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HS2: 16-PAGE SPECIAL REPORT INSIDE

HS2

ISSUE 1

BUILDING BRI TAIN’S NEW RAILWAY A

SPECIAL SUPPLEM ENT

TUNNELLIN THE CHILT G IN ERNS

■ Behind the scenes at South Portal site ■ TBMs start boring 10-mil e tunnels

WILLIAMS-SHAPPS PLAN What does it mean for rolling stock?

MEET THE CEO

CALVERT CROSSING West Rail’s

HS2 and East

NEWS, VIEWS & ANALYSIS ON TODAY'S RAILWAY

intersection

HS2 BOSS MARK THU RSTO INTRODUCES N NEW SERIES OUR

HS2 HISTOR Y

THE STORY OF BRITAIN’S NEW RAILWAY

www.keymodernrailways.com

LNER’S NEW TIMETABLE  Cleethorpes and Middlesbrough direct  Anglo-Scottish acceleration  May 2022 plans analysed

AUGUST 2021 £5.49

 CAF-built

‘197’ on test  First route confirmed

9 770026 835313

LONDON – GLASGOWLessons RECORD NEW DMU from West MISSED BY SECONDS Coast speed run FOR WALES

 SUB-SURFACE RESIGNALLING PROGRESS  EMR’S COMFY NEW SEATS

I’m passionate about my job and want to inspire more young people to join the rail industry. Charlotte Mortimer Engineering Apprentice

At Angel Trains, we are committed to improving diversity in the UK rail industry by nurturing new talent and positioning rail as an attractive career choice for young people.

www.angeltrains.co.uk

Welcome

Keeping Cornwall on the move I

n mid-June I enjoyed a short break in Cornwall – those of you familiar with our monthly video previews of each issue of the magazine (available at www. keymodernrailways.com) may have seen my recording from Coombe Junction on the Looe Valley line. By kind of invitation of Craig Munday, a Mobile Operations Manager for Network Rail and one of our regular contributing photographers, I had the opportunity to visit two of the traditional signal boxes which still persist west of the Tamar. On a balmy Sunday evening I left my B&B in Liskeard (complete with view from my room looking out onto Moorswater viaduct) and headed west to Par. There are five MOMs covering the railway west from Totnes; Craig is one of three based in Cornwall from a small office at St Blazey on the Newquay branch, with the other two based in Plymouth. The role of a MOM is a varied one. Craig and his colleagues are the first point of contact in case of an infrastructurerelated incident on the railway, but when services are running well (as on this occasion) their role is generally to keep things ticking over. While notionally all five MOMs cover the whole area, there is an informal arrangement that the Cornish-based trio concentrate on the western end of the patch, minimising mileage covered in the name of efficiency. Craig also covers shifts in the signal boxes from time to time.

There has been a progressive approach to signalling enhancements in Cornwall in recent years; a scheme contracted to Atkins in 2018 involved breaking up block sections to enable the more frequent half-hourly service on the Cornish main line introduced in December 2019. Now the next stage in Cornish resignalling is imminent: Network Rail has awarded a contract to Siemens Mobility for a programme which will complete in November 2023. This will reduce the number of signal boxes in the Duchy from the current nine to six: Lostwithiel, Par and Truro will close, with control transferring to Exeter. Craig and I travelled first to St Blazey to see the last train off the Newquay branch, including the handover of the token for the single line section from Goonbarrow. The box here dates from 1908; it is interesting to note that apart from Goonbarrow all the boxes in Cornwall are staffed 24 hours a day, which makes planning of engineering possessions much easier. The yard at St Blazey is still well used, if a shadow of what it was in the past. Resident signaller Chris Gough, on duty at St Blazey during my visit, has recently transferred from one of the boxes on the main line which is set to close, so has secured his post for the medium-term. Chris’s 12-hour shift began at 18.30, meaning he would be on duty until just after the passing of the first Down working along the branch from Par the next morning; improvements to the Newquay line timetable in December 2020

have provided a much earlier start than hitherto, when the first train didn’t leave Par until after 09.00. Back at Par, on duty was Andy Greening, usually based at the (relatively!) more modern panel at Plymouth. Par box dates from 1879 and sits proudly at the country end of the Up platform, affording an excellent view of passing trains. The half-hourly timetable is a welcome improvement for passengers, of course, and makes planning days out by train for visitors such as me much easier. But it has significantly intensified the workload for signallers – as an example, overseeing the passage of an Up train through Par, from the point it is accepted from Truro box to being signalled out of section to Lostwithiel, involves seven steps, all of which now happens twice an hour – and that’s just in one direction, of course. Signallers at Lostwithiel and Truro have the additional challenge of overseeing the adjacent level crossings too, with associated additional downtime. The good news for traditionalists is that the forthcoming programme will not herald the end of semaphores in Cornwall, as these will remain around Liskeard and St Erth and on the Newquay branch. Indeed, Liskeard signallers will from late 2023 be in the slightly bizarre situation of interfacing with Plymouth to the east and Exeter to the west! Change may be on the way for the Newquay branch if Cornwall Council’s Mid-Cornwall Metro ambitions come to fruition, with a proposed new loop, second platform at Newquay

and intensification of service. While progress is to be welcomed, one sad loss as the boxes close is the community element – Craig and his colleagues know all the GWR crew by name, and drivers and guards often stop for a chat. If the pandemic has done nothing else, it has reminded us of the importance of human interaction. After watching the ‘Night Riviera’ speed through en-route to London (oddly, the sleeper doesn’t call at Par on a Sunday night), I said farewell to Craig and Andy and joined the Class 802 running shortly behind it. I understand accessibility regulations mean the sleeper no longer accommodates local journeys, despite the refurbished seated carriage having been reconfigured to a 2+2 layout to cater for the busy morning train down through Cornwall. From a walk through the ‘802’, I appeared to be the only passenger on board as I headed back to Liskeard – which does make you wonder about the logic of this duplicate service for a railway under pressure to keep costs down! My thanks to Craig for his hospitality – and I would thoroughly recommend his two photo books on Cornish Railways, which capture perfectly the essence of the main line and branches west of Saltash – available to purchase from the Key Publishing shop. Philip Sherratt Editor

Historic box: on 15 April 2019 a short rake of wagons for the Treviscoe branch train from St Blazey allowed a run round in the up platform at Par, adjacent to the signal box, rather than heading to Lostwithiel to do so; this is No 66126 facing south with working 6P07 after setting back from the branch. Craig Munday

www.keymodernrailways.com

August 2021 Modern Railways

Contents

PAGE 51 A NEW TIMETABLE FOR THE EAST COAST

ON THE COVER FEATURES HS2: 16-PAGE SPECIAL REPORT INSIDE 51 58 64 LNER’S NEW TIMETABLE 68 HS2 BUILDING BRITAIN’S A

A new timetable for the East Coast An explanation of how LNER’s May 2022 timetable has been developed

ISSUE 1

NEW RAILWAY

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT

TUNNELLING THE CHILTERN S

■ Behind the scenes at South Portal site ■ TBMs start boring 10-mile tunnels

WILLIAMS-SHAPPS PLAN What does it mean for rolling stock?

MEET THE

CALVERT CROSSING West Rail’s

HS2 and East

NEWS, VIEWS & ANALYSIS ON TODAY'S RAILWAY

intersection

CEO

HS2 BOSS MARK THURSTON INTRODUCES NEW SERIES OUR

ECML recast highlights timetable challenges Is a new approach needed when devising future timetables?

HS2 HISTORY

THE STORY OF BRITAIN’S NEW RAILWAY

4LM beats its Covid challenges How LUL’s sub-surface lines resignalling is progressing

www.keymodernrailways.com

Vital lessons for micro-concessions Are micro-concessions on branch lines a realistic prospect? A case study from the West Somerset Railway suggests they will be very difficult to implement

n Cleethorpes and Middlesbrough direct n Anglo-Scottish acceleration

n May 2022 plans analysed

70 77 REGULARS 3 6 26

Outstanding operations rewarded The teams and individuals who won at the annual Golden Whistle awards

Rail industry gears up for Railtex/Infrarail Modern Railways previews the return of the popular exhibition in Birmingham this year

AUGUST 2021 £5.49

n CAF-built

‘197’ on test n First route

confirmed

9 770026 835313

LONDON – GLASGOWLessons RECORD NEW DMU from West run MISSED BY SECONDS Coast speed FOR WALES

EMR’S COMFY NEW SEATS n SUB-SURFACE RESIGNALLING PROGRESS n

Cover: On 3 August 2019, LNER Class 91 No 91101 passes Barkston, Grantham with the 13.03 King’s Cross to Leeds. Paul Clark

FREE 16-page HS2 special report inside 26

Williams-Shapps plan – what does it mean for rolling stock?

LNER’s new timetable

London – Glasgow speed record missed by seconds

New DMU for Wales

64 45

Sub-surface resignalling process EMR’s comfy new seats Modern Railways August 2021

Welcome An introduction from the Editor Railtalk Modern Railways’ editorial view

Informed Sources Impact of Williams-Shapps on rolling stock pondered; will Spending Review unlock electrification?; lessons learned from WCML record attempt

50 88

Blood and Custard Our diary column

People Recent appointments In Business Latest happenings in industry

Trackwatch Our monthly look at changes on the national network

Pan Up Ian Walmsley welcomes EMR’s wellthought-out seats for its Aurora fleet

89 90 97

Forum Readers comment on topical issues around the railway today

Alan Williams DfT dithers on electrification

Europe View Keith Fender presents a round-up of news from across the Channel

84 93 95

Moving Wheels Rolling stock news

NEWS 8

News Front Hitachi cracks latest, Public Accounts Committee savages DfT over rail

20 24

Rail Freight Swift and Orion parcels units unveiled Infrastructure News Cornish resignalling planned; Ashington reopening works start

Between the Lines Chris Stokes ponders the May 2022 ECML timetable

Crossrail update Woolwich station handed over High Speed Two Old Oak Common procurement kicks off

www.keymodernrailways.com

Contents

MEET THE EDITORIAL TEAM Roger Ford Industry and Technology Editor

Philip Sherratt Editor A lifelong railway enthusiast, Philip began reading Modern Railways in his early teens. He joined the editorial team in 2014 as an assistant before becoming Editor in 2020 and considers it a daily privilege to go behind the scenes in our fascinating industry. Away from railways he is organist at his local church in Nottingham. philip.sherratt@keypublishing.com

Andy Roden Deputy Editor Andy reckons railways are literally in his blood, with his mum being dragged to railways before he was born. A transport journalist for almost 21 years, Andy is overjoyed he can still enjoy HSTs near his West Cornwall home and is working hard to reopen the former LSWR main line in Devon. Away from railways, he has a passion for amateur dramatics. andy.roden@keypublishing.com

James Abbott Consultant Editor As a small child James was seduced by the glamour of the Blue Pullman passing his garden and has been immersed in railways ever since. Editor of Modern Railways for 31 years, he is now Consultant Editor of the magazine and also Chair of the 1066 Tonbridge to Hastings line Community Rail Partnership. james.abbott@keypublishing.com

Roger trained as an engineer with English Electric and on qualifying joined the Traction Division, where the latest copy of Modern Railways, in its first year of publication, was waiting on his desk when he arrived. Having been poached by the English Electric Press Office he then pursued a varied career in industrial publicity management before becoming a full-time writer and joining Modern Railways in 1976 as contributing news editor. Over the following years Roger has found his engineering training invaluable in understanding the growing range of topics covered in his column ‘Informed Sources’, which, as the title implies, draws heavily on the expertise of his many contacts throughout the railway.

Ian Walmsley ‘Pan Up’ columnist Ian followed his childhood interest in railways by joining British Rail in 1973 on a ‘sandwich’ course with Salford University, becoming a Chartered Electrical Engineer. He became Regional Railways Depot Engineer at Cardiff Canton, transferring to Derby as a maintenance and later projects Engineer. At privatisation he joined Porterbrook as New Trains and Development Engineer. He has been writing in Modern Railways since 2007 and since his retirement from Porterbrook in 2014 has written his monthly ‘Pan Up’ column. He is also an associate member of the Guild of Railway Artists. ianw1@sky.com

Tony Miles Contributing Writer

roger@alycidon.com

Chris Stokes ‘Between the Lines’ columnist Chris had a long and varied career with British Rail; his last post was Deputy Director, Network SouthEast. He was then Deputy Franchising Director at the start of privatisation, with a key role in letting all the initial franchises in just 13 months. He worked in consultancy from 2000 to 2017 and is now Chief Executive of Heathrow Southern Railway. He has been writing his monthly column ‘Between the Lines’ in Modern Railways since 2015. chrisjstokes@btopenworld.com

A writer, photographer and videographer, Tony has been interested in railways for over 40 years, having seen his first pictures published in Modern Railways whilst still at school. He regularly interviews industry leaders both from the manufacturing and supply chains as well as those operating the railway on a daily basis. Tony appears regularly on local and national radio and television when there is a need to explain railway-related stories. Away from railways he enjoys cooking and choral singing and spent many years coaching a junior cricket team. tonymiles61@btinternet.com

Keith Fender Europe Editor Keith is a transport graduate and rail enthusiast who has worked all over Europe (and further afield) and has been reporting on the railways of Europe for the railway press for two decades. When not pointing the camera at trains he is a keen wildlife photographer. modernrailways@keypublishing.com

Dan Harvey Crossrail and HS2 columnist Apparently building new railways is anything but easy. Dan charts the triumphs and travails of rail infrastructure schemes and has been writing about Crossrail and High Speed 2 for nearly two decades. A keen computer programmer, he is also a regular parkrunner.

Alan Williams Columnist The always independent and often acerbic Alan Williams column has appeared in every issue of Modern Railways for over 40 years. Alan brought fame to sleepy Effingham Junction for many years but more recently moved north to Yorkshire, where he has found that railway-wise the north-south divide really does exist. The politics surrounding the railway are among his particular interests, as are railway operation and signalling. He is an enthusiastic supporter of Community Rail and is Chairman of the Esk Valley Railway Development Company (EVRDC). Away from the railway, he is a volunteer First Responder with the Yorkshire Ambulance Service. awcolumn@yorkshire.net

Martyn Brailsford ‘Trackwatch’ compiler

modernrailways@keypublishing.com

Rhodri Clark Contributing Writer Rhodri wrote his first article for Modern Railways in 1990, while he was a music student in Manchester. He trained as a journalist with the Western Mail. In 1996 he co-authored, with John Davies, a book about the Valley Lines’ revival in the 1980s. He lives in North Wales with his wife and two teenage children. modernrailways@keypublishing.com

As one of the editors of the books published by Trackmaps, Martyn is always on the lookout for alterations to the rail network. In his day job he is a Duty Controller for a freight operator but can often be seen on railtours or volunteering at Barrow Hill, where he is a trustee. martyn.brailsford@branchline.uk

TALK TO US! To get in touch with the Editorial team e-mail modernrailways@ keypublishing.com

FOR THE LATEST FROM MODERN RAILWAYS JOIN US ON SOCIAL MEDIA N @Modern_Railways M Search for‘Modern Railways Magazine’or put in the web address www.facebook.com/modernrailwaysmag/

August 2021 n Volume 78 n Number 875 Editor: Philip Sherratt Email: philip.sherratt@keypublishing.com Deputy Editor: Andy Roden Email: andy.roden@keypublishing.com Design: Matt Chapman Cover: Lee Howson Editorial Address Modern Railways, Key Publishing, PO Box 100, Stamford, Lincolnshire PE9 1XP Tel: 01780 755131 www.keymodernrailways.com Consultant Editor: James Abbott Email: james.abbott@keypublishing.com Industry and Technology Editor: Roger Ford Email: roger@alycidon.com

Editorial Contributions The Editor is pleased to receive contributions to Modern Railways in the form of articles, news stories, letters and photographs (ideally by digital means). Material sent to the Editor, whether commissioned or freely submitted, is provided at the contributor’s own risk; Key Publishing Ltd cannot be held responsible for loss or damage howsoever caused. The opinions and views expressed by authors and contributors within Modern Railways are not necessarily those of the Editor or Key Publishing Ltd.

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The Editorial team is always happy to receive correspondence. It is all read and appreciated, but we cannot always guarantee a reply. While every care is taken with material, the Publisher cannot be held responsible for any loss or damage incurred. All items submitted for publication are subject to our terms and conditions. These are regularly updated without prior notice and are freely available from Key Publishing Ltd or downloadable from www.keypublishing. com. We are unable to guarantee the bona fides of any of our advertisers. Readers are strongly recommended to take their own precautions before parting with any information or item of value, including, but not limited to, money, manuscripts, photographs or personal information in response to any advertisements within this publication. The entire contents of this magazine is © Copyright 2021. No part of it can be reproduced in any form or stored on any form of retrieval system without the prior permission of the publisher.

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A SUBSCRIPTION TO MODERN RAILWAYS OFFERS GREAT SAVINGS ON THE COVER PRICE. SEE PAGES 40 AND 41 FOR DETAILS. www.keymodernrailways.com August 2021 Modern Railways 5

Railtalk

Separation is key T

he announcement of the planned end of Covid restrictions in England was greeted with wildly varying reactions. The final decision on whether all legal restrictions would be lifted on 19 July was not made until after we went to press, but the mood music suggested it was all but certain to go ahead. And even if it didn’t, it was clear the Government’s desire was that it wouldn’t be too long in coming. Setting aside that restrictions will be moving at a different pace in the devolved nations, for rail this change has probably four main implications. The opening up of those parts of the economy which have remained closed, and removal of capacity limits elsewhere, offers the potential for an increase in passenger numbers as people get out and about more.

Another imperative for an increase in rail use could be the end of the instruction to work from home where possible. Will this encourage people to return to offices and restore some of the core commuting business on which rail was so reliant pre-Covid? Given that the changes coincided with the start of the school summer holidays, an immediate uptick seemed unlikely, and in any case it will probably be September before most companies have made detailed plans for a resumption of office working. Then there is the end of social distancing and withdrawal of the ‘one metre plus’ rule, which has been in place now for around a year. Of course, social distancing has never been a legal requirement, and since March there have been varying reports of full and standing

Modern Railways August 2021

trains on parts of the network, and on the London Underground there have been reports of busy trains for some time. As Network Rail Chief Executive Andrew Haines told journalists at a briefing on 23 June, a Government which authorises a 60,000 attendance for the Euro 2020 finals at Wembley stadium could not reasonably expect social distancing on the trains which will inevitably transport these people home after matches. Which brings us to the final change – the end to the legal requirement to wear a face covering, including on public transport. In the so-called bonfire of regulations, this move has perhaps sparked the biggest outcry, and it prompted large numbers of people to take to social media to say they will keep wearing face coverings

despite the change in the law. Transport for London Commissioner Andy Byford had suggested before the announcement that his organisation may seek to retain the requirement, and Government said it will issue guidance that face coverings should still be worn in crowded indoor spaces. Despite the outcry, there is some logic to the Government’s decision. After all, there is a clear difference between a relatively quiet inter-city service where a passenger is making a journey of a few hours and a short journey on a crowded tube train where the journey may last just a few minutes. The law is a blunt instrument, but whether guidance can be applied with the required nuance such that passengers feel safe remains to be seen.

www.keymodernrailways.com

Railtalk STALLING With some fluctuations, national rail patronage has been tracking consistently at around half of pre-Covid levels over the last few months, and London Underground usage slightly lower than that. But both have been stubbornly not increasing further, whereas road usage is back to pre-pandemic levels or, in some cases, even higher. The question now is whether the latest change in restrictions will act as an encouragement or deterrent to intending passengers. As we have stated before, the messaging concerning public transport through the pandemic has not always been helpful, painting it as a medium to be avoided. For some, the fear of a carriage without social distancing and face coverings may discourage travel, while for others the ability to travel freely again may provide an incentive to get back on the rails. On this basis, it is probably best for the rail industry not to expect too much of an increase in patronage, at least in the short-term. And in any case, while leisure travel has been doing well, long-distance business

travel and the core commuting on which rail has so long relied have both been slow to return. We have been promised a cross-industry marketing campaign to encourage rail usage following stage four of the Government’s roadmap for ending restrictions. The question for the industry is how and at whom that campaign is targeted. Relying on leisure travel to do the heavy lifting feels like placing all our hope in a sector which, while it doubtless offers potential for growth, is never likely on its own to get the industry back to anywhere near the passenger numbers and revenue figures of pre-Covid times. REFORM Whether it is a helpful backdrop to have an industry in the throes of reform is a matter for debate. But that is what the WilliamsShapps Plan for Rail promises, although there is a great deal of detail still to be worked through. The signing of the pan-industry enabling framework (p10) is a promising start, but there is much hard negotiation still to come.

