake the rail industry and with little resilience and further disruption a possibility the needs of passengers and the immediate and long-term objectives of the industry and transport more broadly are in serious jeopardy.

Jonathan Edwards is Transportation Market LeaderEMEA at GHD GHD have expertise across the rail industry with capabilities and skills to help government, rail operators and private organisations – GHD have experience in freight and logistics planning, rail analysis, timetabling, revenue forecasting and business case development, alongside deep technical and advisory experience on rail projects.

This piece was written in June 2022 during the national rail strikes.

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Entities in Charge of Maintenance (ECM) – How did we get here?

Russell Keir, Vice Chair of IOSH Railway Group explains why Train Operating Companies and Entities in Charge of Maintenance (ECMs) must work together

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n the 26 August 2020, a freight train hauling 25 laden tank wagons containing fuel derailed near Llangennech, in Carmarthenshire. This resulted in approximately 446,000 litres of fuel spilling from the wagons, polluting the environment and catching fire. The Railway Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) report concluded: ‘An underlying factor was that the approach to the maintenance and monitoring of the condition of wagons and safety critical components within the rail freight sector was not based upon best practice.’

Just like plant, machinery, road transport and aircraft, all rail vehicles are required to be maintained. This increases the life of the rail vehicle and maintains reliability and availability; it is also economically less expensive than undertaking emergency repairs and is a significant factor in providing a safe and reliable railway.

What is a rail vehicle and why is it maintained?

Whilst this may appear to be a simple question, the answer is wide ranging since there are five principal types of rolling stock:

• Locomotives – These are the vehicles that provide power to haul a train of unpowered railway vehicles, such as carriages and wagons.

• Wagons – These are unpowered railway vehicles used to transport freight.

• Carriages – These are unpowered railway vehicles used to transport passengers.

• Multiple units – These are self-propelled vehicles, with their own power units, which can be coupled together to form a single train. These are typically passenger trains.

• On Track Machines (OTMs) – when used outside of engineering possessions on the mainline railway, OTMs are treated in the same way as other mainline vehicles.

These are engineering vehicles used to maintain railway infrastructure. They can be self-propelled single units or several rail vehicles working as a single unit, with at least one having a power unit.

The rolling stock may be owned by the rail operator, or, for most passenger carrying trains, it will be leased from a Rolling Stock Leasing Company (ROSCO). However, the safe and reliable operation of rolling stock rests with the operating company. To operate trains on the GB mainline railway network, an operator must have a ‘Safety Authorisation’ issued to them by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), which is the independent safety and economic regulator for Britain's railways. This is a requirement of Regulation 10 of The Railways and Other Guided Transport Systems (Safety) Regulations 2006 (as amended) (ROGS).

ROGS Regulation 5 requires

organisations to have in place a Safety Management System (SMS). An SMS is a systematic and active approach to managing hazards and risks. This includes oversight of the supply chain and management of change. These are important since the operator may not be the ECM. The operator needs to have oversight of the maintenance activities and to be able to assure that maintenance is carried out to the required specifications and frequency and that any changes in design or maintenance approach are fully considered and managed, taking into account possible safety implications.

Why the Entity in Charge of Maintenance (ECM) regime came about There are two notable incidents where insufficient maintenance of a freight wagon resulted in loss of life and so helped shape the current approach to managing risk in operating freight wagons. A significant finding in the review of the accidents at Rickerscote, in Staffordshire and Viareggio, Lucca, in Tuscany was that no robust arrangements were in place for the wagons’ owners / keepers to know the true condition of the wagon at any time. The outcome of this was that the operator could not say with any confidence that any wagon was in a fit state for use.

UK driver for change – Rickerscote On 8 March 1996, a freight train derailed at Rickerscote, Staffordshire due to a tank wagon axle failure. A section of the derailed freight train landed on the adjacent line and derailed a Travelling Post Office (TPO) train. One person lost their life and twenty others were injured. The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found that the wagon had travelled 69,000 miles since its last inspection (at the time, wagons were expected to be examined every 24,000 miles) and concluded that the axle had failed due Rail Professional

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to fatigue, probably initiated by corrosion pitting on the axle's surface.

The failed axle had been maintained broadly in line with long-established industry standards. However, there were different standards of maintenance in operation following privatisation of the railways between 1994-96, and Railtrack, which managed the infrastructure, was unable to confirm if all wagons operating on its network were up to date with their maintenance schedules. HSE made eleven recommendations, the key recommendation being that Railtrack should harmonise its Group Standards so that all vehicles using the network are maintained to the same standard and recorded using a single system.

European Union (EU) driver for change – Viareggio On 29 June 2009, there was a freight train derailment and consequential fire at Viareggio station, Lucca, in Italy. The derailment was due to mechanical failure of the front axle of the first wagon, probably due to a fatigue crack. The wagon struck the platform and led six other wagons into houses alongside the railway line. Two wagons carrying liquid petroleum gas (LPG) erupted and caught fire. Thirty-two people were killed and a further twenty-six were injured. The Directorate General for Railway Investigations concluded that the cause was a broken, 16-year-old axle on a ‘new’ LPG tanker.

Some regulatory background The European Commission (EC) adopted the first railway package, in 2001, which set out a European Union legal framework to open up markets, through technical compatibility of trains and infrastructure, to enable the railway to compete more effectively with other forms of transport.

The EC adopted the Second Railway Package, in 2004, to create a legally and technically integrated European railway area. The Third Railway Package was adopted in 2007 to open up international passenger services to competition within the EU by 2010.

The aim of the Fourth Railway Package, not adopted in the UK following the UK’s exit from the EU on 1 January 2020, was to remove remaining barriers to the creation of a single European rail area and help create a more competitive rail sector, with better connections between the EU and its neighbouring countries.

So, what is an Entity in Charge of Maintenance (ECM)?

Prior to the Second Railway Package, much of the focus had been on freight transportation, due to there being ‘no robust arrangements in place for the wagons owners / keepers to know the true condition of the wagon at any time’ (as discussed earlier). So Europe and the UK focused on the area of high risk – Wagons.

The arrangements for maintaining passenger

trains and engineering trains were, however, more robust. It was envisaged that, in time, all ECMs for rail vehicles on the main line railway would require an ECM certificate, and this requirement was incorporated into the Fourth railway package - but does not apply to domestic railway operations in Great Britain.

An 'Entity in Charge of Maintenance' (ECM) is any person or organisation that is responsible for the safe maintenance of a vehicle and is registered as an ECM in the National Vehicle Register (NVR). This can include people or organisations such as transport undertakings, infrastructure managers, a keeper, or a maintenance organisation.

An ‘Entity in Charge of Maintenance must ensure, by means of a system of maintenance, that a vehicle for which it is in charge of maintenance is in a safe state of running’. Vehicles operating on the mainline railway must have an ECM assigned to them.

In addition, ECMs responsible for freight wagons must be certified by a certification body to ensure that they have established a maintenance system and can meet the requirements of the ECM regulations.

The current legislative framework The Railways and Other Guided Transport Systems (Safety) Regulations 2006 (ROGS) implemented the European Railway Safety Directive (2004/49/EC), with its aim to establish a common approach to rail safety and support the development of a single market for rail transport services in Europe.

Regulation 18A of ROGS requires that: 18A – No person may place in service or use a vehicle on the mainline railway unless that vehicle has an entity in charge of maintenance assigned to it, and that entity in charge of maintenance: a. is registered in relation to that vehicle in the National Vehicle Register; and b. holds an ECM certificate if the vehicle is a freight wagon.

Each ECM must ensure that, through a system of maintenance, a vehicle for which it is responsible is safe to run on the mainline railway. The system of maintenance is the maintenance of a vehicle in accordance with: • The maintenance file for that vehicle.

• Applicable maintenance rules.

• Applicable technical specifications.

Rail Freight – ECM certification requirements An ECM responsible for freight wagons should obtain an ECM certificate from a certification body. Certification Bodies established in the UK are accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS). The UK also recognises ECM certificates issued in EU Member States. However, ECMs responsible for the maintenance of vehicles used for crossborder services will need to obtain a crossborder UK-issued ECM certificate issued in accordance with ECM Regulation 2019/779

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for their cross-border operations. ECMs that maintain vehicles in the EU need to obtain a new ECM certificate from a certification body in an EU member state.

Further advice can be found in ‘ORR Guidance on Entities in Charge of Maintenance’. This can be found on the ORR website.

ECM stand still period with EU Following EU Exit in 2020, legal requirements for all freight wagons to be assigned to a certified ECM were inserted into ROGS (Para 18a and Schedule 9 & 10).

Provision was also made for continuing mutual recognition of ECM certificates issued by Certification Bodies in Member States to continue when the EU Exit transition period ended in January 2021.

However, as part of Government policy to end mutual recognition with the EU, the current ‘standstill’ will cease at the end of 2022. This decision will affect ECM certificates which were not issued in the UK, as well as Interoperability Constituent (IC) conformity certification issued in the EU after 2022.

DfT is drawing up legislation which will amend the sections of ROGS which relate to ECM certification. DfT will give a further steer on this later in the year, following stakeholder communication.

The situation is further complicated by the UK being a signatory to COTIF and having to recognise non-domiciled ECMs for international freight wagons.

Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail (OTIF) The UK is a member of OTIF, the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail. Since the EU acceded to COTIF in 2011 (the Convention of OTIF) OTIF has strengthened its role as a bridge between the EU and non-EU Member States. OTIF ensures the consistency of the regulations between its Member States, whether they are members of the EU or not.

OTIF’s mission is to promote, improve and facilitate international traffic by rail (Article 2 COTIF 1999). It offers a framework for cooperation in the railway sector to: • Extend and develop the application of COTIF. • Agree on uniform legal regimes.

• Envisage and enshrine systems of technical compatibility and harmonisation.

• Contribute to the elimination of barriers to border crossing.

Train Operating Companies and Entities in Charge of Maintenance (ECMs) must work together to ensure the rail vehicles they oversee are in good working order and can operate safely and reliably, due to having an effective maintenance and assurance regime in place.

Russell J Keir CFIOSH IEng MIET is Vice Chair, IOSH Railway Group Rail Professional

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Helping you, and vulnerable children too As organisations across the rail industry work to meet the obligations of the government’s Safeguarding on Rail Scheme, Emma Halewood UK Partnerships Manager for Railway Children explains the difference it can make to young people.

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ailway Children is an international charity that has changed the lives of more than 325,000 children over the last 25 years. The charity fights for children around the world that have no one else to protect and care for them. Children who are forced to survive on the streets and around the railways in India, Africa and here in the UK where they often find themselves in danger using public transport to run away from home. These children may be desperate to escape difficult homes – faced with poverty, neglect, violence and abuse – or being lured away by traffickers and those looking to groom or exploit them. Some are suffering through bullying, loneliness and poor mental health and even considering suicide as a way out of their problems.

Transport hubs are a magnet to these young people – they offer a chance for escape and adventure, a place to hide or disappear into a crowd and a meeting point to access networks that can transport people, drugs or money across the country. They attract as many vulnerable people as they do those looking to abuse and exploit them and that’s why we make sure to reach them first.

Wherever the charity finds these children, and whatever they are facing, they use the same approach to make sure they are safe from harm – always trying to reach them as soon as possible – before a predator does and before they are lost to a life of trauma and despair.

Children like Lily, who was referred to us by British Transport Police as she kept running away from her care home and being found on the railway. The 14-year-old was in extreme danger travelling alone and had been exploited in the past – but still

kept trying to get back to the place she had been moved away from for her own safety.

Our team worked with Lily to help her understand the risks she was exposed to and now she is safe and settled and hasn’t run away since. Without Railway Children having trained stakeholders and officers at the station, Lily may well have not been spotted and her future could have been a very different one.

The more people who can identify and respond to a child that needs help, then the more young people we can protect together.

Making sure our public transport system is a safe place for all those who use or work within it is everyone’s responsibility, and in recognising this the government has introduced the Safeguarding on Rail Scheme (SRS) to enforce that obligation.

The SRS is an opportunity for

We can’t do this alone – and that’s where you come in We work with partners and stakeholders across the rail network in the UK to train them so they can be our eyes and ears, joining us in looking out for those at risk.

organisations operating on the UK rail network to demonstrate how they are working with partners to play a proactive role in safeguarding vulnerable people on the network. The objectives within it align perfectly with Railway Children’s strategic Rail Professional

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aim for our UK Safeguarding on Transport programme which is to create a safety network for vulnerable people across the UK transport system’ ensuring they are identified and offered the support they need.

So it is a natural fit for the charity to be leading the way in training and supporting rail colleagues to achieve those objectives.

What we can offer We have recently had the privilege of working with GWR through our Safeguarding on Transport Programme and supporting them to become the first to achieve the full SRS Accreditation. Now we’re working with several other top names in the industry to help them do the same and share our knowledge and expertise with colleagues and partners. In the last year alone we have provided our Safeguarding on Transport training to 5,147 rail colleagues, with outstanding feedback from the rail industry, and life changing stories of intervention involving vulnerable children.

We have an established a suite of online safeguarding training programmes specifically designed for frontline rail staff and safeguarding champions in the rail industry. The impact of completing this training cannot be underestimated – the difference it can make to reach a vulnerable person quickly and appropriately can change and sometimes even save lives.

Our programme helps empower frontline, support, and station staff to identify potentially vulnerable people and enable to respond appropriately so interventions, with the support of BTP, can happen quickly,

potentially changing and saving lives for young, and making the network a safer place for everyone – young people, colleagues and customers.

At the same time our Safeguarding on Transport programme will help businesses in the rail industry meet your SRS requirements whether as committed obligation or voluntarily.

We can help you meet the assessment criteria in the following areas: 1. Senior Leadership and Commitment – We can help you create and implement a safeguarding strategy that complies with the Safeguarding on Rail Scheme and provide ongoing safeguarding consultancy and support.

2. Safeguarding Communication – Our team will develop and implement an effective communication plan relating to safeguarding and vulnerability for both your employees and customers.

3. Responding to Vulnerability – We will be able to advise on local safeguarding initiatives to mitigate issues at high vulnerability locations.

4. Staff Recruitment, Roles and Responsibility – We can review current policies and procedures to ensure they meet safeguarding requirements.

5. Training – Our team will write and deliver an effective safeguarding training plan to enable staff to develop the necessary skills and knowledge to support vulnerable people.

Be part of a life changing group To ensure we are reaching and protecting

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as many vulnerable young people as possible over the past twelve months we also have built a network of Safeguarding Action Groups. These bring people together to actively identify, respond and report vulnerability or safeguarding concerns that may happen at a station, on a train, depot or on the tracks. It creates an active group of people who engage in various activities such as training, briefings, events at the station and who will champion the needs of vulnerable adults and children. Being part of a SAG is not about just attending a meeting it is playing an active role in promoting the wellbeing and safety of others, challenging perceptions and stereotypes and encouraging discussion. The more eyes and ears we have, and the more people engaged in conversations around vulnerability and safeguarding the better. Railway Children have identified key stakeholders in SAGs and would encourage all members of the station community to be involved from Station Managers, BTP Officers, BTP Designing Out Crime teams and Intelligence Officers, Ticket Staff, Barrier Staff (from various TOCs) Retailers, Cleaning Management Teams, and Security Staff to come together. The more eyes and ears we have, and the more people engaged in conversations around vulnerability and safeguarding the better.

To learn more about our Safeguarding on Transport Programme or to discuss how we can help you meet your SRS obligations and training needs, please get in touch at: e.halewood@railwaychildren.org.uk Rail Professional

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| SUSTAINABILITY

Climate resilient stations: keeping the gateways open Andrew McArthur and Brian Anderson from WRc’s management consulting team discuss the climate threat and how responses to this can be woven into existing asset management frameworks

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ur climate is changing, and we must adapt. More frequent and intense droughts, storms and heat waves, rising sea levels and warming oceans will affect the services we rely on and impact the way we all live.

This is particularly true in the UK rail sector, in which an ageing asset base is vulnerable to increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, affecting services and increasing the risk of significant financial and safety impacts. So how do train operating companies (TOC) ensure that climate risks are woven into their asset plans?

Anthropogenic climate change The climate in the UK and around the world is changing and the impacts of this are likely to be ‘severe, pervasive and irreversible’. Although natural variations in the climate occur periodically, the present warming trend is, for the first time, the result of human activity. The consequence of this is anthropogenic climate change: unprecedented warming leading to the rapid destabilisation of the prevailing climate.

