The week before press the Government proposed a new bill that set out the legal framework to allow minimum service levels to not only be set across the entire transport sector, but also implemented and enforced – as a response to recent strike action. The specific details of how minimum service levels will apply to transport services will be set out in secondary legislation in due course after a public consultation. This was followed by an announcement that the transport bill that would legislate to set up Great British Railways will be delayed. RIA’s Chief Executive, Darren Caplan responded to this by saying: ‘We urge the Government, Network Rail, other rail clients, and the rail supply sector not to wait for legislation but to work together – as GBR is rescheduled – to develop strategic plans to deliver the railway required both today and to build the infrastructure and rolling stock capacity needed for the future.’
Andy Bagnall, Chief Executive of Rail Partners, said: ‘It is critical there is not a long hiatus and there are immediate steps that can be taken now, such as switching on revenue incentives in National Rail Contracts and feeding back to the market on passenger service contracts development, which can accelerate growth and underpin a reinvigorated public-private partnership.’
Whilst that first bill may hang in the balance for eternity now, we hope that there aren’t further delays to Great British Railways. At the time of writing, our new Prime Minister has been selected and a new Transport Minister appointed, let’s hope for clarity on this important legislation as soon as possible.
In this month’s issue, we are focussing on training and consulting – with an interview with Mark Bonham of Warwickshire College Group about the group’s new training facility, apprenticeships and the skills gaps in the rail maintenance sector.
SAM SHERWOOD-HALE EDITOR
Network Rail completes £2.7 Million Makeover of Forth Viaduct, Rail Now Preferred Choice over Air Travel Between Edinburgh and London, Permaquip’s New Stressor Receives Product Approval, Roadmap for a Green Railway in the North Unveiled, HS2’s Giant London Tunnelling Machine Sparks Local Job Opportunities, Bristol Temple Meads to Become Testbed for Passenger Tech, Double Acquisition at J-Flex, InnoTrans Makes an Impressive Return, Mechan Delivers Fleet of Jacks to Capital
Isabel Thompson, transportation sector specialist at Vendigital looks ahead to the full restoration of services
Passenger numbers on the rail network continue to recover from the effects of the pandemic
Reducing some laws and expanding the scope of others, but the EU still has some influence
Tensar International is proud that once again they have been certified to design and supply trackbed improvement and soil reinforcement solutions for railway projects across the UK
Alexandra Herdman, Public Policy Manager at Logistics UK explores the opportunities for growth, and the potential challenges
New research from Trainline Partner Solutions (TPS) shows rail travel is seeing a boost in popularity among business travellers
Bernadette Ballantyne explains how an innovation called Rail Decarb enables transport authorities to quickly and costefficiently appraise railway systems for a net zero future
Ron Nobbs, Partner and Charlotte Thomas, Associate at law firm Stephenson Harwood LLP with some tips for making and managing claims
Philippe Vappereau, Chairman, Calypso Networks Association explains how delivering an open ticketing ecosystem is a more viable, sustainable approach
Sam Sherwood-Hale spoke to Mark Bonham, Assistant Principal at Warwickshire College Group about the group’s new training facility, apprenticeships and the skills gaps in the rail maintenance sector
Sam L Barker explains how the Flynet Viewer Terminal Emulator can help tackle railway industry security issues and aid in digitisation projects
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Engineers have successfully completed major improvements on the Forth Viaduct in Stirling, extending the lifespan of the bridge and ensuring work on this scale won’t be needed for another 25 years. Work began in January when engineers erected scaffolding along the 20-metre span of the ten-metre high bridge. This then allowed the structure to be encapsulated so critical steelwork repairs could take place, including the removal and replacement of 300 steel rivets.
Other elements of work involved grit blasting to remove old paint
and rust before then completely repainting the metalwork, with over 4,500m2 of paint used. More than 100 tonnes of grit was used as well as 3,000 litres of paint taking in excess of 6000 hours worked to complete the blasting and painting operations.
A new permanent walkway was installed through the structure and provides access for Network Rail engineers to undertake general maintenance to the viaduct when required.
With work now complete Lovers Walk, which was closed to traffic for the duration of the project, has fully reopened.
FirstGroup’s 100 per cent electric rail operator Lumo has achieved two major milestones in its first year, having attracted a million passengers and seen rail overtake air travel to become the preferred mode of transport between Edinburgh and London.
Since the introduction of its full timetable in April, Lumo has helped to make rail the favoured mode of transport between Edinburgh and London for the first time. Its average ticket price is just £37.
Between April and August, 57 per cent of journeys between Edinburgh and London were by rail, compared to a pre-pandemic position of 35 per cent for April-August
2019. Some 66 per cent of travellers chose rail over domestic flights in August itself, suggesting the trend may be set to continue.
The budget rail operator will carry its millionth passenger in November having run over 2,500 services, the equivalent of around 4,125 full flights Estimated using Airbus A320 with seating capacity of 180 people) each carrying 180 people.
Rail Minister, Kevin Foster said: ‘The addition of Lumo’s electric trains to the East Coast Main Line is just one way our railways are leading the way in decarbonising transport. As we continue striving towards net-zero by 2050, operators like Lumo will
help ensure we meet this ambitious target.’
With average customer loadings at 86 per cent, Lumo services have broken records for reliability. The fleet, which was built at Hitachi Rail’s factory in County Durham, has travelled over one million miles, without any technical incidents for half of the periods it has been in service.
The British built trains completed an entire quarter with no technical incidents, which has resulted in the Lumo fleet being four times more reliable than the UK industry average. The Lumo fleet has become the most reliable out-of-the-box train Hitachi Rail has ever delivered in the UK.
Permaquip's new Stressor has received Product Approval (PA05/07595). Based on the Permaquip HSM70 Stressor which is the most proven and durable Stressor on the market. The new Stressor is an ergonomic breakthrough.
• New ergonomic handles for easier manual handling
• Stressor lifting / carrying tongs available, for safer offset operation
• Accessories now available: lifting / carrying tongs, side rollers and under rail rollers
• Choice of Stressor Half Set FFC UIC60 (38871) or Stressor Half Set FFC STD (38872)
Ideal for use in conjunction with the Permaquip Stressor Petrol or Electric Power Pack. In full or half sets to adjust the gap between rail ends for rail stressing, rail welding, repairing rail failures, and installing insulated joints. The non-slip type clamps enable the gap to be held accurately for a stress-free weld.
New ergonomic handles are fitted to prevent slipping and provide dedicated hand positions for the cylinder and clamps. The handles can also be utilised in conjunction with the Stressor Lifting / Carrying Tongs for a safer offset operation.
The original Permaquip HSM70 Stressors can also be upgraded with the new ergonomic handles.
The Railway Industry Association (RIA) North has published a new plan for how the North’s railway should be electrified, to improve journeys and help decarbonise rail freight and passenger lines across the region.
RIA North’s plan, entitled ‘Greener, Faster, Better’, sets out a long-term vision for which passenger and freight routes should be prioritised for electrification, and other low carbon technologies such as battery and hydrogen, to remove polluting diesel trains from the network. Electric railways are one of the greenest modes of transport and enable trains to run faster and more services to operate.
Looking ahead to 2050, the report identifies strategic freight lines, intercity corridors and suburban networks across the North which should be top of the list to be electrified. According to RIA North, the Midland Main Line (MML) and TransPennine Route Upgrade (TRU) offer the greatest decarbonisation benefits – both of which the Government announced it will electrify as part of the Integrated Rail Plan.
The launch of HS2’s giant tunnel boring machine, which set off on its five-mile journey from West Ruislip to Greenford on 6 October, has sparked new training and employment opportunities for residents in seven London boroughs. HS2’s construction partner, Skanska Costain STRABAG (SCS), is working in partnership with Danny Sullivan Group, Camden Council and TheForge@ParkRoyal (part of the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation) to deliver a bespoke training and work placement programme especially for residents who live in Brent, Camden, Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, Hillingdon, Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster.
The three-week training programme, delivered with West London College and United Colleges Group, starts on 24 October and will be followed by a four-week paid work placement, to enable candidates to get a feel for what it’s like to work in construction, and as part of the team operating the giant 2,000 tonne machines.
A multi-million pound programme will turn Bristol Temple Meads into the UK’s first ‘Station Innovation Zone’, trialling new technologies designed to upgrade passengers’ experience.
Connected Places Catapult, the UK’s innovation accelerator for cities, transport, and place leadership, and Network Rail, have announced that Bristol’s iconic train station is to host trials of innovative passenger technologies thanks to a new partnership between Network Rail and Connected Places Catapult.
The programme is selecting start-ups aiming to test new ways to improve various aspects of the passenger experience: from making journeys smoother with smarter ticketing, to making stations more accessible with wayfinding apps; from using AI to improve people flow, to designing better facilities using human-centred design principles.
The Catapult is directing millions of pounds of Innovate UK funding into the programme, which sees Bristol Temple Meads named as the UK’s first Station Innovation Zone. The five-year programme will pioneer the approach and plans are in place to roll out the model to other stations as it succeeds.
Applications opened https://cp.catapult. org.uk/opportunity/innovation-fundingprogramme-station-innovation-zone/ for start-ups with ideas that could be trialled in the Station Innovation Zone. Passengers are likely to see the first trials beginning early next year.
This announcement of the Station Innovation Zone follows the Government’s levelling-up announcement of £95 million for the Bristol Temple Quarter regeneration programme and the Catapult funding will complement the ongoing
revitalisation of the station. Around £60 million of the funding from Government will enable improvements in and around Bristol Temple Meads Station, including three new entrances to the station, as well as infrastructure works and new public spaces nearby.
The University of Bristol is developing its presence in Temple Quarter near the station, recently opening the Temple Quarter Research Hub, housing the Bristol Digital Futures Institute with a large scale datacentre and a sector agnostic digital twin.
The Directors of Clockpress Limited trading as J-Flex Rubber Products are pleased to announce a double acquisition including a management buyout. The buyout of J-Flex, led by Managing Director, Sam Kirk, and Finance Director, Chris Barnes, sees the creation of a new parent company – Clockpress Holdings, which the new owners plan to use as an investment vehicle to acquire other owner-led SMEs and grow the business further with job creation.
Commenting on the deal, Sam Kirk, explained: ‘J-Flex has changed considerably over the last two to three years, and while exploring acquisition opportunities for J-Flex, John and Jill expressed an interest in possibly exiting the business. We are delighted to have reached a deal that allows them to achieve that, without impacting other acquisition plans and ensuring business continuity, as well as the opportunity to grow successfully. J-Flex has a really talented team of people capable of taking the business on to the next level, while retaining the legacy that the original owners had created.’
The deal marks the first of several expected acquisitions for Clockpress Holdings, with its second deal already completed to acquire the majority share capital in Composites Evolution – a manufacturer of prepreg and innovative materials for the composites industry in Chesterfield.
Sam said both J-Flex and Composites Evolution already shared a ‘like-minded approach to business’ and currently work with several mutual clients within the aerospace and automotive sectors.
Composites Evolution will continue to operate as a standalone subsidiary with its existing staff.
Gordon Bishop, Chief Executive Officer of Composites Evolution, added: ‘We are delighted with the deal that has been struck with Clockpress Holdings. There is already great synergy in the products, markets and business approach of both J-Flex and Composites
Evolution, so it makes sense that we can now join forces and combine our expertise in this way. We are seeing rapid growth in demand due to our market-leading prepregs and short lead times, and we are very much looking forward to working with Clockpress Holdings to meet that demand in the coming months and years.’
Clockpress Holdings said its first two acquisitions were just the beginning of the company’s development, and negotiations for similar deals were already taking place with several other manufacturing businesses, which will see the legacy of J-Flex in Retford continue.
The transactions for both acquisitions were supported by Neil Roberts, Antony Voakes & Amy Weston of Wright Vigar Chartered Accountants and Azam Zia of Zia Harman Solicitors.
The entire world of transport technology and mobility met at the world's leading trade fair InnoTrans in Berlin from 20 September to 23 September 2022. After four years, the trade fair was held again for the 13th time at the Berlin Exhibition Grounds and registered a similarly high demand as its predecessors. Numerous visitors, a high level of internationality and many business deals characterise InnoTrans, as do the broad market coverage and high innovation density. With 250 world premieres, the exhibitors presented more innovations than ever before. Trade visitors could expect to see 128 vehicles and exhibits on the track and outdoor areas.
Around 140,000 visitors from over 131 countries came to the world's leading trade fair. 2,834 exhibitors from 56 countries were present. At the Berlin Exhibition Grounds they displayed the entire
product and service diversity of the mobility industry.
‘InnoTrans has once again impressively demonstrated that it is the industry summit that shows today what will be on the rail and road tomorrow. Here exhibitors present technologies for sustainable mobility first. InnoTrans is also a platform for international exchange for a trans-European transport network’ emphasises Martin Ecknig, CEO of Messe Berlin.
‘After the pandemic-induced break, InnoTrans 2022 has made a phenomenal return. At last the industry family has come together again. After a long wait we were able to exchange ideas in person and look each other in the eye’ says Kerstin Schulz, Director of InnoTrans.
At this year's InnoTrans the proportion of first-time visitors is particularly high at 56 percent. A total of 57.3 percent of visitors come from abroad. The high rate confirms InnoTrans' status as the world's leading trade fair. Trade visitors are primarily interested in rail transport technology, rail transport infrastructure and the 3.5-kilometre track and outdoor exhibition area. This is followed by the new Mobility+ exhibition area, a platform for services and products relating to mobility complementary to public transport.
Rail depot equipment specialist, Mechan, is giving a busy London maintenance depot the lifting power to tackle a new heavy overhaul programme. The Sheffield-based manufacturers have supplied 20 of their flagship lifting jacks to GTR’s Selhurst Depot in Croydon, enabling five-car trains to be overhauled.
Mechan has worked with Govia Thameslink for almost 20 years and the new jacks join a raft of other equipment that has been supplied during this time, including a bogie press, bogie rotator and wheelset drop.
The 15-tonne mobile jacks are designed to operate as a set of eight, 12 or 20, giving Selhurst maximum flexibility when servicing
different vehicle types. Mechan worked with the Fleet Infrastructure Team and depot to install a combination of floor and wallmounted socket boxes along its allocated lifting road, enabling trains to be split either side of the existing wheel drop for maintenance.
This set of jacks is one of the first to be supplied with the latest version of Mechan’s control system, which has been developed to include input/output (I/O) technology, reducing the size of cables and 4G connectivity, allowing for remote diagnostics.
Mark Bonham is Assistant Principal at college group WCG. He is also College Director of Evesham College, one of six colleges in the group. Mark joined the Further Education sector in 2000. He joined WCG in 2012 and was appointed Assistant Principal in 2018. Mark has overseen the creation of the simulation railtrack training facility at Moreton Morrell College.
SSH: What does your collaboration with the Department for Education and the Skills Accelerator Development Fund look like?
MB: WCG was part of a successful group bid for the Strategic Development Fund looking at skills shortages in the area. The bid was a partnership with other colleges in Coventry and Warwickshire, to bring funding totalling more than £5 million to the region. The funding aimed to reshape technical skills training so that it would better meet the skills demands on the region. This encompassed a range of skills for emerging industries and more established traditional industries – such as rail.
Across our college group we have used the funding to create three new facilities, of which our railtrack simulation facility is one. Railtrack maintenance was identified as a skills need in Warwickshire, given its location in the heart of the country and number of rail networks which go through the county.
The need for skilled individuals in Warwickshire is important due to the maintenance required on the existing rail network running through the region and is only further heightened as HS2 works continue in the area. This links well to another of our funded facilities we are creating, a construction facility, which will help learners to develop groundworks skills to support major infrastructure projects.
SSH: How did your partnership with RMF Group come about?
MB: We knew we needed to partner with an industry expert to create this facility and also deliver certain elements of courses which would be running in the railtrack simulation facility.
The Rail Industry Sentinel cards are the golden ticket for our learners to gain work on Network Rail tracks. We partnered with RMF Group to support and mentor us, ensuring our training hit the standards for learners to gain these cards.
RMF Group’s expertise has been invaluable and they have been a great partner in this venture It’s a great example of training organisations working together for the greater good of the learner.
SSH: What type of courses will the new training facility offer?
MB: We will initially be offering a Level 2 Certificate in Rail Engineering Maintenance and the NVQ Diploma in Rail Engineering Track Maintenance. We are hoping to deliver
Level 3 qualifications in the future, and when we are in a position to do that, we will seek to reconnect with learners who have already completed their Level 2 with us.
SSH: Who are your courses aimed at? What stage of their career do you find most of your students are at?
MB: Students joining us to study for rail maintenance qualifications are people who are either starting out in their careers or are looking to pursue a career change in the rail maintenance sector. The last few years, with the pandemic and cost of living pressures, have led to many people reconsidering their career choices. The rail industry provides permanent employment which is well-paid, flexible and has different working patterns,
focus, we do place a big emphasis on behaviours and safety. In terms of the knowledge, we give them the theory in the classroom to apply out on the track.
The benefit now of having a simulation railtrack facility means we will be able to further prepare our learners before sending them out onto the country’s railways, giving them skills and confidence before they are out in a live environment.
SSH: Given that nearly 15,000 rail industry employees are expected to retire by 2025, what are some ways that the education sector can help?
MB: The provision we are putting on at the new rail facility and with our apprenticeship programmes will help the sector. For our full-time engineering students we ensure the rail sector is covered as a potential progression pathway and invite industry experts in to support the curriculum. As a college group we are always looking to support industry, preparing the students to be work ready and supporting the training needs of the sector.
SSH: Do you think there is enough focus on apprenticeships in rail?
all factors which are appealing to someone looking at a change in career.
SSH: How involved is a typical course? What type of training do you offer?
MB: We’re seeking to equip learners with the theoretical and practical skills to be able to work on the track – but also make certain they know the behaviours and standards expected in the industry.
While the skills are of course the main
MB: We do offer apprenticeships from Rugby College, which is also part the WCG group, and we would like to be able to offer more. We are hoping to be able to engage further with the National Skills Academy for Rail to do this.
Rail is an industry which has relied for many years on generation after generation of families and apprenticeships will be a good way to bring more people into the industry - this is certainly an approach
Sam Sherwood-Hale spoke to Mark Bonham, Assistant Principal at Warwickshire College Group about the group’s new training facility, apprenticeships and the skills gaps in the rail maintenance sector
which has seen success in other sectors, such as construction.
SSH: Data from the National Skills Academy for Rail (NSAR) shows that only 26 per cent of 18-24-year-olds would consider a career in rail, have you found this to be the case? Do you believe this will change with the development of new training facilities such as the one at Moreton Morrell College?
MB: I don’t think it is a stretch to say there is an image problem in the rail industry when it comes to young people’s opinions of it.
A lot of work has been done by HS2 and NSAR as part of community engagement and marketing campaigns to change these perceptions, with a focus on emphasising technology.
It’s a traditional industry that is modernising, and we hope that the development of training facilities such as ours can contribute to that modernisation. It will give learners a taste of what rail is about when considering whether to pursue a career in the industry.
Unfortunately, rail is struggling with recruitment, but this isn’t limited to rail and we are seeing it across a wide range of sectors and industries.
SSH: We often discuss how different manufacturers struggle to find people with the right experience and qualifications –do you think this is a specific issue in the Midlands as well and if so do you think the situation will improve with the work WCG is doing?
MB: The Midlands benefits from being an area where we specialise in engineering and it attracts many businesses large and small, but that means we need the skills to support those businesses. The role WCG has a focus on is making sure we have learners with the skills and attributes and can progress into vacancies within those organisations.
SSH: WCG is a leading education group in the Midlands with six colleges across Warwickshire and Worcestershire and more than 14,000 students. How much of your focus is on rail?
As a college group, we aim and strive to meet skills needs in the localities which we are based. Our focus on rail is certainly increasing, and we are now delivering rail courses at three of our colleges – Rugby and Moreton Morrell in Warwickshire, and Evesham College in Worcestershire.
Our students are travelling from Evesham to Moreton Morrell to be able to take advantage of the new simulation facility.
Given our geography, we have significant rail infrastructure going through our area and as the skills need grows, as will our delivery. There will be a significant amount of jobs available in the region for railway maintenance in years to come, whether that be the maintenance of the existing network or creation of HS2.
We will continue to develop our curriculum to meet local and regional skills needs, of which rail maintenance is one.
SSH: The college group also has a student visa licence allowing it to recruit students from overseas. Do you anticipate many students coming over to learn rail skills?
MB: This is a great idea and people are more than welcome to travel over to the UK, take advantage of our student visa licence and join our courses. However, we are aware that different countries and their national railways have different working practices. With the partnerships created since receiving the Strategic Development Fund grant we can now contribute to meeting the skills gaps in the rail maintenance sector.
Mark Bonham is Assistant Principal at college group WCG.
The recent troubles facing many train operators, including Avanti West Coast, have underlined the need for transformative change. A reluctance to let go of out-ofdate working practices combined with a lack of trust that is undermining managerial practices is resulting in a poor passenger experience. Urgent intervention is needed to restore services and reset the rail industry on route to a more profitable future.
In late July, Avanti West Coast was forced to cut the number of trains on its popular London Euston to Edinburgh service, when drivers refused to work additional shifts over and above their contracted hours. As with many other operators, the train operating company (TOC) had been relying on rest-day working to operate its timetable, which effectively meant that drivers had to volunteer to work overtime. As unusual as it might seem to industry onlookers, this working arrangement has become common practice across the rail sector and has been operating successfully for many years, until recently.
Other operators have been watching the situation with a significant amount of apprehension. They know that if their own train drivers were to decide one morning that they would no longer volunteer for overtime, they too could be forced to take drastic action by cutting services. Reducing services at a time when passenger numbers are getting back to pre-pandemic norms could undermine the industry’s recovery and place services on many routes at risk.
Key to the current instability at the heart of the rail industry is a breakdown
of trust between management and staff. Facing a cost of living crisis, workers are not willing to accept changes to their terms and conditions, which they fear could lead to less money in their pocket. Addressing the underlying mistrust will require a cultural transformation that is rooted in a balanced understanding of what workers want, and the skills required to run a modern railway, such as digital skills and blended job roles. Trust issues must be addressed in an open and honest way, working with trade union representatives wherever possible.
However, the issues facing the industry go beyond the purely cultural. The industry has an incredibly complex structure, with multiple stakeholders – from Network Rail that owns much of the infrastructure, to the OEMs that manufacture trains and sell them to rolling stock companies (ROSCOs) who then lease them to TOCs.
Operators sell tickets to passengers and run services on Network Rail’s tracks, but they are accountable to the Department for Transport and from next year, they will be accountable to Great British Railways (GBR). This complexity creates a high point of entry for new operators, particularly with regard to contracting and a web of regulation. This makes it more difficult to incentivise positive change effectively and any progress is likely to be hard won and take time.
To restore services and reset the industry on route to a more profitable future, more out-of-sector thinking is needed.
Lessons can be learned from the way other industries have responded to major changes – such as the aviation sector’s response to deregulation and the arrival of low-cost
airlines in the 1990s. The arrival of low-cost operators forced the traditional operators to do things differently – they had to fight to retain market share. They responded by focusing on customer service and managed to increase market share as a result. This focus on doing things differently was augmented by what many industry experts have described as ‘a competitive sense of fun’ in the industry as new operators sought creative ways to reduce operating costs in order to drive down prices for a new generation of flight-hungry consumers. While the low-cost operators disrupted the market, this resulted in a better outcome for the traditional operators in the long term too, and modernisation of the sector overall. Achieving the same competitive sense of fun in the rail industry will require vision, leadership and importantly, a commitment to reduce regulation and complexity. Change is coming with initiatives such as GBR’s fares, ticketing and retailing programme. However, with an estimated rail industry funding gap of £8 billion, many operators and other stakeholders are concerned that it can’t come quickly enough.
Some TOCs are already exploring strategies for modernising services, and out-of-sector thinking from the aviation industry in particular, is gaining traction. For example, some have adopted greater role flexibility in order to realise cost savings and improve the viability of services in a customer-focused way. Open access operators, such as Lumo, have already enjoyed some success in this area, attracting new customers to the network and others are looking to enter the market. To take another example, just as Ryanair was able strike deals with UK-based airports to avoid paying landing charges based on a guaranteed volume of passengers, it may be possible for TOCs to take a similar approach with key infrastructure providers. With industry change on the way, but not yet defined, by considering their options now there is an opportunity for TOCs to get ahead of the curve.
With many routes struggling to remain viable, TOCs can’t afford to wait for change to happen – if they stand still, they risk routes being cut. They must focus on reducing cost, improving customer service and increasing revenue now. Understanding the need for cultural change and rebuilding trust will be as important as thinking outside of the box.
‘However, the issues facing the industry go beyond the purely cultural. The industry has an incredibly complex structure.’
Passenger numbers on the rail network continue to recover from the effects of the pandemic
The recovery in demand for rail services in Britain from the depths of the Covid lockdowns continued during the spring, with passenger numbers more than 80 per cent higher than the same quarter in 2021, reaching their highest level since the imposition of the first lockdown in March 2020.
Overall, demand rose by 81.4 per cent over the same quarter in 2021, according to National Rail Trends statistics, published by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR). However, numbers still only reached just over 75 per cent of the 2019 figure.
The provisional figures cover the first quarter of fiscal year 2022/23, finishing at the end of June: across the network, 329.4 million passenger journeys were made during the twelve-week period, up from 181.6 million in 2020. Between them, they covered 13.2 billion passenger kilometres, double last year, and paid a total of £2.8 billion in fares, 110 per cent more than in 2021.