Returning to rail: passengers head for an LNER departure for Stirling at King’s Cross on 5 July 2021. Fraser Pithie

www.keymodernrailways.com

Addressing journalists on 23 June, Andrew Haines said the industry needs to change the way it functions, giving three priorities – simplicity, sustainability and separation. There is clear agreement about a need for simplicity, and for an end to contractualisation. The pandemic has already fostered good collaborative working, so there is a base from which to build – but these things are always more difficult to tackle in practice. Sustainability presents a greater challenge. Leaving aside the decarbonisation element, Mr Haines suggested the railway needs to be affordable and passenger and freight user centric. For a system whose revenues have collapsed (in terms of passenger traffic, at least), affordability will be a very hard-fought goal to achieve. Which brings us to Mr Haines’ third ‘S’ – separation. The WilliamsShapps Plan recognised the need to separate the new Great British Railways organisation from Government in terms of its ability to make decisions. Yet, on this front, we could hardly have got off to a worse start. The early promise of flexi-season tickets, touted when the White Paper was released, seemed at the time of its announcement to be an early positive response to the pandemic. But when the new tickets were launched at the end of June, the reaction was almost universally negative and the new product was condemned as presenting, in many cases, a poor deal. In some places the flexi-seasons offer worse value than the carnet tickets that were simultaneously withdrawn, while on some journeys the new tickets are even more expensive than the ordinary day return fare. A potentially promising policy, although viewed by some as coming in too early, had been stymied by Treasury intervention – the exact opposite of the separation Mr Haines pointed out was needed. Reports suggested the discounts offered were higher than those the Treasury was initially willing to accept, so the deal might have been even worse. And, of course, this policy stops well short of the wider fares reform so many have called for, something which was noticeably absent from the White Paper. INTERFERENCE The fingerprints of the Treasury can be seen on an increasing number

of decisions – the decision not to grant an extension to railcards despite travel being limited by Covid restrictions and the lack of electrification for East West Rail being other prominent examples. In fairness to the Treasury, it has stood behind our industry (or at least the passenger side of it) over the last year and a bit, providing billions of pounds’ worth of financial support to keep services running. However, we still need to look beyond short-termism to the bigger picture, and it is only in taking the long-term view that we can achieve the reforms that are needed. Clarity and freedom to get on with doing what needs to be done are essential if rail is to reach its post-Covid potential. Andrew Haines is ever optimistic, citing the opportunity presented in responding to the Covid crisis, the outlook in the White Paper and the support for rail investment, which comes from the very top of Government – the Prime Minister is an enthusiastic supporter of the railway. But, in a report published on 7 July, the Public Accounts Committee’s grave warning was that the Department for Transport ‘lacks a convincing and timely plan’ for encouraging passengers back to the railway. Twelve months ago on this page, we called for the railway to take back its destiny into its own hands. In many ways the prevailing situation is similar now to how it was then – society is opening up after a period of restrictions and we have the potential of summer leisure traffic. Yes, there are new variants of Covid, but we also have the highly successful vaccination programme on our side. But the outlook for rail is as challenging as it was then. If we are to rebuild patronage, we need a promotional effort which is significant enough to capture public attention – and win people’s hearts and minds. It may seem like a significant short-term expense, but it would yield long-term benefits. And its cost will pale into insignificance in comparison to the billions that have been poured into supporting the railways (and many other parts of the economy) throughout the pandemic. As the flexi-seasons saga has proved, prising open the fingers of the Treasury is not easy. Andrew Haines’ challenge of achieving that separation is immediate – and urgent.

August 2021 Modern Railways

News Front

MARKET ENGAGEMENT ON COMPLETING MML WIRING ELECTRIFICATION NORTH OF MARKET HARBOROUGH BACK ON THE AGENDA NETWORK RAIL held a market engagement briefing for phase 3 of the Midland main line electrification scheme on 12 July. The scheme will extend the wires from Market Harborough to Nottingham and Sheffield. It is estimated to cost up to £500 million. A total of 155km of track is proposed to be electrified, and the project includes 113 structures. Route clearance to accommodate overhead line equipment and strengthened power supplies are also within the scope of the engagement. Work areas include signalling, construction, site preparation and clearance, civil engineering and bridge and track construction. Full Midland main line electrification was proposed as part of Network Rail’s Control Period 5 (2014-19) enhancements programme, but the scheme north of Kettering was cancelled by Transport Secretary Chris Grayling in July 2017. The Bedford to Kettering/ Corby stretch is now live, and in May East Midlands Railway introduced electric services between St Pancras and Corby. NR is progressing an extension from Kettering to Market Harborough for completion in 2023, which will connect to a power supply feed at Braybrooke.

Market Harborough: overhead wires are due to reach here by 2023, but could extend further north to Leicester and beyond after that. EMR’s No 180109 arrives with a Nottingham to St Pancras service on 14 May 2021. Philip Sherratt

In a briefing to journalists on 23 June, NR Chief Executive Andrew Haines said the organisation was considering different access strategies for when electrification proceeds north of Market Harborough. This included comparing the option of taking extended blockades with shorter possessions. When questioned about his statement that this will apply ‘when’ electrification is undertaken north of Market

Harborough, Mr Haines said: ‘That’s how confident I am’. In a Prior Information Notice published on 5 July, NR said: ’It is our intention to engage early and extensively with the market to enhance the probability of successful outcomes for this project and to (1) inform potentially interested parties about the MMLe3 programme; (2) request ideas regarding the most efficient delivery methods/

consult on the value drivers of those interested parties; and (3) test some delivery, commercial and procurement proposals.’ However, a cautionary note was struck, with NR acknowledging there is no guarantee the market engagement will progress into a procurement event. An estimated date of publication of contract notice of 30 September 2022 has been set, although this is subject to change.

EMR CUTS REGIONAL SERVICES

LATE CASCADE OF ‘170s’ AND TRAIN CREW SHORTAGES IMPACT RELIABILITY EAST MIDLANDS Railway has amended timetables on its regional services following poor performance since the timetable change in May. While most operators focused on restoring services after timetable reductions prompted by the pandemic, EMR pressed ahead with a major recast on both its inter-city and regional routes, with a 38% increase in the number of services operated compared to the December 2020 timetable. There have been no amendments to EMR Intercity services or the newly launched EMR Connect electric service between Corby and St Pancras, which continue to run as planned. On regional routes, highlights of the changes included direct

services between Crewe, Nottingham and Newark Castle, two-hourly extensions of Leicester to Lincoln services to Grimsby, and enhancements on the ‘Joint’ line between Peterborough and Lincoln. The change also delivered enhancements to regional services on Sundays and saw EMR take over operation of the Barton-onHumber branch from Northern. An East Midlands Railway spokesperson said: ‘Last month we introduced a new timetable. In recent weeks it has become clear it is not performing as well as we, or our customers, expect. Due to the ongoing impact of Covid, staff absences and the late delivery of trains, it has led to short notice

Modern Railways August 2021

cancellations and difficult journeys.’ The amended timetable will be in place until December, but specific services will be reintroduced earlier where this is possible. The changes, implemented from 19 June, see reductions in service on most routes, although there are no reductions on the Barton branch and services to Skegness have been prioritised as these are particularly busy during the summer. Matlock to Nottingham services have been cut back to a Matlock to Derby shuttle, while on the Robin Hood line the hourly Nottingham to Mansfield Woodhouse services have been withdrawn, leaving only hourly Nottingham to Worksop services, and many Newark Northgate

to Lincoln shuttles have been withdrawn. Elsewhere, selected services have been removed. A combination of factors has prompted the reliability challenges facing EMR. The operator has not received as many cascaded Class 170 DMUs from West Midlands Trains as was originally planned due to delays with that operator’s introduction of CAF-built Class 196 DMUs, and it is understood there was uncertainty in the weeks before the timetable change around the timing of transfers of ‘170s’. Issues with train crew have predominantly revolved around higher than anticipated levels of sickness. Challenges with reliability of the regional fleet have also contributed to the issues.

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News Front

Levenmouth to be double track and electrified TRANSPORT SCOTLAND says the five-mile Levenmouth to Thornhill railway will be double track and electrified when it is reopened – and will be operated by battery-electric trains. Scottish Transport Minister Graeme Dey confirmed the plans for the infrastructure on 15 June. Locations for the stations have also been decided following

detailed development work and stakeholder consultation. Leven’s station will be sited behind the town’s leisure centre, with a second station at Cameron Bridge to the east of the A915. Network Rail will design and build the line and project costs will be confirmed with the final business case, which is expected to be published towards the end of

the year. Depending on planning processes, the railway could reopen in 2024; NR hopes it could be completed by the end of 2023. Trains will connect the Levenmouth area to Fife and Edinburgh. The line through Fife will be partially electrified, with trains to switch between battery and overhead electric power en-route.

COP26 climate train from Amsterdam

AVANTI WEST Coast, Eurostar, NS, ProRail and Youth for Sustainable Travel will unite this October to run a special ‘climate train’ to the COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow. European Commission VicePresident Frans Timmermans says more focus on sustainable mobility is needed, and he has chosen to take the train to the summit.

The initiative is supported by the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies (CER), and comes in support of the EU Year of Rail 2021. The train will carry young people, official delegations, mobility experts, nongovernmental organisations and representatives of the

rail sector by Eurostar from Amsterdam, Rotterdam or Brussels to London, where they will change onto an Avanti West Coast train to Glasgow. A series of debates and seminars about the role that rail and sustainable travel can play in combatting climate change will take place on the trains.

COVER PRICE CHANGE

FROM THIS month, the cover price to purchase individual copies of Modern Railways has increased to £5.49. Unfortunately, we are facing increasing distribution costs – but this is a bumper issue with our HS2 supplement, and we have plans to regularly produce larger issues going forward, which we hope will offset this rise. However, subscription prices have not changed, making this option even better value – and from next year subscribers alone (whether for print copies, digital issues or to our website) will enjoy our quarterly HS2 supplement. For more details about how to subscribe, visit our website www.keymodernrailways.com.

Renewed hope for full Trans-Pennine wires DESIRE FOR EAST-WEST FREIGHT LINK DRIVING INCREASED SCOPE OF UPGRADE INDUSTRY SOURCES report there is now ‘every chance’ of the entire Trans-Pennine route between Manchester and Leeds being electrified. Previously announced plans for the Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade (TRU) envisaged only partial electrification, with wires not proposed for the Stalybridge to Huddersfield stretch. One industry insider noted it was becoming increasing difficult for those who have set the objective of decarbonisation by 2040 to also say ‘but we won’t electrify your railway’. It is accepted that for freight in particular there are no obvious solutions for replacing diesel other than full electrification. A focus on the benefits of increasing rail freight in the north of England is expected soon, with an emphasis on creating more electrified routes with a high loading gauge and extra capacity for freight. This will also see proposals for additional freight loops as part of TRU and possibly on the Chat Moss line as well, linking the port in Liverpool through to Teesside via an electrified railway. Previous suggestions by Network Rail that some of the tunnels on the route would prove too difficult to electrify are now being rolled back; only around 1% of Standedge Tunnel will need additional work for wiring and clearance for

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W12 gauge freight trains. Scout Tunnel, at 188 metres long, is more challenging but is shorter than the 270-metre Farnworth Tunnel on the Bolton line, which was re-bored for electrification in 2015. Passenger and freight operators are working closely together to develop the plan fully, with one senior insider pointing out there is currently no high-gauge eastwest route for freight between the Midlands and the Scottish central belt. The hope is that electrification will spread from west to east, reaching Leeds by 2025-26.

One initial sign of progress is the wiring of the five-mile section between Church Fenton and Colton Junction, between Leeds and York, which will allow TransPennine Express’s bi-mode Class 802 sets to switch from diesel to electric power on the move. The next aim would be to fill the gap between Neville Hill, east of Leeds, and Church Fenton. Through wiring over the Pennines would also offer the ability to replace the diesel Class 68 locomotives with electric traction on TPE’s Nova 3 sets (p14).

A senior TPE director said: ‘Now we know that the future is not diesel we need to look at whether we redeploy the fleet, in the mediumterm, onto other routes, or do we need to look at alternative traction solutions that align with the route upgrade’s objectives? We want to do some proof of concept; is there an option in the longer-term with electric locomotives and wiring? Equally, the owners Beacon Rail Leasing will want to be able to make sure that the trains are available as some of our legacy vehicles get retired later in the decade.’ Tony Miles

Trans-Pennine route: a rare visitor on 24 April 2021 was Transport for Wales DMU No 158841, which was moved from Cardiff Canton depot to Doncaster works for a C4 exam. It is pictured at Marsden, on the Stalybridge to Huddersfield stretch not originally proposed to be electrified as part of the route’s upgrade. Tommy Franklin

August 2021 Modern Railways

News Front

Framework for post-Covid reform Network Rail, operators and unions sign enabling agreement A NEW Rail Industry Recovery Group formed of franchised passenger train operators and trades unions has signed a framework agreement to identify and address areas and issues to cut the operating costs of the railway and ensure a sustainable rail industry. The Enabling Framework Agreement (EFA) covers employment security measures, investing in people, creating a modern and inclusive workforce, revising working arrangements and practices, and enhanced ways of working. In anticipation of the railway requiring fewer roles and changes to others, an industry-wide voluntary severance scheme is proposed which seeks volunteers interested in applying to leave the rail industry, focused initially on employees directly affected by changes. There will also be an industry-wide redeployment scheme, subject to there being available roles. With many roles changing, the Group says it will offer opportunities for staff to adapt and reskill where roles are available, with consideration given to creating a joint learning programme supported by trades unions and employers. A recruitment freeze other than for essential and critical roles is proposed, as is benchmarking of cleaning and catering employment costs to assess the potential for insourcing some activities. Employers will commit to making no compulsory redundancies before 31 December 2021. The Government

Workforce changes in the offing: a Northern guard prepares for departure from Manchester Piccadilly on 15 June 2020. Tony Miles

will not fund any outstanding pay reviews for 2020 and 2021, but those earning less than £24,000 a year could get a £250 rise. An investing in people workstream involves more apprenticeships, revision of training methods and practices to a competency-based approach and investment in re-skilling and ‘up-skilling’ to develop capabilities to meet changing business needs. The agreement seeks to introduce modern and flexible working practices and terms and conditions for new and existing staff and provide flexible working hours. It aims to ensure industrywide defined benefit train operator pension schemes are affordable and flexible, promote mobility of staff around the country, increase

opportunity for part-time, job share, flexible and weekend working and encourage more applications from female and black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) applicants. Proposed changes to working practices could have significant implications. The Group will review the basis for future annual pay review discussions, establish a modern seven-day railway with ‘robust’ working arrangements for Sundays and identify changes in maintenance and engineering teams to maximise work undertaken in infrastructure maintenance. It also recognises the likelihood on-board and station staff roles will need to be more flexible and multi-functional. The final area – enhanced ways of working – includes removal of duplication through the creation

of a lead operator or Network Rail approach at major stations and control centres and using remote monitoring technology in maintenance regimes. It also calls for use of technology to improve the safety and robustness of train operational performance and infrastructure reliability and the removal of outdated working practices. Trades union members are Aslef, the RMT, TSSA and Unite, joined by Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd and train operators. The next step will be to establish industry-wide workstreams and sub-groups, including representatives from across the industry to take forward detailed proposals for local discussion and implementation.

FLEXIBLE SEASON TICKETS GO ON SALE NEW FLEXIBLE season tickets aimed at passengers travelling two or three days a week went on sale on 21 June, valid for travel from 28 June. The Government says the move is ‘the first step in the reform of the railways’ following the publication of the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail on 20 May. The launch is a response to the decline in use of traditional season tickets and the acceleration of changed working patterns following the pandemic. The new tickets are available on all franchised train operators contracted by the Department for Transport.

However, reaction from passengers was less enthusiastic, with many noting the poor value the new tickets offered and the significant difference between the ‘daily equivalent’ of a full-time season ticket and the flexi-season price. The paperless tickets allow travel on eight days in any 28-day period using smartcard or mobile ticketing, with no requirement for passengers to select their days of travel in advance. Conventional season tickets are still available for more regular travellers. The Department for Transport claimed the new tickets offer a

Modern Railways August 2021

minimum 20% discount on the equivalent monthly season ticket, although tests have showed this is not true in all cases. They generally offer good value for short-distance commuters, but for those travelling longer distances and intending to travel more than two days a week a conventional season ticket and, in a few cases, the anytime day return fare, often offer better value. Another disadvantage was the simultaneous withdrawal of ‘carnet’ tickets, valid for 10 journeys over a three-month period, by a number of operators,

with the flexi-seasons in some cases offering worse value. Carnets were also available in off-peak versions, enabling passengers to combine peak and off-peak fares to obtain a better deal, an option not available with flexi-seasons. Robert Nisbet, Director of Nations and Regions at the Rail Delivery Group, said: ’Flexi-season tickets are a step in the right direction, but to really maximise the benefits and make it easier for people to get good value fares requires Government to go further and get under the bonnet to fix the engine of the fares system.’

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News Front

Extra support for Scottish light rail

More Government support: Glasgow Subway train at Buchanan Street on 14 March 2019. Philip Sherratt

Rail tourism pass to be explored THE GOVERNMENT is to pursue plans for a new domestic rail tourism product, building on the success of products such as the BritRail pass, only available to visitors to the UK from abroad.

The initiative featured in the Government’s Tourism Recovery Plan, published in June. The plan says Government and VisitBritain will work with the Rail Delivery Group to develop the proposition, with the

GTR ERMA extended THE DEPARTMENT for Transport has extended Govia Thameslink Railway’s Emergency Recovery Measures Agreement (ERMA) from

20 September 2021 to 31 March 2022. The contract generates a margin of up to 1.5% and is a management contract with no financial

THE SCOTTISH Government is to provide a further £5.6 million of emergency funding for the Glasgow Subway and Edinburgh Trams in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The announcement, made on 28 June, brings total support for the two operations to more than £34 million, and the latest round will last until the end of September. It follows discussions with Strathclyde Partnership for Transport and Edinburgh Trams on the impact of the pandemic: support to date has enabled the two systems to accommodate more than four million journeys since July 2020.

possibility the product could be launched later in the year subject to a successful business case being developed. The aim is to accelerate the recovery of domestic tourism, encouraging sustainable domestic

holiday travel and reducing tourism’s reliance on car. The closest current equivalent to the BritRail pass which can be purchased by UK residents is the All Line Rover, but this is considerably more expensive and has a small number of peak restrictions when travelling with certain inter-city operators.

exposure to passenger volumes, which have fallen significantly during the Covid pandemic. The Government has also issued a Prior Information Notice for operation of services currently run by GTR starting on 1 April 2022

and running for up to six years, with a core period of at least two years. It will take the form of a direct award contract. It follows a previous PIN which envisaged the ERMA being replaced by a direct award on 19 September this year.

INTRODUCING #RVEBIGIDEA AT RVE 2021 SUPPLIER ENGAGEMENT FOR THE ROLLING STOCK SECTOR Modern Railways and Rail Forum Midlands are launching an exciting new supplier engagement activity taking place at this year’s Modern Railways RVE show on 4 November in Derby. #RVEBigIdea is the next step in supply chain engagement for the rail industry, focusing on delivering real value through one-to-one meetings with rolling stock customers to introduce exciting new responses to the challenges our industry faces. Suppliers will be invited to submit new ideas, products and services to support the rolling stock sector, under a selection of different themes. The themes are key to industry challenges – decarbonisation, productivity, accessibility, and asset optimisation - and allow

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Supplier engagement: RVEBigIdea is coming to Modern Railways RVE 2021 on 4 November at Derby Arena.

suppliers to really showcase their new and developing offers. Applications open on 13 September and close on 24 September via a dedicated webpage on the RFM website. After this, participating customers will review

the applications and select which suppliers they wish to meet. A fantastic line-up of 18 customer organisations is taking part: Alstom, Angel Trains, Arriva Train Care, CAF, DB Cargo, FirstGroup, Freightliner, Gemini Rail Group, Hitachi, Loram,

Nottingham Tram, Siemens Germany, Stadler UK, TDI, Talgo, Transport for London, Unipart Rail and Wabtec. ‘Britain’s railway is on the cusp of very major changes, and there are real opportunities for innovative suppliers to make a significant difference to the railway’s efficiency, operation and environmental credentials’ says Modern Railways Editor Philip Sherratt. ‘As the railway recovers from the pandemic, there is no better opportunity to showcase the products and technologies which will have such a huge impact on the railway over the coming decade and beyond.’ This activity is free to Rail Forum members and exhibitors at Modern Railways RVE. A nominal administration charge applies for non-members/non-exhibitors. For more information about the show visit www.rve-expo.co.uk.

