Railway Strategies Issue 111 Early Edition

RAILWAY F o r S E N I OR R A I L M A N A G E M E N T

Early Issue 111

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Technology triumphs underground See page 22

Interview:

Adrian Terry

A new way of thinking

FOCUS ON

Asset management FOCUS ON

Corrosion & painting

NEWS Network Rail now public Largest ROC opens in York Climate change hopes

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From the Editor

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Truly a rail service?

Chairman Andrew Schofield Managing Director Mike Tulloch Editor Gay Sutton editor@railwaystrategies.co.uk Managing Editor Libbie Hammond Editorial Designer Jon Mee

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ustomer service is once again taking centre stage – as it has to if rail is to become a transport of choice for the travelling public, delivering benefits to the economy and the environment.

At a strategic level, customer satisfaction figures are not only

incorporated into franchise operators performance ratings, but the new DfT methodology for awarding franchises also places an increasingly significant emphasis on initiatives to improve service quality. Turn to page 21 to read more about this.

Meanwhile, much is being done across the industry. In the wake of the ORR’s Passenger Focus Report on how the industry deals with

Advertisement Designer David Howard

passenger information during disruption, the Rail Delivery Group has

Profile Editor Libbie Hammond

communications. Watch these pages for their revised plan of action –

Advertisement Sales Dave King Head of Research Philip Monument Editorial Researchers Keith Hope Gavin Watson Tarj Kaur-D’Silva Mark Cowles Administration Tracy Chynoweth

spoken on behalf of the sector, reaffirming its commitment to transform coming soon.

Earlier this summer I had the privilege of speaking with Adrian Terry of Thales about an initiative that is, at its heart, about customer service. To meet the many conflicting needs of the railway of the future, Network Rail is training its engineers to think strategically, cut bureaucracy and improve performance. As part of this, they are learning new skills and techniques that will enable them to work alongside all interested parties, who can range from rail operators to highly vocal public interest groups, to take into account their views and wishes, and create a solution that will deliver a rail network fit for the future. You will find more about this on page 8.

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Issue 111 ISSN 1467-0395 Published by

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zzzzzzzzzzzzz Contents 8

Features

Interview – Adrian Terry 8 Gay Sutton Legal – Clamping down on ‘walking out’? 11 Mandy Higgins Franchising – The new role of customer satisfaction 21 Farah Al-Hassani Leaky feeder technology comes into its own 22 Mark Weller Ticketing – The smarter investment? 24 Russell McCullagh Planning – Joined up journeys 26 David Watts

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Cover story

Flood management at Didcot 28 Gary Morton The human element of health & safety 30 Mary Clarke

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How to make Britain’s rail network the transport of choice 32 Professor Andrew McNaughton InnoTrans Preview 36

News Industry 4 Infrastructure 6 Stations 15 Appointments 35 Conferences & exhibitions 48

Focus on Asset Management Sensors and rail wellbeing 12 Mike Baker Combating cable theft 17 Arnaud Peltier

Focus on Corrosion & Painting Engineered to last 18 Chris Lloyd

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Profiles Tenmat 40 Centro 43 Datum 46

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NEWS I Industry

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Greatest opportunity for a generation

Network Rail becomes a public body l As of 1 September 2014 Network Rail has been reclassified as a public sector ‘arm’s-length’ body of the Department for Transport.

The change became necessary following a change in European reporting rules that required Network Rail’s debt to be classified within the public sector and not the private sector.

According to transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin, the emphasis will be on preserving Network Rail’s ability to manage its business with appropriate commercial freedom, within effective regulatory and control frameworks appropriate for a company in the public sector.

In preparation for the reclassification Network Rail’s 41 Members voted by a 97.3% majority to change the company’s articles of association. The main changes include giving the Secretary of State for Transport additional powers over the appointment of the company’s chair, its remuneration policy and the selection of its Members David Moore, specialist rail partner at law firm Clyde & Co, said: “Classifying Network Rail as a public sector body may have significant consequences. It seems likely that there will be some changes over time, particularly as the Department for Transport and Network Rail have already entered into a Memorandum of Understanding around the ‘statistical reclassification for the relationship between Network Rail and Her Majesty’s Government’. The Department for Transport have said that they will exercise more control over value for money, which implies less rather than more freedom for Network Rail. The final shape of the arrangements will be set out in an agreement, but don’t expect this anytime soon as it seems that legislation is required to form the body which will enter into the agreement.”

Cloud-based ticketing for rail link to Kuala Lumpur’s new air terminal l Express Rail Link (ERL), which operates the KLIA ekspres service between the Kuala Lumpur International Airport and Kuala Lumpur city centre, KL Sentral, has been running an extended service to the new KLIA 2 terminal since it opened earlier this year. All six stations use the automatic fare collection system from Xchanging.

Originally implemented on the line in June 2013, the system is cloud based and centrally managed. Passengers travelling through the airport can choose from a range of ticket purchasing methods, from kiosk, mobile and web purchasing.

The system promotes the move towards paperless journeys as the existing magnetic stripe ticket is replaced with a contactless smartcard ticket and QR barcode ticket. This multi-channel interface also provides a consistent and integrated service as tickets are issued and verified on the go.

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l Almost 500 firms, employing over 300,000 people across the UK, have so far signed up to attend HS2 Ltd’s two supply chain conferences is October. More are required if the country is to take advantage of what HS2 chief executive Simon Kirby calls the ‘greatest opportunity for a generation.’

The events are tailored to help companies gear up to bid for more than £10bn worth of contracts to build the new north-south high speed rail network. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2017.

Simon Kirby said: “Building HS2 is a massive, long-term project; one that offers huge opportunity for large and small companies right across the country. It will require a vast range of skills and expertise, some of which we have and some we’ll need to develop. And we are determined to build on Crossrail’s success where 97% of contracts were placed with UK-based firms.”

To take part in the HS2 Supply Chain Conferences in London on 17 October 2014 or Manchester on 23 October 2014, contact: SCC@hs2.org.uk.

DP World wins Business of the Year award l DP World has been named Business of the Year at the Rail Freight Group’s (RFG) annual awards dinner at Shendish Manor in Hertfordshire.

Independently judged, the RFG awards are made in recognition of those who have delivered successes in an increasingly demanding rail freight market.

DP World’s work on the London Gateway Project and at Southampton’s Maritime Rail Terminal were singled out by the judges, who were particularly impressed with how the company had delivered consistently strong projects and initiatives with a high degree of focus on customer care.

ADComms Group acquires underground specialist IPS l Communications integration company, Alan Dick Communications Group (ADComms Group), has acquired Installation Project Services Limited, a provider of end-to-end integrated communications systems and services for the rail, underground, and government/enterprise sectors.

The deal provides ADComms Group with both a London base and a nationwide operational and engineering presence of close to 200 staff, while adding Transport for London (TfL) to its customer base.

Jason Pearce, managing director of the ADComms Group, said: “The combined businesses will be able to offer a much wider technical and geographical engineering capability delivering end-to-end communications design and integration across both mainline rail and TfL customer base.”

The integrated business will trade as IPS Communications Limited, managed by Steve Harris as managing director and Bob Clayton as business development director, and operating from Coulsdon, Surrey.

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NEWS I Industry

London goes live with the world’s first integrated contactless payment system l Transport for London’s new contactless payment system went live on Tuesday 16 September, making it the first city in the world to fully integrate contactless payment cards into its fare system. More than 128,000 contactless payments have been made across the network in the first three days of operation.

Originally launched on the London Buses in December 2012 the system was successfully piloted earlier this year on the underground and rail network, with some 5,000 volunteers.

Available for purchases of £20 or less, it is an option on all London Underground, tram, DLR, London Overground, and National Rail services where Oyster is accepted.

In preparation for the launch, some 20,000 assets including gates and readers had to be retrofitted over the past two years with contactless-enabled readers compatible with all contactless bankcards as well as Oyster.

The system works in the same way as Oyster, charging customers an adult-rate pay-asyou-go fare when a participating contactless card is touched in and out on readers at the start and end of every journey. The fare is charged directly to the card account. In addition to daily fare capping, customers also benefit from Monday to Sunday capping across multiple journeys and multiple modes.

All UK issued contactless American Express, MasterCard or Visa credit, debit, pre-paid cards are accepted for payments along with other industry standard methods such as mobile phones. Visa is predicting that Brits will make 500 million contactless payments between now and December 2015.

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In FACT Freight: i7.1% The volume of freight carried on Britain’s railways in the first quarter of 2014-15 fell by 7.1% from the same period last year, according to statistics from the ORR. This was largely due to a reduction in transport of coal to power plants because of the milder winter.

King’s Cross: h 15.55%

Retail spending at the recently redeveloped King’s Cross station has risen faster than all other Network Rail stations, increasing by 15.55% since the 4th quarter of 2013/14. Liverpool Lime Street was close behind with Cannon Street rounding out the top three.

c2c: 96.6% on time National Express train operator c2c has continued to top the rail industry’s performance table with 96.6% of its trains running on-time over the past year.

The latest figures from Network Rail confirm c2c has held this top spot nationally for over 2.5 years.

£5.3bn rail spend Transport Minister challenges rail industry l Following publication of the latest crowding statistics, Transport Minister Claire Perry has called on the rail industry to find new ways to give commuters more seats on busy trains.

Particularly as this comes at a time of unprecedented investment in the railways.

“Since 1995 passenger journeys on the railway have more than doubled, with 1.6 billion journeys being recorded in the last year,” Claire Perry said: “This means that on too many journeys, passengers have to stand in cramped conditions. Train operators must act now, they must find new ways to create space on the network and in their trains.”

Government figures show that while the level of overall crowding has stayed much the same as the year before, the situation has worsened in some cities where there has been growth in passenger numbers. The top ten lists of crowded trains include London to Crewe, Bedford to Brighton, Oxford to London and London to Heathrow.

New statistics from ORR show the rail industry received £5.3bn of government support last year - £227 million more than the previous year. However for the 4th year in succession it has received more money back from train operating companies than it paid in subsidies.

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NEWS I Infrastructure

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UK’s largest rail operating centre is opened in York l MP Hugh Bayley has formally opened the newly fitted out rail operating centre (ROC) at York.

The new ROC is the largest in the country and will ultimately consolidate to a single location all signalling and control operations for train services between London King’s Cross and the Scottish border.

Phil Verster, route managing director for Network Rail, said: “The rail operating centre is the largest of just 12 proposed centres across Britain and will bring the expertise and technology we require to improve our control over train services and to make signalling more efficient.”

Training is currently under way for the first teams of signallers and controllers who will move in to the building in the new year from the current route control building at the back of York station. The move will free up strategic land close to Leeman Road and the National Railway Museum for future development.

Further locations will migrate into the ROC over the coming years as part of Network Rail’s continuing investment in modern signalling technology. Once fully occupied, around 400 rail people will work there. This will be a combination of Northern Rail, East Coast and Network Rail employees with a maximum of 87 on shift at any time.

Track replacement completed ahead of schedule l Track Partnership, a strategic alliance between London Underground and Balfour Beatty Rail, has completed a 23-day block closure ahead of schedule on the Metropolitan and Piccadilly lines to renew vital infrastructure in the Uxbridge area.

The purpose of the closure, which started on Saturday 19th July and was timed to coincide with the school summer holidays when the network is quieter, was to replace 5.9km of life-expired track, drainage and points. Other works undertaken during the closure included track drainage, rail grinding, renewing and adjusting platform copings, waterproofing three underbridges and installing a 70m retaining wall at Uxbridge.

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Doncaster to Peterborough freight update l Phase 4 of the £280m, government funded Great Northern Great Eastern (GNGE) route upgrade works has been completed and signed back into use. The fifth and final phase of the programme is scheduled for commissioning in November.

When completed the project will deliver an upgraded diversionary route for freight traffic between Doncaster and Peterborough, which in turn will allow greater use of the East Coast Mainline for passenger train paths.

Four of the five phases are based on Siemens’ modular signalling solution. The latest work included re-signalling approximately 15 miles of railway from the northern fringe with Blotoft signal box control area to the southern fringe with Cheal Road signal box area, and a fringe boundary with Spalding interlocking.

The Mill Green, Gosberton and Blotoft signal boxes have been de-commissioned and recovered, together with nine gate boxes along the route, and control has been transferred to Lincoln signalling control centre (SCC).

Siemens has also commissioned 12 manually controlled barrier level crossings and three automatic half barrier crossings.

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NEWS I Infrastructure

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Leaky feeder technology installed in Merseyside tunnels

Reading viaduct ready for track laying l The £45m Reading Viaduct scheme, part of Network Rail’s £895m redevelopment of the railway in Reading, has come a step closer to completion.

Balfour Beatty has handed the structure over to Network Rail and Carillion, ready for track installation. This is the third of five sectional milestones on the project. The Feeder Line is scheduled for completion in October and the Festival Line, which branches off the main Professor2014 Simon Iwnicki viaduct and has just received its last six spans, will be ready for January 2015.

Once operational in 2015, the viaduct will ease rail congestion by enabling high speed trains (HSTs) on the Great Western main line to travel over the freight lines and straight into the station.

It will also enable cross country trains to travel over the freight lines independently of the HSTs so the different train operators will be able to manoeuvre in and out of the Reading area freely without impeding each other.

Hopes for improving climate change resilience l Good management of the soft estate areas adjacent to rail lines and roads could not only benefit biodiversity and ecological connectivity but increase the transport infrastructure’s resilience to climate change, according to a new report from the NEWP 32 project.

The project was launched in November 2013 in response to the Government’s Natural Environment White Paper (NEWP), and is a collaborative partnership between Natural England, Network Rail, the Highways Agency, the Nature Improvement Area Partnerships for the Humberhead Levels and Morecambe Bay, and private consultancy ADAS UK. ADAS has used findings from an initial consultation to develop management regimes appropriate to the local and surrounding landscape, biodiversity and ecosystem services context.

A geographic information systems (GIS) approach established where these regimes could be applied along transport corridors, and this was then trialled at Morecambe Bay and the Humberhead Levels. The results indicate that five different management regimes could be applied at specified locations along the rail and road networks, and could increase their resilience to the impacts of climate change. The next phase of the project is to implement the proposed management regimes on Network Rail and Highways Agency soft estate in a suite of pilot locations which will be monitored over a period of three years.

Depending on the outcome, this approach could then be applied more broadly. The national significance of this could be immense. Network Rail lone manages over 20,000 miles of track and has over 200 SSSIs on its network covering over 650 hectares. The highways agency manages a further 30,000 hectares of land.

l A new GSM-R leaky feeder system has been designed, installed and commissioned in the Merseyrail tunnels

by AlanDick Communications, as part of Network Rail’s nationwide GSM-R deployment.

The new system will provide a seamless communications link between underground and over-ground GSM-R coverage, and integrate with emergency services’ UHF applications in the future.

