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Does anyone else feel a bit more excited about UK PLC these days?
Maybe I have a bit of a short-term memory but figures published by HMRC the day of writing this show a surprise surplus in Government finances and this month Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will set out his plans for tax and spending.
We have a full reproduction of the Secretary of State Mark Harper’s George Bradshaw Address with a few different op-eds analysing his comments. The Secretary concluded his speech by saying: ‘As a whole government, we are pressing ‘go’ on rail reform.’ So maybe that’s why I am feeling a bit more bullish on the UK – or maybe it’s just because Spring is in the air at last.
Sticking with rail reform and governance, my interview this month is with Iain Stewart, Transport Committee Chair who told me about his forward-thinking approach to handling enquiries and his intention to proactively seek out the changemakers in the rail industry.
We also have Q&As with Julian Swan, CEO of PlasmaTrack Ltd and Sue Walnut, Product Director at Vix Technology. Sue waxes on ticketing technology and her vision for Account Based Ticketing. We focus on ticketing in this issue as we cover Transport Ticketing Global 2023 which takes place on 7 and 8 March.
Our other forward feature this month is stations, we look at station refurbishment and station construction in this issue, with a look at Morley Station, Butetown Railway Station, Cameron Bridge Station and many more.
We also have all our regular columns and opinion pieces looking at the Midlands Rail Hub, Data-fication, sustainability and the push for Net Zero.
SAM SHERWOOD-HALE EDITOR
All the latest from Network Rail, HS2, Balfour Beatty VINCI, Alstom, Railway Industry Association and more
19 Andy Bagnall, Chief Executive of Rail Partners on the Transport Secretary, Mark Harper’s annual George Bradshaw Address
24 SPEECH
Secretary of State’s George Bradshaw Address 2023
31 THE CHEEK OF IT
Transport Secretary Mark Harper’s Bradshaw Address last month fired the starting gun on rail reform once more, but one statistic he quoted has caused some fluttering in the dovecotes
35 LAYING DOWN THE LAW
A Further Push in Working Towards Net Zero
37 Bastien Gerard and Jamie Fata on an innovative hi-tech robotic solution making it possible to retain welding skills
39 DELIVERING THE GOODS
Ellis Shelton, Policy Advisor at Logistics UK explores the government's anticipated rail reforms and what that means for freight
41 What progress can we expect in 2023, asks Audrey Denis, Senior Manager, Strategy & Strategic Partnerships at Cubic Transportation Systems
43 Kirstie van Oerle, Partner at Netcompany explains how ‘Data-fication’ is set to drive transformation in transport and logistics in 2023
45 Philippe Vappereau, General Manager at Calypso Networks Association (CNA), identifies four potential pain points that public transport authorities (PTAs) and operators (PTOs) must navigate this year
46 WOMEN IN RAIL SWiFT – Shifting the Dial
Sam Sherwood-Hale spoke to Iain Stewart, Chair of the Transport Committee
48 Andy Clark, Senior Rail Programme Manager at Midlands Connect explains why the Midlands Rail Hub is so vital for both the region and the nation
Trevor Morgan, Ashley Stower, and Richard Wheldon all of Frazer-Nash Consultancy, explain how innovation can help industry deliver the railway of the future
What
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Giuseppe Marino, Will Wilson, Steve Warrener, Ralph Pidsley, Chris Fowler, Stephen MacCallaugh, Sophie Hill, Emma Pickard, Jessica Ellery, Chris Pike
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Engineers working to improve Ryde Pier have provided a progress update after battling through winter storms to give the Victorian pier a new lease of life. The railway line between Ryde Esplanade and Ryde Pier Head has been closed since October 2022 to allow engineers to strengthen the 686-metre-long Victorian pier that was built in 1880.
The strengthening work is part of a wider programme of maintenance and improvements on Ryde Pier. South Western Railway (SWR) will soon begin platform improvements at Ryde Esplanade along with vital track maintenance, as part of the joint project.
Over the course of the winter, engineers continued refurbishing and strengthening
the structure and were faced with several challenges, meaning that the programme has been extended further into the spring.
Part of the challenges of working in a marine environment came from the severe weather conditions through December and January, which caused safety concerns meaning that work had to temporarily be paused.
This also had a knock-on effect to the installation of scaffolding, which meant the project has been pushed back slightly.
Mark Killick, Network Rail’s Wessex Route Director, said: ‘We’ve been faced with several weather-related challenges on the Isle of Wight but with the worst behind us we’re pleased to see that progress has been made at Ryde Pier. I’d like to thank
customers for bearing with us whilst we carry out this complex renewal to give Ryde Pier a new lease of life. We recognise that winter is a challenging time of year to carry out work due to the unpredictable weather, but at the same time if we were to carry this work out during the summer period, it would cause more disruption to customers and tourism on the Isle of Wight. Apart from the weather, one of the major challenges we faced is that our time on site is limited by the fact that we have to work around the tides.
The work aims to extend the life of the structure for decades to come, improving the overall reliability of the line, allowing SWR to run trains on the Isle of Wight long into the future.
Northern and mobility scooter manufacturer TGA have launched a new partnership aimed at making train travel easier with a mobility scooter or wheelchair. People can now travel to and from more than 160 stations, on 281 routes on the train operator’s network, using their scooter or wheelchair.
All powerchairs and wheelchairs can be taken on accessible routes but only certain smaller mobility scooters are permitted – this
is where the Northern mobility scooter permit scheme and TGA can help.
Passengers can apply for a free permit on the train operator’s website which will show whether their scooter is suitable for rail travel. TGA can provide advice on which products from its range can be safely used on the Northern Rail network, such as a the Minimo Autofold or Minimo Plus.
In mid-January 2022, UK rail passenger numbers were barely half of pre-pandemic levels. Yet a year on, according to Department for Transport figures, levels have risen dramatically – between 14-31 January this year, passenger numbers hit 90-98% of preCovid levels every single day, including on Mondays and Fridays.1 Despite often misleading reporting, the evidence is clear: rail passengers are coming back in droves, even taking into account industrial action and sometimes poor service levels on some parts of the network. Additionally, passenger revenues are reaching 85% of pre-Covid levels too, with opportunities for further recovery in the months ahead. Rail is not a sector requiring managed decline – rather, it is bouncing back strongly following the years of Coronavirus.
UK rail also contributes to economic growth and skilled jobs. A report produced by Oxford Economics in 20212 found that the railway industry generates £43 billion across the wider economy, 710,000 jobs, £14 billion in annual tax revenues, and for every £1 spent on rail, £2.50 is generated in the wider economy.
UK rail is a big part of the decarbonisation story, too. Rail carries 10% of all transport journeys but accounts for less than 0.5% of CO2 emissions. Today, each tonne of rail freight reduces carbon emissions by 76% compared to road. So a shift towards rail creates enormous potential to reduce transport emissions.3
1 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/ attachment_data/file/1136638/COVID-19-transport-use-statistics.ods
2 https://www.riagb.org.uk/RIA/Newsroom/Publications%20Folder/OE_2021.aspx
3 https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/media/1993/rail-emissions-2020-21.pdf
4 https://www.unife.org/news/global-rail-supply-industry-resurgent-despite-crises/
Six ‘asks’ of the UK Government, ahead of the Spring Budget on 15 March
The Railway Industry Association is calling on the Government’s forthcoming Spring Budget to:
1. Provide investment certainty and transparency. This incurs no cost to the Exchequer but is crucial for ensuring the right people, skills and equipment are in the right places to deliver effectively and efficiently.
2. Deliver investment in major infrastructure. Rail projects transform cities, towns and communities. So schemes such as HS2, East West Rail, Northern Powerhouse Rail, Midlands Rail Hub, Crossrail 2 and a number of other enhancements projects, need to be delivered in full to ensure the fullest possible benefits in the years ahead.
3. Accelerate decarbonisation and clean growth. A steady programme of investment in rail electrification and low carbon technologies such as
hydrogen and battery will reduce carbon sooner, be more cost-effective and will sustain high value jobs.
4. Get on with rail reform. Whilst the Government’s commitment to the Great British Railways restructuring of rail is welcome, we also need a long-term strategy for rail. A lack of clarity about the future of the railway hinders investment and makes it harder to secure the best talent.
5. Unlock innovation and private investment. Innovation is essential, not just for boosting efficiency and productivity, but for the railway to rise to challenges such as climate resilience. Private investment can bring finance and new technologies.
6. Promote rail exports. UK rail has a great international reputation. With Government support there is potential to significantly increase exports – global rail markets are predicted to grow 3% every year to 2027.4
Further details on these ‘asks’ can be found by searching ‘RIA Submission to the 2023 Spring Budget’ or scanning the QR code https://www.riagb.org.uk/
Metro drivers have had their first chance to drive the new Stadler Metro train, experiencing the modern technology which is going to transform their job. The new Metro trains boast advanced digital systems which put every function at a driver’s finger tips, including on board computerised controls set in a modern ‘spaceage’ driving cab.
Eight experienced drivers, who form the Metro Futures Traincrew Specialist Team, had the honour of being the first drivers to put the multi-million-pound Stadler train through its paces at a special test track in the Czech Republic.
It was a chance to immerse themselves in the new train, and get to grips with the controls, after many months helping to design them, and learning about the new technology and its capabilities.
They took the brand-new Class 555 Metro for a drive around a special four kilometre test ring deep in the Czech countryside with Stadler Engineers on board to guide them.
Nexus, the public body which owns and manages Metro, said it was a significant moment for the £362 million project ahead of the first new train arriving in North-East England.
Train operator Northern is investing £10 million to upgrade its facilities for more than a thousand staff across its network. More than £8 million has been spent so
far in locations such as Leeds, Manchester Victoria, Manchester Oxford Road, Blackpool, Workington, Barrow and Buxton. Staff based in Liverpool, Huddersfield, Hull,
Carlisle, Wigan, Harrogate, Doncaster and Middlesbrough will now see similar changes including new kitchen facilities, back-office areas and new seating and sofas.
Plans to bring high-speed rail to Manchester are already well underway. To inform next steps in the Parliamentary process, HS2 is engaging local communities to discuss proposed changes to its construction designs to reduce future flood impacts in West Didsbury.
HS2 has worked closely with the Environment Agency to understand the widespread flooding impacts in West Didsbury, with a specific focus on the aftermath of Storm Christoph, Storm Eunice and Storm Franklin.
Following a detailed assessment of HS2’s proposed construction works, and the revised flood modelling works undertaken, HS2 is proposing to relocate the Palatine Road vent shaft required for the Manchester tunnel.
Moving the vent shaft to a new location, outside of the Didsbury Flood Storage Basin, reduces flooding impacts on neighbouring
properties and removes impacts to Withington Golf Club. A new location, within the site of the Hollies Convent School, which has been closed for nearly 30 years, is now proposed.
The change reflects the ongoing design and engagement work that HS2 Ltd undertakes during the hybrid Bill process. The High Speed Rail (Crewe – Manchester) Bill was submitted to parliament in January last year. It seeks the legislative powers to build and operate the northern extension of Britain’s new high speed railway, which will be zero carbon in operation. The Crewe – Manchester extension is forecast to open between 2035 and 2041.
The proposal will be formally submitted to Parliament later this year and is subject to its approval. Any concerns raised by those directly affected will be considered by Parliament ahead of the approval process.
The 170-year-old bridge over the river Wye is undergoing a major refurbishment as part of a wider package of work to secure the future of the Severn Estuary line. Rail passengers travelling on the Severn Estuary Line can look forward to crossing the historic Chepstow Viaduct for many years to come as Network Rail begins its £4.6 million refurbishment.
The Grade II listed bridge carries passenger and freight trains over the river Wye between South Wales and the West Country, Midlands and north of England.
This investment is part of a larger package of work Network Rail is delivering on this section of the Wales and Borders route, with intensive resilience upgrades also taking place towards Lydney as part of the Severn Estuary Resilience Programme.
Engineers will carry out steelwork repairs, waterproofing, masonry repairs, as well as strengthening and re-constructing the abutments on Chepstow Viaduct.
The historic viaduct was designed by Brunel and opened in 1852. Although the majority of the structure has since been
changed, Brunel’s original tubular supports are still in-place. It is considered one of Brunel’s major achievements and became the basis of design for the iconic Royal Albert Bridge, which links Devon and Cornwall.
Lee Ackerman, Scheme Project Manager at Network Rail, said: ‘It’s a privilege to be upgrading a historic piece of railway engineering. This bridge has played an important role in linking Wales and England for more than 150-years, and we plan on ensuring that it can continue to do that for many more to come.’
Network Rail has given a 143-year-old bridge in the North York Moors a new lease of life to improve reliability for rail passengers travelling on the Esk Valley line for the next 120 years. Engineers removed the centuries-old bridge near Commondale station and installed a brand-new concrete bridge deck, along with 160 metres of renewed track and supporting ballast and sleepers.
Colin Freeburn, Asset Engineer for Network Rail said: ‘This bridge has reliably served passengers travelling between Whitby and Middlesbrough for the past 143 years, but it’s time for its next chapter. Replacing the bridge and the tracks will allow people to enjoy on time, reliable journeys along the picturesque Esk Valley line well into the future and help to maintain this route which is so wellloved by the community.’
The new bridge will help to offer more reliable, on time journeys for passengers travelling along the Esk Valley line between Whitby and Middlesbrough for the next 120 years and mean that less maintenance work is needed.
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HS2 has confirmed that traditional Warwickshire ‘ironstone’ will be used to clad the piers supporting the high speed railway’s new Oxford Canal Viaduct as a nod to the canal’s architectural heritage after engaging with the local community.
Set low in the landscape, three concrete spans will carry the railway 62.5 metres across the canal, towpath and a country lane near the village of Wormleighton close to the border between Warwickshire and West Northants.
Local ironstone will be used to face the piers and abutments that face onto the towpath and passing canal boats. Tough and hardwearing, the warm-brown stone has been a feature of local buildings for hundreds of years and gets its name from the small quantities of iron ore contained within it.
As part of the design process, local residents were given a choice of smooth concrete finish or a rough-cut masonry finish for the viaduct piers - with the majority opting for ironstone.
As well as using local stone, the viaduct has been designed to be as open as possible to improve the environment for boaters and walkers, allowing views across the landscape and the horizon. The design combines a simple overall form with a special focus on materials for the parts of the structure that are close to the canal and its visitors.
Opened in stages between 1774 and 1790, the 75 mile long Oxford Canal is one of the oldest in Britain and was designed to bring coal from the Coventry coalfields to Oxford and the River Thames.
HS2 Ltd’s Senior Project Manager, Paul Cooper said: ‘The construction of the first canals revolutionised transportation and
helped to build the country we live in today so it’s fitting that our contemporary design includes a nod back to those eighteenthcentury pioneers. Once complete, HS2 will transform journeys across the UK, help to boost the economy and support the UK’s transition to net zero. But it’s also important that key structures like the Oxford Canal Viaduct are sensitive to their location, which is why we were keen to involve the community in key decisions, like the design of the viaduct piers.’
Construction of the HS2 project – which is designed to improve rail links between London, Birmingham and North, help levelup the economy and provide a zero carbon alternative to car and air travel – is ramping up across the UK with almost 30,000 jobs now supported by the project.
The Oxford Canal Viaduct is one of 15 viaducts and bridges across the central
section of the HS2 route which is being designed by HS2’s main works contractor EKFB - a team made up of Eiffage, Kier, Ferrovial and Bam Nuttall – working with architects Moxon and design partners ASC –a team made up of Arcadis, Setec and Cowi.
EKFB’s Interface and Stakeholder Director, Simon Matthews said: ‘The Oxford Canal You Said We Did community event is a prime example of how HS2, EKFB and its designers worked alongside the local community to further enhance the exterior appearance of the viaduct’s supporting piers and abutments.
‘The local stone detail reflects the canal’s original architectural characteristics which enriches and remains in keeping with its surrounding area.
‘EKFB is pleased with the outcome from the community event and thanks the community for its input and support.’
The case for revolutionary proposals for the region’s rail network was put to Rail Minister Huw Merriman during a visit to Birmingham. The Minister joined Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and Malcolm Holmes, Executive Director of West Midlands Rail Executive, on a tour of the city centre and met with the team behind the new HS2 Curzon Street station. The Midlands Rail Hub proposals, outlining up to £1.5 billion of new and improved rail infrastructure, were discussed during the visit.
Government funding is needed to enable the scheme to move forward and deliver significant benefits for the region’s rail network as soon as possible. If delivered in full, the Midlands Rail Hub would create additional rail network capacity into central Birmingham and create a major new interchange hub at Birmingham Moor Street and HS2 Curzon Street.
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Last month the Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, gave the annual George Bradshaw Address providing needed clarity on reinvigorating rail reform before the next General Election, Andy Bagnall, Chief Executive of Rail Partners adds his thoughts
This is essential to improve the experience for passengers and freight customers as well as reduce taxpayer subsidy and drive wider economic growth. Crucially, the proposals for a significantly streamlined new guiding mind – Great British Railways – are a welcome step in the right direction. The refined framework will give the system greater coherence but without denying train operators the freedom they need to deliver for customers. Operators need to be looking outwards, with the agility and commercial levers to respond to passenger needs, not looking inwards to seek approval from the centre.
Harper was keen to stress in his speech that there was now clear cross-government support including Treasury and Number 10 –critical to the chances of turning vision into reality. And that is exactly why industry and government must now work together rapidly to deliver, including setting out a timetable for legislation.
Of course, many reforms can be taken forward without a parliamentary process. For example, there is a clear imperative to resolve the current industrial disputes plaguing the railway. Reforms that boost productivity are key to unlocking the savings that would fund a pay increase. These reforms can also create a better customer experience – such as the example the Transport Secretary suggested of reducing reliance on rest day working to create a more reliable Sunday service.
It also doesn’t require legislation to evolve the current temporary ‘National Rail Contracts’, which pay operators a fixed fee to run specified services, but are not giving operators the commercial freedoms to attract customers back to rail, with taxpayers making up the shortfall in revenue. Harper agreed that these arrangements were appropriate for the pandemic, but are now stunting the railway’s recovery. Research for Rail Partners by independent economists at Oxera shows that Treasury is missing out on as much as £1.6 billion over the next two years due to these restrictive contracts which could be rapidly adjusted.
This contractual evolution can form the basis of the proposed long-term ‘Passenger Service Contracts’ to create a thriving and diverse rail market which meets the requirements of different types of customers. For instance, passengers on short-distance commuter lines, who need reliable turn-up-and-go services into our major urban centres, have different requirements from passengers on longdistance journeys who want to see attractive prices when booking ahead of time, just like they do when flying. It was reassuring to hear Harper reiterate that we need a spectrum of contracts to create optimal results for taxpayers and customers – one size does not fit all.
Alongside introducing a diverse contractual system, we also need a ticketing and fares revolution, which gives the
customer confidence that what they are buying represents value for money. Industry has been pushing for reform for many years so that rail fares reflect the changing ways people are travelling, accelerated by the pandemic. Harper’s announcements at the George Bradshaw Address suggest that he has persuaded Treasury that fares reform is an idea whose time has finally come.
Our railways don’t only carry people, they are also a gateway for transporting goods – and we need to be ambitious for the rail freight sector, again without waiting for legislative change. Harper recommitted to a growth target for rail freight, but if we are serious about achieving net zero, we should set that target ambitiously: to treble rail freight by 2050.
However, all these reforms will lack coherence without the new guiding mind. And, without legislation, there can be no Great British Railways. As a new arm’s length body it needs a statutory basis. And the transfer of the powers to award train operating contracts that currently sit with the DfT cannot take place without changes to the law that governs the current system. The government must include legislation in the next King’s Speech, now expected in September, to give the sector a focal point for reform.
It's been a tough year for those who use the railways, and indeed for the businesses that rely on rail to transport their customers or their product. But the Transport Secretary has set out a clear plan to reform our railways and we now need the timetable for industry and government to deliver it.
‘Harper was keen to stress in his speech that there was now clear crossgovernment support including Treasury and Number 10 – critical to the chances of turning vision into reality. And that is exactly why industry and government must now work together rapidly to deliver, including setting out a timetable for legislation.’
In November last year Iain Stewart was elected the Transport Committee Chair. Iain is MP for Milton Keynes South. He was Commissioned by former MHCLG Secretary of State, Sajid Javid, to research and write a report on East-West Rail and the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Arc in 2018 and gained a Fellowship in Rail Transport with Industry & Parliament Trust. In his Candidate Statement he said: ‘Select Committees should, of course, fairly scrutinise and hold to account Government Departments, Agencies and operators; but they should also conduct forward-looking and constructive inquiries into future challenges and opportunities. As Chair I would want the Committee to have a good balance of both types of inquiry.’
Sam
SSH: In your victory speech you mentioned ‘horizon-scanning proactive work into future opportunities and challenges’ – could you elaborate on what they might be in a rail-related context?