Looking at demand by ticket type, advance tickets were up by 137 per cent, whilst anytime peak and off-peak fares were up by 94.5 per cent and 77.4 per cent respectively. Season ticket holders made 47 per cent more journeys.
Comparing these figures with the same quarter in 2019, there has been wide divergence in the performance of different ticket types. The growth in advance purchase tickets means that sales were 23 per cent
higher than in the same quarter in 2019. Season tickets, though, were still only at one-third of 2019 levels. Sales of anytime peak tickets were 10.9 per cent down, whilst off-peak fares were 2.1 per cent lower.
The long distance InterCity operations saw the strongest growth during the quarter, being 116 per cent up on 2021, but 15.2 per cent per cent down on 2019. Looking at individual InterCity operators, EMR fared the best, growing its traffic by 117 per cent and recovering to within 1.6 per cent of 2019 levels. Next came Avanti West Coast, with growth of 112 per cent, though remaining 26 per cent short of its pre-Covid levels. Cross Country more than doubled its patronage too, with 103 per cent, but stayed 33 per cent short of 2019. LNER doubled its patronage in the year, but its earlier strong recovery meant that the company actually exceeded its 2019 patronage by 6.4 per cent.
In London and South East, growth over last spring was rather slower. Between them, the operators carried 227.2 million passengers in 2022, up 79 per cent on 2021, remaining and 24.5 per cent below 2019. Strongest quarterly growth came at Chiltern (94.2 per cent), West Midlands (85 per cent), and GTR (79.3 per cent). Weakest were c2c (41.2 per cent) and South Eastern (56.9 per cent).
Amongst the regional franchises, total patronage was 73 per cent up on 2021, but remained 27 per cent below 2019 levels. Amongst individual TOCs, TransPennine saw the strongest recovery, with patronage
ALSTOM WINS MAJOR TRAIN SERVICES CONTRACT WITH GTR
Alstom has signed a new contract with Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) for a services contract worth around £256 million. The Technical Support and
Spares Supply Agreement (TSSSA) will run from October 2022 for a period of five years, five months to align with the duration of GTR’s National Rail Contract. That means that Alstom will continue to support the Derby-built Class 377 and Class 387 Electrostar fleets in operation on Southern, Gatwick Express and Great Northern services into London’s Victoria and King’s Cross stations. Alstom has been a long-term trusted partner to GTR, having already serviced the fleets for nearly 20 years.
Rail Forum are excited to announce the date of InfraTalk for 2023. The event will take place on Thursday 26 January
2023 and will once again be held online using Remo. This innovative, virtual networking platform allows delegates easy access to engage with key representatives from tier 1s across procurement, commercial and senior management teams.
up 93.5 per cent from 2021, though still 32.3 per cent below its 2019 figures. Scotrail and TfW also saw growth of over 90 per cent. Merseyrail saw the lowest growth in the quarter, 50.9 per cent, leaving it 42.3 per cent below 2019 levels.
The national totals for the twelve months ended 31 December show that, compared with the last pre-Covid year of 2018/19, the number of passenger journeys was 35.4 per cent lower at 1.1 billion. Passenger kilometres travelled were 33.3 per cent lower at 45 billion, whilst passenger revenue saw a similar shortfall of 32.9 per cent at £6.9 billion.
As in previous quarters, performance varied between the sectors. Passenger journeys were 27.9 per cent below 2019 on the InterCity routes, whilst 27.3 per cent fewer passenger kilometres were travelled.
Passenger journeys on the London and South East routes remained 36.9 per cent short, with passenger kilometres down by 39.7 per cent. On the regional routes, there was a 33.4 per cent shortfall in the number of journeys compared with 2019, with passenger kilometres 28.8 per cent down.
This was the first full quarter after the lifting of all domestic and international travel restrictions imposed during the Covid pandemic. Continued recovery in rail demand would have been expected, and was indeed duly delivered.
However, the good news was far from universal, and must be tempered by some continuing worries about the future trajectory of the market.
There are some marked variations in recovery between operators, and the gap between the best and worst seems to be widening. LNER, for example, stood out as the first TOC to carry more passengers in the quarter than it had in the same three months in 2019, with East Midlands Railway a tiny 1.6 per cent short. Next comes London Overground, albeit still 11.9 per cent short.
This is such a sharp contrast, though, with half the operators whose patronage was still more than a third short of full recovery during the quarter – with Merseyrail being the stand-out, still over 42 per cent short. Scotrail (38.6 per cent), South Western (34.7 per cent), South Eastern (33.6 per cent), Cross Country (33.4 per cent), c2c (32 per cent), Chiltern (32.9 per cent), TransPennine (32.3 per cent), GTR (31.3 per cent) and West Midlands (30.6 per cent) are the others. What immediately stands out is that – with the exception of Cross Country – all these are short distance, mainly commuter operations – heavily reliant on sales of season tickets. As well as commuting, the TransPennine business is also heavily reliant on traffic to Manchester Airport, itself still well below 50 per cent of 2019 passengers during this quarter.
It is in the market for commuting that the explanation for the variations lie. Season ticket sales once again showed the weakest recovery of any ticket type, whilst passenger journeys remained at around a third of 2019 levels, with revenue down by a similar
proportion. By contrast, the mainly leisurebased advance-purchase products grew again, so that they are now actually four per cent ahead of 2019 levels. Sales of highyielding Anytime Peak tickets remained 24 per cent down on 2019 levels, but off-peak sales recovered to within 13 per cent of preCovid levels.
As we have noted before in these articles, one consequence of this shift in the market is that the railway earns a lower amount of money for each passenger kilometre travelled (what I term ‘the yield’). After allowing for inflation, the national figure is four per cent below the 2019 figure, at 15.8p. However, the loss rises to over seven per cent on the regional operations.
More recent trends on patronage levels are still available from the Department for Transport, through its continuing publication of transport demand estimates for every week since the lockdown began in March 2020. At the start of the spring quarter, weekly demand was averaging around 75 per cent, but rose to the mideighties during May and hit over 90 per cent for one week in June.
There has been further progress since then, prompting hopes that the next set of quarterly figures will be better still. Demand flat-lined in the high eighties for most of July and August, but was over 90 per cent again through most of September and – at long last – exceeded the 2019 figures for the first two weeks of October. How universal this apparent market recovery turns out to be, and how the network fares as a result of ongoing strikes, remains to be seen.
With uncertainty over future organisation, worries about funding in the face of the government’s shortage of funds and continuing economic problems, these are unhappy times for the rail industry. Maybe the recovery may just be a glimmer of good news. Let us hope so.
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down
similar proportion.’
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Reducing some laws and expanding the scope of others, but the EU still has some influence
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.
This month is a double header. The Government plans to remove the remaining parts of EU legislation which directly affect UK laws, but it is not that simple and a number of the laws may end up being reintroduced as British ones. The second part looks at a recent decision of the Court of Appeal bringing disputes under collateral agreements associated with a construction contract into the adjudication process.
Following Brexit, and to ease the UK’s transition out of the EU, an amount of EU legislation which was in force in the UK on 31 December 2020 was kept on the statute books. This meant that government law makers did not have to try to understand all of the effects of these laws and create a UK version of them, particularly as in the run up to Brexit there was limited time available to them to make all of the changes to enable an orderly departure from the EU. This EU legislation became known as ‘retained EU law’.
The Government considers that it has now had sufficient time to consider how this retained EU law has continued to work in the UK. It wants to replace it with appropriate UK laws or remove it where it is considered a barrier to good governance or growth of the UK economy. A new bill, the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill 2022 (EU Law Bill) has recently been introduced into Parliament to do this.
The EU Law Bill proposes that the majority of retained EU law should expire on 31 December 2023, with certain specified pieces of legislation lasting until 23 June 2026. Where Government decides that certain retained EU law does provide a benefit to the UK, it will be transferred into domestic law, most likely through
the issue of secondary legislation. The key will be ensuring that all relevant parts of the retained EU legislation needed is correctly transposed otherwise unworkable requirements may be created.
It will be important that all industry parties potentially affected by the removal of the retained EU legislation take an active role in monitoring the proposed revocations/changes and any proposed replacement domestic legislation. While consultation on replacement legislation may be provided, this should not be relied upon.
The EU Law Bill also provides for the principle of the supremacy of EU law, general principles of EU law and for directly effective EU rights to all end on 31 December 2023. After this date, UK domestic law will generally be the highest law in the UK. There will, however, be special powers available to allow Government to amend the new order of priority in specific circumstances, including to preserve the current hierarchy and supremacy for certain EU laws. This is likely where international obligations need to be preserved. Domestic courts will also have greater discretion to depart from retained case law, particularly where influenced by EU laws and new court procedures will be introduced for referrals and interventions in cases regarding retained EU case law.
The EU Law Bill is far reaching and has huge implications, in particular for employment law in the UK. Areas such as TUPE, paid annual holiday, the 48 hour working week, part-time and fixed-term worker regulations and the agency worker regulations will all be impacted by the Bill. However, it is not yet known what the
Government proposes in relation to these specific areas.
A consequence of creating new UK law is the potential for the Government to take this opportunity to reform the effects of EU law and bring about change on certain key issues. In the employment sphere this could include calculating holiday pay or the ability to change terms and conditions of employment following a TUPE transfer. This has the potential to have a significant impact on businesses because of the immediate uncertainty over employment law reforms which may now be on the horizon.
A major concern in respect of changes to employment laws is that under the European Trade and Cooperation Agreement, if changes to UK employment law have a material effect on trade and investment or reduce employment rights, the UK may face tariffs from the EU.
It remains to be seen what effect the potential of such tariffs arising from EU enforcement measures will have on the scope of reforms. The EU Law Bill is certainly something which will retain an interest for some time to come.
The Building Safety Act 2022 has opened new opportunities for defects claims in the construction sector, particularly those relating to fire safety. A major route for those claims is through the collateral warranties provided by the building contractor or professional consultant in favour of the party procuring the works. Historically, the collateral agreements have avoided using the adjudication mechanism for settling disputes which are included in the main construction contract, making it more expensive for
claims to be pursued. However, the recent case of Toppan Holdings Limited and Abbey Healthcare (Mill Hill) Ltd v Simply Construct (UK) LLP has seen the Court of Appeal change this position.
of Appeal who decided that the collateral warranty was a construction contract under the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1986 (the Construction Act). As a result, although the collateral warranty did not include an express right to adjudicate, by virtue of it being deemed a construction contract, this was implied by the Construction Act and so the amount awarded by the adjudicator was enforceable.
the University
Birmingham’s Centre for
(BCRRE).
The BCRRE Rail Innovation Cluster’s vision is to support
the
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both in the
Building on BCRRE’s many years of experience in assisting SMEs to enter the rail industry as startups or through diversification from other sectors, the
activity:
on three
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In this case Toppan procured the construction of a care home in London by Simply. Once built Toppan leased the home to Abbey and Abbey operated it. In 2018 Toppan discovered fire safety defects at the care home and requested that Simply remedy them. Simply disputed these, so Toppan engaged a third party contractor to remedy them. Eight months after the remedial works were carried out, Simply executed a collateral warranty in favour of Abbey. This was to comply with an obligation in the original building contract.
Toppan and Abbey used the collateral agreement as the means to recover their losses in relation to the disputed fire safety defects and used adjudication proceedings. The Adjudicator awarded sums to each of Toppan and Abbey in respect of their losses, but Simply claimed that the Adjudicator did not have jurisdiction to decide the dispute. This was because there was no contractual and/or implied right to adjudicate under the collateral warranty, as it was not a construction contract.
The matter finally reached the Court
Not all collateral warranties will constitute a construction contract. If the parties to a collateral warranty want the option of adjudication, they should include express wording to this effect. The key point here was that the collateral warranty was not just a fixed promise/guarantee of a past state of affairs. There was a promise of future performance of ‘construction operations’ i.e. to carry out repair works, even if the warranty was executed many years after the works are complete (as in this case).
This decision raises the question of whether other ancillary agreements may also attract the right to adjudicate. For example, is a parent company guarantee, guaranteeing due and punctual performance by the contractor of its obligations under a building contract, an agreement for the carrying out of construction operations? We will have to wait for future case law on this.
Tensar International Ltd (Tensar) is a worldwide leader in the manufacture and the provision of products and solutionsfor subgrade stabilisation, pavement optimisation and soilreinforcement. Its expertise and experience has beenaccumulated over several decades of successful collaborationin projects internationally. The service team, comprising manyqualified civil engineers, provides practical and best valueadvice and design to support the use of Tensar products andsystems in your application.
Tensar International is proud that once again they have been certified to design and supply trackbed improvement and soil reinforcement solutions for railway projects across the UK
order to support the sectors they work in, by maintaining an awareness of their goals and strategies. Priorities for Network Rail’s environmental strategy include gearing up for a lower carbon railway. This makes use of such options as electrification and battery power and also includes the need for resilience concerning the events now in evidence due to climate change. Areas to develop in support of this include increased biodiversity, minimising waste and the promoting use of sustainable materials. It is important to allow for known events within design consideration and consider systems and products to mitigate these effects.
Relatively new technologies currently being implemented include the ballast cleaning system which has recovered 2.6 million tonnes of ballast for reuse in the last ten years. Technology now exists to help minimise / recycle waste in this sector as well as many others. It is a statutory requirement for all rail projects over a certain budget level to undertake a carbon assessment, with the overall aim of reducing embodied carbon and also saving on capital and operational costs. The PAS 2080 carbon management framework for all infrastructure is the world’s first specification for managing whole life carbon in infrastructure.
There is an important Network Rail ‘Railway Industry Supplier Qualification Scheme (RISQS)’ audit, which is key for stakeholders within the sector, and for the second year running, Tensar has been verified under the ‘Passing the Railway Industry Supplier Qualification Scheme, meaning that buyers of products and services in the rail industry – from Network Rail, to Transport for London and HS2 –can continue to trust our systems and have complete confidence in our capabilities’ said Peter Matthias, Tensar’s UK Rail Lead.
Peter clarified that Tensar’s stabilisation geogrids and reinforced soil wall, and slopes systems have for some time been approved for use by Network Rail – and they have actually been used successfully on the railway for decades – and that the latest RISQS audit also covers the company’s design services.
‘We are delighted that our clients’ confidence in us, our products and our indemnified designs, continues to be justified. Instead of having to adopt them, the designs are now also verified in their own right – just like when we work in other areas, such as the highways sector. We’re pleased that yet again, we have received this official recognition, so that rail clients will be able to tap into our years’ of experience and expertise – and so we can continue to deliver great solutions for their projects’ he said.
There are a number of relevant applications for Tensar stabilisation products, so to highlight just a couple. One key application is the ballast stabilisation geogrid. These are incorporated nominally 300 mm below the base of the sleeper, to limit ballast settlement and limit ballast breakdown. This option is frequently utilised at the maintenance stage and can significantly reduce the need for future maintenance. This clearly offers substantial savings in time, environmental factors and other resources, with considerable, long-term benefits.
Another application is the incorporation of the geogrid lower in the build-up in the sub-ballast layers. This provides a stable formation to build the upper part of the platform and mechanical stabilisation of track ballast and sub-ballast has been proven to increase trackbed stiffness, reduce trackbed variability, minimise settlement and ballast degradation and smooth trackbed transitions.
There are numerous other applications where the geogrid might be used, such as smoothing transitions in stiff areas on the approach to a rail overbridge, for example.
The aim of all responsible companies is to ensure that new product development remains faithful to long term sustainability – both in terms of company goals and in
Tensar provides a range of stabilisation geogrids specifically for railways, with larger apertures, allowing effective particle confinement and mechanical interlock with coarse railway ballast. Tensar geogrids have also gained Network Rail Product Acceptance Certification for the structural stabilisation of ballasted trackbed.
Tensar’s permanent and temporary reinforced soil retaining wall and slope systems are also regularly used on railway projects to form approach embankments, bridge abutments, retaining walls and steep vegetated cuttings.
As our products and services for the rail sector continue to develop, Tensar has drawn on the specialist expertise of our staff and put together a dedicated rail team. As Rail Lead, Peter Matthias heads up the team, which includes Luke Barnes and Jane Roebuck. Luke recently joined the team as Area Civil Engineer and Jane is the Internal Sales support for Rail. Together, they are available to offer expert opinions on projects and design queries, based on their extensive experience in the sector.
Peter recently presented a webinar covering on the topic of ‘Decarbonising Railways – Trackbed Stabilisation’. To see the full webinar, which is available on demand, visit: www.tensar.co.uk/decarbonisingrail
For more information about Tensar’s design and supply rail solutions, visit: https://info.tensar.co.uk/rail_confidence
Alexandra Herdman, Public Policy Manager at Logistics UK explores the opportunities for growth, and the potential challenges
Over recent years, rail freight has stagnated. Traditionally, rail has been a key transporter of coal, however its usage has reduced in recent years and while the transportation of non-coal goods via rail has been rising, it has not been at a similar rate to combat the loss of coal. This provides opportunities, illustrating that there is already spare capacity on the network as it is now for the transportation of other goods and commodities.
Rail is currently undergoing major reform and at the heart of it, for the logistics industry, is rail freight growth. One of core commitments for freight in the Plan for Rail is that government will set a rail freight growth target. To better understand the demand for freight and how big of a role rail can play in the transportation of goods, both now and in the future, Great British Railways (GBR) has produced a call for evidence.
Logistics UK supports modal shift as a sustainable way forward for the logistics sector. While road will always remain the dominant mode of transport, there are opportunities – where appropriate – to move more goods by both rail and water. Modal shift has many benefits; rail freight provides immediate environmental benefits of up to 76 per cent reduced green-house gases and up to 16 per cent improvement in air quality when compared to road. Longterm, it can help reduce congestion – one freight train can move the equivalent of up to 76 HGVs, making road space available on our road network – and support economic growth across the regions as well as government’s levelling up agenda, for example, through new job opportunities and new infrastructure developments.
In the call for evidence, GBR asks for
opinions on over what timeframe should the growth target be set. Logistics UK recommends the end state to be 2050, with intermediate targets. As part of this, Logistics UK also recommends set targets for regional divisions of GBR. The business group also suggests a requirement on local/ planning authorities in designated areas to meet a modal shift target.
It is vital that set targets are not over ambitious or considered unachievable as this could have unintended consequences, including disincentivising rail freight. Different markets will have different opportunities for growth and different needs to achieve it. GBR should work towards market specific targets, which overall combine to an average growth target. This could be similar to how the targets were considered and set in Scotland. Logistics UK members consider a target to treble rail freight by 2050 to be achievable. If intermediate targets are above those set, it may be that the final target should also be increased to drive further incentives to move more by rail.
To compare the UK’s ambition, the EU’s rail freight target is to double rail freight traffic by 2050, including a target to move 30 percent of road journeys over 300 kilometres to rail by 2030. In Scotland, the target is set by control periods (CPs) at 7.5 per cent per CP. While this is not as ambitious as trebling rail freight, it is achievable. Our members are keen that the target achieves the right balance between ambitious and achievable to ensure the right outcomes.
Commitment to rail freight growth will require a step change from GBR and the government. Logistics UK is calling for the four ‘Cs’ to support a rail freight growth target:
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.
1. Clarity on priority routes for rail freight –The HS2 business plan commits to release capacity for freight but it doesn't say where, when or how. We need a national network for rail freight.
2. Clarity on pricing – The National Infrastructure Commission is preparing the next five-year National Infrastructure Assessment. They have committed to look at road pricing but they must commit to look at rail pricing as well, as fair pricing is the only way to fully incentivise rail freight and make best use of the transport network.
3. Commitment now to electrification of key freight paths – We need optimise the mainlines for freight success and electrification is the only power source with the capability to do this. Electrification also solves air quality concerns.
4. Clarity on hydrogen and fuels – Should global investors take UK hydrogen rail and biofuels seriously or are we prioritising hydrogen for heat and zero carbon fuels for aviation? Further clarity and certainty is needed for business confidence.
Further to this, it is vital that freight and passenger services should be given equal treatment with a level playing field for both private and public sector interests and this should be reflected in the approach to data sharing and access. GBR must also have a core duty to facilitate the delivery of
TransPennine Express (TPE) is celebrating an important first after welcoming its first qualified female driver at Liverpool Lime Street’s depot. Sophie Marks, 30, joined TPE in March after previously working as a driver at West Midlands Trains. Sophie is currently in the process of ‘route learning’ and aims to be signed off to drive solo by November.
Sophie said: ‘It feels good to represent women in a male-dominated industry. I come from a family of railway employees, my mother is a booking clerk, and my father and my uncle are both train drivers for Chiltern Railways. I’ve always loved trains from a young age. I never saw my gender as a barrier to working with them, but I do hope to use my position to challenge perceptions and encourage more young women to consider a career within rail.’
high-quality, reliable freight services and be accountable to freight operators for the level of service they provide. It is crucial that GBR works collaboratively and transparently with the freight and logistics sector, and governance should include a freight lead director on the national, regional and system operator Boards.
Despite the vast opportunities available for rail freight growth, there are a number of potential challenges that could limit its success. A core example of this is the lack of suitable infrastructure and intermodal connectivity. Another challenge is the lack of a simple access to rail freight; currently there is no designated system for finding available space on a freight train and
industry therefore needs a simple access to market to make it easier for businesses such as freight forwarders and sellers to put freight onto rail.
Also a key concern is the current economic climate, which has the potential to result in reduced freight levels across all modes due to consumer behaviour and economic stresses such as the cost of living crisis. Similarly, industrial activity across all modes is impacting freight movements with recent rail strikes causing a downturn in rail freight activity.
Overall, Logistics UK believes there is significant opportunities for rail freight growth, should both GBR and the Strategic Freight Unit (SFU) communicate with industry to ensure potential challenges are resolved as effectively as possible. For many businesses, costs are also an important consideration as rail freight can still be more expensive than road freight. The call for evidence has not addressed this directly and Logistics UK is keen to work with GBR to see how it proposes to support rail freight, in order to ensure that it is competitive with other modes. With the biggest rail reform since privatisation about to happen, Logistics UK is keen that all possible opportunities are maximised to make rail freight growth a success.
Combining our vast experience with new and existing tunnels in combination with the outstanding knowledge of rehabilitation methods for existing underground structures, our experts are able to cover the full range from assessing the tunnel conditions and repair needs to developing the minutest detail to help tunnels to get fit for their extended life.
TPE’S FIRST FEMALE DRIVER AT LIVERPOOL
‘Industry therefore needs a simple access to market to make it easier for businesses such as freight forwarders and sellers to put freight onto rail.’
New research from Trainline Partner Solutions (TPS) shows rail travel is seeing a boost in popularity among business travellers
The research of 1,007 UK employees who plan to travel for work in the next twelve months (not commuting), and of 251 business decision makers on business travel policy within companies of 500+ employees were conducted by independent research company Censuswide in June 2022.
Astudy of 1,000+ business travellers and 250+ travel policy decision makers in the UK reveals that increased desire to stay productive and connected while travelling for work is prompting a significant increase in rail demand – but employers can do more to deliver access to rail options.
As hybrid working patterns become the norm and employees seek to avoid ‘travel dead time’ at all costs. More than eight in ten (82 per cent) of business travellers in the UK reported that maintaining productivity is a major consideration, with 44 per cent saying that the ability to stay productive in-transit has become more important since the pandemic and widespread introduction of hybrid, more flexible work patterns.
As a result, 50 per cent of respondents say rail travel makes it easier to stay productive than air or road travel. Among the same group of respondents, 80 per cent agree that rail travel will become a more attractive proposition for business travel over the next twelve months. The survey revealed the top advantages of rail travel over air or road are more reliable access to Wi-Fi and mobile connectivity (chosen by 51 per cent of respondents), a more comfortable physical environment for work (50 per cent), a quieter and calmer experience (48 per cent) and less waiting around (46 per cent).
However, there is a disconnect between what employees want and what their employers offer. While as many as 79 per cent of business travellers believe employers should promote alternative travel options to short-haul air travel and private road travel, 45 per cent reported that their companies could do more to promote rail options.
And businesses agree. Despite virtually all travel decision makers (87 per cent) saying supporting employees to stay productive in transit is an increasingly important consideration for their business, and nearly two-thirds (65 per cent) saying it’s more important to make more rail travel
options available to employees over the next twelve months, a huge 68 per cent think their company could do more to support corporate rail travel.
Major barriers to delivering rail travel cited by businesses include current travel providers not providing extensive rail options (30 per cent) and the company not deeming it a business priority (21 per cent). Compounding this finding is previous research showing seven in ten employees (71 per cent) said they think businesses that do not offer sustainable business travel set a bad example for future generations.
There is, however, strong support from travel policy decision makers to support the modal shift to rail. While the main factors for providing more rail options were related to environmental factors (61 per cent) and sustainability reporting (51 per cent), productivity compared to air and road travel was the third most significant factor, chosen by 49 per cent of respondents. So much so that almost three in five (57 per cent) said that, within reason, supporting employees to travel in ways that helps them stay productive is more important than the duration of the journey.
Champa Magesh, President, Trainline Partner Solutions, comments: ‘The pandemic has irreversibly changed approaches to work, with people increasingly prioritising staying productive wherever they are and wherever they need to go. While sustainability factors will always be central to the growing shift to rail, the push to eliminate “travel dead time” is clearly impacting transport choices too. Not only does rail help business travellers stay connected and better able to manage their work-life balance, it also encourages more sustainable, greener travel choices. It’s now up to employers – and their travel partners - to cater for this demand and support their staff to travel how they want to.’