The project to install almost 15 km of wireless infrastructure was completed within an extremely challenging six month timeframe. All work was carried out over night during limited periods of just 4 hours to minimise disruption to the network. The installation team had to contend with varying tunnel designs, including Victorian brick twin bore systems and smaller, single bore versions from the seventies with a sprayed concrete and concrete ring construction.

Crossrail begins one of its most complex tunnel drives l Tunnelling has started on the final 900 metres of the Crossrail southeast spur, from Limmo Peninsula near Canning Town, towards Victoria Dock Portal in east London.

Over the next three months the 1,000 tonne machine Ellie will undertake one of Crossrail’s shortest but most complex tunnels, not only coming close to the Jubilee line and Docklands Light Railway, but also River Thames and River Lea. The new Crossrail tunnels are currently 83% complete, and will reach 100% when tunnel machines Elizabeth and Victoria, currently in Whitechapel, arrive at Farringdon in central London next year.

Andrew Wolstenholme, Crossrail chief executive said: “Huge amounts of planning go into every tunnel drive, and this one is no different. We are deploying some of the world’s best engineering talent and machinery to safely build these new tunnels.”

Crossrail services are due to run through central London in 2018.

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INTERVIEW I Adrian Terry

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Adrian Terry, head of sales and business development capability, Thales Learning & Development

A new way of thinking

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ith billions of pounds of precious public funding being pumped into the rail infrastructure under CP5, a remit to create a rail network that is truly fit for the future but to build, maintain and manage it at a reduced cost, Britain’s railways face an enormous challenge. Moreover, the industry is striving to fulfil its duty to improve safety for its engineers as well as the public, which can be an expensive exercise. So how is Network Rail attempting to square this circle?

The starting point “Network Rail has always been very successful at planning, commissioning and delivering individual projects,” explained Adrian Terry, head of sales and business development capability at Thales Learning & Development. “If a bridge, stretch of track, or signals needed repair or replacement for example, the work would be carried out very efficiently.”

But this type of work essentially retains the status quo, and does not create a network suitable for the future.

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ADRIAN TERRY, head of sales and business development capability at Thales Learning & Development explains to Gay Sutton how Network Rail is training its engineers to cut bureaucracy and think strategically

Major infrastructure new builds such as HS2 and Crossrail are at different stages of development and construction, while the industry is in the throes of implementing a great deal of innovation. There is, for example, the move away from traditional signalling to regional operating centres with associated new technology being installed both lineside and on board the trains, and a whole raft of other innovations are in development.

To achieve all of this effectively, Network Rail believes that change is required. “The challenge,” Adrian said, “is to move away from the traditional planned maintenance approach, and take into account the overall architecture of the railway. That means adopting a strategic customer, risk and needs driven approach – a very different mindset.”

Scale of the challenge Thales has undertaken some research at both the executive and senior engineering levels at Network Rail, comparing and contrasting the two communities and their attitudes to change. The results were

Innovations are being sought to improve ticketing and gatelines

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zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz At executive level there is a hunger to drive change, challenge existing working practices and remove many of the strictures that they feel have been encumbering the past

Adrian explained, it’s ‘human engineering’. “And that is where we’ve started,” he said.

The wider picture The bulk of Network Rail is staffed by highly skilled and qualified engineers, trained to design and develop effective solutions and make significant decisions on technical issues. “One of the things they haven’t been so good at doing is working across silos,” Adrian continued.

In this fast changing modern world, collaboration across the various engineering disciplines, across the rail operating companies, with suppliers and with other external groups is going to be absolutely essential if this massive investment in infrastructure is to be cost effective, satisfy all stakeholders, and meet the strategic and future needs of the country.

Difficulties inevitably arise across any of these disparate groups. For example, a stakeholder group may be opposed to the proposed project, such as the construction of a level crossing. The programme engineer has to interpret all the arguments and make decisions that will be in the best interests of the travelling public and the rail infrastructure for the future, all within a rapidly changing environment.

“We have been working with those engineering groups to help them look beyond their immediate project boundary and seriously consider not only how the project can be successful but more importantly how it fulfils the needs of the various stakeholders, integrates with the wider system and is good for the future.”

The matter of standards not surprising. At executive level there is a hunger to drive change, challenge existing working practices and remove many of the strictures that they feel have been encumbering the past. At engineering level, the existing structure provides clear guidelines and instructions that give the engineers confidence in the decisions they’re making and the work they’re doing.

“What we are now trying to do is help the engineering community understand they can respond differently to a changing environment and to encourage their leadership to be more structured in their approach to the change process, communicating their intentions and purpose and putting support mechanics and structure in place. Improved understanding and awareness of their fundamentally differing styles to change provides insight that usefully guides action.”

Working with senior engineering managers at Network Rail, Adrian and his team have been focusing on several key areas where gaining this insight provides a different way of thinking to deliver greatly improved performance. This is certainly not simply an engineering challenge,

At each level in the project design and specification process, the idea is to challenge and debate the core assumptions within the project and across the project boundary, ensuring each team doesn’t simply create hugely detailed specifications based on past projects but is driven by clarity of needs and the whole rail system. It sounds simple; in practice it is anything but.

“The rail industry currently works on the basis of very detailed specifications,” Adrian explained. Many of these are legacy standards that refer to the way railways have always been designed and built. “In order to solve some of the more difficult and complex problems we need to push back on some of the detailed specifications, and focus on the purpose and needs of the infrastructure project, release the creativity of the team and focus on delivery of a Total Value solution.”

One element of this is to cut right back on number of standards that are adhered to for the work, to create some operating space in which to consider the full complexities of the job. Adrian has been encouraging Network Rail engineers to challenge the assumptions they’ve been

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INTERVIEW I Adrian Terry

making, to review the standards they apply to each project and only retain those that are still relevant.

The challenge going forward, however, will be to adopt a truly purposeful approach to continue honing the standards and requirements rather than allow them to build up again and revert to a rigid framework.

Systems approach Another element in developing a new mindset is to introduce the tools of the Systems approach. “There is never one single correct approach,” Adrian continued. “So we have been developing a range of tools, and focusing on developing a robust new problem solving structure.” One of the first steps in this highly complex environment is to establish the core principles for each project, to ensure they are valid and grounded. Then to choose the most appropriate tools with clarity and confidence, rather than going by rote through an established methodology.

“One of the exercises we take them through is simple but demonstrates the problem. We ask each person around the table which criteria they would use when deciding which car to buy. The replies are typically diverse – colour, sports car, saloon car, estate car, engine power, speed, carbon emissions, and so on. Each person would make a different decision. We could have a lengthy debate about the relative merits of the cars, but what we’d really be doing is debating from very different perspectives. To gain a consensus of the car that is the best fit for them all, we would have to establish the criteria we will

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be using and then rate them according to their importance to all of us.

Then we would select and run a simple decision making tool that takes into account everybody’s views. This results in a better decision.”

During the GRIP process, for example, (GRIP is Network Rail’s management and control process for delivering infrastructure projects) this structured approach to meetings will be far more likely to lead to sound decisions and an outcome that does not allow conflicts or problems to continue undetected, only to surface at a later date.

“It can be both liberating and challenging,” Adrian said. “By introducing this systems approach and releasing creativity by clarifying purpose we release the engineering talent for problem solving. In other words, how do we solve this problem most effectively, most cheaply and most quickly?”

In practice the engineering managers are being encouraged to challenge and debate the core assumptions of the project at every stage, to be sure it meets the needs of all stakeholders. This puts a completely new set of responsibilities, analysis and strategic thinking onto the engineering community which has previously focused purely on technology and mathematics.

Conclusion “In a nutshell, what Network Rail is striving to do is release the creativity of their people in a way that produces purposeful rigorous outcomes. If they can do that, by moving away from rigid process, methods and tools towards principles, guidelines and structured thinking, then they stand a good chance of success.” zz

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Legal Signals

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Clamping down on‘walking out’?

David Cameron is promising tougher strike-laws in the 2015 Conservative Election manifesto.

Mandy Higgins considers the possible implications for the rail sector

A Mandy Higgins is a partner at national law firm Weightmans LLP

stationary train is often headline news and industrial action in the rail and transport sector has long been a bone of political contention.

Back in February, a two day strike on the London Underground network brought the city to a standstill.

Further high profile public sector action this summer saw many other transport networks grind to a halt.

The Conservatives have hit back in the strongest terms, promising to include in their 2015 election manifesto measures to substantially toughen up current strike laws.

However, Unions argue that a clamp-down is both unnecessary and unfair. Current legislation, they say, is restrictive enough.

The current law The current rules governing industrial action are set out in Trade Union and Labour Relations Act 1992.

Unions must secure majority support for a strike in a properly organised ballot. A number of stringent procedural requirements must be adhered to otherwise the employer will have grounds to seek damages or an injunction to prevent action going ahead. Detailed rules govern notification to members of a ballot, the voting process and the notification of results and any planned action.

The proposals Bhavisha Mistry

The Conservative party plans is to introduce a requirement that at least 50 per cent of eligible Union members must vote in order for a strike to be lawful.

At present, only a simple majority of those that turn out is needed.

Furthermore it plans to impose a three month time limit after the ballot for the strike action to take place, putting an end to so called rolling mandates by which the actual walk-out may take place months or even years after a vote.

Additional proposals include a requirement to include on the ballot paper details of the nature, form and duration of the proposed action. Members might be asked to vote separately on each element.

Unions would also be required to give 14 days clear notice before starting a strike, rather than the current seven days, and legislative limits would be set on how, where and why picketing during strike periods can take place.

What does this mean for rail and transport?

The first of these proposals has attracted the most attention and may be welcomed by transport sector employers. The more stringent the rules on striking lawfully, the fewer days will be lost to industrial action.

Less dead-time obviously means less disruption to time critical projects and less costs wasted against already tight budgets.

In particular industrial action is a common cause of supply chain failure, which results in considerable annual losses across the rail sector.

The new proposals will arguably serve to protect the significant financial investment being made in the rail sector in coming years. It is perhaps disappointing that a recent independent review set to consider extreme tactics used by Unions to disrupt supply chain has announced that it will make no specific recommendations for change.

If a strike mandate is more difficult to secure, calling a ballot may become a last resort for Unions. The rail sector already has a great reputation for effectively deploying arbitration processes to diffuse conflict, and the new proposals may mean even more emphasis on these existing dispute resolution procedures.

Alternatively there is a possibility that tougher laws might result in an increased incidence of unlawful strikes and the pay, disciplinary and other management issues which inevitably accompany them. Furthermore, the reputational damage resulting from an unlawful strike may be greater.

The Conservative party has undoubtedly taken a bold step in finally nailing its colours to the mast.

However, a 50 per cent voting threshold seems very high and is likely to be out of reach in most cases.

The TUC have stated that this would render lawful strikes “close to impossible”.

It is important to remember that these new measures will only be enacted if the Conservative Party succeeds at the next election. Even then, it is not uncommon for manifesto pledges to fail to make it to the statute book. With Mick Cash, acting secretary of the RMT, promising that the new law will “meet the fiercest possible resistance”, employers in the rail sector will have to watch and wait to see whether these proposals are ultimately shunted into the sidings. zz

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Asset Management

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in situ Sensors

Sensors monitoring ageing infrastructure

A sense of wellbeing MIKE BAKER discusses how sensors are powering the next-generation structural health monitoring. Not only can engineers now detect infrastructure faults well in advance of failure, but they can accurately pinpoint the cause Mike Baker is managing director of Sherborne Sensors www.sherbornesensors.com

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tructural health monitoring (SHM) is an emerging field that provides information on demand about any significant change or damage occurring in a structure. It has been employed for many years in civil infrastructure in various forms, ranging from visual observation and assessment of structural condition, to technology-led approaches involving deployment of an array of sensors that can include accelerometers, inclinometers and strain measurement devices on site. These sensors can be deployed on a permanent basis or moved on and off site each time a fresh set of data is required.

Conventional forms of inspection and monitoring are only as good as their ability to uncover potential issues in a timely manner. One of the major difficulties with SHM instruments for example, is managing the huge volumes of data that sensor arrays generate. Meanwhile, visual inspections and evaluations are insufficient for determining the structural adequacy of railway bridges or buildings.

Sensors have been used in the railway industry since

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its inception, with a recent emphasis on SHM. There have been major advances in communications, data transmission and computer processing, which have enabled SHM solutions to acquire vast volumes of data in relatively short periods of time and transfer it via highspeed fibre-optic or wireless connections to a central database. Subsequent analysis and modelling of this data can provide critical intelligence for maintenance and management strategies, as well as improved design.

Shoring-up rail transport structures The immediacy and sensitivity of SHM enables it to serve a variety of applications. It can allow for short-term verification of new or innovative designs, as well as the early detection of problems and subsequent avoidance of catastrophic failures. When implemented as part of a maintenance strategy, it can assist with the effective allocation of resources, reducing both service disruptions and maintenance costs.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz One of the core drivers however, is the growing requirement for refurbishment of critical transport infrastructure. Many owners and operators need timely information to ensure continued safe and economic operation of ageing infrastructure, while the construction and engineering industry faces a mounting challenge to shore-up supporting civil structures. Deterioration can be due to multiple factors, including the corrosion of steel reinforcement and consequent breakdown of concrete, or the fact that some structures may be sound, but have become functionally obsolete – for example a bridge that is no longer able to support growing traffic volumes, vehicle sizes and weights.

According to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), one in four bridges in the US is either structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. In Canada, more than 40 per cent of operational bridges were built over 30 years ago and have been impacted by the adverse climate and extensive use of de-icing salts. And in the UK, an increasing number of bridges and other structures need to be strengthened to comply with legal minimum requirements specified by European Community legislation. For railway operators and contractors, this legislation is of paramount importance, rendering SHM an invaluable resource.

Sensors in the loop The aim of SHM is many fold, including monitoring the in-situ behaviour of a structure accurately and efficiently, to assess its performance under various service loads, to detect damage or deterioration, and to determine its health or condition in a timely manner.

SHM describes the confluence of structural monitoring and damage detection, with the physical diagnostic tool being the integration of various sensing devices and ancillary systems. The latter can include data acquisition and processing, communications and networking, and damage detection and modelling software powered by sophisticated algorithms.

Field-proven technologies lie at the heart of SHM innovation. For the past few decades, closed loop sensors have proven to be highly robust, reliable, repeatable and accurate in a variety of applications where extremely precise measurements are required.

Bridging old and new Improvements in electronics packaging and assembly methods have allowed the sensing devices employed in SHM solutions to become smaller, more cost effective, and so sensitive that there is no longer a need to excite a structure in order to gain vital information about its integrity. By placing the right number of sensors in the appropriate positions on a bridge for example, analysts now have the raw data required via ambient sources such as wind gust loads, foot falls, and traffic flows.

Moreover, advanced algorithms have been developed that allow asset owners and managing authorities to

SHM monitors for damage or deterioration acquire both short and long-term structural integrity assessments that prove essential in taking decisions regarding repairs and upgrades, strengthening projects, financing, insurance, and dispute resolution.