Iain Stewart MP:
So the committee is there to do the ‘what went wrong’ type of inquiries, the reactionary ones that hold government and operators and agencies to account. I think Select Committees can also play a really useful role in identifying what is coming next. In the past one of the inquiries looked at digital signalling as an upcoming issue, so big changes like that can have a significant effect on how we run the railways. We haven't agreed this yet as a committee, but what I'm looking to do is hold a Future Transport Inquiry that will invite professionals from universities to pitch to us in a ‘Dragons Den’ type format where they present innovative ideas to us which we could consider as a pathway to being more forward-thinking. It could be looking at post-Covid transport patterns, how are they going to play out as we normalcy returns. The current observation is that people are travelling more for leisure at weekends and comparatively less at traditional commuting times, is that a permanent change and is that something we need to look at? What about Mobility as a Service, what does that mean for ticketing? What big changes will come in the way the passengers will want to buy rail tickets? I am keen that the committee does that sort of more forward-looking work.
SSH: At some point we can say that all the people who can work from home are already doing it and everyone else is going to carry on working the way they were before. How long do you think it would take to gather all the data that you need to know which direction we're going in?
Iain Stewart MP:
It's a good question, we don’t know when we can expect to see travel patterns settle down because just asking around companies in my own constituency, they're still feeling their way as to what the appropriate mix is. Some jobs will have to be done in the workplace, but I think what we can expect is that there's going to be a lot more flexibility as to when people want to travel. They might still come into the office but not at the usual hours so what does that mean for the ticketing
system. We have flexible season tickets now but that’s a very small change, it's looking at big issues like that and whilst our inquiry isn’t going to come up with the definitive blueprint we will at least probe the areas that need to be further analysed and the areas that need to be linked together.
SSH: Who do you look for to ask these questions and provide that sort that level of insight?
Iain Stewart MP:
There’s traditional bodies and individuals who will give evidence to a select committee and I absolutely want to continue that but I want to start thinking a bit more widely. You know it will be the employers, and the tech companies to say: ‘well we think this is coming done the line that will result in a big change’. Just looking internationally at a lot of the patterns there, I am already hearing that some companies are saying they’re losing the creative spark by not having people physically together as much. That’s just one possible line of inquiry but I use that as an illustration of what we're going to have to address and then how that filters down into more practical matters. It's long been the case and probably still is at the moment that the optimal time to do engineering work on the railways is weekends and bank holidays but is that always going to be the case?
SSH: You mentioned that the judicial bodies you speak to, in terms of the new bodies like Transport for the North or Transport for Wales. How do you see yourself engaging with those?
Iain Stewart MP:
Well at the moment I've got a vast number of meetings in my diary with all sorts of people and bodies, in many cases we establish contact but without it being a formal inquiry it is more just for me to meet them and get updates on what they’re thinking. We are seeing Transport for the North as part of an inquiry, we are also having an evidence session on Avanti and Transpennine Express. Interestingly, I will be questioning my former boss Patrick McLoughlin (Lord McLoughlin, Chair of Transport for the North).
What we try do as a committee is capture as wide a range of points of view as we can, Transport for the North, a journalist from The Financial Times who has been
researching this particular issue, Passenger Focus, who will come in and tell us how the economy and individuals are experiencing these problems. Then we get the operators in and question them.
Back in the Autumn, before I took over as Chair, Avanti told us they would hire a certain number of drivers, so my first question to them would be to ask how many of that number they have actually hired. So, this is important in the context of the scrutiny and accountability role of a Select Committee, if it is a broader inquiry what we often do first of all is invite written evidence to be submitted and that can come from anyone, a member of the public or a trade union, an academic, an operator or a regulator.
Once we've got that basis of evidence written we’ll then choose a cross section of the spectrum of views on whatever the topic is and then have them come in for questioning. Normally the last session is with the responsible Minister for that area of policy to get the government’s view.
SSH: The current inquiries you're going through are ones that were started prior to taking over as Chair, what’s the timeline for initiating fresh ones that are on your agenda?
Iain Stewart MP:
In about half an hour’s time we’re having a private meeting looking at the types of issues that we’ll want to inquire about. There's a number of inquiries up and running which we will see through to conclusion, but I am really keen on this My Future Transport exercise, which other select committees have tried. That in itself starts off ideas for future bits of work.
‘There’s traditional bodies and individuals who will give evidence to a select committee and I absolutely want to continue that but I want to start thinking a bit more widely.’
Sherwood-Hale spoke to Iain Stewart, Transport Committee Chair about the role of the select committee, how best to approach inquiries and the future of rail governance
We had The Secretary of State in front of us previously, we’ll need to get him back because I’ve not yet worked through his priorities when it comes to the funding envelope which has been reconfirmed for investment. But he’s got to incorporate inflationary pressures and is still thinking through the options for Great British Railways so I think it's only fair to give him a little bit of time to come to his conclusions on that and then probably we’ll want to scrutinise further what that means.
SSH: There's been so much upheaval in government recently, how has that changed your approach and what do you think was on the agenda six months ago that's now completely off and vice versa?
Iain Stewart MP:
Previously the government wanted to push the Integrated Rail Plan. The Chancellor is now committed more to the core network and so again we would ask what does that actually mean? With HS2 there is this commitment, but we need to look at what in practice that is.
So I am content to give them time to do their own analysis, it is good news that the funding envelope has been renewed but what does that mean in practice given inflationary pressures. In my neck of the woods, East West Rail seemed to go off the boil a little, certainly the section from Bletchley to Bicester is under construction, but the central section and eastern section seemed to be a bit in doubt, now it seems to be reconfirmed. I think it's going to take a little bit of time for that to settle down and that is obviously something as a Committee we will want to prove. How are they making these decisions? Are they just going to salami slice X percentage off of any project to make it fit within the budget or are some going to be given greater priority?
I remain very enthusiastic about East West Rail, it's not just a rail project it's the lynchpin infrastructure on a wider economic development for that part of the country.
SSH: Do you have to put aside your knowledge of that project because its scope might have changed during the intervening period?
Iain Stewart MP:
I’ve kept a keen interest from a constituency perspective, a particular issue locally is how it interplays with a housing development in my constituency. But there line is that the local authority has not always worked in tandem with East West Rail for the optimal solutions in that part of Milton Keynes, so I have very much kept up to speed with the project. But I am also conscious as Chairman I can’t be too locally focussed, the Select Committee is there for all of the United Kingdom.
SSH: How do you avoid focussing on one area instead of the national story of transport?
Iain Stewart MP:
I suppose it loops back to my wish that I want to get other people to come in and pitch to us as to the sort of things we should be looking at. It's very easy to get focussed on a particular issue in politics, sometimes you need somebody to say actually have a look over there. That's why we try and speak to as wide a range of people as we can, one of the other inquiries that we’re about to start is called Inclusive Transport and that means everything from physical access for people with disabilities to personal safety on public transport. As we were chatting in a preevidence session, comments in that session made us ask: is the law already there that requires operators to make provision for people with disabilities to travel and it's just not being properly enforced or is there a gap in the legislation? We don't know the answer to that question now, so that's a slightly different angle that we’d take in that inquiry. Is it an enforcement issue or is there a gap in the legislation that would cover all modes of transports?
SSH: In terms of Great British Railways, what do you think is the likely outcome?
Iain Stewart MP:
I’m hoping that the basic principles behind GBR are still there in that there is a single guiding mind for the industry. In terms of legislation that is required to establish it, the competition to choose the headquarters, what it means in practicalities – I think all that comes after the confirmation that the principal behind it is still the objective.
SSH: When you're speaking someone where it's their first time in a formal inquiry session, do you engage with them differently?
Iain Stewart MP:
I'm conscious some people don't operate in the political world and actually coming to the Houses of Parliament to give formal evidence which is going to be recorded can be quite a nerve wracking experience. I hope that people find my style is a warm and approachable one, I don't like aggressive cross-questioning that’s more akin to a courtroom I want to be able to draw out of people the information that we’re looking for that allows us then to make an objective decision. The purpose of these evidence sessions is not to point the finger of accusation, we just want to know the reality of what happened, if it is something that went wrong we want to know exactly what the problem was so it can be flagged up and isn’t going to be repeated in the future.
Some people like the aggressive style but I just don't find that helpful when you get constant interruptions, you don’t actually draw light from the discussion. Whereas if you take a more objective approach and give people the chance to make their points and take a tough line of questioning and don’t let people come out with some PR slogan you can dig down into finding out exactly what the issue is or the opinion and then as a committee you can analyse all that and decide what recommendations you’re going to make.
‘Some people like the aggressive style but I just don't find that helpful when you get constant interruptions, you don’t actually draw light from the discussion.’
‘I remain very enthusiastic about East West Rail, it's not just a rail project it's the lynchpin infrastructure on a wider economic development for that part of the country.’
‘Previously the government wanted to push the Integrated Rail Plan. The Chancellor is now committed more to the core network and so again we would ask what does that actually mean? With HS2 there is this commitment, but we need to look at what in practise that is.’
On 7 February 2023 Secretary of State
Mark Harper delivered the George Bradshaw Address
we’ve since left the EU, emerged from a global pandemic, had two general elections and my party may have had one or two changes in leadership. Yet the more things have changed outside the railways, the more they seem to have stayed the same inside.
Good evening and thank you to Andy Bagnall and his team at Rail Partners for organising this event and for inviting me to deliver what is my first rail speech since becoming Transport Secretary.
I realise I’m the second Transport Secretary to give this prestigious address. And I’m pleased to see Patrick in his seat. But me and Lord McLoughlin, Patrick as we all know him, or chief as I used to call him, have a bit more in common. We both hail from working class backgrounds: my dad a labourer, his a coal miner. We both grew up in historic railway towns: Swindon in my case and Stafford in his. And we were both promoted from the whips office to running the Department for Transport. Though admittedly, he was a bit faster than me I spent an interlude on the backbenches.
Now, six years may not seem like a long time but, as Andy says, during that period
Patrick’s 2016 Bradshaw Address was a passionate call for a more flexible, more accountable and more joined-up railway. That still rings true today, as do the reflections of previous Bradshaw speakers. Lord Hendy’s case for a whole system railway in 2018. Keith Williams, a year later, with his relentless and right focus on passengers and even Rick Haythornthwaite’s warning at the inaugural Bradshaw Address in 2011 of a disillusioned public not trusting the way our railways are run. Those all sound eerily familiar.
So, I’ve spent my first few months in this job listening to the experts, indeed to many people in this room, drawing on my experience in government and many years in business, to understand what’s holding back meaningful change and how we move forward.
There’s clearly a lot of frustration in the industry. There’s a widespread desire to end the sense of drift. By moving on from rediagnosing the industry’s ills to getting on with fixing them. The government’s policy is clear. The Plan for Rail has already been announced to the House of Commons in May 2021 so delivering that policy, moving from the words to action that is my priority.
Because the railways, quite frankly, aren’t fit for purpose. We’re mired in industrial action, which lets down passengers and freight customers down. And historically unable to deliver major improvements at good value for the taxpayer. Britain is yearning for a modern railway that meets the needs of the moment. One reliable enough to be the seven-day-a-week engine for growth businesses expect. Nimble enough for post pandemic travel, whilst allowing more flexibility for freight and efficient enough when public spending is rightly scrutinised like never before.
The railways need fundamental reform and that is what we will deliver. And what I will try to set out this evening is how we re-energise that process. Freeing reform from the sidings and getting it back onto the mainline.
But first, I must provide some important context. In putting an end to last year’s unwelcome political and economic turbulence this government promised to be straight with the public about the difficult choices ahead. We set out a plan to restore economic stability and that plan is working.
We’ve seen a significant settling of the market, we’ve reassured investors, calmed the markets and strengthened the currency. It’s a strong base from which to deliver the Prime Minister’s 2023 economic priorities: halve inflation, growing the economy, and reducing debt. It is testament to this industry’s huge economic
The Global Centre of Rail Excellence has announced a ‘Meet the Buyer’ engagement event with potential local suppliers and businesses in March. The event will be held at the Towers Hotel and Spa in Jersey Marine, Neath Port Talbot, on Friday 17 March and run from 11am to 3.30pm.
The event will include a presentation from the GCRE team about the facility being constructed at the head of the Dulais and Swansea Valleys, with opportunities for one-to-one conversations with the GCRE team. Those wishing to register for the event can do so on the GCRE website.
Train operator, Northern has teamedup with Decorum Vending to install 79 new vending machines at 51 locations across its network, offering customers a choice of top-quality, well-known brands. The new vending machines offer a range of products, including low-sugar and healthy alternatives for customers who want to grab a snack ‘on the go’ whilst travelling across the North of England. The machines are all cash-free, which helps deter vandalism and means customers can purchase items contactless via their bank card or smart phone.
The billion-pound East Coast Digital Programme (ECDP) has taken another step forward with crucial work to enable a more reliable railway taking place over the weekend. Billion-pound plans to transform rail travel to and from the capital have taken another important step forward with the completion of crucial work as part of a programme to create a digital railway. The commissioning of new signalling in the Wood Green – New Barnet area of north London will boost reliability and make the area ready for digital signalling in the future. It forms a vital step towards operating passenger trains with digital signalling on the nearby Finsbury Park to Moorgate route (Northern City Line) later this year.
potential that even amidst a challenging fiscal climate we gave full backing to the £96 billion Integrated Rail Plan. The largest single investment ever made in our railways will take HS2 from Euston to Manchester. Northern Powerhouse Rail across the Pennines. East West Rail between Oxford and Cambridge. And that has the Chancellor’s full support.
We’re not wasting any time. In December, I saw the huge construction effort underway at the site of Curzon St Station in Birmingham. It will be the first new intercity terminus built since the 19th century. Attracting tens of thousands of jobs and sparking housing and commercial regeneration across the city.
Don’t take my word for it go and talk to Andy Street and you’ll get a very passionate case about the transformation that HS2 is bringing to his city.
But we risk wasting that future infrastructure spending if our railway model is stuck in the past and thanks to Keith’s painstaking work, we know what the underlying issues are. A fragmented structure that quickly forgets the customer. Decision making with too little accountability, but with too much centralisation. And a private sector rightly criticised for poor performance but with too few levers to change it. An industry in ‘no man’s land’ as Andrew Haines correctly described it in his Beesley lecture.
And in the end it’s rail’s customers that suffer. Like on the East Coast Mainline, where passengers still await the full benefits of billions of pounds in taxpayer investment and years of infrastructure upgrades. I know this first hand. As a backbench MP, when I was trying to get a Sunday train from my constituency to London, I remember constantly refreshing the First Great Western timetable to find half the trains weren’t running. Like many passengers, I had no choice but to give up and take the car instead.
Andrew, who was then running First Group, probably remembers my rather irate emails from the station platform, interrogating him about why the service was so unreliable. Four months into this job, I now know why. I possibly owe him an overdue apology. It wasn’t entirely his fault. Because Sunday services are essentially dependent on drivers volunteering for overtime. Which means, despite best efforts, we can’t run a reliable seven-day-a-week railway on which customers can depend. It’s why I and the Rail Minister, Huw Merriman, have been clear throughout this period of industrial action that modernising working practices must be part of reform.
Finally, the pandemic has made a bad problem worse, a lot worse. Thanks to hybrid working, an economic model dependent on five-day commuting is out of date. Take
season ticket sales, which are at just 28 per cent of pre-COVID levels.
Unsurprisingly, and you don’t need a chartered accountant like me to tell you this, the impact on the industry’s bottom line has been stark. Revenue is around £125-175 million lower each month and costs keep rising year on year.
Any other industry would have collapsed years ago but the railways have only survived because of the taxpayer and the public purse. The source of over 70 per cent of income over the past two years at a cost of £1,000 per household. I won’t mince my words: operating the railways is currently financially unsustainable and it isn’t fair to continue asking taxpayers to foot the bill. Most of them don’t regularly use the railways. Including plenty of my constituents in the Forest of Dean.
But they find themselves subsidising an industry that delivers only 1.5 per and two per cent of all journeys that are taken by the public. That disproportionately serves commuters in the south-east and whose funding comes at the expense of other vital transport upgrades. At a time when sacrifices are being made across the economy we must be aware of the trade-offs when it comes to public spending and remind ourselves, as Patrick rightly said in his address, that the Department for Transport isn’t the ‘Department for the Railways’.
So, we have a broken model. Unable to adapt to customer needs and financially unsustainable. Left untreated, we will drive passengers away with poor performance, that will lead to fewer services, that will drive more passengers away and so on and so on. Only major reform can break that cycle of decline and Keith’s blueprint is the right place to start. So yes, we will create a more customer focussed and joined up railway. But we want to go further, I want to go further, and actually enhance the role of the private sector. Not just in running services but in maximising competition, innovation, and revenue growth right across the industry. Which the benefits of the private sector has delivered time and again.
Let me start, however, with customers. To raise revenue, we must instil a customer first culture. That means reliable services, comfortable journeys and accessible stations. But it also means tackling the issue which tops passenger lists of biggest concerns, which is fares and ticketing. With 55 million fares available how can anyone feel confident they’re getting the best value for money? Ticketing should be hassle free, something you barely have to think about. Which is why, today, I can confirm the extension of Pay-As-You-Go ticketing, with 52 stations across the south-east set to be completed this year including on Chiltern, London Northwestern, and C2C services. Ticket prices should also be fairer but often there is little difference between the cost of a single or a return. Operators are
Insulators
Safety
Bonding Connectors
Catenary Clamps
Droppers
often unable to significantly reduce prices on quieter services. So, after LNER’s successful single leg pricing trial we’ll extend it to other parts of the LNER network from the spring and then carefully consider the results of those before extending more widely. It means a flexible single fare will always be half the cost of the equivalent return –giving passengers more flexibility and better value. This is not about increasing fares, I want passengers to benefit from simpler ticketing that meets their needs.
We’re also going to learn from the aviation sector and better manage capacity as well as raise revenue by trialling demandbased pricing on some LNER services too.
Yet, passengers aren’t the industry’s only customers. Carrying tens of billions of pounds worth of goods we cannot overstate rail freight’s untapped potential for green growth. So I intend to create a duty to ensure the new industry structure realises that potential with a dedicated Strategic Freight Unit tasked with creating better safeguards, more national coordination and, later this year, listening to what was said earlier, setting a long-term freight growth target.
However, turning towards customers requires us to turn away from the current industry structure. So, we will establish Great British Railways, or GBR. As we prepare for that, we’ll pick up the pace of reform. I am pleased to announce that the winner of the GBR HQ competition will be revealed before Easter. And by the summer, we will respond to the consultation on GBR’s legislative powers.
The industry has long called for a guiding mind to coordinate the network so GBR will be responsible for track and train, as well as revenue and cost. Which means finally treating the railway as the whole system it should be rather than a web of disparate interests that it’s become. Passengers won’t longer face the excuse-making and blame-shifting of years past. Instead, GBR will be wholeheartedly customer-focussed. Serving as the single point of accountability for the performance of the railway and crucially, following ministerial direction, the GBR Transition Team will develop the guiding long-term strategy for rail which we will publish later this year and I hope will provide strategic direction to the sector.
Yet there remains a lot of misinformation about GBR. So let me tackle some of these myths head on.
This is not going to be Network Rail 2.0, nor a return to British Rail. Taking politics out of the railways is the only way to build a truly commercially led industry and, for me, that is non-negotiable. That’s why GBR will be an arm’s length body ensuring a balanced approach to both infrastructure and operations. With both sides getting a seat at the table and both sides delivering an efficient, high performing railway for customers.
The role of ministers is to provide strategic direction and be accountable to Parliament. It is not the role of ministers to pore over operational decisions. For example, I shouldn’t need to approve whether a passenger train ought to be removed from the timetable to allow a freight train to run instead, as I was doing earlier today. That will be left to industry experts in five regional GBR divisions working in partnership with regional bodies such as the Greater Manchester and the West Midlands Combined Authorities.
Similarly, we can’t take the other extreme view. Public oversight of our critical infrastructure is needed. Especially to support those passenger services that don’t turn a profit, yet still play an important economic and social role. That’s why we need a pragmatic partnership between state and industry, harnessing the necessary oversight of the state. With the dynamism, innovation and efficiency of the private sector.
This integrated model works, and not just with the railways. That was how we achieved one of the quickest and most successful Covid vaccine rollouts in the world, and it’s what we need to do in the railways.
Which brings me to the final area of reform. To enhance the role of the private sector, which I see as central to the future of the railways. Under privatisation and thanks to a resilient and world class supply chain, passenger numbers doubled to 1.75 billion by the eve of the pandemic. With private sector investment in rolling stock reached nearly £7 billion over the past ten years.
I don’t want to turn my back on that commercial expertise. The National Rail Contracts and current overcentralised approach are temporary, a short-term fix that has helped steer the industry through the pandemic and this will be phased out.
I want the private sector to play its most important role in our railways yet. To reinvigorate the sector, drive innovation and most importantly, attract more customers to the railway. It will do so in partnership with GBR. GBR will help set the right commercial conditions across several key areas.
There will be new Passenger Service Contracts that will balance the right performance incentives with simple, commercially driven targets. But they won’t be a one-size fits all approach. In the past, we know some operators took on more financial risk than they could handle. So, now that risk will sit where it is best managed and that includes with operators, but only where it drives the best outcomes for passengers and taxpayers. We shouldn’t be afraid to let managing directors of train operating companies actually manage and direct their operations. Which is not what they’re able to do at the moment.
We’ll also open up railway data and systems, whilst lowering barriers to entry for the industry. For ticketing, that means a more competitive retail market and I
will welcome new players to spur more innovation and give passengers the services they need.