August 2021 Modern Railways

News Front

REPAIR PROGRAMME FOR 800 SERIES TAKES SHAPE GREAT WESTERN Railway began returning more of its Hitachi IET sets to service in late June as more was understood about the cracks discovered on the lifting plates at the jacking points and on the yaw damper bolsters, and how these can be managed safely. A similar decision is understood to have been taken at LNER, with both operators expecting small numbers of sets to remain out of service awaiting repairs. According to sources at Hitachi, with a daily ‘thorough and robust’ inspection routine firmly established, between 10 and 14 ‘80x’ sets were not available for service across all operators on any given day. Heavily instrumented trains are now running and providing data that will feed back into evaluation of work required to repair the sets. It is understood any cracks will be measured regularly, and with their ‘growth’ now understood to be very slow it will be possible to take a set out of use before accepted tolerances are exceeded. The future of GWR’s Nos 800026/802005 remains uncertain as both trains had large areas of their bodysides, including the bolster, cut away for analysis. Whilst investigations continue, it is thought by engineering experts that welding in new sections will not be viable and completely new vehicles could be required. Initially it is understood that a repair for the jacking point has been agreed and is being implemented whilst work continues concerning the causes and a repair for the cracks in the yaw damper bolsters. Senior insiders confirm that over time all ‘80x’ sets are likely to show cracking

IET and stand-in: due to a shortage of 800 Series trains GWR suspended most direct services between Paddington and Bedwyn. On 2 June 2021, Turbo DMU No 165111 rests in the reversing siding at Bedwyn after arrival with the 13.19 shuttle from Newbury, while an IET passes with the 09.10 Penzance to Paddington. Colin Scott-Morton

in the same area, meaning a longterm plan for the lifetime of the trains will be needed. This will affect the 93 Class 800/802s in service with GWR, 65 Class 800/801s with LNER, 19 Class 802s with TransPennine Express and five Class 802s with Hull Trains. The aim is to find a process which allows repairs to be carried out as a ‘business as usual activity’ that forms part of the overall train maintenance programme. It is understood repair bases are to be established at Hitachi’s Newton Aycliffe factory and at Eastleigh. Initial repair work is expected to be linked to the first bogie overhaul programme for the GWR units, with sets with the worst cracks (five-car Class 800s) expected to go in for treatment first. As investigations have continued it is understood some cracks have also been found on the Class 80x coupler plates, so

an additional assessment has been carried out to allow them to continue to run until repairs are completed. The impact of the problems on future orders for similar Hitachi trains is not yet clear, although it is understood East Midlands Railway’s Class 810 bi-modes, with shorter 24-metre vehicles compared to the 26 metres on other 800 Series sets, have a different underframe design and are not expected to be affected by these issues. PASSENGERS KEPT INFORMED The Office of Rail and Road says passengers were kept well informed by operators affected by the cracks crisis, which caused major disruption in mid-May. ORR’s review focused on GWR, Hull Trains, LNER and TPE and says that, with minor exceptions, the operators performed well

in keeping information up-todate. It also says they reacted quickly to contact passengers who had booked assistance to provide them with information about the disruption and offer alternative travel support. However, it adds that there are issues the industry should consider to reduce the impact on passengers in any future disruption. These include providing route maps for alternative travel and using website banner messaging to highlight disruption. It also found train operators and third-party retailers could sometimes be clearer on the circumstances in which a fee for refunding a ticket is not payable. The ORR’s safety review continues, with the regulator working with all parties to ensure lessons are learned from the issue. Tony Miles/Andy Roden

DfT HERALDS RAIL DATA REVOLUTION

THE DEPARTMENT for Transport is investing £5 million to start development of a ‘Rail Data Marketplace’ (RDM) to provide the tools and frameworks to open up rail data through a new single-access platform. Due to launch next year following technology development, it is claimed the RDM will ‘unleash opportunities’

for developers and technology companies to collaborate with the rail industry and integrate railway data into passenger-facing applications and develop new services. Examples of the information available cited include seat availability, detail on disruptions and availability of facilities at stations such as lifts and

Modern Railways August 2021

escalators – all in one location. It’s claimed this will reduce the fragmentation of data across the rail industry. There is the potential for the platform to support new real-time alert services, such as alerting passengers about how busy a service might be or where the most accessible part of a platform is.

The move follows an earlier decision by Transport for London to open up its data in a similar way. In 2017, a review found that more than 600 applications used TfL data and that they were used by 42% of Londoners. It was also estimated that the data generated annual economic benefits and savings of up to £130 million to passengers, London and TfL itself.

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News Front

Cowley passenger services in Oxford area study REOPENING OF the Oxford to Cowley branch to passenger services is one of the key recommendations of the Oxfordshire Rail Corridor Study, published in June. The study has been developed in anticipation of rising passenger numbers in the area, as well as significant freight growth. It recommends Oxford station should be developed in line with the principles of the current station masterplan being developed by local authorities (p64, last month) and track quadrupling between Oxford station and Radley. Other interventions include an additional platform at Hanborough and doubling the North Cotswold line between Oxford North Junction and Hanborough, an upgrade at Oxford North Junction, junction upgrades around Didcot and an additional platform at the station. New stations at Oxford Science Park and Oxford Business Park on the Cowley branch are proposed, as is a new station and loop extension at Grove.

More through services: ORCS envisages the introduction of new cross-Oxford services. Courtesy Network Rail

The study envisages better connectivity between seven growth hubs in the area – Banbury, Bicester Village, Culham, Didcot Parkway, Hanborough, Oxford and Oxford Parkway, with most passenger services to be extended across Oxford rather than terminating at the station. New direct services

from Oxford to Swindon and Bristol are also suggested. A 70% increase in the number of services is recommended alongside changes to calling patterns and service coverage. This would increase direct connections between Oxfordshire’s growth hubs by 160% and

between Oxford and key interregional connections by 106%. With the study complete, the Oxfordshire Connect integrated programme is now in the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline, with development work to progress priority interventions to the next stage of business case development.

Tram-train routes outlined for Cardiff region THE CARDIFF Bay branch will be replaced by a street-level tramtrain route if Cardiff Council’s plans come to fruition. The authority has applied for Levelling Up Fund money for a scheme to convert the existing railway route into a linear park and active travel route, modelled on New York’s Highline. The scheme would also improve east-west active travel between Butetown and Atlantic Wharf, where the railway is currently a barrier. The street-level railway would start at ‘Metro Central’, the transport interchange centred on Cardiff Central station, and continue southwards beyond Cardiff Bay station. The current Core Valley Lines modernisation involves tram-train replacing heavy rail between Cardiff Queen Street and Cardiff Bay, omitting Central. A larger expansion of tram-train services features in separate proposals to alleviate road congestion as 10,000 more homes are completed west of Cardiff. A consultants’ report for local authorities supports the possibility of laying track for tram-trains along a protected trackbed from Fairwater to Creigiau, from where extensions to both Beddau and Pontyclun stations would be possible.

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Tram-train depot taking shape: Transport for Wales is constructing a depot for the Stadler Class 398s ordered as part of the Core Valley Lines modernisation on a former industrial site next to Taff’s Well station. This view shows the site on 11 May. The framework at the far end of the site is for the future CVL control centre. The historic railway track is of the right gauge for tram-trains but not in the correct position for reuse! Rhodri Clark

The report says the City line may have capacity, with signalling modifications, for four trains per hour (tph) to Cardiff from both Radyr and Creigiau. However, it warns of insufficient capacity at Cardiff West Junction and Cardiff Central. One of the proposed alternatives involves a new tram-train alignment leaving the current City line south of Canton depot and crossing the lines from Barry, possibly on the level initially. The crossing would probably need to be tunnelled later, as service frequency increases.

Another option diverts tramtrains on-street from Ninian Park to Central via Penarth Road. The new line, via either route, would probably serve new platforms south of Central station and continue to Cardiff Bay on the alignment described above. Other shortlisted options include doubling the existing City line service to 4tph, new stations at Ely Mill (City line) and Miskin (main line) and a more frequent local service on the main line, potentially by extending one or two services per hour which currently terminate at Central from the east. Pontyclun station,

opened in 1992, has inadequate service frequency, says the report. Cardiff Council also envisages a ‘Circle line’, with a new bridge over the river Taff at Radyr connecting the City and Coryton lines. A cheaper alternative, which would avoid conflicting junction movements north of Radyr station, would see the Coryton line extended to terminate east of the river at Radyr, with passengers interchanging via the existing river footbridge. An extension west of Coryton has been proposed separately, to serve the planned Velindre cancer centre. Rhodri Clark

August 2021 Modern Railways

News Front

TPE CONSIDERING REVISED NOVA 3 DEPLOYMENT Retention of additional ‘185s’ under consideration TRANSPENNINE EXPRESS has accepted the last of its Nova 3 five-car rakes of Mk 5a coaches from CAF. The set is the last of 44 new trains ordered by TPE to be accepted, with the 13 Nova 3 sets complemented by 19 Hitachi Class 802 Nova 1 bi-modes and 12 CAF Class 397 Nova 2 EMUs. The Nova 3s are hauled by Class 68 locomotives sub-leased from Direct Rail Services, and the 66 coaches (13 rakes plus a spare driving trailer vehicle) were financed by Beacon Rail. Maintenance is at Alstom’s Manchester Traincare Centre at Longsight. TPE has confirmed the delayed entry into service of the Nova 3s is now to be speeded up, with full fleet operation expected by May 2022. Currently the sets are restricted to three daily diagrams between York and Scarborough plus a limited number of moves across the Pennines for servicing and to rotate the stock; however, from December 2021 these services will be extended through Leeds

to Manchester Victoria, with some diagrams covered by Nova 3 sets. NOISE COMPLAINTS TPE is also continuing to work on plans for its trains; following feedback from residents in Scarborough, who have objected to the noise of the Class 68 locomotives when stabled overnight at the new £7 million depot constructed in 2019 behind Seamer Road, the company is now re-evaluating the use of the Nova 3 fleet. The Caterpillar C175-16 power units are slightly noisier as a result of ensuring they meet European Stage IIIA emission standards but become significantly louder when the electric train supply is enabled and the idle speed lifts from 600 to 1,150 revolutions per minute. Options being explored are understood to include replacement on early morning and late evening services with Class 185 units and the use of the Nova 3 sets on some services from Manchester Airport to Redcar and on to Saltburn from

May 2022 if an application to run the extra four miles to the end of the line is accepted; this short extension is expected to improve the resilience of the service. Testing of a Nova 3 set to Saltburn was carried out on 17 June as part of the process. With an eye to the future and the possibility of further electrification over the Pennines, replacement of the Class 68 diesel locomotives with electric traction is also being evaluated as a longer-term option. TPE is assessing whether use can be made of any of the 15 Class 185 sets, from its fleet of 51, that are due to go off lease at the end of 2021. They may be of particular use during work as part of the Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade, with services to be diverted off the main route via Diggle. Cover in the TPE fleet will also be needed whilst European Train Control System (ETCS) equipment is fitted. TIMETABLE CHANGES TPE loses paths for some of its service on the East Coast main line

from the timetable change in May 2022 (see p51 and p58), meaning its Class 802 Nova 1 fleet will be under-utilised, and new Managing Director Matthew Golton has outlined his view that new journey opportunities should be identified for these units. To enable these trains to reach their home depot at Craigentinny in Edinburgh, five empty stock workings per day north of Newcastle are planned to run, and these are expected to be converted to passenger services to enable intermediate stations north of Newcastle to be served, including the new station at Reston, between Berwick-upon-Tweed and Dunbar. Meanwhile, TPE has confirmed that in December it will reinstate more services temporarily removed from timetables due to the pandemic. In the longer-term the operator is looking at providing a new Liverpool – Cleethorpes service. Services would run via the Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC) route through Warrington; pre-Covid, services started from Manchester Airport and reversed in the trainshed at Manchester Piccadilly. However, removal of the reversing move would reduce congestion in the Piccadilly area and fits in with the work of the Manchester Recovery Task Force to improve performance around Manchester by recasting timetables. Whilst this could be delivered for December 2022, it is more likely to be one of a raft of service changes introduced in May 2023. Tony Miles

Nova 3 on Teesside: a TPE Mk 5a set powered by No 68021 at Middlesbrough on a training run on 29 June 2021; these sets are due to be introduced on Manchester Airport to Redcar Central services later this year. Tony Winward

Modern Railways August 2021

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FOURTH FRIDAY CLUB THE ORIGINAL RAIL INDUSTRY MEETING FORUM

MINISTER TO ADDRESS NORTHERN RAIL CONFERENCE RAIL IN THE NORTH OF ENGLAND CONFERENCE Friday 24 September • National Railway Museum, York Sponsored by

Join us in the opulent setting of the National Railway Museum in York to learn about progress with rail modernisation in the North of England. Featuring presentations from: n Andrew Stephenson (pictured) – Transport Minister, whose portfolio includes HS2, Northern Powerhouse Rail and the Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade n Martin Tugwell – Chief Executive, Transport for the North n Nick Donovan – Managing Director, Northern n Matthew Golton – Managing Director, TransPennine Express n Speaker from Network Rail (tbc)

PLUS UNRIVALLED NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES WITH RAIL INDUSTRY PEERS! WHY NOT JOIN THE FOURTH FRIDAY CLUB? For delegate & sponsorship enquiries contact David Lane on 07795 031051 or david.lane@keypublishing.com. For more information, please visit www.keymodernrailways.com/fourth-friday-club

ALSO COMING UP LATER THIS YEAR… RAILWAY INNOVATION AWARDS Friday 15 October Hilton London Canary Wharf Guest speaker: Robert Ampomah, Chief Technology Officer, Network Rail In partnership with

RAIL IN THE MIDLANDS CONFERENCE Thursday 4 November At Modern Railways RVE, Derby Arena Featuring presentations from TOC MDs, Network Rail, Midlands Connect and more

GOLDEN SPANNER AWARDS Friday 26 November Grand Connaught Rooms, London Guest speaker: Bill Reeve, Director of Rail, Transport Scotland

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August 2021 Modern Railways

Rail Freight

CONVERTED ‘321’ TO CARRY LIGHT FREIGHT

BATTERY POTENTIAL FOR LAST-MILE OPERATION Swift Express Freight: converted unit No 321334 on display at Wabtec Rail’s Doncaster facility. Philip Sherratt

EVERSHOLT RAIL has unveiled a Class 321 EMU converted to transport parcels and light freight, which it has dubbed the ‘Swift Express Freight’ unit. No 321334 is intended to be a demonstrator for the concept, and was due to go on lease with a freight operating company in mid-July, with a range of trials to be carried out over the summer. Eversholt is aiming to convert a further four units by the end of 2021, with the potential for a unit fitted with a battery for last-mile operation away from overhead wires to follow in 2023. Eversholt’s aim is to capitalise on the growth in the light parcels and home delivery market, a trend accelerated by the pandemic. The aim of Swift Express Freight is to reduce the number of van journeys on roads by transferring this traffic to the greener mode of electric rail, with the potential for electric vehicles to be deployed for short journeys from distribution centres and rail hubs to destinations. While rail freight has traditionally performed best over long-distance flows, Eversholt says there has been interest in shortdistance urban flows too, such as into London. Four-car trains will be able to operate in multiple as dictated by demand, with the expectation eight-car or 12-car formations will be the norm on longer-distance services.

Flexible interior: Eversholt says the layout of future conversions can be tailored to customers’ requirements. Philip Sherratt

The conversion has been carried out at Wabtec’s Doncaster facility, with support also provided by Ricardo Rail. The unit’s interior has been stripped of most of its fittings, including seats, luggage racks and partitions. A new metal floor has been bonded to the original and industry standard fixings installed, which could be used to secure freight with either bars or straps. A refuge area at the end of the vehicle could allow staff to be on-board trains sorting freight, potentially saving time at the destination, while CCTV has been retained for security reasons. The specification of future conversions

Modern Railways August 2021

will be tailored to the requirements of customers, and the trials this summer will be used to test various methods of loading and unloading freight from the unit. ‘321’ OPTIONS The Class 321 was chosen for conversion because it is a well understood platform with good network coverage in terms of gauge clearance, can be hauled by a diesel locomotive away from overhead wires if required, and there is a good supply of spare parts. While Eversholt has scrapped 29 ‘321s’ withdrawn from service with Greater Anglia

as that operator introduces new trains, it has reclaimed spares from these units, and is now placing further units into store. The company hopes the 30 ‘321s’ which underwent the ‘Renatus’ refurbishment at Doncaster will transfer to another passenger operator once withdrawn by GA, but has a potential pool of around 40 units which could be converted either for the Swift Express Freight project or could undergo the proposed ‘Breeze’ hydrogen conversion in partnership with Alstom to become Class 600 HMUs. Loco-haulage away from overhead wires could provide an interim solution for the Swift unit, but Eversholt hopes to fit batteries to a unit for a first in class trial in 2023, dubbed ‘Swift Express Freight Plus’. The batteries would be for operation over a limited range, likely up to 10km, for true ‘last mile’ operation rather than as a main line battery EMU, and the company says it has no plans to fit diesel engines to the units. The plan is to concentrate Swift Express Freight services on electrified main lines, with the West Midlands to Scotland a likely market given the number of distribution centres in the Midlands. The payload of each four-car unit is up to 38,550kg, designed to be equivalent to the crush laden weight of a unit in passenger service. This means there has been no requirement to reclassify the demonstrator unit or obtain new safety case approvals, and the performance characteristics of the EMUs will allow the type to operate between scheduled passenger services on main lines. On many routes ‘321s’ are already cleared to perform empty stock runs, with work underway to undertake gauge clearance to allow them to operate fully laden. Eversholt is currently evaluating potential maintenance regimes, as some duty cycles could be of higher mileage than when the units were used for passenger services. Eversholt expects to carry out heavy maintenance itself, with decisions on dayto-day maintenance activity to be taken by operators.

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Rail Freight

ANGLO-SCOTTISH DEBUT FOR ORION

FIRST SERVICE PLANNED FOR SEPTEMBER START

Logistics unit: Orion’s No 768001 on display at Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal on 8 July 2021. Philip Sherratt

ORION HIGH Speed Logistics is aiming to launch its first service between London and the Scottish central belt towards the end of September. In mid-July the operator was in the process of signing contracts with a customer for a Mondays to Fridays service. Orion is a subsidiary of Rail Operations (UK) Ltd, and is converting Class 319 EMUs to carry parcels and light freight. The company’s fleet will have a mix of EMUs and bi-modes (the latter are undergoing Porterbrook’s ‘Flex’ conversion), all with modified interiors. In a change to the original plan, the EMUs will now be known as Class 326s and the bi-modes as Class 768s, the reclassification being a requirement for the units’ use on non-passenger workings. The expectation is that the bulk of running will be under electric power, but with the diesel engines used for last-mile operation on short non-electrified stretches and within terminals. Full detail of the first service was due to be confirmed once contracts had been signed. After that, Orion is working with a parcels courier which has never used rail before, and the intention is to carry out static loading trials at the Hams Hall terminal in the West Midlands during August. This

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Stripped out interior: inside No 768001. Pinned to the window is a visual of the Class 93 tri-mode locomotive design parent company Rail Operations (UK) Ltd has ordered from Stadler. Philip Sherratt

will be followed by main line running trials between Hams Hall and Mossend, with the aim of launching commercial services in October. As sister company Rail Operations Group is an established operator, Orion is partnering directly with logistics providers to run services. Initially ROG drivers will be used, but in time the company aims to establish a pool of drivers dedicated to Orion services. Orion’s original ambition was to start with a London Gateway to Liverpool Street service, but that has since been overtaken by the AngloScottish flows. The Gateway service is different to the others in that the train will convey goods for multiple

customers, rather than one customer making use of the entire formation. Orion has paths for the Gateway to Liverpool Street service from the December timetable, leaving Gateway at 04.25 and arriving into Liverpool Street at 05.10, before returning at 05.50. However, the service may not start immediately in December, depending on customer requirements and availability of units. EMUs AND BI-MODES Orion’s ambition is for a fleet of 19 four-car units – 10 Class 768 bi-modes and nine Class 326 EMUs, which can be used in combination depending on customer requirements. First to be converted was demonstration

unit No 319373, unveiled last year at Eastleigh, and a second unit is midway through conversion at Arlington Fleet Services. Two further units are stored at Arlington in preparation for conversion, and a fifth at Crewe. Further ‘319s’ will be selected for conversion in consultation with owner Porterbrook. In terms of bi-modes, No 768001 (recently renumbered from No 769501) has undergone its Flex modification at Brush Traction at Loughborough, involving the fitting of diesel engines beneath the driving vehicles, and its interior modification at Eastleigh. The second ‘768’ is currently at Brush and the ambition is that it will be ready for service in September. Sufficient diesel engines have been purchased to enable conversion of a further eight units to ‘768s’ – these had to be delivered to the UK before the end of 2020 due to a change in emissions regulations. The impending closure of Brush by owner Wabtec at the end of this year means that on later units this work will transfer to Wabtec’s Doncaster site. Maintenance of the converted Orion fleet will depend on the routes on which the sets are used, but Orion is in discussions with various providers across the length of the West Coast main line. INTERIORS RECONFIGURED The interior work on the units, carried out by Arlington Fleet Services, has involved removal of luggage racks, partitions, seats and toilets, while equipment boxes such as for the On-Train Monitoring Recorder (OTMR) are being relocated from the floor to the roof. Orion says customer feedback indicates cages are more likely to be used than pallets, but it can configure interiors to suit customer requirements. Orion is also fitting an ethernet backbone to the units so customers will be able to track the progress of their goods, while another innovation is an intelligent platform which will enable Orion to fill empty space on partially loaded trains, based on yield management. The operation with ‘326s’ and ‘768s’ is based on conveying high volume, low mass goods, with a payload per vehicle of 12.5 tonnes. Orion has been in discussions with a drinks manufacturer, but heavier goods such as this do not suit the converted EMUs as the load would not be efficient space-wise. Parent company Rail Operations (UK) Ltd has ordered Class 93 tri-mode locos from Stadler, which could be used to haul heavier loads.