SHM’s benefits have also been clearly demonstrated at a remote steel bridge in the heart of Brazil’s Amazon basin. Supporting freight trains carrying 10 per cent of the world’s iron ore each year, the bridge had been rolling back and forth whenever an ore carrying heavyladen train was crossing. A horizontal crack had also appeared in one of the supporting concrete girders, with train drivers returning to the mines reporting increasingly violent vibrations as they crossed – despite their cars being empty.

A sensors-based SHM solution was brought in to monitor the bridge over a period of time and, using its data collector devices and advanced analysis techniques, discovered that the crack in the concrete was not the cause. Rather, it was the frequency of the movement of the returning trains coupled with that of the bridge.

The solution was simply to reduce the speed of the trains by 20km per hour when they crossed the bridge un-laden, and the vibration was eliminated, without the

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Asset Management

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Even wind gusts or foot falls can generate the data required need for costly engineering works to the bridge. The use of sensors in an environment as volatile as the Amazon shows the durability of the system in extreme conditions, working consistently through heavy rain, humidity and heat.

Using conventional methods, a displacement sensor would have been placed over the crack to measure how it responded to ambient vibration over time. But such a device would not have told the bridge owners why the crack had come about, and whether it had anything to do with the movement in the structure.

In this scenario, an SHM solution takes raw vibration data from field-proven and trusted sensors, and turns it into valuable information enabling analysts to provide a holistic diagnosis of a structure. This ensures asset owners and management authorities are fully-equipped with the knowledge to establish the most appropriate strategy for modifying a structural system to repair current weaknesses, minimise further issues and thus prolong the life of the asset.

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Wireless innovation As more capable sensors are deployed, the opportunity exists for engineers to find even more efficient and effective ways to acquire data, analyse the vast volumes being stored, identify areas for improvement and most importantly, act on the information provided. Automated SHM for example, brings a number of benefits, such as enabling cost-effective, condition-based maintenance as opposed to conventional schedule-based approaches.

Current commercial monitoring systems suffer from various technological and economic limitations that prevent their widespread adoption. In particular, the fixed wiring used to route from system sensors to the centralised data hub represent one of the greatest limitations since they are physically vulnerable and expensive from an installation and subsequent maintenance standpoint. The introduction of wireless sensor networks in particular is attracting significant interest.

A wireless sensor network consists of nodes, which can range from a few to several hundred sensors, with each node connected to one or several sensors. This model

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provides a practical solution for bridging information systems and the physical world, with a substantial amount of railway line being covered, and then consequently monitored by a single display.

Wireless solutions are shown to reduce installation costs and sensor installation times dramatically. They also increase safety levels because they can often be configured remotely or prior to installation, and exchanged easily for calibration and maintenance. Conversely, the more permanent a sensor installation, the more costly the maintenance requirement tends to be. In addition, a solution that combines both wireless data transmission and battery operation, together with low power consumption is preferable.

The Wireless Tilt System (WTS) developed by Sherborne Sensors for example, is designed to provide structural engineers with a complete measurement solution able to record and log data remotely without the cost and complexity of traditional wired methods.

The engineer simply fits the low power inclinometers to strategic points on a given structure or component thus helping to determine range of motion, as well as any structural weaknesses and whether maintenance is required. This simple and cost-effective solution is extremely beneficial, especially when multiple readings must be obtained.

Building business intelligence Although implementing change in the rail and transport industries takes time, new approaches to SHM can deliver immediate benefits to asset owners, financiers, and public authorities in reducing the risk of litigation, improving public safety, and the sustainability of critical transport infrastructure. Using the latest SHM solutions, structural performance detection and monitoring can be performed continuously, on a periodic basis, or in direct response to an event that may have affected the structure.

A variety of innovative structural integrity assessment solutions are being developed that provide the vital information that analysts use to compare the dissipation of vibrations with either the predicted behaviour of the structure given its design and materials, or with baseline measurements captured earlier. Customised servo accelerometers for example, are central to the data collector devices used to capture these baseline measurements and enable users to establish whether a structure transfers loads as designed.

When placed either singly or in an array on bridges or other structures for a period, data collector devices record a structure’s three-dimensional movement in extreme detail. Sensors have played a key role in improving rail travel reliability, and maintaining the integrity of structures vital to it. However, determining the most appropriate sensor technology for the application, and also the interpretation of the data, is where the knowledge and experience of a specialist supplier of sensor technology comes to the fore. zz

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NEWS I Stations

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Paddington station excavation reaches Crossrail tunnels

Two new platforms open on time at London Bridge station l London Bridge station was partly closed at the end of August to enable engineers to complete the last complex elements of work so that two platforms could be opened to the public on Monday 1 September. The work was completed on schedule and the first trains arrived and departed on time.

The rebuilding of the station is at the heart of the massive £6.5bn Thameslink Programme which will increase capacity and reliability on one of Europe’s busiest rail routes.

Over 1,200 engineers worked around the clock through one of the wettest and coldest August bank holidays on record, laying new track and installing a complex, state-of-the-art signalling system, to bring the new platforms into service. At the same time a triple-track Victorian bridge on the approach to the station has been completely rebuilt.

The old platforms 10 & 11 have now been taken out of service and demolished to create space to lay the next new lines. This will require part closure of the station from 20 December. In January 2015 work will begin on rebuilding the second half of the station.

l Crossrail Paddington station contractor Costain Skanska has reached a significant milestone in the construction of the new underground station at Paddington. Excavating down 16 metres below ground level workers have broken through into the top of the Crossrail tunnels.

Costain Skanska will excavate the earth between the two tunnels creating a large open station platform level. Once excavation is completed, they will start building the station platforms and laying the track bed.

The new Crossrail station is being constructed adjacent to the historic Paddington National Rail station under Eastbourne Terrace.

The 250 metre long and 30 metre wide spacious station will include a 120 metre long glass canopy.

New platform at Whitby station l A new platform was opened at Whitby station last month following close collaboration between the station’s owner Network Rail, train operator Northern Rail and the North York Moors Railway (NYMR) heritage railway.

The extra platform will enable the NYMR to increase the number of trains it runs a day out of Whitby from three to five.

The project has been funded by £1.1m from the Government’s Coastal Communities and £850,000 from Network Rail.

Phil Verster, route managing director for Network Rail, said: “The project is a great example of collaboration between rail partners to benefit leisure travellers whilst protecting vital services for the commuters and schoolchildren who use this route every day.”

Homes to be built above Woolwich station Manchester calls for accessibility funding l Transport leaders in Manchester have called on government for increased funding to improve access to the 54 local rail stations in Greater Manchester that still do not have step-free access.

There are currently 96 stations in Greater Manchester, and 42 (44%) are defined as accessible, which is a vast improvement on the national average of just 20% stations across the country with step-free access to every platform.

Last year Greater Manchester submitted a bid to the Department for Transport’s national Access for All fund – which offers £100 million for accessibility improvements between 2014-19. However, no Greater Manchester stations were among the 42 across the country approved for accessibility funding improvements.

Councillor Andrew Fender, chair of the TfGM committee, said: “It’s unacceptable in this day and age that over half of Greater Manchester’s train stations are not accessible to all. Poor access to the rail network is a nationwide issue – and the duty to address it lies with the rail industry as a whole, but principally the Department for Transport through its Access for All fund.”

l A proposal to build nearly 400 new homes above the new Woolwich Crossrail station has received a green light from the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The scheme is part of Crossrail’s strategy to develop three million sq ft of new commercial and residential space above its stations, returning funds to the Crossrail budget and regenerating urban areas all along the line.

The major new residential development, known as Armourer’s Court, will consist of approximately 490,000 sq ft in five high quality buildings of varying heights set around a landscaped garden.

Carefully located retail and business space will be at ground level.

Designed by architects TP Bennett it draws upon the heritage of the nearby Royal Arsenal buildings, with brick, metal and glass façades.

The Woolwich area has enjoyed a renaissance thanks to the opening of Woolwich Arsenal DLR terminus in 2009, improvement of public areas, and the impending arrival of Crossrail. Since 2008 there have been 13 planning applications within a kilometre of Woolwich Crossrail station, equating to 4,286 new homes, over 70,000 sq ft of new office space and 114,000 sq ft of new retail space.

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MICA’s role continues to expand

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ince its creation in 2006, MICA, the management

control centres can see at a glance which fire alarm has

software system from telent, has been bringing station

been triggered.

systems together into a single interface in order to

“However, what really sets MICA apart from other systems

simplify and streamline the management process.

is how it enables multiple locations to be monitored and

MICA offers both connectivity and control of a growing number

controlled simultaneously; this added connectivity brings a

of station systems - safety announcements, alarms, lifts and

new level of management information and control, bringing

escalators, to name a few. In its mobile, tablet-based form

efficiency improvements to maintenance work. Even groups

MICA offers all this whilst on the move, too.

of devices can be isolated and re-enabled via schedules

As telent continue to expand the functionality of MICA, Paul Dobbins, Chief Technical Officer, explains how the integration

“Maintenance works can create dust and smoke, so the

of fire systems further enhances MICA’s role:

fire detection devices in that zone need to be isolated during

“With MICA, station managers can already control an array

works, then re-enabled prior to the station opening. This

of systems from one software platform. The monitoring of fire

process often delays the start of work, narrowing the window

detection systems is an important addition, bringing further

of opportunity for completion. Now this job can be carried

time and efficiency improvements as well as cost savings.

out via MICA, by programming the isolation and re-enabling

“Now, individual fire detection devices and alarms can be

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preloaded into MICA.

of relevant devices. This means more can be accomplished

monitored and managed via MICA. Individual sensor levels can

during each maintenance shift as the wait for isolation of fire

be observed and station managers or centralised

devices to be carried out is removed.”

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Asset Management

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Combating cable theft Arnaud Peltier explains how the issue has been tackled in France, using an innovative solution that enables engineers to remotely locate breaks in wiring as they occur

I Arnaud Peltier is president of WiN MS

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nfrastructure managers and operators in the rail sector are only too aware of the hazards associated with cable theft.

In Berlin recently, the removal of a cable worth EUR 40 impacted on over one million city commuters heading to work. The irate customers duly complained about their disrupted journey. Consequently, an extra layer of negative perception around service reliability exacerbated the initial theft.

This is bad news for everyone. Marketing teams flap about share value and hope that shareholders will keep the faith and see the bigger picture. The stakes are high at every level – these problems can even escalate to derail planned modernisation programmes.

The battleground International metal theft is a bitter battleground with big rewards for the victors and even bigger penalties for the losers. More often than not, the bad guys have been winning: but how – and why?

When safety specialists are regularly seen to be sidetracked from their carefully planned maintenance schedules in order to attend to the growing number of, sometimes quite minor, ad-hoc emergencies, the trend can amplify into a domino effect. Even if the flashpoints aren’t that frequent, they are still prone to increased scrutiny. So where are the solutions?

Bhavisha Mistry

system has proved itself one hundred per cent reliable.

There were no false alarms raised and no cable theft was attempted. WiN MS co-founder Marc Olivas said: “Following the trial, we are pleased that the device is now fully accredited by SNCF.”

The solution The system is a low cost bolt-on to existing infrastructure. It does not require complex construction or detailed scheduling to install. This removes the risk of any further traffic interruptions. The service can be applied with ease and speed.

The WiN MS INFRA automatic notification devices are geared to monitor any wired infrastructure that could be targeted by thieves, including telecommunication networks and electric distribution.

How it works To combat the plague of cable theft, the automatic alarm system involves boxes plugged in to existing cables, up to 14 km apart. Their sensors are immediately triggered if a cable is cut, and record and specify the exact location details.

WiN MS have also worked in collaboration with Vossloh Cogifer (under the BTW brand name). This resulted in the successful installation of the device this summer, a first in the French railway sector.

Addressing the problem in France

Scale of the problem

France has an extensive modern railway network. The CEA LIST institute is a leading French research centre for smart digital systems. One company has emerged from this research initiative with a very clear commercial intention. WiN MS, a member of Starbust Accelerator, focuses on developing efficient and commercially robust solutions to alleviate the difficulties faced by transport industries in maintaining and monitoring their equipment and wiring.

Last summer, WiN MS undertook a live trial and installation in France with its partner SNCF. The test investigated a new service covering electrical breakdowns, and now incorporates all of the consequences emerging from an attempted cable theft.

The pilot verified the automatic notifications via a WiN MS security device. This device enables the operator to remotely locate in real time any cut to the wires. The new

In 2011, SNCF estimated that cable theft resulted in 350,000 working hours lost per annum in France, where cable theft leads to a loss of almost EUR 30 million each year and accounts for 6,000 hours in train delays.

Network Rail in Britain says that metal theft costs the infrastructure company £19 million (EUR 23.7 million) per year. It costs Europe’s railways hundreds of millions of euros (source: uic.org).

The rail industry works to a long-term cycle. Prevention is far better than cure to address the immediate and growing problem of cable theft, and this solution has been crafted and tested to gain the required certification and operational reliability that the industry expects.

Effectively combating cable theft enables the maintenance staff to focus on their planned technical maintenance, to modernise on time and within budget. zz

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Corrosion & Painting

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White Horse bridge at Wembley station

Engineered to last Many of the UK’s major rail stations and much of its infrastructure are undergoing significant renovation. CHRIS LLOYD discusses the use of effective anti-corrosion and engineered protection

Chris Lloyd is director of Flexcrete Technologies

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he Government is committing billions of pounds to improving the rail network. As a large part of this infrastructure is over 100 years old, extensive maintenance is required to make it fit for purpose, during which disruption must be kept to a minimum. A key element in the refurbishment process is corrosion protection and the right choice of anti-corrosion products is vital. Where site access is restricted and time limited, for example, it is important to specify rapid curing products.

Protecting cast iron in London’s tunnels One interesting example is the London Road Shunt Tunnel project, which involved coating the tunnel’s cast iron lining on behalf of London Underground. The tunnel is part of the London Road depot, opened in 1906 as the maintenance facility for what is now known as the Bakerloo Line.

The shunt tunnel comprises 176 bolted cast iron rings with an internal diameter of just under 4 metres, and can accommodate up to 10 trains. A survey of the tunnel had

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revealed that the segments of the lining were in good condition but in need of effective, long-term protection against corrosion. The coating specified for this work was Cemprotec E942. A two component, waterborne, epoxy and cementitious modified polymer coating, E942 London Road shunt tunnel

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Artist’s impression of the new concourse at London Bridge station provides years of stand-alone corrosion protection under demanding operational conditions.

Applied to a thickness of just 2mm by brush or spray, the coating requires much less surface preparation than alternative products. It can be applied to damp substrates and achieves a bond when just the surface rusting has been removed. By comparison, most alternatives require removal of all surface contaminants and corrosion byproducts back to bright metal.