We will expand commercial opportunities around land and property near stations. In Japan, rail companies take full advantage of these investments, generating even more income for the railways and we should look to do the same.
And finally, we will support more open access services where it benefits passengers and taxpayers. We’ve seen this work well with Hull Trains and Grand Central as well as with Lumo on the East Coast Mainline. All offering passengers greater choice and more direct links. Open access operators will play an important role in the industry’s future, especially as we grow new markets and make best use of spare capacity on the network.
Let me finish by saying that despite being the second Transport Secretary to deliver this address I’m probably the first to be given a biblical nickname. Modern Railways Magazine described the rail industry as waiting for ‘Moses Harper to come back from the mountain with tablets of stone.’ Whilst I’m, of course, flattered by that comparison, unlike Moses, I do plan to live long enough to reach the promised land of rail reform. And whilst my words this evening have not been divinely inspired they do have the full support of the Prime Minister and the Chancellor, which, in politics, is the next best thing.
As a whole government, we are pressing ‘go’ on rail reform. Day-to-day work will be ably led by the Rail Minister, Huw Merriman, who’s here tonight and has long championed the need for a reformed railway, including when he was chairman of the Transport Select Committee. He will provide the stability and leadership needed, while also giving the industry freedom to deliver meaningful change and I hope you will all rise to the challenge:
• To put customers first.
• To realise the benefits of GBR.
• To help enhance the role of the private sector.
• Because only then can the railway earn the public trust it needs to grow.
As we look ahead to the industry’s 200-year anniversary in 2025, this is our chance to resurrect some national pride in our railways. A chance to harness the political will that is there, the economic imperative and I believe the industry buy-in to build the modern railway Britain deserves.
It’s a chance we cannot waste.
New murals depicting the industrial history and transport heritage of Prestonpans have been installed at the town’s railway station, thanks to the efforts of East Lothian Community Rail Partnership (CRP). Working with local artists and the art department at Preston Lodge High School, the partnership has created four murals designed to bring the area’s past back to life.
The West Coast main line will close for 16 days in March as Network Rail engineers deliver a vital programme of work to upgrade Carstairs Junction. The work is part of a £164 million Scottish Government investment to modernise the key junction for passenger and freight services. It will also see the creation of Scotland’s largest freight loop, capable of accommodating 775-metre-long freight trains to help more businesses move goods off the road and onto rail to help achieve the Government’s Net Zero targets.
Great Western Railway has completed the purchase of a number of assets from emission-free battery and hybrid trains manufacturer Vivarail, which entered administration last December. GWR has agreed contracts to buy intellectual property, rolling stock and equipment relating to the development of high-performance battery and FastCharge technology designed to support wider introduction of battery-powered trains on the UK’s rail network. The deal secures the future of planned trials of the technology in a real-world environment, which GWR was supporting between West Ealing and Greenford.
of passenger kilometres or miles in looking at market shares or growth targets. This has been true in a whole range of documents, including John Prescott’s famous ten-Year Plan of July 2000 back in the halcyon days of the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (DTLR). This referred to a preferred measure of passenger kilometres (or passenger miles, as we have to say in these post-Brexit days) and set a target of 50 per cent growth by 2010. (As an aside, the 50 per cent target was missed –the growth by 2010 was 38 per cent. The 50 per cent figure was not reached until 2013).
Including distance makes rail’s market share much more significant than Mark Harper’s ‘one to two per cent’. According to the latest edition of Transport Statistics Great Britain (sheet TSGB0101), the 47 billion passenger kilometres travelled by rail and Underground in 2021 represented 7.3 per cent of the 645 billion travelled by all modes. Stripping out the Underground, National Rail’s total of 39.1 billion represented a 6.1 per cent market share. Once again, the pre-Covid figures were much higher: 67.7 billion by National Rail out of 831 billion in total, representing a market share of 8.2 per cent.
On the one hand, picking up such a relatively minor moment in Harper’s speech could easily be seen as a piece of nit-picking. On the other, it could also be seen as representing a right-wing, motoristdominated government’s wish to belittle rail as a mode as part of a process to soften the public up for service reductions and fare increases to come.
And before anybody gets too carried away about how insignificant these numbers are, just think about the alternative scenario – in which all those journeys transferred to car and bus, further clogging up the streets of London, the South East and our big urban areas. It doesn’t bear thinking about.
The difficulty is, of course, that the Secretary of State’s point was well made – the finances of the industry are
unsustainable, and the amounts being pumped into revenue support on the railways are excessive compared with other modes such as bus. It is also true, unfortunately, that – as Sir Michael Holden recently pointed out in a recent article – it is nigh-on impossible for train operators to make major savings when around 75 per cent of their costs are fixed and/or regulated and the other 25 per cent has been cut to the bone over the last 25 years. (I note in passing though that everybody keeps avoiding mention of one of the industry’s biggest problems, its unaffordable pension scheme).
It all adds up to a pretty toxic set of circumstances, into which has to be stirred the current increasingly toxic industrial relations situation, and the ongoing failure of patronage to recover to pre-Covid levels in the face of economic stagnation. Any lingering hope that there would be a return soon is looking increasingly forlorn – not helped, of course, by the disruption caused by strikes and staff shortages.
The latest of the DfT’s now monthly statistics on post-Covid use of transport modes shows a mixed pattern. During the autumn, weekly averages hovered around and even exceeded 90 per cent of the prepandemic base on several occasions. The New Year got off to a slow start with the industrial action, but then reached a postlockdown peak of over 93 per cent in the two last weeks of January before slipping back to 88 per cent during the strike-hit first week of February. Numbers slipped further to 76 per cent during week ended 11 February: worryingly, that was a strike-free week.
Mark Harper’s speech was well-received, and the hope must be that the Government now gets on with implementing its own plan, albeit two years late. The reaction from the Opposition was fairly muted, too – implying that they haven’t got much of an alternative policy either (especially since GBR would effectively give them what they want). All of which must give some hope that there might just be a period of consistency and stability in policymaking – at least until the next General Election and maybe even after that. Though whether the primary legislation needed to set up GBR will get through Parliament before the dissolution likely in the autumn of 2024 remains to be seen. Meanwhile past experience suggest that there will be at least one more Secretary of State and several handbrake turns in policy between now and then. Hang on to your hats!
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TRANSPORT MONITOR
‘Mark Harper’s speech was well-received, and the hope must be that the Government now gets on with implementing its own plan, albeit two years late. The reaction from the Opposition was fairly muted, too – implying that they haven’t got much of an alternative policy either (especially since GBR would effectively give them what they want).’
Back in September 2022, the Truss Government commissioned the Net Zero Report. Although that Government fell in October, work on the report, carried out by Chris Skidmore MP (the former Energy Minister who piloted the UK Government's commitments to achieving net zero by 2050 through Parliament), continued
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.
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.
In January 2023 the output of the Net Zero Report, called Mission Zero (the Report) was published. The Report looks at the delivery of net zero climate commitments against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, historically high global energy prices and high inflation. However, its clear purpose has been to focus on ensuring that the path to net zero is both pro-business and pro-enterprise, thereby maximising economic growth, while increasing energy security and affordability for consumers and businesses.
While the rail sector may consider itself to lead transport's delivery of net zero, there are a number of outputs in the Report that the rail sector should take time to consider, particularly if they are likely to become policy for this Government or become policy drivers for the next government, whatever its colour.
The Report is a substantial document, containing two parts and an Executive Summary. The first part sets the scene by analysing the challenges and opportunities of net zero. The second part looks at how the UK can deliver a robust net zero "delivery ecosystem" and is the focus of this article.
The recommendations in the Report are far ranging, cross-sector and relate to multiple different stakeholders, including public bodies, businesses, communities and individuals. However, they are similar
to the stakeholders touched by the railway industry, and much of the Report is relevant. The Report concludes that while net zero is good, the UK must go further and faster. Part 2 of the Report identifies six key pillars for achieving net zero (see box), each of which contains its own key recommendations and ‘missions’ creating 25 key actions for 2025 and ten ‘priority missions’ for 2035.
Taken as a whole, the Report underlines that the UK's path to net zero needs to be supported by measures across the board, meeting the tests of certainty, continuity, clarity and consistency. Despite delays in implementing the Plan for Rail, clear guidelines that projects should follow, which do not change regardless of rail reform, will be important in the move for rail to reach its own net zero targets.
Set out below are some of the key findings from the Report which are particularly important for the rail sector from a planning and infrastructure delivery perspective.
A recurring issue in the Report was the need for planning reform, with the planning process identified as a general ‘blocker’ and source of delay for new projects. A notable recommendation to streamline and speed up the planning process is a rapid review to identify bottlenecks in the planning system relating to energy efficiency and renewable energy projects.
A compliant subsidy should show the following:
• Securing Net Zero – a transformational change in how we live our lives.
• Powering Net Zero – replacing fossil fuels with greener and cleaner alternatives, creating new industries, services, jobs and export opportunities.
• Net Zero and the Economy –encouraging investment and innovation from the private sector to bring low carbon technology to the mass market.
• Net Zero and the Community –UK Government provides central leadership while also empowering people and places to deliver net zero solutions.
• Net Zero and the Individual –encouraging individuals to take positive actions to reduce emissions and gain financial, health and wellbeing improvement as a result.
• Net Zero and the Future – decisions taken today will be critical for the UK's ability to reach net zero by 2050 in a pro-growth and low-cost way.
Train operator Northern is investing £10 million to upgrade its facilities for more than a thousand staff across its network. More than £8 million has been spent so far in locations such as Leeds, Manchester Victoria, Manchester Oxford Road, Blackpool, Workington, Barrow and Buxton. Staff based in Liverpool, Huddersfield, Hull, Carlisle, Wigan, Harrogate, Doncaster and Middlesbrough will now see similar changes including new kitchen facilities, back-office areas and new seating and sofas.
Transport for Wales are set to become the first train operator outside of London to deliver contactless EMV ticketing in heavy rail when they partner with Vix Technology to launch a new smart gate pilot programme. The pilot programme will launch with the first gate being tested and proof of concept taking place in Newport in Spring 2023. The new gates promise fast installation, flexible passenger zones and opportunities for optimized passenger information. Passenger benefits also include pay-as-you-go travelling using gates and platform validators provided by Vix Technology.
Other recommendations include:
• Introducing a statutory duty on local authorities to take account of the UK's net zero targets and to clarify local roles and responsibility for attaining these;
• Devolving net zero powers to allow a more locally focussed approach to net zero, including establishing at least one "Trailblazer" City, Local Authority and Community with the aim of each reaching net zero by 2030;
• Reform the local planning system and the National Planning Policy Framework as soon as possible, with an intention to move towards a net zero test for all developments; and
• Giving greater clarity and guidance on when local areas can exceed national standards and how they can go further on net zero should they wish to, including using Local Area Energy Planning.
The Report recognises infrastructure's key role in delivering net zero and the scale and speed that is required, given the length of time taken to deliver infrastructure projects. Specific recognition was given to the need for the electricity network to keep pace with the government's renewable energy ambition.
This included recommending:
• Changing the policy and regulation framework for grid developments to consider needs based on a long-term planning requirement to facilitate anticipated future investments.
• Improving the consent process for expanding energy networks and updating the National Policy Statements for Energy in England and Wales to provide clearer direction.
On net zero carbon energy production the Report recommends setting up taskforces and deployment roadmaps with clear milestones to 2035, including:
Autumn 2023 of how regulation for net zero technologies should be changed to accelerate their introduction.
Other recommendations include:
• Planning for hydrogen to have a ‘vital role in our future energy mix’ and for a ten-year delivery roadmap for scaling up hydrogen production to be developed by the end of 2023.
• Requiring the government to ‘act quickly to re-envisage and implement a clear carbon capture usage and storage (CCUS) roadmap showing the plan beyond 2030’, including in terms of cluster selection, progression and funding. The current BEIS work on CCSUs does not look beyond the mid-2020s.
More customers than expected have taken advantage of capital's newest transport link since opening in May 2022. The Elizabeth line has now seen more than one hundred million journeys since opening in May 2022. Transport for London (TfL) data also reveals that ridership on the line is currently above expected levels with around 600,000 journeys made each day, meaning the railway is one of the busiest in the UK and is on track to break even by the end of the 2023/24 financial year. The data clearly shows the popularity of the capital's newest transport option and the benefit of investing in transport in London.
• Deployment of sufficient solar panels to achieve up to 70GW of generation by 2035, including a "rooftop revolution" to remove the requirement for planning permission to install solar panels on the rooftops of domestic and commercial buildings. Certain restrictions on groundbased panels would remain; and
• Encouragement of greater onshore wind provision where local communities are willing. The planning process in England and Wales should be streamlined and provide clear guidance to support decision making and to set out a framework for assessing community benefits.
For emerging technologies, the Report is clear that a plan is needed for industry decarbonisation and long-term investment. It emphasises the role of long-term storage. multi-purpose interconnectors and carbon capture to create more supply side flexibility. It further proposes a review by
While the Report draws together various ongoing workstreams of government, there is a risk that it may not fully match the priorities of the current Government. However, as all major political parties have made commitments to achieving net zero, the Report's outputs are likely to feature in action taken by most government departments.
The Report also serves as a useful summary of where the multifaceted emerging business models and policy frameworks for emerging technologies such as hydrogen and CCUS stand. With an election on the horizon, the Government may consider whether it can achieve any of the quick wins set out in the Report, such as introducing some of the proposed changes to the planning system to support new zero activities in the Levellingup and Regeneration Bill. As the rail industry plans its next set of projects, net zero will need to be a clear consideration. Interesting times lie ahead!
‘The UK's path to net zero needs to be supported by measures across the board, meeting the tests of certainty, continuity, clarity and consistency. Despite delays in implementing the Plan for Rail, clear guidelines that projects should follow, will be important in the move for rail to reach its own net zero targets’Bastien Gerard is Group Business Development Director for Consumables and Jamie Fata is Welding Alloys Railways Services Expert
An innovative hi-tech robotic solution makes it possible to retain welding skills, and allow for flexible maintenance and network cost planning
The United Nations projects the global population will reach 9.7 billion people in 2050 with 68 per cent living in urban areas – and the projected form of travel will be the greener, less polluting, railways option. However, many rail company revenues were hit hard during the Covid-19 lockdown and today face increasing pressure on the maintenance, efficiencies and on the network expansion front.
In 2022, the European Commission estimated on average the rail sector spends €39,600 (£35,000) per kilometre of track on rail maintenance equating to 38 per cent of total operating expenses. Upskilling welders to maximise Flex e.bot technology seems like a no brainer for rail operators and upskilling can only be to the benefit of the welder through the ability to add value and enhance career prospects and hence job security.
This will come as no surprise to the railways industries worldwide but laying new track means a lot of welding while existing track, crossings, and heads, also need hardfacing maintenance against excessive wear.
Capital investment and increased maintenance costs will play a large part in the decision processes of these rail companies in the coming years. Utilising the right hardfacing welding technology will be key.
And an added headache for the railways is the welding trade is suffering from a lack of career uptake. Welding is no longer appealing to young people despite being
a sought-after skill. This developing skills shortage is most likely due to negative perceptions of the profession including the health effects on the welder – toxic fumes, stressful welding positions, and the like.
Faced with this, Welding Alloys developed an innovative solution making it possible to attract and retain welders and keep in-house welding skills by reducing their exposure to toxic fumes and physical stress. The solution is Flex e.bot, a collaborative robot (Cobot) solution allowing hardfacing welding in direct collaboration with the welder.
The Flex e.bot offers real positional comfort to the welder, peace of mind by keeping them away from welding fumes while freeing them from binding tasks and allowing welders to focus on more valuable activities’ said Welding Alloys Bastien Gerard. ‘Safety and time are paramount in all rail operations and the replacement of tracks and crossings is costly and time consuming. The Cobot solution meets the need to balance retaining skills to extend the life of networks set against efficiencies and costs.
In order to retain flexibility, the welder can regain control at any time by disconnecting the welding torch of the Cobot to perform manual operations (pointing, retouching, finishing, etc.). We understand transportation is the backbone of many countries and is based on the ability to maintain and operate an efficient and economically viable railway system. The question for railway networks now is how to meet expectations in construction and maintenance and reduce costs? The
answer is easy-use integrated technology like the Flex e.bot. With this Cobot solution it is no longer about complicated machine programming, instead it just takes a few clicks to define the area to be hard faced and the welding technique, direction and inclination. Saves time and time is money.
Welding Alloys solutions are designed and developed to address specific customer needs, based on data obtained from the industry for over 50 years. Knowledge, experience, equipment, and an extensive range of welding consumables offers the flexibility to repair tracks and crossings, resulting in significantly increased lifespan of these components with substantial overall cost savings.
Welding Alloys offers economical solutions to wear problems caused by skidding, metal smearing, braking, wheel spin and impact, material deformation, cornering, and general abrasion. Then there is the Cobot cost-saving solution, Flex e.bot, future tech available today.
Technology such as the Cobot certainly creates a better work environment and, as such, can be a factor in encouraging young people to realise welding is no longer the low-paid dirty job of old. But innovation alone will not attract young people in the numbers needed by industry. There is an ever growing shortage of welders and industry itself needs to take the lead in recruitment through apprenticeships and supporting training centres and being proactive at school career events. Technologies like the Cobot can only support these efforts, in my opinion.
Cobot technology is a leap-forward in response to customer demand for more productive equipment, better safety for the welder, and for more precision and greater reliability.
Artificial Intelligence in itself will not attract young people to welding. It is a combination of access to apprenticeships and training and promoting the fact new technologies mean it’s clean, safe and a wellpaid career. In my opinion industry has been recklessly complacent for decades and we need to reach out to our youth proactively to be able to meet the growing demand for welders. Welding is no longer the low paid dirty job many people imagine. That is the real message we need to get across to young people today.
The current new technologies are developed in response to customer demand for greater safety, lower costs and to speed up production. Automation and increasingly AI is the accepted way to do this. A true disrupter is revolutionary, an approach or technology that sweeps aside accepted practices or equipment. Think along the lines the lines of the scribe versus the typewriter versus the personal computer versus the laptop versus the cell phone. Each one is a real disrupter and changed the way the world works today. These weren’t progressions, they were revolutionary, true disrupters.
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Ellis Shelton, Policy Advisor at Logistics UK explores the government's anticipated rail reforms and what that means for freight
Rail freight carries over £30 billion in goods and contributes £2.45 billion to the UK economy each year. It is also vital for achieving net zero, as it is estimated to avert seven million lorry journeys per year, preventing 1.4 million tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. Maximising the role of rail as part of an integrated logistics system will see additional modal shift from road to rail, reducing emissions further. This must be supported by increased capacity on the railway for freight, additional infrastructure and space for logistics to facilitate multimodal interchange at key hubs, and fairer track access charges.
While the rail freight sector has not directly been involved in the recent industrial relations disputes, strikes amongst Network Rail signallers have reduced the operating hours of the railway. As a result, industrial action indirectly impacts the freight sector due to reduced capacity on the lines. Around 30 per cent of all freight movement was cancelled on strike days, while total rail freight moved between 1 July and 30 September 2022, was four billion net tonne kilometres lower when compared with the same time period in 2021.
In response to the recent strikes, government has proposed a Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill which, if passed, would allow the secretary of State to make regulations outlining the minimum service required for rail during industrial action. At present, there is no general requirement to maintain minimum service
levels in critical services under UK trade union law.
The government has said that rail is one of the sectors for which the legislation would be implemented first, while unions and workers would have to comply or face losing protections against being sued or dismissed. However, it’s worth noting that the Bill does not restrict unions from calling industrial action short of strike, such as the overtime bans which are currently materially impacting services across the railway network.
In reaction to this proposal, the Transport Committee has launched an inquest to examine the practical details of the Bill on the rail sector – this will include both public and freight – and has announced a call for evidence. The committee plans to scrutinise the process by which minimum service levels for rail services will be defined in regulations, and how they could work in practice, should the Bill become law. Within the call for evidence, the committee has asked both public and freight operators to respond, addressing how minimum service levels could operate on the railway and the particular factors that need to be taken into account in rail. In response, Logistics UK has highlighted how, whether during normal or shortened hours, sufficient paths should be made available to rail freight operators to allow for the continuation of freight being transported, given its significant value to the country – both economically and environmentally.
In his first rail speech – George Bradshaw address 2023 – since becoming Transport Secretary, Mark Harper MP, highlighted the
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.
current broken model commenting that it was financially unsustainable and unfair to continue asking taxpayers to foot the bill. He recognised that, if left untreated, passengers would be driven away by poor performance, leading to fewer operational services, and stated that only major reform can break that cycle.
The speech reaffirmed government’s commitment to rail, such as its £96 billion investment into the Integrated Rail Plan, emphasised the importance of rail freight and provided greater clarity surrounding the creation and role of Great British Railways (GBR).
Currently, ministers can become involved in decisions affecting timetables and other operational matters. However, moving forward this will be the responsibility of experts in given regional GBR divisions, working in close partnership with regional bodies. This, along with the creation of a dedicated Strategic Freight Unit – tasked with more national coordination and setting a long-term freight growth target – is an encouraging step forward for rail freight growth and greater recognition of the importance freight plays on the network.