Research also shows that rail is not only regarded as an option for domestic business travel – as many as 64 per cent said they would now consider rail for international
travel. One-third have already travelled to mainland Europe by rail in the last 12 months for business, almost doubling to 59 per cent for employees aged 18-24 yearsshowing business rail is especially popular with a younger demographic.
Champa went on to say: ‘Our data shows that the post-pandemic working environment has shifted the priorities for both business travellers and those who are setting the travel agenda within organisations. For a long time, business travel was greatly impacted by the pandemic. As it returns to the corporate agenda, this survey shows a desire amongst both travellers and decision makers to make sure it fits into the new ways of working – that means avoiding ‘travel dead time’ during working hours to prevent work spilling over and protect the work-life balance of employees.
‘As we can see with our survey results, where it’s an option, rail presents for many the ideal mode of travel to cater to this shifting agenda for business travel. As we accelerate towards 2030 climate goals, the added sustainability benefit of choosing rail over alternative travel options should also provide added impetus for businesses in making sure rail is part of their corporate travel agenda.’
‘Our data shows that the post-pandemic working environment has shifted the priorities for both business travellers and those who are setting the travel agenda within organisations.’
Kaymac has an ‘in-house’ delivery model that maximises efficiency and flexibility, with a diversified workforce capable of generating alternative, innovative solutions. We maintain a highly trained, qualified, and experienced workforce that complements our strong safety culture and commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction.
We deliver efficient, value-driven engineering solutions for the construction industry. Safety and innovation are at the core of everything we do, together with a ‘can-do’ attitude and personal attention to client needs.
Bernadette Ballantyne is a journalist, content creator and award-winning podcast producer, excited to be able to use her engineering and journalistic skills to communicate the ways in which engineering solutions can make the world a better place.
Bernadette Ballantyne explains how an innovation called Rail Decarb enables transport authorities to quickly and cost-efficiently appraise railway systems for a net zero future
consequently power demand as well as wear to the tracks. Rail Decarb helps identify where different combinations make the most sense.
Sébastien describes the large volume of information entered: It starts with baseline infrastructure, rolling stock and operational data on the existing network. Data laid on top of that includes the embodied and operational carbon and cost of equipment for electrification or fuelling, information about its maintenance requirements and lifespan; it also includes the embodied and operational carbon and cost, performance specifications, maintenance requirements and lifecycle of all potential rolling stock.
The next step is to provide Rail Decarb with essential design rules, such as how frequently substations are required to sit alongside electrified sections or how much power a battery can provide and what that means for train performance. The whole system is then analysed in exacting detail.
Retrofitting a railway to reduce its carbon emissions is a difficult task but one that is important for national – and ultimately global – emissions reduction. Rail clients recognise their role in achieving net-zero.
Electrifying railway systems is allowing a transition away from diesel powered rolling stock, but recent UK experiences have reminded the rail industry that retrofitting overhead contact systems to historic infrastructure can be complex and challenging. What is more, technology developments, particularly in batteries and hydrogen as a fuel, mean that a range of solutions is becoming available to transport authorities. More choice opens new opportunities but also additional considerations. Clients must optimise solutions not just for carbon but for cost, service quality and passenger experience too. There is a lot to consider. ‘The human brain is not very good at doing multi-criteria optimisations’ explains Sébastien Lechelle, head of traction power at Mott MacDonald.
Experienced professionals may be very adept at optimising projects based on cost, carbon or journey time, to build a strong business case. ‘But as soon as you have to take all three together in different proportions… it takes a very special person to do that, just with their brain’ Sébastien says.
Fortunately, technical advances are coming to the rescue. “In this day and age of artificial intelligence, computing power and big data, there are new things we can do here,” says Sébastien.
The ‘new thing’ that Sébastien and his team have been working on is an intelligent optimisation tool called Rail Decarb. ‘We said OK, what if we had a tool employing artificial intelligence that we could feed data, and that would simultaneously consider the economic, social and environmental criteria to find an optimised solution?’
Things that make full line electrification difficult include tunnels, overbridges and the canopies of older stations, where there is insufficient clearance to accommodate the overhead line and pantograph; embankments with narrow crests and areas with poor ground conditions, making it difficult to erect gantries and masts; and distance from a high voltage power source, presenting physical and cost challenges in making a connection. To overcome these ‘obstacles’ requires electric trains with an on-board power source – traditionally diesel, but now available with batteries or with hydrogen as a fast-emerging technology. Trade-offs must be struck. For example, different modes of propulsion affect train speed and journey time; carrying lots of batteries or fuel increases train weight and
‘What we do is a bit like the finite element method’ explains Sébastien speaking of the modelling used in structural analysis, where large areas are broken down into much smaller parts before applying an array of mathematical techniques to accurately calculate information about each element. These can then be reassembled to gain insight about the performance of a whole system. ‘We chop our railways into small cells. Each cell is examined in turn as being either electrified or not, and all possible combinations are explored to deliver an optimal result.’
Splitting a line into cells and then looking at them in different combinations means that the algorithm used to run the scenarios can present thousands, even millions of potential options for the final decarbonised railway. This is a step that has not been possible before because the options were always limited by human capacity.
The first outputs from the software are what Sébastien calls candidate solutions. ‘At this stage, we are not trying to determine something that's going to work exactly, we just generate lots of solutions that can be assessed in terms of net present value, carbon payback time and journey time.’
Net present value takes account of capital costs, operational costs and potential income. Rail Decarb looks at the carbon payback time for the lowest carbon options, taking account of embodied and operational carbon emissions. The third criterion is journey time. A candidate solution might show that use of a hybrid electric-battery train is as fast as a diesel-powered train over electrified sections of the network but slower when using battery power, resulting in longer journey time.
‘We use what's called fitness function’
explains Sébastien. This gives a score to each candidate solution and begins to reveal the trade-offs between cost, carbon and journey time. Rail Decarb allows the user to set different weightings for each parameter and explore all possibilities. Candidate solutions with the highest score are kept and those
scoring poorly are abandoned. ‘The really clever bit is we use the genetic algorithm to optimise the decision: we take good candidate solutions and hybridise them.’
This is where the magic happens says Sébastien. ‘The beautiful thing is that over a certain number of iterations the best features of each solution combine and converge towards an optimum.’
This was something that Transport Scotland discovered during 2021 when a prototype of Rail Decarb was tested on the Fife to Levenmouth line. It ran 18,000 scenarios in just seven weeks, leading the organisation to comment that it had the potential to save years and millions of pounds in project appraisal. Transport Scotland had already investigated a range of electrification and low carbon solutions. Rail Decarb was used to retrospectively appraise the approach and options selected. The exercise was also an opportunity to better calibrate Rail Decarb with enhanced information on rolling stock maintenance and embedded carbon.
Transport authorities are under pressure to reduce carbon and cost. These goals are
not always easy to align, as illustrated by spiralling costs that led to cancellation of a host of English and Welsh railway electrification projects in 2017.
The ability to find robust solutions that will deliver value for money, and transparently show the workings, is essential: decision making must stand up to deep scrutiny. Sébastien credits his Mott MacDonald colleague Dr Joseph Cosgrave for first stating the problem and sowing the seeds of a solution. He recognised that engineers, no matter how experienced and thorough, cannot handle the quantities of information required to assess thousands of possible scenarios. Advances in AI and machine learning offered the opportunity to do so, and he set in train the idea of harnessing Mott MacDonald’s rail engineering know-how to that end.
Rail Decarb is the product – designed by engineers but with vastly greater datacrunching capacity and speed – delivering solutions hitting the optimal balance between carbon, cost and journey time, and improving all the time.
Find out more about Rail Decarb by contacting sebastien.lechelle@mottmac.com
Ron Nobbs, Partner and Charlotte Thomas, Associate at law firm Stephenson Harwood LLP with some tips for making and managing claims
Engineering work is a necessary consequence of operating a railway, to ensure services can run safely and reliably; sometimes these will interrupt the access rights of train operating companies (TOCs). Since the pandemic, and with shifting travel patterns, there has been industry-wide discussion about whether engineering work should be switched away from weekends, where leisure travel has seen the most recovery. But this is a question of 'when' and not 'if' the engineering work is undertaken: the need for ‘possessions’ of the railway, or ‘Restrictions of Use’ (RoU), is accepted.
Network Rail's (NR) entitlement to take pre-planned possessions is contained in the engineering access statement under NR's Network Code. Of course, if the railway is not available, TOCs cannot operate services, may not be able to generate as much revenue, and may incur extra costs. The financial implications of a possession are set out in Schedule 4 of the Track Access Contracts (TACs), which establishes a mechanism where the TOC will receive compensation calculated in accordance with a formula. In many instances, NR and the TOC will be satisfied or agree that formulaic compensation is sufficient for the TOC's costs and losses – however, there is scope for a dispute about whether this is actually the case, especially where a possession is significant in duration and/or impact.
Possessions are inherently disruptive and therefore tend to result in TOCs incurring costs and suffering losses. How long a possession lasts will influence the nature and extent of costs and losses.
Recognising this, Schedule 4 establishes
a hierarchy to determine entitlement to compensation:
• A ‘Type 1’ RoU is one of less than 60 consecutive hours.
• A ‘Type 2’ RoU is one of between 60 and 120 consecutive hours.
• A ‘Type 3’ RoU is one of more than 120 consecutive hours.
The starting point is that compensation will be calculated using the TAC formulae. However:
• Where a Type 2 RoU has occurred, revenue losses will be calculated using the formula but either party can require that costs be calculated as ‘RoU Direct Costs’. This includes bus and taxi hire, publicity, train planning and diagramming, and other costs directly related to the
organisation and management of the TOC's response to the RoU.
• Where a Type 3 RoU has occurred, either party can require that both revenue losses and costs be calculated as ‘RoU Liability’. This includes any costs, direct losses and expenses (including revenue loss) reasonably incurred or reasonably expected to be incurred by the TOC as a consequence of the RoU.
In either case, NR or the TOC needs to reasonably believe there will be a difference of more than £10,000 between the formulaic compensation and RoU Direct Costs/RoU Liability. Together, these are referred to as ‘RoU Losses’.
Schedule 4 is not prescriptive about how to value RoU Losses so a dispute could easily arise, especially as costs and losses will obviously vary greatly between possessions, depending on the duration and knock-on effects. Costs might range from rail replacement buses – which might be relatively straightforward to demonstrate –to management time and business planning being diverted from business-as-usual activities. This might be more difficult to justify and quantify.
In our experience, disputes about quantifying RoU Losses tend to be more common than disputes about NR's liability to pay compensation. This is not surprising as it is typically straightforward to show that a RoU has occurred, especially as RoUs must be notified to the TOC in advance, and to classify it as Type 1, 2 or 3.
If either party wishes to use a non-formulaic approach, a specific notice must be served on the other party within the prescribed time period. If the RoU Claim Notice is issued by a TOC, it needs to include an estimate of the RoU Direct Costs or RoU Liability.
The service of the Notice kicks off a process set out in the TAC in which the parties must negotiate the amount of compensation. If agreement is not reached within 28 days, either party can refer the dispute for formal resolution under the Access Dispute Resolution Rules (ADRR) appended to the NR Network Code. It is important not to confuse the RoU Claim Notice with a Notice of Dispute, which may well still be needed to satisfy ADRR requirements.
‘Once a dispute has escalated via a RoU Claim Notice … It (A TOC) could be required to prove its entire claim … (which) could mean that routinely accepted and paid claims, such as rail replacement costs, are challenged.’
‘A TOC making a claim for revenue loss should consider as early as possible how it will prove the link between the possession and the lost revenue.’
Community Rail Education Network and CrossCountry have launched the UK's first Sustainable Travel Educational Toolkit. Over the last six months, the partnership (with support from Community Rail Network and the Decarbon8 Network) have developed and produced a series of ground-breaking materials that will support the national curriculum in teaching Key Stage Two students about sustainable travel.
We spoke about the ADRR dispute resolution procedures in the first article in this series. In any dispute resolution procedure, the TOC will need to be able to prove that it incurred costs and/or losses as a direct result of the RoU.
For TOCs who have experienced a Type 2 or 3 RoU and are looking to make a claim over and above formulaic compensation, here are our top tips.
Ensure the costs and losses fall within the definitions in the TAC that can be claimed. Do not lose sight of what needs to be demonstrated to succeed. For example, losses claimed in respect of a Type 3 RoU must be ‘direct losses … reasonably incurred or reasonably expected to be incurred … as a consequence of [the possession]’.
It may also be useful to keep NR informed before/during/after the possession about the type and amount of costs being incurred. However, this is not a substitute for proving your claim and you may still be 'put to proof', even if no objections were raised by NR at the time.
To succeed in a claim, you must be able to show that costs were reasonably incurred. This will be informed by the commercial judgment of those planning and managing the RoU, and those individuals may need to explain why decisions were taken.
A TOC can make a claim for (direct) loss of revenue reasonably incurred or reasonably expected to be incurred as a consequence of a Type 3 RoU. This will likely include revenue loss as a result of passengers not able to travel during the possession. It could also include revenue losses after the core period of the possession where passengers were temporarily or permanently driven away from the network.
Revenue loss can be complex to calculate and will inevitably involve some form of financial modelling to demonstrate the difference between (1) the revenue the TOC could reasonably have expected but for the possession and (2) the revenue actually collected. It may be useful to agree a methodology to calculate losses at an early stage – although this may not prevent the other side from taking issue with the methodology if the dispute escalates.
With greener transport recognised as a fundamental part of the solution to the climate emergency, sustainability is a topic that we all need to be more aware of. These resources focus on the Key Stage Two age group, with an aim to encourage conversations around sustainability at home and influence the wider group of family and friends to choose sustainable travel.
Keep relevant contemporaneous records and do so in 'original' format. This might include planning documents, meeting minutes, business records, or stakeholder briefings.
Records should be clearly referable to particular possessions – this will be especially important where a TOC has more than one possession occurring at a time or in quick succession.
Remember that it might be possible to claim certain planning and management costs. Records should be kept from as early as possible.
A TOC making a claim for revenue loss should consider as early as possible how it will prove the link between the possession and the lost revenue. It might be worth considering how to show the impact on customer behaviour before, during and after the possession.
Direct Rail Services (DRS) has won a prestigious award for its innovative refrigerated rail service with supermarket giant Tesco. DRS and Tesco won the Freight and Logistics Achievement of the Year award at this year’s National Rail Awards.
Once a dispute has escalated via a RoU Claim Notice, the TOC may find itself in a dispute resolution procedure under the ADRR. It could be required to prove its entire claim rather than just discrete elements. This could mean that routinely accepted and paid claims, such as rail replacement costs, are challenged. This will require the TOC to prove that the costs were reasonably incurred as a consequence of the RoU.
It may be useful to set up a cost recording system to record costs arising from the possession separately to business-asusual costs, as this will make collating and evidencing the claim more straightforward. Any system should be established as early as possible, clearly explained to staff, and used consistently across the business.
Possessions, whilst often needed, can be incredibly disruptive and result in TOCs incurring costs and losses over and above the formulaic compensation provided for in TACs. In these instances, it is important to consider the alternative mechanism of calculating compensation and the hurdles to make good a claim.
Our top tips should help TOCs take ownership of such 'possession' claims. Of course, the way in which disputes arise and are dealt with may differ following the implementation of the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail. In the future railway, if Great British Railways (GBR) takes cost and revenue risk and is also responsible for maintaining the track and needing possessions, there is an argument that Schedule 4 is not needed for GBR TOCs. However, if there is any element of cost risk for GBR TOCs, and for both revenue and cost for non-GBR TOCs, a regime will be needed to deal with the consequence of the track not being available for trains to operate. It remains to be seen what this might look like.
‘Remember that it might be possible to claim certain planning and management costs. Records should be kept from as early as possible.’
TEACHING KEY STAGE TWO STUDENTS ABOUT SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL
SENCITY® Tram rooftop antennas offer an all-in-one wireless solution to meet the unique requirements for light rail vehicles such as trams and metros. It provides up to nine radiating elements in one single compact housing, supporting 4×4 cellular, 4×4 Wi-Fi and dual-band GNSS option. Tetra bands can also be supported as a separate option.
Philippe Vappereau, Chairman, CNA explains how delivering an open ticketing ecosystem is a more sustainable approach
Unpredictability has been a hallmark of ticketing over the last few years, with the Covid-19 pandemic bringing unprecedented challenges to the fore. However, in the wake of this crisis came a second: the rising cost of living.
Accelerated inflation rates coupled with escalating costs of fuel and energy are placing immense pressure on the finances of passengers and networks alike. Figures from the World Economic Forum show that inflation is at its highest since the early 1980s, ranging from a 25 per cent rate in Israel, to almost 80 per cent in Turkey. Rises in global fuel prices have had a big impact, forcing motorists to reconsider private vehicle usage. The transit space must help maintain essential services while facilitating affordable access, helping local economies to function all around the world. How can ticketing meet these needs, and what strategies will prove to be mutually beneficial for both networks and the passengers they serve?
For passengers, any rising cost in public transport may force them to reduce journeys for both professional and leisure purposes. Workers may return to home working if they are able, and would-be tourists may postpone trips.
Transport networks may experience a sharp increase in operational costs at the same time as falling passenger footfall, resulting in lower ticketing revenues and reduced resources for long-term network investment.
Despite financial pressures, public transport can become a more attractive option than it’s been for years, providing an alternative to expensive private transport as value for money becomes a priority. PTOs and PTAs must make every effort to present public transport as a reliable and affordable service to reinforce its value to passengers.
So, how might networks mitigate support passengers when it comes to ticketing and payments during these challenging times?
Some are taking drastic action by temporarily offering low-cost ticketing to incentivise travel and increase public transport ridership. From June through August 2022, passengers across Germany were able to purchase a single ticket for all modes of city and regional transport for one month for just €9.
This scheme did see some success, most notably for trips between 30-100 kilometres which saw a 104 per cent increase in the number of such trips when compared to the same period in 2019 – the last summer unaffected by the pandemic. However, nationwide there proved to be negligible change in the overall volume of road traffic, while critics of the plan question its longterm feasibility if networks were faced with razor-thin profit margins without the summer tourism passenger boom.
It’s unlikely that the cost-of-living crisis will go away quickly. And while public transport ticketing is just a small part of the challenge, instead of offering stop-gap measures and short-term solutions, networks must instead create innovative, futureproof offerings.
Consider the following three approaches
that offer incentives to passengers while providing network operators and authorities more control:
1. Offering fare flexibility – rising prices are causing people to look wherever they can to save money. Today, passengers are increasingly agile with their travel patterns, and want flexible tickets, flexible modes of transport, and to travel affordably whenever they need to move around. This requires networks to explore flexible ticketing initiatives that delivers the optimum balance between value for passengers and ROI for networks. As today’s travellers become more unpredictable in their journeys, fares and tariff structures must find ways to become less rigid and offer value and choice. Open standards enable passengers to access a mix of every tariff type, including subscriptions, locally stored value and Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG). It also enables the delivery of each ticket type with the same level of high performance and data privacy safeguards. In short, they promote ticketing and transit inclusion for all passenger types and preferences.
2. Enabling new mobility services –networks can consider how new mobility services like scooters and bikes (Mobilityas-a-Service or ‘MaaS’) can integrate with established public transport modes like buses, trains and trams. An effective MaaS policy considers the passenger journey from the very first step to the last. This not only reduces the complexity of ticketing for users, it also enables them to easily optimise the value they get from public transport, making it a far more attractive option than costly private vehicle use.
3. Supporting budgeting – networks should consider the value that closed loop ticketing offers passengers. With inflation forcing more passengers to keep a closer eye on spending, and some may not want to choose open loop PAYG ticketing. Instead, some may prefer to maintain control by using a network’s own ticketing solution, which also makes it easier to access concessionary fares. This also has the added benefit of supporting passengers who are unbanked.
With networks once again having to do more with less, anything that presents savings across operations is critical. Open standards provide the tools that put networks in control, optimising resource allocation to develop futureproof, secure and flexible ticket offerings that meet the needs of passengers and operators alike and maximize ROI.
Not only do open standard solutions drive down costs by reducing the risk of
Students from universities across the UK are moving into graduate-level jobs on HS2 aligned to the subjects they studied at university. HS2 Ltd’s graduate programme has helped to launch the careers of more than 50 former students since it first began in 2016 and this week, twelve graduates from ten UK universities were the latest to secure a place on the coveted twoyear scheme. The Class of 2022 will be split across HS2’s engineering, project management, commercial and IT teams, with each new entrant completing rotational placements in their subject area. The bespoke programmes provide candidates with industry experience in their chosen field, whilst supporting the multi-phase delivery of Europe’s biggest infrastructure project.
vendor lock in and giving operators full sovereignty and control over their solutions, but they also help networks deliver fare structures that can unlock better value for passengers.
As chip shortages continue, networks that are dependent on one proprietary vendor may struggle to meet passenger demand. Open standards provide an alternative and are maintained with PTOs and PTAs front of mind. In addition, as open standards mean PTOs and PTAs are not tied down to any particular vendor, they can place tenders for the best solution at the best price.
True open standard technologies enable networks to combine account-based (ABT) and card-based ticketing into their system. Closed loop solutions can also work alongside open loop solutions and help enable convenient, highly secure ticketing for all. Closed loop open standards also help networks easily deliver specialised tariff structures, season tickets or fare programmes.
Public transport is not immune from the world’s crises. However, with the current cost of living crisis, there is also
an opportunity. Passengers are having to rethink private vehicle usage and the transit sector must demonstrate its commitment to providing unparalleled convenience and value. By doing this, networks can convert passengers who were once casual, infrequent users, to become long-term, committed public transport enthusiasts, helping increase its customer base.
For PTOs and PTAs, harnessing this new customer base while still operating within their constrained resources is especially critical. Open source software development kits such as Eclipse Keyple, a free tool CNA has developed and donated to the ticketing community, empowers developers to create innovative, advanced ticketing software for terminals. Meanwhile, low-cost ticketing solutions will provide critical help to networks, providing empowering highquality ticketing that doesn’t depend on passing costs to passengers.
Ticketing has an opportunity to help reinforce passenger conversion by creating a smart, convenient and joined up ecosystem. For networks committed to delivering this, being part of an open ticketing ecosystem presents a more viable, sustainable approach to long-term sustainability and growth.
erminal emulators are used to access green-screen legacy systems such as Mainframe, IBMi or Unix. Often these systems have been in use by organisations for decades, and are still prized for their security, throughput and performance. Such is their continued functionality that green-screen legacy systems are used by 71 per cent of FTSE 100 Companies. They are also used widely across Government, infrastructure and transport networks. Being able to access and interact with data from such legacy systems via a performant terminal emulator can bring huge benefits to organisations.
Despite the benefits of their legacy system many railway operators may not have audited their terminal emulator in years- reducing efficiency and increasing costs and security threats. Emulators may have been purchased on a perpetual licence and not upgraded or serviced properly in years. The emulator might only be accessible on one type of
device, browser or operating system and the security elements of the emulator may now be defunct, creating a larger digital threat surface for the railway operator, which many groups are increasingly looking to exploit.
These issues are compounded by the increasing awareness of how vulnerable national infrastructure is to cyberattack. Moody’s have warned that infrastructure is a prime target, highlighting the potential to cause maximum disruption and panic amongst the public. The reality of disruptive cyberattacks on railway systems was highlighted in 2017 during a WannaCry attack on Deutsche Bahn. The hack led to customer information boards being taken over by warning screens from hackers, demanding payment to restore services. This prompted panic among passengers and the episode has been described as a ‘wakeup call’ to railway operators with regards to cyber-security.
The 2020 SolarWinds hack also highlighted how vulnerable organizations are to supply-chain attacks targeting insecure third-party software. So severe was the fallout of the SolarWinds hack that President Joe Biden recently issued the ‘Executive Order on Improving the Nation’s Cybersecurity’, ordering all federal departments to commit to increasing their cyber security. With the ultimate goal that this strengthening would also trickle throughout the nation’s private sector.
This ongoing threat to national and international security has been brought to the fore by campaigns conducted by North Korean and Russian Active Persistent Threat (APT) hacker groups. These groups have identified terminal emulators as a potential weak spot in organisations, as a recent campaign by the North Korean Lazarus Group shows. The group used a compromised version of the PuTTY terminal emulator to infect targeted organisational systems. The group has already been
successful in compromising a number of media, defence and aerospace organisations and the number of victims is likely to grow. Such open-source emulators should clearly not be considered for use by enterprises or large organisations.
By contrast Flynet Viewer TE Terminal Emulator is a fully secure pure-html emulator, meeting the highest of security standards. Flynet is centrally maintained, meaning that updates and patches can be rolled out to users regardless of userbase size with no unnecessary downtime. This secures organisations from attack and keeps them compliant with security standards such as the PCI DSS Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). This centralisation also allows for better user auditing and visibility of how many connections are being used
Flynet being pure-html also means it does not rely on the Java or Active X plugins, which some popular enterprise-level terminal emulators still use. These plugins are no longer supported by the major browsers and Oracle have now deprecated the Java Applet, which they will no longer be supporting, or patching. As such continued use of plugin and app-based emulators further increases an organisation’s threat surface.
Flynet has been fully penetration tested by KPMG. All Flynet Viewer communications made between the server and host are secured with the latest SSL, TLS and HTTPS standards. Flynet support multi-factor authentication and all of the most common IAM and SSO solutions, with templates available for integration. This security portfolio guarantees the highest level of security from the Flynet emulator and exemplifies why Flynet is trusted by the world’s largest banks, insurers, governments, and infrastructure organisations.