We can still do a lot to mitigate the impact of climate change; however, its effects are already being felt and can cause severe disruption to rail services. This is only likely to get worse, as ageing infrastructure struggles to cope with more frequent, intense and sustained extreme weather events. Supporting adaptation strategies are therefore of paramount importance to ensure that assets, and the processes, systems and people that manage them, are resilient to the likely impacts identified within future climate scenarios (for example, the UK Climate Projections (UKCP18)).

Climate change adaptation and infrastructure asset management Asset management sits squarely at the centre of the response to climate change.

It is the vehicle for helping us develop and implement climate change strategies Rail Professional

and associated action plans. It helps us to prioritise investment on the basis of risk, criticality and value, so that it improves Assess climate Identify operational resilience change risk and adaptation and, in the context of rail asset management, vulnerability options supports more resilient local communities and national economies.

Risk-based asset management has been shown to be effective for asset-intensive organisations, not necessarily by reducing risk, but by using risk to balance the operational performance of the assets against asset lifeRisk Physical, social, cycle costs. Criticality should therefore direct institutional assessment attention so that asset interventions can be planned and prioritised based on the value they offer to service delivery, safety and sustainable business performance.

This requires continuously balancing tradeRail Contracts (NRC) further embeds these offs between service, risk and cost, whilst key requirements – including the need for climate change introduces uncertainty extreme weather plans – and builds on the and impacts that need to be managed to learning of the last eight years since the first maintain this balance.

UK TOCs established ISO55001-compliant asset management systems. As their asset A regulatory nudge management capabilities mature, so too For several years, the Department for does their ability to identify, evaluate, own, Transport (DfT) has been mandating control, mitigate and monitor risks – beyond certification to ISO55001 (asset safety risks – in a joined-up way. management) and the introduction of station asset management plans with 40Adapting to a changing environment year horizons in franchise agreements. This With established asset management is to ensure commonality of approach across frameworks in place, it becomes easier to TOCs, but also to push for longer term and identify adaptation options and minimise more joined-up planning across key rail the risk, or enhance the opportunities, that stakeholders. The move to Great British climate change can have.

Railways and the introduction of National Figure 1 sets out our indicative high-level

SUSTAINABILITY FEATURE | |

process, with associated outputs, for the assessment of climate risk, the identification and selection of adaptation options and the development of associated action and asset management plans.

Step one – Assess climate change risk and vulnerabilities. This provides an assessment of the risks posed by one or more plausible hypothetical future scenarios, taking into account the specific reasons for vulnerability in a given location or asset type across multiple time horizons. A typical output would include a risk matrix providing an overall risk score following assessment of the level of hazard (probability × consequence) and level of exposure / vulnerability (exposure × vulnerability (inclusive of sensitivity × adaptive capacity)).

Step two – Identify adaptation options.

options. It is important that a framework for qualitative assessment of the costs and benefits to human, environmental and social capital of adaptation measures is devised and applied to record the likely scale of capital required per option. One such approach is multi-criteria analysis (MCA). MCA is a pragmatic and objective approach to comparing different adaptation measures and identifying those that should be shortlisted. It provides an auditable, structured approach to compare adaptation options in advance of any full economic appraisal and is increasingly valued in sustainability policy evaluation.

Steps four and five – Action and investment planning. A climate change adaptation action plan (CCAAP) is a timebound action plan that outlines how an organisation will adapt its business model,

they manage their station assets with the services that they provide, mindful of the actual or potential risks to meeting their objectives. Increasingly, this includes the risks associated with climate change.

The UK rail industry is going through a significant period of change: a period of change that provides the opportunity to re-evaluate the way we manage station assets so that they are more resilient to the impacts of chronic and acute climate change. Fortunately, with improved asset management capabilities in the rail industry, increasingly robust climate projections and well-established methodologies for climate change adaptation, TOCs can and should reduce their exposure and vulnerability to climate impacts and embed resilience into their everyday operations.

Assess and select adaptation options

Develop climate risk and resilience action plan

Add to asset planning framework

Multi-criteria analysis

Action / transition plan

Long-term asset mangement plans

Adaptation options will hold degrees of importance to individual stakeholders.

It is thus important that options are identified, interpreted and sequenced in one or more temporal adaptation pathways with reference to knowledge of the scale and timing of specific adaptation triggers, before shortlisting, to maximise the value they offer. ‘Value’ should be objective (criteria-driven), aligned within a common context and agreed by multiple stakeholders. Adaptation options may be physical (favouring nature-based solutions where appropriate); social (educational, informational and behavioural); or institutional (policy, programmes, law, regulation etc.).

Step three – Assess and select adaptation

assets and operations towards a trajectory aligned with the latest and most accurate climate predictions. It sets out what needs to be done to transform the chosen adaptation options into actions. These can then be woven into an organisation’s long-term asset management plan(s) to deliver an agreed and sustainable level of service.

Keeping the gateways open Every passenger will experience at least two stations on each journey they take. As the gateways to our rail network, stations play an important role in the customer experience. With the roll-out of the NRC and with the introduction of the Service Quality Regime (SQR), it has never been more important for TOCs to align the way

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Andrew McArthur (andrew.mcarthur@wrcgroup.com) is Technical Director and Brian Anderson (brian.anderson@ rsk.co.uk) is a Senior Consultant at WRc. About WRc WRc (an RSK group company) is a multidisciplinary engineering, scientific, technical, environmental and management consultancy working across multiple sectors over its 90-year history. This includes climate change adaptation action planning and supporting the UK rail industry to develop asset management and asset management system capability improvements.

Visit: www.wrcplc.co.uk Visit: www.rskgroup.com Rail Professional

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| VIEWPOINT

Elevating the station experience Whoosh CEO, Edmund Caldecott explains how to get travellers back on trains, both for leisure and business

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here can be little doubt that the last couple of years have been truly transformative. The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way people think about work, their leisure time, their relationships… pretty much everything can now be viewed through the prism of ‘what’s really important to me?’

But who would have imagined such change was going to come if you look back to that first summer of lockdown? Long, sunny days with no work, furlough pay for many of us, lots of free time to just kick back with the family. Bliss!

Of course, once you’d watched everything on Netflix, got sick of the kids and walked around every local street the novelty quickly wore off and work was back on the agenda. But at least we all had time for some valuable reflection about how to do things better in the future. I’m thankful that the rail industry seems to have taken this to heart. Train companies have endured an existential threat and, rightly, understand they need to accelerate the pace of change to cater for a more demanding and more discerning customer.

The most pressing challenge now comes from the ‘new normal’ of hybrid working. The typical commute is no more, yet travellers – freed from the shackles of a traditional 9-to-5 – are far more likely to expect a seamless, modern service that delivers on their terms. That’s great, of course, and probably matches the aspirations of every rail operator. If only it was all so simple.

The dichotomy here is that it’s impossible to plan and provide a brilliant train service when you don’t know how many people are going to rock up each day. Organisations such as Transport Focus and London Travel Watch have already highlighted in recent months how difficult it will be to ‘let the train take the strain’ given that many UK workers now don’t keep regular hours, and that the rush back to the office is patchy, to say the least.

Technology has a major part to play going forward, and at Whoosh we’re Rail Professional

getting involved by participating in a trial of our ground-breaking Real-Time Journey Dashboard at Birmingham New Street, London Euston, Manchester Piccadilly and Liverpool Lime Street, with the aim of rolling them out to stations across the country in the coming months. Our QR codes open up a world of departure information, station info and maps, retail options and passenger assistance, and are aimed at taking the anxiety out of every journey.

Keeping passenger confidence high is an essential part of the rail industry’s future journey. Everyone understands that TOCs cannot run the sort of timetables they used to pre-pandemic given the decline in passenger numbers, but the WilliamsShapps review had already highlighted how punctuality hadn’t improved much in the five years before lockdown. If operators are going to cut services, they need to build in flexibility to up train numbers when required. Being able to get where you want – and not be packed into the Covid-risk of a crowded carriage – becomes even more important.

It's where we believe having the best travel information on your smartphone

comes into its own. Being able to see, in real time, the latest timetabling information is a huge stress reliever. If you’ve got an interactive map of the facilities of your station, it’s easy to nip to the loo or grab a coffee with time to spare. And click on the details of one of the nearby retail outlets and you might find a money-off voucher too.

As well as all the live information of every platform for every train in the UK, the system delivers live, real time information for every bus, taxi, cycle and scooter hire, water taxi, tube and tram – every UK city is at travellers’ finger tips. Even better, train operators can instantly address service negatives such as delays by using the tech to interact with passengers on board to reestablish that feel-good factor.

What’s undeniable is that people love using the train, and despite all the gloomy stories of its supposed demise over the last two years, rail has a vital role to play in the country’s economic recovery and green ambitions. Getting travellers back on trains, both for leisure and business, is about providing a clean, reliable and relaxing experience – and the good news is the solution is quite literally in the palm of our hands.

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| SUPPLY CHAIN

Are you smart enough for smartPCN? Stuart Broadbent, Obsolescence Director at Alstom and Chair of the International Institute of Obsolescence Management UK (IIOM) on communicating obsolescence in the rail industry

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f you are the manufacturer of long-life cycle assets such as rail equipment, you know already that obsolescence is inevitable – the electronic components used in your systems controllers may be available for only five years, but your asset could have a planned operational life of 30 years or more. The challenge facing the rail industry is to ensure the continued operation of electronic systems well past the point at which the manufacturers no longer produce or support the components within them.

What is not inevitable is that you only find out that a spare part is no longer available when you try to order it, yet this is often the case for maintainers buying COTS (Commercial Off The Shelf) parts from distributors. The potential consequence of missing an end-of-life notification or obsolescence alert from a supplier is to have rolling stock out of service and higher obsolescence treatment costs.

With the high rate of electronic component obsolescence, it is perhaps not surprising that there is a whole eco-system to provide information about electronic component end of life; IIOM members such as SiliconExpert and IHS Markit provide data about electronic component availability

and the forecast end of life of components, and provide the Life Time Buy (LTB) announcements from the manufacturers, allowing companies making electronic equipment to purchase stock of end of life components to enable them to fulfil customer orders and potentially extend the sales cycle for its product. They will also analyse your Bills of Material to identify component obsolescence in your product and propose alternative components, again enabling production to continue.

Outside the electronic component market, there is no standard way for a manufacturer to inform their customers of product change and discontinuation, and so the chances of an obsolescence alert arriving at the end user in time for action are low. If they exist at all, end of life announcements for mechanical and electrical parts are usually sent as a printed document, probably sent to their original contact name from years before at the company that used the part in its assembly; maybe to the original buyer, maybe to the engineer who originally chose the item. These end-of-life announcements have to find their way to whoever is now responsible for managing the part in the company, and processed manually to find the corresponding internal

Format - smartPCN

© IIOM All rights reserved

Rail Professional

part numbers and use-cases.

Product Discontinuance Notices may come by e-mail these days, but the content is usually a pdf file, hardly better than the paper document and now you have to print it yourself, and you still have to enter it manually into your system and notify your design department.

Developing a digital standard for product change information If we use Information systems throughout our businesses, and exchange information electronically in our supply chains, why then do we accept documents that have to be transcribed laboriously into our information systems when they are about product change and product discontinuation?

This was the question that a working party of COGD, the German trade body for obsolescence management, and a chapter of the International Institute of Obsolescence Management (IIOM), set out to answer.

They looked at all the data fields required to communicate product change, from the name of the manufacturer and the MPNs (Manufacturer Part Numbers), to the nature of the change, and identified that there were 117 data fields that potentially needed to be communicated between manufacturer and

Scope - smartPCN

SUPPLYFEATURE CHAIN | |

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© IIOM All rights reserved

user, and that the user would also require supporting documentation, not only the formal product change notice but also, potentially, changes to user documentation and approval certificates.

COGD developed the smartPCN standard for digital interchange of product change and product discontinuation information, comprising a zip container containing an XML (eXtended Mark-up Language) file and documents, and identified 23 data fields that are mandatory; the associated XSD (XML Schema Definition) allows organisations to develop compliant database tables that are able to read and store a smartPCN. COGD offers a zero-cost licence for organisations to use smartPCN, and it was adopted by Germany’s machine tool industry as standard VDMA 24903.

Recognising that there are currently no international standards for digital communication of product change notices, IIOM is now proposing that smartPCN is included in the next version of the international standard for Obsolescence Management IEC62402.

Implementing smartPCN It will take time for all participants in a particular industry’s supply chain to adopt the smartPCN standard; it requires investment in information systems and

Applications

changes to internal processes, and until digital exchange is mandated by customers or by international standards, it is easier to do nothing.

In order to expedite the introduction and application of smartPCN, IIOM business partner D+D+M developed their pcn.global database in 2016 as a repository of PCNs and PDNs received in manual format from suppliers and digitised by their experts. By using pcn.global and the associated pcn. cockpit system, their customers can identify smartPCNs that potentially match part numbers in their own system and manage them in a controlled process.

Companies like IIOM member Alstom have upgraded their in-house obsolescence management system to include a database of smartPCNs, and they have contracted with D+D+M to obtain smartPCNs from pcn.global. Using part number matching algorithms (that recognise that the names of manufacturers can change over time, and that there may be different ways of writing a particular part number) D+D+M’s pcn.cockpit proposes smartPCNs that may be of interest to Alstom based on a list of manufacturer part numbers at risk of obsolescence, currently 40,000, provided by Alstom. These are analysed by Alstom engineers and relevant smartPCNs are loaded into Alstom’s obsolescence

management system. Further to this, Alstom sends all the manual PCNs and PDNs that it receives to D+D+M for digitisation, and these are automatically sent to Alstom.

When relevant smartPCNs are received

by Alstom, the manufacturer part numbers are cross-referenced to internal Alstom part numbers so that Alstom design authorities and operations around the world can be notified.

In the past, once the matches had been done from manual documents, the document would be archived, but now the smartPCN remains live so that manufacturer part numbers not matched at this stage can be checked in the future.

For Alstom, this will be particularly useful when Bombardier Transportation’s parts databases are migrated to Alstom’s master parts management system; the smartPCNs can be rechecked for matches. For Alstom’s operations and maintenance business, this function can also be used when taking on support contracts for non-Alstom rolling stock to identify possible obsolescence.

Although Alstom’s implementation is focussing on Product Discontinuation Notices today, it is already looking at Product Change Notices to see how these can be used by the business; for example, for some product families such as power semiconductors, change of site of

© IIOM All rights reserved

Rail Professional

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| SUPPLY CHAIN

Flow - smartPCN Component Manufacturer smartPCN PDN-C01 MPN X1 MPN X2 MPN X3 MPN X4

End User 1 Maintainer smartPCN PDN-E02-1 Alstom Y1 – EU1 – P1 Alstom Y2 – EU1 – P2

Equipment Manufacturer smartPCN PDN-C01-1 MPN X1 – Alstom Y1 MPN X2 – Alstom Y2 MPN X3 – Alstom Y3 MPN X4 – Alstom Y4

The flow of a smartPCN from component manufacturer to end user • X1 & X2 sold as spare parts to end user 1 • X3 sold as spare part to end user 2 • X4 used in Alstom assemblies Z1 and Z2 • Z1 sold as spare part to end user 2 • Z2 sold as spare part to end user 3

End User 2 Maintainer smartPCN PDN-E02-2 Alstom Y3 – EU2 – Q1

Equipment Manufacturer Design Authority smartPCN PCN-E01 Alstom Z1 Alstom Z2

End User 2 Maintainer smartPCN PCN-E01-2 Alstom Z1 – EU2 – R1 End User 3 Maintainer smartPCN PCN-E01-1 Alstom Z2 – EU3 – P1

© IIOM All rights reserved

manufacture of the part has to be validated by the design authority of the equipment they are used in, sometimes with the requirement to redo a type test. Even if there is no change to form, fit or function, it can be important to inform end users of a change, particularly if the appearance of the part has changed or the (OEM) Original Equipment Manufacturer part number or revision has changed.

Alstom’s customers are starting to ask for obsolescence alerts to be sent in the form of smartPCNs and Alstom is working with its customers to determine the best way to send smartPCNs to them. IIOM member AMSYS provides an IT platform for rail operators in Europe to share smartPCNs, and this provides a vendor neutral platform, but Alstom is also looking to use its own CRM platform to notify customers of smartPCNs, and wherever possible, Alstom will simplify processing at customers by including the customer’s own part number on the smartPCN, and only include parts relevant to that customer, even if the source smartPCN included multiple part numbers.