Overall, Logistics UK is pleased that the important role rail freight plays in the UK economy is being acknowledged on a wider scale and hopes that, with reform, we will see a greater prioritisation of the sector, including during periods where a reduced timetable is operating.
What progress can we expect in 2023, asks Audrey Denis, Senior Manager, Strategy & Strategic Partnerships,
There can be no doubt, as climate records continue to tumble and extreme weather events cause ever-increasing damage, that sustainability has a key role to play in humanity’s future. However, making a sustainable vision a reality is easier said than done, especially when it comes to transportation.
New research from Free Now reveals over half of the UK public plan to increase their use of sustainable transport choices in 2023 – as a way of reducing spending and looking after the planet. Almost a third say that sustainable transport – including shared mobility (micromobility, taxis and private hire vehicles) and public transport –is increasingly important in the wake of the current cost-of-living crisis.
The findings also show a marked shift in travel priorities across the UK. The UK’s top New Year transport resolutions include using more shared mobility, with 14 per cent of people pledging to use this form of transportation further. People are also increasingly likely to live without a car by using taxis, private hire vehicles, e-scooters and e-bikes. At the same time, 37 per cent of respondents said they will rely more on public transport this year.
Does this really mark a sea change in how the public views sustainable transport and why is it important? It isn’t surprising that people want environmentally friendly, locally available, efficient and affordable
mobility options. However, there are numerous factors to bear in mind, including fluctuating demand, cost, maintenance and fuel prices. That means we must plan carefully to ensure public transport networks work effectively.
Whether you are going to a hospital appointment, doing the school run or commuting to work, ideally there should be a wide range of public transport options available, as well as the use of bicycles or private vehicles. The sad reality, however, is that outside of major urban areas, public transport in the UK is woefully limited. This is where perhaps private mobility service providers (MSPs), such as ride-sharing or electric scooters, can play a role in helping rural and urban communities expand their mobility options.
Because of these variables, local government and transport officials tend to focus on objectives that will enable regular, low-stress public transport while reducing congestion and emissions. A noble goal, but not an easy one because modern transit systems are largely fragmented, which makes it difficult
for transport officials to coordinate a holistic strategy.
Instead, passenger behaviour can be changed – or ‘nudged’ – to make an impact on traffic and pollution. This approach requires the right tools to guide passengers to make more sustainable choices. That’s where digital mobility comes into play: solutions that can synchronise siloed transport systems across the mobility network, enabling regional, national and international stakeholders to collaborate effectively and make well-informed decisions.
Digital mobility has the potential to integrate each mode of transport into a unified operating network across the whole transportation ecosystem. Therefore, we can connect everything, from local buses to ridesharing to traffic management, to provide one efficient, coordinated journey. As an example of how this might encourage proactive tactics, we might use dynamic congestion pricing to reduce traffic on days with poor air quality.
Across this integrated ecosystem, we can deploy digital tools, including integrated ticketing, real-time network data and dynamic pricing, to make sustainability a reality. Harvesting data from multiple sources, such as ticketing systems on public transport, digital toll booths, and traffic light cameras, enables total visibility in realtime of network demand and bottlenecks. That means transit managers can plan more efficiently and introduce flexible, adaptive and responsive incentives to optimise traffic and encourage passengers to choose the most sustainable option.
Technically speaking, digital mobility is available today: all the requisite tools to enable real-time, coordinated, and integrated mobility across multiple transport modes can be deployed through infrastructure upgrades and cloud-based SaaS solutions. Putting in place the foundational elements, like a unified account-based ticketing and payment platform which is interoperable between all transit options, is no longer a pipe dream or prohibitively expensive.
Despite chronic underfunding in the public sector, the increasingly impactful threat of climate change is driving adoption. Improving public transportation equity, access and usage is an honourable aim and the technology that connects passengers, services, vehicles and agencies exist to make it a sustainable reality.
We face an ever-more complex challenge to provide our citizens and neighbours with reliable, low-carbon, efficient and safe transport options, wherever we find ourselves in the world. Digital mobility, micromobility and MSPs, offer a clearly defined path to consistent availability and dependability. Now is the time to fund and promote them as a faster and more affordable alternative to private vehicles.
‘37 per cent of respondents said they will rely more on public transport this year.’
As we look ahead to this year, it is from the position of continuous volatility that the past twelve months have brought. Transport and logistics companies, still in COVID recovery mode, face a raft of challenges as external factors combine to ensure that the road before us is anything but smooth. Both industries are experiencing a heady combination of disruption and transformation, with exciting innovations starting to deliver on their potential.
We are already seeing the incredible potential of data-focused digital transformation to revolutionise how transport and logistics companies operate. Successful ‘data-fication’ will enable companies to absorb some of the shockwaves of ongoing disruption set to trouble the sector in the coming year and enable them to start to achieve the potential that digital transformation can bring.
With all this in mind, what are the main trends that will shape the movement of people and things in the coming year?
Here are five areas we expect to see advanced data use influencing transport and logistics companies in 2023:
1. Macroeconomic factors
2. Data dexterity
3. Adoption of Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS)
4. Last mile competition escalates
5. Supply chain disruption
Macroeconomic factors will accelerate the need for digital transformation in the logistics sector. Sustained high fuel costs will have the biggest impact on the logistics sector in 2023, exacerbating already difficult operating conditions. This will drive a need for greater efficiency across the board and
means businesses must seek productivity gains in an attempt to offset high fuel prices and to remain operating. Investment in digital transformation, in particular solutions that capture and manage real-time, high-quality data from multiple sources, can help businesses unlock efficiencies and adapt operations rapidly to prevailing conditions.
Data dexterity will power innovation as electrification and automation rollout continues. As a general trend, the effective collection, analysis, management, and application of data will drive diverse use cases, covering everything from route planning and demand analysis to companies’ ability to integrate with the wider transport and logistics ecosystem. The sheer amount of data being generated is daunting for most organisations and making this into actionable data is critical.
With electrification continuing to roll out across road, rail, air and maritime transport, vast amounts of data will be generated. This must be managed, analysed, and shared to optimise performance and customer service. It must also be seamlessly incorporated into existing systems.
Organisations using legacy technology will struggle to extract data from siloes, or in some cases will not have it available at all. This will highlight the need for solutions that work with legacy tech but also unlock the power of the data within the business, making it more accessible and agile to power modern use cases and inform decision-making.
Adoption of Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) will continue. MaaS offers new solutions for personal mobility using a mix of public and third-party transport options unified into a single user interface that simplifies end-to-end journey planning and payment.
The ideal of being able to plan and manage a seamless multimodal journey is much more complex in reality.
MaaS will be more in demand as disruptions across public transport networks cause frustration and people seek alternative options.
Additionally, growing public awareness of sustainability, coupled with rising costs of running private vehicles, will also see travellers looking for greener and cheaper transport solutions. Transport providers must ensure they can provide the right level and sophistication of data to MaaS applications or risk being left out of the personal mobility loop.
Last mile competition escalates. Logistics companies have been trying to solve the costly last-mile conundrum for decades, but the rise of omnichannel customer choices and greater competition means they must become increasingly flexible. Retailers that are facing recessionary pressures will be seeking last mile innovations that serve customer preferences while keeping costs under control as fuel and personnel costs grow increasingly unpredictable.
Whilst there will be a focus on moving to electric vehicles or even drone deliveries, solutions such as crowdsourcing private couriers through Uber-style apps and setting up neighbourhood collection points are just two options, and we will see more ideas forming. Advanced data availability and real-time analysis will be critical for logistics providers to ensure they know where goods are, what delivery options are available to them, and what costs these might incur.
Supply chain disruption will drive innovation in the logistics sector. Freight disruption is set to continue well into 2023 due to the war in Ukraine and the continuing Covid situation in China, impacting supply chains and continuing to create bottlenecks. These problems – which could become endemic – need solutions such as agile alternative routing and advanced warehousing strategies to minimise the amount of disruption experienced by customers.
Companies need greater visibility and control over logistics flows and the ability to share this information with stakeholders in the product journey. Consequently, data availability and analysis capabilities are critical to enabling logistics companies to adjust processes in real-time to minimise costs and speed deliveries.
Unlocking data to release its full potential will be central to the transport and logistics sector evolution in the coming year, but it won’t be without its challenges. Legacy technology, siloes, and the inability to open proprietary data to third parties may all act as blockers. By building data platforms that work collaboratively with legacy systems, companies can remove the risks associated with rip-and-replace projects, while still evolving into more adaptive, responsive businesses that today’s volatile environment demands.
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Philippe Vappereau, General Manager at Calypso Networks Association (CNA), identifies four potential pain points that public transport authorities (PTAs) and operators (PTOs) must navigate this year
for longevity, but these are distributed at a much lower scale. Nonetheless, mobile ticketing can cut carbon footprints further by enabling passengers to purchase and store tickets on their existing devices, reducing demand for physical tickets for each journey.
Chip shortages continue globally and across industries as production continues to recover from the pandemic. None are immune to the impact of the global shortages and subsequent higher prices, but networks should ensure their supply of smart cards and chips come via multiple sources, so that they are not wholly dependent on one proprietary vendor.
This might sound a strange final point, given our shared goal to help provide seamless ticketing for passengers, but we have to recognise that in public transport, one size does not fit all.
Passengers may travel at different intervals, using different modes of transport, and with their own preferences on paying for and storing their tickets. We do ourselves a disservice if we try to pretend that ticketing is simple, as these are all factors that must be accounted for when designing a sustainable ticketing network.
Public transport is an industry that always faces its challenges. Winning customers away from private vehicles and onto public transport services is a hard battle, particular in recent years. Further challenges are not just on the horizon, they are here today. But ours is a resourceful industry and there are solutions that can help support sustainable services. Here are what I see as four of the main priorities in public transport ticketing.
Inflation and cash-strapped passengers presents challenges to networks that need to maintain essential services, without putting up prices or cutting services that help local economies to function.
Some networks have pivoted hard in the other direction to help meet this customer need. Last year, Germany offered passengers single tickets for all modes of city and regional transport, for one month, for just €9 each. The scheme has been followed by a new ‘Deutschlandticket’, giving access to short and medium distance journeys on trains and busses for just €1.60 per day. The Spanish government is offering free travel, for locals and tourists, on various journeys run by its state-owner operator, in a big to help reduce the impact of the cost of living on its economy.
Some authorities may find long-term success with this formula, but for others this would be unsustainable. Instead, networks must enable flexible fares, designed to handle less predictable passenger behaviours. Open standards affordably enable passengers to access a mix of every tariff type, including new mobility (MaaS) services that help facilitate door-to-door travel and encourage users away from costly private vehicle use.
Many passengers are willing to use public transport to help reduce their carbon footprint. But networks must do more to be as environmentally friendly as possible. One obvious area is with physical ticketing, particularly as a large percentage of tickets are single use. The vast scale at which these are distributed, individually, whether paper or plastic, produces high volumes of waste.
So, what can we do? Dematerialise; offer a way for passengers to purchase tickets without the need to use disposable materials. This is not important for networks’ ESG responsibilities, but can help win over environmentally-conscious passengers. A report last year found 60 per cent of us are consciously adjusting our habits to be more environmentally friendly, so ticketing must respond accordingly.
It’s important to maintain passenger inclusion via reusable tickets designed
For example, an urban setup cannot translate directly to a rural setup, where passenger behaviours are typically less regular and predictable. Implementations in the Western world do not always translate directly to networks in Asia, where payment preferences vary significantly.
The future of ticketing does not simply lie in choosing open- or closed-loop solutions. It is likely that a careful mix of open-loop (typically via EMV® bank card payments) and closed-loop ticketing (such as with a Calypso card) will provide the high level of choice and flexibility that passengers demand.
New Zealand is exploring nationwide open loop systems, but questions remain about whether such systems exclude passengers if no other ticketing options are provided.
Open loop on its own cannot achieve the political needs diverse communities and it shouldn’t try to replace closed-loop. Instead, it must look at how and where it adds value to current systems.
Successful ticketing strategies will be a mix of open- and closed-loop ticketing, providing security, convenience and most importantly choice to passengers. Using open standards and avoiding the trap of trying to oversimplify ticketing, will enable PTAs and PTOs to retain control of their network, while facilitating access to critical data that can help them further refine and evolve their offer in the future.
The most recent and second in a series of SWiFT events took place on 18 January at AECOM’s office in London, where members gathered together to hear from guest speaker, High Speed 2 (HS2), Chief Commercial Officer Ruth Todd CBE
For more information about WR visit https://womeninrail.org/.
Ruth shared her experiences and advice from a career which span 30 years and included roles as Commercial Director for UK Ministry of Defence; Programme Director for the Vaccine Task Force and her current one at HS2. Taking questions from the audience, Ruth shared personal examples around maintaining a healthy work life balance, combating workplace imposter syndrome, valuing leadership aspirations and making sure that every day counts at work.
Ruth said: ‘I really enjoyed engaging with the audience. SWiFT has attracted some genuinely interesting people and the twoway nature of the dialogue was warming and reinforcing for me too.’
The evening was hosted by Rajinder Pryor MBE, Senior Account Manager, Route Services Network Rail and Women in Rail (WR) Trustee, who said: ‘SWiFT has created
a unique network for likeminded executive members to come together in an inclusive environment. Ruth was the ideal guest who spoke candidly, offering personal insights from her own life experiences which were both motivational and thought provoking for everyone present.’
Shamit Weinberger Gaiger, Managing Director for West Coast Partnership Development, who is the SWiFT lead and Women in Rail (WR) Trustee, said: ‘Ruth is such an inspirational person, and it was thoroughly enjoyable to listen to her career story, and her personal challenges and triumphs. She shared how she navigated the obstacles that a lot of women have to face when aspiring for senior leadership roles in any industry.
‘Those that attended were enamoured by what she was saying, and a lot resonated with me and some of things that I’m passionate about – ensuring that you are
working with people that share in the same values and that the best conversations are when there is diversity in the room.’
SWiFT is an integral part of Women in Rail and was created by, and comprises as its core membership base, Senior Women in (or formerly in) UK rail or Transport and their male allies. SWiFT’s objective is to shift the dial in respect to the number of women in executive roles in the UK rail sector and, in line with the Women in Rail core values, to further promote equality, diversity and inclusion across our industry, with a focus on executive grades and roles.
SWiFT is open to professionals in senior management roles in the UK railway or transport industry who already have a significant level of responsibility and accountability to their Board and are looking to increase their network at an executive level and prepare themselves for Board level positions.
Members of SWiFT receive the following benefits:
• Access to professional networking events throughout the year.
• Have the opportunity to attend “Board Ready” development workshops.
• Access to Leadership Talks from male and female executives in their industries.
• Access to resources.
• Peer-to-peer networking events.
• Access to a platform to help progress your career and transition to C-Suite roles.
• Access to support for establishing yourself as a leader within the Rail sector.
• Automatically become a Women in Rail Member.
SWiFT’s well-attended inaugural event last year on November 17 welcomed journalist, author and strategist Alastair Campbell. Guests enjoyed an entertaining and informative evening at AECOM’s headquarters in London with Mr Campbell, best known for his role as former Prime Minister Tony Blair’s spokesman, press secretary and director of communications and strategy, sharing insights from his time in politics and as a political commentator and author.
Taking questions from the audience, Mr Campbell expressed his candid views on diverse topics ranging from the abuse of corporate power to social media and mental health.
The evening was hosted by Shamit who said: ‘SWiFT’s inaugural event, An Evening With...Alastair Campbell, was a huge success and we are extremely grateful to Alastair for being such an erudite, candid and thoughtprovoking speaker.’
The team at SWiFT would like to thank Newsom Consulting for sponsoring the evening. Managing Director Jim Newsom shared the company’s most recent gender diversity in transport and infrastructure leadership teams report which, as SWiFT already attests, the success of companies and
business impact is proven to be linked to having a gender diverse executive.
Look out for the next SWiFT event on 21 March with guest speaker Nicola Shaw, who is Yorkshire Water Chief Executive Officer and previously held roles as the Executive Officer at National Grid, Chief Executive of High Speed 1 and Director of FirstGroup.
For more information on SWiFT, Membership or upcoming events, please email: swift@womeninrail.org – or visit https://swift.womeninrail.org/
Over the past 20 years Gall Zeidler Consultants has completed 550km of tunnelling projects across the globe, establishing our position as a world-leader in tunnel design and consultancy services.
Our specialists relish a challenge and always deliver – it’s why we’re a leader in innovative underground solutions, geotechnical engineering, bespoke tunnel design, tunnel rehabilitation, and project/construction management.
for making this investment is compelling – through providing excellent interchange between conventional and HS2 services at Moor Street and Curzon Street respectively; much improved links from the West to the East Midlands; and a high capacity, high performance railway with flexibility for the future.
While work on the Strategic Outline Business Case, the first of the business cases, started back in 2017, the origins of the scheme came as long ago as the 1990s with two new chords into Moor Street station identified a way of increasing capacity in central Birmingham. Birmingham New Street is full, so shoehorning more trains into that station is simply not practical. Fast forward to the current day, and an Outline Business Case has now been prepared by Network Rail for the scheme. The OBC provides detail on a shortlist of options:
A‘no-brainer’ is an overused phrase, but we believe we have a genuine one here.
Midlands Rail Hub is the flagship rail scheme for the
Midlands. Through providing new chords and platforms in Birmingham, it provides capacity for up to ten additional trains per hour in and out of the city, to locations in the Midlands and beyond. The strategic case
• Option A provides a new West Chord at Bordesley, which enables three additional regional services to operate each hour – to Hereford, Cardiff and Bristol. In addition, the soon-to-be introduced Camp Hill local services, from Kings Norton to Birmingham, can also be routed into Birmingham Moor Street. Last but by no means least, there is capacity for the busy Birmingham Cross City Line to be reinstated to its pre-Covid frequency of six (currently four) trains per hour, providing a ‘turn up and go’ service for swathes of the population in the north and south of the city.
Andy Clark, Senior Rail Programme Manager at Midlands Connect explains why the Midlands Rail Hub is so vital for both the region and the nationAndy Clark is a Senior Rail Programme Manager at Midlands Connect
• Option B does everything that Option A outlines, but also provides a new East Chord at Bordesley, which enables additional Birmingham to Leicester services to operate. Crucially, it also provides capacity to go above and beyond, with additional, currently unspecified, services also able to use this chord.
It will come as no surprise that as Midlands Connect, we are firmly backing Option B, given the strong alignment with our three railway outcomes and the clear opportunity it presents.
While the headline infrastructure measures are in central Birmingham, the additional infrastructure extends far beyond. For example, we rebuild Kings Norton Station, bringing the long-disused island platform back into use. Between there and Barnt Green, at the summit of the infamous Lickey Incline, we provide a fully electrified four-track railway. Further east, we are seeking additional capacity at Water Orton, a busy junction today for passengers and freight, as well as improvements east thereof, including reducing signalling headways.
We are pleased that Network Rail is a strong advocate of the scheme, placing it at the heart of the recently published West Midlands Strategic Advice. This is on the basis that Midlands Rail Hub provides the first building block to aspirations across the Midlands and beyond.
Suffice to say that the scheme has not been without its challenges, particularly from 2020 onwards. Of course, it remains to be seen what the long-term impacts on rail travel will be following the Covid-19 pandemic, but across the country we are witnessing a good return of patronage, albeit with different patterns and types of trips being made. Gone, it seems, are the Monday to Friday ‘high’ peaks, with the leisure market, including weekends, increasingly buoyant and in some cases surpassing preCovid levels.
Back in 2021, the Integrated Rail Plan was published, and provided an updated plan from Government for the HS2 network from the West to the East Midlands, with a new section of high-speed railway between the Birmingham Area and East Midlands Parkway. For Midlands Rail Hub, this has meant some changes – for example, we now don’t need to provide additional
Birmingham to Nottingham conventional services in the way that we originally envisaged when the Strategic Outline Business Case was published.
Finally, any discussion of challenges would be incomplete without a reference to the fiscal environment facing not only rail enhancement schemes, but all areas of the rail industry. It is no secret that funding through the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline (RNEP) is in short supply and we have therefore had to work hard to demonstrate why this scheme is a priority for Midlands Connect and partners alike. In short, why invest at all, and why now?
We have a compelling scheme that complements HS2 in the Midlands. We have an evidence-based value for money case and return over £1.50 for every pound invested. We have a strong strategic rationale for investing. We have support for the scheme within and beyond the Midlands. We have support from businesses and the public.
What don’t we have? Funding for the next stage – the Full Business Case – yet. Please watch this space! To finish where we began, can you think of a better ‘no-brainer’?
OPC Assessment shares news of its latest assessment tool launch, the Leadership Potential Indicator (LPI) that can help measure managerial capability and talks about the kind of leaders we may need in the railway for the future
During the development of the OPC Assessment’s latest new assessment tool – The Leadership Potential Indicator (LPI) Test and some recent interviews with rail industry experts, the OPC listened to concerns about leadership challenges the industry and its organisations face.
Strong, capable and confident leaders are what the railway is in need of to equip it for the challenges ahead. Numerous factors have all come together to create a ‘perfect storm’ for our organisational structures and Human Resources planning; the pandemic, variations in working behaviour on the return-to-work post-Covid, and of course,
the current industrial relations to name a few. These issues may have been exacerbated by early retirement agreements, internal promotions, or an exodus of skilled talent leaving many leadership gaps in our rail organisations.