The railway industry is currently undergoing enthusiastic digitisation drives. Numerous studies have shown the benefits to be unlocked from digitisation, including: replacing signal boxes with digital control centres, upgrading security systems, harmonising standards across multiplemarkets and increasing automated processes. Studies by the German Transport Ministry and McKinsey have suggested that digitisation could increase overall railway capacity by over 20 per cent, without any additional track needing to be built. Digitisation also presents a path forward for railway operators to future-proof their systems while ensuring lower CO2 emissions.
While digital transformation projects can be ambitious, sometimes taking years, their ultimate benefits are clear: greater efficiency and capacity for railways, lower costs, improved punctuality and higher environmental standards.
The specific goals of each organisation are different. Some working processes may be mandated by union activity, which is an understandable element which must be factored in. Flynet have previously worked with railway operators using pen-and-paper based interactions with their legacy systems. Collecting and recording data by hand and then inputting the results into the greenscreen system one piece at a time. Flynet can fit right into these existing processes,
but also help upgrade them, providing access from any device as changes to working practices can be negotiated.
Flynet can aid in digitisation projects. The web-based deployment of Flynet Viewer TE Terminal Emulator allows access on any device with a web browser, from desktop to laptop, mobile and tablet. It also allows for usage on many different operating systems including Windows, Mac, Android and beyond. This is especially important for organisations which require access across a diverse userbase. Flynet also helps users reconnect seamlessly with dropped legacy systems connections, without disruption. This has traditionally been a time-consuming problem for users who are frequently in underground or tunnel environments with unstable internet access.
Flynet’s portfolio extends beyond terminal emulation to further support and empower rail digitisation. The portfolio includes low-code user experience (UX) suites, which allow organisations to modernise multiple black-and-green screens with convoluted paths. Transforming them into a single, full colour modern web page and allowing employees to interface with it as they would any other website. Flynet’s web services integration can also allow for the automation and integration of legacy applications, data and processes and help aid in digitisation efforts.
The combination of Flynet’s security portfolio alongside its functionality upgrades makes Flynet an excellent choice of terminal emulator. Maintaining the security and stability of existing legacy systems and work processes, while allowing for modernisation and dynamism. By protecting and modernising your railway terminal emulator, Flynet can provide a cost-effective solution with zero downtime, deployed in days.
Sam L Barker is a product consultant at Flynet, helping organisations to modernise their legacy systems. He is also a writer focusing on the areas of technology and international business. He lives in Cambridge UK and you can find him on LinkedIn.
‘Moody’s have warned how much of a prime target infrastructure is, highlighting the potential to cause maximum disruption and panic by targeting a nation’s infrastructure systems.’
TransPennine Express (TPE) has welcomed five new apprentices onboard, expanding its team with fresh talent that experience different areas of the business as part of the popular two-year scheme
The train company, which operates trains and stations across the North of England and into Scotland, has introduced the apprentices to the rail industry, with each working in a different department including Business Development, IT, Performance, and Service Planning.
Over the next two years, the five individuals will be fully immersed in the world of TPE, working across the business to see how each function works together to keep customers on the move, all while gaining the skills required for career in the rails. Each will also gain a professional qualification, with TPE working with training providers to ensure the qualifications are relevant and impact both the business and the apprentices positively.
Becky Jones, Talent and Apprenticeship Manager for TransPennine Express said: ‘We’re thrilled to be developing the next generation of rail talent, and are proud to be introducing our five new team members to the world of rail and equipping them with the skills they need to succeed and develop an amazing career.
‘Apprenticeships are such a great way for young people to kick-start their career, allowing them to further their education and gain great work experience at the same time. At TransPennine Express we want our apprentices to gain knowledge of the whole business, giving them a great start as they begin to build their careers.
‘Our apprentices have already got stuck into our operations and are clearly demonstrating their passion for the rail industry. We’ve got a very strong intake this year and it’s going to be really interesting to see how they develop over the coming 2 years on the scheme, and what they go on to do in the future.’
The apprentices have also started working towards a Gold Duke of Edinburgh award, harnessing knowledge in areas such as first aid, retail training and World Host Customer
Service, preparing them for their future.
Roman Burke, a Performance apprentice, has joined TPE since finishing his GCSEs. He said: ‘Coming out of school I had many routes to go down, mainly sixth form or college. Before I heard about the opportunity at TPE, I was pretty set on choosing one of those options.
‘But as soon as I learnt about the role and the company, I knew this was the right route to go down. My dad had already been a driver for the company, so I knew I wanted to work for the organisation and begin my journey in the rail industry.
‘In my role, I’ve been taking a close look at the performance of our trains using special software. Our priority is making sure we run a reliable and robust service for customers.
‘What I’ve most enjoyed is going out on the network and seeing different parts of the company, learning about how they operate and what they contribute.’
Many of those from previous intakes have joined TPE permanently since finishing their apprenticeship. Those from the 2021 cohort have already started securing full time roles within the Revenue Protection, Social Media and Control teams.
TPE is proud to be supporting and developing new talent within the industry. More information about the apprenticeship scheme can be found via the TPE website at: tpexpress.co.uk/about-us/apprenticeships
To be notified when applications for the 2023 apprenticeship programme open, register at: https://www.firstgroupcareers.com/ company/firsttranspennineexpress/home/
Re-flow is an award-winning field management system for rail, trusted by over 200 companies nationwide, including Colas, DWG Infraco, Trackside Engineering and CSM
The software brings all major operational processes under one roof. With a seamless link between remote sites and the back-office through a user-friendly app and dashboard, Re-flow enables realtime data, instant communication, strictly enforced compliance and more.
Re-flow’s centralised, digital recordkeeping means manually transcribing, delivering, and chasing job sheets becomes unnecessary. Create and schedule jobs that can be assigned to individual users or entire groups. Attach all required information –PDFs, drawings, GPS locations and routes, along with any vehicles or equipment being used for the job straight from your library of assets.
Get operatives where they need to be, on time, with scheduled events. From unique, one-time job visits to a regularly recurring series of visits. Assign plant, vehicles, and tasks, and eliminate overlaps with conflict alerts. The system automatically tracks operative availability, holidays, fatigue and qualifications, preventing any unwelcome surprises when works are set to commence.
As jobs are created, Re-flow automatically
generates a bill of quantities alongside them. This enables administrative staff to easily create quotes, with customisable margins and automatically calculated quantities and VAT. These can then be sent to clients and bespoke invoices can be generated and exported, expediting job turnaround and increasing business profitability. With outthe-box support for popular accounting packages including QuickBooks, Xero and Sage Business Cloud, Re-flow’s billing and invoicing can seamlessly integrate as part of a wider ERP, further streamlining business processes.
Using the app, operatives can access the knowledge base and view all relevant job information, scan equipment, and digitally submit forms with site images. These can be fleshed out using in-app annotation, drawing and labelling capabilities. All photos are also stamped with time, date, location, and a digital signature unique to the app user submitting it. Information is then instantly communicated back to the office, enabling administrative staff a granular overview of job progress through the dashboard.
Out the box, Re-flow comes equipped with a catalogue of over 40 customizable,
‘We've been using Re-flow now for some time. It's been a big help for us. When a job comes in, we put it all into Re-flow – job specs and cost data. Everything gets stored there. Then, once the job is live, we use Re-flow to schedule who's going to each job, the plant and equipment they are using, and every specific task they're to carry out. Each operative gets sent this through the app, and they can send data back through forms, inspections, site safety checks, and timesheets. Everything uploads onto the system, which is easy to track from a central point. It made everything easier because we can keep track of it all with Re-flow. We always recommend Re-flow because we've seen how efficient it is.’
Ansel Zabula, Project Manager, DWG Infraco‘We were all paper and manual, so it was a complete culture change for everybody. Now, we live and breathe by it. It does all our RAMS for our projects, all our reporting, site documentation, toolbox talks, daily recording of site activities. It’s made a phenomenal difference to what we do when it comes to ISO audits and record keeping, because everything’s at our fingertips. We don’t have to go scratching around in piles for bits of paper. It’s making our life a lot easier, and it’s been a great change.’
Mike Andrews, Director, DWG Infracoincluding essentials such as vehicle safety
dynamic risk assessments and more. Mandatory completion, digital signatures and enforced workflows means strict compliance can be easily enforced, and the office can benefit from high-quality, realtime form data.
With all form data stored centrally in the cloud, auditability becomes a breeze. Office staff can filter by specific form type, operative, date, job and more to narrow in on specific information within minutes. Quality data also comes with the benefit of creating robust audit trails as jobs progress, enabling businesses to master their HSE compliance by easily identifying and rectifying potential risks.
Forms can then be tweaked and tailored to fit specifications or be built from scratch using an intuitive block-based form building system. Forms of all complexities with ease, always to regulatory standards. Users can select from our existing catalogue and modify or start from scratch. Simple, but powerful, forms can utilise formulas, calculations and automation to further expedite working processes and build forms tailored to specific business needs.
Real-time information also streamlines asset management capabilities. Dashboard
users can gain an overview of all plant, vehicles, equipment and operatives through Re-flow’s records. Individual assets can be fleshed out with detailed information including usage manuals, last servicing date, images and more. QR codes can be generated for each asset and attached in the field, enabling administrative staff to track the last known location and current user.
Before using a piece of equipment, operatives can submit vehicle check forms. If defects are found, they can be recorded and instantly fed back to the dashboard upon submission. Powerful automated workflows can then update the asset’s status within the records, as well as automatically schedule a maintenance reminder. Even if a vehicle is serviceable, events such as maintenance or MOTs can be scheduled to automatically recur, or notifications can be set to remind staff of upcoming maintenance.
Tracking doesn’t just extend to vehicles and plant. Re-flow’s dashboard automatically tracks app users in the field, accurate down to a meter. With support for Google Maps, GPS and what3words, live user tracking doesn’t just provide a more detailed overview of works. Being current on the location of workers enables reactive scheduling, allowing managers to assign nearby workers to jobs as the need emerges.
All data submitted and stored within the system can be collated into customizable, exportable reports. Users can use custombuilt forms to harvest specific data, format it to fit business branding and export to key stakeholders, colleagues and clients. This level of flexibility enables businesses to tender contracts requiring the harvesting of niche data, as well as enabling administrative staff to identify strengths, challenges and future opportunities.
Numerous businesses in the rail industry have adopted Re-flow and begun their digital transformation, allowing them to master their HSE management, tender bigger contracts, streamline their processes, and grow more sustainably. To learn more about Re-flow’s field management software or for a demo get in touch via the contact information below.
Tel: 01392 574002
Email: daniel.moyse@re-flow.co.uk
Visit: www.re-flow.co.uk
Almost all railway operators have a verification plan for improving safety; some might think it is a strategy. There is a vital difference.
For several years, it has been a legal requirement for railway operators to have formal systems in place for managing and developing the competence of staff who undertake safety critical activities. These are designed to ensure that essential checks are carried out and that clear, accurate records are maintained on a regular basis.
The Office of Rail and Road recommends that, ‘all companies should periodically review their arrangements regarding the maintenance of the competence of their staff and implement improvements to ensure that the risks to railways and other guided transport systems are properly controlled’ (Developing and Maintaining Staff Competence, 2016).
Most verification plans do not on their own, statistically, tend to improve those desired outcomes or even achieve most companies’ overall objectives. Typically, they work mainly to satisfy compliance; to tick boxes that show processes are in place for identifying and then correcting issues.
The problem is that a verification plan, alone, is essentially reactive. It assesses and collects data on what your staff know, what they have done, and what incidents have occurred, thereby helping to show how your company is generally performing –which is all well and good. But this form of verification only responds to deficits in staff competence after the effects of those deficits have been at work for some time, which have been affecting individual performance and – cumulatively – the overall performance of your company.
In other words, a verification plan only
reacts to what has happened and what is happening. It does not – in and of itself –steer your company towards what you want to happen, before it actually does.
In stark contrast to this, a verification strategy takes a proactive approach. Instead of asking the question, ‘How well are you (the individual members of staff) performing?’ it starts by posing the more fundamental and valuable question, ‘How well do we (collectively as a company) want to be performing?’
All railway operators, I am sure you would agree, want their company performance to achieve similar goals: the common focus is generally on increasing safety, efficiency, retention and morale, while at the same time working to reduce risk, incidents, inefficiencies and cost. To name but a few.
Having the right verification strategy
in place advances all of those goals more quickly, more measurably, and more costeffectively.
The good news: you already have the tools to do this. Because you already have a verification plan in place. This means your company has the platform, the tools and the data needed to achieve your overall objectives. Once focused on a strategy of what you want to achieve and how to achieve it, your plan can then steer your staff towards the knowledge they need to increase their confidence in their competence, change and improve their behaviours and measurably advance your company towards achieving its overall safety and performance objectives.
All you need is that verification strategy in place to inform, optimise and direct your plan – before the shortcomings are revealed.
And the other good news is that developing and implementing a verification strategy is far more straightforward than you might think.
The benefits of setting up a verification strategy are clear to see, very soon after it is in place. Your managers will immediately have a better understanding of the data collected and what needs to happen next to move forward, as there is a clear process in place. Alongside this, it empowers staff so they, as professionals, have some control over their development and are aware of the requirements that are being put upon them. The old saying, ‘knowledge is power’ is particularly important when attempting to develop a safer railway through regular
verification of staff’s qualification and competencies.
Network Rail outlined their tenyear plan in GB Rail Network Operating Strategy 2020-2030 document, ‘To deliver a high-performing railway a successful operations function relies on the right people in the right roles with the right training and competence management processes. This delivers higher standards of personal and professional development, better performance, and greater retention of operational talent.’ This should be considered the gold standard for all railway companies, where high standards and staff skills are at the heart of the business model.
It is essential that there is emphasis put upon training and upskilling staff to ensure there is good staff retention, and that the team is highly skilled, and the use of a verification strategy enables training needs to be identified alongside where skills need to be refreshed and reassessed.
A verification strategy works in a cycle.
There are five key stages and it is easy to move through the feedback loop once your strategy has been defined and set up – with clear time boundaries.
Soon, this verification strategy simply becomes an active part of your company’s operating strategy, as opposed to a passive standalone document that you hope people will actually read.
Below is an example of just such a cycle that we are all familiar with already to implement a verification strategy. The key difference here is that training happens before it’s needed rather than after gaps in
competence have been uncovered – at worse, discovered the hard way after an actual incident.
You can see how a verification strategy uses the invaluable data you gather through your verification plan to support and influence your company’s aims – and eventually help ensure standardisation across the entire network operation.
A large part of the data collected via your verification strategy can be obtained through assessment – checking the competence levels of employees and the competency of assessors’ marking, and then using that information to identify, implement and track the changes that are needed as part of an ongoing monitoring cycle.
In this way, a verification strategy ensures a more robust monitoring, which can help to identify weaknesses in the system and which uses the knowledge gathered to develop appropriate and targeted training, along with other means of support that lead to your desired business improvements.
Then, and only then, from your verification strategy can your verification plan be developed. This is informed entirely from the strategy to ensure your objectives are carried out and that your business aims and objectives reach their full potential.
One recent example of a verification strategy being successfully rolled out is for Arriva Rail London by Operations Development Manager, Ryan Dearlove, who worked in partnership with AssessTech to design and implement the thinking. Having undertaken additional training in the form of a Lead IQA award, Ryan felt empowered to undertake the job of developing this strategy for his company, with the guidance and support of AssessTech.
Contact AssessTech today for a review of your current verification system to see where and how training and consultancy could help you quickly and cost-effectively introduce and implement a proactive strategy that will transform the effectiveness of your plan – and accelerate your operations for a safer and more successful railway.
Tel: 01483 338646. Email: info@assesstech.com Visit: www.assesstech.com
Sam Sherwood-Hale spoke to Paul Adams, Marketing Manager at Hochiki about Hochiki’s training courses, the different detection devices that can handle common rail issues and how to handle false alarms
SSH: What type of courses does Hochiki offer?
PA: It was important to us that we offer courses that are valuable to the industry. We’ve listened to our customers, taken on feedback and created a series of practical and theory-based courses, explaining our market leading products and systems, and how best to install and set these up. The aim with all our courses is to enhance the knowledge of fire and life safety engineers throughout their career.
The curriculum on offer is a combination of online learning and face to face classes, designed and delivered by our experienced and highly qualified course leaders in our state-of-the-art training facilities in Gillingham.
For those looking for fire industry related CPD courses we offer these too and cover standards, best practises and technology. Our UK and Export Sales Teams can also deliver informal Hochiki product awareness courses for anyone interested in learning more about our products and systems.
SSH: What are the benefits of attending a Hochiki Course?
PA: All our trainers come from a field engineering or system design background, plus as we ensure our course leaders are up to date in their own training, anyone who attends one of our courses benefits from the most up-to-date product knowledge backed up by real-world fire engineering experience.
SSH: Who are your courses aimed at, what stage of their career do you find most of your students are at?
PA: Our courses are aimed at fire and life safety engineers primarily, but we also educate building owners, facility management and consultants. Our intake is varied in terms of experience, so our trainers adapt the course content to suit the room, whether the delegates are apprentices or seasoned fire professionals – we've found this works best to ensure delegates get the best experience.
SSH: How involved is a typical course?
PA: Over the years we’ve honed and shaped our courses based on feedback ensuring the best learning possible for our delegates. Therefore, some of the courses are split into an online theory section delivered by our web-based training platform, followed up by a hands-on practical session, held either at our training facility in Gillingham, North Kent or at the learners’ own premises.
Online courses typically take one hour to complete, culminating in a multiplechoice test. Successful completion of the test qualifies the learner to then attend the hands-on practical. These are normally oneday sessions.
SSH: What is Continuing Professional Development (CPD)?
PA: The CPD Certification Service was
established in 1996 and is the world's leading and largest independent CPD accreditation institution operating across multiple industry sectors. The scheme allows professionals to maintain their level of understanding of a particular subject by continually attending courses, seminars or webinars throughout their career. Sometimes delegates will need to commit to accumulating a set number of CPD hours across a twelve-month period, as part of their job commitments. Here at Hochiki we offer a range of seven CPD courses, regularly delivered online and free of charge to attend. We share details on our website and on our social media channels, so we’d recommend keeping an eye out there.
SSH: What are some of the main reasons companies come to you?
PA: Hochiki has been at the forefront of the fire detection and life safety industry for over 100 years since the company was founded in Tokyo in 1918. That pedigree instils a certain level of trust in the brand and people recognise that. As well as manufacturing some of the most reliable products and systems on the market, our collective knowledge and experience means we can deliver exceptional product training.
SSH: Do you receive multiple participants from the same company, or is it a more a case of a single individual looking to acquire a specific skill?
PA: We tend to cater for groups of engineers at a time, either in-person or online. It may be that a customer has booked several of their engineers onto a course, or we get a mix of individuals from a few different companies. However, the class of delegates look, our customers recognise that the skills of their engineers need constant improvement as new technologies or new standards come along.
Our Gillingham training facility can host up to six engineers at a time, each with a dedicated workstation featuring a live Latitude panel and loops of devices to work with. And our free online CPD webinars can be attended by anyone looking to top up their knowledge and CPD hours.
SSH: The technical seminars provided by Hochiki Europe have all been externally reviewed and approved by the Construction CPD Certification Service. What was the process of getting that approval like?
PA: With the CPD Certification Service there is a set of guidelines to adhere to, no blatant sales pitches are allowed, and content must be educational. We upload our draft seminars and the CPD Service reviews each in turn, offering best practice guidance on any aspect they feel needs improvement, until both parties are happy with the resultant presentation. At that point we receive our certificates and are free then to promote it as a CPD accredited course using their officially licenced logos.
SSH: How do you collaborate with the industry when it comes to developing your courses?
PA: Several of our CPD seminars have also been approved by the Fire Industry Association (FIA), which will give anyone familiar with the industry an extra boost of confidence. Part of the remit of the FIA is to improve knowledge and skill levels within the fire engineering community, so having their approval on our educational content adds real value. We also gather feedback from customers and delegates who attend our course to ensure we are offering what the industry needs.
SSH: When the government introduces new regulations, how do you go about updating or developing new courses?
PA: Research is key. We monitor the industry carefully for any new content that might become available, for example the UK Government web site or any of the approval bodies we work directly with, such as BRE. We educate ourselves on this latest content first, then we look at how best to turn that content into a course which can provide knowledge and skills for fire and life safety engineers in the real world.
SSH: Hochiki installed its Enhanced System Protocol alarms at the Eurostar terminus of St Pancras International. How does the ESP protocol tackle problems at a crowded station, such as the high levels of ambient noise?
PA: One of the largest transport hubs in Europe, St Pancras has around 50 million people visiting the station each year for travel and retail experiences. We consulted with the station and the installer at the time and almost 5,000 Hochiki ESP – Enhanced System Protocol – analogue addressable devices were installed throughout the site. The Hochiki devices selected are proven for their ability to not only combat fire risks and ensure a safe evacuation but also reduce false alarms in this huge multi-activity station. Devices installed included optical smoke sensors for back office and main passenger concourse areas; multi-sensors for more challenging environments such as plant rooms and workshops; heat detectors in kitchens and toilets; audio visual devices and base sounder beacons.
In the event of a confirmed fire, the system directly controls and monitors the station's voice evacuation system, which is audible in all the station's public areas. However, in places where high levels of ambient noise may make it difficult to hear voice alarms, such as toilets, Hochiki beacons were also fitted.
SSH: What about different environments, such as network control rooms? Do these situations call for different devices?
PA: From the detection point of view, no they typically won’t need any form of specialised devices. But it’s common for repeater panels connected to the main house
panel(s) and/or graphics reporting systems to be located here, so that the control room staff can centrally monitor the status of the system 24/7.
SSH: What other types of devices need to be utilised in a railway station environment?
PA: A busy, crowded, noisy environment like a station that it full of people who won’t necessarily be familiar with the layout of the building, requires a robust alarm warning system backed up by devices that assist in a quick but safe evacuation. Voice alarms, sounders, strobes and intelligent exit signage can all play a part in ensuring people are clearly warned and directed away from an incident.
SSH: Hochiki’s European headquarters were established in 1993 in the UK, how have you seen the industry change in the nearly 30 years you’ve been present in the UK?
PA: Listening and responding to what the market needs is key to long term success, and I think that is why Hochiki have been global leaders for over 100 years. Some of the biggest changes we’ve seen (and often led on) as a manufacturer has been in the diversification of products we design and produce. This has often come from our system integrator customers who need to increase their own portfolio of services to compete in the market. There’s a similar demand from the distribution sector, where they need to style themselves as
‘one stop shops’ covering all life safety equipment, rather than specialising in one area. The technology has moved on in terms of accuracy and sophistication and the inclusion of cloud-based systems for monitoring and reporting. Smart devices incorporating Bluetooth and the ability to piggy-back onto the ‘Internet of Things’ are also new developments. It is an exciting time to be involved in design and manufacturing for the life safety industry.
SSH: What different types of detection devices does Hochiki make?
PA: Over 100 years ago Hochiki was developing the world’s first mechanical but addressable fire warning system, installed in the city streets of Tokyo. Since then, the group has become a renowned manufacturer of fire detection devices, setting the standards for reliability, functionality and quality. Our core range of intelligent addressable sensors comes in four types, optical, heat, optical/heat multi and the latest addition, the ACD which is an optical, heat and CO multi-sensor, the most sophisticated device we have brought to market to date.
SSH: How do Fire Detection, Specialist Fire Detection and Leak Detection devices differ?
PA: Hochiki manufacture specialist ranges of detection products, based on its worldproven core ranges. Typically, the technology in these specialist products isn’t too different to the standard devices but each
Hochiki is a wholly independent, multinational, publicly listed group of companies with over 2000 employees working across six manufacturing plants, 38 sales offices and 14 subsidiaries. For over 100 years Hochiki Corporation has led the way in the design and manufacturer of innovative life safety solutions. Its leading edge commercial and industrial fire detection and emergency lighting products have acquired global acceptance as the benchmark for high-integrity and long-term reliability.
Hochiki’s European headquarters were established in 1993 in the UK. Operating under Hochiki Europe, the business provides advanced fire detection and emergency lighting systems across the UK, Europe, Middle East, Africa and India.
At present, Hochiki Europe builds in excess of one million conventional and intelligent detectors and ancillaries per year at its purposebuilt production facility
For more details about training with Hochiki, or their range of products visit hochikieruope.com or call +44 (0)1634 260133 or email info@hochikieurope.com
specialist range has been submitted for specific testing to gain specialised approvals for those individual environments or industries. These range from intrinsically safe (for hazardous, explosive areas), marine (for ships, wind farms and oilrigs for example) and Safety Integrity Level (SIL), a system used to quantify and qualify the requirements for Safety Instrumented Systems, for environments at particular risk if there is a product/system failure.
SSH: What causes false alarms?
PA: In most cases, its malfunctioning systems, in fact according to the latest research from the UK Home Office 98 per cent of automatic fire alarm incidents are false alarms, with 90 per cent of those false alarms caused by faulty apparatus. The research, collated from Fire and Rescue services across the country from 202021, demonstrates clearly that reliable life safety devices and systems are paramount. Costing the UK an estimated £1 billion per year in lost production and interruption to businesses, minimising (or eliminating) false alarms must be prioritised.