August 2021 Modern Railways

Rail Freight

HS2 SPOIL TO BARRINGTON

THE FIRST train carrying spoil removed from construction works in London departed from HS2’s logistics hub in Willesden on 29 June, hauled by recently named GB Railfreight Class 66 No 66764 Major John Poyntz Engineer and Railwayman. Carrying 1,470 tonnes of spoil, the train was the first of many taking materials to the disused Barrington quarry in Cambridgeshire. The Barrington Light Railway from Foxton, on the Hitchin – Cambridge line, to the former cement works site at Barrington had been mothballed by Cemex in November 2008, finally closing in 2012. The rail link was refurbished in 2015 to serve an unloading pad and loop constructed at Barrington on the northern side of the cement site, for inert spoil from the London area to infill part of the former chalk and clay quarries. The works itself was demolished in 2018 and the site is now being redeveloped for housing. The initial planning permission granted to Cemex in 2012 allowed for five years of inward spoil traffic by train, which was due to cease at the end of 2018. This

Empties for Willesden: GBRf loco No 66732 departing the former cement works at Barrington on 29 June 2021 with the 6M04 to Willesden Euroterminal. Iain C. Scotchman

was subsequently extended until the spoil trains ceased in September 2019. However, in 2019 Cemex obtained new planning permission to infill the large remaining area of quarries, using the railway to import suitable inert material as previously (but with even stricter environmental controls) to the end of December

2033, when the railway will be closed and dismantled. The revived operation is by GBRf, and began with a train load of stone from Peak Forest on 24 June. The last week of June saw the first movement of spoil from HS2, and brand-new JNA box wagons were brought from storage at Long Marston

on 18 June 2021 by No 66764 and used for the first train. HS2 Ltd says up to seven freight trains per day will depart from London, while one train per day will arrive at the Willesden hub with construction materials, including concrete segments for building the London tunnels. Iain C. Scotchman/Andy Roden

MARCHWOOD PORT POTENTIAL

MARCHWOOD PORT in Hampshire could be developed for wider rail freight use after a £45 million tender seeking bidders for work there was issued in June. The port was built in 1943 for military use, and is now largely used by the Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

The tender seeks creation of hardstanding surfaces, modifications to the port entrance including a new security office building, alterations to the internal rail and road networks and upgrades to CCTV, drainage, lighting, telecommunications, gas and power networks, perimeter

fencing and existing buildings. The project is expected to be completed in three phases, with hardstandings in phase one suitable for storing containers, vehicles, clean and scrap steel, forest products, palletised cargo and bulk materials and aggregates.

The existing rail connection is expected to be used for delivery of materials and extraction of waste, with maritime facilities also potentially used for this. Ministry of Defence operations will continue at the port in addition to commercial use.

Will the HGV driver shortage help rail freight? OVER THE last two years, the twin challenges of Covid and Brexit have brought their fair share of issues for freight transport. From new customs processes at ports to the blockage of the Suez Canal, it has been a testing time for transport businesses and their customers alike. The latest disruption has emerged from a problem which is not new but has in recent weeks reached crisis proportions. A national shortage of HGV drivers is causing skipped deliveries, missing items and empty shelves across the country, with

the Road Haulage Association and other trade bodies warning of more disruption ahead, particularly during the autumn run-up to Christmas. The reasons behind the shortage are complex. Like the railways, the road haulage sector has suffered from an ageing workforce, and modern day demands for flexible working do not fit well with hours sat behind the wheel. Until recently, the gap had been covered to a significant extent by EU drivers working in the UK, either on a semipermanent basis or undertaking

Modern Railways August 2021

cabotage work (doing domestic journeys as part of an end-to-end trip from another member state). Brexit, however, has significantly reduced the availability of EU drivers, and Covid restrictions have added further complications, with barriers at borders across the continent making long-distance trips both difficult and unappealing. Other European countries are also experiencing driver shortages too, so those with the necessary licences are in high demand at home, with little need to travel to the UK for work.

The final straw has been the impact of Covid on HGV driving tests, which were near suspended throughout 2020. Although tests have now resumed, there is a significant backlog of tests and few new recruits are able to start work until this situation is resolved. Indeed, very few people started training last year at all, so there will be a gap even as the tests are cleared. With no easy fix to the issue, customers are having to look creatively at ways to keep goods moving using the resources that

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Rail Freight

AGGREGATES FROM EBBW VALE GB RAILFREIGHT will haul aggregates from a new railhead at the former Marine Colliery site near Cwm, south of Ebbw Vale, if plans to create a freight terminal and quarry come to fruition. Developers are working with Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council and two major landowners to open a freight terminal and associated quarry at the site. A conveyor belt would transport aggregate from the quarry to the terminal. The council owns the colliery site and earmarked the land for a freight facility in its local plan. The aggregate is of a rare type which has high anti-skid properties on road surfaces. South Wales is one of Europe’s most productive sources of the material, most of which is transported from the region by road because quarries are not adjacent

to railheads. Demand for anti-skid surfaces is expected to increase as climate change increases rainfall in the UK and other parts of Europe. Trains from Cwm would convey the stone to terminals close to major highway concentrations, mostly in England. Some would go to Newport docks for export. Anti-skid stone from UK quarries has been shipped in bulk carriers as far afield as China. The proposed new quarry at Cwm would have at least 30 years’ supply, which could be extended by quarrying adjacent mineral reserves. Annual output would be up to two million tonnes. The developers hope that once the aggregates operation is bedded in the freight terminal would also be used to take other bulk cargoes into the Heads

of the Valley region by rail. They aim to submit a detailed planning application this year. It is expected GBRf will run two stone trains per day, outside the hours of the branch’s most intensive passenger service. Capacity and operational details are being discussed with Network Rail. The Ebbw Vale line, rebuilt for the hourly passenger service which started in 2008, is not among the Core Valley Lines which transferred to Welsh Government ownership last year. The line has capacity for one train per hour. Attempts to lengthen the double track between Crosskeys and north of Llanhilleth have run into setbacks. Blaenau Gwent council is borrowing £70 million from the Welsh Government to complete the double tracking by 2023 to

enable a twice-hourly passenger service. Some of the money is for developing plans for further works which would provide capacity for four trains per hour, including a service to Abertillery along a reinstated spur line. One of the principal remaining limitations after 2023 is likely to be the single track from Park Junction to south of Risca. The route of the previous direct line from the Ebbw Vale branch to Newport docks, via a bridge over the South Wales main line, has been built over. Freight trains from Cwm would need to reverse and cross the main line’s four tracks to access the docks. This is not expected to be problematic at the times when the freights will operate. Rhodri Clark

SUNDERLAND PORT REVIVAL

SUNDERLAND DOCKS loaded its first revenue-earning freight train in two decades on 22 June. DB Cargo Class 60 No 60015 hauled 21 wagons of steel coil imported by customer Marcegaglia and bound for its Wolverhampton terminal. Further trains were expected to run after the inaugural departure. The rail link to the port was reactivated in 2015 in a £600,000 investment, but traffic has been slow to build. Sunderland City Council has invested heavily in improved transport links to the port, and it hopes regular flows will operate from it.

they have, and this should be creating opportunities for a greater use of rail. This does however create some challenges, which the market is now looking to address. Firstly, of course, rail cannot fix everything. Rail cannot deliver to store, and although there are more rail connected sites now than a decade ago, there is certainly not one in every town. However, using rail on the long-distance movements does free up driver resources for more productive work on the final mile. These shorter journeys are also better suited to the needs of flexible working and ultimately to use

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Steel by rail: DB Cargo’s No 60015 hauls the maiden working from the upgraded Sunderland Docks, the 6M98 to Wolverhampton, at Moorhouse on 21 June 2021. The train is carrying coils which arrived by sea for Marcegaglia, one of the world’s largest steel trading and manufacturing companies, each of the 21 wagons containing six coils weighing up to 15 tonnes. Alex Ayre

of electric or hydrogen lorries. So customers are looking to rail freight operators to help with the trunk haul movements, including from ports to inland terminals and also between sites in the UK. Starting a new service is not always an easy task though, and it requires commitment from the customer to provide enough volume for the service on a regular basis. Empty trains are uneconomic, so there has to be enough guaranteed volume to make the service viable, even if that volume comes from a mix of customers or is consolidated by a 3PL (third party logistics service). There must also be

available wagons and capacity as well as rail resources for the traffic, all of which are in short supply. However this is not insurmountable, and a number of new services are – we understand – in discussion. With each of these taking some 50+ HGV loads each way it can certainly help customers, and support sustainability at the same time. There is also the potential for increased use of the Channel Tunnel if current pressures now mean the cost and difficulties of using that axis will finally move in rail’s favour. Again, we are aware of early discussions for potential new flows.

There is also though a common thread between road and rail, which is how to attract new talent into our industries. The old images of the Yorkie Man and the Fat Controller lack a certain something with today’s school leavers, and we need to work collectively perhaps to show that freight transport, in all its many modes, is the place to find your career. In the meantime, we need to work collaboratively over the summer to make sure the goods keep moving despite the many challenges. An opinion column of the Rail Freight Group, www.rfg.org.uk

August 2021 Modern Railways

Infrastructure News

Siemens wins Cornish resignalling deal THREE SIGNAL BOXES TO CLOSE TRURO, LOSTWITHIEL and Par signal boxes will close in November 2023 following resignalling, with a contract awarded to Siemens Mobility to deliver the next phase of the Devon and Cornwall resignalling programme. The contract will see the TruroFalmouth, Lostwithiel-Fowey and Burngullow JunctionParkandillack branches controlled from a new signalling workstation at Exeter power signal box, and level crossings at Truro – which is to be upgraded with a Mk 2 obstacle detector – and Lostwithiel monitored from the same location.

Devon’s signalling, meanwhile, will be controlled from a visual display unit-based signalling workstation attached to the mimic panel in Plymouth power signal box. Siemens will be deploying its network-based modular signalling in the scheme, with Ethernet-based networking and plug-and-play wiring allowing fast and accurate connections to be made. Although Cornwall will lose three signal boxes, it will retain those at Liskeard, Roskear Junction, St Dennis Junction, St Erth and Penzance, with semaphore signals retained – for the moment – at Liskeard and St Erth.

Signal box on notice: signaller Andy Greening at work inside Par signal box on the evening of Sunday 13 June 2021; this is one of three boxes which will close following the latest stage of re-signalling. Philip Sherratt

WORK UNDERWAY ON NORTHUMBERLAND LINE

NETWORK RAIL has started refurbishing and upgrading the Ashington, Blyth and Tyne line to reintroduce passenger services on the route for the first time since 1964. The initial work involves renewing

600 yards of track at Newsham following £34 million of funding from the Department for Transport’s Restoring Your Railway fund. Further funding is expected to be announced when detailed designs for the full

reinstatement are finished. The full project involves upgrading 18 miles of track and signalling between Ashington and Newcastle, opening new stations at Ashington, Bedlington, Blyth Bebside, Newsham

and Seaton Delaval. Trains will connect with the Tyne and Wear Metro at a sixth station at Northumberland Park. Three new footbridges will also be built. Passenger trains are due to return to the route in 2024.

NR RAISES CAMBRIAN LINE BRIDGE NETWORK RAIL has raised the height of a river bridge on the Cambrian main line by one metre, to eliminate recurring disruption during wet weather. It also has plans in hand to deal with the flooding which affected the Conwy Valley line. The line has been closed on 30 occasions in the last decade for emergency repairs to damage caused by flooding at Black bridge, which crosses the river Dulas east of Machynlleth. A 31st closure would probably have occurred in May, when the river level rose to the bridge deck, but by then the line

was under a six-week possession for Network Rail and contractor AmcoGiffen to raise the deck. Passenger trains were replaced by buses between Shrewsbury and Machynlleth, rather than operating between Shrewsbury and Newtown. The 80-tonne deck was lifted manually rather than using hydraulic devices, to prevent any risk of the structure twisting. The teams on site pulled eight chains, which raised the bridge 10mm for every 10 metres moved by the chains. The £3.6 million project’s urgency is demonstrated by the fact that

Wickford bay extended

First use of extended platform: No 321308 in platform 1 at Wickford on 25 June 2021. It arrived with the 12.16 from Southminster and departed with the 12.56 return working. Full use of the extended platform started as planned the following day. Iain C. Scotchman

Modern Railways August 2021

of the bridge’s 30 closures in the past 10 years, 10 were in 2020. Heavier rainfall, attributed to climate change, has also disrupted the Conwy Valley line over the last decade. The swollen river Conwy washed away sections of the trackbed several times, causing prolonged closures. Last September, the line reopened after a seven-month closure, during which Network Rail improved protection against river flooding north of Llanrwst. This followed similar improvements in 2019 south of Llanrwst. Despite

the works, the line closed on numerous days during May. A Network Rail spokesman said the latest closures were caused by rainwater run-off flooding the cutting at Llanrwst and approach cutting at Blaenau Ffestiniog tunnel, rather than river flooding. He said there are plans to rectify the problem at the tunnel over the next 12 months and at Llanrwst, where the works would take a little longer. ‘We are looking at operational controls to prevent the railway from being closed at these locations,’ he added. Rhodri Clark

BAY PLATFORM 1 at Wickford station has been extended to accommodate Greater Anglia’s new Class 720/5 Alstom Aventra EMUs, which are longer than the four-car Class 321s currently deployed on branch shuttles. Extension work took place from 6 to 25 June, during which Southminster branch trains were diverted to platform 4 instead. However, the extended platform was temporarily brought into use earlier than planned on 25 June after a passenger was taken ill on the 11.50

Southend Victoria to Liverpool Street in platform 3. To avoid passengers using the island platform (which is shared between nos 3 and 4), Southminster workings were diverted to platform 1, where the extension had been completed and the work commissioned on 21 June to allow driver familiarisation. GA first introduced the ‘720s’ into passenger service on the Southend Victoria line in November 2020 and is currently rolling them out across its Great Eastern routes. Iain C. Scotchman

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Infrastructure News

ORR FINALISES LEVEL CROSSING GUIDANCE

THE OFFICE of Rail and Road has published its guidance for managing level crossing safety on main line and heritage railways. It follows a consultation in January 2021 which found the rail industry welcomed the focus on managing level crossing risks in a collaborative way, recognising level crossings are the interface between railway and highway. The consultation also highlighted a need for the ORR to clarify its role in relation to level crossings.

‘Principles for Managing Level Crossing Safety’ emphasises that risk should be cut via the design of a level crossing or through alternative ways of crossing the railway where this is ‘reasonably practicable’. It also highlights the importance of considering how level crossings are actually used. Nine principles are published to help users of the guidance consider how to make crossings safe for users, and the same number guides risk control measures for a level crossing from a railway

TARKA LINE UPGRADES COMPLETED SUCCESSFULLY DYER & Butler completed platform extension works and two bridge renewals on the Exeter to Barnstaple line in June. Platforms were extended at the Grade II-listed Eggesford station by 25 metres and 30 metres to accommodate five-car trains now running on the Tarka line, with accessibility improved during the project.

The underbridge at Penstone, near Coleford Junction where the line to Okehampton diverges, was demolished and replaced with a new 25-metre-long steel deck, while at Battesford the steel deck and underbridge was removed and replaced, with precast ballast retention units installed.

perspective. Five apply to a highways perspective, including preventing road traffic incidents at or near a level crossing. The document points out that there are slightly under 5,800 level crossings on the main line railway and another 1,500 on heritage lines – and that level crossing safety has improved in recent years. A risk-based approach recommended by the regulator ensures cost is considered on safety measures, but it doesn’t specify requirements or solutions. This,

it argues, allows a ‘proportionate case-by-case approach’ to be adopted by duty holders. Illustrative scenarios include a footpath crossing where new warning lights and audible alarms were installed to help users cross due to plans to increase speed and frequency of trains. Another looks at how a heritage railway conducted a risk assessment to identify alternative ways of crossing its tracks, resulting in a new pedestrian bridge and staffing of the level crossing for use by disabled passengers.

WOLVERHAMPTON PHASE 2 OPENS

THE SECOND half of Wolverhampton’s new station opened on 28 June following commissioning. The project is part of the city’s £150 million interchange scheme. Phase 1 of the project opened in May 2020 and includes ticket buying facilities, toilets, a new British Transport Police office,

three shops and a concourse. The second phase includes three more shops, a customer lounge and dedicated customer help point. The final rail-related project is the extension of the West Midlands Metro to the station plaza to create a fully integrated transport hub with the neighbouring bus station.

CAMBRIDGE SOUTH TWAO SUBMITTED NETWORK RAIL has submitted a Transport and Works Act Order application to build a £183.6 million new station and associated infrastructure on the southern side of Cambridge following two rounds of consultation in 2020. The new station will serve the Cambridge Biomedical Campus and help to relieve

traffic congestion in the area. The plans are for a two-storey, four-platform station on the West Anglia main line. It could include a ticket office and machines, lifts, accessible toilets, baby change facilities, waiting area and retail/catering space, with parking for up to 1,000 bicycles. Roads and crossings in

the area will also be modified if the station gains approval. Infrastructure modifications envisaged include two additional loops to serve the station, enhancements to Shepreth Branch Junction (where the line to Hitchin via Royston diverges from the West Anglia main line), provision for overhead line electrification

infrastructure including a substation, signalling alterations and closure of two private level crossings, with alternative access provided. The period of objections for Cambridge South was due to close on 2 August. Subject to approval, construction could start in 2022, with completion by 2025.

Serving the biomedical campus: Thameslink unit No 700015 passes the site of the proposed Cambridge South station with the 16.52 King’s Cross to Cambridge on 22 June 2021. Iain C. Scotchman

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August 2021 Modern Railways

Informed Sources

Roger Ford

ROLLING STOCK WILLIAMS-SHAPPS PLAN CREATES VACUUM n n n n

Opportunities for ROSCOs and manufacturers GBR to specify ‘ride’ Long-term procurement process unclear Boost for Train Service Provision contracts?

hen analysing documents like the Williams-Shapps Plan (WSP) on screen, the ‘find’ feature is invaluable. Thus, there are only three references to ‘rolling stock’. And when I raised the topic with Keith Williams himself, he told me the review had largely ‘left rolling stock alone’. Trains are mentioned 75 times. However, zero-in on ‘train fleets’ and you get four mentions, one of which contains the key policy. This is emphasised in bold in the box: procurement of train fleets and maintenance by independent train leasing companies will continue. This is an over-simplification. Historically, early on in privatisation, the franchised train operator specified the new trains and

issued the invitation to tender. On some acquisitions, a Rolling Stock Company (ROSCO) formed part of the bidding team. Subsequently, particularly with the more-recent entrants to the train leasing market, the focus has been on raising the cheapest funding for the acquisition, with the train operating company (TOC) leading on procurement. WHOSE HAND? As remarked in last month’s ‘Blood and Custard’, you can brighten up your reading of the WSP by trying to differentiate between the Williams original text, the Shapps additions and the unacknowledged emendations of the Treasury. For example, the ’75 varieties’ extract (opposite) can only be

Williams, if only for its lack of awareness of the longevity of rolling stock, compared with passenger aircraft. That, and its apparent failure to realise that the basic Electrostar platform, for example, was used for multiple Class 37x fleets. Similarly, the ‘31x’ fleets in the ex-British Rail stud. For a parallel, consider the Boeing 737, which entered service in 1968. Similarly, in the second extract, who would promise better seats in such a high-level document concerned with the future of the railways? It has to be Great

Northern commuter and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps. WHO, WHOM? But whoever is writing, nowhere does the WSP address how any new rolling stock will be procured or, of more immediate importance, how existing fleets will be managed. But change seems certain. As discussed last month, in the first of these detailed analyses of different aspects of the Plan, the Passenger Service Contracts (PSC), which will replace the now (or soon to be) terminated franchise

ROLLING STOCK POLICY ‘Integration of fleet planning with infrastructure improvements will be important to improve passenger experience, financial efficiency and environmental sustainability. The reforms set out in this White Paper do not assume any direct change to the current industry model for procurement of train fleets and maintenance by independent train-leasing companies. The Government will however take forward work to assess options to ensure reliable delivery and value for money for the taxpayer and passengers. This work will also consider supply chain sustainability and how to sustain and generate high-value jobs and economic activity.’ Williams-Shapps Plan

Government procurement: the Thameslink Class 700. Passing allotments at West Worthing on 5 March 2021 is Pride-liveried No 700155 working the 14.11 Littlehampton shed to Three Bridges depot empty stock. John Vaughan

Modern Railways August 2021

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Informed Sources agreements, will remove most of the responsibilities of the original TOCs. Great British Railways (GBR) will provide the timetable, staff the stations, set fares and take the revenue. In effect, train operation is being outsourced. A PSC will be a hollowedout TOC, sans timetable, sans revenue, sans stations and, to judge by the section in bold, sans rolling stock responsibility. One interpretation of the Plan is that, along with the timetable and fares, the PSC will also be provided with the rolling stock GBR thinks necessary to run its services. LONG-TERM With an entirely new structure for the railway, why should a concession, which is just there to run the trains on time, have responsibility for specifying and procuring rolling stock fleets with a potential 35-year life and costing hundreds of millions of pounds? Equally, Government procurement of rolling stock has shown the pitfalls of pandering to political imperatives. Forget the Intercity Express Programme, which was down to one man’s quirks. Think more about the new Thameslink fleet, also specified and procured by the Department for Transport. These trains were supplied without seatback tables, power

Time for a pooled fleet? CrossCountry Turbostar No 170107 passes Drem on the East Coast main line on 19 April 2021 working the 5Q87 Kilmarnock Bonnyton works to Tyseley. The unit, which was involved in a collision with a Class 66 near Bromsgrove in March 2020, was returning following repairs by Brodie Engineering. Ian Lothian

points or Wi-Fi. Not to mention the ‘ironing board’ seats which will now be replaced – by whom, when and at what cost is not clear. Currently, we have another example of state train procurement in the form of the rolling stock for HS2. So far HS2 has had to settle out of court with Talgo and now faces a legal challenge from Siemens. Media reports have suggested the preferred bidder is the Bombardier-Hitachi ‘save our kittens’ consortium; the fact Bombardier is now pronounced ‘Alstom’ could make life more interesting for the embattled HS2 procurement team. With Alstom, the most experienced high-speed train builder outside China, withdrawing its original bid in favour of the joint venture with Hitachi, the politics of the manufacturing side of the contract will be fascinating. I just hope Hitachi knows its ‘Informed Sources’ Laws. That leaves CAF of the original bidders without a pay-off, legal challenge or a contract. Future procurement of train fleets by those raising the hard cash to buy them should introduce the incentive to think long-term. When the initial lease runs out, will a train still be attractive to the operator – whoever that may be?