Conversely, some team stagnation may have meant little or no leadership progression or opportunities. In the ramp up post-Covid there have been delays in ‘back-filling’ roles and developing existing talent as future leaders. Although some of these issues may be on the wane, the challenges faced by HR, Talent Acquisition and Operational teams are significant in the search for new leaders to fill gaps, and encourage progression.
In many cases, current recruitment processes don’t specifically assess for leadership capability. Identifying management potential in candidates can be very informal, maybe during a coffee and a chat, and it’s the encouragement to apply for a leadership role that’s needed. Recruitment tools can include personality questionnaires, the traditional interview and maybe some group exercises. These might tell us about a person’s motivations, management style or emotions. However, they may not be a close match for the exact job competencies or they may not assess leadership potential. At present, some managers report that a lot
of leadership potential is done on ‘gut-feel’, team fit and track record. Whether they’ll ‘get on with people’ is subjective rather than a fact-based, measurable decision.
Having a protracted and extensive recruitment process is no longer feasible in todays’ fast moving rail industry. Longterm leadership gaps for any team can mean lost productivity; low employee morale; training slowdown, and if the team is operational, it could have safety implications too. Therefore, having spotted talent a tool such as the LPI can help identify leadership potential efficiently and much earlier in a selection process. We can screen out people who may not be a good fit for the role, as well as help us identify those with excellent leadership potential who could make a great team manager.
So, identifying competent leaders with strong management abilities that we can be surer of, and realising it quickly is important.
At the OPC, we believe there are five key managerial competencies that can help to assess leadership potential in a front-line employee.
These include:
• Leading others to deliver results.
• People skills that build positive relationships and successful teams.
• Thinking skills such as effective decisionmaking, problem-solving, and planning.
• Customer focus with both external and internal customers.
• Driving improvements in themselves and others.
However frontline employees may not have the opportunity to demonstrate these managerial competencies in their current role. For example, take a train driver moving to a driver managers’ role. The driver role
needs significant occupational and technical competence, i.e., the ability to drive a train, being safety conscious, maintaining concentration whilst lone-working. Driving the train is their core purpose.
However, for the promotional step into a driver managers’ role the core purpose is now to manage the team, to support their crew, to be the team’s leader. Sometimes a driver may be very good at driving a train, however, what you may not know is their leadership potential. And vice versa, you may have a driver who may not be outstanding at driving, yet they may have amazing people skills, being able to communicate easily, win people over and draw out other team members strengths, helping to build teamwork naturally.
Reflecting on the five key competencies measured by the LPI and thinking about some diverse operational roles, a key competency for a good driver manager is leading others. Using great interpersonal skills like listening and communicating, persuasion and motivation they need to enable their team to deliver safe and effective driving performance, punctuality and competent route knowledge. A route controller may need really good problemsolving skills and flexibility in their decisionmaking if things aren’t going to plan with a line closure or there’s an incident. Remaining calm under pressure to resolve issues in this instance is key. In contrast, duty control managers may have to focus on shift performance delivery, as well as find ways to push for productivity and quality improvements without jeopardising either, whilst keeping the team motivated and engaged.
An industry operation’s manager said ‘In a supervisory role, if someone’s technical capability is good, but their leadership abilities are poor then they can be totally ineffective, having the potential to devastate and decimate a team. So, being able to identify real leadership potential during recruitment is imperative, as once they’re in role it can be too late.’
Sometimes we may not have sufficient evidence whether or not an operational team member has the capability or aptitude for leadership. We can’t always rely on a ‘judgement call’. It’s important that, once talent is spotted, we have an accurate and measured, assessment of their leadership potential.
Emily Wong, Business Psychologist at OPC Assessment said: ‘What the Leadership potential Indicator (LPI) can do is quantify skills and competencies that have clear, demonstrable links to successful job performance of the management capabilities being assessed for. OPC Assessment’s tools are developed through comprehensive job analysis and investigation. They are rigorously researched, trialled and checked out to ensure they measure the abilities and skills that are being tested for – providing confidence in the results and removing the guess-work of leadership capability.’
Increasingly the internal talent pool for leadership roles may be running dry or stagnating with little or no turnover for some key roles. Additionally, there may also be a lack of internal candidates expressing a desire to move into a leadership role. Although, the preference is often to recruit internally and ‘grow your own’, sometimes, there is a need and necessity to go external.
Therefore, with an ‘unknown quantity’ it can be even more difficult to judge leadership potential if we’ve not seen the applicant in action with our teams, in our culture. In some cases, we’ve looked to other industries e.g., aviation to specifically recruit senior leaders with new ideas and approaches.
This recruitment need may be less about technical expertise and much more about strategic and visionary leadership. For these types of roles, it’s even more important to be able to quantify just how good a candidate’s leadership skills are.
An industry rail director said ‘If we are looking external to our organisations to seek out new leaders with more strategic, leadership skills, diversifying the talent we have, then a tool that can quantify leadership capability is really important.’
‘We need leaders who are committed to continuous improvement, unafraid of change management as the industry evolves out of the current dilemmas it faces. Our leaders need to identify and provide strong customer focus for ‘paying’ customers and servant leadership for internal customers, and the ability to reinvigorate their teams’ motivation and performance.’
Dr Steve Fletcher, Occupational Psychologist and Director at the OPC
‘The ability to manage people with emotional intelligence (EI) is imperative. It’s such an important part of leadership. It’s very visible seeing the impact on a team when a leader has good EI. By contrast the impact of poor people management skills can take years to recover.’
Our rail leadership dilemma may not just be about identifying leaders at the recruitment stage, it’s also about how we can effectively encourage and develop the existing talent we already have to be great leaders. These may be team managers already in a supervisory position, or those who we perceive may have progression capability to more senior roles. There is a need to be able to identify senior leadership talent early and to develop it effectively.
Historically, some frontline employees may finish their old job on a Friday. Then they could be in an office with a laptop and a phone in a supervisory role on the Monday; in at the deep end with little or no transition. They can be unsure about their new role and what’s expected of them. In some cases, they’ve moved from an operational role that’s highly structured and routine led – the arrival and finish time is clocked, the work they do is set and structured. When they arrive in their new post, the structure may have disappeared. They’re expected to organise their own diary, decide priorities, self-govern their work, and be self-motivated.
Although some training programmes for managers might have a technical focus such as compliance, undertaking assessments or adhering to safety standards, the ‘softer’ side of being a leader may require more input and focus. New managers may not know how to be an authentic leader initially. They may imitate leadership styles of those whom they’ve previously worked for or observed –the good, the bad and some of the ugly bits! So, rail organisations may need to consider introducing or rekindling comprehensive and effective people leadership programmes to help new managers identify their own effective leadership style as part of an induction programme.
The LPI can also be used as a development tool to help release and fully realise leadership potential. Depending on the role new leaders might have come from, they may already have really strong task delivery or customer focus, but they might struggle with leading and managing people. This could include having productive social skills, being empathic and a good listener, along with recognising team and individual needs. The LPI can help to identify a new managers’ strengths, and areas to focus on, as part of a Leadership Development Plan.
The OPC run Leadership Development Centres (LDC) for individual managers, groups or in-house specific programmes that aren’t role specific. They are designed for managers already in situ leading a team or those who’ve been identified as having leadership potential. LDC’s help to develop new leadership abilities; upskill local talent and grow individuals’ performance and independence. They help managers to flourish and be the best that they can be.
At the LDC, managers may sit a number of assessment tools including the LPI, to identify their strengths and development areas. Completing a 360-degree feedback tool is also a helpful piece of self-reflection and a useful lens through which they can see themselves. How we see ourselves may be quite different to other’s perceptions of us. Depending on the results and alongside psychologists’ input, a development plan can be pulled together for use by the managers in their day-to-day role. Some development activities that emerge from the LDC could include:
• Providing a mentor or ‘buddy’ as a support for leadership learning;
• Enabling and coaching skills workshops to help get the best from their teams;
• Continuous line-manager feedback on their development
• Learning to trust and let go, releasing
team and individual potential; and
• Interpersonal skills such as listening, empathy and communication.
An industry rail director said ‘The ability to manage people with emotional intelligence (EI) is imperative. It’s such an important part of leadership. It’s very visible seeing the impact on a team when a leader has good EI. By contrast the impact of poor people management skills can take years to recover.’
In some rail leaders’ opinion, industry morale is at the lowest it’s been for nearly 25 years. We have a very traditional industry, that requires some significant changes in direction and approach. In order for us to remotivate teams and ignite some passion and love of the railway again, we are going to need new strong and capable leaders –starting from the ground up.
Dr Steve Fletcher, Occupational Psychologist and Director at the OPC concluded by saying ‘We need leaders who are committed to continuous improvement, unafraid of change management as the industry evolves out of the current dilemmas it faces. Our leaders need to identify and provide strong customer focus for ‘paying’ customers and servant leadership for internal customers, and the ability to reinvigorate their teams’ motivation and performance. We will need to do much more with much less, driving improvements and efficiencies. Having a leadership potential indicator tool to help us identify new leaders, as well as develop future leaders is a good step forward.
Tel: +44 01923 234646
Email: admin@theopc.co.uk
Visit: www.theopc.co.uk
‘An industry rail director said ‘If we are looking external to our organisations to seek out new leaders with more strategic, leadership skills, diversifying the talent we have, then a tool that can quantify leadership capability is really important.’
Four partners have been selected to join Network Rail’s Works Delivery team in forming an innovative, performance-based alliance to deliver the Southern Region's up-to £9 billion estimated renewals portfolio over the next ten years. The partners will be VolkerFitzpatrick for Buildings and Civils, Octavius for Electrification and Plant, VolkerRail for Track and Atkins for Signalling, and will cover Control Period 7 (2024-2029) and Control Period 8 (2029-34). Work is underway deciding the renewals budget for CP7 as Network Rail works to agree a final settlement with the regulator.
The alliance, known as Southern Integrated Delivery, or SID, will be part of a new enterprise model based on the Institution of Civil Engineers’ Project 13 principles, developed following significant cross-industry consultation over the last two and a half years.
The West Coast main line will close for 16 days in March as Network Rail engineers deliver a vital programme of work to upgrade Carstairs Junction. The closure of the line, between 4 March and 19 March, is the first phase of a three-month programme of work which will also see trains diverted and journey-times extended between March and June for all services between Glasgow/Edinburgh and Carlisle.
The work is part of a £164 million Scottish Government investment to modernise the key junction for passenger and freight services.
It will also see the creation of Scotland’s largest freight loop, capable of accommodating 775-metre-long freight trains to help more businesses move goods off the road and onto rail to help achieve the Government’s Net Zero targets.
Asteel frame has now been erected on the Oxford Road side of the station as the building – which will include a brand new ticket hall and retail outlet – begins to take shape. Great Western Railway, Reading Borough Council, Network Rail and Berkshire LEP have been working in partnership on the new-look and a safer station environment, which is expected to be finished by the spring.
The project includes new ticket gates to the Oxford Road and Tilehurst Road entrances which will allow only ticket holders access to the platforms, which is not currently the case. This will help significantly improve safety and security at the station. Other improvements include enhanced CCTV coverage and lighting.
Tom Pierpoint said: ‘It has been exciting to see the new building on the Oxford Road side of the station taking shape at such a rapid pace. The building will house a new ticket hall and retail outlet and remains on course to be completed by late spring.’
Standards play a vital role in making our railways safer, more efficient and more sustainable.
As Great Britain’s independent rail body, the Rail Safety and Standards Board has been developing and maintaining industry agreed standards over the past 20 years. Our standards ensure compatibility and harmonisation across the UK railway industry.
And in our latest standards updates we have introduced changes for AC electrification that deliver benefits of at least £27 million to the industry over the next 5 years. The changes will reduce costs associated with new electrification schemes and provide confidence that trains and the electrification infrastructure are compatible.
For more information visit:
www.rssb.co.uk/ac-electrification-standards
We’re with you every step of the way
Works will soon start on the construction of a new Butetown railway station and the redevelopment of Cardiff Bay station as part of the biggest upgrade to public transport in the area for a generation
In the summer of 2022, Transport for Wales (TfW) confirmed plans to build a new two-platform station in the north of Butetown.
The existing Cardiff Bay station will also be enhanced, as well as getting new signage, customer information screens and other improvements. Cardiff Bay station will remain open for passengers while the work is taking place.
Installation of a new track will allow faster and more frequent services using brand new tram-trains, enabling a new timetable to be introduced from 2024.
James Price, Transport for Wales Chief Executive Officer, said: ‘The Bay Line transformation project is an important part of the South Wales Metro and we’re delighted to be able to begin construction work on the brand-new station in Butetown, as well as important upgrades to Cardiff Bay station.
‘From 2024 we’ll be providing a smoother, greener, modern public transport service which will open up a range of opportunities for people living in Butetown and the wider Cardiff Bay area.
‘We’re keen to continue working
collaboratively with local residents through workshops and drop-in sessions, where people will be able to get more information and ask questions about the Bay Line transformation.’
These plans are to fit with a wider collaborative vision, working alongside Cardiff Council and the Welsh Government. The work will explore potential options for future transport routes between Cardiff Central and Newport Road, via the Cardiff Bay line and Porth Teigr subject to funding being secured. A seven-week consultation was launched on 12 December to collect feedback from the public, the findings of which will inform the project’s outline business case. Members of the public can find out more and take part in the consultation by visiting the Community and Stakeholder Engagement page on the TfW website.
Cardiff Bay residents living close to the railway line have been contacted with details of the construction and engineering work taking place in the area which is needed to deliver the Core Valleys Lines (CVL) programme, at the heart of the development of South Wales Metro.
The build of a construction compound on Lloyd George Avenue will begin this month, with the works on the track starting from early 2023. TfW -will soon be preparing for the installation of a construction compound on the trackside of Lloyd George Avenue to manage its work and provide welfare facilities for workers.
Vegetation management work will also be carried out to safely provide the electrical clearances for the public, staff and the infrastructure for the overhead line equipment which will be installed.
TfW will be using overhead line equipment to run the electrically powered tram-trains. With electrified lines being installed on the Core Valley Lines in South Wales in the coming weeks, including on the Bay line, TfW would like to highlight to the public the dangers of trespassing on the railway.
The Welsh Government and TfW are committed to an ambitious programme of Metro improvements known as the Core Valleys Lines (CVL) Transformation. This transformation project has been part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
Cameron Bridge, one of two new stations which will be built on the £116 million Scottish Government Levenmouth Rail Link project, will boast two platforms with a connecting footbridge and lifts
It will serve the western end of the line connecting the communities of Cameron Bridge and Methilhill to the rail network for the first time in more than five decades as well as serving as a ‘park and ride’ facility for communities across the East Neuk of Fife.
Located southeast of Windygates just off the A915, the new station will have 125 car parking spaces with provision for EV charging, accessible spaces and cycle storage.
It will also have a bus stop, turning circle and will connect to local communities via new footpaths being constructed. It will also connect to Methilhill via a new bridge over the river to the south.
The work on the new station begins with the construction of the foundations for the 196-metre platforms. This will be done using more than 100 precast units and approximately 200 cubic metres of concrete.
It is anticipated that work to create the new Cameron Bridge station will take approximately ten months and will be opened as part of the overall delivery of the Levenmouth Rail Link in Spring 2024.
Tommy McPake, Network Rail project manager for the Levenmouth Rail Link said:
‘We are delighted to be starting work to construct the new Cameron Bridge station. While work is progressing well on track elements of the new line, the stations will be the gateway to the rail network for local people and it is great to get work moving on what will be the public facing elements of the project. In the coming months, the community will see a lot of work happening and quickly as the project gathers momentum and starts to build towards the opening of the line in Spring 2024.’
A planning application for the new station was submitted in early October and a combination of permitted development rights and ‘prior approval’ enables the project to progress work within the confines of the railway corridor. Planning permission is still being considered by Fife Council for wider elements of the station design.
In late 2022, the platforms of the old Cameron Bridge station were demolished and the spoil moved to the site of the new station approximately 200 metres to the east. The spoil from the old platforms will be utilised within the new station development.
The project has completed the first mile of track, which has now been commissioned
• 19 single track kilometres of new / reinstated railway. (Fully double tracked railway).
• Two new modern accessible stations.
• Electrification of the line.
• Work with partners to optimise interchange options connecting stations.
• The project is a £116.6 million Scottish Government investment.
and being used to support construction of the subsequent phases of work on the project
Current work to the west of the route includes fencing, re-profiling of embankments, drainage and cabling and track works on the 2nd mile section. Bridge works are ongoing along the length of the rail corridor.
Denmark Hill and Streatham Hill’s PV arrays generated enough electricity to make more than 7.5 million cups of tea
As part of Govia Thameslink Railway’s (GTR) commitment to a more sustainable future, the rail operator has a network of solar panels across Denmark Hill Station, Streatham Hill Depot, and Blackfriars Station – which at the time of installation, was the world’s largest solarpowered bridge.
In 2022 alone, across Denmark Hill Station and Streatham Hill Depot, the PV arrays have generated 236,387 kWh of energy. This is the equivalent of boiling the kettle to make a fantastic 7.5 million cups of tea. The energy generated through the solar panels also saves 46 tonnes (45,713kg) of CO2 per year.
In 2021 526 solar panels were installed in collaboration with Network Rail on Streatham Hill Depot’s roof, as part of an innovative cooperative energy project with community climate action group, Energy Garden, transforming it into a local source of renewable energy. At Denmark Hill
Station, as part of an initiative to deliver the first ‘carbon positive’ upgrade on the rail network, a new type of photovoltaic film was fitted to the new roof with the ability to produce more energy than the new building needs and put energy back into the electricity grid.
In addition, it is estimated that Blackfriars Station alone produced 900,000 kWh energy last year thanks to the 6,000m2 of photovoltaic (PV) panels that were installed on the station’s roof when it was rebuilt by Network Rail as part of the Thameslink Programme in 2012. The PVs cut CO2 emissions by 513 tonnes per year – equating to around 89,000 average car journeys.
Jason Brooker BSc (Hons) MSc MIEMA CEnv, Head of Environment at GTR, commented: ‘We all know that traveling by rail is a sustainable option. However, at GTR we want to ensure that our commitment to decarbonisation and sustainability is clear for our passengers to see.
‘We already take measures such as ensuring all the electricity we use across our stations and depots comes from green energy tariffs using renewable energy assets, as well as looking at our efficiency – from the LED lights to the way we heat our offices. Creating our own energy, including through the incredible successful solar panel network, is the next logical step. We are incredibly pleased with the results to date –and hope this will be the beginning of more savings to come.’
Sarah Borien, Network Rail Southern Region's Head of Environment and Sustainability, said: ‘Generating our own renewable energy through solar panels is a key part of our sustainability plan for Network Rail’s Southern Region, so we’re delighted that GTR share our ambition and that we can work together to make our railway even cleaner and greener than it already is.’
Crawley’s 1960s station has been given a £6 million makeover, with a brighter look to the concourse, a new plaza, and more wide ticket gates to give passengers a much better experience as they travel to the town
Over the past year, Network Rail has been working with Southern, Crawley Borough Council and Arora Group to improve the station facilities and revamp the 1960s design to bring it up to modern standards.
Part of the work included extending the concourse, re-glazing the ticket hall, improving signage to make it easier for passengers making their way around the station and installing additional ticket gates that have been widened to improve accessibility.
Work also involved creating a new plaza at the front of the station which added a more vibrant and eye-catching feel to the station and local community.
Lucy McAuliffe, Network Rail’s Interim Sussex Route Director, said: ‘It’s great to see that Crawley station has been given a new lease of life – this was the first major upgrade to facilities in over 40 years. The key focus of this project was to improve the overall passenger experience and make the surrounding environment feel more welcoming to the wider community.
‘The teams prioritised developing spaces for passengers to relax before and after making their journeys which is why a larger waiting area was created, along with a new café and retail units with direct access to the concourse.
‘I’d like to thank passengers for their patience whilst we worked closely with our partners at GTR, Arora Group and Crawley Borough Council to carry out this work to bring up the station to modern standards.’
Councillor Atif Nawaz, Cabinet member for Planning and Economic Development at Crawley Borough Council, said: ‘It’s great to see the refurbished station concourse, which is already providing a much-enhanced experience for passengers. Crawley Station is a major gateway into the town centre and these improvements – coupled with those planned for outside the station – deliver a better environment for all station users.’
Henry Smith, MP for Crawley, said: ‘76 years ago this week Crawley was designated as a new town and so after the public private partnership that has come together to fund a £6 million major revamp of Crawley railway station with new state-ofthe-art facilities after many decades is a welcome gift to the Borough’s passengers. As a regular commuter myself I look forward to the userfriendly services.’
The expanded cycle storage facilities have also been installed at the station, making it easier for people to park and leave their bikes at the station using the two-tier, lift and lock facility – 44 additional spaces in total.
As part of a wider scheme planned for the area around the station – a new public footbridge over the railway will be built.
Keith Jipps, Govia Thameslink Railway's Infrastructure Director, said: ‘We’re delighted with this comprehensive refurbishment. It’s been a great team effort by Network Rail, Grove Developments and their contractors, who have worked with Crawley Council, Arora Group and ourselves to create a better experience all round for our customers. People using the station can now enjoy more space, new retail units, better shelter on the platforms, refurbished toilets and better cycle parking. We’re looking forward to the next phase of improvements, for car parking.