A typical smartPCN will concern one or more similar parts from a manufacturer’s product range with the same lifecycle, but realising that a smartPCN can include dissimilar parts, and can cover both product change and discontinuation, Alstom is looking to provide a composite smartPCN to customers that might include: • A configuration change to the parent assembly to treat obsolescence.

• Lifetime buy opportunity for an end-oflife spare part for the assembly.

• Information about a replacement spare part.

• Technical Service Bulletin and Modification Instruction for the configuration change.

Alstom is looking to work with its suppliers and customers to improve the flow of product change and discontinuation information through the supply chain. In parallel, IIOM is continuing to promote smartPCN, and its smartPCN working Rail Professional

group is planning a seminar in October 2022 to present the benefits of smartPCN to suppliers across industry groups.

Conclusion The smartPCN standard will facilitate a step change in the way the rail industry manages obsolescence, and with current supply chain issues and shorter component lifecycles, the time is right for the rail industry to embrace the standard.

Some rail operators already include a clause in the production contract for the manufacturer to send alerts if spare parts become obsolete during the operating life of the rolling stock; implementation of smartPCN not only helps the manufacturer to create and distribute the alert, but also enables the operator to be able to process the alert in a timely manner.

It is also worth considering that in the United Kingdom, the operator may only have a short-term interest in the rolling stock – to the end of the operating lease – and it is the leasing company that needs to be aware of the long term obsolescence risk to their assets.

Sharing information and best practice The International Institute of Obsolescence Management (IIOM) www.theiiom.org is the professional body for those involved in Obsolescence Management. The Institute is for professionals worldwide who wish to further their knowledge and understanding of the Obsolescence Management discipline, obtain professional recognition, and network with like-minded individuals from its global membership.

IIOM started in the United Kingdom as COG (Component Obsolescence Group) in 1997 and now has a long established Chapter in Germany, and new Chapters in France, India and USA, as well as the UK. Members come from all industry sectors and all levels of the supply chain, and are located in countries around the world; members include asset owners and operators of systems and equipment, manufacturers of systems, equipment and components, and

obsolescence solution providers.

IIOM welcomes corporate and individual members, and has obsolescence solution providers among its corporate membership, as well as manufacturers and operators. These solution providers offer various obsolescence management services, including component monitoring, counterfeit avoidance, engineering & manufacturing solutions for obsolete designs, stocks of obsolete & end of life components, and training.

IIOM is a Professional Affiliate of the UK Engineering Council, and its professional recognition scheme includes the grades of Associate, Member and Fellow. IIOM has an Endorsed Trainer scheme with three training organisations delivering a short course that meets the requirements for the Associate grade.

Regular member meetings provide a mix of formal presentations and informal events at which obsolescence engineers, buyers and solution providers can exchange ideas - not just on obsolescence but also on key issues such as REACH, conflict minerals and counterfeiting. The meetings also provide access to the suppliers of the latest tools and systems developed to support obsolescence monitoring and management.

IIOM members were heavily involved in the development of the new version of IEC 62402:2019, issued in June 2019, and IIOM has made proposals for the next version of the standard; IIOM has a series of guidance booklets on various aspects of Obsolescence Management written by its members, including a Senior Executive guide to Obsolescence Management.

IIOM held its biennial International Conference and Workshop in Munich, Germany in May 2022.

Stuart Broadbent is Obsolescence Director at Alstom and Chair of IIOM UK. IIOM holds regular meetings in France, Germany, India, USA and United Kingdom; you can attend one meeting free of charge as our guest.

Contact: admin@theiiom.org

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| SPOTLIGHT

Transport for London Transport for London (TfL) is the integrated transport authority responsible for delivering the Mayor of London’s strategy and commitments on transport

E

very day around 30 million journeys are made across the network and TfL keeps the city moving, runs the day-to-day operation of the Capital’s public transport network and manages London’s main roads.

The services operated include London Underground, London Buses, Docklands Light Railway, London Overground, TfL Rail, London Trams, London River Services, London Dial-a-Ride, Victoria Coach Station, Santander Cycles and the Emirates Air Line.

TfL provides modern ways to pay through Oyster and contactless payment cards and provides live travel information via the app TFL Go, which allows users to get live updates on their journey, and advises on the most accessible routes for those with reduced mobility.

The TfL programme of transport capital investment is one of the world’s largest. It is modernising Tube services and stations, transforming the road network and making it safer, especially for more vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and cyclists. It is also working hard to help customers with reduced mobility access stations, as one third of London underground stations are now step-free.

TfL Rail TfL started managing the Liverpool Street to Shenfield rail service in May 2015 and the running of eleven stations between Acton Main Line and Taplow (excluding Slough station) in December 2017. Those stations transferred to TfL Rail outside London were included because they are part of an existing rail route.

TfL Rail does not affect the ‘fast’ trains that serve major stops such as Southend-onSea. These are still the responsibility of the Government and run alongside TfL services.

TfL has overall responsibility for the train frequency specifications, standards for station facilities and overall performance as well as fares and revenue management.

Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Earl of Wessex, visited Paddington Elizabeth line station on 17 May 2022 to mark the completion of the transformational new railway ahead of its opening later on in May 2022. It is due to run twelve trains per hour between Paddington and Abbey Wood, transforming travel across London and the South East Rail Professional

by improving transport links and cutting journey times. It will initially operate as three separate railways, with services from Reading, Heathrow, and Shenfield connecting with the central tunnels from autumn 2022.

Docklands Light Railway The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) opened in 1987 and operates as a driverless, computerised system with performance and dependability among the best in the UK. The DLR network of 45 stations has multiple connections with the Tube, buses, National Rail, Overground, river and coach services and runs 149 vehicles.

The DLR is currently the busiest light railway in the UK, with over 400,000 journeys made each weekday.The DLR is operated by KeolisAmey Docklands (KAD) under a franchisee contract awarded by TfL. It operates the trains, stations and maintains much of the network. KAD took over the franchise from Serco Docklands in December 2014.

A contract was awarded to Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, S.A (CAF) in June 2019 to replace some of the oldest trains operating on the network.

The new fleet of walk-through trains are expected to start entering passenger service from 2023 providing a number of customer improvements, including the latest audio and visual real-time travel information, air conditioning and mobile device charging points.

London Overground TfL is responsible for London Overground – a group of orbital lines serving many areas of the Capital. Launched in 2007, around a third of all Londoners are within walking distance of a London Overground station. There are six London Overground routes that, together, form an outer London orbital network. This route travels through 23 London boroughs, as well as southern Hertfordshire and serves 112 stations.

Upgrades to London Overground stations is ongoing, with improved ticket halls and gates, installed lifts, widened entrances, improved shelters and increased cycle parking to name a few of the improvements to service.

In November 2016 Arriva began to manage the network’s stations and trains on a day-to-day basis. Network Rail manages and maintains most of the track and signals, as London Overground is part of the National Rail network.

London Trams TfL took over the running of Trams in 2008 and completely refurbished the Trams network which had been created eight years earlier. Trams offer frequent services from Croydon to Wimbledon, Beckenham Junction, Elmers End and New Addington. TfL sets the specifications for tram frequency and overall performance, is responsible for fares and revenue, carries out maintenance, and plans and funds improvements and extensions to the

SPOTLIGHT FEATURE | |

network. The tram network has 17 miles of track, 34 trams in the fleet and 39 stops.

It serves seven National Rail stations and more than fifty bus routes. Tram Operations (TOL), a subsidiary of First Group, operates trams day-to-day under a franchisee agreement with TfL. TOL’s contract will expire in 2030.

With an expected passenger growth of 60 million by 2030 there is certainly room in the next eight years to upgrade the network and accommodate this passenger growth.

This includes plans to provide seamless local journeys within south London by

integrating trams with the Tube, and other local rail networks.

London Underground London Underground, better known as the Tube, opened in 1863, it is the world’s oldest underground railway network, and one of the largest. The Tube spans 270 stations and over eleven lines. TfL is responsible for all aspects of the Tube’s operations including running the trains, stations and control centres, making sure the Tube is safe and secure, and collecting and protecting fares revenue as well as the maintenance

Quick Facts • Rumour has it that the Bakerloo line was created after a group of businessmen complained that they couldn't get to and from Lord's Cricket Ground quickly enough.

• Opened in 1863, The Metropolitan Railway between Paddington and Farringdon was the first, urban, underground railway in the world.

• One third of London Underground stations are now step-free.

• The average additional journey time required for step-free journeys has now been reduced to around 6.7 minutes, comparing to 9.5 minutes back in 2016.

• Her Majesty became the first reigning monarch to travel on the London Underground in 1969, when she opened the Victoria line.

• Although a number of Jubilee line stations are among the Underground's newest, the line also serves some stations that originally opened over 100 years ago.

• No other city is as defined by its transport system as London.

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and renewal of most of the infrastructure used by the Tube, although some services run over track that is the responsibility of Network Rail.

As the city continued to recover from the pandemic, and despite hybrid working becoming more of a norm TfL figures show that tube ridership increased by more than 25 per cent between the months January and February of 2022. With stations in the heart of London’s financial district, like Bank and Canary Wharf seeing ridership numbers back on track.

Key Personnel Commissioner: Andy Byford Director of Communications & Corporate Affairs: Matt Brown General Counsel: Howard Carter Chief Capital Officer: Stuart Harvey Chief Finance Officer: Simon Kilonback Chief Operating Officer: Andy Lord Chief Safety, Health and Environment Officer: Lilli Matson Chief Customer & Strategy Officer: Gareth Powell Chief Executive, Crossrail Limited: Mark Wild TFL’s Director of Customer Operations: Nick Dent Contact Information Address: Palestra, 197 Blackfriars Road, London SE1 8NJ Tel: 0343 222 1234 Email: Contact via website Visit: www.tfl.gov.uk

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Representing the supply chain and promoting a positive long-term vision for rail The Railway Industry Association (RIA) has been representing rail companies since 1845, and – under various names in the last 147 years – has acted as the voice of the UK rail supply community, speaking to decision makers and influencers, and bringing colleagues across the rail supply sector

I

n a meeting in 1960 between RIA representatives and Dr Beeching, the then Chairman of British Railways, our predecessors made the case that the rail network is vital to the economy and that greater certainty on railway projects would help businesses. Plus ca change!

In 2022, rail suppliers continue to face ‘boom and bust’ periods of investment, especially in enhancements to the network such as electrification, as well as uncertainty over funding decisions and upcoming procurements. It is the role of RIA, working with its members, to stand up for rail businesses in the supply sector who are impacted by policy decisions and to set out how we think the Government can get the most out of its railway industry.

Bringing the industry together As a national trade body, much of our purpose is to offer a forum for dialogue and networking between industry colleagues, provide information and insight to members and promote exports of members’ products and services.

Through over 80 events per year, our members have the opportunity to build relationships with potential partners, clients, government officials and overseas buyers.

RIA also runs a dedicated Unlocking Innovation (UI) programme, which is open to all. Run in partnership with Network

One of RIA’s core functions is to communicate these concerns and experiences delivering projects, directly to policy makers. That means being the collective voice for rail supply in the UK, and getting the right people together in the same room.

Rail R&D and the UK Railway Research and Innovation Network (UKRRIN), the UI programme helps match ‘problem owners’ with ‘problem solvers’, so to speak. As part of this programme, RIA recently launched a new Innovation Strategy, which sets out how we think the Government and the new Great British Railways (GBR) can tap into ideas and innovations from the supply chain and academia, to improve how the railways are built, enhanced, and operated.

RIA’s Exports function works hard to showcase the best of UK rail around the

world. We run regular trade missions, briefings and joins exhibitions in key markets for UK exporters, helping businesses make the most of trade opportunities. This is at an important time for trade, as the UK looks to boost ties with new international partners, such as Australasia, North America or in the Middle East.

Being positive about the future At RIA, we believe the future for the railways, and UK rail suppliers, is bright. The work our members and the wider industry delivers speaks for itself and we should be publicly positive about promoting this. Take one journey of the new central section of the Elizabeth line and you cannot fail to be impressed. Alongside the awe-inspiring experience as a passenger, the scheme will help drive economic growth for decades to come and leave a skills legacy, with over 50,000 people having worked on it at some stage or at some level. Whether train manufacturing in Derby, station construction in the East Midlands, signalling expertise from Chippenham and Stockport, or telecoms and electrification support in London, this impact is truly national.

We must also be relentlessly ambitious, and positive about our sector’s future. On the country’s biggest infrastructure project, HS2, a series of major milestones continue to be reached as Phase 1A from London to Birmingham progresses. Over 20,000 people Rail Professional

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are employed on the project, including 900 apprentices, and we have this year seen major announcements on its London Euston station and Colne Valley Viaduct as well as remarkable figures on the apprenticeships supported and environmental achievements.

Across the UK, passengers will also feel the benefits of projects such as the Transpennine Route Upgrade, South Wales Metro, East West Rail and the East Coast Digital Programme, which is installing digital signaling on the Main Line from London to Edinburgh.

Representing our members That said, rail faces its fair share of challenges at the moment. We have seen significant disruption this year through industrial action and the impact of everincreasing cost of living and inflation; the potentially unsettling transition to GBR, which will take over much of Network Rail and the train operators’ responsibilities for managing the railways; and continual concerns over work visibility and – as mentioned above – a lack of certainty of investment from the Government. Plans which are known change regularly, for example with the recent scrapping of HS2 Eastern Leg and the Golborne Link, and the scaling back of Northern Powerhouse Rail; and, at the time of writing, we still await an update of the Rail Network Enhancement Pipeline (RNEP), around 1,000 days since it was initially announced.

On the latter point, many of the projects

in the Integrated Rail Plan will need to pass through the RNEP to be approved and for construction to start – until this happens, rail suppliers will remain in the dark about when and exactly where these investments will be spent.

More widely, the short-term issues around inflation and the cost of living could affect passenger numbers and the ability of rail projects to be delivered to budget and time.

One of RIA’s core functions is to communicate these concerns and experiences delivering projects, directly to policy makers. That means being the collective voice for rail supply in the UK, and getting the right people together in the same room. As the industry undergoes its major transition to GBR, this will become increasingly important.

Let’s look to the long term The long-term future for ail is bright. UK transport – and that includes rail – will revert to medium and long-term passenger growth trend, as it always historically has done, regardless of recessions, crises and pandemics. Despite Teams and Zoom, people are inherently social animals, and are likely to get more – not less – mobile in the years ahead.

That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t work at encouraging the post-pandemic return to rail – but we should do so with a ‘can-do’ attitude which says we will attract higher passenger and freight volumes and revenues,

Darren Caplan speaking to former Transport Minister Sir Robert Goodwill MP and Vice-President of the Enterprise Forum Rt Hon Esther McVey MP in the Houses of Parliament.

Rail Professional

and not plan for a smaller sector in the future. For example, in May passenger numbers according to the DfT regularly hit 85-90 per cent of pre-Covid passenger levels (on all days of the week). Why is this not greeted as an encouraging start, considering these levels were reached a mere three months since Covid restrictions started being relaxed? Let’s focus on building on this, rather than continually berating shortfalls.

Despite the challenges, some of which have been referred to here, fundamentally the UK railway industry is a strong one.

Whilst it is understandable that people want to focus on the challenges of the short-term, we should also be looking further ahead given the 20-30 year time horizons required to develop rail. In the meantime, all of us should be ambitious for rail, and seeking to build a bigger and better supply sector – we should not be accepting managed decline.

Despite the short-term challenges – which of course we all need to address today – there is so much to promote in our sector and to work towards in the years ahead.

Whether major projects being delivered, hundreds of thousands of jobs being created and supported, billions of pounds of investment generated, or clean connectivity provided, linking up communities around the UK, we at RIA are clear that the next 147 years can be marked just as much by progress and achievement as the past 147.

We hope you agree, and feel emboldened to play an active part in promoting it too.

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Rail Products – investing in green technology The team at Rail Products has drawn on decades of front-line working experience in the rail industry to help develop the company into a leading global manufacturer of Rail/Road vehicles

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orking in conjunction with Manitou, Rail Products has invested considerable time and money in R&D to ensure its engineers have had access to the very latest technology.

The result means the company continues to design and produce machines that are multifunctional, and which provide a unique and competitive offering to customers. This has earnt the company industry plaudits

Rail Professional

for its foresight and development of Rail/ Road products that will always redefine the parameters of a machine’s capabilities.