75 VARIETIES ‘Over-complication appears built into many aspects of the rail network. There are around 75 different types of train in passenger service on today’s network, imposing greater costs in maintenance, regulation and crew training. No commercial airline would have that many types of aircraft; no bus, coach or lorry company that many types of vehicle.’ Williams-Shapps Plan Fortunately, we are unlikely to need, or be able to afford, any new rolling stock in significant quantities this side of 2023. And GBR will need a year or so to settle in before it has the capability to plan a long-term rolling stock strategy. HERE AND NOW However, we do need to start thinking about the WSP’s ‘options to ensure reliable delivery and value for money’ for existing fleets. If PSCs are to run the trains they are given, centralisation of leases has a number of advantages. Take the Turbostar DMUs, for example. Currently, 557 vehicles are in service with eight operators. Of these, 497 are owned by Porterbrook. As current National Rail contracts hand over to the PSCs, their leases could transfer to GBR and be incorporated within a master lease, establishing what used to be called a common user pool. Angel and Eversholt might be encouraged to

BOTTOMING OUT RIDE ‘Great British Railways will introduce new design and ride standards that will make sure all new trains are more comfortable than their predecessors. Great British Railways will bring forward the normal replacement cycles on existing trains equipped with "ironing-board"-like seats, beginning with longdistance trains, in order to make the seats significantly more comfortable, or to replace and eventually remove them altogether.’ Williams-Shapps Plan

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sell their mini-fleets of two or three dozen vehicles to Porterbrook. Given that these are the DMUs most likely to run past 2040 (‘Informed Sources’, last month) and with potential for investment in retro-conversion to dieselbattery hybrid and exhaust after-treatment, a single lease would also simplify conversion programmes, plus cascades as electrification releases DMUs. While such pillaging of the small fleets might not go down well with some ROSCO chums, this proposal would meet the aims of the WSP of reducing complexity and saving money. TOTAL TRAIN SERVICE Of course, for the fleet owner looking to generate an additional long-term revenue stream, once you have a common pool of Turbostars, there is the option of a joint venture company with the maker offering Train Service Provision. The new company would take over maintenance depots and handle examinations and overhauls – which will probably be outside the competence of the new PSC operators. This has become almost a standard feature for new fleets, with Alstom, Bombardier, Hitachi, Siemens and Stadler all taking over existing depots.

August 2021 Modern Railways

Informed Sources Similar opportunities apply with Electrostars, where there are enough vehicles to support two common user ‘pools’. This would please the Treasury, as it would provide scope for some competition. You can do the same analysis with other post-privatisation fleets. Most Desiros are already maintained by manufacturer Siemens and owned by Angel Trains. And many of the current third wave of orders are manufacturer maintained. THOR POINT Then there are the Class 22x fleets. Beacon Rail has acquired the original West Coast and CrossCountry fleets (352 vehicles). The Eversholt Rail Class 222s (143 vehicles) are due to be displaced at East Midlands Railway by the new Hitachi Class 810 bi-modes in 2023. On the realistic view that new trains will be unaffordable for the next five years, I still believe the addition of a pantograph transformer car to convert a ‘22x’ to a bi-mode has even more potential than the first time round (St Jude comes to mind – Ed). Routes operated by the CrossCountry ‘22x’ should be early candidates for electrification, and bi-modes are a simple way of boosting the benefits of electrification. And at risk of triggering a pile-on of mail from Scottish readers, the Inter7City HST fleet is due to be replaced by 2030.

Roger Ford

POLICY But back to GBR, which will determine rolling stock policy and procurement. The new organisation will need an experienced traction and rolling stock engineer within its engineering directorate. Ideally, they will bear the scars from past procurement exercises. And the first task will be to develop a strategy aligned with the rolling programme of electrification, combining existing fleets and the new generation of electric stock. Also to be determined will be the relationship between GBR specifying its new standard fleets and their procurement by the ROSCOs. I say ‘fleets’, but really it will be a case of ‘platforms’. For example, for inter-city the Hitachi AT300 platform will continue to develop, while with EMUs we can let competition decide between the various designs which are only just entering service. GBR might, for example, set level boarding as a long-term policy. DOCTRINAIRE PROCUREMENT COSTS Talking of procurement, stateowned LNER has followed up its Official Journal of the European Union Notice seeking an additional 10 trains to replace the remaining IC225 sets with a further Notice covering finance for the trains plus ‘leased equipment, depot works and LNER’s project costs by way of an Operating Lease Agreement through a

qualified provider of rolling stock operating leasing solutions’. That this whole process is doctrinaire procurement gone mad is emphasised by the extract from the finance OJEU in the box. Look at that list of ‘extras’, bringing the total cost of 10 additional trains to half a billion – yes, half a billion – pounds. Assuming ninecar bi-modes, that’s 90 vehicles. Based on previous orders, and even allowing for inflation, LNER could augment its existing Hitachi 800 Series Azuma fleet for less than half of that. As a reader pointed out when the original OJEU Notice was published, there is also the ‘sunk cost’ in the existing fleet. LNER has already trained its drivers, train managers and on-board staff. A split fleet would require retraining, including depot staff. LNER’s depots have been transferred to Hitachi. Would another of the rolling stock majors be happy sharing their technical intellectual property with a rival manufacturer? Experience abroad suggests possibly not.

On top of staff retraining, there would also be the expense and time of obtaining approval for a new 125mph bi-mode which currently doesn’t exist. Not to mention the impact on operations as it progresses down the reliability bathtub curve. If LNER wanted to follow European practice, a rational approach (what about ‘Informed Sources’ 1st Law? – Ed) would have been to issue a Voluntary Ex-Ante Transparency (VEAT) Notice. This explains that you are intending to award a contract for more trains to Hitachi without going out to competitive tender. A VEAT has to be supported by value and legally impregnable reasons, several of which have been outlined above. Following publication of the VEAT, there is a 10-day standstill notice during which the decision can be challenged. Since no manufacturer has a suitable train, and would not develop one for a such a derisory quantity, LNER and its chosen funder could then get down to hammering out a deal with Newton Aycliffe.

TEN MORE TRAINS ‘LNER has commenced a procurement process with potential manufacturers for the design, manufacture, testing and supply (and associated maintenance activities) of a fleet of ten (10) InterCity trains (the “Base Order Units”), owner owned spares, special tools, simulator hardware and technical information, mock-ups (together the “Leased Equipment”) and depot works, with an option to procure up to an additional five (5) trains (“Option Units”) for use on the East Coast franchise.’ LNER OJEU Notice

Should we revive Project Thor? Avanti West Coast Voyager No 221114 takes the chord at Lichfield Trent Valley High Level junction on 14 March 2021, as a Class 323 waits in the platform at Trent Valley station. John Whitehouse

Modern Railways August 2021

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August 2021 Modern Railways

Informed Sources

Roger Ford Record attempt: Avanti West Coast Pendolino No 390044 working the 1Z57 10.36 Euston to Glasgow Central approaches Winwick Junction on 17 June 2021. Tony Miles

LESSONS FROM THE RECORD RUN

n Need for WCML (North) modernisation n Energy efficiency of electrification n Industry can co-operate

ince I joined Modern Railways, I have taken part in numerous record runs. But I can’t remember thinking at the time ‘why are we doing this’? However, the attempt by Avanti West Coast on 17 June to break the December 1984 London – Glasgow record set by a Pre-Series Advanced Passenger Train (APT-P) was so out of kilter with these austere, turbulent times that, as I followed its progress on Realtime Trains, just that question came to mind. In what some regard as the golden age of the railway – the 1930s – record rail runs reflected the zeitgeist. On land, sea and in the air the advance of technology was exemplified by speed – from the Schneider Trophy to Donald Campbell’s ‘Bluebird’ recordbreaking cars and boats. Record runs were partly about engineering bragging rights, but more about publicity. During a run in 1935 to publicise the new Silver Jubilee London – Newcastle service, Silver Link twice achieved a speed of 112.5mph, breaking the British speed record and averaging 100mph for 43 miles. The commercial message was clear: ‘you too can travel in style and comfort in this record-breaking train’.

POLITICAL MESSAGE Under British Rail, the message was less overt. Most record runs were part of the general promotions for service improvements, such as the introduction of new traction and rolling stock or infrastructure. But it was also showing politicians, in government and along a route, that investment in railways was delivering results. A typical example was the run to mark the extension of electrification from Bournemouth to Weymouth. A pair of the new Class 442s set a new record journey time for Waterloo – Weymouth, plus a new ‘world speed record’ on third rail at 109mph. Another example was the London – Edinburgh blast with a shortened IC225 set – very much in the spirit of Silver Jubilee. Then there are runs made just for the hell of it. Miffed by a series of Western Region IC125 highspeed publicity runs, culminating in a Paddington – Bristol Temple Meads average speed of 112.9mph, the Eastern Region struck back. Under the cover of celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Silver Jubilee launch, a ‘Tees-Tyne Pullman’ would operate with a shortened 2+5 IC125 set. To beat

Modern Railways August 2021

‘Royal Scot’: No 390044 was named at London Euston by Avanti West Coast MD Phil Whittingham (left) and Network Rail Chair Sir Peter Hendy prior to departure with the record run. Proceeds from ticket sales on the trip went to Action for Children and the Railway Benefit Fund. Courtesy Avanti West Coast

Western Region would require a 142.5 minutes Newcastle – London timing. A blistering run resulted in an average speed of 115.4mph, with the bonus of a world diesel speed record down Stoke Bank. Of course, world record speeds for third rail and diesel trains are a bit like the American baseball ‘World Series’. No-one else runs long-distance third rail or high-speed diesel trains. STRICT You couldn’t take such liberties with linespeeds nowadays. Which is why the attempt by Avanti West Coast to beat the London – Glasgow record set by APT-P was intriguing. I was on the 1984 run but, for some reason, didn’t report it in detail in Modern Railways. But I

seem to recall there may have been some easing of linespeeds, although there was certainly a signal stop in the Trent Valley. But on the 21st century railway, you do things by the book. The West Coast equivalent of running an IC125 through Welwyn North at 125mph was not on the agenda. Avanti’s attempt was timed to run non-stop while observing the current 125mph maximum. In the event, despite averaging 103mph, the record was missed by 21 seconds. LOST OPPORTUNITIES But it was not quite as simple as that. There is by-the-book and by-thebook, and failing by 21 seconds could have been avoided had the approach been that every second counts.

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Informed Sources For a start, literally, the optimum platform was not adopted for the departure from Euston. Then, the Pendolino was in its standard configurations. Driving using the speed setting facility meant that, on the 125mph linespeed sections, the train was running at 124mph. According to informed sources, the driver suggested manual driving, but this was rejected. Manual control would have allowed running a couple of mph faster without tripping the over-speed. Similarly, after speed restrictions, acceleration back to linespeed would have been quicker. Over 100 miles, the difference between 124mph and 125mph is 23 seconds. But that is enthusiast nitpicking. In ‘normal’ terms, whether the record was broken or not was immaterial. Failure by seconds was not seen as a disgrace by the media, garnering valuable positive coverage. RATIONALE So what was the run all about? And what did we learn from it? Covid recovery was the primary focus. With reduced timetables and few passengers,

train operators have been reporting record levels of punctuality and reliability. That advantage is gradually fading, and the aim must be to maintain the current level of performance as the railway gets busier, both in terms of returning to pre-lockdown timetables and having increasing numbers of passengers getting in the way of running a railway. A record run was a practical way to remind operating staff at all levels of the importance of right-time performance and attention to detail. Open data, plus Realtime Trains and social media, meant the run was an open secret beforehand, adding to the pressure on the attempt. With the Williams-Shapps Plan still fresh, organising the run was also a graphic demonstration to Government that the industry was already capable of working together. Operators on the route moved their trains to provide a clear path. One freight operator, which had bid a VSTP (very shortterm path) scheduled into the ‘white space’ in the West Coast main line timetable the day before, changed its plan to allow the record run to go ahead.

ENERGY This column’s status as the official publication of the militant wing of the Railway Electrification Front meant I received details of the ninecar Pendolino’s energy consumption. Net energy used for the journey was 7,863kWh after regenerative braking returned 13% to the supply. This gave an average consumption of 12.2kWh/km, which compares with the 14kWh based on measured readings between London and Manchester quoted in Roger Kemp’s traction metrics study for the RSSB. Informed sources confirm that in normal (pre-Covid) service a nine-car Pendolino was averaging around 14kWh/km, with regenerative braking savings of around 15%. Clearly, a non-stop run will use less energy, since the only times maximum tractive power was required was when leaving Euston and after the speed restrictions at Stafford (60mph), Crewe (80mph), Preston (35mph) and Carlisle (20mph).

HINT In the virtual race with APT-P, the Pendolino was seven minutes ahead approaching the border, but this was not sufficient to overcome APT-P’s advantage of being able to run faster over lines which, unlike the southern end of the WCML, have not enjoyed the increased speeds further south, such as at Stafford and Crewe. The deciding factor was the temporary speed restriction for earthworks at Carstairs. This added a political message to the lessons from the record attempt. A ‘levelling-up’ of the northern section of the WCML is overdue. Much of the infrastructure is unchanged since the 1974 electrification, which saw the ‘Electric Scots’ introduce a 5hr London – Glasgow headline time. Thus, the final message of the run is that if HS2 is to realise its full potential, planning for the West Coast Route Modernisation (North) needs to start now, both for journey time reductions and reliability.

LONDONTO GLASGOW: RECORD RUNS COMPARED APT record (12 December 1984) Previous fastest Pendolino timing (22 September 2006) Avanti’s attempt (17 June 2021)

3hr 52min 40sec 3hr 55min 27sec 3hr 53min 1sec

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Experience The Diﬀerence August 2021 Modern Railways

Informed Sources

Roger Ford

Electrification metric rediscovered n Prioritising the rolling programme n Recognises impact of emissions

or a reality check, following up a particularly egregious example of historical air-brushing in a hearing of the House of Commons Transport Committee, I went back to the 2009 Network Rail Electrification Route Utilisation Strategy (RUS). This confirmed that, far from being bounced into an unknown quantity with the Adonis electrification programme, Network Rail had a clear idea of what was happening. However, rereading the RUS provided the answer to something I had been mulling over for some time – how to prioritise the rolling programme on the basis of its contribution to decarbonisation, rather than the business case alone. The box describes the conversion ratio proposed in the RUS. Readers will note I have named this the Richard Eccles Factor (REf). A couple of days after looking up the RUS, I received the sad news that Richard had died. At Network Rail, he had been the architect of the Electrification RUS and I thought attributing this useful metric would be an appropriate tribute. Getting a handle on what an REf looks like is not that simple, since you need to relate current diesel train miles to single track kilometres (stkm) of wiring. However, for a rough estimate we can take the Great Western Electrification Programme (GWEP).

Clearly this has limitations, because some of the diesel train miles operated by the replaced IC125 fleet are still operated by bi-modes. But it does give an indication of what sort of numbers to expect. Based on the pre-electrification diesel IC125 mileage, the REf comes up at around 18,000. SCOTTISH METRIC Scotland’s current decarbonisation programme includes 1,800stkm of electrification. Based on current diesel train mileage, the REf of this programme works out at around 10,000. That total mileage also includes the Far North and Kyle lines. A quick check for these routes on their own results in an REf of around 6,000. Of course, Transport Scotland’s network highlights the limitations of alternative traction. Only electric traction can match the performance of the Inter7City IC125s. Electrification of the inter-city network includes some relatively lightly-used lines, such as to Aberdeen and Inverness, which will drag down the REf. However, their role in maintaining and improving national connectivity makes electrification essential. And, of course, more than ScotRail trains run over these routes. These will add to the diesel train miles, passenger and freight, avoided. At risk of complicating this simple metric, individual routes

THE RICHARD ECCLES FACTOR ‘In order to provide a rapid assessment of the ranking of options, a “conversion ratio” has been used. To a first order of magnitude, the benefit of electrification is broadly in proportion to the number of vehicle miles which can be converted from diesel to electric operation (this forms a proxy for passenger benefits, environmental benefits and operating cost savings), and the cost is broadly proportional to the number of track miles to be electrified. It follows that the ratio of number of vehicle miles which can be converted from diesel to electric operation to track miles to be electrified will provide an initial indication of the relative benefit:cost ratios of options.’ Network Rail Electrification RUS, 2009 could have the REf boosted by an allowance for the network effect. Electrification is not just about wires. It can also affect rolling stock policy. Voyagers running from Aberdeen travel under the wires in diesel mode from Edinburgh to York. The already mentioned ‘Project Thor’ conversion to bi-mode would have boosted the Transport Scotland electrification programme, plus the priority within the Northern England network and the eventual Birmingham – Bristol electrification. HOPE DEFERRED Meanwhile, Network Rail’s Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy (TDNS) remains in limbo – or purgatory – as far as Government action is concerned. Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris said at the Railway Industry Association Innovation Conference back in April that the Government’s response will make the industry ‘very happy’. But the question of when rapturous smiles all round can be expected remains vague. At a trade press briefing on 23 June, Network Rail Chief

Executive Andrew Haines gave an update on progress with the TDNS at the Department. He pointed out that a lot of work had gone into demonstrating that the lessons from GWEP had been learned and are already being deployed successfully, as instanced, for example, on the Bedford – Kettering/Corby electrification (‘Informed Sources’, April issue). Disappointingly, because of what it tells us about the Treasury attitudes, if not DfT, more work has gone into demonstrating that the schemes proposed for the early stages in the TDNS are ‘no regrets’. I sympathise with Andrew Haines and his team with this waste of time, because it is hard, in a rational world, to think of a route where, if electrified this year, you might think in 20 years’ time ‘damn, if only we had waited for phlogiston power’. But in Parliamentary answers DfT ministers are still spouting

Highland main line: a ScotRail Inter7City HST forming the 08.35 Edinburgh to Inverness arrives at Kingussie on 29 June 2021, with No 43129 leading and No 43139 on the rear. Jamie Squibbs

Modern Railways August 2021

www.keymodernrailways.com

Informed Sources the Micawberesque belief that something better than electrification will turn up, for example, to replace the Class 196 diesels planned for East West Rail. Mind you, it would take unheard-of levels of chutzpah for someone in the Treasury to start berating Network Rail for wasting money by not electrifying the line while it was being built. All that said, and despite the competing demands for funding, Andrew Haines still believes ‘we are on the cusp of some material unlocking because it makes economic sense. Unless you are going to walk away from that decarbonisation commitment as part of that economy, we should be cracking on now, with a steady pace, not busting a gut doing it in the last 15 years’. Such a delay would overheat the supply chain, result in unaffordable disruption costs and would have lost years of decarbonisation benefits. WHEN? As for timing, Mr Haines reckons the Government would want to get confirmation of the initial programme before the Climate Change Conference (COP26) which opens in Glasgow on 1 November. I am not so sure.

In terms of PR newsworthiness and perception, an announcement that the Government is going to buy a pilot fleet of fuel cell multiple-units, with experimental versions fighting for attention on the conference ‘fringe’, is far sexier than saying you are going to string up a few wires. Andrew Haines also pointed out that the funding decision might have to be part of the next Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR). By convention, the CSR is published by the Chancellor in November. After last year’s Covid-dominated oneyear CSR, a conventional threeyear Review is scheduled. So, with the CSR not published until after COP26, my money is for an announcement during the Climate Conference that funding has been allocated to Northern’s Tees Valley pilot scheme (‘Informed Sources’, last month). An order for 10 Alstom/Eversholt Rail Class 600 Breeze fuel cell conversions has the added attraction of generating employment at Alstom’s Widnes plant. Then, with luck, we might get some electrification authorised with the CSR. The smart money

Candidate for wires: the Midland main line. EMR Meridian No 222022 departs from Leicester with the 12.45 Nottingham to St Pancras on 13 May 2021. John Whitehouse

is on completing the Midland main line to Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield, keeping the successful SPL Powerlines team

in being. But this comes with the caveat that a Breeze order would give the Treasury further breathing space to nit-pick.

MORE WIRES PROMISED ‘The Government has announced almost £600 million to start work on electrifying the Trans-Pennine route between Leeds and Manchester, design work to extend electrification to Market Harborough is underway, and the Government will announce further electrification projects in England will be announced (sic) shortly.’ Williams-Shapps Plan

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August 2021 Modern Railways

Informed Sources

Roger Ford

Reliability metrics compared MTIN vs 701(D) – if it ain’t broke?

uzzled by the rationale behind the change from Miles per Technical Incident Number (MTIN) to Miles per 701D code (Mp701D) for recording fleet reliability, I asked the Rail Delivery Group, which is responsible for Fleet Challenge, for some background. Mark Molyneux, RDG’s National Fleet Performance Manager, duly obliged with an interview. We have all become used to MTIN, which supplanted Miles per fiveminute delay (MP5MD) a decade ago. This change represented a tightening up of the measure, since a TIN is registered on TRUST when a failure causes a delay of three minutes. Most fleets saw their reliability statistics fall back as a result (Table 1). As Table 2 shows, the latest change has had a broadly similar effect.

According to Mr Molyneux, there were a number of reasons behind the latest change. First, the new yardstick is seen as an ‘independent’ number. RDG downloads from TRUST the incidents attributed to Fleet (701D) for each Class. Depots now supply just the mileage for each class in the latest four-week reporting period. RDG then divides mileages by incidents to get Mp701D. Previously, under MTIN, depots were responsible for supplying RDG with the number of TINs attributed to each of their fleets. However, different train operators and their depot engineers approached their TIN attribution differently. FAT FINGER Some simply accepted the 701D data as immutable: others

challenged any attributions of failures outwith their control. A classic example was coupling and uncoupling, where finger trouble in the cab could result in a failure which was nothing to do with the reliability of the train and should have been attributed to 701C – train crew. Did it matter? Well yes, if you were set on maximising reliability. With added pressure if you were pursuing recognition of excellence as reflected in Golden Spanners in the depot reception area showcase. Were awards important? Well yes, in terms of motivating depot staff. As they used to say in motor racing, ‘competition improves the breed’, and the pride in success is tangible at the Spanners awards ceremonies when depot staff – and rarely depot management – come forward to share the recognition by their peers of their achievements.