The water-based composition of Cemprotec E942 is another critical factor. It does not release any strong odours or hazardous solvents during application, and is non-toxic. So it can be safely applied in enclosed locations. As it is CE marked in compliance with BS EN 1504 and compliant with LU standard 1-085 Fire Safety Performance of Materials, it’s also particularly useful where there are tight controls governing the use of hazardous products.

Concrete and reinforcing steel Cementitious coatings such as this are frequently specified to increase the durability of concrete in new construction as they can be applied to freshly cast ‘green’ concrete without waiting for a full 28 day cure.

High performance coatings reinstate concrete cover and provide structures with additional protection against freeze/thaw cycles, de-icing salts, water and chloride ion penetration, thus ensuring that the life span of the structure is both achieved and extended.

Reinforced concrete must have an adequate thickness of concrete covering the steel reinforcement bars; the depth and quality of the concrete cover is vital, as the relatively thin layer of concrete protects the reinforcing steel from corrosion by maintaining an alkali environment and preventing the ingress of chloride ions and other fuels for corrosion.

One interesting application has been on the White

Horse Bridge, a state-of-the-art £20 million footbridge that crosses Wembley station leading up to the new Wembley Stadium. The bridge’s four arches mirror the now-famous arch of the stadium itself. On event days, as many as 8,000 people an hour cross the footbridge.

During construction it was found that the abutments supporting the main arch had insufficient concrete cover to the reinforcement, and a rapid method of reinstatement was required without resorting to costly recasting.

Cemprotec E942 was chosen because a coating of just 2mm would provide in excess of 100mm of effective cover, as well as a complete barrier to water under 10 bar pressure. Additionally, it would not require specialist skills or equipment to apply and would cure rapidly enabling early backfilling – an important consideration to minimise disruption.

Fast-track construction is often a key requirement for rail projects, as demonstrated by the £500 million development of King’s Cross station. Newly constructed plant rooms required a permanent waterproofing system and Cementitious Coating 851, a waterborne, cementitious modified polymer coating, was specified for application to green concrete. After pouring, the concrete slab was left to cure overnight and then prepared with a stiff brush and thorough soaking. The 851 was laid to a thickness of 2mm and Cemprotec EF Grit was cast into the surface to provide a slip resistant finish. Over a period of four days the concrete was cast and waterproofed, and heavy machinery installed just a few days later.

The challenges at London Bridge station High performance structural mortars and fairing coats have been specified to enhance the concrete finish and increase the durability of construction at London Bridge station, where the £400 million redevelopment programme includes a new concourse at street level and

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Corrosion & Painting

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improved entrances and exits. The work is said by Network Rail to be the most ambitious redevelopment of any London station in a generation, and one of the most technically demanding projects ever undertaken on the UK railway.

With a project of this scale and complexity, a high volume of fresh concrete is being cast. Rapid construction is also critical as the station will remain open throughout, to minimise disruption to passengers. To aid rapid construction an advanced, waterproof, low density, class R3 structural mortar called Monomix was specified.

Incorporating the latest proven cement chemistry, microsilica, fibre and styrene acrylic copolymer technology, Monomix is a pre-packaged, single component product that only requires the addition of clean water. This creates a mortar that can easily be applied by trowel to a thicknesses of up to 80mm. Suitable for application to vertical, horizontal and overhead surfaces, it has exceptional bond strength,

Ă–resund Tunnel joins Sweden to Denmark

d Investigation

Ă–resund Tunnel

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excellent tensile strength and abrasion resistance, high diffusion resistance to acid gases and chloride ions and low permeability to water even at 10 bar pressure. Its high compressive strength reaches 23.5MPa within just 24 hours, increasing to 42MPa within 28 days.

Monolevel FC an engineering quality fairing coat was then used to finish the project. Applied in a thin screed to vertical and horizontal concrete, it is suitable as an exposed finish without needing further protection or coating, and was specified in white to match the colour of the freshly cast concrete.

Working further afield Flexcrete products also have a successful track record of use in international projects, one example being the Ă–resund Tunnel, a rail/road tunnel which connects Sweden to Denmark. Originally constructed in 2000, Cementitious Coating 851 was specified for concrete cover enhancement on segments of the tunnel at the time of construction. Some 10 years later the engineers returned to take a core sample of 851 and confirmed that the coating was still performing well, with effective protection against chloride ion penetration and cover to the steel reinforcement. Independent tests have shown that 851 combats chlorides for over 25 years.

High performance repair mortars and cementitious coatings can solve a range of complex problems associated with buildings and infrastructure in the rail sector. They meet the demands of rail refurbishment and construction projects, offering an ideal solution for fast-track construction, anti-corrosion protection, waterproofing and concrete cover reinstatement. zz

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Franchising

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Customer satisfaction With changes to the rail franchising process on the horizon, Farah Al-Hassani looks at the new focus on customer satisfaction, and the role NRPS is likely to play in decision making and auditing performance

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Farah Al-Hassani is a lawyer in the rail team at law firm Stephenson Harwood LLP

Bhavisha Mistry

he National Rail Passenger Survey (NRPS) results show the national average figure holding steady and passenger satisfaction remaining at a near record high. Yet despite this promising statistic, the results by route and category paint a less optimistic picture with wide variances in passenger satisfaction amongst train operators and many operators scoring poorly across the board, from reliability and punctuality to managing delays.

The forthcoming round of new franchises is viewed by many as a chance to address the disparity in satisfaction levels and increase accountability to rail passengers – and recent activity suggests that NRPS is likely to play a key role.

NRPS is undertaken by Passenger Focus and provides a network-wide view of passenger satisfaction with rail travel. It serves as an important indicator of performance to operators and a useful tool for identifying trends in performance over time.

Train operators have individual responsibility for implementing measures to improve passenger satisfaction but few have historically faced contractual targets or financial penalties: franchise targets have traditionally focused on measures such as punctuality and crowding rather than softer service quality type measures.

Change is however on the horizon, thanks in large part to the recommendations of the Brown Review which followed the collapse of the West Coast franchise procurement in 2012.

One of the key recommendations was to place greater emphasis on improving service quality for passengers in the franchising process, by attaching higher scores and weighting to quality in bid assessment.

Brown recognised that in order to improve overall service, the needs and expectations of passengers ought to be given much greater attention. Several recommendations were made to enhance the use of NRPS, including more closely reflecting results in franchise commitments and ensuring its use in performance-monitoring.

A new focus on quality The DfT has since published a new methodology for awarding passenger rail franchises which places significantly greater emphasis on service quality outcomes. It is an unequivocal endorsement of Brown’s recommendations which sees the introduction of a specific quality score in bid evaluation, intended to reflect

bidders’ abilities to meet the most important issues of each franchise.

Train operators are now being challenged to improve services across the spectrum of passenger experience and put service at the heart of all company decisions. A new focus is evident in the recently awarded TSGN and Essex Thameside franchises and the ITT for the East Coast franchise – and the DfT has indicated through its consultation exercises for the Northern, TransPennine Express and Great Western franchises that a similar approach is to be expected on future franchises.

The DfT has worked closely with Passenger Focus to develop the service quality specifications for forthcoming franchises and consider mechanisms for incorporating NRPS results to ensure appropriate passenger benefits are delivered.

The result is new, contractually binding benchmarks linked to NRPS results which will be used to determine performance against benchmarks set out in the franchise agreement. Train operators will, as a minimum, be expected to achieve the benchmarks to demonstrate delivery of good customer service which is measured and tested against customer expectations. By setting targets, it will ensure a focus on the customer which many argue was lacking in past franchises.

The benchmarks are based on a variety of indicators of passenger satisfaction drawn from NRPS results. Bidders will need to provide compelling evidence during the bid phase to demonstrate how their initiatives and actions will achieve the benchmarks and deliver a high level of customer service, whilst also highlighting potential risks and how these might be overcome. Higher scores may be rewarded to those exceeding minimum requirements and demonstrating innovative ideas, again signalling the DfT’s commitment to rewarding “quality” bids.

The future Although the new NRPS obligations are by no means revolutionary, the changes will nevertheless place greater obligations on all parties and provide a renewed focus on improving passenger satisfaction. The extent to which bidders meet or exceed the requirement to improve service quality now forms an important part of evaluation and bidders will need a clear evidence base and management initiatives to persuade the DfT of their capability to improve passenger satisfaction. Using NRPS to help benchmark and incentivise improvements should help train operators focus on passenger needs and inherently improve satisfaction levels. zz

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Communications

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Light at the end of the tunnel Radiating cable technology – often known as leaky feeder – has a crucial role to play in the railways of tomorrow, says MARK WELLER, business development director at rail telecoms specialist AlanDick Communications

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adiating cable technology is nothing new in the UK rail industry. Originally designed for use within the mining sector, the robust telecoms system – which uses coaxial cable to transmit and receive radio waves underground – is perhaps best known for its adoption throughout the London Underground network.

The solutions overground Traditional distributed antenna systems (DAS) may well be more readily adopted by Network Rail on over-ground lines and in shorter tunnels across the UK. However there are significant problems with this

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technology where subterranean distances of over one kilometre are concerned.

Wherever possible, DAS antennae are located at the head end of tunnels, with radio waves being transmitted from the portal down the length of the line. This solution has inherent benefits from an operational perspective, negating the need for construction and maintenance work within the tunnel, which could cause line closures, safety issues and additional cost.

While the general rule tends to be: don’t work in tunnels unless you really have to, issues of propagation and RF reliability make radiating cable the only viable option in many cases.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Is radiating cable set for expansion?

Looking ahead to the changing landscape of the rail telecoms infrastructure, the future looks increasingly bright for radiating cable technology. There are three main drivers to this predicted growth in radiating cable adoption: the need to upgrade the UK’s ageing and new network, the growth in demand for richer RF services such as 3G and 4G and the introduction of the European Train Control System, which is due for full level two solution by 2020.

In addition, the UK’s largely Victorian tunnel infrastructure is in need of upgrade from a telecoms perspective, the many headline-grabbing projects such as Crossrail, HS2 and initiatives such as One North, will all require radiating cable solutions.

The insatiable demand for data rich telecoms services from both the rail industry and passengers alike is a huge driver that will necessitate the introduction of 3G and 4G technology across the rail network. Cellular operators are understandably keen to introduce their services onto the railway, however many UK tunnels are still only able to provide 2G technology.

Finally, the Europe-wide introduction of ETCS – the signalling, control and train protection system designed to replace the many incompatible safety systems currently used by European railways – will inevitably require the use of radiating cable solutions where longer tunnels are concerned.

provide trouble free telecoms coverage, without the need for expensive and disruptive retrospective upgrades and repairs. Issues such as cable installation, distances from tunnel walls (to reduce longitudinal loss), predicting and addressing body losses, shadowing, fast fading and multiple paths are issues that require careful preparation and planning to avoid costly time and budget issues later on.

Planning for the future Clearly, looking forward to the challenges of the ETCS, a gold standard radiating cable solution will need to be implemented in tunnels. The system ADC designed for Heathrow Express is a case in point. It had to be resilient, so that if one of the repeaters failed, there was enough power in the coaxial cable to still deliver a minimum level of coverage. Developing a solution that provides not just the standard industry performance of 75 per cent, but something above 95 per cent is where many leaky feeder solutions will need to be in future.

Radiating cable solutions are a mature, well understood range of technologies that have perhaps been overlooked or even avoided by rail industry engineers. As new challenges emerge in the sector, this tried and tested solution has huge potential to deliver a robust and reliable communications coverage. zz

Installation and maintenance Current GSM-R systems are deployed as the primary carrier for voice communication with the driver, other personnel on trains and trackside engineers. Over the next ten years this same infrastructure will need to incorporate ETCS – which is due to go live with Crossrail in 2017.

However, the design, installation and maintenance of radiating cable systems is more complex than might first appear. While the uninitiated might assume it’s a case of ‘plug and play’, the reality of developing a robust and operationally efficient RF solution involves careful planning and a thorough understanding of the rail industry.

The technology Due to the often unforeseen impact of geology, tunnel dimensions and even the impact of moving trains and equipment, a range of techniques can be employed to ensure operational integrity. The use of optical repeaters is one such innovation that is increasingly used in the rail industry to solve the challenge of longitudinal loss with conventional feeders.

One of the major advantages of radiating cable is its broadband width. While DAS typically delivers 10-20 MHz, radiating cable can achieve much higher frequencies of one GHz and over. The key difference between DAS and radiating cable is that the former is not resonant – so can easily accommodate bandwidth.

While radiating cable technology is not new, the devil is certainly in the detail when delivering rail projects that

Radiating cable technology – How it works l Radiating cable (or leaky feeder) systems can be described as a garden hose with holes inserted along its length to allow the escape of water. This coaxial feeder cable ‘leaks’ the radio signal in or out along its length, thus creating a continuous coverage area along the tunnels in which the cable is strung. The cable has regular openings in the outer shield, which permit RF energy to enter or leave the cable. It can receive and transmit signals down its entire length.

Wireless devices can interface with leaky feeders. They can receive radio signals from the cable and transmit data back. The data can include voice, video and computer data.

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Ticketing

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Demand for smart technology is continuing to exceed paper ticketing

The smarter investment Transport is considered the single biggest infrastructure challenge of the modern age. Russell McCullagh, reviews the progress so far with smart ticketing, and the contribution it could ultimately make

A Russell McCullagh is managing director of Ecebs

s with any public service, efficiency in transport is the key. While smart ticketing isn’t new, recent developments and those anticipated for the near future are expected to transform the rail industry.

This technology allows for more effective and streamlined processes and improved operator efficiency, in turn protecting the taxpayer’s pocket.

This has been recognised by the UK government. A considerable number of rail franchises are up for renewal in the next five years and smart ticketing is a key criterion for new Train Operator Company (TOC) tenders. It was recently announced that cities in the North of England are investing £15 billion in improved transport connections in the region and integrated, interoperable ticketing will play a major role in the realisation of these plans.

The role of ITSO The Government is pushing for all local transport to be ITSO compliant (the UK standard for smart ticketing) in the next few years for this reason, ensuring that commuters will be able to travel using the same ticket across different regions managed by different TOCs using different modes of transport.

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Ecebs helped develop the ITSO Part 11 specification (downloadable smart ticketing technology) in 2007 in anticipation of a growing demand. We understood that a cloud based secure ticketing scheme based on the Government mandated ITSO specification would open up lower cost smart ticketing to a wider market and that’s exactly why we delivered smart ticketing in the cloud with our Paragon remote ticket download (RTD) software.

As with any form of consumer technology, the aim is to make things simpler for commuters and fit in with their lifestyles. A more convenient service means a happier, loyal commuter which resonates well in operator-customer relationships. The Government and local authorities – in their efforts to improve existing infrastructure that will encourage public use of mass transport, reducing congestion and carbon emissions – are looking for an effective service that is designed to meet needs now and in the future.