Last year and integral to the companies’ future, Rail Products invested in a new manufacturing operation in Poznan, Poland.

The move to a new larger purpose-built factory, alongside the recruitment of a skilled local labour force was the catalyst in allowing the company to significantly increase its productivity. This was much

needed to meet the high world-wide demand for its innovative and technically advanced MEWPs. On signing the agreement back in August 2021, Managing Director Derek Burns confirmed the new Polish operation would now be responsible for all future research and development work which would see a greater investment in green technology. He said: ‘As a global organization Rail Products is now fully committed to developing and

SUPPLYFEATURE CHAIN | |

manufacturing rail/road machines that are more eco -friendly, produce less harmful emissions which in turn will help reduce the carbon footprint of infrastructure projects. Our Polish operation will now be responsible for developing the technology, trialling, and manufacturing new ‘greener’ versions of our current and highly regarded ART17TH MEWP.’ Fast forward to June 2022 and Rail Products is in the process of bringing to market, not one but three new MEWPs which have all been developed with the latest ‘green technology’.

Designed to lower emissions and reduce the environmental impact, these MEWPs include the RP450V with a Tier 5 engine and Stage V technology; the RP450MV MultiGauge version of RP450V with its unique variable gauge, the MEWP is able to work across the different gauges on both tram networks and all major railway lines around the world; the RP 450HV a hybrid machine with 5 tier engine and the option of an 840 amp or 420 amp battery. The MEWP can in effect operate on a full battery (840amp) allowing a full eight hours of working, including driving (5kph) or work from its Tier 5 diesel engine, giving the operator the dual benefits of a Hybrid machine.

All three machines offer all the benefits of its predecessor (ART17TH) but with a new dynamic body and lower emissions they offer a ‘greener’ solution together with a real fuel saving option.

Other key features include a new 450kg basket which can work and travel over the side in 360 mode, a working height of 16.68 metres, a max outreach of 8.52 metres with the telescopic arm fully extended, full and continuous 360 degree turret rotation

as well as 180 degrees basket oscillation capability, giving total flexibility when working on the railway. Plus, an audible and visual tilt and overload alarms which further protects the operator and the asset. Also, all machines are exclusively available with Rail Products’ new PA64 Pantograph which incorporates ‘Newtons uplift’ enabling it to fit all ranges from 4.2 metres to 6.2 metres, recording height and stagger measurements while on the move. The combination of MEWP and Pantograph is ideal for the implementation of overhead catenary lines, as there is no need for a lorry based ‘Panning Unit’ at the end of the shift, saving time and money.

Rail Products MEWPs at work in the UK and globally Although Rail Products now operates globally, its machines working in many countries such as America, Austria, Australia, Germany Norway New Zealand, and Switzerland, the company also has well over 100 machines operating in the UK; a market which is still very important to its business. With Network Rail now committed long term to providing a sustainable, low carbon railway network and playing an important role in the UK becoming a net zero carbon economy by 2050, ‘green technology’ is very much needed today as well as the future! Indeed, HS2 as the country’s largest infrastructure project is at the forefront of pioneering environmentally friendly technology to create greener construction sites, by reducing and controlling air quality. It has been one of the first rail industry programs to adopt CESAR ECV – a new advanced emissions identification scheme. This allows

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quick and easy verification of a machines emissions category by sight and helps ensure emissions from plant is reduced where it cannot be avoided. It is now encouraging the industry to get on board with this Emissions Compliance Verification (ECV) scheme which will bring significant health and safety benefits.

Therefore, the introduction of these three new MEWPs incorporating the latest green technology, and which comply with the ECV scheme, is an important step, not only to the future of Rail Products as a business but also the future of the environment. Going forward Rail Products is now fully committed to further investment in green energy to ensure their range of innovative and technically advanced rail/ road machines are totally eco- friendly, producing less harmful emissions and importantly, are affordable and cost effective for the customer.

INNOTRANS 22 Rail Products is excited to announce that it will be exhibiting at InnoTrans in September this year where two of its ‘green technology’ machines will be on display. Its stand will be in the outside section (no: 0/250) and Derek Burns and his team very much look forward to welcoming visitors from the UK and the opportunity to discuss the capabilities and specification of the new range of green technology MEWPs in more detail.

For more information, get in touch with Derek directly via the contact information below.

Tel: 07788 924848 Email: derek@railproduts.uk.com Visit: www.railproducts.uk.com Rail Professional

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SUSTAINABILITY FEATURE | |

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Network Rail carbon emissions pledge Green target in sight as more than two-thirds of Network Rail suppliers pledge to limit carbon emissions

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remendous progress is being made by Network Rail and its supply chain on making green commitments, with 67 per cent of suppliers now signed up to the

Science Based Targets initiative to reduce their carbon footprint.

Science Based Targets form a key part of Network Rail’s comprehensive Environmental Sustainability Strategy, which sets out a clear pathway to a better, greener railway for Britain. These are independently verified plans to reduce carbon emissions to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and mitigate the worst effects of climate change. Network Rail is the first railway infrastructure body in the world to adopt Science Based Targets to this ambitious level.

Around 97 per cent of Network Rail's emissions are within 'scope three', meaning emissions largely come from third parties, including suppliers. To address this, Network Rail’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy includes a target for 75 per cent of suppliers to have their own science-based targets by 2025; a target which Network Rails Commercial & Procurement (C&P) team have announced is already in sight.

The C&P supplier management team has worked alongside transport industry partners to deliver workshops

demonstrating the benefits of committing to these targets and sharing industry best practice and ideas for cutting carbon emissions.

Four workshops have been delivered so

far, with each one being attended by more than 350 people from the transport sector and supply chain. Further events are being planned for the future.

For Rupa Bhatt, strategic supplier manager for Network Rail, the workshops have been positive in bringing transport partners together to tackle climate change.

She said: ‘It’s been great to see our suppliers showing such positive support for this initiative. Achieving the commitment of more than 60 per cent of our suppliers to adopting Science Based Targets is a really important milestone for us to reach.

The success of the Science Based Targets workshops is reflected in the growing number of suppliers committing to reducing carbon emissions. We have more to do to achieve our goal but we're making excellent progress with 67 per cent of suppliers now committed to Science Based Targets by carbon emissions.’

Clive Berrington, Network Rail's group commercial and procurement director, added: ‘As a country, we know that climate change needs to be addressed by reducing our reliance on fossil fuels. This will leave a

The success of the Science Based Targets workshops is refl ected in the growing number of suppliers committing to reducing carbon emissions. positive legacy for future generations and help make our industry fit for the future.

‘Rail is already a very environmentally friendly way to travel. However, we can do more and need our suppliers' help to become an industry powered by renewable energy.

It's great that our supply chain is rising to this challenge and we look forward to more companies signing up to science-based targets in future.’

Network Rail announced last month that an innovative project to improve carbon emissions and energy performance at Reading station was underway. The project has the potential to improve the station’s energy performance by around 20 per cent.

Sensors are set to be installed across Reading station to capture live, real-time data on the station’s energy usage in a bid to help cut the station’s carbon emissions and improve its energy performance.

This innovative approach to understanding and improving the station’s energy performance is thanks to a specialist computer modelling platform that has developed a ‘digital twin’ of the station including a simulation of its current energy usage. Using existing, historical data and modelling, a number of opportunities have been identified that are predicted could result in around a 20 per cent improvement on the station’s carbon emissions and energy performance.

Details of Network Rail’s Science Based Targets workshops can be found at: www. networkrail.co.uk/industry-and-commercial/ supply-chain/working-with-us.

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SUPPLYFEATURE CHAIN | |

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How SMEs can work collaboratively with clients Two phrases we hear quite a lot are: ‘We need more innovation in the rail industry’ and ‘suppliers need to bring forward their ideas’. But are they fair comments?

Elaine Clark, Chief Executive Officer of Rail Forum finds out

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very week we, at the Rail Forum, meet and talk to companies, our members, who are improving existing and developing new products and services. This naturally occurring innovation is, for many, an ongoing activity and is generally accepted as a natural process and just part of what companies do to stay ahead of the game and their competition. So, why the mantra ‘we need more innovation’? The issue isn’t, in our view, innovation as such; it’s the way that decision makers, in client companies and elsewhere, approach procurement that’s the main barrier.

Going back to 2019 and the launch of the Rail Sector Deal the Rail Forum was asked to run a number of ‘pilots’ that aimed to bring clients and suppliers together to provide a clear line of sight to potential customers for ‘new’ ideas. In particular the pilots were developed as opportunities for SME collaborations where two or more smaller companies could come together to respond to the specific needs of clients. To date we have run four such SME challenges with a number of clients – so what have we learned?

Firstly, we have learned that there is a real appetite for this approach from both SMEs and clients alike. For SMEs the opportunity to hear first-hand the ‘issue’ or ‘problem’ that a client or group of clients is looking to solve is invaluable. Knowing that they are working on a ‘real’ problem means they know they are focussing on something important and genuinely needed by the potential client. And for the clients they have a ready-made group of organisations prepared to look at the problem or issue and come up with ideas to ‘solve it’.

The second thing to note that has been really valuable yet perhaps obvious is that

collaboration can be across SMEs or across clients; and our challenges have seen both variations on the theme. Whilst the original concept was about getting SMEs to work together the majority of the challenges we have progressed have actually seen clients working together too. In three of the challenges private sector clients, often competitors, have come together to develop a common problem statement or description of the issues; the fourth challenge was developed with a single client to address a specific opportunity. Responses have seen SMEs put forward ideas on their own as well as in consortia with other companies and sometimes with universities.

Thirdly we wanted to keep the process simple – SMEs don’t have the resource to complete lots and lots of paperwork and forms! Submissions of ideas are kept short and are followed by a Dragon’s Den style

presentation to the client(s).

The first challenge focussed on the opportunity to lightweight rolling stock and was supported by Alstom, Hitachi, Porterbrook and Siemens. This challenge generated numerous collaborative ideas from suppliers that included looking at interiors, exteriors, traction and bogies and electrical equipment.

The second challenge sought opportunities for decarbonising freight and was supported by DB Cargo, ERMEWA, Freightliner, GB Railfreight, Tarmac and VTG. This challenge generated a lot of interest and resulted in several ideas being put forward. With support from the clients some of the SMEs applied for First of a Kind (FOAK) InnovateUK funding with four projects being successful in securing funding of well over £1million. This access to funding was a real bonus and it has allowed these Rail Professional

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companies to fully demonstrate their ideas in situ working with clients.

The next challenge was designed specifically to support DB Cargo and focussed on digitalisation of depots. Having heard from all the SMEs DB Cargo decided they liked several of the ideas and they are now working with a number of SMEs on next steps.

The most recent and current challenge is based on freight terminals of the future and is again supported by a number of clients. Dragon’s Den pitches are currently underway, these are due to be completed by mid-June.

As you can see the freight industry has really taken the challenge concept to heart and they have supported us fantastically well. All the feedback from clients and suppliers has been really positive with some ideas and solutions being absolutely market ready and already in use, perhaps in other sectors, whilst other ideas are very embryonic and require a lot more thinking and development.

It’s clear from the level of support and sheer number of ideas from SMEs that developing innovative solutions isn’t the problem – the real challenge is getting even some of those ideas adopted onto the railway. Whilst all our clients have wanted

to support the challenges there are several barriers that they then need to overcome to move things on to the next stage. These include their own procurement strategies, which often favour larger companies, and specifications which encourage the status quo. Standards which, whilst rightly are stringent, don’t make allowance for doing things better or differently and cost saving initiatives that mean innovation is dropped post tender award to save money. There’s also an issue with how the industry tends to approach intellectual property. How on earth can we expect SMEs to share their great ideas only to have them incorporated into tender documents and put into the public domain so that others can then bid using those ideas?

So, how can SMEs work collaboratively with clients? It has to start with the clients and real issues or opportunities. Without that commitment from the clients SMEs are potentially putting lots of effort into something that just isn’t needed or isn’t at the top of anyone’s priority list. We need clients to be open and articulate the issues they have, the things they need help with.

We then need a mechanism for bringing clients and SMEs together; that’s where we can come in as the Rail Forum brokering the relationships and opportunities to get

01782 563030

involved. Finally, we need to keep working on removing those wider systemic barriers so that the ideas can be implemented and can flourish.

In summary we need to turn our attention away from asking suppliers to innovate and we need to focus on those doing the standard setting, specifying, procuring and decision making to ensure the processes and contract awards encourage and reward innovation rather than stifling it or stopping it dead in its tracks. Whilst we need to get on with this now and progress can be made; it’s vital that this whole issue is fully addressed by the emerging GBR. To really change the industry for the better embedding innovation in our DNA will need a new style of leadership, new ways of working and different reward systems.

The Rail Forum will be supporting and encouraging this innovative thinking as much as we can to help the supply chain and the wider industry as we look to the future.

Elaine Clark is Chief Executive Officer of Rail Forum.

Elaine became Rail Forum General Manager at the beginning of 2016 having joined us from the National Skills Academy for Rail. She took up the new position of CEO in March 2019 and became a member of the Rail Supply Group Council in March 2021.

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TICKETING FEATURE | |

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Ticketing’s role to meet transit’s unpredictable needs For transit planners, the ability to predict passenger behaviours, needs and wants is imperative to meaningful decision-making, says Philippe Vappereau, General Manager, Calypso Networks Association

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ccommodating these behaviours helps unlock public transit’s attractiveness over private vehicle usage – a critical objective for cities worldwide.

Today, networks face a growing need for greater flexibility. This goes beyond structured transit networks to consider new, alternative mobility services and a ticketing offer that combines flexibility with value for money. What does this look like, and what do planners need to consider when scoping ticketing strategies to offer increased flexibility while meeting passenger expectations?

The age of the agile passenger Today’s passengers display significantly more agile travel patterns, driven by trends such as flexible working arrangements.

We are seeing a gradual erosion of fixed commuting patterns, but many passengers are now also using public transit for the first and last steps of their journeys. This means traditional fare options and siloed ticketing experiences are no longer viable, as they risk diminishing public transit’s attractiveness, nudging passengers towards private vehicles.

The pressure is on Public Transport Operators (PTOs) and Public Transport Authorities (PTAs) to deliver a ticketing offering for agile passengers. Achieving this in a scalable, cost-effective way is a significant challenge, but the first step is identifying the pressure points. Let’s take a look…

Flexible fares for flexible passengers The first step to supporting agile travel is creating a fare and tariff structure that is less rigid and capable of unlocking better value. Today, more PTOs and PTAs are expanding their offering beyond traditional

weekly/season tickets to include more flexible options, including pay-as-yougo (PAYG). However, as with any agilefocused strategy, there’s a balance to be struck, and the challenge for planners is to offer agile ticketing to boost public transit attractiveness, without negatively impacting revenue.

Ticketing for Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) To meet evolving transit needs, many PTOs and PTAs are exploring how to diversify beyond structured networks to support the first and last step of every passenger’s journey. Ticketing’s role in this field is essential to offer a full, seamless, joined-up experience.

Reflecting the digital-first nature of MaaS, mobile ticketing will be the core

driver here. However, adopting a digital-only mindset with ticketing for MaaS runs the risk of excluding a significant proportion of passengers. Planners need to consider the needs of all passengers, including the unbanked and digitally excluded, and bring them on board to help MaaS policies succeed. This means considering the role of ticketing smartcards, already used by millions of passengers around the world each day and integrating MaaS payments with existing infrastructures to ensure mass (and MaaS!) inclusion.

Delivering a smarter, contactless ticketing experience Nonetheless, we recognise that the IoT revolution is bringing new levels of connectivity and convenience to consumers.

Rail Professional

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Ticketing, therefore, needs to look to developments in this space to bring the same benefits to passengers and support increased flexibility. In the same way that digital ticketing is a driving force for MaaS adoption, NFC technology and mobile solutions will underpin advanced ticketing solutions. Early steps exist with mobile QR ticketing, but these can be viewed as a medium-term solution at best if ticketing is to fully emulate the convenience of the wider IoT sector.

Given the scale of these pressure points, and the need for a quick response to support permanent change in ticketing and transit, what tools are available to PTOs and PTAs? Meeting expectations with open vs closed loop ticketing Merging daily payments with transit ticketing through open loop ticketing solutions is one approach many PTOs and PTAs are exploring to offer flexibility for passengers.

Open loop is typically when a passenger uses their contactless EMV® bank card or digital wallet on an NFC-enabled device (smartphone or wearable) for ticket purchasing and validation. It relies on the infrastructure put in place by payment networks such as Mastercard, Visa, and American Express and relies on EMV technologies. In addition, we are also seeing hybrid open/closed loop solutions emerge with white label/closed loop EMV ticketing.