‘Keeping the station open throughout the year of work was a complex challenge. We’re also very grateful to our customers, to our tenant, Metro Cars, and to our own station team for bearing with the inconvenience.’
Sanjay Arora, Arora Group’s Chief Operating Officer, said: ‘Arora Group acquired Overline House and the land adjacent to Crawley station as part of a transformative project to bring forward over 300 residential units through a series of new developments and converting Overline House from office use to residential.
‘With the intent of promoting wider area regeneration, Arora Group have invested significant funding into the station improvements and have project managed the successful delivery of the station upgrade through their construction division, Grove Developments, and their onward supply chain partners. This marks the completion of the first phase of the overall redevelopment.’
The station refurbishments also form part of a wider programme of work which is being led by Crawley Borough Council and aims to redevelop Crawley town centre by improving the look and feel of the area.
Rowena Tyler, Southeast Communities Rail Partnership, said: ‘The station environment is now brighter and has a welcoming atmosphere. We hope to work with Station adopters, members of the community and GTR to help enhance it during this year. It’s a marvellous opportunity to connect the community with their local railway.’
A new, fully accessible station is set to open in Morley, Leeds in summer 2023 to make way for longer trains, more seats, and better journeys as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade
As a multi-million-pound investment, the new station will boast longer platforms to provide space for faster, more frequent, greener trains with more seats available for passengers travelling between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds and York. The new, remodelled station will sit 75 metres away from the existing station and be fully accessible, with a footbridge and lifts connecting the two platforms.
Moving the station opens up opportunities to transform the platforms and track layout while installing the overhead wires needed to power electric and hybrid trains in the future. It also means that the current station can largely remain open for passengers whilst the new one is built.
Rob McIntosh, Managing Director for Network Rail's Eastern region said: ‘A brand-new fully accessible station in Morley will reinvigorate rail in the area and unlock better connections to jobs, events, and opportunities between Manchester and York for many more people. It’s just one element of a massive, multi-billionpound programme of improvements we’re delivering across the north to create a faster, greener railway that people can confidently rely on to get them where they need to be, on time.’
Secretary of State for Transport, Mark Harper commented: ‘As the Chancellor rightly set out last week, delivering core Northern Powerhouse Rail is essential if we’re going to drive investment, grow the economy and unlock potential across the North of England.
‘The Transpennine Route and Morley Station upgrades embodies this and our multibillion-pound investment will pave the way for first-rate connectivity including more frequent, faster and greener trains running on a more reliable railway.’
The steel frame depicting the outline of a stunning new entrance to Sunderland train station has become the latest addition to the city’s skyline
Delivering a light, bright and airy welcome to Sunderland, the £26 million project is part of a wider £100 million plan to transform the transport hub. The full entrance shell is expected to be completed by the end of March, once the roof and walling systems have been installed, marking the next major milestone in the redevelopment of the city’s main transport hub.
The glazed statement entrance, which will overlook Market Square, features a large glass wrap around design, and will include a new ticket office and reception, public toilets, retail space and cafes, comfortable waiting areas, as well as a new mezzanine level that will have office space reserved for rail industry staff.
In 2019/2020, around 1.5 million Metro trips were made from and to the station, with approximately 427,000 trips made using the national rail network, and numbers are expected to grow as the city centre becomes an economic hub and residents begin to embrace more sustainable modes of transport.
Cllr Graeme Miller, Leader of Sunderland City Council, said: ‘Within the space of just a few days we have celebrated the topping out of Maker & Faber and the erection of the steel framework of our new station entrance, it’s such an exciting time for the city.
‘While Maker & Faber will bring thousands of jobs to the city centre, the new, revamped train station will be providing a welcome worthy of a city that shows we truly mean business.
‘Should we be successful in raising the funds for the next phase of its development, then we will also see more services added which will make the city an even better place to live, work and play.
‘It really is one of the most exciting periods in Sunderland’s recent history and I couldn’t be any prouder of how the city’s skyline is evolving. Long may it continue.’
Driven by Sunderland City Council, in partnership with Network Rail, Nexus, Grand Central and Northern Rail, the Council is now drumming up support for an entire station makeover over the coming years, with a vision to revamp the northern
The Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) has provided the North East region with £208 million for capital investment in sustainable transport networks – one of the largest TCF programmes in the UK. Encouraging more journeys to be made using sustainable modes of transport such as public transport and active travel (walking and cycling) is a key objective of the Fund. Transport North East is responsible for the daily management activities of the programme on behalf of the North East Joint Transport Committee and oversees compliance with the region’s Transport Assurance Framework process.
For more information on the North East Transforming Cities Fund programme visit: www. transportnortheast.gov.uk/projects-andcampaigns/transforming-cities-fund/
entrance of the station, as well as platformlevel works to increase the capacity of the station, with four tracks and four platforms to separate Nexus and Metro from mainline services.
Martin Kearney, Managing Director at Nexus, added: ‘Sunderland’s Central Station is a key gateway to the city, so this project is such a significant part of the city-wide transformation programme. We are looking forward to seeing the new station taking shape and our new Metro trains calling there in the future.’
Leading construction company BAM Nuttall has been leading the development since demolition work concluded in October.
Paul Abraham, Senior Project Manager for BAM, said: ‘The transformation of Sunderland Station is a landmark development for the city and we are really excited to be part of it. The completion of the steel frame marks a major milestone on the project, and passengers and the public can finally see the structure taking shape.
‘The steel frame sections were fabricated in Sunderland by a local fabricator, Harry Marsh Engineers, and made a short six minute journey to site. Our commitment to using local suppliers means that businesses in the North East are benefitting from the station’s redevelopment, as well as passengers
and the public. We had 180 tonnes of steel to transport to site in nine deliveries, so sourcing the steel frame locally has also reduced the project’s carbon footprint.’
Completion of the southern entrance works is scheduled for the end of 2023. The improvements have been part-funded by the Government’s Transforming Cities Fund (TCF). The overall TCF package for Sunderland Station improvements and associated works is £16.3 million.
Luke Durston, Principal Programme Sponsor for Network Rail, said: ‘We're
delighted to be working with Sunderland City Council and industry partners to deliver this landmark project and it's hugely exciting to see the new concourse taking shape.
‘The complete overhaul will bring huge benefits for passengers travelling to and from Sunderland, including better station facilities and a more welcoming environment. We look forward to progressing over the coming months to complete the construction and deliver these benefits for passengers and the city of Sunderland.’
Three former industrial waste processing buildings are being demolished to make way for new platforms – as contractors gear up to build a brand new Willenhall railway station in Walsall
Local authority, Knowsley Council, has announced a significant step forward in its planned upgrade to the transport network in and around Liverpool, in partnership with Enerveo.
The Merseyside council collaborated with Enerveo, one of the largest lighting and electrical contracting businesses in the UK, to kick off the new Kirkby Railway Station Project at Headbolt Lane.
The £80 million project has been hailed as a key part of the Council’s strategy to support the region’s economic recovery in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Increasing connectivity within the region also supports vital ongoing efforts to improve local residents’ access to schools, employment opportunities and training – and notably, the Knowsley Business Park, a site that has one of the highest number of employees in Europe.
Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram, has praised the new station as: ‘Another step on the journey towards my ambition of building a London-style transport system for our region. I want to make getting around as quick, cheap, clean and reliable wherever you live.’
The station is set to open in April 2023, so the Council and Enerveo team have been working closely against the clock, to complete the required infrastructure work, which included improving access and safety with a widened footpath to accommodate a combined cycle and pedestrian path and newly installed street lighting up to, and throughout, the station’s car park.
The demolition follows the relocation of the recycling business which formerly occupied the site off Rose Hill and follows the clearance of the opposite side of the Walsall to Wolverhampton railway line last year.
This means that once the historic mine workings under the site have been stabilised, the main construction can focus on new platforms, lifts, stairs and footbridge as part of £55 million project to return passenger rail services to Willenhall and Darlaston for the first time in more than 50 years.
The cyclist and pedestrian access to the station forms part of a larger focus for Knowsley Council to offer safe alternatives to getting in the car. The council passionately promotes the Liverpool City Region Active Travel campaign, which champions walking and cycling as better for the environment, better for your health and an option to save you money.
The development is being led by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), which is part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and the West Midlands Rail Executive (WMRE).
and Wolverhampton and an hourly service between Birmingham New Street and Wolverhampton.
Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and WMRE Chair, said: ‘It’s fantastic to
the chance to meet a local apprentice on site – a direct example of how our investment is supporting jobs and providing the springboard for a career in construction.
‘This station will have a transformational impact here in Willenhall – offering residents a fast passenger service to Wolverhampton, Walsall and Birmingham when it opens next year. It will also help us to reduce car usage and support our #WM2041 net zero commitment.
‘I cannot wait to see this station open –serving local people in the months and years ahead.’ Willenhall and Darlaston Stations are being developed in partnership with West Midlands Trains, Network Rail, Walsall Council and the Department for Transport. Contractors on the project are Buckingham Group and SLC-AECOM Joint Venture.
Cllr Adrian Andrew, deputy leader of Walsall Council, said: ‘The new station will become a valuable asset for the town centre and local business by making Willenhall a more attractive and convenient place to live, work and visit. I look forward to seeing develop over the coming months.’
Preparation works on the Darlaston Station site, including securing underground
Having previously successfully run The Imagination Factory as a commercial Engineering & Product design agency, Julian Swan has now turned his efforts to making a commercial success of PlasmaTrack Ltd as CEO. This includes heading up the engineering and commercial development of the technology since 2015 along with successfully winning and completing 3 Phases of Funded development for the Railway Safety & Standards Board.
How did you get started in the industry?
We won an Innovate UK project sponsored by the RSSB in 2015 for solutions around the theme of Predictable & Optimised Braking. Prior to this I had experience working in engineering and product design in various different industries including Medical Devices, Industrial Equipment and Life Saving Systems.
How did you start at PlasmaTrack?
PlasmaTrack was spun out of the Imagination Factory Ltd. The Imagination Factory is a Product Design Engineering agency which delivered 3 Phases of development under the RSSB funded Predictable and Optimised Braking programme. I am the owner and Engineering Director at the Imagination Factory and took on the Role of CEO in PlasmaTrack Ltd with its incorporation in March 2020. My key responsibility is to oversee the completion of the railway certification and product acceptance and the commercialisation of the technology.
Tell us about your career before you joined PlasmaTrack?
I am a Chartered Engineer with qualifications in Aeronautical Engineering and Computer Aided Mechanical Engineering Design, graduating from The Queens University in Belfast in 1992. From 1992 to 2000 I worked in manufacturing with RFD Ltd developing life-saving equipment and Munster Simms Engineering designing pumps, taps & water systems for marine & caravan applications.
From 2000 to 2014 I worked in product design agencies, I was Principle, Engineering Design at PDD Ltd and Engineering Director at IDC Ltd. Developing medical devices, consumer products & industrial equipment for numerous clients. In 2014 I founded the Imagination Factory Ltd as a Product Design Agency with a focus on developing its own intellectual property for commercial exploitation as well as supporting clients in developing their own products. The imagination Factory seeded PlasmaTrack Ltd in March 2020 from its work with RSSB.
What was the inspiration behind starting PlasmaTrack?
We had the opportunity to develop from concept to early railway prototype a technology for track cleaning using high
energy plasma with RSSB funding. At the end of the 3 Phases of development we had a low speed (5mph) road to rail demonstrator which had been successfully trailed with Network Rail Wales. Network Rail Route Services announced a Prior Information Notice (PIN) calling for any new
‘Our future development programme is working on a miniaturised lower energy
PlasmaTrack Low Adhesion Mitigation System (LAMS). The LAMS is intended to replace service train / freight train sanders.’
technologies for track cleaning to replace its water-jetting systems in 2019.
We had been collaborating closely with Network Rail during the RSSB development and this perfectly aligned with the opportunity to exploit the intellectual property in a separate commercial entity from the Imagination Factory. PlasmaTrack Ltd was incorporated in March 2020 and won a contract to demonstrate its High Speed PlasmaTrack Cleaning system as part of Network Rail’s Future Technology Trial for Autumn 2022.
What types of products and services do you offer?
We are currently going through Product Acceptance Testing with our first product. This system is suitable for PlasmaTrack cleaning between 20-60mph. It can be mounted on a Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV) or Wagon as part of a Rail Head Treatment Train (RHTT). This will replace Network Rail’s current fleet of water jetting systems, which operate at 40mph and have limited operational coverage due to the amount of water required for the full network. In addition to this we have also developed a lower speed PlasmaTrack cleaning
system which is mounted on a Road Rail Vehicle. This system is suitable for use in a possession and operates at 5mph.
In addition to PlasmaTrack cleaning systems we are developing a track sensing technology which can predict the railhead condition and indicate to the network when
and if track cleaning or defensive driving should be implemented in real-time. Our future development programme is working on a miniaturised lower energy PlasmaTrack Low Adhesion Mitigation System (LAMS). The LAMS is intended to replace service train / freight train sanders. The energy required to move from low adhesion to dry track on the rail wheel contact patch is significantly lower than that needed for cleaning. The system can fit into the same envelope as the sander and as it uses energy from the train and nitrogen from the atmosphere, it has no consumables and will guarantee braking conditions for the vehicle. We believe this will be a keystone technology in the dawn of closer running on the railways.
How passionate are you about sustainability in the rail sector, and how do you go about sourcing the materials for your products?
Our core technology has been driven by a sustainable and environmental approach. PlasmaTrack technology has a twofold environmental benefit; we are reducing the carbon footprint with reduced fuel usage and through better water stewardship.
‘We are developing a track sensing technology which can predict the railhead condition and indicate to the network when and if track cleaning or defensive driving should be implemented in realtime.’
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Fares innovation, latest technologies and new business models for rail are set to take centre stage at Transport Ticketing Global 2023, Olympia, London, on 7 and 8 March 2023
As the world’s largest public transport event for smart ticketing and mobility professionals, the event will showcase the very latest in smart ticketing, mobility solutions and passenger experience. And with the rail industry witnessing some of the largest changes to fares and ticketing in decades, rail will feature prominently across the conference agenda.
Highlights from amongst the 100+ industry leading speakers include:
• Deutsche Bahn outlining the Open Sales Distribution Model (OSDM): Improving Seamless Passenger Experience Through Integration of Rail Distribution Systems.
• London North Eastern Railway detailing the use of biometrics to improve customer experience at ticket barriers.
• Great Western Railway and Transport for London discussing the changing nature of fare evasion and how it is being tackled in UK.
• Rail Delivery Group outlining how the Rail Data Marketplace can be used to
enable innovative passenger-facing applications, operational efficiencies and improved transparency.
The event will also host a special workshop from Great British Railway’s Fares, Ticketing and Retail team. Open to all attendees, this interactive workshop will take attendees through their plans to deliver a transformation in rail retailing, delivering a better experience for customers and improving the financial sustainability of the railway.
And for the first time ever the programme features speakers from South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Columbia. They join over 35 countries from North & South America, Europe, Southern Africa and South & East Asia all represented on the programme.
Talking about new developments for this year’s event, Event Manager Andrew Earle highlighted the innovation that we are seeing in Rail ticketing and fares.
‘It’s great to see so many rail specific projects on this year’s agenda, highlighting some fundamental changes to ways in which ticketing and fares are managed. The industry is seeing real innovation and it is no coincidence that rail projects feature
heavily in the list of TT Awards finalists.’
The awards that Earle mentions will take place on the evening of 7 March. The finalists include entries from TrenItalia, Rail Delivery Group, Virgin Trains Ticketing, Greater Wellington Regional Transit, My Train App and many more.
Rail Operators and Transport Authorities can apply for a complimentary pass to the event. With so much to do and see, the event has become a must attend for many rail operators. As Earle says: ‘Transport Ticketing Global has become a firm date in the diary for many rail professionals. It’s not just about the great content – it’s also a fantastic chance to network with Rail professionals from around the globe.
‘This year we’re welcoming delegations from countries including Japan, Indonesia, Australia, Saudia Arabia, South Africa, Columbia etc as well as regular attendees from across Europe. And we’re including new formats such as roundtables to help make the most of information sharing opportunities. If you work in ticketing and fares for the rail sector, I encourage you to come along.’
Speakers include:
• Andrew Anderson – Head of Customer Payments, Transport for London.
• Stewart Fox-Mills – FTR Programme Director, Great British Railways.
• David Maitland – CEO, Vix Technology.
• Sonia Segade – Head of Technological Transformation, Renfe.
• Neil Shah – IT & Digital Director, Arriva UK Trains.
• Megan Spencer-Rigby – PAYG Director, Great British Railways.
• Andrew Anderson – Head of Customer Payments, Transport for London.
• John Backway – Head of Central Back Office, Rail Delivery Group.
• Matthew Lewis – Technical Director SWIFT, Transport for West Midlands.
David Maitland, CEO of Vix Technology starts off the first day by giving the Keynote Presentation which will explore how the challenges of the pandemic have remained for many agencies and operators, with ridership looking to have permanently changed. He will ask how do we, collectively as an industry, work together to better engage passengers to drive loyalty,
and ensure public transit remains for decades to come.
Thea Fisher, Senior Director, Head of Value-Added Services at Visa follows this with a presentation on the latest global trends in Urban Mobility payments, from hundreds of cities and billions of taps and provides updates on the global initiative to leave no rider behind.
Before breaking for lunch there will be talks on The Evolution of Open-Loop and Closed-Loop Systems, Innovation in Ticketing and Fare Structure and Improving the Passenger Experience with Innovative Technology.
There will be multiple talks by representatives from international transport agencies. Helmut Eichhorn, Managing Director of Alliance SwissPass, highlights what has led to the launch of a new project trying to define a fully integrated nationwide fare system in Switzerland.
Joyce Tay, Director, Public Transport Promotion and Ticketing at the Land Transport Authority of Singapore describes the city state’s e-payment journey to encourage commuters countrywide to switch to using fare payment methods compatible with Singapore’s open loop payment platform branded SimplyGo, and use e-payment rather than cash for top-ups done at Ticketing Machines.
Sindile Msibi, Executive Director and Tony Huynh, Chief Operating OfficerTransport at ICT-Works discuss the implementation of Account Based Ticketing Systems in the African environment and the associated challenges.
Other talks look at the Benefits and Challenges of Jakarta's Integrated Multimodal Fare Policy, Improving the Public Transport Experience in Saudi Arabia, Combined tickets in Sweden, Encouraging the shift to EMV ticketing In Amsterdam, Modernizing a public transit system in Latin America: a path to open loop and ABT in developing countries and how INIT delivers an open architecture, multi-operator, multiclient, account based ticketing system for MTS in San Diego.
There will be three workshops from the Great British Railways transition team. In each session the Fares, Ticketing and Retail team from Great British Railways transition team (GBRtt) share what they’re doing to deliver a transformation in rail retailing to deliver a better experience for customers and improve the financial sustainability of the railway. There will be several GBRTT subject matter experts available to answer your most pressing questions.
Learn more and book tickets at www. transport-ticketing.com. Free tickets are available for Rail Operators, Transport Authorities and Government. Those that don’t qualify can use the code RP20 for a 20 per cent discount on tickets.
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Sue Walnut has been Product Director at Vix Technology since June 2021. Sue leads product engineering teams and has been responsible for spearheading product solutions including mode-agnostic ticketing and cEMV payments. Vix Technology has been designing, delivering, operating and maintaining some of the world's leading transit ticketing systems for the past 35 years.
How did you get started in the industry?
I started working in public transportation the day after Princess Diana died, when I took a role at Travel West Midlands (part of National Express Group) as a Data Analyst. The core of my role was analysing passenger travel data from ticket machines and face to face surveys. My start with ticketing and data analysis was the key to my journey through National Express, leading me through 3 ITSO implementations and the introduction of several data analysis tools.
Not long after I joined TWM, they took on the operation of the brand-new Midland Metro from Birmingham to Wolverhampton. From the late 90s, I directly supported the ticketing (through PETMs!) and analysis systems at Midland Metro. Although a Light Rail system and an island from the rest of UK rail, it was a great place to learn about what is important in rail operations and about some of the systems that are necessarily different from bus systems.
In 2008, the then CEO of National Express Group took the decision to restructure the different modal operations and consolidated staff from across bus, coach and rail companies. Not long after that, I was introduced to colleagues at One
rail (later NXEA and now incorporated into the Greater Anglia franchise) to discuss my experience of analytics and big data packages. Although there had been a healthy exchange of people between TWM and Central Trains over the years, this was my first taste of heavy rail. Not long after that, I was nominated to support National Express’ rail interests as UK rail began to embrace ITSO itself. It was here that I met colleagues from across a variety of train operating companies (TOCs) and the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) and got a really good grounding in the UK rail industry.
How did you start at Vix Technology?
I joined Vix Technology in November 2020 after 23 years with National Express Group, and like many I was a pandemic job-switcher!
I started as a Solution Manager, designing and specifying solutions for customers both as they arose and in response to tenders. It was a wonderful experience – I got to work with our awesome teams across Europe and North America and learn so much about our product sets, particularly our mode-agnostic Pulse Account Based Ticketing solution and
our Whisper service for cEMV payments. And it was great learning from the Transit Authorities in completely different markets what was normal and expected.