The growing use across the UK Many commuters are too busy checking emails, updating Twitter or reading their online newspaper to visit the ticket kiosk and stand in line. In a digital world, we can quite easily go through an entire day without touching a piece of

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz paper, including rail tickets. Transport operators can earn commuter (and customer) loyalty by providing facilities that allow them to access tickets anytime, anywhere and at the touch of a button by adopting technology like Ecebs’ RTD technology.

RTD, has been adopted by a large number of transport schemes across the UK allowing customers to purchase and pickup their tickets at a wide variety of outlets from corner shops to travel centres. Crucially RTD also enables self service ticket retail and delivery through web and mobile channels. Nottingham City Council, allows commuters to download their travel tickets to smartcards using a mobile phone or tablet, equipped with near field communication (NFC). NFC is the same technology that enables consumers to swipe their bankcards to pay for a coffee without inserting the card and entering a PIN number.

Nexus in the Northeast has also incorporated RTD into its ticketing strategy, where passengers can use Pop Cards on a pay-as-you-go basis and upload credit using their NFC device or home computer, and at local shops or metro stations. These cards can be used across different modes of local transport: bus, rail, and tram allowing commuters to benefit from a truly interoperable system. SPT in Scotland have also adopted RTD to deliver zonecard travel products for the Bramble smartcard used by the Glasgow Subway.

Forward momentum As inter-city connections improve, updates to local links are vital to ensure commuters truly benefit. It has been reported that the journey from London to Edinburgh on the new HS2 could be as short as three hours – it therefore doesn’t make sense that travellers could then spend 1015 minutes in queues to buy tram tickets; or visit a cash machine and then a shop to make change for the bus.

If interoperable ticketing was available on a larger scale, commuters could potentially use their ITSO smartcard from their starting point in London to their end point in Edinburgh city centre and back without ever needing to visit ticket machines or handle cash. ITSO provides that potential, all it takes now is for transport scheme operators to complete adoption of the technology that will allow the current implementations and future developments to deliver this vision.

Added sophistication We are already starting to see this become a reality in the South East of England as the South East Flexible Ticketing (SEFT) programme develops. The programme aims to ensure all 12 TOCs involved adopt an ITSO compliant, interoperable smart ticketing system. In 2011, the Government committed to an investment of £45 million in SEFT to deliver a range of flexible ticketing products

Nottingham City Council’s self service ticketing system more aligned to current travel needs, allowing for reduced queueing times and faster entry and exits from stations.

These benefits, only two of many, will support the growing need to handle more travellers in less time.

SEFT, like other smart ticketing initiatives, will provide TOCs with an opportunity to make informed decisions about the use of their resources. Smartcards and mobile ticketing enable operators to analyse customer data and use this insight to plan ahead. They know how many people are expected to get on rush hour trains, how and when they purchase tickets, and exactly when they use them. As passenger numbers grow, it isn’t as simple as adding another carriage on to a busy train. Extending platforms to accommodate longer trains would take a major investment in infrastructure that isn’t an option.

Operators can instead work smarter, providing incentives like a free cup of coffee or loyalty points, to encourage passengers to use the next train with more seats available.

What should we aim for?

Smart ticketing technology plays a key role in improving operator efficiency and more importantly, can help to reduce or avoid investment in major infrastructure changes. We are already seeing local examples of how integrated, interoperable ticketing is being adopted, but what we need now is for a nationwide adoption to ensure the joined up system works. The perceived costs of technology and smaller infrastructure changes, like smart enabled ticket gates, often deter TOCs and local authorities. But these costs are eclipsed when compared to larger infrastructure investments such as the refurbishment and extension of a mainline station.

We work smarter by adopting technology to deliver tangible benefits; scheme operators and government bodies acknowledge that smart ticketing is the way forward for the transport industry to deliver a modern flexible ticketing solution that improves the customer experience while reducing cost. Smart ticketing is no longer just a future vision, the future is now. zz

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Planning

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Berlin’s new station, an excellent example of joined up thinking

Joinedup journeys

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ars seamlessly take passengers from A to B, but public transport passengers often face awkward and time-consuming changes. This is extraordinary given that in the UK, the issue was first recognised in the 1947 Transport Act. Many would argue that a joined-up approach to transportation enjoys widespread political support, but a lack of will, and structural issues make this a particularly intractable challenge.

Passenger pain For passengers, the need to interchange can arouse strong emotions – it is something people would rather avoid, a moment of stress and uncertainty, and a point where the difference in service culture between different elements comes sharply into focus. Often interchanges are designed to serve the needs of operators, not passengers.

Getting it right is about understanding the joins across the system – architecture and space, service, information, etc. All need to work seamlessly together and be passenger focused. Transport in the UK is run as a commercial enterprise by individual organisations and it doesn’t feel like a single ecosystem: different brands, different operational models, different service quality.

The experience of say arriving on a Virgin train and transferring to the tube or a bus puts you into two very different experiences.

Operators have become customer-centred, but few have worked together to eliminate gaps where their different systems come together. However, as they increasingly see the commercial value in being more passenger-focused, there is the prospect of change for the better.

How can this be achieved?

David Watts is managing director of CCD Design and Ergonomics

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In the battle between public and private transport, one area that has been given too little attention is making the passenger journey a satisfying experience from start to finish.

David Watts considers the issue

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Stations are a key element of the joined-up journey, but they are not the only element to consider. Tickets, customer information systems, rolling stock all form part of making the journey either a single or disjointed experience for the passenger.

New transport systems offer the opportunity for joinedup thinking, and as a green-field project with a long planning phase, HS2 should deliver seamless interchanges which are necessary to make the high-speed, high volume, high frequency network operate reliably. It has been designed with passenger needs at the very heart of the trains, and station interchanges to be at the cutting-edge of creating a positive passenger experience.

One of the guiding principles of route selection and station location has been interconnection. This will shape the final service by designing for joined-up journeys, changes in mobility (eg better provision for cycling), and using data to support interchange and ticketing strategy.

Similarly, in the Middle East places like Jeddah are building a whole transport system in one go. In the Netherlands, not surprisingly, the needs of cyclists have become an integral part of station design, and the new station in Berlin stands as an excellent example of joined-up journey thinking.

But in the real world, where not everything is new,

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz great strides can be made. For example, ticketing is one opportunity using existing technology. It is almost impossible to buy a door-to-door journey ticket but modern technology is more than capable of solving that problem, and allocating revenue to the right company.

Even in London, if you take a journey by tube and then jump on a bus, you end up paying twice. By contrast, Hong Kong’s Octopus card allows free interchange to a certain extent.

Harnessing technology Technology is the key to creating a much more passenger-centred approach to many areas of the journey. So far technology hasn’t supported interchange in any meaningful way – it offers tantalising glimpses of what the future could hold for integrated journeys, but its adoption is frustratingly slow and piecemeal.

There are efforts to provide some information displays in some stations about bus or metro services, yet passengers have to work to get real-time information.

Third-parties are developing whole journey planner apps using available data, but these lack mechanisms to help passengers respond to problems in real-time or to rebook a leg of the journey.

Smarter technology could deliver benefits. If ‘the system’ knows you are getting off at a station to transfer to the local tram system it could reserve your seat in a carriage near the right station exit. There is a great opportunity to support passengers better and create more personalised and adaptive services.

The element of design Then there is the physical environment. New and redeveloped stations are usually well designed to accommodate future growth in passenger capacity, but perform less well in accommodating future interchange growth – so the taxi rank, bus stops or cycle racks don’t have similar space.

Good wayfinding is fundamental and should be extended to provide better information before arrival.

Before the passenger even steps off the train, they should be given the information they need to make the next step in their journey – find the exit, find the taxi, find the platform for metro…or where to pick up a BorisBike.

At London Bridge a new concourse will link the new and thriving riverside with Guy’s Hospital and Bermondsey’s increasingly upmarket backstreets. The integration of the wayfinding system as part of the master planning will have a significant effect on improving the interchange experience of everyone using the station, whether they are transferring trains, catching a taxi, a bus, boat or completing their journey on foot.

Increasingly, architects use master-planning to improve the interchange. At Reading, the new extension not only expands train routes into and across this strategic gateway to London, but also provides seamless access either side of the station with the conversion of an

old platform access tunnel into a major pedestrian thoroughfare, linking regeneration zones either side.

The King’s Cross redevelopment sought to tackle the problem – although it is far from perfect – it does manage to handle huge numbers of people through massively constrained spaces to allow them to get from A to B.

Western gateline at the new extension to Reading station, seen from the east

In Holland Excellent examples can be seen in the Netherlands, where high quality cycle parking in sufficient volumes has encouraged more people to arrive by bike and not car. In Haarlem, directly under the bus station in front of the Central Railway Station there is space for over 5,000 bicycles. In Houten the Transferium is the perfect for transferring from one mode of transport to the other.

There is parking facility for over 3,000 bicycles located directly under the platforms making it an integral part of the station. Even in the US, changes are afoot with the North Hollywood subway station planning indoor parking for cycles.

Creating joined-up journeys is no easy task – if it was there would be no need for this article. There are structural, cultural, physical and technological issues to be overcome. Service providers must look beyond their own boundaries and appreciate the commercial benefits rather than just look within. Getting the interchange right is key to great customer experience and making it work for passengers means seeing it as an integrated journey and therefore focus on the joins. Ultimately all the bits have to work in harmony and this requires a change in service attitude which involves providing a graceful and planned handover at each stage rather than passengers being dumped on the pavement! zz The Houten Transferium in the Netherlands is an ideal space for changing from one mode of transport to another

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Facilities Management

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Flood management at Didcot The newly renovated Didcot Parkway station in Oxforshire is very vulnerable to flooding. GARY MORTON of ACO Water Management discusses the solutions to this problem Gary Morton is head of sector development at ACO Water Management

www.aco.co.uk/rail

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idcot Parkway, the main rail station for the prestigious Oxford Science Vale, has been undergoing a £6.7 million programme of redevelopment, aimed at boosting the economy of Didcot and Oxford Science Vale, and promoting regeneration of the Didcot Gateway.

The station’s vulnerability to flooding was a major consideration in its re-design. As more paving, road surfaces and car parks were going to be constructed in an area already susceptible to flooding, the amount and speed of surface water run-off would increase, further affecting natural drainage.

Finding the right solution Traditionally excess water was removed by installing underground pipes to carry water away as quickly as possible. However, although this can prevent local flooding it ultimately just transfers the flooding problem elsewhere.

With the Environment Agency now promoting the use of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) to address this problem, main contractor Balfour chose the unique modular

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design offered by StormBrixx, which can be installed quickly, with minimal disruption.

The sustainable surface water management scheme (developed by Jacobs Engineering Group), utilises space beneath two of the station’s three new car parks, to accommodate StormBrixx attenuation tanks with sufficient capacity to hold and safely discharge run-off from across the redesigned pedestrian piazza and forecourt.

The space issue “In order to achieve the volume required, we had to excavate virtually the entire deck area of the two car parks,” said Balfour Beatty site agent, Tony Mills.

“Restricted by a major trunk road on one side and the rail track embankment on the other, it left very little free space for the ground workers and tank installers to store equipment. Tight installation schedules added to the challenge. To avoid delays we needed to have all the tank components on-site to allow the build team to work unhindered once the excavation stage was complete.”

Key to Balfour Beatty’s decision to use ACO StormBrixx

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz was its unique modular design, which allowed all the tank components to be stacked, transported and stored in just 25 per cent of the space required by conventional cratebased systems. Less cumbersome and easier to handle, StormBrixx produces a stronger more stable structure that can be configured to any size or location, overcoming the construction limitations and drawbacks suffered by traditional tanks.

“By using StormBrixx,” Tony Mills added, “not only were we able to hold sufficient stock within the tight space to keep the laying team adequately supplied, but we were also able to reduce transportation costs as both tanks could be loaded onto a single truck. This had the added benefit of significantly lowering the whole operation’s carbon emissions.”

How the tanks work The two tanks are inter-connected with a single discharge (limited to a maximum 10 litres/second) to an adjacent watercourse. The upstream offline tank has a volume of 297m3 and only fills if run-off flow rates from its catchment exceed 4 litres/second. The downstream online tank attenuates both the run-off from the offline catchment as well as from its own.

Run-off discharge rates from both catchments are controlled using two ACO Q-Brake Vortex flow control units. The discharge from the online tank first passes through an oil separator before being released into the watercourse.

As the tanks are set up to attenuate storm water, each is wrapped in a two part membrane that prevents any infiltration into the surrounding sub-soil and eliminates

any silt penetrating the tank walls. First a welded geomembrane liner system sits immediately adjacent to the tank walls; this is then encased in a protection fleece, which safeguards the integrity of the overall structure.

The future With more and more railway stations being developed there will be an increase in the number of car parks, and associated roads and pathways. The issue of surface water run-off is therefore only going to increase.

This, combined with the increase in extreme weather conditions, makes flooding an even greater issue. Storm water management should now be a top priority for any development. In the long term it will help to ensure that costly flooding damage is kept to a minimum. The space-saving storm water attenuation tank, StormBrixx, can utilise space beneath the car park for example, so that land can be used to its fullest. The Didcot Parkway project is a great example of how this can be achieved.zz

Installation of the storm water attenuation tank

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Health & Safety

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The right people in the right place Britain has one of the safest rail transport systems in Europe but there is still room for improvement. MARY CLARKE takes a look at the human element

T Mary Clarke is CEO of Cognisco

he Annual Safety Performance report 2013/14 released in July by the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) revealed that a record number of the public were killed on Britain’s railways last year, and 293 trains went through red lights and signals.

The report said that 300 people were killed, either by taking their own lives or from accessing areas out of bounds. There were also 293 signals passed at danger last year, 43 more than the year before. While suicides are impossible for rail companies to safeguard against, errors made by front line staff shouldn’t be happening.

The risks involved in trains going through a red light are all too clear. Such incidents could cause crashes and derailments and lead to serious injuries and even deaths.

The boss of Network Rail, Mark Carne, has said he wants to make the network safer and his predecessor Sir David Higgins also regularly said that safety came first in everything he did on the network.

Reducing risks on the rail network But what exactly can be done to improve rail safety, especially as more trains are running and passengers

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numbers are growing?

One of the key things is ensuring rail employees are competent in their roles and comply with regulations at all times. Organisations operating in high risk industries with a mobile, disparate or fluid workforce are often frustrated by the inability to identify individual employees who are currently qualified, licenced or capable of carrying out a given task or operation.

Holding a record of employee certificates and licences is not enough when you need to be confident that the people you select today are currently qualified, licenced

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz and trained and will work or deliver in the way you need them to.

For those operating in regulated industries like rail, the ability to prove compliance and competence of each individual at a specific time and date, is critical in meeting industry standards and also in reducing the significant cost, time and resource involved in any incident related litigation or enquiry.