Just as with MaaS, planners need to consider the ticketing needs of all passengers with their ticketing strategies, an objective that open loop might not achieve as it automatically excludes unbanked passengers. In addition, planners need to consider the needs of passengers who simply want to keep using their regular, trusted smartcard and don’t want to Rail Professional

merge payments with ticketing. A similar problem emerges with white-label EMV, which only supports Account-Based Ticketing (ABT), and which brings with it extra data protection considerations, such as compliance with Europe’s GDPR rules. For passengers who wish to maintain their privacy, this is another potential barrier to overcome.

Open loop solutions pose additional challenges when considering how to offer passengers better value for money with flexible ticketing. While its ability to support PAYG ticketing and enabling passengers to use the same card on any compatible network is attractive, creating a specialised yet commercially viable tariff structure is a challenge. EMV specifications are built primarily for the global payments industry (rather than the ticketing community) and do not allow network planners to write data onto the card. They can only read it.

To build a future for transit and ticketing that reflects the immediate challenges decision makers face, networks must have full ‘sovereignty’ over their solutions for their transformation strategies. This is where closed loop solutions based on open standards shaped by the transport community enter, offering PTOs and PTAs more control over their ticketing policies.

Given the immediate need for flexibility and value, this is more essential than ever before. For example, managing a season ticket with closed loop-based media comes at a much lower cost than via EMV ABT. It also enables passengers to access every tariff type, including subscriptions, locally stored value and PAYG, all delivered with the same level of high performance and data privacy safeguards.

medium and long-term future of transit ticketing. This is no surprise given the way urban mobility has and continues to evolve, creating smarter, greener cities with connected citizens empowered by IoT tech.

The portfolio of ticketing technology will be a rich combination of open and closed loop solutions on networks that expand to meet the first and last step of every passenger journey. In tandem with this will be new fare media, such as mobiles and wearables, offering a smarter, contactless experience in tandem with tried and tested traditional solutions, such as the trusted smartcard solution, which will continue to evolve to adapt with changing passenger and network needs.

Supporting planners with this transformation is essential, and the right tools must be available to support rapid, scalable and cost-effective ticketing evolution. Examples include ensuring security and functionality through certification for mobile ticketing solutions.

Free-to-use open source solutions like Eclipse Keyple will also be critical to empower developers of ticketing solutions to create innovative software, without the big price tag and ensuring full sovereignty.

The next twelve months will be a critical time for the transit community as it looks to navigate the current challenges and establish a solid base for future evolutions in ticketing. This is not going to be easy as it continues to face repercussions from almost two years of significantly reduced passenger footfall. Collaboration, education and innovation will be essential to help develop the solutions that will navigate transit’s unpredictability while generating a tangible ROI for passengers and networks alike.

A diverse future ahead for ticketing tech Diversity will be the watchword for the

Philippe Vappereau is General Manager at Calypso Networks Association

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All aboard: how railways can lower transport emissions The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that passenger and freight transport activity will more than double by 2050

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ailway transport provides an efficient solution to meet growing transport demand, and electrification offers a way to meet expectations with minimal environmental impact. Here, Simone Bruckner, managing director of power resistor manufacturer Cressall, explains how rail transport can help lower transport’s emissions.

The transport sector is responsible for around a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions in Europe and is the main cause of high air pollution in cities. Increasing reliance on rail transport for short passenger journeys, freight and international travel can help the industry take a significant step towards reducing these levels. While we’re already beginning to electrify, this must continue to roll out on a greater scale.

On the right track Rail transport is already a more efficient way of moving a large amount of people than using individual road vehicles. The high passenger occupancy of trains means that carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per passenger are significantly reduced. In addition, less cars on the road also lessens localised congestion and pollution levels.

However, it’s not just the daily commute that can benefit from these carbon reductions. There’s a growing movement to ditch air travel for rail, with tagskyrt, which is Swedish for train-bragging, becoming a popular buzzword.

Significant CO2 reductions can also be demonstrated by transferring freight transport from roads to railways. Each tonne of freight transported by train rather than heavy goods vehicle decreases emissions by 76 per cent, and removes up to 76 lorries from roads.

The ticket to carbon free While already widely viewed as an ecofriendly option, technology developments in hydrogen electric, battery electric and overhead electric trains have the potential to cut rail travel emissions even further.

The safety and reliability of the electric

railway system is dependent on the power quality of the train power supply system.

Power issues such as overvoltages and harmonics can damage equipment and therefore disrupt the rail transport system.

Therefore, the management of the electrical power must be carefully considered in massscale electrification of railways.

Resistors for railways Overvoltages in the power supply commonly stem from lightning strikes or switching operations, but their effects can be avoidable. Soft and hard crowbar resistors can be used in traction power supply circuits to deal with the consequences of transient or longer lasting over-voltage conditions.

A soft crowbar resistor is pulsed to dissipate transient over-voltages, but if these become worse or prolonged, the main breakers are opened and the system is shortcircuited through the hard crowbar to absorb the stored energy.

To prevent surges and unwanted harmonics entering the rail power supply, capacitor/inductor filter circuits are used

to decouple the traction power supply from the drives. Here resistors are used to limit inrush currents to the capacitors during charging and to safely discharge them when required.

High speed trains require a large amount of energy to brake, and often disk brakes alone are unsuitable because of high wear rates with resulting maintenance and replacement costs. Many electric trains now use the electric traction motor as a generator to slow the vehicle.

Where possible, the generated electrical power is fed back into the supply line to be used by other trains elsewhere on the network in a process known as regenerative braking. However, when there are no other trains available to use the regenerated power, the excess is safely dissipated by brake resistors mounted on the train itself or at fixed track-side locations.

As the demand for freight and passenger transport grows, electrifying the railways and extending their use will be key in delivering a high performance service with minimal environmental impact.

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East Anglian rail stations are quietly nurturing the green shoots of an eco-revolution

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East Anglia’s fragile wildlife populations are finding sanctuary at Greater Anglia’s railway stations – thanks to the efforts of volunteers who are transforming land the equivalent of 34 tennis courts into eco-friendly gardens

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he sheer scale and success of these gardening projects has led Greater Anglia to team up with the region’s Wildlife Trusts to pioneer a brand new ‘Wildlife Friendly Stations Accreditation’ recognising this important work.

Four rail stations in Norfolk – Brundall Gardens, Cantley, West Runton and Thetford – were the first to receive ‘Wildlife Friendly’ status. This year more stations across Essex, Suffolk, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire will follow.

In total, there are now 61 rail station gardens on Greater Anglia’s network – if each square metre of garden was put endto-end they would stretch from London to Aberdeen.

They are cared for by Greater Anglia’s team of station adopters – who help to look after their rail stations for the benefit of their communities – and while some station

gardens are newly created, some have been tended to by the community for many, many years.

Each garden provides a vital additional habitat for local wildlife, as well as making the stations more attractive and welcoming, contributing to human wellbeing too.

Since 2019, Greater Anglia has completed a yearly audit of its station gardens to track what is happening in them, how much land is being transformed and find out whether it is being used by wildlife.

The results have consistently revealed the station gardens are supporting a wide range of creatures including many different types of butterflies as well as bees, slow worms, bats, foxes, deer and many varieties of birds, recording more than 200 different species.

Under the new accreditation scheme, rail station platforms and gardens are assessed by a Wildlife Trust Conservation Officer to determine how well they support wildlife,

and the station adopters are presented with a report of the findings, a list of observed flora and fauna, recommendations and an opportunity to discuss further with the conservation team to help their gardens to be as biodiverse as possible.

Norfolk Wildlife’s Trust’s Corporate and Membership Development Officer, James Hogg, said: ‘The alarming decline in the abundance of wildlife and the plight of species under threat means that just protecting the nature we have left is not enough; we need to put nature into recovery, and to do so at scale and with urgency. We are working to create a nature recovery network across Norfolk – and with fellow wildlife trusts across the UK – to create more space for wildlife.

‘This project with Greater Anglia is a fantastic example of how people can transform nature-poor areas into new nature-rich places – and change the way Rail Professional

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we think about land, seizing opportunities to help nature outside traditional nature reserves.’

Greater Anglia’s Customer and Community Engagement Manager, Alan Neville, said, ‘We’re delighted to partner with the region’s wildlife trusts to formally recognise the valuable work of our station adopter volunteers in supporting wildlife and improving their local environment.

‘I’d like to congratulate the volunteers at these stations on receiving this recognition and thank them for the incredible work that are doing that makes each station a wonderful place to be, that is contributing to support biodiversity locally.’

In addition, Greater Anglia has pledged all its station gardens to the rewilding and nature recovery movement, WildEast, which aims to give 20 per cent of East Anglia – 250,000 hectares – back to nature by 2050.

Statistics show that, since 1970, many species have suffered including tree sparrows whose numbers have fallen by 85 per cent, Common toads, 68 per cent, Rail Professional

Nightingales, 93 per cent and hedgehogs whose numbers are down from 30 million to just one million. WildEast aims to reverse this decline by asking everyone, including farming estates, industrial estates, housing estates, schools, gardens, allotments and churchyards, to give whatever land they can back to nature. This can mean planting wildlife friendly areas or simply leaving the land as space for nature.

At Alresford station in Essex, the station adopters’ work to create a refuge for bees and other pollinators has even helped the entire town to become one of the first in the country to be officially named a ‘Bee Friendly Town’. The status has been granted by the Bee Friendly Trust with Alresford one of eight towns to receive the accolade nationally.

To achieve this, Alresford’s main projects focused on areas near to the old station house with a wildflower area to attract bees, and other habitats created at the village allotments and playing field. A roadside verge was sown with wildflower seeds and

a bee hotel was mounted on the station house wall.

The parish council and Greater Anglia station adopters have also worked with the Essex & South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership, the local primary school and Cobnuts Co-operative at Alresford rail station to create an extensive wildlife garden at Alresford station with a speciallycommissioned bee friendly sculpture and planting, which in 2020 earned them a Department for Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) ‘Bees Needs Champions’ Award.

Parish council chairman and volunteer station adopter, Frank Belgrove, who received the award on behalf of the community, said: ‘We’re so thrilled to hear this wonderful news! So many people, young and older, in the community have played a part in encouraging pollinators to flourish in our town. Bees are vital to us all and this excellent award status for our community will increase awareness of their importance and help us do even more to help and support them.’

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Greater Anglia has also worked closely with their vegetation management contractor, Railscape, to ensure that its staff understand the nature of the work going on in station gardens and its focus on biodiversity.

As Railscape is a company committed to reducing their overall environmental impact, it has put its full support behind the development of Greater Anglia’s station gardens, providing a member of their team – Warren Smith – to help station adopters for two days per week. This generous support is a real boon to the station adopters who now have someone to call upon for help with bigger projects such as establishing new gardens, installing fixtures and fittings and help with heavy duty vegetation management – all delivered by an environmental expert.

In turn, the scheme helps Railscape to meet its environmental aims by recycling surplus materials left over from station projects and encourages them to manage vegetation sensitively with an eye to conserving habitat as an intrinsic

Rail Professional

part of the process.

Greater Anglia is following the industry’s Sustainable Stations: Best Practice Guide, which details ways in which train operators can meet this commitment in support of global goals of decarbonisation, reducing waste and supporting local plant and animal life with action to reduce waste, support local wildlife and cut the carbon footprint of railway stations.

With a focus on becoming ever more sustainable, Greater Anglia’s reported carbon emissions have reduced by over 25,000 tonnes of equivalent Carbon Dioxide (CO2) in recent years – as revealed in the company’s annual Environment and Energy Report.

The report shows that Greater Anglia’s carbon emissions have reduced by over 25,000 tonnes over the last two years with a series of energy and carbon reduction measures. This is equivalent to the annual average energy use of over 9,000 homes.

This has seen Greater Anglia introduce new more energy-efficient trains, cut waste, increase recycling and work to improve

sustainability and biodiversity at stations – such as upcycling and donating materials from station refurbishments to other local projects, building insect refuges at depots and staff signing on points and constructing composting bins for station adopters to use in their station gardens.

The company has also worked to install wireless energy management systems at its rail stations to ensure heating and lighting are used efficiently and taken steps to reduce water consumption.

Greater Anglia’s Environment & Energy Manager, Stephanie Evans, said: ‘Rail is a really important part of the ‘green recovery’ we are all aspiring to, helping communities stay connected to jobs, education, family, friends and leisure opportunities in a way that helps to reduce everyone’s carbon footprint.

‘Our new trains are more efficient and produce less particulate pollution than our old ones which will help to make rail travel in East Anglia an even more environmentally friendly option.’

Aerodynamic fronts, lighter chassis and brakes which return energy back to the network are some of the features of Greater Anglia’s new trains which are making train travel even more sustainable.

They are also longer with more seats, which means that they can carry more passengers and take even more cars off the road – preventing tonnes of harmful CO2 emissions being released into the atmosphere as well as reducing congestion.

One of Greater Anglia’s full intercity trains potentially takes up to 504 cars off the road, while a new four carriage bi-mode train removes 152, and a three-carriage bimode train removes 111. The company’s new five-carriage electric commuter trains take up to 362 cars off the road – or 725 when they run as ten carriages. Leaving the car at home and taking the train cuts carbon emissions by two thirds.

Greater Anglia worked with environmental consultants, WSP, to quantify its environmental impact and understand its carbon emissions, as part of an aim to become even greener and more sustainable.

Last year the company was given an internationally recognised stamp of approval for businesses committed to reducing their impact on the environment meaning it could retain its ISO 14001 and ISO 50001 environment and energy certifications.

Steph continues: ‘Through our efforts to reduce emissions, waste and energy consumption and together with our station adopters and community rail partnerships, we are working hard to make the railway is East Anglia the most environmentally friendly way to travel and a positive benefit to the communities it serves.

‘We hope that, as people start to make small changes to their lifestyles to help tackle the climate emergency, they will consider rail as an attractive alternative to the car and come with us as we continue our green journey.’

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Using innovative station lighting for improved sustainability David Woodcock, Business Unit Manager – Rail at DW Windsor looks at how the correct lighting technology and strategy can make a significant contribution to reducing the energy usage of stations, while still meeting all the functional and safety requirement

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ith the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and improved sustainability now a priority in order to minimise the impact of climate change, lowering operational energy usage is essential. The UK rail sector in particular is aiming to be a global leader. In fact, Network Rail was the first rail organisation in the world to set what it described as ‘ambitious science-based targets to cut carbon emissions and help limit global warming to 1.5∞C’. In its ‘Environmental Sustainability Strategy 2020-2050’ Network Rail details how it aims to achieve a ‘LowEmission Railway’, including reaching net zero by 2050. The rail sector is also one of the largest single consumers of electricity in Britain. Therefore, reducing energy consumption is a necessity and the lighting in and around stations is an area where immediate and significant savings can be made.

Consider energy efficient lighting A simple step that can make a meaningful difference is upgrading the existing lighting to highly energy efficient LED products.

There are LED lighting solutions available for all areas including the car park, platforms, stairs, walkways and bridges as well as specially engineered products for trackside applications.

The high degree of output control that LEDs offer as well as advances in optical distribution means that leading manufacturers will be able to adapt the lighting to suit the existing infrastructure to minimise the work required.

Furthermore, the longevity of modern LED luminaires makes them a more sustainable option. For example, exterior lighting solutions typically have a rated lifetime of over 100,000 hours – the equivalent to over 20 years of operational use.

Minimising wasted energy Another simple step that can be taken to reduce energy usage is ensuring that light is directed where it is needed, with minimal spill, to ensure energy is being used effectively. Careful consideration of the placement of luminaires is essential but extensive research and development into the optics for luminaires allows precise control over the distribution of light and therefore which areas are illuminated. This not only prevents energy waste but also eliminates light trespass into nearby homes and buildings as well as creating areas of darkness for wildlife.

The role of lighting controls The energy reductions achieved through the use of LEDs can be enhanced further with the use of lighting controls. Integrated sensors and smart dimming profiles can be used to minimise the wasted energy during off-peak times. This is especially valuable Rail Professional

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dim by 20 per cent at night. The placement of the luminaires and distribution of the light means the scheme delivers a good uniformity of 0.4 from the station building to the furthest corners of the car park. The replacement lighting also uses 50 per cent less energy than the previous system with an improved light distribution1.