What is your role within Vix Technology?
I am Product Director, UKI/ITS here at Vix Technology, a role I assumed within a year of my start at Vix.
It’s a wide brief! On the one hand, I am accountable for a number of engineering teams both here and in Europe who create and maintain our Rail Central Booking Engine (TIS), user facing Automatic Fare Collection, and Real Time Information platforms. On the other, I am responsible for the direction of those products not just in the UK, but in our markets across the world, and for understanding our customers and the markets and what the future may bring. And I look beyond what the market says it wants now, to what it might not even know it wants yet. I also work closely with my Vix colleagues in Australia to ensure the products we are developing here in the UK fit and form a coherent product offering with Pulse, our automated fare collection platform and Assure, our range of validation and fare collection devices.
How has technology developed since you started in the industry?
If I say that when I first started, I took a slam-door train to an office where I had a box of all the 3.5” disks that my work was on, and the company didn’t have a website, that may indicate how long I’ve been in the industry!
When we worked through handing Midland Metro back to West Midlands Combined Authority at the end of the 20year term, the contract of course referenced physical computing hardware – PCs, floppy disks, back-up storage devices, none of which referenced the wholly integrated Citrix-based environment that had grown up around it in the meantime.
One of the great things to see is how rail has been coming out of itself to share with the rest of the transport industry. We’ve seen the introduction of closed-loop contactless cards, like ITSO, mobile and then paper barcodes, and now cEMV, with true Account Based Ticketing just there on the horizon.
But of course one thing that hasn’t evolved is the Orange magnetic-stripe ticket. As a supplier, I think the possibilities are really exciting for UK rail, but we all need to support the Rail Delivery Group and Great British Rail (GBR) in the standards and frameworks that will keep the industry dynamic.
What do you consider to be Vix Technology’s USP (Unique Selling Point)?
At Vix, we believe the future is open and flexible. We bring to the market a suite of professional products and services, all specific to transport, that can either work together, or be plugged into your existing solution set. We work with you to solve your problem, without bringing our ego to the table.
If we look specifically at our newest rail gate product, Vix Smart Gates are the first digital-only automatic ticket gate in the UK market.
Repurposing the title of an Oscar-nominated film – Everything Everywhere All at Once!
For rail, we are just about to launch our Digital Gates in a pilot with Transport for Wales. The gates include our new Cast cloud system to allow gate control and scheduling from a tablet, will accept barcode, ITSO and cEMV cards and will be up and running this spring!
We are also launching our new Assure range of hardware here in the UK. Great Western Railways will be the first Vix customer outside of Italy to have Assure, with our Rugged Platform validators going in this spring. On installation, they will accept ITSO passes, but they come Barcode and cEMV ready.
Other projects from my stables include the next phase in our overhaul of our ITS / RTI product. Over the next 18 months we are delivering a data backbone service and adding a wide variety of new features and functions for our customers operations staff.
We are also supporting one of our largest customers in migrating to our new technologies across both ticketing and AVL.
There’s certainly never a dull moment here, and I am probably most excited about the new Gates going live!
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 projects?
Great question! I love it when a client comes to us with a problem rather than a requirement, but even then I like to take it back to the Why of the problem: What is at the root of what you’re trying to achieve or solve? more revenue? more passengers? improved safety? improved retention of staff? more efficient use of resources? We then look at what the client wants to achieve now and into the future, and their constraints to help build up a picture of which products in our portfolio is right for them.
I also love it when a client comes to us with a great idea! Again, looking at what they want to achieve and why.
At Vix, we have a strong vision of our product direction and a lot of products already ready for use, but we know that none of our customers are the same as any other, so we mold our products to their individual needs through early discovery and close, iterative working throughout project delivery. Our products are highly customizable, but we also distil the deep knowledge at the actual root of the problem to recommend how the product can produce a great solution without adding unnecessary bespoke development costs.
What would you say is the most exciting technology in the industry?
From where I am, I would have to say Account Based Ticketing! To be clear, this is more than just accepting cEMV cards for post-payment, although that is an important step into the known for UK rail.
This sits alongside the digitization of rail. If we look at where other markets are going, most notably Denmark looking for Smartphone compatible ticketing systems, that is a clear indication of the inexorable
rise of digital identification and tokens. I believe the future of transport ticketing is self validation by passengers. If you look at our new gate proposition, it is wholly digital, relying only on barcode or card presentation. I can see a time in the not so distant future where you will be able to use your face, finger or palm to link to an account in the cloud that will allow you to travel.
However, I want to see cEMV Pay as You Go on rail realized first.
Where do you think the industry will be in the next 10-15 years?
The other side of the orange magnetic-stripe ticket! Here in the UK the government has set out its vision underpinning GBR for the next 15 years, looking toward a German model of rail retail and operation. However, I think there’s a lot to play for. I believe the public will continue to use trains, possibly more for leisure as car ownership becomes less ‘fun’, which puts rail in a great place.
Our first challenge in the UK is to get to the other side of the start of GBR, so that everyone is clear about roles and responsibilities. The next challenge will be to ensure GBR is a recipe for innovation and faster change. Otherwise, I don’t think we’ll be much further in ten years. But by the same token, we’re already further ahead here than many places.
Typically, the first suggestion I would make to an authority would be to have a unified data service, including fares and real-time. Although in the industry we like to complain about interfacing to Lennon or Darwin, we shouldn’t forget that we are already half-way towards the future.
One of the most interesting differences I noted between bus and rail was the disjoin between vehicle and passenger. In a bus world, the passenger touchpoint is on the vehicle, whereas in rail, the passenger touches into a station with a variety of vehicles possible. As a result, rail systems have evolved a complex system of what-ifs to accommodate these possible futures. I wouldn’t be surprised to see tap-on validation moved inside trains in the next decade, which will be the start of really understanding capacity usage. Although GBR will become
all of the flows and theoretically remove the need for the complex apportionment of Lennon, this granularity should support
keener pricing on local versus long distance rail and drive, as it always did in bus, a focus on providing the volume and types of seats that support and encourage travel.
How can we make the rail industry a place people want to work in?
I think we underestimate how lucky we are in public transportation to have loads of people who grew up loving trains and buses and want to work in our industry! That puts us in such a fortunate position. However, we can’t abuse that, and we do need to attract and retain talent with a wide variety of experiences.
We’re also lucky that public transport is a great place by its nature for flexible working, but we have to be mindful that Working from Home isn’t something that transport professionals are always able to do. Back in 2000 when I started working from home, I was the first person in the company to do so and had to put a costed proposal to the board. If people were surprised by that, I’d often reply by noting a driver can’t Drive From Home!
In my opinion, we can, and should, emphasize every day that everything we do goes towards a greener, more sustainable world. We’ve found that this message helps
up with our recruitment generally, but I believe it is key in our internal messaging to give all or our people ownership of their role in our businesses and in a greener future.
Have you changed your approach to work at all since Covid?
I started working from home in 2000 and we adopted Google with Hangouts (as Meet used to be embarrassingly called) from 2014, so when Covid hit we were generally well prepared. However, I had always felt that we needed representatives from all the service teams (First, Second and Third line) actually present during full support hours, and of course Covid changed all that.
Vix has a really progressive flexible working scheme that has proven immensely popular with staff globally. What that has meant is that office time is built around the value-add of face-to-face interactions. And this way of working has really focused on how we maximise the value of our working hours.
I have always been outcome-focused, so actually moving to remote working hasn’t presented a problem in the way I manage, although the biggest challenge sometimes is convincing people that they can step away from their work!
‘One of the great things to see is how rail has been coming out of itself to share with the rest of the transport industry. We’ve seen the introduction of closedloop contactless cards, like ITSO, mobile and then paper barcodes, and now cEMV, with true Account Based Ticketing just there on the horizon.’
National and trade media regularly highlights where the rail sector could make improvements to transport systems in this country. It’s clear there is a need for more dependable services that offer increased value for money, provide better customer service, and that play their part in decarbonising transport - be that of the travelling public or freight.
Rising to meet these challenges requires innovation, which means not only taking the best approaches from the rail sector, but adopting technological advances and good practice from other sectors. This is particularly true in areas such as digitisation, the circular economy, and developments in design engineering.
In this article, three rail business managers from international engineering consultancy, Frazer-Nash, highlight the current challenges facing the industry, and how innovation and learning from experience outside of rail can help the sector deliver success.
Richard is the Business Manager responsible for Frazer-Nash’s work with Network Rail, the myriad of suppliers that support it, and universities. He has repeatedly been involved in introducing new technology and new procedures in the railway sector. In his own words: ‘What really gets me excited is innovation. It’s almost impossible to go to a rail event without hearing mention of the importance of digitisation and innovation; particularly related to how we use data in the industry.’
Frazer-Nash works with many organisations in long-life asset sectors with comparable challenges to rail, helping them harness data to make better-informed decisions. There is considerable scope to apply these techniques to assist the rail sector.
Train delays, army logistics, and artificial intelligence all have something in common – the 2020 RIA RISE Innovation Awardwinning train delay prediction model. Frazer-Nash took the Artificial Intelligence (AI) model they had developed to predict the resupply requirements of army troops, and repurposed it to predict how train delays would develop to provide a network-wide train delay prediction tool. This tool is useful to assist Network Rail, train operators, and others develop better plans in the face of disruption.
The team is now working with eviFile, an SME, developing a tool to optimise the work that can be delivered in railway possessions. The benefits of this were recognised by the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI), who is funding its development, with a demonstration planned for March this year.
Techniques stemming from more digital domains, such as enterprise architecture,
‘The management of structural integrity in rail vehicles and the importance of innovative technical excellence is a key service offering which we focus on, supporting many clients with our approach.’
are also being applied to help provide better understanding of problems as diverse as determining the core functions of a major new rail organisation, to helping understand the relationships between users and suppliers of hydrogen in a major transport region in this country.
Richard also sees considerable opportunity for digital twins and other modelling techniques to help create betterinformed decisions. The rail sector has started embracing these opportunities, but there are many more areas where they can help, including in:
• The basis of business cases – by frequently providing better understanding of usage or demand, and the often complex relationship to cost.
• Programme cost and how it is affected by uncertainty and risk in major investment programmes.
• Work planning and optimisation – such as our industry leading depot model.
• Enabling the move to condition-based or predictive maintenance.
Ashley is the Business Manager for the Rail Networks and Government sector of Frazer-Nash; a diverse portfolio that covers central and local government, a collection of independent networks, and rail freight / plant.
A career rail professional, Ashley joined Frazer-Nash four years ago after 35 years working in core railway organisations including British Rail, Railtrack, Network Rail, EWS, and GB Railfreight.
One of the innovative services that Ashley sees as key to the future of the rail sector is working towards an economy that will become more circular. Inevitably, as resources and supply chains become more critical, organisations will need to extract greater value from what they already have. Whether that’s making assets last longer, or redesigning assets to achieve higher performance while requiring less natural resources to achieve this. Adopting circular economy principles is a route towards resilience and sustainability, and offsets carbon impact at the same time.
Frazer-Nash’s leading expert, Carl Waring, is spearheading the EPSRC Circular Economy Network in Transport Systems (CENTS) research, and will be producing the ‘Rail as a Circular Economy Enabler’ white paper, due to be published in May 2023. This will capture rail-related circular economy concepts that promote rail as having a stronger, more viable and dynamic future, by mitigating climate change and growing the economy through a more diverse supply chain. This is particularly important with the UK now having a legally binding net zero target to reach by 2050, along with new interim targets to reduce emissions by 78 per cent by 2035. Enabling transport policy and industry incentives to maximise the switch of transport to rail is one of the most
effective measures the UK government and industry could take in meeting those targets.
This and wider economic recovery could be accelerated if the switch to rail services was made as an enabler to grow the economy. Rail is a low-carbon transport mode, and accounts for only 1.4 per cent of overall UK transport CO2 emissions. Changes in rail policy and the adoption of systems thinking would encourage the implementation of circular economy principles, encouraging changes in industry thinking and behaviour, and create new types of businesses. For example, making our railway assets last longer, developing businesses in the remanufacturing sector, and so on. Part of the solution is already there – freight moved by rail results in 76 per cent less carbon generation than freight transferred by road. However, only nine per cent of freight is moved by rail in the UK currently.
Trevor is the Business Manager for Rail Rolling Stock at Frazer-Nash, servicing a diverse portfolio that covers many clients. Trevor is a career rail professional who joined Frazer-Nash four years ago, after 30 years working in various railway organisations, including AEA Technology, Delta Rail, Lloyds Register Rail and Ricardo Rail.
Trevor says: ‘The management of structural integrity in rail vehicles and the importance of innovative technical excellence is a key service offering which we focus on, supporting many clients with our approach.’
There is much industry focus on the structural integrity of safety-critical train components whose failure can lead to an increased likelihood of an incident, such as wheelsets, axles and centre pivots. Focus on such components continues throughout the life of rail assets. What often receives less attention are those bodyshell structures which can influence the performance of a
vehicle during a collision, impacting energy absorption capacity and survival space within the vehicles. It is these structures which can ultimately have significant impact on the consequences of a collision.
The findings of the Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) report following the derailment at Carmont in 2020 highlighted the presence of corrosion in safety critical areas, and considered the consequences this may have had on the incident and resultant fatalities.
Maintaining the structural integrity of rail vehicles through-life is of critical importance not only for safety, but ultimately, timely intervention minimises cost and maximises the future life of the vehicle. For many older rail vehicles, sources of original design information related to structural integrity can be limited when compared to newer vehicles. Equally, the standards and the availability of toolsets to support structural design activities will have developed over the life of the rail vehicle.
An evidence-based approach to the management of vehicle asset integrity drives down risk and cost, and maximises vehicle availability. This journey starts with gaining a good understanding of the areas of the vehicle which are important from a structural integrity perspective, through the use of modern analysis techniques. Many areas of the bodyshell structure are not readily accessible; requiring significant vehicle strip-out, so the insight provided from Frazer-Nash's use of modelling is an advanced technique which allows the identification of structures which should be inspected on a routine interval, enabling timely maintenance intervention. The strategic use of more non-destructive testing techniques often associated with safety critical structures can ultimately reduce through-life cost through early identification of any potential issues.
If you have a problem that needs solving, get in touch with the experts at FrazerNash to discuss your requirements, at rail@fnc.co.uk.
Ridge and Partners LLP is a multi-disciplinary organisation that offers Project, Programme and Portfolio management services underpinned by our bespoke Adept management methodology - (Advanced, Digitally Enabled, Project Management Techniques).
Managing governance, processes, information hub, training, standards and policies
Key Contact:
Office Locations
Elliot Patsanza, Partner elliotpatsanza@ridge.co.uk 07771 844385
Established almost 150 years ago, the Railway Industry Association (RIA) has 300+ member companies from across the supply chain, over 60 per cent of which are small or medium sized enterprises (SMEs). As the voice of the UK rail supply community, RIA supports the delivery of a bigger and better rail industry, representing the sector as an essential generator of economic growth, jobs and investment, supporting a low carbon form of mass transit for communities across the UK.
RIA regularly engages with Ministers and civil servants in Government. We also work closely with all major rail clients across the UK. We collaborate with a range of industry partners to help drive positive change in our sector, on areas such as decarbonisation, equality and diversity innovation, and supporting SMEs. We also support the work of the Rail Supply Group, a Governmentbacked initiative to drive improvement in the railway industry.
RIA holds regular events with Ministers and politicians for members to join, feed into consultations, and run a range of campaigns on major issues for the industry. RIA hosts client workshops and meetings for members to engage directly with and feed back to clients including Network Rail, HS2, Transport for London (TfL) and East West Rail (EWR). RIA also hosts visits at member sites with politicians as part of our Rail Fellowship Programme.
The RIA Consultants Group holds networking events with client and stakeholder presentations three times a year. These are free to attend for all RIA members with an interest in rail design and consultancy. The RIA Consultants Group leads on best practice on procurement for world class design and delivery, enabling growth and unlocking opportunities for the UK rail sector. The Group supports the sector through a range of activities and networking events, and will now strengthen the way it represents its members to key clients and decision makers.
RIA runs a substantial events programme, holding over 70 events every year. Many of these are RIA Interest Groups, which cover a wide range of technical and policybased subjects. The Groups are curated by RIA technical and policy teams and hear from senior industry figures on industry initiatives / major developments. Members can participate in rail industry committees or groups (e.g. the SME Group or Public Affairs and Communications Network) to network with industry colleagues. RIA holds two flagship conferences each year: the upcoming RIA Annual Conference which is taking place on 10-11 November and the RIA Innovation Conference.
RIA assists with the development of technical strategies, standards development, promoting innovation and sustainability, and helping RIA members with product acceptance and staying up to date with the latest research and legislation. RIA does this at both UK and international levels, particularly promoting the interests of the UK railway supply industry in the European arena. RIA sends out five weekly mailings, as well as a range of other communications which you can tailor to suit your interests.
RIA’s Members News section of the website hosts press releases sent by members, which are then shared across its social media channels. The RIA Innovation of the Month regularly features innovative products or services developed by members.
RIA hosts trade missions and events and has a close relationship with the Department for International Trade (DIT), who it often partners with. RIA regularly attends overseas trade shows and hosts pavilions in countries including India and Australia and offers members the opportunity to get involved. If you are interested in joining RIA as a member, please get in touch by emailing membership@riagb.org.uk
The Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, has set out the next steps for rail reform at the George Bradshaw Address. Responding to the speech, Railway Industry Association (RIA) Chief Executive Darren Caplan said: ‘The Railway Industry Association and our members will welcome the clarity on rail reform provided by Transport Secretary Mark Harper. The clarity around GBR, which the Secretary of State was clear will be a strategic guiding mind rather than a controlling mind, is essential to ensuring that rail projects are delivered cost-effectively and efficiently by the rail supply chain, providing value for money to both the fare payer and the taxpayer.
‘Last year RIA published ‘Five Tests for Great British Railways’, highlighting the key areas the railway supply sector wants the new organisation to focus on, to ensure rail reform is a success: preventing a hiatus in rail work, transparency, partnership with rail businesses, productivity, and ambition for a restructure which leaves a positive legacy in terms of safety, decarbonisation, exports and the economy.
‘The clarity provided in the Transport Secretary’s speech today goes some way to providing reassurance on the issues of preventing a hiatus in work, more transparency and partnership with the private sector. The commitment to publish a long-term strategy for rail later this year is also very welcome. However, more still needs to be done to ensure there is a smooth and visible pipeline of work, and that rail suppliers are represented in plans to develop the pipeline, during what will be a period of significant change for the industry going forward. It is also important for industry to hear more about the positive legacy of GBR, in addition to the Transport Secretary’s welcome comments about better connecting people and resources.
‘It is now essential the Government sticks to its plans and prioritises swift delivery, as certainty not just helps the supply chain deliver transformational rail projects in an effective and efficient way, but also enables the sector to make an even greater contribution when it comes to the UK’s economic growth, job creation, decarbonisation and the levelling-up agenda.
Kidsgrove station is north of Stoke-on-Trent, served by trains on the Crewe to Derby Line. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Railway.
Ridge was commissioned by Newcastle Under Lyme Borough Council in conjunction with Staffordshire County Council, Network Rail and East Midlands Railway to:
Identify and appraise options for the redevelopment of Kidsgrove railway station;
Produce a concept design to RIBA Stage 2; and
Develop a Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC) for the preferred option
Capitalising on the Government’s ‘levelling up’ agenda, the project will deliver part of the longterm strategic vision to unlock Kidsgrove’s potential via a co-ordinated programme of regeneration. It includes improvements to station buildings, car park and interchange facilities to benefit station users, visitors and Kidsgrove’s residents.
RIBA Stage 2
Design 8,148 sq m
Land development
200 space
New car park
Ridge has been supporting Transport for West Midlands (formerly Centro) for over 13 years with the expansion and development of the West Midlands Metro.
In the summer of 2022, the West Midlands Metro further expanded its network to bring passenger services to Edgbaston Village and all in time for the opening of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Passenger tram services on the new West Midlands Metro extension from the Library of Birmingham to Edgbaston commenced on 17th July. This represents phase two of the Birmingham Westside extension taking the line along Broad Street to the Hagley Road, adding a further three stops along the way.
This important milestone was achieved just before the spotlight came to Birmingham as it hosted the hugely successful 22nd Commonwealth Games. The tram network played an important part in moving people around the city to the many hotels, hospitality businesses and entertainment venues in the area.
Ridge has been supporting Transport for West Midlands (formerly Centro) for over 13 years with the expansion and development of the West Midlands Metro. During this time, we have worked as an integral part of the client team, providing programme and project management services
across a wide variety of projects including depot expansions, track renewals, track extensions, advance utility divisions, and battery conversions to the tram fleet.
Most recently, we have been working closely with the Metro operator and the tram manufacturer to provide client oversight and management of an extensive repair programme as a result of cracks found in the older vehicles. Sufficient vehicles were repaired in time to allow passenger services to resume on the line through Birmingham City centre and the new Westside extension.