INDEPENDENCE But, according to Mark Molyneux, at the top of the industry, MTIN was not seen as an independent measure because depot engineers were able to ‘massage’ the figures. This has also been a criticism since the Spanners began. But it all depends on what you call ‘massage’. Great Western has not been a serial Spanner winner, in part because it has not challenged attributions. South West Trains, on the other hand, was relentless on attribution as part of its focus on eliminating failures that were under its control. This focused approach was a regular source of discontent, seen as cheating, or ‘blaming’ train crew. When FirstGroup took over at South Western, we were promised that Wimbledon and Salisbury depots would be brought in line. Yet at the 2020

Source of MTIN controversy: the South Western DMU fleet. During a weekend of strike action on SWR, when this station was a terminus for some services, No 159004 trails No 159104 with the 15.09 Exeter Central to Salisbury at Honiton on 14 December 2019. M. John Stretton

Modern Railways August 2021

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Informed Sources Spanners the Salisbury ex-BR DMUs were still three times more reliable than the best of the rest, and the Wimbledon Class 455s in the top three of their class. This highlighted the practical importance. The MTIN figures reflected the ability of a depot to fault find, rectify and improve reliability. By making training of train crew in rolling stock operation and fault-finding part of their remit, fleet engineers could let the depots focus on incidents which stopped a train running. STIFFER MEASURE A further driver for change was concern that after 10 years of MTIN a more onerous measure was required. ‘We needed to turn up the volume’, as Mark Molyneux puts it. When the change was proposed, some operators were for it, some ‘dead against it’, but most of those involved went along with the proposal and it was voted through. While currently MTIN and Mp701D are running in parallel, one of the arguments for it is

TABLE 1: IMPACT OF CHANGE FROM MP5MD TO MTIN IN 2011 (DATA FOR EX-BR DMUs) Operator First Greater Western Northern Arriva Trains Wales London Midland East Midlands Trains London Midland National Express East Anglia Arriva Trains Wales First Greater Western Northern Northern First ScotRail Northern National Express East Anglia East Midlands Trains Northern Arriva Trains Wales First ScotRail East Midlands Trains First Greater Western South West Trains South West Trains South West Trains

Fleet Class 150 Class 150 Class 150 Class 150 Class 153 Class 153 Class 153 Class 153 Class 153 Class 153 Class 155 Class 156 Class 156 Class 156 Class 156 Class 158 Class 158 Class 158 Class 158 Class 158 Class 158 Class 159/0 Class 159/1

P13 MP5MD 6,000 5,586 8,748 9,796 9,909 9,898 8,735 5,532 5,981 5,978 6,687 12,391 5,920 9,192 6,846 6,255 3,765 5,748 9,110 6,935 43,464 41,518 43,123

P1 MTIN 3,111 3,933 5,733 7,052 4,493 6,731 6,553 3,847 3,154 5,248 4,767 6,708 4,341 7,164 3,441 5,666 1,862 3,472 5,686 3,996 75,522 30,231 29,752

% change -48.1 -29.6 -34.5 -28 -54.7 -32 -25 -30.5 -47.3 -12.2 -28.7 -45.9 -26.7 -22.1 -49.7 -9.4 -50.5 -39.6 -37.6 -42.4 73.8 -27.2 -31

that its adoption will reduce the statistical workload on the depots. HARD CORE When MTIN is finally phased out, I would expect some of the hard core depots to continue to challenge delay attribution internally to maintain focus on reliability growth. For the time being, New Train TIN-watch will report both figures. We aim to use MTIN for the 2021 Golden Spanner Awards in November. From 2022, the awards will be Mp701D based. According to Mr Molyneux, the change to Mp701D should drive the ‘right behaviour’ when it comes to delay attribution. And he notes some operators had already put attribution in the ‘too difficult’ category. REAL IMPACT Central to the change is the argument that the MTIN measure does not capture or reflect the real impact of fleet-related technical failures on the passenger. Mp701D is expected to provide a better alignment with monitoring of overall industry performance for all fleet technical failures. It also provides a less nuanced measure at executive level within train operating company (TOC) management, for example, when considering reports on all the 701 code incidents at board meetings. At this level, the argument goes,

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August 2021 Modern Railways

Informed Sources

Roger Ford

TABLE 2: IMPACT OF CHANGE FROM MTIN TO MP701D IN 2021

TABLE 3: TRUST TOC INCIDENT CATEGORY CODES

(DATA FOR EX-BR DMUs, PERIOD 2 2021-22) Operator

Fleet

MTIN MAA

TfW Rail Great Western Railway Northern TfW Rail East Midlands Railway West Midlands Trains TfW Rail Northern Northern ScotRail Northern East Midlands Railway Northern TfW Rail ScotRail East Midlands Railway Great Western Railway South Western Railway South Western Railway South Western Railway

Class 143 Class 150 Class 150 Class 150 Class 153 Class 153 Class 153 Class 153 Class 155 Class 156 Class 156 Class 156 Class 158 Class 158 Class 158 Class 158 Class 158 Class 158 Class 159/0 Class 159/1

6,753 12,368 8,280 9,393 10,457 10,127 7,276 13,998 11,024 12,115 11,273 8,006 8,308 9,037 11,565 11,564 9,070 25,445 33,911 35,977

‘why do the engineers need to KPI (Key Performance Indicator) to death in the accompanying commentary’? CAUSE Certainly, as far as a passenger is concerned, it matters not whether a coupling failure was due to

Mp701D MAA 6,571 9,338 5,882 6,906 7,017 1,812 5,132 37,733 8,161 8,691 7,713 4,775 8,017 6,013 7,117 6,984 8,407 26,065 32,643 29,284

Change % -3 -25 -29 -26 -33 -82 -29 170 -26 -28 -32 -40 -4 -33 -38 -40 -7 2 -4 -19

incorrect procedure or a badly maintained or damaged coupler. The delay is the same. Thus arguing over the cause of the TIN could get in the way of the TOC seeking to improve overall reliability. Despite my helpful discussion with Mark Molyneux, I have yet

Incident Category

Incident Category Codes

Incident Category Description

Fleet

701A

Non-technical Fleet delays

Fleet

701D

Technical Fleet delays

Operations

701B

Train operations

Stations

701E

Station delays

TOC Other

701F

External Causes (Train Operator)

TOC Other

701G

Freight Terminal/Yard delays

Train crew

701C

Train crew causes

to be convinced that Mp701D is a change for the better. Certainly, I don’t follow the argument about better reflecting passenger experience. Passengers need a train that doesn’t break down, is clean and has toilets that work throughout their journeys. This is what the engineers on night shift are trying to achieve. If anything, with today’s more complex software-based trains, they need to have even-more granular KPIs, even though this may go over the head of the company board. And many of the TOC MDs I know value such detail. And as you can see, some sub-classes are already being lumped together for the purposes of 701D – for example, Class 195/0 and 195/1. Anyway, it will be interesting to see how it plays out over the

next year or so. Meanwhile, we will be publishing both figures in TIN-watch, with new fleets ranked on MTIN moving annual average (MAA) for continuity. For interest, however, this month there is a separate table (Table 5) ranking the new train fleets on their Mp701D MAA performance and comparing their position with the MTIN MAA performance. I’m not sure what this tells us, if anything, but I thought it worth publishing for readers to consider. Finally, it is a case of ave atque vale in this month’s TIN-watch table (Table 4). We say goodbye to the LNER Class 801s as another Hitachi fleet breaks through the new 20,000 MTIN MAA promotion ceiling. And it is hello to the Arriva Rail London Class 710/3 fleet.

Reporting 701D figures as a single fleet: Northern’s No 195117 crosses Leven viaduct with the 13.28 Manchester Airport to Barrow-in-Furness on 11 June 2021. Tom McAtee

Modern Railways August 2021

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Informed Sources TABLE 4: NEW TRAIN RELIABILITY, 2021-22 PERIOD 2 Operator

Class

Traction

Maker

Number of units/ trainsets

Number of Technical Incidents (TIN)

Number of 701Ds

Unit Miles

Miles per Technical Incident (MTIN)

Miles per 701D (Mp701D)

MTIN MAA

Mp701D MAA

LNER

Class 801

EMU

Hitachi

738,080

32,090

18,452

20,498

13,101

LNER

Class 800

Bi-mode

Hitachi

277,274

55,455

23,106

17,650

11,044 11,777

Great Western Railway

Class 802

Bi-mode

Hitachi

373,519

21,972

10,672

16,652

TransPennine Express

Class 802

Bi-mode

Hitachi

181,681

9,562

9,084

14,356

8,951

Govia Thameslink Railway

Class 717

EMU

Siemens

140,361

11,697

10,797

12,234

8,642

Class 331/0

EMU

CAF

185,731

16,885

11,882

Class 397

EMU

CAF

141,683

8,855

7,457

7,892

5,239

Greater Anglia

Class 755/4

Bi-mode

Stadler

204,266

8,511

7,856

7,228

5,449

Greater Anglia

Class 755/3

Bi-mode

Stadler

123,370

30,843

20,562

7,172

5,648

Northern

Class 195/1

DMU

CAF

206,385

7,117

7,062

Northern

Class 195/0

DMU

CAF

165,394

12,723

6,800

Northern

Class 331/1

EMU

CAF

63,526

7,941

6,687

Greater Anglia

Class 745/0

EMU

Stadler

97,919

10,880

9,792

6,480

5,092

TfL Rail (Crossrail)

Class 345 RLU

EMU

Alstom

133,123

14,791

8,875

6,327

4,992

Arriva Rail London

Class 710/2

EMU

Alstom

100,226

9,111

10,023

5,483

4,355

Greater Anglia

Class 745/1

EMU

Stadler

105,563

6,210

4,590

5,281

4,247

West Midlands Trains

Class 230

DMU

Vivarail

4,591

2,296

574

5,134

1,812

TransPennine Express

Nova 3 train set

Diesel

CAF

30,513

5,086

3,390

4,978

2,965

Arriva Rail London

Class 710/1

EMU

Alstom

155,655

8,192

6,486

4,884

3,827

Greater Anglia

Class 720/5

EMU

Alstom

145,224

4,841

3,925

3,357

2,716

Arriva Rail London

Class 710/3

EMU

Alstom

1,624

Class 769

DEMU

Porterbrook

13,560

904

798

1,451

1,187

Class 345 FLU

EMU

Alstom

186,273

3,801

2,484

1,022

860

Northern TransPennine Express

TfW Rail TfL Rail (Crossrail)

* combined class Mp701D figures TIN=technical incident, where a train is stopped for three minutes or more due to a vehicle problem. RLU=reduced length unit, FLU=full length unit; * figure for combined classes

DON’T MISS THE GOLDEN SPANNERS! Captain Deltic’s annual awards for the most reliable fleets will be given out on 26 November at the Grand Connaught Rooms in London. For details visit www.keymodernrailways.com/fourth-friday-club

Mp701D

Mp701D MAA

Class 195

5,720

3,262

Class 331

6,737

5,934

TABLE 5: MTIN MAA AND MP701D MAA RANKINGS COMPARED Operator

Class

Mp701D ranking

LNER

Class 801

MTIN ranking 1

Great Western Railway

Class 802

LNER

Class 800

TransPennine Express

Class 802

Govia Thameslink Railway

Class 717

Northern

Class 331/0

Northern

Class 331/1

Greater Anglia

Class 755/3

Greater Anglia

Class 755/4

Class 397

Class 745/0

TransPennine Express Greater Anglia TfL Rail (Crossrail)

Class 345 RLU

Arriva Rail London

Class 710/2

15 16

Greater Anglia

Class 745/1

Arriva Rail London

Class 710/1

Northern

Class 195/1

Northern TransPennine Express Greater Anglia West Midlands Trains Arriva Rail London TfW Rail TfL Rail (Crossrail)

Class 195/0

Nova 3 train set

Class 720/5

Class 230

Class 710/3

Class 769

Class 345 FLU

Green figures indicate a higher position, red figures a lower position, and black no change

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August 2021 Modern Railways

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ritain enjoys the safest of Europe’s 10 biggest railway systems. But any railway, even ours, is potentially dangerous. This is because trains are big, fast and complicated – as are the systems that support and maintain them. The rail industry has long, complex supply chains, with a huge number of moving parts. Its technology and systems are becoming ever more advanced. And as it transports millions of passengers, it must prioritise safety, both for the public and rail workers. All of this means that the pressure is mounting, especially as the drop in passenger numbers post-pandemic demands everincreasing efficiency, too. In such a safety and cost-conscious environment, we can compare simple, comprehensive supplier assurance to a vitally important slice of cheese. Yes: cheese. HOW IS SUPPLIER ASSURANCE LIKE SWISS CHEESE?

James Reason’s Swiss cheese “model” describes system failures in complex systems. It includes a series of barriers that prevent hazards from having serious consequences. But each barrier has its own weaknesses (or holes), which can let certain hazards through (and make them look like Swiss cheese). So layering on more barriers (or slices) makes it less likely that any hazards will make it through them all to cause a problem. In the rail industry sandwich, supplier assurance is one of many slices of cheese. But as technology becomes more complex, and cost pressures rise, the performance of each slice as a barrier will become more important. That’s where the Rail Industry Supplier Qualification Scheme (RISQS) comes in. MORE CONFIDENCE – LESS TIME AND MONEY Robust regulation is vital to the smooth, safe running of the rail industry. Doing things well – knowing what good looks like and making sure it happens – makes everyone safer. (From train crews and passengers, to the teams in buyers’ procurement departments.) Following standards makes sure that everyone’s working at the same levels of quality and safety. But businesses can’t just say they meet those standards – they have to prove it. And proving it – which means an audit – costs buyers and suppliers alike, in time and money. The more audits needed to prove

Modern Railways August 2021

everyone’s performance is up to scratch… the more they cost. ASSURANCE DOESN’T HAVE TO EAT TIME AND MONEY Because of the duplication of effort they saw in the past, rail buyers and suppliers haven’t always welcomed supplier assurance. It didn’t always represent the industry’s best interests. Sometimes it was even seen as a ‘tax on doing business.’ But there’s evidence that without simple, trusted supplier assurance, there’s less business to tax. In 2011, the Arthur D. Little report showed that the industry could save £30 to £35 million each year. Purely by eliminating duplication in the supplier assurance process, which included simplifying and improving it. When the rail industry formed RISQS in 2013, the intent was to improve how all its suppliers proves their competence. The industry knew that duplicated and unnecessary effort was hurting productivity. The plan for RISQS was to offer trusted, cost-effective processes, allowing everyone to eliminate unnecessary multiple audits – as well as the countless working hours they eat up.

Delivery Group). This comprehensive scheme lets industry players focus their efforts on the things that matter. We help clear away inefficiency, charge fair prices, and ensure standards and audits are up to date. After all, when everyone operates to the same transparent standards, the whole industry runs more smoothly. RISQS can help maintain stronger foundations for rail’s commercial relationships. That’s why Network Rail continues to require direct suppliers to be members, and why TfL recently extended its use of RISQS. And we offer better value than ever – after running on its new platform for just one year, RISQS cut the prices of membership fees and audit day rates. What’s more, every penny of surplus we see goes back to supporting the rail industry. Helping it operate more efficiently, effectively, sustainably and safely. RISQS gives everyone in GB rail a clear sight of what good looks like. That means we can all benefit from a better, safer railway.

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282/21

Pan Up

Ian Walmsley

FREEDOM! Clayton Equipment celebrates 90 years – you’d like a locomotive with rails on the sides? No problem, comrade

t is a pleasure to take a break from mass-produced EMU ‘platform’ designs and see loco building from scratch in a UK factory. With a full order book to 2023 and enquiries far beyond that, Clayton Equipment in Burton-upon-Trent is in a good place, and I don’t mean just off the roundabout opposite Hobbycraft. When I looked in detail at the company’s Bo-Bo hybrid loco (‘Pan Up’, April 2019 issue), I couldn’t reveal the customer was Tata Steel at Port Talbot. Today the two locos in the workshop are liveried up and were due to be ready to join the three already there in July. Another two are on order for 2023, the earliest production slot available. To save you looking it up, the design is

a heavy steel underframe, on which sits a cab, a socking big lead acid battery bank, a fuel tank, another socking…, a battery charger and a relatively small engine. If we talk crashworthiness, there are few things which would come off best in a close encounter. PLAYING THE SLOTS There is a steady market for industrial locomotives, but margins are rarely high enough for a mass fleet renewal and often customers only need a couple of locos. As with the early days of Turbostars, there is an opportunity for an enterprising company to purchase a viable fleet size with the reasonable expectation of leasing them all; with Turbostars that company was

Porterbrook, with hybrid shunters it is Beacon Rail. So if you want one, it’s Beacon Rail or a two-year wait. While Clayton specialises in shortrun bespoke designs, such as the two battery-diesel hybrid locos for Snowdon Mountain Railway or specific plant devices, there are limits. This is just one example of how being a small privately owned company with an engineer, Clive Hannaford, in charge makes life easier. Rather than have some wild but clueless commercial manager (other commercial managers are available) dragging in business, Mr Hannaford can judge if something is worth the effort of bidding. It is also very easy to ask for prices but difficult and expensive to calculate them. They can be

‘indicative’ and wrapped in more caveats than travel insurance, but come the contract negotiation and a defined specification, stepping up is never easy. Clayton’s confirmed order book is worth £20 million, and the 765 enquiries pending £1.4 billion, and even if only 10% of them come good, that’s a living.

FREEDOM IS THE KEY Ever wonder why a main line locomotive can top £4 million when the locos in here can be had for under £1 million? Freedom is the answer; freedom to select, and even make the best components, without anyone telling you to buy within the group. Freedom to make changes based on engineering judgement rather than gaining the permission of a bunch of juvenile spreadsheet tappers and procurement clerks. Freedom to decide what business to go for and, last but not least, freedom from main line regulations.