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The National College for Advanced Transport & Infrastructure (NCATI) is dedicated to closing the rail sector’s skills gap, and the Skills Bootcamps in Rail are its latest solution for stimulating industry growth while providing social value
NCATI was set up with support from employers across the transport and infrastructure sector to create their highly skilled workforce of the future, leaving a skills legacy for the industry and the wider UK economy. Back in 2020, the National Skills Academy for Rail (NSAR) and City & Guilds conducted a study that predicted profound skills shortages affecting the rail workforce over the next five years. According to the report's headline figures, the problem was twofold, relating both to retention of current staff (with over 28 per cent of rail workers nearing retirement) and to attraction of new recruits (with very low representation from young people, women, and those from BAME backgrounds).
Fast forward to 2022, and these challenges in retention and attraction remain – compounded by the government’s ongoing investment in transformational projects like HS2, as well in existing railway infrastructure, which continue to put a focus on new skillsets that do not currently exist in abundance within the UK job market. These challenges sit at the heart of why NCATI was established, and why initiatives like the brand new ‘Fast Track to Rail’ Skills Bootcamps are so vital to the sector’s growth.
Key to NCATI’s objective to close the sector’s skills gap is ensuring that the College trains people in the right skills, at the right time, something that can only be achieved by listening to employer partners and responding to industry demand. A notable example of this industry responsiveness is the recent extension of NCATI’s apprenticeship offer.
The College has historically focused on delivering higher-level apprenticeships and higher education courses from Level
4 onwards, in alignment with initial industry forecasts that identified a third of the jobs supported within construction occupations during the first phases of HS2 would require higher-level skills (Level 4 and above). However, having listened to partners in industry, the College recognises there are skills gaps within transport and infrastructure that need filling at lower levels than the current provision.
In response to this demand, since joining the University of Birmingham Group in April 2021, NCATI has been working with the University on developing new and exciting routes into the sector, broadening access and ultimately creating a more diverse pipeline of future talent. This has led the College for the first time in its history to extend its apprenticeship and full-time provision to Level 3, opening up
opportunities in the sector to a much wider group of people, and hopefully tackling the industry’s challenges with recruitment.
Crucially, this flexibility and responsiveness in its skills offer has enabled NCATI to partner with NSAR and deliver brand new ‘Fast Track to Rail’ Skills Bootcamps in October and in January. Set up and fully funded by the UK Government, Skills Bootcamps are short and flexible courses that give adults aged 19 and above the opportunity to build up sectorspecific skills and transition into new and in-demand careers. In this particular case, the Skills Bootcamps are expressly focused on attracting new entrants into the rail industry by providing them with a six-week programme of learning at
NCATI, followed by a guaranteed interview with a rail employer and access to an accelerated apprenticeship if successful. The design of this short programme ensures that the learning outcomes allow for progression onto either a Level 3 or Level 4 apprenticeship in rail, working with a rail employer and studying at the College.
As a ‘pathway to an accelerated apprenticeship’, the genesis of these particular Skills Bootcamps was to tackle an issue NSAR had identified with two rail engineering apprenticeships: that the completion times are typically three to six months longer than anticipated. In providing learners with a few weeks of upfront and intensive training in the foundational knowledge of working in rail, the ‘Fast Track to Rail’ Skills Bootcamps address this problem by providing learners
with a stronger footing in the knowledge, skills and behaviours required by a rail apprenticeship, fast-tracking them through induction training, and essentially making candidates more attractive as apprentices.
What is more, the Skills Bootcamps serve as an important case study for furthering NCATI’s mission and supporting industry growth: they attract large numbers of people from diverse backgrounds to the sector, and quickly. After all, the Skills Bootcamps provide learners with flexibility (only six weeks long, and a mixture of on-campus and online learning) as well as accessibility (open to all adults aged 19 and above, whether they are employed, self-employed, or recently unemployed), and have proven especially popular with under-represented
groups because of this break with more traditional and potentially inaccessible delivery methods.
Delivered on NCATI’s two campuses in Birmingham and Doncaster, recruitment has been focused on enabling access by learners facing barriers and/or located in deprived areas in these regions. To this end, the ‘Fast Track to Rail’ Skills Bootcamps have removed the biggest barrier to entry for most learners from under-represented backgrounds: cost.
The Skills Bootcamps are designed to offer people a ‘first step’ into the rail industry with targeted introduction to potential employers, de-emphasising strict academic requirements in favour of providing robust training and learner support that addresses any barriers and difficulties during the programme. This support includes English and Maths tutoring, as well as the NSAR-led ‘Personal Brand Camp’, which targets personal and communication skills in preparation for interviews with rail employers.
Just like the skills shortage affecting the rail sector, NCATI’s mission is twofold, aiming to deliver the skilled workforce of tomorrow by encouraging more people into the rail sector to address skills shortages; and offering them varied pathways to address skills gaps. The brevity and accessibility of this latest pathway offered by NCATI provides a greater number of people from more diverse backgrounds the opportunity to take their first step into an industry they have likely never considered before. In this way, the ‘Fast Track to Rail’ Skills Bootcamps may prove to be an excellent model for closing the industry’s skills gap, and delivering social value in the process.
For this model to work most effectively, however, NCATI relies on forging successful partnerships with organisations across the rail sector, making sure that these partnerships help provide the skilled workforce of the future with the right equipment, the right courses, and the right career opportunities.
To this end, the College has developed a Skills Pledge, in which we invite organisations across the sector to engage with us and discuss how best we can support each other in providing skilled employees to the sector, be it through Skills Bootcamp interviews, apprenticeship recruitment, mentoring, or recognition towards contractor obligations (for example HS2’s Skills, Employment and Education outputs).
If you’re interested in engaging with us as an employer partner in the Skills Bootcamps or other training opportunities, please get in touch – we’re always happy to help, and would really welcome your support in addressing the sector’s skills challenges. You can find out more about us by visiting www.ncati.ac.uk and can get in touch on 0330 120 0375 or enquiries@ncati.ac.uk.
Complacency leads to accidents, then devastating consequences. Signal Engineers need to make sure they don’t get complacent so keeping the consequences at the front of their mind is key
Complacency leads to accidents, which can in turn be followed by devastating consequences, the likes of which don’t need to be spelt out to anyone working in the Rail Industry. Many of us have driven cars for years and can appreciate how we can easily get complacent when driving. It is the same for Signal Engineers, particularly those who are doing maintenance. They are often going out each week performing the same tasks repeatedly.
It is very easy to get complacent and have shortcuts or not check their work thoroughly. However, this is one of the most difficult things to counteract. Most of them have had good training and when tested know how to do it correctly. This doesn't mean that they do it every single time they go out onto the track. It only takes one occasion where it's not perfect for an accident to happen. Engineers who have been at rail accidents have experienced how devastating it can be and don’t need to be told about complacency. However, getting this across to the majority of engineers who have never see a crash is much more difficult. Obviously, you cannot send
engineers out onto the track to see a real train crash. This can only be done in the virtual world.
That's why we created a Virtual Reality system for Signal Maintenance Engineers, where they can do their tests in the virtual world and see what happens if they don't get it right. We have created an Aspect Test where there is a signal on track that they can climb and then slip the links to change the aspect. They have their list of checks to do and the trainer can act as the Signaller. If they do not perform all of their checks in the correct order, then the trainer does not tick them off on the system.
At the end of the test the trainer can run a train through that piece of track and if they didn't do their tests correctly the train will crash in front of them. This includes all of the sounds that go with that, to make it as real as possible. They are then taken into a darkened room, and we have put up all of the headlines from previous rail crashes, to bring home that they would be on the headlines of the newspapers the next day.
This is an effective way to affect the engineers’ emotions, so that it is in the forefront of their mind each time they go
out. They can also pass this on to their colleagues they are working with, so that good practice is spread among the whole team.
We are now developing and extending this to include the Points Test, so that they can undertake this test in the same way. If they don't complete their checks correctly, then when the train runs through it will derail in front of them.
We can give engineers all the technical skills in the world, but ensuring that they put them into practice every single day is much harder to achieve. This is one way in which we endeavouring to ensure that complacency doesn’t take hold.
Engineering is often seen as a very hands-on activity that can't be used for virtual reality. Which is true to some extent for practical skills, but the challenge in the current climate is to change how engineers think and feel and about their work, which is a much more difficult proposition.
Tel: 01874 620704
Email: enquiries@pmtanda.co.uk Visit: www.pmtanda.co.uk Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ pmtanda/
‘After taking the system to one of the Signal Engineer Trainers, his comment was: ‘I told Network Rail that virtual reality couldn't be used for signal engineering. I was wrong. This is really good.’
NSAR has developed a new service dedicated to supporting organisations meet their recruitment needs through planning for and developing the right skills
NSAR has spent the past twelve-months listening to its members and infrastructure industry leaders throughout the UK describe their biggest challenges and threats. The conclusion was unanimous: an unprecedented skills shortage is threatening productivity and will ultimately result in a wholesale reduction in the competitiveness of UK plc. The NSAR board have sought and approved a new approach.
Several factors are contributing to the skills shortage in the UK – an ageing labour force; a reduction in the freedom of movement; increased demand and a hiatus in training caused by Covid-19.
NSAR will help a wider group of businesses become more productive through reduced wage inflation and increased capability. It will do this by removing some of the key barriers to training. The brand refresh is marking the start of this new approach.
In a statement, Neil Robertson, NSAR CEO said: ‘Significant skills shortages and modernising work practices are causing an unprecedented need for new recruits and upskilling of existing staff. You can read more in my latest article, Addressing skills shortages in the rail sector through investment in people and skills. Now is a vital time for NSAR to step up and play a key role in helping to deliver a modern and efficient world class railway service across the UK – and one with an equal and diverse workforce that increases the chances of upwards social mobility, resulting in a positive impact on society.
‘NSAR is an industry expert with a proven track record of delivering successful projects for government and industry organisations. We remain focussed on driving our key services to businesses across the sector – including workforce planning and development solutions, training programme quality assurance, apprenticeship services and membership services. With unprecedented skills
shortages, NSAR will be concentrating on directly helping businesses tackle the barriers to training.
‘Our new website provides a clearer journey for visitors to know who we are, the services we offer and how to get hold of us for more information and support. We will also be introducing more insightful content on the website, supported by increased activity on our social channels, to better engage with you across our channels.
‘As part of our new brand, The National Skills Academy for Rail will now be known as NSAR. We still do not offer training services; we quality assess and work with training providers to help shape training courses and skills. Our specialist teams also provide insights, tools and support to businesses on workforce planning and forecasting. We remain a non-profit membership organisation, but our business and service offerings have changed since we were first established in 2010.
‘Our refreshed branding better demonstrates our expert capabilities and professionalism – thus improving the way we interact with members and prospective members. More details on the changes can be found below – and please don’t hesitate to contact our team to find out more.’
• £96 billion of investment in the integrated rail plan – has the potential to create up to 12,000 jobs every year over the next five to ten years.
• Nearly 50,000 rail industry employees are expected to retire by 2030.
• The proportion of under 25-year-olds in the rail industry has halved since 2016, from ten per cent to five per cent of the workforce.
• 5,000 apprentices per annum, or two per cent of the workforce, will be needed –effectively a doubling of current average levels.
• Modernisation means that approximately 80 per cent of the industry will require training over the next two decades. 200,000 workers will need new digital skills by 2030 –110,000 needing upskilling, 80,000 needing reskilling and 10,000 new apprenticeships will need to be created and resourced.
• NSAR evidence shows that £1 spent on training on rail skills in the UK results in a £3 return on that investment.
‘Without the right skills, businesses will stagnate. NSAR is rolling up its sleeves and providing a new service offer that is dedicated to supporting businesses – from SME to large organisations – meet their growth targets. I am thrilled to launch NSAR’s rebrand which is part and parcel of our new service offering.’
QTS Group and East Ayrshire Council are looking for enthusiastic young people, aged 18 to 24 years, to join Scotland’s first Rail Skills Academy
The Academy, which is being delivered by QTS Training and funded through the Council's Young Person Guarantee programme, will help to combat the skills shortage and lack of diversity in the rail industry.
With over 48 per cent of railway workers aged 50 or over and women making up just
16 per cent of the current workforce, action is being taken to create a knowledgeable, diverse and qualified workforce for the future.
Based at QTS’ Drumclog HQ, the course will equip participants with the competencies, skills and experience required to thrive in the railway maintenance sector. From employability and core skills to
health and safety awareness and PTS track induction, young people who complete the academy will be on track to start their new career.
Each academy session will run for nine weeks, with transportation provided to and from the site for participants.
As a proud supporter of young people, and an Investors in Young People Gold
Award employer, QTS aims to help them discover the wide range of possibilities that the railway sector has to offer.
Director of QTS Training, Lorna Gibson said: ‘Network Rail and its supply chain are creating many initiatives to combat the skills gap within our industry and, as a lead contractor working in this sector, QTS has been developing a range of programmes, including apprenticeships, traineeships, graduate development, and Kickstart programmes to encourage young people to join the industry.
‘The work we currently do with young people has made it evident that most are completely unaware of the employment and
wide range of career opportunities offered by this industry.
‘The introduction of the QTS Rail Skills Academy programme will bring further opportunity for young people to be introduced to rail and to gain the qualifications, competencies and initial experience required to progress through a career in what is a thriving industry.’
Linda McAulay-Griffiths, Chief Education Officer and Head of Education, said: ‘I am delighted that QTS has been appointed by East Ayrshire Council to deliver Scotland’s first Rail Skills Academy. Our Young Person’s Guarantee team recognised that the rail industry held real career opportunities for our young people and that an Academy would be the perfect way to address the current skills shortage the industry is facing.
‘In East Ayrshire, our focus is on preparing our young people for employment and ensuring that they have the skills and experience to reach their full potential. Education isn’t about fitting our young people into boxes and expecting them to achieve. We need to think innovatively, identify opportunities and work in partnership with local employers like QTS who are committed to encouraging young people to join their industry.’
Head of Assessment and Skills at the National Skills Academy for Rail, Barry Smith said: ‘In establishing the QTS Rail Skills Academy, QTS is really showing the
way to create opportunities for young people and to support the creation of a more diverse workforce for the rail industry.
‘This is an exciting and innovative new opportunity for East Ayrshire and a great way for young people to start a career in rail.’
‘Without question, companies need to invest in people early on in their careers to demonstrate a commitment to nurturing emerging talent in the sector.’
Lorna Gibson, Director of QTS Training
‘Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) is a big area of concern for younger generations. Companies need to utilise the green agenda and demonstrate a genuine commitment to delivering strong social value to better attract young talent.’
Lorna Gibson, Director of QTS Training
orrent Trackside is one of the leading suppliers of tools, lighting and equipment to the rail industry. In response to the industry’s requests for lower emissions the company has invested heavily in a complete range of battery powered tools and equipment to meet the needs of track based construction and maintenance.
Off-track projects are also a key part of running an efficient railway. There is no point having perfect track if buildings, stations and the vegetation and habitat surrounding the track are in disrepair or overgrown. This work requires specialist expertise and the operators rely on the latest tools and equipment to complete their tasks safely and efficiently.
In recognition of this demand Torrent Trackside is providing a range of tools dedicated to off-track needs. Brush cutters, chainsaws and hedge trimmers will soon be available to hire to assist with vegetation clearing. All the tools are easy to use and benefit from excellent ergonomics.
Vegetation management is a key part of maintaining the railway. There are millions of trees growing along the 20,000 miles of track in the UK. Diseased and dead trees are a hazard to trains and fallen branches need to be cleared quickly to ensure the safe running of the railway and prevent delays to train services. Autumn and early Winter are particularly busy times for vegetation management as leaf drop is minimised by the maintenance or removal of various broadleaf varieties such as sycamore and poplar trees.
Off-track construction and maintenance will also benefit from the new tools with a range of disc cutters being introduced. The disc cutters consist of a nine-inch and twelve-inch version. The nine inch is incredibly lightweight and versatile, while the twelve inch is ideal for more demanding jobs and can cut through up to 80 400mm square slabs on one charge. The work can be varied and in difficult to reach areas so the lightweight features of the new tools is
ideal, especially as there are no fuel cans and generators to transport.
All the new equipment is battery powered. With rising fossil fuels costs this is an important financial consideration. The tools are completely emission free, not only does this reduce carbon emissions annually by up to 1,500kg per tool, it also means that the operators are not exposed to harmful gases and particulates.
The electric motors also provide a significant reduction in Hand Arm Vibrations (HAVs) allowing operators to use the equipment for longer periods of time without the risk of vibration related injury.
The battery tools do not need a pull cord to get them started and fuel mixing errors and spillages are a thing of the past. The new tools are also quieter, an important consideration when working in built up areas. They only operate and use power when the trigger is pressed rather than constantly using fuel when ticking over like the petrol equivalent.
Battery power means instant power with maximum torque being achieved considerably faster than petrol variants. There is no run up time or waiting for tools to warm up on cold starts. All tools have equal or more power than the petrol equivalents.
Carl Abraitis, Torrent Trackside Operations Director commented: ‘These tools look set to become a game changer in the off-track market. We looked at a range of manufacturers but the durability and power of Husqvarna impressed us. With ever increasing fossil fuel costs and the need to reduce emissions the battery powered versions were the go-to choice.’
Carl Abraitis is Operations Director at Torrent Trackside, get in touch via email at carl.abraitis@vpplc.com 0845 769 7168 carl.abraitis@vpplc.com www.torrent.co.uk
Infinitive Group help customers make data-driven decisions that drive digital transformationaligning technology, people, and process to increase revenue and system performance, reduce cost, and mitigate risk.
Email us at: info@infi nitivegroup.co.uk Call us on: +44 (0) 1908 018 900 Or visit our new website at: www.infi nitivegroup.co.uk
The concept of a Rail Data Marketplace (RDM) was born from the Rail Sector Deal and the initiatives of the Rail Data Council and the Rail Supply Group. It will enable one of the key commitments in the Plan for Rail.
customer focused products and services to enhance passenger experience and door to door travel. It will also support operational efficiency and the more effective movement of goods. For the first time, this aims to bring together in one place useful passenger information, such as the availability of seats, detail on disruptions and availability of facilities including lifts and escalators.
setting and solving ‘industry challenges’ and providing a safe space to innovate for the benefit of passengers and the rail sector.
With support from the Department for Transport, the Rail Supply Group, Rail Delivery Group (RDG), Network Rail and the Rail Safety & Standards Board, that concept is now being brought to life with a fully functional platform. It will launch early next year and allow simple ‘friction-free’ sharing of data. The RDM will provide the tools and frameworks to simplify rail data sources and open them up to a wider user base through a single-access platform of federated Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and other data sources.
The platform will be available to any organisation which wishes to either publish or consume rail-related data, whether that is freely available, chargeable or has conditions of use. The RDM will facilitate easier sharing of data and real-time information to passengers; improve data sharing across operational bodies; and improve access to data for public and private bodies. The aim is to support innovation, making information more transparent, and enabling new
The RDM will be a key enabler for an industry-wide data strategy which is currently in development and in support of rail reform and passenger-experience transformation. On 9 June 2022 the Department for Transport (DfT) published a consultation on the future of rail which: 'contemplates an ‘open by default’ approach to data sharing. As part of this … a new Rail Data Marketplace will be established to promote transparency and help drive innovation.' The plan contemplates an ‘open by default’ approach to data sharing. As part of this Despite this ‘open by default’ ethos, data publishers who wish to charge for their data will be able to do so on the platform. This combination of both free and chargeable data sources will allow data consumers the widest range of choice. The information about each data source available on RDM will allow consumers to make informed decisions using the data which best meets their needs.
To clarify some commonly held misconceptions, RDM is neither aimed at passengers, nor is it a huge ‘data lake’ sucking in all of the data from across the sector. Rather it is a ‘business to business’ service which facilitates the interaction between data publisher and data consumers, making life simpler for both. It allows consumers to identify, understand and access rail data sources from a variety of publishers in one place. It provides data publishers with an easy way to share data, while allowing granular control of that access and appropriate robust licence agreements to give a legal framework to the sharing of data. It gives both publishers and consumers an opportunity to collaborate,
The RDM programme team has undertaken extensive user research to get a real understanding of what both data publishers and data consumers want from a content-rich platform and what is important to them. The research has provided evidence and insights into the needs of users which support and build upon those early concepts by the Rail Data Council. Data consumers highlighted barriers to entry – including the effort involved in understanding what is available, how it can be accessed and whether specific datasets meet their detailed needs without significant investment.
User research has identified the top five data consumer benefits of a rail data marketplace as:
1. The ability to gain access to data sources quickly through simple licensing.
2. Up-to-date documentation for the data sources.
3. Confidence in the availability of data underpinned by robust service level agreements.
4. Encouraging data standards to assist with interoperability.
5. Accessing a wide range of data from across the rail industry via a simple search.
The research led to the development of a prototype user interface, testing out approaches to the data catalogue, a consistent taxonomy and standard way to describe the quality of data, as well as the licensing of data and a ‘data sharing agreement builder’. The programme of work to deliver a working RDM has gathered pace over recent months and a supplier is currently building the platform. It uses an industry standard software solution to ensure robust security, as well as the functionality to control access and monitor use of data sources. Limited trials using live feeds and real consumers will begin in November to test functionality and
A collaboration platform to exchange data and ideas enabling digital innovation in the rail industry
‘An ‘open by default’ approach to data sharing will better inform journeys, improve transparency and unlock new technology.’ – Plan for Rail, May 2021’
performance. Our roadmap of suitable data sources continues to grow with some exciting new data sources planned for inclusion when we launch in March.
The RDM will not be a panacea for all the challenges the industry faces in relation to our data; it will not, for instance, overcome the issues that we see with legacy data formats or systems. It will predominantly aim to publish APIs and other futureproofed formats and encourage sound data leadership and governance. It is focussed on where we are going, opening up and simplifying access to data for the benefit of rail users and the industry. Transport for London’s Open Data portal has already demonstrated the experiential and economic benefits to travellers, London and TfL itself. There are also international examples like Germany’s Mobility Data Marketplace. Now the Rail Data Marketplace looks to do the same on the grand scale of our entire rail network.
Our aspiration is to have a variety of data sources which will include open and freely available data and sources with restrictions or conditions of use, as well as commercially chargeable data. In order to achieve this, it is necessary to build functionality which: • Ensures data is findable through an intuitive catalogue which uses a
consistent taxonomy.
• Provides comprehensive and up-to-date documentation for each data source.
• Allows publishers to choose how they want to make their data available and to whom, supported by robust template data sharing agreements.
• Gives users a clear understanding of data quality and how other users perceive it.
• Supports a thriving community of users.
• Controls access and facilitates the invoicing of chargeable data.
We know some publishers wanting to commercialise their data sets wish to drive innovation by supporting academia and start-ups and would potentially make data free or at cost in the right circumstances. In one interview, a large commercial organisation said: ‘If someone has a great idea about how our data could be utilised we would actively look to ‘seed fund’ the individual or organisation.’
This is exactly the kind of positive collaboration the RDM aspires to drive, unleashing new opportunities for developers and tech companies to collaborate with the industry and integrating rail data into passenger-facing apps and services.
Simon Moorhead, RDG Chief Information Officer, said: ‘Delivering the
Rail Data Marketplace will build on the rail sector’s track record of opening up data to allow train operators, suppliers and new partners, such as tech companies, to innovate for the benefit of passengers.
‘The Rail Delivery Group is pleased to be building this new service to make it easier for companies to sign up for rail data and work with the sector to open up new streams of information to help improve journeys. Investment in the RDM delivers on a commitment in the Rail Sector Deal between the government and rail industry, and supports the commitments in the Plan for Rail for better information for passengers on crowding, accessibility and punctuality.
‘Having the data in one place will facilitate better ways of sharing transparent data and real-time information with passengers, improve data sharing across operational bodies and improve access to data for the government and other public bodies.’
Implementing the marketplace will allow the industry to better exploit the data which already exists as well as lowering the barriers of entry to innovators and new entrants to our sector. It will create a fit-for-the-future platform on which we can all collaborate and innovate, ensuring a sustainable future for the railway.
For more information, go to Rail Data Marketplace | Rail Delivery Group. To get involved either as a publisher or an early adopter or to sign up for our monthly newsletter, contact us at: raildatamarketplace@raildeliverygroup.com.
Jez Smith leads the implementation of the Rail Data Marketplace as part of RDG. This DfT-sponsored initiative aims to create a single point of access for rail data in order to facilitate innovation within the sector and beyond. Allowing data to be findable, accessible, interoperable and re-usable will help to drive improvement in the passenger experience and operational efficiency. Jez has previously run a number of transformation and digital programmes across numerous different sectors including involvement in NHS Choices, London Congestion Charging, TV Licensing, as well as working with DfE, MoJ and the Met Police.
Specialising in onboard electronic systems for rolling stock www.the-right-answer.com enquiries@the-right-answer.com
Maintaining structural assets, such as bridges and buildings, and ensuring that they do not fall into a state of disrepair is a huge project for asset owners. This is where preemptive maintenance can come into play, with structural monitoring allowing for the effective planning of works, minimising disruption, gaining efficiency and prolonging the lifespan of assets.
The RAC Foundation found the number of substandard bridges across England,
Scotland and Wales to be over 3,000. Whilst this figure is down from previous years it is still estimated to cost £1.12 billion to bring those bridges back to perfect condition. While the reason for this damage can be attributed to multiple factors, such as flooding, increased traffic or bridge strikes, the report has underlined the need to protect and maintain this vital part of the country’s infrastructure.
Bridges in the UK are typically designed to last for 120 years. However, with the increasing weight and volume of vehicles
and ever-changing environmental impact, this can affect the integrity of a bridge, which can in turn reduce its lifespan. With bridges having such an integral part to play within the UK’s wider transport network, ensuring that they remain safe and open for traffic is a priority for asset owners.