Contact:
Elliot Patsanza, Partner elliotpatsanza@ridge.co.uk
07771 844385
Contact:
Chris Haworth, Partner chaworth@ridge.co.uk07740 959422
28-29 March 2023, No�ngham
2-day conference with a networking dinner
Inspiring keynotes, panel discussions and TechTalks
Large interac�ve exhibi�on with innova�on spotlight sessions presen�ng innova�ve services, products and solu�ons
Strategic Partners
Pla�num Sponsors
xiomtek – a world-renowned leader relentlessly devoted in the research, development, and manufacturing of innovative and reliable industrial computer products of high efficiency – is proud to unveil the tBOX110, a new, compact fanless in-vehicle embedded system for gateway application in transportation fields.
The tBOX110 complies with ISO 7637-2 and is powered by the Intel Atom® x5-E3940 processor. The DIN-rail and wall-mountable tBOX110 measures only 164 x 128 x 44 mm and weighs 1.0 kg. It has a wide operating temperature range of -40°C to +70°C and 3Grms vibration resistance. This low-power transportation gateway supports 12/24 VDC typical automotive power input with smart ignition or a wide-range 9 to 36V DC power input, making it perfectly fit for transportation applications.
The tBOX110 is designed with low power consumption and a heavy-duty construction that can withstand challenging day-to-day operational conditions. It is equipped with one DDR3L-1866 SO-DIMM for up to 8GB
of system memory. It also has one internal 2.5” SATA drive and one mSATA for extra storage needs.
There are two full-size Rev.1.2 PCI Express Mini Card slots – one USB/PCIe with external SIM socket and one mSATA/ USB/PCIe with external SIM socket – to achieve high integration. Equipped with smart ignition power control, the tBOX110 enables to schedule power on/off events to protect the vehicle battery from unstable voltage and supports different power modes.
The highly integrated transportation PC combines diverse communication interfaces, including two COM, two CANBus (two COM for option), and one DIO.
To help system integrators deploy fleet management and public transit surveillance and security more easily, Axiomtek leverages its design expertise to provide complete product solutions for intelligent transportation. The compact size of the new fanless transportation computer tBOX110 ensures that it can fit into a variety of space-constricting environments for the diverse in-vehicle applications, such as
transportation gateway, passenger public address mini server, passenger information system, and diagnostic related onboard computer.
Featuring rich I/O ports for a full range of peripheral connectivity, the tBOX110 comes with two COM, two CANBus, two RS-232/422/485 (4-wire) with shield grounding, two RJ-45 LAN ports, two USB 3.0 ports, two HDMI 1.4b with keylock, one Mic-in, one Line-out, one DB9 8-bit programmable DIO, one power input with smart ignition, and four antenna openings. Moreover, the tBOX110 is compatible with Windows® 10 64-bit and Ubuntu 20.04.
For more product information or customization services, visit the global website or get in touch with a sales representative via the contact information below.
Axiomtek UK Limited
Tel: +44-161-2093680
Email: info@axiomtek.co.uk
Visit: www.axiomtek.co.uk
With 600,000 people expected for the 2024 Olympic ceremony alone, innovation was required within the French rail sector to efficiently transport athletes and attendees, creating a unique challenge for operators.
The 2024 Olympic Games are expected to attract more than 9.7 million spectators and around 10,500 athletes to Paris. With such a high volume of people arriving and needing to move around across the 40 different competition sites across France, the country’s rail infrastructure will be put under severe strain – not least in terms of the demands service users will have for fast and reliable Wi-Fi and internet connections while on the move.
The potential demand for public transport during the Olympic Games can be estimated by the number of tickets sold in comparison to the residential population of the host city. According to the study Managing the Olympics, the number of attendees at the Barcelona and Sydney Olympic Games were predicted to be triple the local populations, while at London 2012, the demands for transport were twice the size of typical peak demands.
Helping Paris to cope is the revamp of the city’s rail networks which was carried out by Alstom in 2018. As part of the upgrade, France’s state-owned rail enterprise, SNCF Mobilities, ordered over 100 of Alstom’s next-generation AVELIA Horizon very high-speed trains (known as TGV M), with an additional 15 trains added to the order in 2022 to assure reliable connections for attendees travelling from Italy and Switzerland.
These trains come equipped with a HUBER+SUHNER installed Internet Onboard System (IOB), optical fiber backbone and fiber optic (FO) assemblies that establish quick and reliable Wi-Fi and internet connections for passengers. The
company has a successful history with Alstom and a proven track record in this field of technology, having provided fiber optic cable systems for high-speed Trenitalia trains back in 2016. This made HUBER+SUHNER the perfect partner for the project.
HUBER+SUHNER was involved in two phases of the TGV M project. The first saw the development of detailed FO assembly designs that are compliant with Alstom’s specifications. This was followed by the mass production of these assemblies to be used across the entire AVELIA Horizon fleet for use during the Olympics.
FO technology was still a relatively new concept for the Alstom engineering, quality and installation teams making it important for HUBER+SUHNER to provide high levels of support and expertise throughout the development of the project. The company supplied Alstom with a range of solutions that met the company’s strenuous endurance program requirements to meet the rolling stock’s 30-year life expectancy. This included the Q-ODC2 railway hardened connectors already successfully implemented in rail networks across the globe, alongside Multimode 3 RADOX® Twinfin FO cables, and customised FO Inter-vehicle Jumper systems.
The connectors proved to be the most important aspect of the partnership, enabling a cost-effective, flexible, and resistant solution to support higher capacity deployments of wireless infrastructure for communication applications. Greater resiliency was also accomplished through the use of the RADOX® inter-vehicle jumper systems to connect carriages, ensuring performance wasn’t affected by extreme weather conditions or the constant highspeed movements during a journey.
To increase performance and provide high data-rate transmission for WiFi and on-board passenger systems, HUBER+SUHNER supplied the trains with its SENCITY® Rail MULTI rooftop antennas and SENCITY® Rail OMNI-SR Slim 3x3 MIMO in-carriage antennas. A customised kit of Radio Frequency (RF) filters were also provided to prevent any interference between the outside antennas from various communications systems.
As a result of these technologies, fast and reliable Wi-Fi and internet connections will be available on the TGV M trains. This will not only ensure consumer comfort by offering access to entertainment and news outlets, but will also allow people to communicate with friends, work, or relax as they travel between events. The trains are due to be running and in service across France in plenty of time for the Olympic games.
With the influx of tourists expected for the Olympic Games during the summer
of 2024, France has been provided a golden opportunity to showcase the innovations integrated throughout its travel infrastructure. However, even beyond the event there will be many benefits to be reaped for passengers and rail operators alike.
The new trains will provide a modern, sleek, and seamless travel option for the local population and tourists well beyond the Games. Tourists will be able to travel to and from Paris and other areas of France in comfort, meaning more people will be inclined to explore the city and contribute to the local economy. With a modern rail infrastructure in place, locals will be more attracted to travelling by rail than by car, lowering CO2 emissions and bringing increased profits for regional rail operators.
Discussions for a price shield for rail prices are currently underway between the Transport Minister of France and SNCF Mobilities for 2023 and beyond, and should it come to fruition, will be mainly applied to the high-speed TGV trains. The aim is to support locals who require these services for their daily commutes, and this will make high-speed rail travel a more attractive proposition for those looking to cut fuel and car maintenance costs.
The fruitful partnership between HUBER+SUHNER and Alstom has not only provided solutions to overcome travel demands expected during the Olympic Games but has also led to technological developments which can be utilised in rail
networks across the globe. The reliability of FO backbone technologies refined during this project will ensure future optimisation of high-speed trains, improving user experience and potentially boosting passenger frequency during rail journeys. Other solutions, such as the innovative jumper cables can be used by other manufacturers to guarantee fast, stable, and reliable on-board connectivity for all.
Email: railway-marketing@hubersuhner.com
Visit: hubersuhner.com/en/solutions/railway
Petzl'shelmetandheadlamprangecoversthefull spectrumofprofessionalneedsandaredesignedto workwelltogetherasfullsolutionswitharangeof accessories.
petzl.com
AVERTEXhelmetandDUORLheadlampinusewhile performingtunnelmaintenancenearLaPelonière,France.
Petzl’sadvancedheadlamptechnologyandrangeofhelmets andmodularaccessoriesoffersolutionsforwhateveryour requirementsmaybe.
Petzl is renowned the world over for its technical equipment and today it offers a complete package from helmets and headlamps to work at height harnesses for professionals
There’s no question Petzl is a company with a fascinating story behind it. Developing out of one man’s passion for caving, the safety equipment manufacturer has grown to become one of the world’s biggest names in climbing gear and personal protective equipment for those who work and play in darkness or at height. The Petzl company was established by Fernand and his son Paul in 1975, and today it continues to be owned and operated by the same family. Petzl headlamps have brought light to the world’s darkest of places for over four decades.
Petzl produces an extensive range of products and integrated solutions designed for a variety of disciplines involved with industry, height and vertical environments including the ‘pro’ markets of rail, wind energy, arborism, rope access and rescue operators through to ‘sport’ markets of climbing, trail running and mountaineering.
One of the long-standing missions of Petzl has been to improve ergonomics and efficiencies, whether that’s offering integrated helmets and headlamps for rail, working on a wind turbine or pushing the limits of difficulties on an Alpine climb. It’s about looking at the touchpoints of the products, how they’re handled and how they feel, so they are as simple and as seamless to use as possible, but also make the job as efficient and stress-free as possible.
Petzl's philosophy for design and production is also based on accelerating change, transforming, and innovating in order to provide professionals and sports enthusiasts with the quality products they demand. Testing tower, experimentation centre, individual inspections, LEAN manufacturing process – Petzl was a pioneer in all of these innovations.
Petzl headlamps can be installed on any helmet by using the headband, adhesive plates, or mounting plates at the front or rear of Petzl helmets for inserting the headlamp. With a power source that comes either from disposable batteries and/or rechargeable batteries, you can be sure that you'll have the light you need, when you need it.
The ultra-compact ARIA headlamps save space, are extremely lightweight, and small enough to slip into your pocket while the DUO performance headlamps are particularly durable and powerful, designed for intensive use in industrial environments, or for maintenance and inspection purposes. Petzl also has models that are ATEX or HAZLOC certified, designed for use in hazardous areas to endure the rigours of high-risk zones and confined spaces.
When safety is a priority, so is industrial excellence. Petzl has a deep responsibility to its customers, and it develops, test, and qualifies all products above required standards. Petzl’s objective is to allow zero defective products to leave its facilities, to give you high quality products and peace of mind at work.
Petzl Work at Height Solutions offer a full range of helmets, harnesses, lanyards, fall arrest, headlamps and equipment to make your work easier.
Tel: 015396 24040
Email: info@petzl.co.uk
Visit: petzl.co.uk
LinkedIn: showcase/petzlprofessional/
Address: Petzl UK
Unit 3-7, Tebay Business Park, Old Tebay CA10 3SS
Renowned as the global market leading depot protection system, the SMART DPPS™ delivers physical protection from vehicle movements to rail depot staff whilst providing visual and audible warnings.
The Smart DPPS™:
• Protects staff and equipment
• Ensures safe and controlled movement of rail vehicles into and out of the depot
• Allows train maintenance operations to be conducted without endangering the safety of staff or damaging infrastructure
It is:
• Fully configurable, flexible and functional
• Proven in use and installed globally
• Capable of interfacing with third party equipment including signalling systems.
• Adaptable to the safe requirements of the depot
Combine this with the requirement to walk significant distances, across uneven terrain, next to live third rail often in the dark, in sub-zero temperatures and it becomes unimaginable.
However, such activities make up the daily routines of rail depot shunters. Traversing down the tracks over sleepers and other obstacles, avoiding the moving trains and the threat of electrocution, to get to each manual hand point that requires setting before a train can enter or leave the rail depot. It is with this in mind, not surprising the RSSB Annual Health & Safety Report 2021 – 22 reported that slips, trips and falls are the greatest hazard in terms of risks faced by staff in yards, depots and sidings.
The occupational health risks for the shunter do not end on reaching the manual hand point. It is there that they are required to pull the point leaver, which research has found can require the use of a peak force in excess of 103kgf, often in poor conditions on uneven surfaces. Such activities pose the risk of lasting damage to the back, neck or shoulders, which not only causes the employee suffering and lost working days, but could also lead to a more serious accident.
Whilst thankfully more serious accidents are not commonplace in depots and sidings, there have been three fatalities in the last five years. This, combined with the fact that depots and sidings account for 22 per cent of all RSSB recorded injuries in the most recent annual report, highlights the real occupational risk that is present and has contributed to the increased focus on depot safety since the RSSB report.
One of the simplest ways to improve safety is to remove individuals from dangerous situations. Recent advances in technology now offer the opportunity to reduce the dangers faced by shunters, with
the implementation of systems such as Zonegreen’s Points Converter.
The system has been designed to increase railway depot and sidings safety, allowing the automation and remote operation of manual hand point/switches. It can be controlled by an operator using a remote handset or central computer system, removing the need for an individual to have to negotiate difficult terrain, rails or other potential hazards, thus minimising the risk of slips, trips and falls. Such a system allows the shunter to operate the points from a safe distance, thus reducing risk and lowering the accident rate.
As well as assisting in the prevention of such accidents, the Points Converter
also greatly reduces the significant physical strains that shunters face with regards to operating points manually and the lasting damage this can have on the body, particularly the back and neck, by automating the process.
Increasingly, depot operators are recognising that action is needed and the latest to address the dangers hand points present is South Western Railways at Southsea Depot in Portsmouth. working with contractors Balfour Beatty, Sheffield-based rail safety experts Zonegreen have installed a Points Converter on the HP01 point to control vehicle movements in and out of its sidings roads.
The installation allows the point at Southsea to be controlled remotely by an intuitive post-mounted key switch panel, located on a walkway around 100 metres away. The innovative technology enables the hand switch to be operated without staff needing to walk out next to the tracks; reducing the risk of slips, trips and falls on uneven terrain adjacent to the live third rail and manual handling injuries.
The system is futureproofed, enabling Southsea to add further converters if required and includes an event logging feature that allows the depot manager to record the point’s operation, for reporting and traceability.
Zonegreen Points Converter installations are tailored to the client’s needs and are fully expandable. Routes can be pre-set and reconfigured or upgraded at any time. They are a low cost, easy to use means of adding power to existing hand points, without incurring the expense of a full signaling conversion.
Tel: 0114 230 0822
Visit: www.zonegreen.co.uk
Twitter: @zonegreen
In modern society it seems extraordinary that someone would be asked to manoeuvre an object requiring a force in excess of 100kgf in the course of their everyday working life
CF Booth Ltd was established in 1920 by Clarence Frederick Booth and since that time has grown from a local metal trader into one of the largest independently run recycling companies in Europe
The company is a member of the British Metals Recycling Association (BMRA) and also a Gold member of the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR). Predominantly functioned as a scrap yard, it imports and exports a large variety of materials Worldwide, with the head office located in Rotherham, South Yorkshire at Clarence Metal Works. The company has been associated with the scrapping of diesel and electric locomotives since the 1960s and is now one of the largest rolling stock recyclers in the UK, winning nationally released tenders from several of the main rail operating companies.
The Rolling stock division has achieved both ISO 9001 and 14001 standards and is subscribed to the Railway Industry Supplier Qualification Scheme (RISQS).
The rolling stock asbestos removal/ disposal service is supported by Demex Ltd a member of the CF Booth Group. Demex
Ltd is licensed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for the safe removal of all types of asbestos.
Fully trained and accredited operatives use the very latest equipment and techniques to safely strip out and dispose of asbestos with onsite removal being conducted in CF Booth Group’s purposebuilt decontamination rail sheds.
In addition, the extremely competitive buying process and quick payment terms mean that for many companies wishing to dispose of their rolling stock, CF Booth Ltd is the first port of call. Besides processing rolling stock for their residual ferrous/ non ferrous metals, CF Booth Group also salvages any or all components that may be required by Railway Companies and Railway Preservationists.
The current Rolling Stock Manager, Christopher Davis, says: ‘We are proud to be playing a major role in supporting the UK national rail industry and extremely proud
to provide a valuable service to railway enthusiasts and preservationists throughout the UK as they continue to restore rolling stock vehicles to their former glory for future generations to enjoy. We value the relationship we have built up with rail companies, preservationists and enthusiasts over the years.’
All enquiries regarding your rolling stock can be directed to Christopher Davis, Rolling Stock Manager - CF Booth Limited, Clarence Metal Works, Armer Street, Rotherham, Yorkshire, United Kingdom. Get in touch via the contact information below.
Portable, powerful, rapid, emission free stressing
The Enerpac RP70A is a Network Rail Approved lightweight, durable and easy to assemble rail stressing kit The components are up to three times lighter than similar kits. The cylinder rods are protected with lightweight steel sleeves which helps reduce potential physical damage and contamination.
The battery power pack provides quiet, rapid, emission free stressing of up to six pulls per charge. Two batteries are supplied per kit
l Lightweight, modular, ergonomic
l Max. 2 man lift per component
l Rapid set up time
l No need to dig out ballast
l Easy hose connections
l Rated pull capacity 70 ton
l Reduces operator fatigue
l Reduces transport weights
l Batteries recharge in just 60 minutes
For more information contact our hiredesk or scan this QR code
Torrent Trackside’s Carl Abraitis explains how the new lightweight, emission free Enerpac RP70A will revolutionise rail stressing
Extreme temperatures can make rail track buckle and crack. To help prevent this the rail is stressed before it is installed. This involves stretching the rail using heat or hydraulic tensors to a predetermined tension.
Any maintenance or repair of the rail needs to consider this latent tension and a considerable force is needed to stretch or pull the rail into place or to keep it static while welding is undertaken. To achieve this, specialist stressing equipment is required. Because many tons of force is needed the equipment used to be very heavy and would be powered by a petrol fuelled pump. This can cause transport problems and prove exhaustive for operators when manoeuvring kit that weighs anything up to 300kg into position. The power source was noisy and a damaging source of pollution.
This will now change with the introduction of the Network Rail approved Enerpac RP70A. A lightweight and durable stressing system powered by an emission free battery pump. The components are up to three times lighter than similar kits and each one features carrying handles and
is ergonomically designed to be a genuine one or two man lift. This means the kit can be easily carried to site and assembled in a matter of minutes without tiring the operators. There is no need to remove any ballast from under the system.
To assemble the kit swing arms are attached to a clamp that then locks in place onto the rail. Hydraulic cylinders and extension strips (if required) are then attached between the two clamps. The system is then connected to the battery pump via hoses using quick connect couplers that require no tools and have safety locks. Stressing commences at the press of a button and the rail is pushed or pulled to the required position. The hydraulic cylinder rods can exert a force of up to 70 tons and are protected from damage and weld splatter by lightweight steel sleeves. The clamps then hold the rail in place without the need for any additional force.
The pump is equipped with a quiet and reliable Briggs and Stratton motor, fitted with an 82 volt battery which powers the pump for up to six pulls. For safety, the whole system can be isolated with a detachable key. A kit is supplied with two
batteries and each battery can be charged using the supplied charger in around 60 minutes. The batteries are fitted with illuminated charge level indicators. The pump unit is over 30 per cent lighter than existing petrol powered units and is an easy two man lift. Unlike petrol powered pumps there is no troublesome pull cord, the need to carry extra fuel or the problems of mixing errors and contamination.
Carl Abraitis stated: ‘The Enerpac stressing system solves many of the power and weight issues associated with traditional stressing kits and also addresses the problems of noise and emission pollution. Torrent Trackside has invested in a considerable number of units and is now hiring these ground breaking systems out to rail projects across the UK.’
Carl Abraitis is Operations Directions at Torrent Trackside, get in touch via the contact information below.
Tel: 0845 697 168
Email: carl.abraitis@vpplc.com
Visit: www.torrent.co.uk
Effective 1 April 2023, current Group CEO of Hitachi Rail Andrew Barr will take the role of Vice President and Executive Officer, in charge of Regional Strategies (EMEA), and President of Hitachi Europe Ltd. In this newly created role, Mr Barr will be responsible for driving growth for Hitachi’s businesses across Europe’s mobility, energy and digital sectors. Mr Barr will be succeeded by Giuseppe Marino, currently CEO and General Manager of Ansaldo Energia Group.
GCRE Ltd Appoint NonExecutive Director
Global Centre of Rail Excellence Ltd has today further strengthened its company board with the appointment of experienced industry executive Will Wilson as an independent Non-Executive Director.
Greater Manchester transport boss is the new Chair of Urban Transport Group Steve Warrener, the Managing Director of Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), is the new Chair of the Urban Transport Group – the UK’s network of city region transport authorities.
Govia Thameslink Railway has announced a variety of internal promotions and appointments across the company. Ralph Pidsley has taken on the role of Chief Financial Officer and Chris Fowler is now Network Operations Director, a joint position between GTR and Network Rail. Stephen MacCallaugh has been appointed as Head of Stations for Southern and stepping into his previous role is Sophie Hill, who is now Head of Gatwick Express. In addition, GTR has announced that Emma Pickard is now Train Services Director for Thameslink and Great Northern.
The Railway Industry Association (RIA) Consultants Group, representing the rail consultancy and design community, has announced the election of a new Chair, Jessica Ellery of Jacobs, and Vice Chair, Chris Pike of Arcadis, to help set the strategic direction of the Group. This follows a competitive process with several strong applications.
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