Hybrid locos in build: these two locos complete an order for five received by Clayton from Tata Steel, with two more to follow by 2023. Note the size of the motor, which isn’t force ventilated with a traction motor blower. Ian Walmsley

Modern Railways August 2021

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Pan Up If you buy a car, you don’t start from a specification (unless you are the Pope or something), you buy a standard product. But if you buy a train, it is almost unknown for the customer to say: ‘I’ll have some of those please’. Clive Hannaford can always tell when specifications coming in have been written by main line heavy rail people (like me) because they are full of things a yard shunter doesn’t need. We tend to see anything in the specification as being free, like the RSSB’s view that filtered air supplies are fine for new build but not as a modification. The cost isn’t that much different, it’s just that on new build it isn’t visible and someone else is paying. That’s not to say these locos are dangerous – underframe cracking will not be a problem short of nuclear attack. For the new Beacon Rail locos freedom is to be slightly curtailed as they need to be designed for limited excursions onto Network Rail metals. For commercial reasons I can’t say where, so let’s imagine that Cadbury’s has re-laid the sidings at Bourneville, then they lead into the main line for chockvan train distribution. The Class 66, 93 or whatever will operate on Network Rail infrastructure, but the Bournville CBD90 will need to

Bespoke project: one of four Russian narrow gauge mining locos under construction. Ian Walmsley

run there too. Hence the need for a degree of compliance. Depending on the degree, the loco could be a sort of super last mile engine, but with better performance than the engine in the electric loco wardrobe. It also avoids the £4 million loco hanging around and playing with the troublesome trucks. As logistics companies try to decarbonise, maybe one day sidings could be re-laid and new industrial rail systems appear? A nice thought, but until track engineers can come up with the sort of savings us rolling stock people have achieved, we can but dream. LEAD ACID AND LITHIUM Key to the performance of a hybrid is the performance of the battery. How heavy is it? How much power can it supply? How long does it take to charge? At this point we should remember that the objective of all research and development organisations is to convince us we need what we haven’t already got. To tackle the easy one first, if you are not going fast over Network Rail’s carefully preserved track, then weight is good. The heavier the loco the higher the tractive effort, so the more it can pull. Lead is ideal. How much power per unit volume is the next factor; again, we are not struggling for space, so it is not a problem. Whatever the capacity, it will never match a diesel engine for power over time. The charging time is the big one for automotive batteries, and we have all heard about Vivarail’s rapid charging point (which uses a conductor rail which is earthed when there is not a train alongside). We tend to imagine rapid charging

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Socking great batteries: these are the batteries for the two CBD90 locos under construction for Tata Steel. Ian Walmsley

is just a matter of a software upgrade, yet it works by having a huge stack of batteries and a very hefty connection to get thousands of amps in quickly. This is fine if the long-suffering taxpayer is funding it, but freight doesn’t work like that. Most industrial yards tend to be pretty isolated and not sitting on a hefty power supply, nor are they keen on buying stacks of batteries. I hadn’t really thought about this, so here is a simple steam analogy to make the point. My yard ‘Jinty’ needs 1,200 gallons of water, and using the hose by the shunter’s cabin that will take all day and not much shunting will get done. However, if we connect the hose to a water tower tank it can fill it up continuously, then when the time comes my loco can be filled rapidly from a foot diameter hose and be clanging buffers again in no time. Rapid charge is exactly the same, except lithium batteries are a lot more expensive than a water tower, even if Network Rail built it. Whatever you do, you will be charging overnight (except for a bit of

regeneration), so it doesn’t matter if it takes nine hours instead of six. The limit is the power supply, so lead acid batteries it is. Hydrogen? Sorry, no subsidy, no hydrogen, no argument. ‘Physics is physics’ – Clive Hannaford. GRONK ZOMBIE We can’t really discuss the shunter market without considering the market leader, the good old Gronk, the Class 08 English Electric 0-6-0. The ‘08’ design goes back to the London, Midland and Scottish design of 1934, which became the British Rail standard (more or less). I worked in the shunter shop in Derby loco in 1974 and looked at ‘08’ replacement for Porterbrook in 2014. It was a non-starter, simply because they were all written down years ago, did the job and could well get a telegram from the Queen one day. Little has changed, other than parts being harder to find and people starting to worry about all that grey stuff they chuck out. The steady attrition rate of locos being ‘robbed’ to keep the others

August 2021 Modern Railways

Pan Up

Ian Walmsley

going must end eventually, and if main line locos get too busy for shunting the market should slowly expand. Eventually you run out of demic Gronks and a new CBD90 will save lots of fuel, emissions and spare part hunting. So far, the usual result of telling your Gronk provider that you are going to buy a new loco will be a cut in the lease charge, but eventually the maintenance fund will need a top up. This is a good example of how hard stock replacement is when you don’t have some politician saying ‘Pacers must go’ or pretending new stock will be better for passengers. I suspect the Beacon 15 will all find good homes. IVAN THE ENGINE You don’t get much more bespoke than the narrow-gauge mining loco under construction for Russia, the first of four on order. Clayton has built its own wheel press, built its own gearboxes and builds its own designs, making this oddity its natural territory. The trolley-wire powered loco has very substantial rails along the sides, as does its wagons. The train works around an underground loop, while in a seam of ore above it rubber tyred earth moving machines scurry about extracting ore. The ore is then shoved down a hole to fall into the wagons below – so no trolley wire there then. The train goes along its circuit to another hole, where the

ore is dumped to a receptacle to chain-bucket it to the surface. At that hole there is neither trolley wire or track, so the loco and wagons hang on its side rails where rollers take them along to start another circuit, all under the control of a miner with a controller hanging around their neck. Consider this next time you feel like complaining about your conditions of work. This sort of thing is of no interest to the big players, while the big £4 million main line locos are of little interest to Clayton. Technically, something like a multi-engine loco would be within its capability, but why support all that risk? Big companies can survive if some minion bounces your safety case for three months, covering that risk is part of what you get for the high prices. THE CLAYTON To enthusiasts of a certain age (me again), ‘Clayton’ means a Class 17 type 1, a fascinating failure from the 1960s modernisation plan. In principle a good design, needing only one cab and having two smaller engines so the centre cab gets a good view. Although 117 were ordered of this ‘standard’ design it was brought down by two things – Paxman and Beeching. Paxman built the engines, which proved unreliable, and Dr Beeching closed the lines which they were built for. English Electric went on to build more fantastically

TABLE 1: SPECIFICATION OF CLAYTON CBD90 LOCO FOR BEACON RAIL Axle arrangement Gauge Weight Kinematic envelope Axle load Maximum cant Maximum gradient Fuel tank capacity Maximum speed Length Height Width Minimum curve Wheel base between bogies Wheel base on a bogie Brake force Tractive effort

reliable Class 20s, still with us today. The Class 20s also saw off the Class 15, D8210 – D8243 being built at Clayton’s Hatton plant near Derby. In their case, their Paxman engine was nowhere near the reliability of the English Electric, and again their trip freight and empty stock duties were disappearing. Had Paxman sorted their engines and the partnership blossomed, maybe we would have seen a Clayton HST power car. As it was, Clayton mainly concentrated on mining locos, then come the decline of UK coal mining it went on an export drive, key to the business today. The whole 90-year story is

Bo-Bo 1,435 mm 90 tonnes W6a gauge 22.5 tonnes per axle 200 mm 1:15 (6.67%) 800 litres 20km/h 13,640mm 3,570mm 2,600mm 50m 5,700mm 1,800mm 152kN 303kN maximum

available on the company website, which I’m not cut-and-pasting here, but suffice to say it ended up as part of Rolls-Royce, which had re-engined two Class 17s, but too little, too late. Clayton re-emerged in 2005, moved to Burton in 2006 and remains wholly owned by one man. Having no owning group to support and no debt of acquisition to pay off is a big plus, and decisions are much easier if you don’t have to ‘sell’ them to people who know less about the job than you. Long may this continue, although occasionally the financial machine springs to life and opens up an eager eye. Freedom is a delicate flower.

Clayton of old: Class 15s under construction at the Hatton plant near Derby.

Modern Railways August 2021

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Pan Up

Sitting comfortably: Ian in the First Class seat for EMR’s Aurora fleet, which is on display at the operator’s Prospect House headquarters in Derby. Philip Sherratt

THE SEAT OF AURORA East Midlands Railway has finalised the new seats for its new trains, and they’re completely useless – as ironing boards

hen the full electrification of the Midland main line was cancelled in 2017, East Midlands Railway was bound to join the list of Hitachi customers, but the good news is that it is not just buying more Class 800s – EMR’s 33x5-car Aurora bi-modes are Class 810s. The key change is the reduction from the ridiculous 26-metre vehicle length to 24 metres, the preference of all bidders in the first place. There are other changes, but for the passenger the big one is the seat, as EMR made sure from the outset it was not getting the Class 800 abominations (my description, EMR is very polite about its competition). In the March Modern Railways (p73) I went out on a limb and said this seat should be a major improvement, simply because the right way to procure it was followed, ie take it out of the main contract and agree the seat design separately, which EMR has done, working in conjunction with

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Improvement on an ‘800’: Ian tries out Aurora’s standard class seat design. Philip Sherratt

Derby-based firm DG Design. That isn’t all there is to it though, and the big day to try it out has arrived, here I am with ex-colleague Rachel Turner, Head of New Trains. SITTING COMFORTABLY? I’m relieved to say yes, first impressions are good, although I must add that this is not the return of springs and horsehair. It

has been suggested that I don’t want a big spongy seat, but telling me what I want never goes down well. The usual failing with seat testing is to sit bolt upright in it for a few seconds, then offer a verdict. Indeed, someone did exactly that while I was there, but I stayed in it for 30 minutes. My verdict is that it is a good seat, and that is in absolute terms – I’m not just

saying it is better than an ‘800’, which it would have to be really. Both first and standard class seats have a mixed cut and uncut moquette trim, joining to an e-leather top section. Colours lighten from floor to ceiling. First Class has a separate inset pillow piece, although both classes have wings which stop you falling embarrassingly onto other passengers if you do fall asleep. First Class reclines within the seat shell, so you don’t have to sit crouched over your laptop if you don’t want to. You would need the seat upright to eat your cooked breakfast if you happened to be travelling last year, but as Basil Fawlty once said: ‘That particular avenue of pleasure has been closed off’. Neither seat has a rake angle anything like British Rail used to use, but relaxed angles impact capacity numbers and we have not escaped the franchise spreadsheet just yet. PITCH IN SPACE Seat pitch is a good guide to legroom, although it also depends on the thickness of the seat back, which in this case is well scalloped out. Originally the airline pitch was 750mm in the bid, which is not

August 2021 Modern Railways

Pan Up

Ian Walmsley

In the driving seat: Ian in the mock-up cab for the Class 810. EMR has set up a small exhibition at Etches Park depot in Derby which features the standard class seat design, cab mock-up and a display to inform staff about the upgrade works planned at the depot.

enough for me, and certainly not enough if your Project Manager is 6’1”. This was changed to 800mm (the old BR standard), which improves everything but capacity, so negotiations with our old boss from Porterbrook, the genial Alex White, resulted in the loss of some seat bays to accommodate the increased legroom. Surveys normally show that 50% of passengers prefer bays, although that may change now people are more aware of what pathogens may be around, either way there are not enough bays for my liking. The seat is a development of the FISA ‘Lean’ seat which I first tried out in 2016 and later appeared on Greater Anglia in response to the ‘ironing board’ description of the then ubiquitous Fainsa seat. The FISA was a step forward, and EMR has taken it further than Greater Anglia both by improving padding and relaxing the mounting angle. If I had

any doubt that things are getting better, a recent trip on a Class 387 Electrostar reminded me how bad the Fainsa seats are. I’ll just mention that Porterbrook agreed to these after I left the new train job, mine had the good old Chapman SCIX. ARMS AND LEGS There are some nice details, though. One is the lip on the edge of the table which prevents spillage, or at least gives you a chance to get out of the way. This dug into your wrist when using a keyboard, so it has been rounded off. Another is the support leg, which is in the centre between the two seats. This is the sort of thing you would imagine would be obvious, as it clears space for your feet or luggage and you know which is your bit. Every time I sit in a Voyager I kick the support leg (not just because I don’t like them). This change has meant a change

to the seat rail in the floor, so all credit for going to the trouble. Armrests on the First Class seats are reasonably wide, padded and covered with e-leather, while standard ones are narrower but covered. Their design integrates with the seat, and they are a lot easier to use than the Meridian ones, which require strenuous efforts for those determined enough to use them. The handhold on the side of the seat has been redesigned and is convenient for pulling yourself up rather than grabbing the headrest in front. Padding on the standard class seat feels thicker than the First, although I’m assured it is the same. It could be that the reclining mechanism makes it feel different. There is reasonable padding in the base and all the ergonomics feel just right. The seatback tables are a good length, so a regular laptop fits on them easily and opens up enough to work. The cushion shapes feel right, and it is possible to move about a bit without having to perch on the end of a short base, slouching can be done. The old idea that the seat should be good for your posture assumes you stay in one position, which nobody does on a train journey. Also, if you buy a seat for your lounge or try a new car, comfort is what you are buying, not a passive chiropractor. BACK TO 72 It’s great to see the effort paying off to bring some extra comfort to the passenger, an area sacrificed to capacity so often over the Department for Transport dark ages. Both classes of seat represent a big step forward, and a relief to me as a regular EMR passenger. Mind you, I have seen late changes before when money gets tight, so it’s not

over until they are bolted down in every vehicle. On the big scale it isn’t over either as this is not the ultimate seat, it could be softer with a larger rake angle and set in more bays, but that would lose four seats per vehicle. Just as an example of how far we have gone, an HST trailer as built had 72 standard class seats, while the re-seated vehicles in Great Western Railway’s ‘Castle’ sets have 84. Which is better? Seventy-two comfortable passengers or 84 uncomfortable ones? There can’t be many times when all 84 seats are taken, but I’ll bet there are quite a few passengers who don’t come back, or as surveys say, ‘would not recommend to others’. The EMR vehicles are one metre longer than HST trailers and must comply with accessibility regulations, which makes them roughly equivalent. The detail is complicated, as HSTs had more toilets but no wheelchair spaces, however it serves as a good guide. EMR’s standard vehicles will have 80 seats, so if they had more bays that would come down to 76, still one more row than an as-built HST. Nobody knows if the trains will be full in the new normal, but it seems obvious that we can no longer take business for granted. The bum-ometer has swung away from cost per seat towards passenger comfort, and the Great British Railways proposals push that way too, but it can just as easily swing back again. We have still not reached levels of personal space deemed the norm by old British Rail in 1972, despite people getting bigger. Competition from the car, the home office and, in the longer term, HS2, means EMR can’t take passengers for granted. I’m delighted to say it’s not.

Aurora fleet: EMR has ordered 33x5-car bi-mode Class 810s from Hitachi, which will enter service in 2023. Courtesy EMR

Modern Railways August 2021

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August 2021 Modern Railways

Forum We welcome letters for ‘Forum’. Please send them, ideally by e-mail, to: modernrailways@keypublishing.com The Editor, Modern Railways, Key Publishing, PO Box 100, Stamford, Lincolnshire PE9 1XP Please supply your postal address, even if writing by e-mail. Please note that we may edit letters for publication. Views expressed in this letters feature are not necessarily those of the editors or publishers.

CUSTOMER FOCUS IS ESSENTIAL The July issue of Modern Railways was mandatory reading for anyone wishing to understand the nuts and bolts of the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail. The different but compelling pieces by Ian Walmsley and Roger Ford outlined the challenges, pitfalls and opportunities the ‘Great British Railways’ (GBR) White Paper contains. A desire for the UK's railway to succeed now and in the future is a fair assumption to make about those of us that read MR. Both Mr Walmsley and Mr Ford have a wealth of experience and depth of knowledge that makes reading and considering what they say a must for those interested in railways but, more importantly, those managing and operating our railway. I share Mr Ford's concerns, not least highlighting the conundrum that appears to arise from the desire for less complexity with the need for more local involvement and innovation. Mr Walmsley is correct to say the White Paper contains many good things and demonstrates that much listening has been going on and that we need to embrace it. The problem is going to be application; we must not throw the baby out with the bathwater. There is an absolute need for a cadre of senior railway individuals such as Alex Hynes, Mark Hopwood, David Horne, Tim Shoveller and Andrew Haines. The reason for naming some individuals (sorry, the list is not exhaustive) is that we are down to the wire, and GBR is our last shot. If our railway is to succeed and have the brighter future we all want and it deserves, we must have people in senior positions with experience, influence, power and critically who have both ‘railways' but also ‘customers' in their DNA. Kate McFerran, LNER's Director of Communications, suggested in 2016, concerning the then Southern disruption issues, that the industry as a whole would be well advised to consider

McDonald’s. She said: ‘Just eight years after its opening in 1940, McDonald’s shut down. The business that brothers Dick and Mac McDonald launched needed work, so they shut the doors and reopened three months later with a self-service business model and a simplified menu. This has since been adapted many times over in response to changes in consumer tastes, and is also adapted to suit the demands of local markets. The mistake is in thinking that being highly responsive to customers is the realm of retail businesses. Every business has customers – the key is staying close to those customers, understanding what they really want and having a flexible business model that can adapt and respond quickly to changes in customer demand. ‘The core offer of British train operators is trains that run on time. When faced with delays, overcrowding and expensive tickets the average British rail user will rightfully ask, “how hard can it be?”, especially when one considers nearby countries that offer some of the best rail services in the world. The first step is committing to a relentless focus on the core and keeping everyone in the business accountable. Communicating openly and transparently the quest to get the core right with all stakeholders, but especially the customers, is key.’ Those words remain profound as they speak directly to the GBR narrative; they also give an idea of the scale of the railway's journey to become a sustainable customer-based sector. The challenge, which must be met, is to use railway experience to deliver the future. However, two components are crucial in the new world; everything needs to be based on a ‘can-do’, not a ‘can't or won't do’ approach, and everything, yes everything, needs to be financially challenged and managed to the level that a householder does when considering and managing work. FRASER PITHIE Kenilworth, Warwickshire

Modern Railways August 2021

‘THAMES-CLYDE EXPRESS’ REBORN? None of the several references to the Midland main line in the June issue makes reference to its now almost complete insularity. The weekend train between St Pancras and York via Doncaster has succumbed. The three Leeds – St Pancras trains, which for stock purposes ran in both directions at inconvenient times, have been replaced by a single train at 16.32 from St Pancras, with no return equivalent. You report that a Leeds – Glasgow HST is under consideration. Such a train would be of much greater benefit if it ran to/from St Pancras. Leaving at about 06.00 and calling at intermediate stations including Nottingham, it would reach Leeds via Doncaster (so connecting from Lincolnshire) at about 09.40/45, Carlisle at 12.00 and Glasgow at about 13.30, so about 30 minutes faster than a Voyager via Edinburgh over a route 70 miles shorter. Returning from Glasgow at 14.30, it would leave Leeds at 18.15 and reach St Pancras at about 22.00. Apart from the attraction of a through journey from Midland line stations to Scotland, it would provide them with a service at reasonably convenient business times to/ from Leeds. Until 1982 there were three trains between Nottingham and Glasgow, axed (after having for a short time been diverted via Manchester) in the attempt to close the Settle and Carlisle line. Such a service would perfectly suit a bi-mode 800 series train as more than half the route mileage is under the wires. ROBERT H. FOSTER Skipton

COST OF NEW STATIONS Work on a new two-platform station has started at Marsh Barton, costing £16 million. Construction of the new one-platform station at Soham is underway, costing £18 million. You could build an estate of 50 homes in Soham for that amount, going by current house prices. I can only think that vast amounts of money are being wasted on these projects: how can it cost more than £1 million to plan and build the new Soham station? I presume most of it goes on consultants who should not have been consulted in the first place, expensive lawyers instead of the railway’s own legal team and expensive international architects and construction companies instead of cheaper local ones, plus the

usual gold-plating. These costs are going to cause huge problems for future infrastructure enhancements, making many of them unaffordable. ANDREW RIXON Hertford

MECHANICAL SIGNALLING I was interested to read the article regarding the refurbishment of Severn Bridge Junction signal box in Shrewsbury (p26, last month). Whilst it is good to see Network Rail spending money on keeping some of these boxes in good condition, as there are many manual signal boxes around the country in very dilapidated states of repair, I cannot help but feel it is really quite a poor state of affairs that in the third decade of the 21st century there are still large areas of the British rail network being controlled by life-expired manual signal boxes, some of which date back to the early 1870s, with seemingly no replacement in prospect. The last decade has seen many NX panel boxes which were opened by British Rail in the 1960s and 1970s closed, despite their comparatively modern construction, yet small mechanical box closures have averaged only about 10 to 15 per year, if that. Many of these mechanical boxes are equipped with lever frames, block instruments and other features dating back to pre-grouping days, and spares are increasingly hard and expensive to source. They also require signal technicians to maintain them, and fix and find faults when they occur, locking fitters etc. How many people will still have this knowledge in another 30 or 40 years’ time? Is it not time Network Rail committed itself to a firm pledge to eliminate all remaining mechanical boxes from the national network within say the next 20 years? Much greater efficiency and performance could be achieved by computerising the rail network, and concentrating control in the 11 Rail Operating Centre buildings designated so far. Whilst writing, it was being reported a few years ago that there was a plan to close the Bristol power signal box completely, transferring its remaining panel down to the boundary with Exeter PSB near Taunton to the Thames Valley Signalling Centre, as it was to be demolished to enable access to some former platforms in the trainshed, creating extra platform capacity at Temple Meads. However, there was no mention of this in the Bristol article

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Forum West London line: Southern EMU Nos 377211/208 depart from Imperial Wharf with the 12.39 Clapham Junction to Milton Keynes Central on 24 June 2021. Antony Guppy

of the Great Western feature. Has this plan now been dropped? MARTYN BACON Port Talbot Our understanding is that the NX panel boxes have been harder to maintain and source spares for than the likes of Severn Bridge Junction, as mechanical spares are simpler to reproduce – Ed.

AC TO DC CHANGEOVER ‘Extension of the 25kV AC wires on the West London line to Shepherds Bush would cut journey times by seven minutes per hour’ says the article ‘London enhancements proposed’ on p24 of the July issue. Really? Before HS1, Eurostars changed from AC to DC and vice versa near Folkestone at 100mph. Why does changeover have to waste so much more time on the WLL? Besides, I have been told there is insufficient clearance for overhead wires where the WLL passes under the Holland Park roundabout. Not only would that clearance be needed for the stated option of extending the wires to Kensington Olympia, but also even if they were only extended as far as Shepherds Bush, in case a southbound train with the pantograph up overran the platform and continued under the Holland Park roundabout. How much would it cost to provide the necessary clearances for overhead line there?

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These proposals sound to me like awfully expensive solutions to a non-existent problem. NEIL ROTH London SE3

POINTS Port operator DP World is catering for 775-metre-long container trains (p24, last month). These are about 250m longer than the regular ones, which are about 500m. On p27 of the same issue, among the proposed Ely capacity options there is a 400-metre loop on the Soham branch – pointless (no pun intended) for a regular 500m train, let alone the longer trains to which the maritime industry aspires. JOHN EDSER Alsager, Cheshire The comment about the Newbury and Bedwyn service on p10 of the July issue is not totally accurate. The borrowed c2c sets are working the hourly stopping service between Newbury and Reading (two sets, Mondays to Fridays and sometimes on Sundays too, when only one is needed). Normally green Class 387s are (singly) used on these. Intercity Express Trains are not working the Paddington to Reading, Theale, Thatcham, Newbury and stations to Bedwyn services, which are replaced between Paddington and Newbury by three pairs of green Class 387s (annoyingly the timings don’t quite allow

only two), which connect (down anyway) with a Turbo to Bedwyn. STUART HICKS By e-mail Theale station’s third platform was not the only new infrastructure built for the Reading remodelling service diversions (as mentioned by David Mathieson – ‘Forum’, June issue). At Banbury, a brand new lower quadrant semaphore signal, complete with finial, was installed to allow southbound departures from platform 1. It was short-lived, however, as it and the other remaining semaphores were swept away in the Banbury re-signalling a few years later. ANDREW MCCALLUM Secretary, Railfuture – Thames Valley Branch, Banbury I was interested to read the comment by Graham Cross (‘Railtalk’, last month) that Chiltern Railways created a new station called Bicester Village because its management team found out through local contacts about plans to build a designer outlet centre. Bicester Outlet Centre opened in 1995 and M40 Trains, the company which operated Chiltern Railways, was awarded the contract in 1996. The station existed at that time as Bicester Town, and it was not until 2015 that it was rebuilt and renamed for the service from Marylebone. Before that, the service to the outlet centre from Marylebone was provided by the shuttle bus from Bicester North.