Here, pre-emptive maintenance can be key, helping to prevent bridges from falling into a dangerous state of repair. Put simply, when you have a problem it’s too late and the job type changes to reactive, which is likely to be more time consuming and disruptive.
An important part of effective preemptive maintenance is the use of monitoring solutions to provide valuable insight into the structural performance and stability of the bridge in question. This information will help local authorities and highways and rail agencies to establish to what level a structure has deteriorated and make more informed decisions regarding budgetary spending needed to conduct the repairs. Rather than relying purely on visual inspections and time-based maintenance schedules, the combination of structural monitoring and pre-emptive maintenance can offer a more efficient use of budgets and resources.
As we move into the digital age, newer bridges have integrated structural monitoring within their design, giving asset owners essential information on the performance of the structure over its lifespan. For older bridges that are deemed medium to high risk, incorporating structural monitoring solutions can give local authorities and highways agencies accurate, reliable and data-driven intelligence of the condition that the bridge is in, so they can decide if action needs to be taken.
By introducing these monitoring solutions, asset owners can gain vital
data on the precise condition of a bridge, measured through monitoring load, temperature, rotation, displacement, inclination, strain, fatigue, vibration, deflection and crack movement. These measurements can then be used alone or in combination with 3D scans and automated deformation monitoring, acquired through total stations, 3D scanning and dynamic monitoring stations.
Monitoring the behaviour of these assets can help inform engineers and inspectors about the bridge’s integrity, with faults being detected in their early stages. Once detected, these faults can then be rectified at a fraction of the cost of a major overhaul or refurbishment, should the fault remain untreated for a prolonged period. This in turn reduces the possession time of the railway or carriageway and also ensures that any subsequent repairs or maintenance of the asset is absolutely necessary. With a monitoring programme not only can you reduce the time and capital expenditure but above all, the safety risk of physical inspections.
By combining engineering design with the latest in monitoring equipment and integrated data provision, Mabey Hire is able to offer a new level of insight and confidence for customers, with real-time data presented
on our unique web portal, Insite, which is accessible 24/7.
Mabey Hire Insite is designed to allow quick and easy access to data that local authorities and asset owners can use to make a more informed decision, using up-todate and advanced reporting, with graphing tools enabling easy understanding of the structure in question.
Not only is Mabey Hire’s solution readily accessible, it also provides an instant email alert should any irregular activity be detected on-site. Alongside this the expert team of engineers will monitor any data issues that arise and can advise on the appropriate solutions. So, if the data does suggest a bridge needs repairing, Mabey Hire can design, supply and install the necessary propping and jacking systems to provide structural support for any repair or maintenance to be conducted.
To find out more about Mabey Hire’s structural monitoring capabilities, please visit: https://www.mabeyhire. co.uk/engineered-solutions/our-products/ monitoring\
Dave Holland is Monitoring and Technical Director at Mabey Hire.
‘For me, working in the rail industry isn’t simply a job – it’s a way of life, which inevitably sees you becoming part of the railway family. That’s something you never lose.’ So says Steve Derrick, whose career spans five decades, taking in everything from project engineering and contract management through to senior project, programme and general management roles.
Highlights include:
• Contract Management roles across all engineering disciplines as Railtrack interface with the maintenance and renewals units post privatisation.
• Engineering Interface Manager during the development stages of HS1.
• Lead Project Engineer across all stages for Birmingham Cross-City electrification and Snow Hill – Smethwick route reinstatement.
• Programme Controls Lead for the Network Rail National Operating Strategy.
• Senior Programme Manager for investment projects on Network Rail’s London North West (LNW) route, including the Cross-Country route modernisation.
• Delivering LNW’s track renewals programme.
• Leading Network Rail’s West Midlands & Chilterns routes as Area General Manager, before moving across to lead the West Coast South area.
Reminiscing, Steve says: ‘During my career, I’ve been lucky enough to work with a great many people against the backdrop of a constantly evolving landscape, with all of those experiences helping to shape my approach to the task at hand.’
So when the time came to ‘hand in the keys’ in 2014, rather than head for the exit, he decided to create his own consultancy, bringing together a group of likeminded rail professionals to provide expert advice and
guidance to the industry.
‘I think one of the major challenges that the industry faces, particularly now as we once again go through a period of significant change, is the real danger of losing that knowledge and experience when seasoned operators leave. The purpose of AARCPS is to address that knowledge drain by retaining those people and skills and redeploying them to where they’re needed most, helping to deliver outstanding outcomes in the process. I also genuinely believe in the rail industry and want to give something back –an ethos shared by all of our associates.’
Most of those involved in AARCPS are former colleagues of Steve’s, themselves having held senior roles within the industry and each bringing with them a particular set of skills. They also share the common aim of providing clients with a ‘professional, collaborative and friendly though determined approach, to help bring about outstanding results.’ Their respective backgrounds also means that they can ‘hit the ground running’ –incredibly beneficial in building trust and
developing a truly collaborative approach.
Steve explains: ‘Our motivation is to help clients achieve their goals by delivering strategic and technical expertise across a range of disciplines and at all levels, from frontline operations through to the boardroom. And whilst we’re happy to work independently where required, we strongly advocate the benefits of teamwork, actively encouraging collaborative relationships and aligning ourselves to the client’s respective organisation for the duration of the engagement.’
Currently 23 strong and counting, AARCPS has strength in depth, with specific expertise in operations, projects and engineering management, as well as safety, assurance and training.
In its relatively short lifespan, the business has already built up an impressive portfolio, with satisfied customers ranging from Network Rail through to Amey Infrastructure Wales and SPL Powerlines UK.
After more than 40 years in the UK rail industry many choose retirement, instead Steve Derrick assembled a team to create AARC Professional Services Limited, a specialist rail consultancy providing expert support and advisory services
Supporting SPL in 2018 through its transition to main supplier for the delivery of electrification projects for Network Rail. This included the provision of safety verification and assurance support and has since involved additional assurance support.
‘AARCPS is a strong business, built around a core of time-served rail professionals, each of whom add value, hence us returning to them time and again for support.’ – Chris Hext, UK Group Safety & Services Director, SPL Powerlines UK
Developing a collaborative relationship with AIW in its delivery of the Core Valley Lines Transformation project, following the transfer of infrastructure management from Network Rail to Transport for Wales and AIW’s subsequent appointment as Managing Agent for the extensive programme of electrification, signalling recontrol and upgrade, track doubling and station improvements. In direct support, AARCPS provided a specific focus on project operational interface work and has since grown its involvement, with a number of its associates working on a range of activities including network/project operations, safety & assurance and operational training design and delivery.
‘Having worked with Steve Derrick and team on several occasions, I have always found them to be very knowledgeable and easy to work with, delivering high quality outcomes on all that they support.’ – Colin Hughes, Head of CVL Operations
Working with Network Rail Scotland and in particular its operations and asset strategy teams on the development of a regional operations strategy. AARCPS has also been engaged by the Head of Operations to look at other requirements, including the provision of bespoke operational training modules.
‘The AARC team provided a professional service to the Region, with regular updates on progress and delivery of all outputs within the agreed timescales.’ – Guy Whaley, Signalling Strategy Lead, Network Rail Scotland
Appointed by GFT, one of the Midlands’ leading construction companies, as Contractor’s Engineering Manager (CEM) in support of the demolition/redevelopment bordering the railway of Oscott Manor School in Erdington, West Midlands – a vibrant community special school providing education for autistic children and young people aged between 11 and 19. AARCPS provided the professional lead/operational interface with the railway across all stages of the project lifecycle.
‘AARCPS’s appointed CEM was extremely proactive, bringing a positive direct approach to the project, which helped in the successful delivery of a potentially complex process.’ – Rob Sullivan, Senior Contracts Manager, G F Tomlinson.
Fast approaching its first decade of existence, it’s fair to say AARCPS can now
consider itself a provider of choice when it comes to strategic and technical advice. But where next for Steve Derrick and team? Steve says: ‘Our objective is to continue to evolve at a controlled pace, continuously building our pool of expertise, whilst simultaneously developing our offer. As a rail consultancy, we are acutely aware that clients have many choices as to where to put their trust, but we firmly believe that our depth of expertise and experience really helps us to ‘stand out from the crowd.’ The number of repeat requests for support that we receive would seem to suggest we are clearly doing something right!’
To find out more about AARC Professional Services Limited and how it can help your organisation, please contact Steve Derrick at steve.derrick@aarcps.co.uk. For further information, visit the AARC Professional Services website at https://www.aarcps.co.uk
Tel: 01543 472782
Email: info@aarcps.co.uk Visit: www.aarcps.co.uk
Steve Derrick is Managing Director of AARCTorrent Trackside has one of the largest ranges of on track battery powered tools and equipment. But we realise that the off track environment is important too
it construction or trackside vegetation management Torrent Trackside has invested in a range of the latest Husqvarna battery powered tools that are powerful yet are emission free and have considerably lower HAVs than the petrol powered equivalents
tools offer a considerable saving on fuel costs and help to reduce overall carbon emissions.
tools are lightweight and benefit from long run times and short recharge times giving impressive productivity.
more information contact our 24 hour helpline or visit our website: www.torrent.co.uk
The railway industry is a leader amongst its industrial peers in the adoption of private wireless communications, says Jochen Apel, Vice President Digital Industries at Nokia
The finalisation of the GSM-R specification in 2000 was a landmark in the evolution of wireless communications for mission-critical industrial infrastructure.
The railway industry is now on the threshold of finalising FRMCS: a key step in the digital transformation of railways. The advanced communications systems that power FRMCS will provide railway operators with an opportunity to pursue digital strategies including automation, the use of IoT sensors, AI and machine learning that will improve efficiencies, capacity and sustainably ensure the safety and comfort of passengers and the public.
For railway operators, one of the important legacies of GSM-R is two decades of experience in the benefits, reliability, and safety of private wireless communications. Unlike some industries, rail is ready for the next stage of digitalisation.
In the intervening period, however, the telecommunications industry has advanced far beyond the GSM specification. Wireless communications such as 5G, as part of FRMCS, can make extraordinary performance available. These benefits include bandwidth speeds to rival wireline connectivity, ultra-low latencies that enable wireless to support automation, and the capacity to handle millions of digital sensors.
These extraordinary capabilities have been engineered to high specifications of reliability and availability expected by critical railway operations. 5G can simultaneously meet the performance specifications of different applications such as safety-critical train control and missioncritical push-to-talk. 5G also enables network slicing to allow for more flexibility in supporting other business applications. Automation use cases such as automatic
train control require minimal delay in the communication link. 5G networks have been designed to achieve low latencies at levels suitable for safe operation of automated systems.
The proliferation of IoT sensors is expected to be one of the most significant transformations of the coming decades. Sensors will relay digital information on almost every conceivable parameter that affects the operation of a railway system. This will not happen overnight, because legacy equipment will only slowly be replaced. But it will happen. And 5G has been designed for a future in which even millions of digital sensors can be accommodated without overcoming the network.
The usefulness of all this sensor data will be ensured by AI and machine learning (ML) software systems that can be trained to understand what normal, safe, and efficient
operating parameters are and spot even the tiniest anomalies in the data that might indicate an issue. This may be as simple as a different vibration pattern in a bearing to an intrusion on a gated level crossing. 5G will ensure that all this data is supported by wireless connectivity from sensors to edge clouds where the data can be processed, and alerts or actions initiated.
If this all sounds too much like science fiction, automated systems using 5G are already being trialled. The Deutsche Bahn Digital-S Bahn project in Hamburg is, for instance, employing driverless shunters for empty trains near the Bergedorf station all based on a 5G communications system. Others are trialling video-based analytics for use at level crossings and predictive maintenance software that can spot the possibility of component failures and prioritize maintenance schedules and capital budgets for equipment that needs replacing.
Even with all the amazing capabilities of 5G, FRMCS has avoided one of the pitfalls of GSM-R. FRMCS will not be locked into a specific communication technology. It has been designed to be bear independent and can operate over a variety of technologies, even those that have yet to be invented. It achieves maximum flexibility by separating
the railway functions from the network and radio bearer that carries them. This makes it possible to use standard mobile radio technologies including 5G, as well as others such as satellites.
This flexibility will not only ensure that FRMCS can take full advantage of future releases of Advanced-5G or 6G, but it also
means that railway operators can leverage other communications technologies to supplement for better coverage. Thus, operators maintain the end-to-end advantages of a single communication system, as with GSM-R, but make the most efficient use of all communications components.
As railways come to play an increasingly important role in meeting the transportation needs of our climate-stressed world, they will need to compete with other modes of transportation by offering a safer, cleaner, more efficient, and sustainable alternative. With the adoption of FRMCS and exciting communications systems like 5G, the digitalisation of the rail system is moving to the fast track, and it’s just what our world needs.
Jochen Apel is Vice President Digital Industries at Nokia
One of the UK’s leading providers of rail related training has made a rallying call for more women to get involved in a sector that has thousands of immediate jobs available
Davie Carns, Managing Director of National Infrastructure Solution (NIS), believes the industry needs to work harder to create more opportunities to ensure female talent can succeed. The former Royal Marine is working with City of Wolverhampton College and the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) to help change perceptions and to highlight the vast array of roles available across the rail industry.
As well as many positions available on worksites across the country, there is also a diverse range of ‘off track’ careers, such as office roles, project management, health and safety and digital marketing.
Part of the recruitment drive is providing flexible training courses with start and end times that fit around paternal activities and educating employers on creating work conditions and shift times that are more accessible to women.
‘With major infrastructure projects, including HS2 and the Midland Metro Extension well underway, there has never been a better time for a more inclusive workforce’ explained Davie, who started NIS in 2020. ‘If you take the total rail workforce in the UK, only 14 per cent are women…a stunning stat that we need to change.
‘It’s not just about digging holes on track, there’s so many different opportunities for women looking for a career change or those entering or re-entering the workplace.’ He continued: “There’s thousands of jobs immediately available and, with our strategic partners, we can offer the training to help get them into the sector or, for those already plying their trade across the network, the opportunity to upskill and support progression.
‘Rates of pay are good and individuals with the right aptitude can progress quickly into team leader and senior roles. It’s our job to equip learners with the right skills and to work with key employers across the industry
to create employment opportunities at the end of their course. A perfect example of this is how we currently work with Vital Rail, who have donated equipment and resource to support our training centre.’
The partnership between City of Wolverhampton College and National Infrastructure Solutions is into its third year and offers a pioneering approach to academic/industry training. Sectorspecific and designed with employment at the forefront of the learner journey, the tailored courses are offered at different levels depending on the experience of the individual. Supported by the West Midlands Combined Authority, the relationship also benefits from a dedicated rail training centre
at the college’s Wellington Road Campus in Bilston. This is equipped with installation and maintenance equipment and a standard rail track to support courses on conventional, high speed and light rail lines.
The facility is also the first in the UK to offer training on slab track systems used in the construction of high-speed rail lines, such as HS2.
Louise Fall, Deputy Principal at City of Wolverhampton College, went on to add: ‘The biggest barrier is changing perceptions and proving to women that it’s not just an industry for men. Where we can really help is by working with NIS to make sure all levels of courses are accessible to female learners, whether that is a mix of online and
on-site training or something as simple as putting training sessions at different times to avoid family commitments.
‘That’s the simple bit. There is also a piece of work we need to do with employers to ensure they are offering the same flexibility when it comes to actual jobs. There is no point training women for positions where barriers to access the industry still exist.’
Clare Boden-Hatton, Director of Employment & Skills Delivery at WMCA, added her support: ‘The relationship between National Infrastructure Solutions
and City of Wolverhampton College is a fantastic model we’d like to use for other sectors and areas in the West Midlands. It’s ideal. You have the industry contacts and knowledge of NIS on one hand, and the academic wraparound expertise to support it. Both give individuals the best opportunity to forge a career on the railway.
‘Our region is at the epicentre of the sector’s development with lots of exciting projects taking place. We want to bring in exciting new talent to make sure they are delivered on time and women – with the
vast skills they possess – can make a real difference to the industry.’
NIS is walking the walk, with 50 per cent of its 16-strong office staff now female. ‘It’s important our business represents the society in which we live in and its equally important that everyone, regardless of gender, is given the opportunity to work and succeed within the rail industry’ concluded Davie.
For further information, please visit www.nisgroup.co.uk or follow NIS on its social channels.
“Not that way, stupid, this way”
”Do you always talk to others in that manner?”
“Watch your back, they can’t be trusted”
“Let’sstitchthemupfirstthen”
“Push as hard as you like: I’m not moving”
“We’re supposed to be on the same team!”
C2E Consulting has over two decades experience in developing, building, embedding and maintaining collaborative business relationships, throughout all stages of lifecycle from inception to close-out of final accounts, and in projects ranging from several million pounds to several billions. We work in all areas of infrastructure, notably rail, highways and nuclear and specialise in:
• Building, embedding and maintaining collaborative capability and culture
• Developing and enhancing interpersonal, team and relationship skills
• Behavioural & relationship assessment and turnaround
• Support for tender bids and assessments for collaboration and culture
In the early decades of the 20th century, classical physics was torn apart – at least at the atomic scale, by the birth of quantum mechanics T
his required a complete reexamination of how the world worked and gave rise to the famous quote by Einstein: ‘God does not play dice’. What has this to do with collaborative business relationships?
‘Well, perhaps’ says Ed Sharman, ‘our organisations need a rethink about how they deploy collaborative working interventions, because, to varying degrees, they are unintentionally ‘playing dice’ with their investments, and in general getting sub-optimal returns. Furthermore, in that history example above, at the time it was genuinely believed that physics was pretty much complete – everything that needed to be known was known. Today, it sometimes seems that with collaborative working there is a similar assumption: we all know
what it is, what the rules are and how to go about it. Whenever collaborative working is proposed, invoked or mentioned in sectors like rail, there is usually some kind of stated or assumed assertion that ‘we’ve been doing it for years, we know all about it’. And in this there lies at least the seeds of complacency.’
Ed is the Managing Director and Principal Consultant of C2E Consulting. He has been facilitating and consulting on collaborative working for almost 25 years in major projects and programmes in the rail and other sectors – and at all stages of the project life cycle from inception to close-out of final accounts.
‘There is no doubt’ continues Ed, ‘that collaborative working has become one of the ‘rock stars’ of corporate initiatives over the last few decades. As a core business imperative it has resilience, and, on the
face of it, seems guaranteed to endure. This is testament to the commitment, effort, leadership and persistence of the many people and organisations which have sponsored and enabled collaborative working. And the positive impact of those developments has been tremendous.’
‘It feels almost heretical to say it, but there are signs. For example, collaborative working should be a means to an end: it is an enabling mechanism which, ultimately, is applied with the general intent of getting ‘more for less’. But it has become a such a juggernaut, that it’s kind of become a means to its own end. In the rail sector these days, if you’re not ‘doing’ collaborative working as a structured approach in your organisation,
then other parties might well look at you sideways and raise an eyebrow. To a degree, you can’t not do it - and in many cases, you might well be assessed on it as part of the tender evaluation process.’
But this begs the question: what does ‘doing it’ really mean? Do we even understand what it is?
‘It’s an interesting question’ muses Ed. ‘There’s a wide range of views about what collaborative working is. A few years ago a major Programme Director said to me: ‘Ah, yes, collaborative working – it’s all about shared goals.’ Alternatively, recently in a meeting in a collaboration-based project the client lead literally pointed at the contractor’s lead and said: ‘I’ll tell you what collaborative working is, it’s when you deliver what we’re paying you for.’
One could argue that it’s all things to all people. ‘Everyone’ says Ed, ‘has a view on what collaborative working is. Others will cite shared risk/reward, or win-win outcomes. Many will say ‘all of the above’, whilst others will essentially declare that it’s just teamworking by another name. The net result of this plethora of understanding (or perhaps misunderstanding) is what we call the ‘game’ of collaborative working, and the game is being played out on a daily basis. For example, in one two-hour meeting I counted the ‘c’ word used 42 times; it seems that it’s become part of essential ‘corporate speak’. But in truth the use of the words is a kind of unintended platitude; we hear routine phrases such as ‘we had a collaborative meeting’, ‘let’s have a collaborative planning session’, ‘we should do a collaborative brainstorm’ and ‘we had a collaborative discussion.’
The word ‘collaborative’ has become a kind of activity prefix which is, in most cases, vanilla, meaningless, and empty. It reminds me of Margaret Thatcher saying, ‘Being a leader is like being a lady; if you have to remind people you are, you aren’t’. Or, as the saying goes, talk's cheap.
‘Of course, one could argue that the frequent and widespread mention of collaborative working is a good sign that collaboration is alive and kicking. On the other hand, as noted above, the opinions on what it is – and how we’d know when we’ve got it – vary by a wide margin. I think there’s a strong case to start asking some questions: what is collaborative working, what does ‘good’ look like, and have we been going about it in the right way?
It’s perhaps interesting to note that the real goal of investing in collaborative working is ‘more for less’ – we do it because we should get some enhanced value out of it. This requires, ultimately, mature and skilled relationships to challenge each other and the status quo. In reality, though, once the programme and budget come under threat in any project, challenging is something that more often than not is done unskilfully (‘you’re incompetent’) or simply leads to defend/attack responses, characterised by ‘tit for tat’ exchanges, finger pointing, push-
back, the taking of positions and time spent second-guessing and preparing next steps to protect one’s interests. It’s all waste.
How can we get more from our investment in collaborative working?
Ed argues that although there are obviously many positives about collaborative working, there are also four underlying issues that cause sub-optimality:
• Leadership for collaboration.
• Collaborative capability of people and teams.
• The measurement and assessment of collaboration and the relationship.
• Accountability for collaborative deployment and embedment.
‘In our experience these are the key areas critical to successful collaboration and all too often are somewhat ‘patchy’ and can get easily subordinated in the hurly burly of project delivery.
‘For example, at the heart of collaborative working is how people and teams engage, and especially when things aren’t going as well as hoped for (and there’s an old saying, ‘collaboration is easy when things are going well’). Once there is challenge, change, uncertainty, complexity and conflict, all too often the exchanges can be unskilled, clumsy and sometimes crass – whether in the use of language or through actions and behaviours. These then combine with the high-octane ingredients of misunderstandings and distrust and the consequence is wasted time and effort and the preparing of the ground for further fraught exchanges. This begs an important question regarding the degree to which we are really equipping our people to engage in the most optimum manner to get the best out of themselves, others and situations. We all know that trust is
the bedrock of any relationship, business or otherwise, but trust is a really poorly understood concept. In the vast majority of project or contractual situations, where trust has diminished it isn’t because of what we call ‘the big stitch up’; instead, trust degrades, sometimes on a daily or even hourly basis as a result of the words, behaviours and actions of people. All too often, the people causing this degradation are at least insensitive to it or are even blind to it.
‘Surely it’s incumbent on us all’ concludes Ed, ‘that if we want collaboration to continue to thrive, we need to be very clear about what we’re getting in to in a collaborative relationship, how it should be set it up in the right way to succeed, how progress can be checked and dealt with, and, of course, how we ensure that we spend our money wisely in doing these things. Our experience is that, in all forms of contract, the biggest determinant of effective collaborative relationships is the ability of people and teams to get the best out of each other and situations. So a key focus of ours is to help people enhance their interpersonal, team and relationship skills, and especially in times of challenge, change and conflict.
‘At C2E we are passionate about collaborative working, and our approach with our clients is to get behind the intent and practice of collaborative working to provide the best chance of getting relationship and reputational value, and value for money out of their collaborative interventions and investments.’
For more information contact Ed Sharman at ed.sharman@c2econsulting.co.uk or visit our website at www.c2econsulting.co.uk
Held at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes on 2223 November, the show is organised by leading industry journal Modern Railways, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. Registration is FREE to all in the rail industry.
Appropriately for a show held at Milton Keynes – the location of Network Rail’s headquarters – the infrastructure manager has a major presence. Its Commercial and Procurement, Intelligent Infrastructure, SPEED and Research and Development teams will all be exhibiting, with visitors able to meet with representatives from the sectors and discuss the latest developments and collaboration opportunities.
The success of the recently opened Dartmoor line in Devon last year using the SPEED approach is a compelling demonstration of how major projects can be delivered faster and more efficiently than ever before, while the R&D team is focussing on harnessing the latest technologies to make the railway more affordable to run and maintain. The Commercial and Procurement arm will show how it is making it easier for companies to supply the rail sector and support small to medium sized enterprises, while the Intelligent Infrastructure programme is using digital technology to create applications which turn data into applicable insight, helping maintenance teams take a more active approach and fix infrastructure before it fails in service.
Plans are also being developed for dedicated speaker and panel sessions featuring members of all four teams.
To make Modern Railways EXPO 2022 easier to navigate for visitors, dedicated zones bring companies and organisations together so visitors can easily find areas of interest. These zones include:
• Infrastructure and on-track plant.
• Professional advice, consultancy and services.
Rail industry leaders will converge at a new exhibition dedicated to the future of Britain’s rail network – Modern Railways EXPO 2022
• Rail vehicle enhancement.
• Recruitment.
• Rolling stock manufacture, supply and delivery.
• Signalling and telecommunication.
As the first day finishes, exhibitors and visitors will be able to enjoy a dedicated networking reception to reinforce existing business relationships and make new ones.
Modern Railways Editor Philip Sherratt says: ‘With challenges and opportunities around decarbonisation, modal shift and a raft of technological developments whose impact will be as anything seen since at least the 1960s, Modern Railways EXPO 2022 is the place to explore these changes and how they will affect the railway.