Energy savings can also be made in the lighting of the station platforms, but this requires a different approach. The focus when lighting platforms is to create uniform levels of high quality illumination along the length of the platform, so that all objects and surfaces are clearly visible. Care must be taken when designing luminaire spacing and light distribution to ensure there are no areas of shadow that can impact visibility and that signage and platform edges are clearly illuminated. Therefore, lighting levels can only be reduced when there are no passengers or staff present.

For example, at Crediton Station in Devon, a relatively small and rural station to the north of Exeter, a simple but effective approach has been implemented. During a recent refurbishment, our column mounted LED luminaires with passive infrared (PIR) sensors were installed along the platform.

The sensors are used to dim all the lighting down to 20 per cent output when no motion is detected during certain times of the night. If movement is detected the lighting automatically returns to normal levels.

This creates a consistent but lowered level of light, which complies with the relevant standards, but delivers excellent long term energy savings. The 20 per cent output is also sufficient to ensure the station appears open and welcoming to passengers, while also discouraging any potential anti-social behaviour.

for stations that see few passengers later in the evening or in the early morning, such as those in more rural areas.

In particular, station car parks are an area where innovative lighting can help to reduce energy usage. However, any solution must balance energy saving with ensuring the physical and perceived safety of passengers. Using straightforward controls to automatically dim the lighting after a certain time of night is a simple option.

Ensuring that all areas of the car park are illuminated, and a uniform level of light is Rail Professional

achieved means visibility and safety can be maintained despite the reduced light levels.

An example of where this approach has been implemented is Tiverton Parkway railway station, which is on the Bristol to Exeter Line in Devon and located close to the M5 motorway. The extended 429-space car park required an upgraded lighting solution to provide an improved passenger experience, while also minimising energy usage. DW Windsor’s Network Rail approved columnmounted Kirium luminaires were installed in twin and triple arm arrangements and set to

Advanced controls and monitoring Highly scalable Central Management Systems (CMS) combined with Internet of Things (IoT) enabled luminaires can provide remote access and dynamic lighting control across multiple sites. It also provides the option for sophisticated monitoring as well as full data for analysis and reporting, which is an important part of understanding where further energy savings can be made.

Sustainability is now a key priority for the rail sector with energy usage a core part of reducing the environmental impact. A considered approach to lighting design, using the latest innovations in LED luminaire technology and control systems, can help operators to make significant and immediate energy savings.

Case study reference: https://www. dwwindsor.com/projects/improved-lightingand-significant-energy-savings-for-tivertonparkway-railway-station/ 1

To find out more about DW Windsor and its range of high performance LED lighting solutions visit www.dwwindsor.com.

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Keeping our track workers safe: a ‘matter of concern’ Dr Stephen Fletcher, Director and Occupational Psychologist at the OPC shares some work and initiatives with track workers and track maintenance organisations focused on developing safer working behaviours and improvements to safety culture

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he OPC has worked in the rail industry for over 30 years. Their Psychologists and Assessors have successfully worked alongside rail operators, employees; with track rail engineering agencies, Network Rail and other engineering operators.

Saying that maintaining the vast network of track and other associated assets is a huge undertaking is an understatement. It can include planned maintenance work and checks; unplanned repair and replacement work, removal of debris or objects; repairs in tunnels or embankment ‘gardening’!

Employees doing track and engineering work are a special breed of person. They operate in a dangerous environment every day, and they face many risks. It is therefore crucial that they have the right skills and personality traits to help make them safe and effective workers. If mistakes and errors occur then the impact can be enormous and potentially fatal.

Ensuring track worker safety is of ‘critical concern’ for our rail industry. The OPC’s work over the years to enhance and improve track worker safety has included, but is not limited to; organisational safety culture work; developing safe working behaviours in track workers and applying motivational techniques to encourage personal safety accountability. They also undertake Post Incident Assessments (PIAs) with track workers involved in safety incidents to help improve their personal safety as well as feed into operators’ continuous safety improvement programmes.

So, what makes a safe and effective track worker?

OPC Psychologists believe there are some important Non-Technical Skills (NTS) that help make safe and effective track workers, and also help contribute to the prevention of errors or incidents: • Risk anticipation and time patience are essential NTS when working in a safety critical environment in any role, but especially for track workers.

• It’s important that track workers are actively vigilant for safety hazards, warning signs, or changing events that could negatively impact on theirs, or other team members safety. In a recent RAIB report of a fatality involving a rail worker near Surbiton, one of the RAIB conclusions drawn was that the COSS had been ‘distracted from his primary safety critical role and that this may have been a causal factor in the fatality.’

• Safe and effective track workers need an ability to understand and reason with basic written rules, regulations and procedures. Strict compliance with safe working rules, behaviours and procedures regardless of role, functional activity or seniority is imperative to all track workers safety.

• An individual who displays the key attributes of checking, conscientiousness

and rule motivation means jobs are completed to a high standard and safety incidents are more likely to be avoided.

These NTS have been identified through in-depth analysis of the Track Worker role undertaken by the OPC which also included a leading research project commissioned by the Health and Safety Executive HSE. Assessment tools that work The aforementioned NTS can be put to good use as part of a recruitment process for track workers. OPC Assessment has a wide range of online assessment tools that are valuable for identifying the key abilities and NTS when recruiting for many safetycritical roles. Some of these include: The Risk and Time Focus Questionnaire (RTQ) that helps profile a candidate’s behaviours and attitudes towards risk anticipation, risk management and time focus. The Safe Concentration and Attention Test (SCAAT) is a world leading safety test used on the railway assessing for concentration. The Rules Acquisition Aptitude Test (RAAT) can help assesses an individual’s capacity to learn key rules and procedures in training and stick to them when on the job. Additionally, the Safe Personality Questionnaire (SAFEPQ) assesses for 4 personality factors; Cautiousness, Conscientiousness, Resilience and Rules Focus that are linked to safe behaviours in the rail industry.

Some of these tools have been statistically linked with training and job performance in track workers. So, there is evidence showing that these assessment tools can help identify, at recruitment those track workers who are more likely to perform better in training and safer on the job.

Running development programmes for specialist track worker roles OPC Psychologists were approached by a rail maintenance company who’d been involved in a train derailment in the South of England.

Planned maintenance work had been undertaken and the Trackback Assessor (TA) was confident in the quality of work completed, and so had handed the track back. Approximately nine hours later a train derailed. The company undertook a wide scale investigation and human factors was considered as a key development area for its TAs. TAs are key to ensuring the safe return of track at the right time, and at the right speed, but the nature of their role can be high pressured with other rail personnel waiting for the track to be handed back so that normal rail services can resume.

Working alongside the organisation, OPC Psychologists designed a one-day workshop that explored NTS and the human factors of TA’s and how they might improve their safety performance. To enhance self-awareness each TA completed the SAFEPQ that assesses four key personality-

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orientated NTS. Each TA received in-depth feedback from an OPC Psychologist and they were encouraged to prepare a safety performance improvements development plan for implementation back at work.

Hundreds of Trackback Assessors took part in the programme that lasted for over 4 years.

The OPC team undertook statistical analysis of the TA’s SAFEPQ assessment scores and also gathered feedback on each TAs safety performance from their line manager. The analysis evidenced that over time the TAs demonstrated an improvement in their safety personality. Additionally, the SAFEPQ results also showed a strong link to a TA’s on-the-job safety performance as measured by their line managers. Therefore, the OPC believes that personalised development plan interventions using NTS and human factors can help to improve the safety of track workers.

Identifying track workers’ development needs OPC Psychologists have been using the Post Incident Assessment (PIA) process for many years with rail employees who may have been wholly or partially responsible for safety incidents. Over 500 employees have taken part in the PIA process, mainly train crew employees. More recently PIAs have been applied to track workers involved in safety of the line incidents (SOL) with very positive results. The aim of a PIA is to help uncover NTS shortfalls that may have led to a safety incident, and to assist the employee in learning, developing or improving these NTS to avoid future incidents. OPC Psychologists will often use a range of tools and techniques including interviews and psychometric tests as part of the PIA. In a recent piece of work, two PIAs were undertaken with a COSS and his assistant who were working near live rails setting up possession boards and detonators. The PIA uncovered some key NTS shortfalls including a failure to anticipate risk, insufficient checking and a lack of assertiveness that all contributed to the safety incident. The incident could have been fatal. If the COSS and his assistant had demonstrated these key NTS then there is a strong possibility the incident may have been avoided.

Another recent PIA involved a Signaller who’d provided a line blockage to a track worker whilst a train was in that section.

The Signaller’s PIA identified a number of NTS shortfalls that contributed to the error and therefore exposed the track workers to a serious near miss. However, the PIA with the track worker identified excellent application of the NTS of risk anticipation and checking immediately prior to the near miss. These NTS probably saved his life and that of his colleague. The OPC encouraged him to continue demonstrating his NTS strengths and, as a leader, to facilitate his work colleagues to demonstrate these key lifesaving NTS too.

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IMAGE CREDIT: ISTOCK

Enhancing the safety culture of track workers The OPC were approached by a UK rail maintenance contractor who were concerned about the frequency of safety incidents amongst its track workers. The organisation was keen to find and pilot some new psychological techniques to help improve safety performance in one of their depots. The OPC recommended using Group Decision Technique (GDT) specifically designed to increase the safety motivation of track workers and their associated team managers. This simple and relatively unknown, untapped technique has been used in both Japan and Sweden to improve safety performance of bus drivers and telecom drivers respectively, with really positive results.

Firstly, the OPC team briefed managers on the GDT and trained them on how to facilitate safety discussions with their track workers. This was supported by OPC Psychologists meeting with groups of track workers, and their line managers, to discuss and debate safety issues being experienced on the tracks/at work. These meetings took place monthly, over a whole year. At each session the trackworkers were encouraged to share ideas/initiatives that the organisation or their managers could undertake to help improve safety. Many of the requests were basic but very important such as ensuring a continuous and readily available supply of PPE or having a well-stocked materials and

products store with essential equipment for maintenance work – thus avoiding begging or borrowing scenarios.

Each month managers would take away the track workers ‘Actions’ list. At the next month’s session, they’d provide responses and updates to their team’s requests e.g., ‘Solved’, ‘In Progress’, ‘Referred up the chain’ or ‘Unachievable’. Many actions were resolved to the satisfaction and sometimes to the surprise of the track workers. This GDT for resolving safety issues helped create a local and strong safety culture. Safety was being given an elevated status. Additionally, employees felt listened to and their requests acted upon.

Once this new, stronger safety culture had been established in the depot, the track workers were also involved by making safety improvement commitments. Each worker was asked to complete an ID-sized ‘Pledge Card’, detailing their safety improvement action. They signed the card and placed it somewhere they could see it on a daily basis. These Pledge Cards helped create an individual commitment and responsibility to track working safety.

Impact of the GDT At the end of each monthly session the track workers were asked for feedback.

Over time, attitudes to safety improved with the team providing really positive comments about changes in safety culture.

However, more importantly, safety incidents

declined too. The depot enjoyed a 40 per cent reduction in safety incidents over two years vs a 50 per cent increase in safety incidents at a local ‘control’ depot that had not piloted GDT. Following this successful pilot in the initial depot, OPC Psychologists were asked to implement GDT in other depots across the UK for the same operator and for other rail organisations.

Given its successful application and impact on safety performance, there is certainly an opportunity for GDT to be applied more universally and consistently across the industry.

With the recent publication of a report (RAIB) into a track fatality, we need to apply more of our skills and expertise into helping improve track worker safety and enhance safety culture in our track organisations. It is sobering listening to track employees who’ve just escaped a life-threatening incident. It focuses my mind and should encourage all of us to do more to invest and implement initiatives that make an impact on safety and improve track worker wellbeing. Track worker lives depend on it. Inductions, training and development around NTS, as well as development programmes with track workers and safety culture initiatives such as GDT are great advancements and they can all bring positive safety benefits.

Tel: +44 (0) 1923 234646 Email: admin@theopc.co.uk Visit: www.theopc.co.uk Rail Professional

Elizabeth line The transformational Elizabeth line, valued at a cost of £19 billion, opened on Tuesday 24 May, marking the most significant addition to the capital's transport network for a generation

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Andy Byford, Sadiq Khan, Grant Shapps and Boris Johnson with Hampden Gurney, Church of England Primary School Choir

IMAGE CREDIT: TFL

er Majesty The Queen, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson MP, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, Transport for London’s Commissioner Andy Byford, the Transport Secretary the Right Hon. Grant Shapps and Crossrail Chief Executive Mark Wild were all present at the official opening event on May 17.

The new railway will provide new journey options and support wider regeneration and recovery from the pandemic – creating jobs, business opportunities and a huge economic boost for the country. It will also connect London's major employment centres and increase central London's rail capacity by ten per cent, the largest single increase in the capital's transport capacity in decades.

Each of the new stations in the central section has its own distinct character, conceived by different architects, which reflects the environment and heritage of the local area. However, at platform level, common design components such as seating, signage and full-height platform screen doors create a consistent and familiar feel to the rest of the TfL network. 31 of the 41 stations along the Elizabeth line route are on the surface rail network to the east and west. Upgrades to these stations included platform lengthening, improved customer information screens, signage, new ticket machines and CCTV. Throughout its construction, the railway has had an extensive supply chain which has supported businesses of all sizes, and jobs and skills creation across the whole country. The Class 345 trains running on the Elizabeth line were built in Derby, roundels and signage for the line were supplied by a family-run business on the Isle of Wight, and a company based in Leeds strengthened and protected London's Victorian sewer networks during construction.

IMAGE CREDIT: TFL

HM Queen Elizabeth II introduced to staff by Andy Byford London Transport Commissioner

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• The Elizabeth line stretches 118 kilometres, connecting London from East to West and integrating with Heathrow airport, the Great Western and Great Eastern national railways.

• Up to 24 trains will run each way through central London every hour at peak times when the Elizabeth line is fully open.

• Estimated to generate up to £42 billion for the UK economy.

• More than one million passengers used the line in its first five days.

• Ten per cent increase in central London’s rail capacity.

• All Elizabeth line stations will be staffed from first to the last train, with a 'turn up and go' service offered to anyone needing assistance.

The Elizabeth line as of launch on Tuesday 24 May 2022. The Elizabeth line launches in stages, and a new map will be released in the Autumn of 2022 when the next phase is completed.

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IMAGE CREDIT: © MORLEY VON STERNBERG

IMAGE CREDIT: TFL

Kilborn Consulting Limited is an independent railway engineering consultancy and design business, with over 21 years of railway experience.

We specialise in the design of new and altered railway Signalling & Telecoms systems for the UK railway infrastructure.

Our areas of specialism are: • Signalling and Telecoms Consultancy, including technical advice & support; • Asset Condition Assessments, Correlation and Surveys; • Signalling & Level Crossing Risk Assessments; • Feasibility and Optioneering Studies; • Concept and Outline Signalling Design; • Telecoms Option Selection Reports (including AiP), Reference System Design and Detailed Design; • Detailed Signalling Design; • Competency Management & Assessments; • Signal Sighting assessments, covering the full Signal Sighting Committee process with a competent Chair.

The new office which is located in the heart of Wellingborough can accommodate all staff and visitors alike and offer widespread views across Wellingborough and the surrounding green spaces.

We would be delighted to welcome you to our office to discuss your requirements and how we can support you to achieve those.

Kilborn Consulting Limited 6th Floor, South Suite, 12 Sheep Street Wellingborough, Northamptonshire NN8 1BL

Email: pmcsharry@kilbornconsulting.co.uk Phone: 01933 279909

www.kilbornconsulting.co.uk

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Liverpool Street

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iverpool Street, one of the key central London stations and perhaps one of the most challenging to design owing to the physical constraints below ground which included a maze of sewers, existing Tube lines and the Post Office Railway, was designed by award-winning firm WilkinsonEyre.

The new station comprises two platform tunnels stretching 245 metres to connect Moorgate and Liverpool Street Stations as well as new ticket halls and escalator boxes to street level with connections to existing LUL and Network Rail services.

WilkinsonEyre’s design maximises height in constrained spaces and introduces more daylight into the subterranean areas. A shallow, folded ceiling plane formed by ribbed pre-cast concrete panels breaks the perception of the low flat ceilings to create a greater sense of space, scale and movement.

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ilco UK and Howe Green, manufacturers of high quality access solutions, have been specified as part of the construction of the Elizabeth line to provide engineers with safe and secure access.