Tackling human error Over the past ten years investigations into major rail accidents have highlighted human performance as a contributory factor. Misunderstanding or employee error can result in safety breaches that cause injury and death. Driving through a red light is likely to be a result of human error, and before rail companies can prevent such incidents they need to identify why they are happening.

It could be an error of judgement, a lack of knowledge, a lapse in concentration, even possibly intentionally – as can happen on the roads where someone feels they have just enough time to get through a red light. Rail bosses need a better understanding of their employees and their likely behaviour on the job.

All rail companies must have formal competency management systems in place to maintain and assess the competence of operators responsible for safety critical work and ensure front line workforces are monitored and assessed.

Maintaining a consistently competent workforce is crucial to reduce exposure to risk of serious incidents and help to identify gaps and issues in current workforce competence or qualification. Such systems identify currently qualified staff regardless of their location and can rapidly build and deploy new teams with the right skills and experience.

These systems also offers visibility of upcoming assessments or licensing requirements, essential for ensuring that the organisation is compliant with industry regulations.

Network Rail and Eurostar We have been working with both Network Rail and Eurostar for several years to implement penetrative situational judgement assessments, and our competency management system, my*KNOW, not only provides them with a unique insight into their employees’ competencies but also their skills, knowledge and confidence. The system allows for different elements such as observation, training intervention and assessment, maybe even allocation of self-evidence of a competency to be recorded, audited and reported on.

An assessment provides insight not only into how knowledgeable a person is but how they might act when performing their jobs and the decisions they might make at work by asking employees a series of multiple response questions based on common on the job scenarios.

The results reveal a heat map of the strengths and

weaknesses the individual has in relation to their role.

It highlights knowledge gaps, but more importantly the confidence factor shows which areas might be an issue or pose a risk. The more confident they are the more likely they are to carry out that decision. If the subsequent knowledge is poor this is potentially a high risk.

The key objective for Network Rail was to minimise risk, to ensure that only competent people carry out safety critical and safety-related work, and to comply with the requirements placed upon them most notably in line with the ORR (Office of Rail Regulation). They needed a formal competency management solution to maintain and assess the competence of operators responsible for safety critical work, and for managers to have an up to date competence record and schedule, training needs, progress and performance of every individual – all in one place.

The system, referred to internally as the Academy is the central hub which measures the competence of over 11,000 front line operators including signallers, controllers, graduate engineers, station staff and capacity planning employees, and provides insight into other HR, training, simulation and verification systems.

For Eurostar and Highspeed, their key goal was complete visibility of the competence of their front line, engineering, rolling stock and maintenance staff, as well as a simple way of reporting on the status and scheduling of competencies, tying this into existing assessment and training frameworks. The system tracks their assessment processes, and in Eurostar’s case it logs driver observations, training courses, as well as medical facts, documents and the processes and schedules for assessments too.

In all cases the system has given uniformity in managing competence across each company, regardless of nationality, function, role or location. And for the first time, managers have complete visibility of the global workforce and accessible data about the team, route, depot and individual competence status. The robust reporting facility makes it easy for managers to produce regular reports which can be used internally or externally for auditing and compliance purposes.

Conclusion Human behaviour is always going to play a part in health and safety on the rail network, and having a better understanding of how front line staff behave while performing their job is essential for minimising risk, improving health and safety and ensuing regulatory compliance. This competency management system has gone one step further, by joining all these elements in to one centralised function, producing live transparent, accessible data. It provides a cradle to grave approach and links not only their competencies but all the requirements that the individual needs to optimise their performance and improve the performance of the organisation. zz

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Industry

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How to make Britain’s rail network the transport of choice

Professor Andrew McNaughton sets out his vision for the future of Britain’s railways ahead of the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s 2014 Sir Henry Royce Memorial Lecture this September

on Britain’s major rail networks is forecast to increase significantly and it is essential that a transformation of the network occurs in order to cope with this demand.

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

Mindful of the gap

Professor Andrew McNaughton, FREng, Technical Director for HS2

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utside of commuting, the vast majority of people in Britain today don’t use the railway that often – if at all. According to PwC’s Voice of the Consumer survey published last June, most regions showed predominant car usage as part of their daily commute, some nearly as high as 70 per cent. Nevertheless, demand

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The challenge is creating a mode of transport passengers would choose above all alternatives. This means eliminating the significant gaps between customer expectations and service delivery, and ensuring it is easy, convenient and utterly reliable, dependable and secure.

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

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

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HS2’s route out of London. Part of the hybrid bill submission but to guide them to the place where the door of the train nearest their allocated seat will be when it stops. And then to be greeted by name by the staff on-board, who know exactly who is travelling and whether or not they have any special requirements because their systems are fully connected to passenger and operational control systems.

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

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

Intelligent by design Future station and rail system design should ensure that passengers do not need to wait on the platform for their train. The aim is to provide an informed and high-quality service such that passengers are confident they can arrive at the station five minutes before the train is due. Should they have a problem at the last minute and miss their train, they automatically have a reserved seat on the next one.

For freight, delivering the railway system of the future effectively comes down to providing the same type of experience. Because freight is about logistics, and at its essence, people are self-loading freight.

It is important to consider what the delivery of this type of customer experience will mean for the train operator.

Technical elements and training, staff and staff roles,

and operational processes also have to come into play, as does the engineering of the system, including the IT solutions needed. For example, how does the IT that delivers passenger information integrate with the IT that controls the train and handles operational issues?

Ultimately, it is about delivering an intelligent infrastructure, and bringing together myriad engineering disciplines – mechanical, electronic, civil, and others.

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

Global view Last year, the Central Japan Railway Company introduced its N700 Advanced high-speed train, which included a form of automatic train operation allowing the network control system to manage the trains’ progress even more accurately through a journey than their legendary drivers.

Passengers may not notice the additional punctuality given the already high performance, but the prize is an extra train path every hour on an intensively used corridor, made possible by the reduction in allowance necessary for minor perturbations at key junctions.

A simpler form of this technology can be seen in the Driver Advisory Systems – non-safety critical supplements to conventional control that guide the speed of trains approaching key junctions so they arrive when signals are clear to proceed. Reducing stop-start driving not only improves punctuality and potential capacity at vital pinchpoints, it can pay for itself in reducing traction energy and brake wear, which is why the idea is being pursued so enthusiastically on heavy freight networks across North America.

In many smaller cities, the attractiveness of the rail network is compromised by the remoteness of the main

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Industry

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station from the city centre. A variety of different solutions are showing how this can be overcome.

In Auckland, New Zealand, the solution was to take advantage of urban redevelopment to extend the railway from its historic terminus, by cut and cover, into the edge of the central area with a new combined public transport facility at Britomart, using a former post office as the passenger concourse. At the same time, a suburban station was moved from a redundant location to underneath a main highway, creating an easy and costeffective interchange with the bus network, enabling the remapping of bus and rail, and promoting rail for heavy radial flows fed by the bus network.

Best railway in the world?

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

A further innovation can be found in Zwickau in Germany. Here, connectivity has been enhanced by extending the lightweight suburban train tracks into the central city square along a public transport road corridor.

Interestingly, while there has been much spoken of converting old railways to roads, it is now possible we will see the reverse.

In Perth, Western Australia, a whole new north-south suburban railway has been built – the Mandurah Line.

Apart from the tunnelled last mile, it has been carved out

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of the generous central reservation of a dual carriageway highway. Integrated bus and car interchanges have been set out at regular intervals to provide easy access from the sprawling suburbs.

When it comes to choosing the best railway in the world, the heavy haul railways of the Pilbara region of Western Australia lay claim to this title. They convey huge quantities of iron ore from inland mines to coastal ports.

The railway is considered as an integrated engineering system and every aspect of it is continuously improved within a total model that values infrastructure, rolling stock and control system together. The result is a totally reliable, profitable, just-in-time operation carrying 200Mt each year in some of the most inhospitable territory imaginable.

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

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

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

www.theiet.org/henry-royce

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Chris Burchell moves to Arriva Trains l Arriva, one of Europe’s leading passenger transport groups, has appointed Chris Burchell as managing director UK Trains.

In his new role, Chris will be responsible for the overall direction and development of Arriva’s six UK-based train operating companies; Arriva Trains Wales, Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry, Grand Central, Tyne and Wear Metro and joint venture, London Overground (LOROL).

Chris, who will also sit on Arriva’s Executive Committee, joins from Go-Ahead Group where he has worked as managing director for the Southern franchise since 2006. At Go-Ahead, Chris also served as operations director for Thames Trains from 2002 to 2004. Prior to GoAhead he worked for Railtrack and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office.

Chris is also chairman of the railway’s crossindustry National Task Force.”

NEWS I Appointments

Trio of appointments at AECOM l Three key appointments have been announced within the UK and Ireland rail practice at AECOM. In Manchester Simon Pimblett has joined the rail team from Parsons Brinckerhoff as permanent way design manager, bringing extensive experience in rail systems across the UK and in the Middle East.

David Hubbuck has been appointed as telecoms lead, bringing over 30 years of professional experience of multi-disciplinary telecom projects. David is based in Altrincham, Greater Manchester.

Gary Hicks completes the line up having joined AECOM’s Croydon office from Hyder Consulting (UK) Ltd as electrification lead, with experience in electrification systems for both new and extended heavy and light rail networks.

Dan Rodgers, head of rail, UK and Ireland, at AECOM commented: “As one of the fastest growing rail businesses in the UK, these appointments further strengthen our capability to provide end-to-end solutions for the UK’s major rail operators and vital infrastructure projects in the UK including HS2, Crossrail, Transport for London and Network Rail.”

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Géraud Boursin heads up new RATP Dev division l As part of a restructuring initiative, RATP Dev, a subsidiary of RATP Group, has divided the development division into two separate entities. The Strategy and Business Relations division is headed by the current development director Alain Polonsky. The Bids development division, which will produce bids for tenders in complex offers and support local teams when they develop bids in response to tenders, is headed by the newly appointed Géraud Boursin.

A graduate of the Ecole Polytechnique and Ecole des Ponts et Chaussées, Boursin has over 20 years’ experience in the public transport sector. He has spent 15 years in Veolia Transport Group and then Veolia Transdev, firstly as managing director of the Veolia Transport Sydney subsidiary, then progressing through various posts to become group digital services director in 2012. He has been an independent consultant since 2013.

Continuity for new DLR franchise l Kevin Thomas has been appointed managing director of KeolisAmey Docklands Limited (KAD) and will lead the new Docklands Light Railway (DLR) franchise which commences on 7 December 2014.

Kevin, who was managing director of Serco Docklands from January 2013, will provide continuity of leadership for the new franchise.

Before this, he was engineering director for 12 months, supporting the DLR to enhance performance levels for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

With over 16 years in the rail industry, Kevin has worked in Serco’s Transport Division for approximately 10 years holding various senior engineering and projects role, together with roles in customer experience and on various operating company boards. This has included periods as engineering director for Merseyrail and Manchester Metrolink, customer experience director and member of the OpCo Board for train operating companies such as Northern Rail.

Will Bentley joins HS2 from EC Harris

A new CEO for Colas Rail in the UK

l HS2 Ltd has appointed Will Bentley as programme controls director. Will joins from EC Harris where as head of programme controls he oversaw the project controls for successful delivery of the new Heathrow Terminal 2a project.

Recognised as a leading expert in the delivery of complex programmes, Will has 25 years’ experience in various industry sectors including high speed rail and metro.

He joins HS2 having played a key role in the success of the rail programme for the 2012 London Olympics, and later as an advisor to the Norwegian government on planning the delivery of Norway’s high speed rail link.

Commenting on the appointment, HS2 construction CEO Simon Kirby said: “Will has already played a significant part in some of the biggest infrastructure projects of recent times and he will now play a crucial role in ensuring HS2 is delivered on schedule and on budget.”

l Colas Rail, one of the world’s leading providers of rail infrastructure services, has appointed Richard Fostier as chief executive officer of Colas Rail in the UK. Fostier has been with Colas Rail since 2007, most recently as president and CEO of Colas Rail in Asia and business development director of Colas Rail Group. Before Colas Rail, Richard held a leading foreign trade role for the French government with particular emphasis on transportation infrastructure.

On joining Colas Rail in the UK, Fostier commented: “I am delighted to be joining Colas Rail in the UK as chief executive officer.

Colas Rail has enormous opportunities ahead of it, both in the UK and overseas. I look forward to working with Board colleagues and the talented and experienced teams across the business to help build on the outstanding work for clients upon which the company’s success is based.”

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InnoTrans preview

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Innovation

InnoTrans 2014 Since its launch in 1996, InnoTrans has established an enviable position as the world’s leading international trade fare for the rail industry. Executive director, Matthias Steckmann, talks to Railway Strategies about this year’s event

Matthias Steckmann, executive director, InnoTrans

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n 23 September, InnoTrans 2014 will be opening in Berlin and celebrating its 10th anniversary, offering a larger than ever portfolio of products, information and services.

“The secret of our success,” explained Matthias Steckmann, executive director of InnoTrans, “is that we offer a combination of trade fair, outdoor display, and a large supporting lecture and panel discussion programme – the InnoTrans Convention.”

In the space of just four days, the event will mobilise the highest concentration of supply and demand in the entire global railway market, providing excellent opportunities for

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“Above all, the trade fair has always been innovative,” Mr Steckmann said, “continually improving the facilities and services it offers to exhibitors and trade visitors.” Mobility, for example, has become one of the defining aspects of the twenty-first century, and the foundation upon which freedom and wealth, social progress and prospering economies are built. Major global developments, such as climate change, dwindling resources, urbanisation and demographic change are influencing the future of mobility, and present the transport industry with big challenges.

InnoTrans has responded to this need. “This year, the Future Mobility Park will be making its debut, providing a platform for presenting trendsetting, creative and visionary transportation concepts. For the first time ever, there will be a special gauge display on the completely bookedout outdoor display area, focusing on broad-gauge and narrow-gauge vehicles. In addition we are actively supporting careers and new talent – something which is of such importance for the industry – by introducing new guided tours for students.”

More than 2,700 companies from 51 countries will be displaying products and services to over 100,000 trade visitors. “What is particularly noticeable is that most trade visitors to InnoTrans have decision-making competence,” Mr Steckmann continued. “Two years ago, the ratio of decision-makers relative to the overall number of visitors was around 73 per cent. We are assuming that we shall be welcoming a high proportion of decision-makers again this year too.”

InnoTrans as a partner InnoTrans has evolved and grown consistently through its 20 year history, and this growth trajectory reflects the close relationship it has built with those in the industry.

It is a testament to the organisation’s ability to listen to and communicate closely with the organisations and individuals who are dealing with the challenges of a rapidly changing operational, technical and business environment.

“The wishes, suggestions and needs of our exhibitors and trade visitors have absolute top priority,” Steckmann said. “We maintain close personal contacts to exhibiting companies, before, during and after the trade fair, pick up important tips and advice and are happy to implement suggestions and proposals. We also enjoy a lively permanent exchange with major industry and trade associations and their members. As a result, the trade fair remains in close touch with current trends in the industry.”