‘Modern Railways has always celebrated the very best innovation in the railway, and in our 60th anniversary year, we’re tremendously excited to be hosting a show and conference which puts that front and centre.’
To register your attendance for FREE, visit www.modernrailways.com/expo/visitorregistration.
Running alongside the Modern Railways EXPO 2022 exhibition is a FREE two-day conference with leading industry speakers outlining their vision for the future of Britain’s railway.
A keynote address on progress with rail reform and the major changes to the industry’s structure on Tuesday 22 November will be given by Great British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT) Lead Director Anit Chandarana. Mr Chandarana’s role involves overseeing the whole operation of the GBRTT working with Network Rail Chief Executive and GBRTT Lead Andrew Haines and team on the interim arrangements for the railway following the publication of the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail in May 2021. He was Chief of Staff at Network Rail, where he led Network Rail’s involvement in the creation of the white paper. He has worked in the rail industry for more than 18 years.
The opening conference session on the show’s second day, Wednesday 23 November, will shine a spotlight on the important issue of rebuilding revenue, fares and ticketing. It will be chaired by Transport Focus Rail Contracts Manager Sharon Hedges.
The keynote speech at this session will be given by GBRTT’s Director of Passenger Revenue Suzanne Donnelly. She is on secondment to the GBRTT leadership team as the director responsible for the passenger, revenue and marketing team, which has been formed from and builds on the Rail Revenue Recovery Group (RRRG) set up in early 2021. Revenue recovery and growth is critical to the financial sustainability of the railway both now and for the future. Her twin focus is of a short-term acceleration of demand/revenue and designing Great
British Railways in a way which puts customer and revenue management at the heart.
She has 16 years of rail experience in various commercial roles (most recently as Commercial Director for LNER) and eleven years before that in the airline sector.
Leading software company Resonate is sponsoring a session on Train Service Delivery, focusing on the key operational tools needed to run an efficient and reliable railway. The company will present alongside speakers from Network Rail and a train operating company, with this session taking place on the afternoon of Tuesday 22 November.
At lunchtimes on both days, Network Rail will hold panel and speaker sessions to discuss the latest issues around the rail network. Further speakers will be announced closer to the show.
Rail Forum focuses on supply chain and digital Industry body Rail Forum continues its longstanding and successful relationship with Modern Railways by hosting a dedicated Rail Forum area offering a number
of short sessions for industry visitors.
First up is a short workshop on supply chain sustainability. This will be the second instalment on this topic following an online event which took place in October – although both events will stand alone so you won’t need to have attended the first to come along to the second. The workshop will be delivered by Rail Forum members Alliance Procurement Solutions and Wylde Connections – an organisation which specialises in sustainability.
The Rail Forum is also planning a couple of short sessions with a digital focus. A presentation featuring some of the latest AI-powered image processing software from Rail Forum member CrossTech will provide the opportunity to provide your input into future needs and developments and a brief look into cybersecurity issues in rail from Rail Forum member Complete Cyber.
Pre-registration is encouraged for all the workshops using the events pages on the Rail Forum website at www.railforum.uk/events
Throughout the two days, Rail Forum
members will be on hand to catch up with members old and new.
As one of the top three railway industry exhibitions in the world, preparations are under way at full steam ahead of the tenth Eurasia Rail
Eurasia Rail prepares to host the leading railway authorities in the world for the tenth time.
Having hosted 178 national and international buyers from 29 countries and exhibitors from 16 countries in 2021 despite the pandemic, the ninth Eurasia Rail welcomed nearly 8,000 visitors from 54 countries.
Stating that Eurasia Rail will celebrate its tenth anniversary this year, Semi Benbanaste, the Exhibition Director, continued: ‘Turkey’s progress in transportation and infrastructure especially during the last 20 years in addition to recent efforts in the railway sector during the last
year strongly supports the current position of Eurasia Rail. We also have a highly comprehensive event schedule.
‘We still have four months until the exhibition takes place; however, recent applications and inquiries made with our Sales Department indicate that we are getting ready for a Eurasia Rail event with the highest number of visitors of all time.’
With confirmed participation by exhibitors leading the sector including CAF, Alstom, WAGO, Plasser, Nexans, Voestalpine, and Siemens, the tenth Eurasia Rail will also host France, Germany, UK, and the Czech Republic with their national pavilions.
The programme titled Conference Station Events, is aimed to open the sector for discussion with all of its aspects by integrating many different formats, subjects, and expertise. In collaboration with the institutions and organisations that are shaping the future of the industry, the veterans of the sector will talk about the latest developments in the railway, light rail systems, and the logistics sector.
Influential tech companies will examine how innovations are being integrated into the sector, while talking about the importance that the new generation design
and technology tools hold in the world.
On curated exhibition tours and excursions, professionals and start-ups from the sector, accompanied by tech influencers, will visit each exhibitor’s stand in accordance and experience an interactive exhibition. The start-ups that have left their mark on the sector with augmented reality, autonomous robots, cyber security, 3D printing, simulation technologies, BIM, and energy efficiency solutions, from rail systems sector will introduce their latest developments to the sector.
Having stated that a century’s worth of infrastructure need for transportation and logistics in Turkey had been fulfilled with investments of $183 billion (£162 billion) during the last 20 years, Benbanaste emphasized that the developments in the railway sector will be further improved by new targets.
Benbanaste continued: ‘The Marmaray connected the Asian side and the European side under the Bosphorus strait by a
commuter rail line. China Railway Express, the first freight train departing from China to a destination in Europe via the Marmaray, arrived in the Czech Republic after passing through our country in November 2019.
Another major investment in rail freight shipment was the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway, which strengthened Turkey ’s position in rail freight shipment. 2053 Transportation and Logistics Master Plan, which was publicly announced in April 2022, provides a clear picture of Turkey ’s railway vision.’
Stating that Turkey has come a long way with its high-speed rail investments in passenger transportation, Benbanaste explained that eight cities have been connected with high-speed rail lines since 2003 and the number of cities to be connected with these rail lines is planned to be 52 by 2053.
According to the 2053 Transportation and Logistics Master Plan, which was publicly
announced in April 2022 by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, Turkey’s railway share in passenger transportation and freight shipment will be increased.
Railway passenger transportation share, which is currently one per cent, is targeted to reach 6.2 per cent and yearly railway passenger traffic, which is currently around 19.5 million, is targeted to reach 270 million passengers by 2053.
The Ministry plans to increase its 55 million tonnes of freight target for 2023 by around seven times in 2053, thus 448 million tonnes of freight will be subject to shipment by railways by 2053 and the logistics share of railways will become higher than average share in Europe by 21.93 per cent.
In order to achieve these targets, a total of 8,554 kilometres of rail lines will be completed by 2053, consisting of 6,196 kilometres of speed rail, 1,474 kilometres of conventional rail, 622 kilometres of highspeed rail, and 262 kilometres of very highspeed rail lines, respectively.
To this end, a total of $197.9 billion (£175 billion) worth of investments, including railway investments, are planned for the transportation and logistics sectors. Aiming at extending inner-city rail systems, Turkey currently has a total of 811.4 kilometres of inner-city rail system lines in twelve cities in operation.
The Metropolitan Municipality of Istanbul aims to increase the total length of the rail system lines in Istanbul to 622 kilometres by 2029. Moreover, another key railway project in inner-city rail systems is called HIZRAY, which will travel throughout twelve transfer hubs at a total of 13 stations, capable of operating at an average speed of 100 kph all the way from one end to the other throughout Istanbul.
While inner-city and intercity investments are under way in Turkey at a fast pace, the EBRD and the United Kingdom support Turkey in achieving its targets within a short period of time by providing loan supports for these projects.
For the Halkalı-Kapıkule Railway Project, which is currently under construction, the EBRD has allocated a loan worth €553 million (£481 million), which is the highest loan amount allocated in a lump sum for a railway project.
For the high-speed rail line project designed to travel between Ankara and İzmir provinces, the UK government allocated a loan worth £1.7 billion within the scope of the clean transport deal.
The EBRD has also provided loan support for inner-city rail system projects in İstanbul and İzmir provinces.
Tel: +90 212 970 83 92
Email: berk.tanyeli@hyve.group Visit: www.eurasiarail.eu/Home
Through the knowledge gained over 20+ years in the industry, 3Squared is able to create and implement technological solutions that make a positive impact on the day-to-day running of the rail network. Since inception, its innovations have taken the risk out of digital transformation. Streamlining efficiencies, improving sustainability, and reducing costs are the company’s core objectives when developing its in-house propriety technologies, from the industry leading RailSmart software suite to the innovative BulkSmart solution, currently transforming logistics planning and delivery on the HS2 project.
3Squared collaborates closely with key players from across the rail industry, with experience of working with most major passenger and freight operators, Network Rail and HS2, to understand the challenges they are experiencing and how technology can play a key role in overcoming them. At its heart, these solutions enable transformation to nurture the creation of the green digital railway of the future.
• Make data-driven decisions – Harness the data that technology provides to make informed decisions that keep the railway running safely, efficiently, and sustainably.
• Improve efficiencies – 3Squared’s suite of solutions is created with efficiency in mind, both from an operational leadership and end-user experience.
• Save time and money – 3Squared’s data solutions aim to provide you with a
high-quality service, that won’t break your budget.
• Tackle known and emerging rail challenges – 3Squared’s expertise provides it with a unique understanding of the constraints the industry faces. This knowledge is present across the product portfolio, enabling you with the foresight to plan proactively and confidently.
• Deliver digital transformation – 3Squared collaborates closely with its clients to show them the benefits that technology provides, transforming their operations in a way that sticks.
• Solve problems, fast – 3Squared’s team of experts are passionate about creating solutions effectively and ahead of schedule.
To support the UK rail industry, 3Squared’s business is underpinned by four guiding principles:
1. People and partnerships.
2. Performance improvement and best value.
3. Technology and innovation.
4. Environment and wellbeing.
Talented people are the lifeblood of 3Squared, and the company continually invests in skills and technical knowledge, recruiting selectively to maintain its position as an innovative software development company. 3Squared firmly believes in working closely with clients, forming longterm partnerships across the industry. This approach enables it to respond quickly to the rapidly evolving needs of its customers and the wider industry.
3Squared provides dependable outcomes by working alongside its clients’ teams, in turn, generating results using thoughtful plans and firm programme-management disciplines. 3Squared is an advocate of having an open and transparent approach to pricing and service delivery, allowing it to deliver the best value and results for clients.
The technology landscape has changed the world we live in at a rapid pace. 3Squared has been at the forefront of this change, advocating innovation and new ideas since its inception in 2002. Through that experience, the company understands how to harness innovation and technology to deliver tangible value and results to its clients.
3Squared is committed to continually improving the way it manages its environmental impact, with a longer-term goal of developing a sustainable business. The company takes its environmental and social responsibilities seriously, continually investing heavily in the communities in which it operates and in the people it employs.
For example, 3Squared has a longstanding track record of hiring emerging talent and igniting young careers, driven in part by an academic partnership with Sheffield Hallam University.
If you would like to find out how 3Squared can support you with the challenges presented in building a modern, increasingly digital railway, get in touch via the contact information below.
Tel: 0333 121 3333
Email: graham.cooper@3squared.com Website: www.3squared.com Social: @3Squared
3Squared understands rail, from the myriad of organisations to its complex rules and regulations
Rainbow HR offers consultancy services with a particular specialism in rail, covering bidding, organisational design, the people side of complex projects, recruitment and supporting the delivery of customer service excellence
With projects in the UK and the Middle East covering a wide range of disciplines, the consultancy can respond quickly to fill both long and short-term assignments.
Led by Fiona Irvine, who is well regarded in both Human Resources and transport, the business has been established for over 13 years. There is always an investment in time to understand your business, your workforce and the challenges that you may face. The company’s aim is to bring a return on your investment by offering a range of flexible, combined and single service solutions, ranging from one day assignments to longer interim contracts with HR consultants at every level, tailoring the offering to suit your business needs.
Rainbow HR consultants are seasoned rail professionals who operate up to Chief Executive level and can quickly make a real difference on any project. The consultants bring specialist experience in areas such as rail engineering, operations, customer service, human resources recruitment and finance. Taking a highly collaborative approach, quality is never compromised, and the focus is on delivering positive outcomes for the client.
The consultants provide the ‘know how’ and experience in researching, structuring and writing winning franchise bids, plus the credibility within the industry to back it up. They bring extensive experience working on rail franchise bids, plus an in-depth understanding of the DfT requirements and how to interpret what is set out as part of an ITT request.
The experienced team of associates will work and support the wider bid team on cross-functional initiatives. Their wider industry knowledge can be applied to develop well thought out, achievable
delivery plans, working under tight timescales in high pressure environments. This team have been engaged on a wide range of projects within rail including:
• Leading on the HR workstream for transition of ScotRail into public ownership.
• Supporting on the set up of Scottish Rail Holdings.
• Creation of effective employee relations strategies for the train operating companies.
• Writing compelling bids for a range of areas including new trains, engineering maintenance, mobilisation and human resources.
• Leading on complex financial modelling.
Delivering a high-quality, cost-effective recruitment service is a key proposition of the business. Each assignment starts with taking a detailed brief to fully understand the organisation and the type of candidate that will provide a ‘perfect match’ to the requirements of the role. A highly effective attraction strategy is put in place and a search is conducted for roles at every level, to seek out and promote roles to passive job seekers. This approach ensures that the shortlist has highly skilled, quality candidates and promotes the hiring organisation. At a time when there are scarce skills in the rail industry, Rainbow HR’s knowledge and expertise allows it
to thoroughly screen potential applicants ensuring that roles can be filled quickly.
Some of the key roles filled include:
• Head of Fleet Services.
• Head of Programme Management.
• Head of Passenger Commercial.
• Rail Project Managers.
• Data Scientists.
• Head of Health and Safety.
• Rail Graduates.
Recognising that recruitment can be a significant expense to a business, Rainbow HR has developed a fee model that is probably the most competitive in the UK – a straight ten per cent fee based on the starting salary, so with no hidden extras, it is fully transparent and cost effective.
Rainbow HR was engaged to support a key supply chain company in the UK rail network with the creation and subsequent implementation of an end-
to-end HR strategy. This was aligned to a transformational change programme which delivered a significant change in their results, with the business now recognised as a leader in the rail industry. The project was a CEO-led initiative.
The business was keen to ensure that the HR department was well set up to provide a modern and progressive function, which would support a high-performance culture.
Key elements of the strategy included:
• Capability development of the senior team, including talent and succession planning. The consultant provided coaching to those identified with specific needs to further develop capability across all levels of the organisation. Where skills gaps were evident, Rainbow HR was engaged to attract and recruit talent into the business.
• The design and delivery of the values of the organisation, which were then embedded through the delivery of bespoke workshops to support cultural transformational change.
• Consultant support for the business with dispute management, using a mediation approach alongside coaching.
• Delivering an equality, diversity and inclusion strategy which has delivered a workforce with more than double the
level of female staff than the industry average of 16 per cent.
• Support on effective employee relations initiatives including regular employee engagement and participation events to help shape the future of the business.
• Assistance with the reshaping of the HR functions, processes and service delivery.
This included designing the specification for a new HRIS system and creation of a new HR structure and operating model. The consultant also provided a full recruitment service for all levels of role.
• Support with the design of revised HR and sustainability policies.
• Leading the organisational redesign and implementation for several functional areas, using a structured approach.
• Creation of a new performance management process, fully aligned to the business plan and linked to reward.
• Design and delivery of a wide range of training and development initiatives including team building sessions, soft skills training and business specific skills in tendering/business writing.
In addition, the consultancy designed and delivered the overall sustainability strategy, with many people-related initiatives.
During 2020, the project also supported the
development of Covid specific interventions and business solutions.
Success for this organisation can be measured through the achievement of Investors in People Gold accreditation, inclusion in the Sunday Times Top 100 small companies listing for the company’s region and winning an Employer of the Year award for Employee Engagement.
In addition, a five-star rating and over 90 per cent score in the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark was achieved in 2020.
More information and further case studies can be found at www.rainbowhr.com. The company welcomes enquiries from all organisations throughout the railway, including the supply chain, train operators and consultancies.
Rainbow HR is always looking for new associate consultants to join the team and would be keen to speak to those looking for a career move.
Tel: 07739 447369 Email info@rainbowhr.com Visit: www.rainbowhr.com
The Rail Safety and Standards Board is the independent safety, standards and research body for Great Britain’s rail network. It helps to make an evolving railway safer, more efficient and more sustainable
RSSB was set up to fulfil a recommendation by Lord Cullen in his Ladbroke Grove Rail Inquiry report, following a catastrophic accident in 1999. Since its foundation its remit has grown, so that it also supports the industry in achieving lower costs, reducing its carbon footprint, and increasing its capacity and customer satisfaction levels.
What RSSB does RSSB works collaboratively with an evolving industry to ensure that innovative and sustainable technology is operated safely, efficiently and cost-effectively. RSSB codifies and share best practice, both in Britain and abroad.
RSSB is proudly impartial, and home to some of rail’s leading experts on technical matters. Guided by facts and analysis, it helps to bridge knowledge gaps, optimise use of the latest technology and disseminate and systemise industry best practice.
RSSB guides and deliver safety, standards and research outputs on infrastructure, passenger and public safety, rolling stock, safety intelligence, sustainable development, taking safe decisions, workforce health and wellbeing and workforce safety. Its services are wide ranging and include things designed to improve industry performance,
standards, risk analysis and safety reporting, research, development and innovation. Some examples are The Rule Book, Railway Industry Standards, Rail Social Value Tool, The Precursor indicator Model, Consultancy services, training and many more.
Over the last few decades, the railway has grown considerably. But now we need to take it even further: efficiently increasing the mobility of people and goods, while reducing carbon emissions, pollution and gridlock on the roads. Unlocking the railway’s full potential is a massive technical challenge. Doing it safely, sustainably and efficiently is an even bigger one. With so many businesses and organisations contributing to an increasingly dynamic system, RSSB’s skills and experience in collaborating with operators and innovators, coordinating research and development, and codifying technical knowledge will be crucial for the rail network. With the help of the industry, RSSB ensures that its users enjoy the benefits of rail for decades to come.
A vital part of RSSB’s role involves close collaboration with the industry and those key stakeholders who can influence and support. Through understanding the big
picture as well as focusing on the technical detail, it can ensure the continued success of the rail system and support the industry to unlock the railway’s full potential.
RSSB has a positive track record in bringing the industry together to solve complex issues. It encourages and enables the collaboration that address issues of common concern, so that we all benefit by reducing risk and costs.
RSSB’s unique position also means it can give clear and honest advice based on an objective assessment of the data, analysis, research and findings. The work it does is planned in consultation with the industry and its members and is guided by the RSSB Board.
Together we form an industry support network. Together we focus on those issues which one company can’t solve on its own efficiently, either because it affects many other companies, or because there’s an opportunity to address it better.
Tel: 020 3142 5300
Email: www.rssb.co.uk/who-we-are/contact-us Visit: www.rssb.co.uk
Railway lighting can be challenging given the need to balance passenger safety, better visibility, energy efficiency, reduction in carbon emissions –all this while keeping operational costs at a bare minimum.
The demands from lighting are many and today, the pressure to deliver is immense. But the great news is that the UK’s railway sector can embrace the challenge and adapt to help the economy to grow further. Furthermore, embracing this challenge will also offer the sector to be a part of the UK’s journey to a greener tomorrow. In fact, to cite an example of how the sector can lead the change, Network Rail was the first rail organisation in the world to set what it described as ‘ambitious sciencebased targets to cut carbon emissions and help limit global warming to 1.5 oC. In its ‘Environmental Sustainability Strategy 2020-2050’ Network Rail details how it aims to achieve a ‘Low-Emission Railway’, including reaching net zero by 2050. The rail sector is also one of the largest single consumers of electricity in Britain.
Therefore, reducing energy consumption is a necessity. Doing so requires the perfect solution that can aim at saving energy and also maintaining the visual and cultural appeal of many the UK’s railways stations, while keeping visibility for drivers and passengers as a priority. Enter LED lighting.
Railway stations are categorized as large public buildings that consume large amounts of energy due to their large size and high occupant density. Lighting is the second biggest energy expenditure, averaging 15 per cent of all energy consumed in large stations. A simple switch to LED lighting by simply retrofitting the lamps can reduce the energy consumed and offer many benefits. Furthermore, the longevity of modern LED lamps makes them a more sustainable option. For example, exterior lighting solutions typically have a rated lifetime of up to 50,000 hours – the equivalent to several years of operational use.
Simply put, to retrofit a light, lantern or luminaire is to replace old, conventional
and less efficient lamps (or ‘light bulbs’) with a like-for-like LED replacement. It’s a simple switch which can improve lighting output, colour rendering, heat emitted, and save huge amounts of energy. There are several pros of retrofitting a lamp over a new installation. These include the reduced cost involved, less installation time, ease of maintenance and many more. Read on to learn more.
The benefits include:
• Less heat and more green – Non-LED lighting generates heat, in the fixture and within the light stream. In large facilities or a railway station, a conversion to LED lighting can have a noticeable difference in the heat generated and therefore in the effort needed to keep spaces comfortable for employees and passengers, alike. Choosing LED retrofitting is a quick path to further the UK’s green recovery to a net zero future.
• Retrofitting is economical – At a station, new or old, a retrofit is a simple matter of installing suitable LED lamps. Ripping out and replacing entire light fittings
is costly and unsustainable, especially if the luminaire is intact and still in a serviceable condition. However, with the TrueForce range of lamps from Philips Lighting, retrofitting is made very simple as the lamps can be installed directly into existing light fittings.
• Prolong the life of the lantern – The retrofit process is fast and efficient, with disruptive works kept to a minimum. Retrofitting the existing lanterns can help prolong their life as it takes away the need to replace them. in the case of heritage lanterns, LED retrofitting also helps maintain the aesthetics of an area or building, keeping the cultural heritage alive.
Recently, we worked closely with Stagecoach Supertram to upgrade the lighting for all platforms on Sheffield' Tramline, one of the UK’s busiest tramlines with traffic of 10.5 million passengers every year. The upgrade is a move from energy-intensive 150W SON-T lamps to the new Philips TrueForce Core LED SON-T 40W lamps, which promise improved white light quality
in customer-facing areas for increased safety and enhanced colour rendering for better visibility. In addition, with this replacement, it is estimated over 800,000 kWh energy will be saved each year by using the Trueforce LED lamps, as the lighting installed uses 80 per cent less energy.
After several months of extensive research into the right lighting solutions, Sheffield Stagecoach found the Philips TrueForce Core LED SON-T LED lamp 40W to be the perfect fit that meets all necessary specifications and objectives for upgrading the lighting. This replacement to the new LED lighting dramatically reduces the maintenance costs of lamps through
bypassing the ageing electromagnetic gear system, reducing the need for frequent replacements and maintenance visits.
The Philips TrueForce Core LED SON-T brings all the energy-efficiency and longlifetime benefits of LED while providing instant saving with low initial investment, removing the need to replace existing fixtures. Philips TrueForce Core LED SON-T lamps are a tubular glass envelope which are a true to size retrofit when compared to conventional SON-T lamps. They will fit in the existing luminaires and importantly work with the luminaire’s optic making sure that light is photometrically positioned. The LED retrofit solution for the Sheffield tramline has encouraged travellers to travel on the line worry-free due to the better visibility and safety. To add to this, another huge benefit for the Sheffield tramline as the upgrade to LED lighting helps reduce the tramline’s environmental impact.
‘For a long time now, we have been looking for the best replacement that physically fits into the existing luminaires, taking away the need to replace them completely. We also needed to ensure the new lightbulbs meet all our objectives of enhanced safety, better visibility and being environmentally friendly. The Philips LED lighting solutions offer several benefits such
as better colour rendering, enhanced CCTV visibility, increased traveller, staff safety, and improved visibility at the tram stops. In addition, the energy savings are impressive when compared with conventional light sources and long-lasting products. With instant restrike of the new LED lamps, this takes away the waiting period of HID cooldown in the case of power outages. We are sure we will reap several benefits for a long time to come.’ – Mark Tomkins, Infrastructure Electrical Co-ordinator, Stagecoach Supertram
Upgrading to LED lighting has seen many railway stations reap the rewards of immediate energy savings and eliminate maintenance overheads. Working conditions are improved and passengers enjoy a safer environment whilst travelling. With a simple retrofit, any station or authority can easily reap all the benefits mentioned above and go beyond just energy saving as a prime for the switch.
Tel: 0845 601 1283 Email: nikita.mahajan@signify.com Visit: www.signify.com/en-gb
While working in the rail industry, your environment may threaten your ability to see clearly, impacting your precision, decision making and increasing the risk of accidents at your workplace, your workstation, or while commuting. When focused on your task, fog and scratches can drastically limit your sight and be so irritating that it is tempting to take the glasses off, hence why nearly 60 per cent of worker sustaining eye injuries were not wearing eye protection at the time. Indeed, it is safe to say that protecting your sight is a priority, accordingly it’s important for you to feel confident and be able to trust in your eyewear to protect you from fogobscured vision.
Temperature variation and humidity can create fog on your safety eyewear, which ultimately blurs your vision. Fogging is usually the first challenge met by eyewear users in the rail sector which often leads to a decrease in productivity and may jeopardize their safety.
The effect can be accelerated as you give your best to your job which may cause an increase in your body temperature and perspiration, directly impacting the difference in temperature between your body heating up and the cooler environment that surrounds you. This difference in environment’s temperatures is what precisely causes fog to appear on clear surfaces, close to your body such as the lens of your eyewear gear.