Throughout the construction stages of the central section, which spans from Westbourne Park to Plumstead and Pudding Mill Lane, over 350 of Bilco UK’s innovative aluminium Ladder Up® Safety Posts were specified by Crossrail’s systemwide contractor Alstom TSO Costain Joint Venture (ATC Systemwide).

Weighing just seven kilograms due to their milled aluminium construction, the resilient Ladder Up® Safety Posts provide engineers with unobstructed access to the walkways when conducting essential maintenance throughout the tunnels.

The specification process, managed by Construction & Rail Contractors McNealy Brown, focused on the requirement for durable yet functional access solutions that would consistently provide a safe and direct step through onto the walkway, without impacting on the surrounding electrical services.

The unique and high quality construction of the Ladder Up® Safety Post fulfilled each requirement of the brief. This includes features such as the innovative telescopic post, which mounts permanently to the top two rungs of any fixed ladder to provide a secure handhold that enables the user to enter or exit the opening in an upright and balanced position.

Clive Burfoot, Contract Manager at McNealy Brown, said: “When we first began researching potential access solutions for the central section, it became clear quite quickly that the Bilco UK Ladder Up® Safety Post was the only product available on the UK market that would fulfil our extensive list of requirements.

‘The telescopic extension was one of the main benefits that secured its specification for this project, as it enables the Ladder Up® safety post to be both retracted and extended, a key function that wasn’t available with any other access solution.’

Over 1,500 Howe Green floor access covers have also been Rail Professional

installed throughout seven stations by one of the UK’s leading fitout contractors, DMC Contracts. Howe Green’s 7500 Series stainless steel Floor Access Covers have been installed throughout the ticket halls, walkways and main concourses of each station to provide engineers with secure and concealed access to under-floor services.

As only the securing bolt and barrel edge are visible, the covers provide the highest standards of security, without impacting on the overall design scheme or presenting a potential trip hazard.

Manufactured to BS 476: Part 22, the 7500 Series provides resistance to fire and smoke for up to two hours, providing the highest standards in safety, performance and compliance throughout all seven stations.

With each floor access cover withstanding up to five tonne pneumatic tyre wheel loads, the 7500 Series provides unobstructed access to rodding points and winch systems and electrical pits throughout all areas of the stations.

As the lifting blocks are anchored to the inner frame, the floor access covers can be handled easily and safely by contractors, reducing any potential disruption to passenger’s travel as the maintenance can be conducted quickly and safely.

At Whitechapel Station, 900 Howe Green’s 7500 Series Floor Access Covers in standard and bespoke depths have been installed in single, duct and multipart configurations throughout all areas of the station, including the new ticket hall and station concourse, to provide secure and concealed access to under-floor services.

Conor McCann, Director at DMC, said: ‘Due to the nature and sheer magnitude of this project, it was imperative that we worked in tandem with Howe Green from the initial design and specification stages through to site installation to ensure the successful flooring completion of all the Elizabeth line stations.

‘When we embarked on this project back in 2016, it quickly became apparent that no other manufacturer could match the calibre of Howe Green’s expertise and superior product excellence.

By working together from the very beginning, we have been able to

IMAGE CREDIT: CROSSRAIL LTD

Bilco UK and Howe Green on the right track with the Elizabeth line

ELIZABETH FEATURE LINE | |

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IMAGE CREDIT: CROSSRAIL LTD

ensure the flooring of every station has been installed to the highest possible standard and will withstand the heavy footfall of passengers with ease.’

200 of Howe Green’s 7500 Series Floor Access Covers have also been installed at Farringdon Elizabeth line station. The floor covers were installed throughout the entire 25,596 square metre station, including two new ticket halls, which are connected by an underground central concourse, in addition to the 244-metre-long passenger platform.

Chris George, Business Development Manager for Howe Green, said: ‘Over the last 15 years we have developed a successful and close relationship with DMC, which has been fostered and maintained through our combined dedication to achieving the most successful specification for every project.

‘It has been a real privilege to work together throughout the construction of the Elizabeth line and I know I speak for both parties when we say we’re extremely proud of the level of work that’s been achieved.’

Bilco UK and Howe Green, together with their sister company, Profab Access, form Access 360, which provides a total manufacturing solution for roof, ceiling, wall and floor access products to the construction industry.

For further information on Access 360 and its range of access solutions visit www.access-360.co.uk.

IMAGE CREDIT: CROSSRAIL LTD Rail Professional

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Station integration

S

ince the earliest stages of its planning and design right through to its opening today, Mott MacDonald has been involved in designing shafts and vast underground caverns for platforms and crossovers, stations, traction power and signalling, trains and more.

Mott MacDonald most recently helped deliver the station integration, responsible for the testing, commissioning for the ten new central stations from Paddington to Abbey Wood.

Mott MacDonald’s ambition to create positive social outcomes has driven its involvement with Crossrail. The Elizabeth line will transform travel across London and the South East and its positive impact should not be underestimated. The line will improve transport links and cut journey times while providing additional, accessible capacity.

The project also demonstrates a strong focus on decarbonisation.

New designs have saved thousands of tonnes of carbon and the line is serviced by 200-metre-long trains that have been designed to include light weight bodies, energy efficient air conditioning and utilise regenerative braking returning energy back into the power supply – as a result they will use up to 30 per cent less energy.

Neil Henderson, Mott MacDonald’s Key Account Director and Project Director for Crossrail, said: ‘We’ve touched on many aspects of the project since its earliest days. For me it is the stories of the people who have worked on Crossrail that bring to life the long journey many of us have been on. I am particularly inspired by the stories from apprentices who joined the project after leaving school and have used their experience and lessons learned from Crossrail to develop and grow their careers.’

John Bettles, Mott MacDonald’s Global Railway Systems Professional Head, said: ‘I’m very proud to have led a team which has helped co-ordinate the final testing of the Elizabeth line central stations. The testing and commissioning of the highly complex station systems and integration with routeway SCADA communications systems has been a huge challenge, but adopting a collaborative integrated approach across the various contracts and stakeholders has been absolutely key in the success of the stations programme.’

Rail Professional

Paddington – building upon Brunel’s Victorian masterpiece

P

addington is familiar to millions of people arriving into London from Heathrow or stations to the west.

Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and Digby Wyatt, Paddington is Grade I listed and an icon of Victorian railway engineering – setting the bar high for its new Elizabeth line addition. Weston Williamson + Partners’ Elizabeth line station is the culmination of over ten years’ work by the practice across Paddington station, transforming the passenger experience by radically improving routes to and through the station, and opening up new connections.

Today, Paddington has a highly visible and navigable main entrance for the first time, with the Elizabeth line entrance extending beneath a 2,300 sq.m glazed roof incorporating Cloud Atlas – a large-scale new art work by Spencer Finch. From a 300 metre long new public plaza, new entrance portals connect to the mainline station, with lifts and escalators taking passengers to the concourse and platform below. At street level, a pair of sculptural ventilation shaft enclosures, clad with tapering cast stone fins, help to frame the station entrance, and hint at the grandeur beneath.

Paddington is epic in scale, yet calm and legible. Its 90-metre clear opening – a unique feature for urban underground station design – harnesses space, scale and light to match the grandeur of Brunel’s original station, and creates an uplifting and carefully-detailed space intended to claim its own legacy. Its robust engineering is celebrated – for instance in gigantic flared elliptical columns, clad in bronze to head height, which carry the structure above. There are careful details too – such as anodised ‘lily pad’ light fittings set within saucer-like concrete ceiling coffers above the grand ticket hall.

Services are cleverly tucked away out of sight, and ample provision has been made for future adaptations.

Unusually for the central Elizabeth line stations, both Paddington and Woolwich are ‘box’ stations rather than tunnelled structures.

At Paddington, Weston Williamson + Partners harnessed the box station construction technique to bring daylight and natural ventilation deep into the station: uniquely on the Elizabeth line’s new central section it is possible to stand on the station platforms and look directly up to the street level far above.

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Woolwich – regeneration and heritage

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nitial proposals for Crossrail – now known as the Elizabeth Line – did not include a station at Woolwich, although the alignment passed beneath the site. Weston Williamson + Partners, alongside Berkeley Homes, Crossrail and the Royal Borough of Greenwich, worked to demonstrate how a new station at Woolwich could incorporate the ventilation access and egress needed in this location, integrate with new development to benefit the local area, and enhance the value of the new line.

Woolwich station is a key element in a masterplan for the regeneration of the former Royal Arsenal site. The new station with its associated public realm connects it and the area’s new community to the wider town centre, and together with a series of Grade I and II listed buildings frames Dial Arch Square – a repurposed historic green space that forms a gateway to the area.

The single storey entrance building respects the smallest and oldest buildings around Dial Arch Square, and signals the station’s public role. A simple bronze portal provides a monumental entrance that allows this rather quiet building to hold its own against the much larger modern blocks of the masterplan. Sinuous concrete beams, placed alongside perforated metal panels and thin lighting strips, lend visual interest to the ticket hall and contribute towards a pleasant and calm passenger experience.

Weston Williamson + Partners sought a robust architecture that could respond to the character of the former military buildings that define the site. This is reflected in the tough yet simple palette of brick, steel and bronze - while incorporating details that reference the site’s rich military history – such as perforated external cladding containing images of ‘Britannia and the Lion’ – used on ceremonial coins struck at Woolwich commemorating the fallen of the Great War. Below ground, pillars in the station concourse have a tiled motif in the colours of regiments originally based at the Arsenal.

Weston Williamson + Partners is recognised for their global leadership in large-scale infrastructure and design. While Paddington and Woolwich may appear very different, each demonstrates how the passenger experience is at the core of Weston Williamson + Partners’ design approach. Both are characterised by a careful and restrained use of robust materials, with the result that both Paddington and Woolwich are durable, calm and elegant spaces that meet everyday transport needs through exceptional design.

Both stations are also testament to exceptional collaboration between Weston Williamson + Partners and project partners: in particular Crossrail as a client; Constrain Skanska JV/WSP/Gillespies at Paddington; and Balfour Beatty/Mott McDonald/Arup/ Gillespies at Woolwich.

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ELIZABETH FEATURE LINE | |

‘

This brand new line is the most significant addition to our transport network in decades.

It will add billions to our economy and is set to serve up to 200 million passengers each year.

I'm sure passengers will enjoy the modern trains, beautiful step-free stations and the reduced journey times across the capital and the South East’ The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan

‘

After years of hard work, I'm delighted that we are opening this transformational railway with an enormous contribution from TfL and industry colleagues who helped get the project open. This transformational railway will help ensure Londoners and visitors benefit from reliable and more accessible journeys across the capital.’

Andy Byford, London’s Transport Commissioner

‘

It is already having a transformative impact on local businesses and opening up access to new areas of London.’

Howard Smith, TfL's Director of the Elizabeth line

‘

Railway businesses from all over the UK have played a key role in making this landmark project happen, whether train manufacturing in Derby, station construction in the East Midlands, signalling expertise from Chippenham and Stockport, or telecoms in London. Furthermore, the scheme has supported thousands of skilled railway jobs and significant investment in other parts of the economy beyond rail.’

Darren Caplan, Chief Executive of the Railway Industry Association (RIA)

‘

I am particularly inspired by the stories from apprentices who joined the project after leaving school and have used their experience and lessons learned from Crossrail to develop and grow their careers’ Neil Henderson, Mott MacDonald’s Key Account Director and Project Director for Crossrail

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‘

‘

‘

Every station pretty much has step free access meaning that more people can use it, and that's critically important for disabled Londoners to be able to get around town. The walk through carriages are something that women have told us they like as it improves their sense of safety when travelling.’

Emma Gibson, CEO of London TravelWatch

At Paddington we harnessed the Elizabeth Line to deliver a series of wider interventions that have transformed the passenger experience across the station as a whole, while at Woolwich our relatively simple building will be key to the ongoing regeneration of the area. That’s what I’m particularly proud of: good station design in its own right is one thing – but using it as a catalyst for a host of wider benefits is deeply satisfying.’

Rob Naybour, CEO at Weston Williamson + Partners The Elizabeth line fundamentally changes London's economic geography. As a global megacity, London is home to districts which are world-class destinations in their own right - the West End for shopping and entertainment; the City and Canary Wharf for financial and professional services; Royal Docks for huge events; and Stratford's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park for sports and culture. The new Elizabeth line connects these exceptional places with each other.’

Laura Citron, CEO London & Partners

The Elizabeth line is a welcome addition to London's transport system, and is already having a positive effect on both commuting time and experience for many of our London based staff.’

Charlotte Hogg, Chief Executive Officer, Visa Europe

‘

PUT YOUR EMPLOYEES' HEALTH AND WELLBEING IN SAFE HANDS Founded in 1998, the Medigold Health Group is one of the country's most trusted Occupational Health & Wellbeing providers.

With over 20 years' experience within the rail industry, we can help you and your organisation with: PTS medicals Train Driver medicals Train Worker medicals Absence management Alcohol & drug testing Employee wellbeing Mental health support COVID-19 services

www.medigold-health.com

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Keeping men’s mental health on track The health and wellbeing of the UK’s workforce has never been more high profile, with the pandemic highlighting our dependence on keyworkers, especially those working in transportation, to keep vital services moving

T

he spotlight is increasingly focused on mental health, particularly in men, with one in eight now reporting common problems such as anxiety and depression. In male-dominated industries such as the rail sector mental health issues can lead to a higher number of working days lost, reduced productivity, and missed targets.

Medigold Health has always focused on helping employers to keep their people in work safe and well. More recently, it has further enhanced its support services for wellbeing and mental health and is well placed to help organisations to think creatively about ways to support male employees.

Keeping people in work, safe and well Medigold Health is one of the UK's most trusted providers of occupational health and wellbeing solutions. It already supports 20

clients in the rail industry and has worked with employers in the sector for over 20 years. Its work is accredited by the Railway Industry Supplier Qualification Scheme (RISQS). Its dedicated rail team includes specialist doctors and account managers who understand the unique pressures of the sector.

Medigold Health services include absence management, employee screening, help with alcohol and drug issues and a range of employee wellbeing specialist services.

Working with employers of all sizes from blue chip companies to small and mediumsized enterprises, the business can tailor its services to provide bespoke solutions.

Helping employers to look after their greatest asset Medigold Health was set up in 1998 by Dr Mike Goldsmith whose mission was to improve the world of work by helping organisations to look after their most valuable asset: their people. From humble beginnings and a team of just five, Medigold Health has grown into a £33 million business employing 600+ staff across more than 60 locations from its headquarters in Northampton.

With more than 2,500 clients looking after three million individual employees, Medigold Health employs over 280 occupational health clinicians running 100+ clinics across the UK. Always at the forefront of innovation, Medigold Health also operates the largest fleet of mobile screening units in the UK enabling it to conduct medical and alcohol and drug tests on site minimising employee downtime.

Its corporate health services are designed to deliver: • A better understanding of workforce health.

• Improved intelligence enabling informed decision-making.

• The ability to shape organisations using robust data.

• The power to boost the wellbeing of employees.

• Greater efficiencies leading to reduced costs.

Mental health matters – the impact on productivity and performance The business case for supporting mental health and wellbeing in the workplace has never been clearer. The UK loses around 70 million working days to mental health issues Rail Professional

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each year at a cost to the economy of £2.4 billion. Employees perform better when they remain fit and well. Positive health and wellbeing, both physical and mental, help individuals to develop resilience, face challenges robustly, maintain their stamina and deliver workplace objectives.

The statistics around men’s mental health are sobering to read. Three times more men die by suicide than women, with those most at risk aged between 40 and 49. In fact, suicide is the biggest cause of death in men under the age of 50. Less likely to seek help for mental health issues, only 36 per cent of NHS referrals for talking therapies are made for men. Signs that men are experiencing difficulties may include bouts of anger and aggression, irritability, loss of control and risk-taking. Men are more likely to selfmedicate with alcohol and drugs.

The latest statistics on drug use indicate that over a quarter of a million individuals are treated for substance misuse annually in the UK. In fact, the UK has one of the highest rates of drug-related deaths in Europe. Alcohol misuse leads to absenteeism, lost productivity, and workplace accidents. The cost to society including the impact on the NHS and policing is even greater.

Traditional gender roles tend to reinforce perceptions of men as strong and impervious to self-doubt or worry. In fact, men are naturally concerned about their livelihoods, pressure on finances and their role in supporting their families, especially in the current economic environment.

High profile campaigns are helping to reduce the stigma associated with mental health issues amongst men. The Movember movement aims to see a 25 per cent reduction in male suicide by 2030.