This partnership with trade associations and industry bodies includes discussing the concepts, performance and content of the event, and other questions relating to it. “In addition to this, independent surveys and open feedback provide us with important and useful information relating to our exhibitors and visitors.”

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For the visitor l As the leading international trade fair for transportation technology, InnoTrans gives companies an ideal opportunity to position themselves on the market, introduce new products and to gain a foothold in new markets.

For the visitor, it is a chance to network, examine and compare new products, and explore all that is new in the industry. And getting there couldn’t be easier, there are taxi ranks at each entrance and shuttle lines that operate between Messe Berlin and the city’s two airports, Tegel and Schönefeld.

This year’s event is again organised into three pillars: the exhibition, the outdoor display, and the convention.

Exhibition

The exhibition is truly an international event, spreading over all 40 halls of this enormous venue. In addition to global players such as Alstom, Bombardier and Siemens, the halls will be packed with suppliers and rail companies from around the world, including more than 200 who will be exhibiting for the first time. There will also be 34 industrial associations from 19 countries.

Indonesia will be represented for the first time, by PT. Len Railway Systems. Meanwhile exhibitors from Taiwan, Brazil and India will be occupying considerably larger display areas. Japan will again be taking up a hall of its own, and for the first time the German federal State of Saxony has also booked an entire hall. China will feature prominently on a combined stand organised by the China Academy of Railway Sciences (CARS). According to Wei Liu, the director of CARS: “Around 20 of China’s leading suppliers will be taking part and are interested in doing successful business with the international rail industry.

The main topics on the stand will be energy efficiency and protecting the environment.”

The exhibition is organised into five dedicated sections. l Railway technology This broad focus area covers railway technology and encompasses everything from rail bound vehicles, subassemblies and components to services for vehicles. So it will include driving gears, energy/electrical engineering, couplings, brakes and so on.

l Interiors Within the interiors section will be found everything from finishings, lighting and glazing through to air conditioning systems, security, and travel catering and comfort services. l Railway infrastructure The railway infrastructure area will display products and services for everything concerned with infrastructure. This includes construction work, signaling and control systems, planning and monitoring of construction works, overhead line equipment and a whole range of other services. l Tunnel construction Everything for tunnel construction can be found in this section, including construction machinery, parts and components, safety features, finishings, communication, maintenance, consulting and more. l Public transport Finally, the public transport section features communication and information technologies, traffic management and data processing, passenger fare management, passenger information systems, fixed structures, services and consulting, and more.

Outdoor display

A major attraction and unique selling point of InnoTrans is the outdoor rail track display area, showcasing rail transport technology. Occupying 3,500 metres of rail track, this is where trade visitors can take a closer look at more than 100 innovations in rolling stock. These include high-speed trains, locomotives, wagons and road-rail vehicles as well as entire systems for local, regional and mainline railway networks.

For the first time the fully booked outdoor display site will feature an additional special gauge display, where the focus is on wide and narrow-gauge rolling stock.

Bringing rolling stock to the exhibition is a concept that dates back to the fair’s inception in 1996, when exhibits were displayed at the goods station in Wilmersdorf, eight kilometres away from the grounds. Messe Berlin then invested in its own rail track, so when the second InnoTrans opened in 1998 a railway loop stood ready to accommodate the rolling stock on the exhibition grounds.

Since then, the site has grown to the size it occupies today.

Chong Qing Chaotianmen Bridge, China

InnoTrans 23 - 26 September 2014 9:00 am - 6:00 pm Location Messe Berlin GmbH Messedamm 22 14055 Berlin

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The convention l The convention has become established as an international meeting place for top decision makers from business, political and transportation communities, and features high-profile panel discussions and expert talks on current and future mobility issues. l Dialog Forum A mainstay of the conventions is the Dialog Forum, organised by VDV (Association of German Transport Companies), DVF (German Transport Forum), UNIFE (Sssociation of the European Rail Industry) and VDB (German Railway Industry Association).

l The rail leaders’ summit This offers transport ministers and chief executives from international transport companies the opportunity to exchange ideas. The summit is organised by Deutsche Bahn AG and the German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure in cooperation with Messe Berlin GmbH. l The international tunnel forum This forum accompanies the InnoTrans tunnel construction segment and includes a series of informative, international panel discussions. It is organised by STUVA (Research Association for Underground Transportation Facilities). l The public transport forum This focuses on the development of public transport systems – and is interested in your opinion. organised by PBV (Planungsbüro für Verkehr), ETC Transport Consultants GmbH and DVWG (German Association of Transport Sciences). l The PTI hall forum (public transport & interiors hall forum) combines two InnoTrans segments into a single program. While the international design forum focuses on the design-relevant aspects of public transport, the DB Suppliers’ Forum creates a direct dialogue between corporate purchasers of Deutsche Bahn AG, its suppliers and industry experts. l The InnoTrans majlis Named after the traditional form of gathering in the Middle East, the Majlis is where top representatives from the international business, political communities and industrial associations meet with dignitaries from the Gulf Arab States.

Convention Programme:

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Rail Leaders’ Summit 23 Sept 15:00-17:00

Hall 7.3 – Berlin Room Railways in a connected world

Dialog Forum 24 Sept 10:00-12:00 14:00-16:00 25 Sept 10:00 – 12:00 14:00-16:00 26 Sept 10:00-12:00

Palais am Funkturm Authorisation of rail vehicles Reduction of railway noise Services for modern rolling stock What is the value of public transport?

ERTMS – Quo Vadis?

Public Transport Forum 25 Sept 10:00-12:30

CityCube Berlin – Level 3 Real-time data in public transport

International Tunnel Forum 24 Sept 14:00-16:00 25 Sept 14:00-16:00

Hall 7.3 – Berlin Room Maintenance and refurbishment Are new tunnels still financially viable?

PTI Hall Forum 24 Sept 10:30-16:30 25 Sept 10:00-16:00

Hall 6.1 International design forum DB Suppliers’ Forum

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz Exhibitor Focus Wabtec Corporation Hall 1.2 Stand 103 l Wabtec Corporation is a fast growing

global provider of value-added, technologybased products and aftermarket services that incorporates such well known names as Becorit, Mors Smitt, CoFren, LH Group, Poli, MZT, Brush Traction, MotivePower, Vapor Europe, Bach Simpson and Young Touchstone. With facilities around the world it manufactures products for locomotives, freight cars, passenger transit vehicles and track side/signalling applications, new switcher and commuter locomotives.

InnoTrans highlights: these include a weight saving integrated bogie brake and friction parts; door systems with optimised weight saving and sound/thermal insulation; rooftop and third rail energy measuring (for billing) and current collecting; on board and track side electrical control and signalling solutions; new built and retrofit locomotives; engine, transmission, cooler and power group overhaul. www.wabtec.com

Consolis Rail

Hall 22 Stand 305

l A pioneer in rail infrastructure and leader

in the design and manufacture of precast concrete sleepers and bearers, Consolis Rail’s extensive product portfolio includes mono and twin block sleepers, slab track systems and bearers as well as other products and systems.

The group operates 21 production sites in 15 countries, manufactures more than 3.5 million concrete sleepers each year, and holds one of the strongest track records in the industry for constant innovation in precast solutions.

InnoTrans highlights: Consolis will be showcasing a range of innovative rail technologies this year. The one to watch out for is the latest innovation – the Smart Sleeper® and High Attentuation System (HAS). www.consolis.com

Silver Fox Ltd

Hall 7.1A Stand 215

l Silver Fox is a leading UK manufacturer of

labelling solutions. Each of the products on display this year has been manufactured from the very best materials to ensure maximum durability. To back this up Silver Fox have independently tested their labels, meeting tough, stringent standards despite the most demanding of operating conditions. All labels on

show are printed with the Silver Fox® Fox-in-aBox® Cable Labelling System.

InnoTrans highlights: Silver Fox will be highlighting three innovative products, the Fox-Flo® low smoke zero halogen tie-on cable labels; Legend™ LHZ2 low-smoke zero-halogen heatshrink and LNST non-shrink tubing. www.silverfox.co.uk

Mechan (in the British Pavilion) Hall 2.2 Stand 206K l Sheffield-based depot maintenance

equipment specialist Mechan will be exhibiting in the British Pavilion this year, demonstrating the latest developments in lifting and handling products. Mechan jacks are suitable for all types of vehicle, including longer high speed trains and heavy on track plant. The firm also offers a wide range of under floor lifting systems, bogie handling and storage, bogie presses and bogie/ wheelset drops.

InnoTrans highlights: a working version of the patented Megalink controller will be on display, demonstrating the flexibility and synchronicity it brings to its lifting jacks. The system is the most technically advanced in its field and allows one operator to set up, raise and lower an almost unlimited number of units simultaneously. The largest system produced to date is a 44-jack chain, which is used to service 11-car Pendolino trains on the West Coast Mainline. www.mechan.co.uk

TE Connectivity

Hall 10.1 Stand 222

l TE, a world leader in connectivity, currently

offers the broadest portfolio of solutions to address the needs of train companies, engineers and passengers. At InnoTrans, the company will be highlighting its latest application-focused solutions for the railway industry. The company strengthened its commitment to the rail industry with the acquisition of DEUTSCH in 2012, and is set to partner with a leading global designer of sensors and sensor-based systems.

InnoTrans highlights: A highlight this year is a preview of TE’s innovative new contactless connectivity solution, a revolution in smart connectivity. Other new products on display include the FXP Traction Connector and the RSTI 68 Roofline. www.te.com

LEM

Hall 11.1 Stand 310

l LEM is the market leader in innovative

and high quality solutions for measuring

electrical parameters across a broad range of applications, and operates from production centres in Geneva and Beijing. Its products are used for on-board energy measurement, propulsion and auxiliary inverter control, track asset monitoring and improving maintenance infrastructures.

InnoTrans highlights: A range of products will be on display, including the EM4TII Energy Meter which utilises LEM’s class 0.5R ITC current and DV voltage transducers. This is the only suite of components able to offer an on-board energy metering function for both DC and AC rail networks fully compatible with EN50463. www.lem.com

Norgren

Hall 10.2 Stand 203

l Norgren, an international market leader

in pneumatic motion and fluid control technologies, works closely with the rail sector providing an extensive range of proven solutions such as pressure sensing valves, pantograph control valves, manifolds, actuators, fittings and tubing, as well as the recently launched Adsorbent Media Tube (AMT) driers which maximise water removal from compressed air systems.

InnoTrans highlights: Making its debut at Innotrans is a new range of compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) control solutions capable of withstanding operating pressures of up to 1,000 bar and operating effectively at temperatures between -250°C and 150°C. www.norgren.com

Voith

Hall 1.2 Stand 220

l Voith will be presenting the latest

developments in innovative, reliable drive components, couplers and service concepts.

Themed around ‘Connecting Forces – Driving Innovation’ the stand will also feature lightweight solutions, including an energy absorber and the Voith front nose of the new ICx high speed train which will gradually replace the current Intercity/Eurocity trains and then ICE1 and ICE2 vehicles.

InnoTrans highlights: Voith SA3 coupler which delivers a new standard in safety with energy absorption and automatic coupling facilities. Lightweight components, including the new GFRP energy absorber and the established Galea rail vehicle head.

Comprehensive service concepts and systems engineering Voith RailPack. www.voith.com

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Tenmat

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Enviable reputation Tenmat Railko is a leading reinforced composite manufacturer for the rail industry

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elebrating 100 years of engineering excellence, Tenmat specialises in the design of composite materials, manufactured to suit demanding and bespoke applications. ‘Railko’ a brand name of Tenmat has been supplying high quality railway products to the industry for many years.

Working with clients such as SNCF, Deutsche Bahn, Rolls Royce and Alstom, the company’s reputation is enviable, being approached by major players seeking to address issues ranging from high bearing wear, to redesigning new specialised bearings for industries such as railways, marine, aerospace, automotive and many other high demanding sectors. Tenmat’s rail products including UIC approved Railko NF21 centre pivot liners, Railko NF21 side bearer liners, brake bushes, friction damper bushes and other reinforced bearing material.

“Tenmat design our composite parts to provide the end user with a longer life product so they are able to keep their trains, planes, ships etc in service longer,” says Adam Fletcher, railway business manager. Tenmat is broken

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down into separate operational divisions, bearings/ wear parts, high temperature materials and passive fire protection. “As a whole business we have been enjoying year-on-year growth and with rail as one of our main industries we have had a successful year, working with companies such as SNCF, Deutsche Bahn, Trenitalia and many other major railway authorities. Tenmat Railko products are specified for freight, passenger and locomotive wagons and this has led to our heavy involvement with all the major train manufacturers, where such a standard is the norm. Tenmat Railko product range is designed for high demanding, niche applications,” he continues.

Tenmat bases its strategy around the quality of the material it uses and although there are several thermoplastic manufacturers, there are very few high performance reinforced thermoset manufacturers.

Tenmats thermoset material is a reinforced fibre mixed with resin and modifiers that gives it strength, heat resistance, water resistance and self-lubricating properties proving successful in demanding applications.

“In 2012 we received the Queens Award for Innovation, and further developed new materials that have been used in many other testing applications. We also received the Queens Award in 2013 for outstanding achievement in international trade for new innovative material,” points out Adam. The demand for the company’s products reaches

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SBL CPL on bogie

far beyond the home territory with 80 per cent exported to clients from all over the world. “One of the most popular products that we supply is aligned to the freight industry with specified wear parts that are used in the ‘Y series’ bogie’. Railko NF21 centre pivot and side bearer liners allow the wagon to manoeuvre around curves in the track. Tenmat have a large product range that is specified for other rail applications including brake linkage bushes, suspension bushes, secondary suspensions, corridor end face plates, hook guide plates, gangway tread plates, axial bushes and friction damper bushes,” he adds.

“We offer a solution with high quality thermoset material, presented with full railway authority and UIC approval. It is a process that has proven to work and led to many successful projects.” In August 2014 the business was awarded an order for the manufacture and supply of thermoset components for the Virgin class 390 Pendolino train fleet, maintained by Alstom, its original manufacturer. The Pendolino type trains are operational all over Europe and as such the opportunities for the business and its components are far reaching, particularly as the Tenmat’s components are fundamental to the operation of the tilting system.

Forecasted growth within the rail industry is looking strong over the next few years, particularly within new build construction. Bogie manufacturers in Eastern Europe are instigating continued manufacturing, and development of the Y series bogie in China and Russia is also ongoing. “In terms of the general market, rail is becoming strong again having gone through a challenging period from 2008. We have seen some growth already and although new build has been relatively

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TENMAT

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Y25 CPL + SBL

slow until now, the demand for maintenance remains high. Transportation by road is seen as a non-green way of operating, which has led to increased demand on the rail, and as mileage increases as does the demand for our products,” explains Adam.