Whether you’re using prescription or non-corrective safety eyewear, chances are you already experienced the fogging up of your lenses while being focused on your duty, resulting in a slower pace, more approximative movements and overall discomfort.
While wearing other PPE such as helmets, face masks or respirators, this phenomenon is found even more commonly, emphasizing the need for an efficient yet
simple and durable solution that ensures you visual clarity just so you can keep giving your best, safely.
PPE eyewear manufacturers have been working intensively over the last years to engineer more effective and durable antifog solutions, whether it is as innovative coatings or sprays in order to ensure both protection and comfort to all users in various occupations.
After optimizing every aspect of their coating’s technical performance and analysing all solutions available on the market, Bollé Safety launched PLATINUM: an exclusive anti-fog and anti-scratch coating applied on both sides of the lens through a dipping process to provide the highest most durable protection and effectiveness.
Choosing the right personal protective equipment for the task at hand enables you to give your full potential despite the situation
Engineered with hydrophilic properties, the PLATINUM technology uses the natural humidity present in the surrounding environment and from body emissions to create a homogeneous, colourless and extremely thin film of water on the surface of the lens which acts like a water-drop repellent to ensure a long-lasting anti-fog action and thus optimal clarity, reliability and comfort.
This innovative coating goes beyond all international standards requirements (K & N rated under EN166 standard) to ensure you get the best visibility possible so that you are in an optimal position to give your best and maintain great performance while staying comfortable and protected. 100 times more effective than the highest anti-fog standard, PLATINUM provides exceptional lasting performance, encompassing great resistance to both repetitive autoclave cycles and the most extreme temperatures to protect you regardless of your work environment and constraints.
PLATINUM is an exclusive technology that goes beyond expectations, offering greater comfort and safety, making your PPE eyewear the most reliable and protective tool for the job at hand. In order to provide you with multiple options and because you
might not always require the most high-end technology to have a clear vision and be in full control of your capacities, Bollé Safety developed another anti-fog and anti-scratch technology.
The PLATINUM LITE treatment is a simpler version of the PLATINUM coating, which also provides effective anti-scratch & anti-fog action but not rated under EN166 standard. It allows you to stay alert and maintain an optimal comfort of vision. Whichever coating you wish to use, PLATINUM & PLATINUM LITE coating technologies are both available on safety glasses, prescription eyewear, goggles, OTG and face shields.
The PLATINUM technologies are a must have for the safety of every rail worker. They are both washable and durable. Thanks to its coating on both sides of the lens, the Platinum technology ensure higher durability and resistance-still efficient after 100+ washing cycles; enabling you to enjoy your eyewear of choice in all circumstances and reuse it every day, therefore minimizing your carbon footprint.
No matter your work environment, it is recommended to use optimal antifog coatings such as PLATINUM with sealed/positive safety glasses or with poor ventilated eyewear that reduces air
circulation as they increase fogging risks. Yet often, not all eye gear possess antifog properties. Hence why fog-resisting solutions were developed. They create a protective layer onto the lens which helps delay fog. Essentially, they work the same way as coatings but don’t last as long, and do not help with anti-scratch properties.
Along those lines, Bollé Safety’s latest innovation, the B300, is one of the most effective anti-fog spray on the market and was specifically designed to provide the best protection to all lens materials without damaging other coatings such as the antireflective technology.
The B300 optimal performances make it an asset for your team’s results optimization and can be used in all situations, on both your professional equipment and your personal reading glasses. Its exclusive waterbased, silicon-free formula will help you gain clarity and efficiency. As visual comfort and performance go hand in hand, you deserve your safety eyewear to show you what they are truly made of. See for yourself and unleash your full potential.
Tel: 0208 391 4700
Email: sales@bolle-safety.co.uk
Visit: www.bolle-safety.com/gb/
RIA is the national, award-winning trade association for UK-based suppliers to the railway industry, with activity in all regions and nations of the UK
Established almost 150 years ago, 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. The trade association also works 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 Government-backed initiative to drive improvement in the railway industry.
RIA offers its members a whole host of benefits, helping them to navigate and succeed in the rail industry. These benefits include:
• Representing members’ interests to Government, major clients, regulators, and other bodies
• Offering a forum for dialogue between members
• Keeping members up to date with industry news and information
• Providing a platform for members to showcase their positive news stories or exciting developments
• Promote exports of members’ products and services
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.
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
Transport for the North is the country’s first Sub-national Transport Body, formed to transform the transport system across the North of England, providing the infrastructure needed to drive economic growth
Transport for the North became England’s first Sub-national Transport Body in April 2018, bringing together the North’s 20 Local Transport Authorities and eleven Local Enterprise Partnerships to enable the North to speak with one voice on the transport infrastructure investment needed to drive transformational growth and rebalance the UK economy.
The Strategic Rail programme is key to ensuring the synergies between the North’s classic rail network, the Northern Powerhouse Rail programme, together with HS2 Phase 2b and Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU), through the Integrated Rail Programme (IRP), are fully optimised.
In operational terms, the programme partners with the Department for Transport in overseeing and managing the region’s biggest rail operators – Northern Trains Limited and TransPennine Express. The Rail North Partnership, informed by the advice and guidance of the Rail North Committee and the Department for Transport, oversees and manages the performance and delivery targets of these operators and works to ensure they are both fit for purpose and future-proofed.
In 2020, with the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic, the above work took on a special significance as both regional and national government effectively took control of the operators to ensure they could both meet national needs in providing essential transport links and have some protection against the economic effects of the pandemic. Rail recovery continues to be a key focus for the programme.
The Northern and TransPennine Express rail services run through 25 local authority areas, including the 20 authorities that sit on the Partnership Board of Transport for the North. They engage regularly with representatives from all 25 authorities through our Rail Officer Reference Group.
Northern Powerhouse Rail is a major strategic rail programme that will deliver radical improvements to train service frequencies and journey times, to better connect the key economic areas in the North
of England. Delivered over a phased 30-year period, the programme will transform eastwest rail travel across the region to enhance connectivity, capacity and reliability.
By linking the east and west of the North, as well as linking with HS2, Northern Powerhouse Rail will deliver vastly improved regional rail connections, providing modern, high-speed, low-carbon services which will improve the passenger experience, and encourage a modal shift from cars to trains, contributing greatly to the decarbonisation agenda.
Northern Powerhouse Rail will also release capacity in the existing rail network, supporting improvements in the local and freight services on which much of the region depends, as well as improving connectivity to international gateways including Manchester Airport. The programme will connect the major urban centres of the North, and under-served communities, to generate opportunity, attract investment, create jobs and move the North towards a more integrated economy that will ‘level-up’ the region and boost UK productivity The North’s economy will flourish with proper investment. Regional strengths in advanced manufacturing and research have already attracted investment from Boeing in Sheffield and Siemens in Goole, while recent announcements of the new UK Infrastructure Bank in Leeds and ‘Treasury North’ in Darlington, as well as the announcement of three freeports in the region in the 2021 budget, show confidence and ambition for the North. To maximise and expand upon this ambition, the North’s creaking rail infrastructure must be improved.
Ultimately, Northern Powerhouse Rail - delivered in full alongside HS2 and the Transpennine Route Upgrade – will define the North’s economic prosperity for the rest of this century, boosting jobs and growth, while also playing a significant role in reducing carbon emissions in the region and delivering tangible transformational benefits to people and business.
Transport for the North (TfN) and Department for Transport (DfT), working with delivery partners Network Rail and HS2 Ltd, has carried out substantial work to develop options in each NPR corridor. New lines and significant improvements to
Martin Tugwell, Chief Executive of Transport for the North
existing lines would free up capacity and reduce disruption, enabling more services on local lines, increasing opportunities for both workers and consumers.
Transport for the North produces a regular podcast on all things transport and the Northern Powerhouse, covering topics such as devolution, levelling up, economic growth, productivity, investment and more. It is available via the TfN website and on Spotify and Soundcloud. The All Points North e-newsletter highlights the top stories each week – sign up via the TfN website.
Chair: Lord Patrick McLoughlin
Chief Executive: Martin Tugwell
Director of Business Capabilities: Dawn Madin Interim Finance Director: Paul Kelly
Strategic Rail Director: David Hoggarth
Interim Strategy and Programme Director: Tim Foster Major Roads Director: Peter Molyneux
CONTACT INFORMATION
Address: 2nd Floor, 4 Piccadilly Place, Manchester M1 3BN
Tel: 0161 244 0888
Email: info@transportforthenorth.com Visit: www.transportforthenorth.com
‘TfN continues to use its evidencebased approach to make the case for strategic transport improvements across the whole of the North.
Formed on 1 April 2011, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority is run jointly by the leaders of the ten councils and the Mayor of Greater Manchester
Over the last decade several devolution agreements have been signed between Government and the GMCA. These agreements brought new powers and responsibilities to the region, including transport. To deliver these devolution agreements, it was decided that Greater Manchester should have an elected Mayor to act as a directly elected point of accountability for the GMCA.
The GMCA is both a political entity and an organisation in its own right. The political part of GMCA provides direction, governance, and oversight of the work they do on behalf of the city region for our residents and businesses. GMCA as an organisation translates that political direction into action through teams of dedicated experts across a range of functions and services.
As a political entity, GMCA comprises the ten local authorities that make up the city region. The Authority is Chaired by the Mayor, Andy Burnham and is led by the Chief Executive, Eamonn Boylan. Functional executive bodies, such as Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), are responsible for the delivery of services with the Transport for Greater Manchester Committee (TfGMC) and its sub committees managing the TfGM and creating the transport policy on behalf of the GMCA, however some decisions still require approval by the GMCA. TfGM delivers the GMCA’s transport policies, by coordinating transport networks across the region, deciding where to invest transport funding, and owning and running the Metrolink tram service. TfGM is a key partner in Rail North and Transport for the North.
The GMCA gives local people more control over issues that affect their area.
It means the region speaks with one voice and can make a strong case for resources and investment. There corporate objectives include:
1. Deliver core and devolved services for the public.
2. Secure, and manage, funding and investment at Greater Manchester level for agreed activity.
3. Work with the ten local authorities in Greater Manchester to drive collective activity that puts Greater Manchester at the forefront of tackling social, economic, and environmental issues.
4. Ensure Greater Manchester is speaking with one voice – developing, leading and implementing our evidence-based strategies, building our networks and partnerships and influencing policy.
GMCA coordinates transport services through the public body Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM).
Greater Manchester Transport Strategy 2040 sets out Greater Manchester’s longterm ambition for transport. The vision is for Greater Manchester to have ‘Worldclass connections that support long-term sustainable economic growth and access to opportunity for all’. It sets out a strong commitment to provide a transport system which: supports sustainable economic growth and the efficient and effective movement of people and goods; improves the quality of life for all by being integrated, affordable and reliable; protects the environment and supports our target to be net zero carbon by 2038 as well as improving air quality; and capitalises on new technology and innovation.
The Five-Year Transport Delivery Plan provides the detail of the schemes to be delivered to support progress towards the longer-term ambitions and targets. As additional funding is secured in the future, subsequent updates of the Delivery Plan will identify the schemes that provide the detail for the broad interventions identified in the 2040 Transport Strategy document.
Transport for Greater Manchester Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is the local government body responsible for delivering Greater Manchester’s transport strategy and commitments. TfGM implements the decisions made by GMCA and the Greater Manchester Transport Committee GMTC to improve transport services and facilities in Greater Manchester. TfGM owns Metrolink – the UK’s largest light rail network – and plan for its future, including the new Trafford Park line.
Mayor: Andy Burnham
Chief Executive: Eamonn Boylan
Head of Communications: Sarah Keaveny
CONTACT INFORMATION
Address: Tootal Buildings, 56 Oxford Street, Manchester M1 6EU
Tel: 0161 778 7000
Email: enquiries@greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk
Visit: www.greatermanchester-ca.gov.uk
Led by the Mayor of the West Midlands, the WMCA brings together 18 local councils and three Local Enterprise Partnerships to oversee the transfer of powers and funding from Whitehall to the West Midlands
The authority consists of 18 local authorities and four Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) working together to move powers from Whitehall to the West Midlands and its locally elected politicians. It includes the seven metropolitan West Midlands councils (constituent authorities), ten non-constituent authorities/councils and one observer council, as well as the Mayor of the West Midlands.
The transport arm of the WMCA is Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) which coordinates investment to improve the region’s transport infrastructure and create a fully integrated, safe and secure network.
It is also responsible for assessing and planning for the region’s future transport needs so the network can meet the demands of businesses and a growing population. The expansion of the Midland Metro tram system is just one of the many projects that TfWM is delivering to help meet those future needs. Where they are adding:
• Up to 50 extra trams.
• New control, communications and passenger information systems.
• An upgraded depot, control room and maintenance.
The Midlands Rail Hub is a £2 billion package of improvements to transform east-west rail connections. The project was awarded £20 million in the March 2020 Budget to develop the scheme to outline business case. The plans outline a programme of new and upgraded infrastructure that will be implemented in phases between now and 2033. It will strengthen rail links between Leicester, Nottingham, Coventry, Derby, Hereford and Worcester, improve services to Wales and the South West and allow more people to access HS2.
The WMCA has been a strong advocate for the planned HS2 line and has put in place
a £4.4 billion HS2 Growth Strategy to make the most of HS2 arriving in the West Midlands. As part of this Growth Strategy there is a Local Connectivity Package of 20 transport schemes to effectively ‘plugin’ the two new HS2 stations to local transport network.
These schemes include the transformational East-West Metro with tram extensions to Dudley/ Brierley Hill and through East Birmingham to North Solihull and the HS2 Interchange station.
The region is looking to reverse some the Beeching cuts by reopening rail lines to passenger services for the first time in decades. These include the Camp Hill line serving suburbs in South Birmingham and the line between Walsall and Wolverhampton. University station in Edgbaston, is undergoing major redevelopment with new station buildings, bridges and platforms to accommodate the 3.5 million passenger journeys it sees every year. Doubling the capacity of what is already considered one of the busiest railway stations in the country will provide huge safety benefits, improve customer experience, and enable the station to meet future demand, whilst also contributing to tackling the climate emergency.
Local rail services are co-managed by the West Midlands Rail Executive (WMRE) – a partnership of 16 local transport authorities – and the Department for Transport under the West Midlands franchise. Services are run by West Midlands Trains (a joint venture between Abellio, East Japan Railway Company and Mitsui) but branded West Midlands Railway.
The blueprint setting out what is needed to level up the region was launched by the West Midlands Combined Authority in October 2022. The Levelling Up Growth Prospectus sets out how the West Midlands Combined Authority is working as a region to tackle
the various challenges they face, and how they aim to fire up the regional economy by driving forward a new, green industrial revolution while attracting major private sector investment.
The prospectus looks at ways to expand its existing levelling up programme with:
• More flexible funding to build affordable, zero carbon homes and unlock stalled investment through new Investment Zones.
• New ways to encourage people onto public transport through mobility credit schemes, new e-mobility powers, and a dynamic role in Great British Railways
• Powers to help key growth sectors for the region flourish and drive innovation in low carbon businesses such as electric car manufacturing; battery production; low carbon, modular homes; and utilities such as wind and solar power.
• Greater control and influence over investment into the region’s energy system so it is more resilient to price hike shocks and able to speed up the decarbonisation of infrastructure and industry.
The Levelling Up Growth Prospectus serves as long term vision for the West Midlands.
Chief Executive Officer: Laura Shoaf
Director of Programme Development: Sandeep Shingadia
Director of Rail: Malcolm Holmes
Director of Policy, Strategy and Innovation: Mike Waters
Director of Communications: Siobhan Bassford
Director of Operations: Clare Boden-Hatton
CONTACT INFORMATION
Address: 16 Summer Lane, Birmingham, West Midlands B19 3SD
Tel: 0121 200 2787
Email: customer.services@tfwm.org.uk Visit: www.wmca.org.uk
London TravelWatch was set up by Parliament to be the official voice of London’s travelling public. Funded by the London Assembly and accountable to it via the Assembly’s Transport Committee, the watchdog represents users of the national rail network in London and the surrounding commuter belt and international rail passengers using Eurostar. It also represents all those who use buses, the Underground, Docklands Light Railway (DLR), dial-a-ride, trams, taxis, cable cars and river transport, as well as cyclists, motorcyclists, pedestrians and other users of London’s principal road network.
The watchdog aims to secure a better journey experience for everyone travelling in and around London: commuters, leisure travellers, visitors and tourists however they travel. Its multimodal remit reflects the way most people use transport in London – making active choices between modes and interchanging from one mode to another in the course of a typical journey. London TravelWatch carries out a variety of activities, including:
• Commissioning and carrying out research, evaluating and interpreting the research carried out by others, to ensure that its work is based on the best possible evidence.
• Investigating complaints that people have been unable to resolve with service providers.
• Reviewing over enquiries from transport users, taking up cases with the operator when the original response the complainant had received was unsatisfactory.
• Monitoring trends in service quality as part of an intelligence-led approach.
• Regularly meeting with and seeking to influence the relevant parts of the transport industry on all issues which affect the travelling public.
• Working with a wide range of public interest organisations, user groups and research bodies to ensure it keeps up to date with passenger experiences and concerns.
• Speaking for the travelling public in discussions with opinion formers and decision makers at all levels, including the Mayor of London, the London Assembly, the Government, Parliament, and local councils.
In 2021, London TravelWatch brought TfL and the rail industry together to improve cooperation on data sharing, which has led to better information being given to transport users about the busyness of services.
At the start of the pandemic in 2020, TfL removed the facility to pay by cash at over 200 Underground, DLR and Overground stations across the capital on a temporary basis and later in 2020, they proposed to extend this to cover all their stations in London. London TravelWatch research showed the significant impact withdrawing cash would have on passengers, especially those on low incomes, children or the 260,000 adults in London without a bank account. London TravelWatch’s investigation showed that some stations don’t have a Ticket Stop, usually a newsagent or convenience store, nearby, meaning that it would have been harder to top up an Oyster card with cash.
On 21 June 2021, Transport for London Commissioner Andy Byford confirmed that the ability to pay by cash will start to be reinstated at all of the Underground, Overground and DLR stations where it was removed at the start of the pandemic.
London TravelWatch also has a statutory role to assess the impact and make recommendations if proposals are made for the closure of a railway line or a station (or station facilities) within the London railway area.
London TravelWatch keeps its work priorities under review by means of a simple set of criteria. These criteria are similar to those used by other consumer protection and enforcement bodies and allow London TravelWatch to plan and coordinate its activity with other consumer bodies and the London Assembly.
London TravelWatch Board meetings are
open to the public, details are available on its website.
London TravelWatch will routinely carry out surveys and publish commentary on London transport developments. In 2022, London TravelWatch discovered that 13 per cent of rail passengers said the quality of information around strikes from train companies has got worse this year. With a spokesperson saying: ‘There is a real danger that people become desensitised to news about train strikes and they zone out just at the mention of them.’
Commenting on the return of the night tube earlier in 2022, London TravelWatch Chief Executive Emma Gibson said: ‘Our recent personal security research showed that the later in the day it is, the less safe people feel. Frequent and reliable public transport is critical if people are to feel safe travelling after dark, particularly women and girls, older and disabled people and people of colour. So its good news that the Night Tube is returning on the Jubilee Line. Not everyone can afford a taxi or Uber when they need to get home late at night.’
Chair: Arthur Leathley
Deputy Chair and Chair of the Policy Committee: Alan Benson MBE
Chief Executive: Joanna Davidson
Head of Communications: David Murdoch
Head of Casework: Susan James
Head of Campaigns and Advocacy: Alex Smith
Correspondence address: London TravelWatch PO Box 5594 Southend on Sea SS1 9PZ
Tel: 020 3176 2999
Email: info@londontravelwatch.org.uk
Visit: www.londontravelwatch.org.uk
London TravelWatch is the official watchdog organisation representing the interests of transport users in and around the nation’s capital since July 2000
With a strong emphasis on evidence-based campaigning and research, Transport Focus ensures that it knows what is happening on the ground. It uses its knowledge to influence decisions on behalf of passengers to secure improvements and make a difference.
Transport Focus is the voice of transport users. It carries out research on transport user experiences and needs for the future. This includes the large scale National Rail Passenger Survey where over 50,000 rail passengers give their views on rail journeys twice a year.
Transport Focus also carries out weekly surveys, obtaining the views of approximately 500 rail passengers each week. Passengers rate how satisfied they
were with their overall journey and a range of aspects including the punctuality of their service, the value for money of their ticket and a number of Covid-related measures.
Transport Focus is an executive nondepartmental public body, sponsored by the Department for Transport. It is run by a management team and led by a Board of non-executive directors. It has existed in one form or another since 1947. It was formed by the Transport Act as the Central Transport Consultative Committee (CTCC) plus a network of regional Transport Users’ Consultative Committees. Over the years it has changed its name as it took on responsibility for bus, coach and tram passengers, and then road users.
Transport Focus makes major decisions at Board meetings, held in public four times per year. Decisions are also made at monthly management team meetings.
Transport Focus can have up to 14 Board members. The Scottish Government, Welsh Government and the Greater London Authority each appoint a member to the Board. The remaining appointments are made by the Secretary of State for Transport. Recruitment to the Board is based on merit. Appointments are regulated by The Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.
KEY PERSONNEL
Chair: Nigel Stevens
Chief Executive: Anthony Smith
Director: David Sidebottom
CONTACT INFORMATION
Address: Albany House 86 Petty France, London SW1H 9EA Tel: 0300 123 0860
Email: info@transportfocus.org.uk Visit: www.transportfocus.org.uk
Between November 2 and 3, TFC, an AFC Industries company, will be exhibiting technical products and supply chain solutions at this year’s Advanced Engineering show. At the NEC in Birmingham, TFC can be found on stand G146, where it will be highlighting the benefits of its customisable vendor managed
inventory (VMI) solutions, which improve manufacturers’ ability to manage inventory, while improving production efficiency. The team will also present a range of specialist Smalley and ARaymond products. To register for the event, click here.
Throughout the event, the TFC team will be on hand to provide insight into the
benefits of VMI solutions, which include quality assurance and smart stock control. As part of this supply chain management service, the TFC team can create a tailored solution that solves production line inventory challenges, reduces in-house costs and streamlines operations.
Attendees can see a range of Smalley retaining rings that reliably and efficiently secure applications, including the new Smalley Revolox™ self-locking retaining ring designed for applications with high rotational speeds. In addition, visitors can learn more about Smalley wave springs, and how they save up to 50 per cent axial space compared with traditional coil springs.
A South Western Railway maintenance depot in Bournemouth, which is key to the smooth running of London area train services has improved its safety controls, thanks to Zonegreen.
The Sheffield-based rail safety specialist has undertaken a complete overhaul of its Points Converter system at the facility, ensuring it benefits from the latest technology.
Points Converters automate manual points, allowing them to be operated remotely to protect workers from potential handling injuries. They were initially installed at the Bournemouth depot in 2013, as part of a major project to create the UK rail industry’s first dedicated paint facility. They have now been replaced with Zonegreen’s mark two system, offering improved safety and efficiency.
The Points Converters at Bournemouth are attached to existing hand points on the approach to the paint shed. They are operated from a control panel inside the facility, which now offers positive feedback to indicate that the points have been switched successfully. The panel has also been integrated with existing warning beacons to alert staff that the road is open for train movements.
Christian Fletcher, Zonegreen’s Technical Director, said: ‘Four-car trains move in and out of Bournemouth’s paint shed regularly, so safety is paramount in such a busy location. We were really pleased to be
invited back by SWR to overhaul the existing converter system and equip the depot with our most sophisticated Points Converters yet. Our technology not only protects staff from injuries related to handling points, but also increases the ease of operations, eliminating many stops and starts.’
Some traditional hand points require up to 103kg of force to operate, posing a significant risk of musculoskeletal injuries. They can also be situated on uneven terrain or close to a third rail, increasing the dangers associated with manual operation.
‘Four-car trains move in and out of Bournemouth’s paint shed regularly, so safety is paramount in such a busy location.’
Christian Fletcher, Zonegreen Technical Director
Specialist recruiter Coleman James grows rail team
Specialist Recruiter Coleman James continues to accelerate its growth in the Rail sector, amidst a series of new appointments to its Rail division.
Meliha Duymaz has joined Skanska UK as Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President. Meliha is an established finance leader with a breadth of experience across services, operations and major construction projects and will report to President and CEO, Gregor Craig.
Arcadis announces three senior Sustainability hires
Jane Boyle has joined as Sustainability Advisory practice lead in the UK & Ireland, while Michelle Bachir has joined in the same role in North America. Kealy Herman joins as Global Technical Director for Net Zero Strategy, residing in the United States.
Megan Taylor joins Skanska UK from British Transport Police where she was Deputy Director of Safety, Health and Wellbeing. She has previously held senior health and wellbeing roles at Network Rail, LNER, Virgin Trains and Southern Railways.
Flowbird announce their new CEO Frédéric Beylier is Flowbird Group’s new CEO.
Laura Reardon has joined the Light Rail Safety and Standards Board as Head of Safety Risk Management and will also be responsible for working closely with individual networks on the administration, development and implementation of their own models, as well as the national project.
Rail Forum welcomes new Communications, Policy and Public Affairs Manager
Jemma Smalls has joined the Rail Forum as Communications, Policy and Public Affairs Manager. Jemma is a familiar face to many, having began her career in rail as an undergraduate intern with the Rail Forum in 2018.
We deliver an outstanding culture of safety within our business and the businesses we work with. Our industry-leading safety performance is achieved only through focus and always putting safety first in everything we do.