International Men’s Day (19 November) seeks to highlight a wide range of issues affecting men including mental health.

Promoting and supporting a healthy workplace culture pays dividends and Medigold Health can help businesses to create the right environment and achieve results.

Mental health maintenance – four top tips for men 1. A problem shared – talking about issues can help to put them into perspective and provides a way to unburden yourself.

2. Prevention is better than cure – looking after your mental health means taking regular breaks, using your annual leave entitlement, pacing your work commitments, and maintaining a good work-life balance.

3. Practice mindfulness – getting absorbed by an activity you enjoy can help you to switch off from work pressures.

Becoming involved in a sport or hobby brings you together with like-minded people and increases your sense of belonging.

4. Mind and body – looking after your physical health supports the brain to work well, so avoid over-indulgence in alcohol, prioritise sleep, get regular exercise and watch what you eat.

Creating a healthy workplace – the employer’s role Organisations can help to raise the profile of men’s mental health and protect their employees through a range of measures including by: • Understanding the issues that might trigger mental health crises and being aware of symptoms.

• Prioritising mental health within activities to support general health and wellbeing.

• Implementing a robust alcohol and drug testing policy to boost workplace safety.

• Putting support in place to help those who are struggling and instigating preventative measures.

• Promoting parity between mental and physical health issues to reduce stigma.

• Providing opportunities for all employees to strengthen their mental health and wellbeing.

How Medigold Health can help Medigold has developed its Medigold Health Perform range of services that help employers to take positive steps to address mental health issues in the workplace from awareness-raising amongst employees to ways of fostering a supportive culture of prevention.

These include: • Training • Counselling • Self-help • Coaching • Bespoke services Training From Wellbeing Ambassadors who help to raise the profile of mental health and wellbeing, to Mental Health First Aiders who offer peer support right where it is needed, Medigold Health can help you to harness the power in your own teams. Your organisation might benefit from Peer Support Groups where teams from different disciplines

Rail Professional

collaborate to work together. Dedicated programmes also address building resilience at work and performing under pressure.

Counselling Where professional intervention is needed, Medigold Health’s experienced therapists are members of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).

Self-help Our Employee Assistance Programme enables access to confidential advice on stressors at work or at home. Digital technology including the NHS-approved THRIVE app and the bespoke Zenpower app which help individuals to monitor and manage their own mental wellbeing.

Coaching Supporting senior leaders through professional conversations, Medigold Health enables them to explore issues within a confidential environment and improve their leadership skills.

Bespoke services Medigold Health can tailor programmes to meet the needs of your organisation depending on the stage you have reached in your journey to supporting positive health and wellbeing.

In addition, Medigold Health offers alcohol and drug testing through its specialist market-leading Hampton Knight division which has over 21 years’ experience in this field. It also provides advice to employers on policy and ways to support those with substance dependency issues.

To find out more about Medigold Health’s mental health and wellbeing services get in touch via the contact information below.

Tel: 0330 390 3370 Email: salesenquiries@medigold-health.com Visit: www.medigold-health.com

EN 45545 Approved Cable Glands and Entries...

For over 100 years WISKA have been at the forefront of cable management design and innvoation.

This level of expertise has resulted in the development of our lastest range of products, introducing The Railway Series by WISKA. The Railway Series is a comprehensive range of industry-specific cable glands and conduit solutions in accordance with EN 45545.

Need an expert? Speak to us today.

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Because success comes from working together. STRABAG subsidiary Mobil Baustoffe specialises in the production of on-site concrete for large scale construction projects such as tunnels but also produces high precision prefabricated segments for TBM drives (“tubbings”).

Mobil Baustoffe has been in operation for around two decades and has produced over 15 million cubic meters of concrete in many countries around the globe. Clients can be found across the whole spectrum of contractors, from large groups to small businesses.

In the UK Mobile Baustoffe experts have been involved in the Crossrail sites C300 and C410; are currently working for the North Yorkshire Polyhalite Project and are part of the team for the upcoming Segments production for the HS2 S2 East and S1 tunnels.

To find out more visit our homepage: www.mobil-baustoffe.com

Mobil Baustoffe GmbH, Trimburgstr. 2, 81249 München, Tel. +49 89 8954574-0, office@mobil-baustoffe.com

BUSINESS PROFILE |

107

The benefits of professional tool storage Snap-on’s Level 5 management system tells rail workshop managers what they need to know

R

ail engineering workshop managers would no doubt find it really useful if they could monitor several tool cabinets from one central computer.

Even better, if each cabinet could tell them which tools have been taken out, which engineer or technician is using them and when they have been returned. Snap-on Industrial’s Level 5™ tool management system makes both of those possible.

Powerful software enables managers and supervisors to review activity at all boxes in their location from one central computer, avoiding the need to inspect each box. And an audible voice announcement advises which tools have been removed or replaced.

Keeping track of every tool and piece of equipment, especially when multiple cabinets are being used, presents a major challenge to rail workshop managers.

If they are under pressure to deliver improved productivity, often with fewer skilled hands and tighter budgets, the benefits of professional tool storage and management become stronger than ever.

Snap-on Industrial’s Level 5™ automated total asset management system minimises the risk of human error. Automated tool control constantly tracks every tool and detects which ones have been removed or returned, providing greater protection against foreign object damage. It also enables engineers and technicians to find every tool they need, when they need it, saving time and easing stress. The system provides complete reports on everything managers or supervisors need to know. They are even informed when a tool needs to be refilled or re-ordered.

Engineered to track individual tools by user, automatically, without bar codes, scanners, RFID tags or other add-ons, the system works at the speed its users demand.

Level 5™ ATC boxes are network ready, using either Ethernet or wireless connection. Major benefits of the system include:

• No individual tool scanning required.

• No RFID tags to install or replace.

• No limitations on tool size: from ¼” screwdriver bit upwards.

• Intuitive interface, via touchscreen.

• Audible voice announcements advise both tool removal and replacement.

• Automatic locking for maximum security.

• Errors announced and displayed to indicate incorrect tool position or to advise when a drawer is not closed.

Administrators can view all the boxes on their network, whether they are on or off-line, and see the status of each box, including the number of tools issued, identify active users and review all history.

System alerts, such as sending e-mails to supervisors, can be customized for lost or broken tools or calibration requirements.

Reports can be created on each tool’s frequency of use, inspection and calibration dates as well as other specific location requirements.

Finding the right tool for the job in hand can take up even more time if tools are difficult to identify. Coloured, oil resistant foam inserts in profiled Level 5™ drawers, easily identified tool handles, boards and

toolbox organisers increase visibility and improve team productivity.

Cabinet security is essential. Snap-on’s solution to the problem of using keys, which can be lost or shared with others, is simple: don’t use keys at all. Level 5™ boxes are equipped with Keyless Access Control, giving authorised users easy, secure access.

The control system can be configured with magnetic cards, barcodes, PIN numbers and proximity cards. Snap-on’s proprietary software enables managers to control access from a system or network.

Richard Packham, Director UK & Europe for Snap-on Industrial says: ‘Snap-on’s automated system takes tool management to an entirely new level. The ability to monitor several boxes from one central computer offers rail workshop managers a huge advantage.’

Tel: (01536) 413904 Email: ukindustrialmarketing@snapon.com Visit: www.snapon-industrial.co.uk

Rail Professional

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BUSINESS PROFILE |

109

Relec Electronics expands horizons with Axiomtek panel The specialist distributor adds a high performance range of panel PCs to its power supplies and display offerings

T

he company also welcomes new, experienced members of staff to meet customers’ engineering sales needs. Relec Electronics, the specialist in power conversion and display products, has added a range of panel PCs from industry leader Axiomtek to its portfolio of products.

The fanless panel computers are fully enclosed systems. A TFT display, a touch panel, CPU, memory and I/O ports are integrated into a front mounting enclosure which is IP65 / IPX-1-rated, making them ideal for harsh, industrial environments.

They are also certified to EN / UL 60601 for medical use worldwide. All units are CE marked and rated Class B (EMC standard).

The Axiomtek panel PCs available from Relec range in size from 10.1” to 23.8”.

Relec is able to support customers with modifications and custom panel PCs to meet specific performance and application requirements.

The Axiomtek panel PCs join Relec’s wide-ranging choice of display technology, TFT touch panels, screen enhancements, accessories and custom design options for medical, railway, industrial and military displays.

Relec is also an established power conversion specialist, offering ac-dc power supplies, dc-dc converters, dc-ac inverters and EMC filters from the industry’s leading manufacturers, including Bel Power, Mornsun, Premium, Cincon, Artesyn, Calex and Adel Systems.

Reflecting Relec’s growth, the company has also expanded its specialist sales team with three account managers. Martin Bull has been appointed account manager (power), and there are two new account managers for the displays sales team: Robert Deane and Nick Connor, both joined as Account Manager (Displays). All three have extensive in their respective industries and strong backgrounds in engineering to liaise with and advise customers as their projects progress.

Company profile Relec Electronics is a specialist in

power conversion and display products, representing leading brand names including Mornsun in power conversion alongside Bel Power, Chinfa, Cotek and Premium with key display partners, Digiwise and RockTouch.

For over 40 years, Relec Electronics

of all standard modules and accessories for next day delivery. Relec’s team of specialist advisers can refine an initial specification for a given application to include bespoke features to meet the needs of a particular design or project.

has worked closely with key suppliers and specialises in a wide range of industry sectors, including automotive, industrial, transportation, instrumentation and defence.

A team of dedicated engineers is ready to support customers throughout the design process. The company carries stock

In December 2020, Relec Electronics became been a UK subsidiary of Gresham Worldwide.

Tel: 01929 555700 Email: sales@relec.co.uk Visit: www.relec.co.uk Rail Professional

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Displays for outdoor and high-ambient light areas Optical bonding, where the traditional air-gap between an LCD panel and frontal glass is replaced by a thin film of optical gel offers superior display quality, Glynn Hutton Development Manager at GDS Technology explains

G

DS Group is passionately committed to pioneering new display technologies while delivering total customer satisfaction in the design, manufacturing, installation, and lifetime support of its display solutions. Its goal is to provide reliable eye-catching display performance at lowest total cost of ownership.

GDS Group is a Global company which has a local presence in more than 20 countries world-wide, with large production facilities in Romania (EU), Asia and Tunisia. GDS Group employs more than 1000 skilled employees worldwide, and an annual turnover of over $120,000,000 (£96,300,000). All GDS sites are ISO 9001 accredited and GDS Group holds IRIS accreditation, with the UK also holding RISQS and SafeContractor accreditations. GDS puts innovation at the heart of what it does.

GDS is proud to have pioneered solutions and technologies such as sunlight readable displays, piezo inverters, large screen optical bonding and thermal management systems for outdoor applications. GDS’ uniqueness is in its relentless innovation of technology and products, as well as in its organisation and how GDS meets its customers’ needs. It is not just innovation, but innovation shaped around the needs of customers.

GDS has designed displays which are suitable for every part of the customer journey, from the station entrance,

through the platform and onboard trains and buses. GDS also design and manufacture specialist screens for other markets including Digital Out Of Home (DOOH), retail, industrial, Smart Cities and Quick Service Restaurants (QSR).

GDS has installed over 700,000 outdoor displays world-wide in a range of demanding and harsh environments. GDS displays can be seen across Europe, USA and the Middle East and the company is proud to work with major transportation companies such as Deutsche Bahn, Swiss Federal Railways, Norwegian Railways, SNCF, RATP, and many others.

Optical bonding also allows better thermal management and prevents the ingress of dust, moisture and condensation inside the display.

Four key differentiators Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) means more than just the upfront costs – the costs to maintain and run displays along with their longevity are all factors which determine the overall TCO. GDS’ digital displays have the best TCO in the market resulting from years of experience, rigorous testing and commitment to quality.

GDS’ displays all feature optical bonding, a process whereby the traditional air-gap between the frontal glass and TFT is replaced with a thin silicon layer.

The result is improved readability and viewing angles, better contrast and reduced internal reflections. Optical bonding also

allows better thermal management and prevents the ingress of dust, moisture and condensation inside the display.

The Enerlight™ backlight technology ensures optimum display brightness and colour reproduction. GDS has developed its own backlight system using LED and optical filters for optimum performance, display and efficiency on PIDS. Advanced diagnostics within every unit allows comprehensive monitoring of assets both on the device and remotely in the cloud. GDS’ diagnostic PCB board, coupled with over 20 sensors, ensure every important parameter can be monitored and alarms raised when an issue is detected.

The solution keeps the temperature of the unit regulated using minimal power, and adjusts the screen brightness to suit the ambient light levels.

GDS offers turnkey solutions including: • Custom design.

• Software development.

• Network setup.

• Installation and commissioning.

• Service and maintenance.

• Remote monitoring of assets.

Email: sales.gdstechnology@gds.com Visit: www.gdstechnology.co.uk Rail Professional

Specialised on-track machinery for all aspects of railway engineering works operating throughout mainland Europe, the UK and Australia.

Glasgow Manchester Reading

+44 (0)141 212 5630 +44 (0)161 694 4240 +44 (0)118 950 3380

info@swietelsky.co.uk

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113

Feltham and Wokingham Re-signalling Project In early 2016, Electro-Wind was approached by Devontech to collaborate on the design, build and obtain approval for a range of PSP transformers for the Feltham and Wokingham projects

F

or over 35 years Electro-Wind has been designing and manufacturing single and three phase transformer products for customers in the UK, Europe and Global Markets, having a well-established reputation as one of the UK’s leading specialists we have fulfilled many contracts for companies such as Alstom, Tata, Corus, Mitsibishi and Toyota.

Electro-Wind, Devontech and Atkins global; have been working on the project which covers some 80 miles of railway and 500 pieces of outdated signalling equipment, which is being replaced as part of Network Rail’s commitment to transforming the UK’s entire network through the deployment of digital signalling and train control technology, transforming signalling for passengers, business and freight operators.

The new signalling equipment which uses digital technologies will bring a number of

benefits such as increased capacity for trains on the network, fewer delays, enhanced safety and lower costs.

To date Electro-Wind has manufactured 57 transformers for this project ranging from 5kva up to 60kva. The Transformers have been 400v/650v signalling transformers that Devontech and Electro have worked closely together to get PADS approval for the Network rail Infrastructure.

The project started in December 2015 and is due for completion in March 2023, there have been five phases to this project which is currently running on schedule and to the planned time frame, with final commissioning for the project into service in April 2024.

Electro-Wind has over 35 years of experience in transformer repair and manufacture. The company offers a repair service that spans from control transformers to large three-phase

distribution transformers. A rapid response repair service is available which includes a 24-hour service when required, as well as enclosure repairs and replacement options that are part of the repair service.

Electro-Wind prides itself on exceeding customer expectations, delivering on time and within budget. All of its standard transformers are manufactured to IEC61558 and IEC60076. For further information, get in touch via the contact information below.

Devontech Ltd Units 3 & 4 Sandygate Business Park Kingsteignton Devon TQ12 3XF Tel: 01626 333886 Visit: www.devontech.co.uk Tel: 01782 776 321 Email: sales@electro-wind.co.uk Visit: www.electro-wind.co.uk Rail Professional

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| PEOPLE

South Western Railway announce new Chief Operating Officer South Western Railway has announced that Stuart Meek will be joining its leadership team as Chief Operating Officer, following the retirement of Mike Houghton earlier this year. both of FirstGroup’s open access businesses.

HS1 Ltd CEO awarded OBE for ‘services to rail’ in Queen’s Birthday Honours List Dyan Crowther, CEO of HS1 Ltd has been awarded an OBE in today’s Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

Appointment of new Managing Director, Lumo & Hull Trains Martijn Gilbert has been appointed as the new Managing Director for Lumo & Hull Trains, a new role in which he will lead both of FirstGroup’s open access businesses.

West Coast Partnership Development appoints new Managing Director Shamit Gaiger has been appointed as the new Managing Director for West Coast Partnership Development.

Skanska appoints new Rail Director James Corker has been appointed as Operations Director (Rail) at Skanska.

GCRE announces new Chief Commercial Officer Kelly Warburton has joined the Global Centre of Rail Excellence (GCRE) as Chief Commercial Officer.

Three Network Rail employees recognised in Queen’s Birthday Honours List Three Network Rail employees have been recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list. Christian Irwin, Lydia Fairman and Bill Cooke have been recognised for their services to the railway as well as charitable and voluntary services.

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