In preparation for the coming years, the business Bush in bogie

holds regular events aimed at attracting graduates into the business in line with its heavy focus on developing higher quality products that give the end user longevity of equipment. “There is a big shift in lowering the noise levels of wagons by replacing steel applications with composite alternatives that not only have longevity but significantly reduce the weight and ease of installation, and our strategy works towards achieving these industry goals,” concludes Adam.

Julian Greenhalgh, business unit manager concluded: “Tenmat Railko have always been recognised as the market leader offering high quality products and providing significant differentiation in terms of product quality and enhanced benefits. Inevitably this has attracted a variety of competitors offering sub-standard alternatives, which has had an effect of bringing down prices. However in the past 18 months we have seen a significant number of customers who were using lower priced/quality alternatives coming back to use Tenmat Railko products. Several accidents that have questioned the safety of lower priced alternatives are believed to have caused this shift. Today we are recovering many customers who now want to put safety first and appreciated the benefits of Tenmat Railko products.

“This is good news and allows more investment to be put into the products to keep the product range right at the top of the list in terms of quality, safety and value for money!” zz

www.tenmat.com

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CENTRO

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Curzon Street

Innovative thinking With the prospect of HS2 drawing ever closer and a host of works already underway, Centro is working to deliver improvements to the West Midlands’ transport network

O Geoff Inskip

perating as the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive, Centro is tasked with facilitating the promotion and development of public transport across the region. Through its efforts the organisation aims to deliver world-class transport solutions to the West Midlands and distinguish itself as a leading service provider.

The organisation was last featured in Railway Strategies during October 2013, when Centro Chief Executive, Geoff Inskip, discussed its on-going investment into the Midland Metro tram route between Wolverhampton and Birmingham city centre. Today the project is going well, with the first of the new tram units recently going into public service, as Geoff elaborates: “We got the first four trams into service during September 2014 and the larger fleet is on its way in. We are currently running a mixed fleet with some of the older trams in with the newer ones but by the New Year all the old vehicles will have been taken out of service and replaced by the new models.”

The first new trams to go into operation are part of an overall fleet of 21 Urbos 3 vehicles. Valued at £40 million, the new fleet was built by Spanish manufacturer CAF and

each tram is individually a third larger than the 16-strong fleet of existing models allowing an increase of passengers from 156 to 210 per vehicle. Since going into service, the trams have been greatly successful and generated significant positive feedback, as Geoff observes: “We hear a lot of comments saying that the trams are ‘fabulous and fantastic’, so I think they have a real ‘wow factor’ for the Black Country and Birmingham.”

Alongside the success in increasing capacity between Wolverhampton and Birmingham city centre, Centro is also busy developing several other projects. Said Geoff: “From the point of view of the Midland Metro we have reached a very exciting phase. We now have the funding to link New Street with the new HS2 station at Curzon Street, and moving on from Curzon Street, we’ve got a commitment from the government in the next phase of the Local Growth Fund to get to Adderley Street, in Digbeth.

So altogether we are looking at something like another £180 million of funding coming in.

“Certainly there is big momentum behind the Metro and now, as far as Birmingham and Solihull are concerned, we are looking to press ahead with Metro from the

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CENTRO

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New-Canal-Street

HS2 station in the city centre out to the airport. This is a significant extension and we will be carrying out some feasibility studies on this in the near future.”

He continued: “I should also add that on the other end of the line at in Wolverhampton, we are building the interchange project there in two stages. The first was to build the bus station and the second stage is to rebuild the railway station along with extending the existing Metro route to it. We are currently talking to DfT, Network Rail and the rail operators about that and hopefully within the next 12 months we should secure a funding package for a massive improvement at the Wolverhampton end as well. So that

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would provide a Metro link from Wolverhampton Station at the interchange to New Street and Curzon Street in the long term, which means we have good access for people in Birmingham and the Black Country to HS2.

“I think it is important to make sure that public transport is properly integrated with HS2 at both the airport and Curzon Street. If you look at the Birmingham Curzon Masterplan there are some amazing visuals that illustrate what the Metro will look like underneath the HS2 station.

I think all of the joint work we are doing there with HS2 is going to pay dividends.”

While rail is a major part of its business, it must be remembered that Centro also deals with buses, the Metro and network infrastructure such as park and ride facilities, bus stations, stops and shelters. The organisation is keen to offer innovative services in all areas, and to this end in July 2014 Centro and Birmingham City Council launched a public consultation into the Midlands’ first bus-based rapid transit system, called Sprint. This will feature vehicles that look and operate like a tram but without tracks or overhead cables.

Geoff elaborates on the system: “We call Sprint Metro’s ‘little sister’, because we feel that it’s almost a pre-Metro arrangement. We are looking to put it into places where we think that, longer term; we can develop a Metro network. At this stage money is not always available in the amounts that we need it and therefore we are looking at something more innovative. Sprint will provide a rapid journey and an alternative that gets people out of their cars and onto public transport.”

Innovative thinking and a willingness to adapt and change for modern requirements are present in many of Centro’s projects, and as Geoff noted, this has resulted in

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world-class results – not only in performance but in other areas too: “We’ve got a very good delivery record; I think we’ve shown that time and again, and we are recognised for creating world-class facilities. The new city centre architecture we have installed in terms of stops and the Interconnect way-finding project has received accolades not just from TfL but also visitors from Berlin and other European cities acknowledging its excellence. I think this is because we are very good at delivery and are always looking to deliver that little bit more in our projects.”

He concluded with some thoughts on the future: “I think we are now in a position where funding is tied up for the next three to four years, through the Local Growth Fund. This is good but we now need to start working on the next phases, such as further extending the Metro, developing the classic rail network and not forgetting other parts such as the highways network. Although it’s in the early stages, by the end of this year and by the beginning of next year, we will be looking to present the public with a new transport blueprint for the region.” zz

www.centro.org.uk Shoosmiths Members of Shoosmiths’ national transport and infrastructure group are proud to have advised Centro on the procurement of the new tram fleet, infrastructure projects with options to extend rights for future Metro development and are currently advising on the Wolverhampton scheme and other Metro new routes work.

The Shoosmiths team works with Centro, as with their other light and heavy rail clients – understanding the client’s point of view, identifying with their commercial objectives, and providing onpoint advice – without the legal jargon!

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DATUM

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Gas wagon

Having gained recognition in the rail industry for its unique composite solutions, Datum looks to generate further interest with its groundbreaking PRM compliant toilet capsule Turbostar Cab Fronts for Bombardier

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A complete solution

ounded in 1997, Datum has roots firmly in pattern making and foundry work and boasts a distinguished history in manufacturing patterns & tools for foundries. Taking advantage of the transferable skills it developed in pattern and tool making, the company expanded into three premises and established its Composite Products arm in 2002. Since then, Datum’s reputation for supplying fire resistant GRP/ Composite products and turnkey solutions to the railway industry has witnessed impressive growth.

“Datum provides an end-to-end service to clients; from CAD data right through to the finished GRPh product. We can manufacture any item required for a train in-house; that could be anything from a train front, to a PIS display, to a toilet module,” explains managing director David Taylor.

Since previously being featured in Railway Strategies in December 2013, Datum has focused on its strategic partnership between Birley Manufacturing and APA Design Ltd. Set up to strengthen Datum’s supplier scope, the partnership enables all companies involved to identify key target markets such as PRM compliance and in particular the UAT module. With all rolling stock under orders to enable access for ‘people of reduced mobility’ by 2020, the company is keen to provide customers with a brand new PRM Universal Access Toilet module giving faster installation times that will ensure trains return to service quicker.

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The brand new PRM compliant toilet module; developed with the aftersales market and new-build rolling stock market in mind, is unique to the market and is anticipated to generate major interest in the coming months. “We have invested a huge amount of time and energy into this partnership and have come up with a design for a brand new toilet module; as a build-to-print supplier this is a massive departure from our typical operations, but we have been pivotal in the innovative and unique design of this toilet. This partnership has enabled us to get involved in the actual fundamental design of a product, while using our experience in the industry to find enhanced solutions to existing issues,” highlights David.

Discussing the features of the toilet, David continues: “What makes this module different is that it is two piece toilet with a split across the middle, whereas our competitors have separate panels all split vertically.

Because our toilet has only two pieces the installation times are halved and the long-term life-time costs for maintenance are reduced; more importantly, the unit has a single joint, which reduces the risk of any liquid ingress escaping from the toilet into the trains sub frames and causing corrosion issues. This is one of the key pivotal design benefits of this module because a lot of toilets manufactured in the past will leak over time and cause rot to the sub frame of the train underneath. This leads to major overhaul work of the train in the future.

“Our toilet not only eliminates that risk through long-

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since the early days and today Datum prides itself on its state-of-the-art CAD/CAM facility, which includes Pro-E Cad Modeller for solid modelling in addition to five CNC machines with a maximum machining envelope of two metres (X Axis) x one metre (Y Axis) x one metre (X Axis).

Furthermore, in 2012 the company introduced a new Johnford CNC machine to give greater capacity in the Y Axis for high-speed machining, and it has also added a CAD software seat in Pro-e/Creo & NX and Unigraphics.

Alongside its superior facilities, David notes other qualities that have led to Datum’s success: “What brings these blue-chip companies back to Datum is the good quality technical support we offer, as well as the turnkey solutions from CAD design to finished production parts that are ready for use. Whether this is a oneoff product or 1000 off, we can provide a unique and exceptional service.”

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term corrosion protection, but also provides a potential 50 per cent reduction for installation times. Moreover, the distinctive lack of joints in the module gives a smooth, ‘easy-on-the-eye’ appearance. The toilet will be shown for the first time at Innotrans 2014 in Berlin and is already generating a lot of attention from the ROSCOs and TOCS.” Alongside the unveiling of the toilet module in September, Datum will also be focused on providing solutions to a growing list of blue-chip railway firms.

Indeed, in 2014 alone the company is working with Bombardier for the Southern Contract and has maintained ongoing contracts with Alstom, D B Schenker and Wabtec. “Bombardier is one of our major clients and we are keen to continue this positive relationship and I`m hoping we can work together on the future Crossrail project. Over the past year we have also worked with Alstom on the Juniper Refresh project and have major companies within our customer base,” says David.

All patterns and tooling for contracts are manufactured in-house by Datum using the latest CAD/ CAM technologies, which ensures the manufactured product precisely meets customer expectations. CAD/ CAM has been a part of the company’s operations

www.railwaystrategies.co.uk

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zz NEWS I Conferences & Exhibitions zzzzzzzzzzz Forthcoming Conferences and Exhibitions This listing represents a selection of the events about which we have been notified. It is strongly recommended that direct contact should be made with the individual organiser responsible for each event before booking places or making travel and accommodation reservations. Cancellations and other last-minute alterations are liable to occur. The editor and publishers of RAILWAY STRATEGIES are not responsible for any loss or inconvenience suffered by readers in connection with this guide to events.

Event Postponed To Spring 2015, date to be confirmed Future Transit Systems Summit MIRA Technology Park, Nuneaton Organiser: Future Transit Systems Tel: 01327 304 050 Email: claire@futuretransitsystems.co.uk Web: www.futuretransitsystems.co.uk 9 October Interoperability in Practice Brussels Organiser: Hit Rail Email: info@hitrail.com Web: www.hitrail.com 15 October RVE (Rail Vehicle Enhancements) 2014 IPRO Stadium, Pride Park, Derby Organiser: Onyx Rail Web: www.rve2014.co.uk 6 November Supply Chain Forum (Rail Sector) Building Centre, London Organiser: Rail Champions UK Email: victoria@rail-champions.com Web: www.supplychainforum2014 eventbrite.co.uk 11-13 November Intermodal Europe 2014 Rotterdam Ahoy Organiser: Informa Exhibitions Tel: 02075 519 611 Web: www.intermodal-events.com

12-13 November Rail Ticketing Europe, Brussels Organiser: Terrapinn Email: philip.kwok@terrapinn.com Web: www.terrapinn.com/conference/ railticketing 18 November Managing Difficult People Wadenhoe House, Peterborough Organiser: Health Courses & Careers Update Tel: 02084 343 648 Email: info@healthcourses.co.uk Web: www.healthcourses.co.uk/html/ Managing_Difficult_People 27-28 November 2014 Annual Polis Conference Madrid Organiser: Polis Email: polispolisnetwork.eu Web: www.polisnetwork.eu 3-5 February 2015 Three Day Rail Conferences Frankfurt, Germany Call for papers on the themes of asset management, lifecycle management and maintenance. Deadline 10 October.

Organiser: Europoint Rail Technology Conferences & Exhibitions Tel: +31 (0)30 6981800 Email: iputman@europoint.eu Web: railconferences.eu/Conference/ page/10585/

9-11 March 2015 Metrorail Europe 2015 Olympia, London Organiser: Terrapinn Tel: 0207 092 1125 Email: philip.kwok@terrapinn.com Web: www.terrapinn.com/conference/ metrorail 17-18 March 2015 Middle East Rail Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre Organiser: Terrapinn Tel: +971 4440 2500 Email: enquiry.me@terrapinn.com Web: www.terrapinn.com/exhibition/ middle-east-rail 17-19 March 2015 Rail-Tech 2015 Utrecht Organiser: Europoint Conferences & Exhibitions Tel: +31 (0)30 698 1800 Email: info@rail-tech.com Web: www.rail-tech.com 24-26 March 2015 Intermodal Asia 2015 Shanghai World Expo Centre Organiser: Informa Exhibitions Tel: 02075 519 309 Web: www.intermodal-asia.com/

Institute of Mechanical Engineers Training Courses Technical training for the railway industry A listing of courses currently available from the IMechE (Unless stated otherwise, all courses are in London) 21st October Introduction to rolling stock Key design principles affecting the performance of railway systems

29th October Train control and safety systems Learn of the systems used on UK fleets that provide safety and train operational control

6th November Vehicle acceptance and approvals Introduction to acceptance procedures which apply across the rail network

22nd October Traction and braking Principles of traction and braking for railway engineers

30th October Vehicle dynamics and vehicle track interaction Understand the dynamics of railway vehicles to improve safety, comfort and asset life

A downloadable brochure is available at:

23rd October Optimising fleet maintenance efficiency Understand the issues affecting rail vehicle performance and cost of maintenance 28th October Train communication and auxiliary systems New and existing systems in use on today’s rolling stock fleet

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4th November Train structural integrity Structural integrity, fire and crashworthiness systems found on today’s rail fleets 5th November Fleet maintenance Improve your processes and fleet maintenance

www.imeche.org/docs/default-source/learningand-professional-development-documents/l_ d_railway_training_web.pdf?sfvrsn=2 For more information, please contact Lucy O’Sullivan, learning and development co-ordinator: Tel: +44 (0)20 7304 6907 Email: training@imeche.org Web: www.imeche.org/learning/courses/railway

RAILWAY FOR SENIOR RAIL MANAGEMENT

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