That suggests the management team was working for British Rail when it made its discovery, and it took 20 years for the dynamic privatised industry to act on it. TERENCE HACKETT Rainham, Kent Class 153s with their single-leaf doors do not appear ideal as bicycle carriages (as proposed by ScotRail – p20, last month). Station dwell times might need to be extended! JIM DAPRE Epsom, Surrey At the end of your interview with the HS2 protester (p95, June issue), he stated most railway staff were ‘cool’, and my mind went back to the 1980s. After repeated failures, even by the British Transport Police, to evacuate a 90-year old lady from her house in Hampstead which was precariously perched above a rapidly disintegrating retaining wall on the North London line, the local press got hold of the story and reported: ‘The lady said she had lived in the house all her life, through two world wars and the Blitz, and if Hitler failed to move her, she was not moving out for British Rail, mind you the man from British Rail was much nicer about it than Hitler!’ My epitaph perhaps: ‘He was a nicer chap than Hitler’. GEOFFREY QUEEN Retired Divisional Civil Engineer, London (LMR) By e-mail

August 2021 Modern Railways

Blood and Custard

SIGN OF THE TIMES

TO THE great relief of residents of west Cornwall, the G7 summit has been and gone. And although the St Ives branch was out of use for around a week in June while politicians and the media descended on the area, the event was not without a small railway-related ceremony. On 10 June Prime Minister Boris Johnson unveiled a new sign at Carbis Bay, opposite the station’s single platform, following reinstatement by Network Rail. The border of the sign is made from reused railway sleepers with the letters made from granite stone and infilled with seashells, in homage to the design of the original station sign. The remaining space is filled with a series of plants, adding some additional colour to the sign. The original sign was constructed out of seashells but is believed to have been removed during World War Two. Following the War, the sign was rebuilt from white cobbles in the 1950s. Upon the unveiling, the Prime Minister said: ‘It’s great to be back in my ancestral homeland of Cornwall this week to host the G7 summit.

The eyes of the world will be on Carbis Bay this weekend and I can think of no better way to mark this auspicious event than this fantastic homage to local history.’ Our thanks to Chris Heaps for sharing with us a picture of the sign’s predecessor, taken in the 1960s. Chris also noted that during a visit by the Queen in May 2013 she left the dedicated Royal Train at St Erth and joined a Class 150, where the front coach of the leading unit was set aside for the royal party while the remainder of the four-car formation was available for regular passengers. And he was able to take a photo from the road bridge at Carbis Bay without a police officer in sight. There are two points of note here – one is the relatively relaxed nature of this visit compared to the intense security of the recent G7 event. The second is that, while the Queen arrived by train for the G7, none of the political leaders did so, with our own Prime Minister choosing to fly down to Cornwall. Is that really sending out the best signal ahead of the COP26 climate change conference later this year?

PLAYING POLITICS

IN A recent interview, former British Airways Chief Executive Willie Walsh told The Sunday Telegraph: ‘Since I joined British Airways in 2005 I have worked with 10 Secretaries of State (for Transport) going back to Alistair Darling. I would rate Darling as the best of the 10.’ He continued: ‘I would put Grant Shapps at number nine, he is incredibly ineffective as Secretary of State for Transport. He should change his name to Secretary of State for no transport …. he doesn’t appear to be able to influence any decision in Cabinet.’

Given some commentators have mused that Mr Shapps is only interested in aviation and pays little attention to railways, such stinging criticism from an airline executive is interesting. It is also set us wondering who Mr Walsh ranked as being worse than our current political master? Anyway, to put these harsh words in context, here is a list of Mr Walsh’s not-so-magnificent 10, not that our readers need reminding of these towering political figures who dominated the railway scene – in many cases for as long as 18 months. Although recent

STILL NOT SHOVEL READY IT SEEMS there’s a mixture of amusement and irritation up on the North York Moors. For no particularly obvious reason, page 41 of the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail features a boxed statement: ‘It took the rail sector two years to approve a half-hourly Harrogate to York service following North Yorkshire County Council’s offer to fund the £12 million scheme’. Our mole on the Moors asks if

this could possibly be the same County Council that, six years after the Esk Valley community successfully persuaded York Potash to provide £7 million to improve services on the Esk Valley line, including new infrastructure, is still sitting on the cash and has so far failed to even produce any proposals? Something about living in glass houses and throwing stones comes to mind.

Modern Railways August 2021

St Ives line selfie: Prime Minister Boris Johnson (left) on the platform at Carbis Bay, as Network Rail Chair Sir Peter Hendy (centre) looks on. Courtesy Network Rail Scene from the sixties: GWR tank engine No 4566 approaches from St Ives. Ralph Elcox Collection

experience may suggest that, in retrospect, a rapid turnover may have been a good thing when it comes to damage limitation. To

encourage some summer frivolity, ‘Blood and Custard’ invites readers – using their skill and judgement – to submit their own rankings.

TRANSPORT SECRETARIES SINCE 2002 Incumbent Alistair Darling Douglas Alexander Ruth Kelly Geoff Hoon Lord Adonis Philip Hammond Justine Greening Patrick McLoughlin Chris Grayling Grant Shapps

Party Labour Labour Labour Labour Labour Conservative Conservative Conservative Conservative Conservative

Tenure May 2002-May 2006 May 2006-June 2007 June 2007-October 2008 October 2008-June 2009 June 2009-May 2010 May 2010-October 2011 October 2011-September 2012 September 2012-July 2016 July 2016-July 2019 July 2019-present

SHAPPS SHAFTED

THERE WAS great fanfare to herald the launch of flexi-season tickets – seen by the Government as an early and positive response to the current trend towards flexible working. However the launch of the new tickets coincided with the withdrawal of carnet tickets, valid for 10 journeys over a threemonth period (as opposed to flexiseasons, which offer eight journeys within 28 days). The change from

carnet to flexi-season results in a higher cost for many journeys. Ironically, one place which is worse off is the Welwyn and Hatfield constituency of Transport Secretary Grant Shapps (as well as the residence of our own Roger Ford). A carnet ticket from Welwyn to London used to cost £148 for 10 return journeys and therefore averaged £14.80 per day, while the new flexi-seasons come in at a daily cost of £17.55.

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A NEW TIMETABLE FOR THE EAST COAST PHILIP SHERRATT describes how LNER’s May 2022 timetable has been developed

t is not often that an operator undertakes a significant rewrite of its timetable. For the Inter-city East Coast franchise, the last major overhaul was the ‘Eureka’ timetable introduced in 2011 by East Coast when Directly Operated Railways was in charge. Now, with the Operator of Last Resort in charge again, LNER is preparing to introduce major changes across the length of the East Coast main line in May 2022. A consultation on the proposals launched on 11 June and runs to 5 August. The change has been a long time in the making and builds on the infrastructure works completed as part of Network Rail’s East Coast upgrade and the introduction of LNER’s 65-strong Hitachi-built Azuma fleet. But the new timetable is not just about LNER; it is the result of a collaborative effort involving all operators – passenger and freight – using the East Coast main line. The starting point for LNER was the plans developed for the Virgin Trains East Coast franchise, which began in 2015. The Office of Rail and Road ruled in 2016 as to which access rights would be granted, endorsing VTEC’s plans as well as approving a new open access application from FirstGroup

for its East Coast Trains five trains per day service between King’s Cross and Edinburgh, but turning down some other proposals for new open access services. These legally contracted rights form the basis for the timetable which has been developed, and the broad aspirations have thus been well known for some time, but the detailed outcome in terms of what has been consulted on has been the subject of a great deal of collaborative work by Network Rail and the train operators involved. While each operator has consulted individually on their plans, collaborative working means all feedback appropriate to each operator’s services will be taken into account, regardless of which company receives the consultation response. LEISURE FOCUS The broad goal of the timetable is to allow the East Coast main line to do more in terms of supporting the economy and combatting climate change by getting people out of their cars and off planes. As well as taking advantage of the new fleet and infrastructure improvements already described,

this is informed by LNER’s insight into the main passenger flows. In this respect, the Anglo-Scottish market is a priority; pre-Covid, the operator regularly had full and standing trains, particularly northbound on a Friday. Many people still choose to drive or fly, so there is a good potential market but no space to accommodate additional passengers or offer better value fares: the new timetable is intended to help resolve this conundrum. Over recent years the Anglo-Scottish service has been progressively enhanced so it now runs half-hourly throughout the day from King’s Cross through to Edinburgh (previously, a handful of services terminated at Newcastle). The new timetable builds on that by overlaying an additional King’s Cross to Newcastle service to provide three trains per hour (tph) on this stretch. The addition of the third hourly Newcastle service provides over 8,000 more seats each weekday from the city to London, as well as a 10-minute journey time cut. This enables Edinburgh services to be accelerated by removing stops further south, with a typical 15-minute journey time reduction between Edinburgh and London.

The ‘Flying Scotsman’ fast service from Edinburgh (the 05.40 to King’s Cross, calling only at Newcastle) caters for the business market, but with the growth in leisure travel LNER identified the need for a regular fast service. The original VTEC proposal was for an hourly fast Edinburgh to King’s Cross service calling at Newcastle, with calls at York in alternate hours. The former matches the current calling pattern of the ‘Flying Scotsman’, which has also been dubbed the ‘Adonis Flyer’ after then Transport Secretary Lord Adonis, who was an enthusiastic proponent of its introduction. While there were ambitions for every fast Edinburgh service to have a fourhour journey time, in the early development phase it became clear this was too ambitious as it was not possible to achieve a regular clear run. LNER therefore proposes all fast Edinburgh services will call at York with a slightly less ambitious endto-end journey time, maintaining York’s hourly non-stop service to London, a flow on which LNER competes with Grand Central. Even the ‘Flying Scotsman’ is now proposed to stop additionally at York, and the Edinburgh to London

Anglo-Scottish service: No 801223 forms the 08.30 King’s Cross to Edinburgh at Gamston, near Retford on 14 May 2020. Dafydd Whyles

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August 2021 Modern Railways

LNER TIMETABLE PLANS May 2021

May 2022

Edinburgh Waverley

Aspirations for mid-2020s Edinburgh Waverley

Edinburgh Waverley

Newcastle

Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough York

Bradford Forster Square Harrogate Leeds

York

Harrogate Leeds

Lincoln

York

Lincoln Phase one: Transformational timetable

Lincoln Phase two: Future timetable aspirations

London King’s Cross

Note: The transformational May 2022 timetable will deliver + 1 train per hour (+20%) more services to/from Londons King’s Cross during the day. This extra hourly service between London and Newcastle will add capacity and will enable journey time improvements all the way along LNER’s route between London and Edinburgh

Note: Regular Middlesbrough extensions will commence following the construction of new infrastructure at Middlesbrough station, expected in 2023

Note: LNER has firm rights to 6.5 trains per hour (tph) to/from London King’s Cross, including as additional 0.5 tph between London and Leeds, and 0.5 tph service extensions between Leeds and Bradford Forster Square. Delivering these service enhancements is likely to require further investment

journey times on fast services will generally be between 4hr 5min and 4hr 10min. The hourly call also provides useful connections for passengers changing at York. SIX TRAINS PER HOUR The track access rights granted by the ORR in 2016 provided for eight long-distance services each hour out of King’s Cross. LNER has rights to six paths per hour plus a seventh path in alternate hours, with the remaining paths taken up by open access operators Hull Trains, Grand Central and East Coast Trains.

Every hour during the day

Every two hours during the day

Note: Only core standard hour paths and terminationg stations shown. Other LNER destinations and services run less frequently.

However, in May 2022 LNER is proposing to introduce only 6tph, and will not make use of the additional seventh path. A crossindustry group has been working out the best way to deliver an integrated timetable that works for all operators. This has involved balancing various aspirations and identifying tradeoffs, one of which has been to postpone the introduction of the additional two-hourly service. The reason this has been deferred is chiefly due to concern around congestion in the Doncaster area, a key pinchpoint with flat junctions

New path

both north and south of the station, and modelling showed this extra service would pose a performance risk. Introducing this service would probably have required a rewrite of the Doncaster to Leeds corridor to make it fit, potentially impacting Northern’s local services; LNER says it is still keen to introduce this service in future once the May 2022 timetable has bedded in. This means plans to introduce an additional service every two hours to Leeds, on top of the current half-hourly pattern, have been put on hold for now. With

Anglo-Scottish trains at capacity, that route has been prioritised for enhancement, whereas there is spare capacity on the Leeds route. A recent Network Rail study (p17, June issue) examined options to increase capacity in the Doncaster area, which could include additional platforms at the station, new chords to segregate services and additional infrastructure on the line towards Wakefield. One option would be for the extra Leeds service to run north from Doncaster and diverge from the ECML at Hambleton Junction, arriving into Leeds from the east.

InterCity 225: loco No 91130 heads the 10.03 King’s Cross to Leeds at the river Witham bridge south of Grantham on 19 June 2021. Paul Clark

Modern Railways August 2021

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While this could be an easier and quicker solution to implement than investing in new infrastructure, it would mean negotiating the congested Micklefield to Leeds stretch and that these trains could not call at Wakefield Westgate. SOUTH OF YORK A significant challenge in developing the new timetable has been balancing the needs of long-distance passengers with those making shorter journeys between intermediate stations, an issue which has proved particularly troublesome south of Doncaster. At present there is a two-hourly stopping service between King’s Cross and York calling at all LNER stations. A first iteration of the revised timetable included an allstations service, but this service would have been overtaken twice, which was felt to be too big a compromise. A second iteration had a skip-stop pattern which was not favourable, so a compromise has been reached with the timetable presented for consultation. In the proposed timetable, most direct LNER trains between Stevenage and Peterborough and between Retford and both Newark and Grantham are withdrawn. For the former, Govia Thameslink Railway provides regular direct services, while Hull Trains serves both Retford and Grantham at approximately two-hourly intervals. In its consultation document, LNER highlights that the number of passengers travelling from

LNER on the Harrogate line: Azuma at Horsforth on 21 September 2019 with a shuttle service for the Tour de Yorkshire. Gavin Morrison

both Retford and Newark to London is far higher than those making intermediate journeys – a microcosm of the trade-offs throughout in developing an inter-city timetable. DIRECT TO CLEETHORPES A welcome addition to the timetable is the inclusion of a direct service between King’s Cross and Grimsby Town and Cleethorpes as an extension of the two-hourly King’s Cross to Lincoln services which have operated since late 2019. This responds to demands Capacity pinch point: Doncaster on 16 March 2020, as Azuma No 801217 forms the 09.30 Edinburgh to King’s Cross while in the foreground loco No 91114 awaits departure with the 10.30 King’s Cross to Edinburgh. Russell Wykes

from stakeholders and Members of Parliament in North East Lincolnshire for direct London services. The services would be timed around business travellers and day trips to London, with a departure from Cleethorpes at 06.24 to arrive at King’s Cross at 09.25, and a return from London at 16.10 to reach Cleethorpes at 19.20. The larger Azuma fleet makes this extension possible, but a more regular service would require additional trains. The services will call at Grimsby Town en-route, and LNER is examining whether other intermediate stations east of Lincoln could be served. While the hope is to launch the Cleethorpes services in May 2022, introduction may have to be delayed slightly depending on progress with route clearance work for Azumas beyond Lincoln and with crew training, as like other operators LNER is still facing a backlog due to the pandemic.

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On the other side of the Humber, the single daily out-and-back LNER working between Hull and King’s Cross is retained, although the evening service will run around an hour later from London at 18.09. Hull Trains will continue to provide an all-day service between the city and the capital. WEST YORKSHIRE As already described, an additional two-hourly King’s Cross to Leeds service is presently on hold, so instead the current half-hourly service will be maintained, albeit with different calling patterns which will provide new direct services from West Yorkshire to Newark. VTEC’s timetable proposal incorporated a regular two-hour headline journey time between London and Leeds, and while earlier iterations of the timetable had the additional two-hourly service coming close to this aspiration,

August 2021 Modern Railways

Preparing for Middlesbrough services: No 800208 forms a driver training run on Teesside on 15 June 2021 ahead of the start of the through service to King’s Cross in December. Tony Winward

concerns about performance mean it is not achievable at this stage. A feature of services in West Yorkshire is the various extension of the core London to Leeds services. LNER introduced regular two-hourly extensions beyond Leeds to Harrogate in December 2019, and from next May all of these are proposed to call en-route at Horsforth. More challenging is extension of services to Bradford Forster Square. There has been a long-standing daily return service provided by LNER and its predecessors, and last year a second return service was

added. This was part of a plan to incrementally introduce additional direct services to Bradford. However, limitations on LNER’s fleet means this additional service is to be withdrawn from May. The additional 08.43 from Bradford takes the path of the 09.15 from Leeds to King’s Cross, a service which would otherwise be formed by an Azuma arriving from London. The set coming from London, with no return working, thus travels empty to Neville Hill depot. In a mirror image of what happens in the morning, the empty set comes back off the depot in the evening to form the 19.15 to

London, which would otherwise be formed using the stock from the 16.33 from King’s Cross (which has been extended through to Bradford). This inefficiency in the fleet ties up an additional Azuma set, which could be accommodated with the previous less intensive service, but with the May 2022 timetable adding 39 LNER services each day this is no longer possible; the operator says it wants to ensure it has enough seats on its core route. Timetabling through services to Bradford amongst the intensive local services operated by Northern is challenging. One solution to

enable more through services would be additional infrastructure at Bradford Forster Square – either a turnback, an additional platform or potentially both. LNER is conscious that it does not want to compromise the reliability of the local services, and is working with Northern and the West Yorkshire Combined Authority to examine the possibilities. Grand Central will continue to operate regular direct services from King’s Cross to Bradford Interchange via Halifax. Another ambition has been a daily out-and-back service between King’s Cross and Huddersfield. This service was planned for introduction last year, and LNER released tickets for sale before Covid intervened and interrupted the crew training required, forcing its postponement. As only a five-car Azuma can run west of Leeds to Dewsbury and Huddersfield, this will require a splitting and joining manoeuvre at Leeds. The proposed timings are 05.50 from Huddersfield, balanced in the evening by a 17.39 return from King’s Cross. As with the Cleethorpes service, the aspiration is to start the service in May, but it may be delayed slightly if crew training cannot be completed in time. NORTH OF YORK One of the most controversial aspects of the new timetable is the change to the balance of services north of York. In the preCovid timetable there were six

Training challenge: introduction of direct LNER services to Huddersfield had to be postponed due to the Covid crisis but will now occur in May 2022 or soon after. This is No 800202 at Colne Bridge with the 5Q60 Doncaster to Huddersfield test run on 24 August 2020. Russell Wykes

Modern Railways August 2021

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fast trains per hour between York and Newcastle, with two each provided by LNER, CrossCountry and TransPennine Express. However, ORR granted firm rights to LNER for a third path for its additional London to Newcastle service, meaning TPE’s Manchester Airport to Newcastle service, for which the operator has only contingent rights, will be cut back to York. There has been some disquiet about the withdrawal of journey opportunities across the North of England, but LNER points out that the current allocation of services is not proportionate to passenger numbers. The operator serves 70% of the destinations customers travel to and from, but only has one-third of the trains, which suggests a need for extra London services. A further factor is that LNER operates the longest trains north of York, so there will be more seats as a result. Unfortunately, lack of capacity north of York means the need for a trade-off here. In the new timetable, LNER’s twohourly calls at Northallerton will be in the new London to Newcastle service, as opposed to the slower Edinburgh service as at present. This means Northallerton loses direct LNER services to destinations north of Newcastle, but from May next year CrossCountry services will call, providing direct services to Edinburgh. The CrossCountry calls also cover for the withdrawal of the second TPE service between York and Newcastle – an example of collaborative working between all three operators to develop a solution. Further north, LNER is proposing to rebalance calls at Darlington and Durham. At present, nearly all LNER services call at the former, with 2tph for most of the day, whereas Durham receives a mostly hourly LNER service. Based on 2019 numbers, Durham has around 2,500 LNER passengers a day while Darlington has around 2,300. Thus LNER is proposing that both stations would be served by the hourly Newcastle terminator, but the slower of the two Edinburgh services will call alternately at each, meaning a reduction in service at Darlington. Unfortunately, there is not capacity for both these services to call at both Darlington and Durham. Darlington is constrained by the fact the platforms are in the train shed to the west of the main lines, meaning trains calling here have to perform a time-consuming crossing manoeuvre. Plans are in hand for redevelopment at Darlington which will provide a new fast line platform on the up side as well as bay platforms for local services, currently expected to be completed

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INVERNESS KINGUSSIE NEWTONMORE

CARRBRIDGE AVIEMORE

ABERDEEN STONEHAVEN

BLAIR ATHOLL PITLOCHRY

DUNKELD

MONTROSE ARBROATH

DUNDEE

LEUCHARS GLENEAGLES PERTH DUNBLANE KIRKCALDY STIRLING INVERKEITHING DUNBAR FALKIRK GLASGOW EDINBURGH RESTON BERWICK-UPON-TWEED MOTHERWELL

ALNMOUTH MORPETH NEWCASTLE DURHAM

DARLINGTON

MIDDLESBROUGH

NORTHALLERTON HARROGATE SKIPTON YORK HORSFORTH SELBY KEIGHLEY HULL BRADFORD LEEDS BROUGH GRIMSBY TOWN HUDDERSFIELD WAKEFIELD DONCASTER CLEETHORPES RETFORD LINCOLN NEWARK NORTH GATE GRANTHAM

LNER NETWORK MAP FOLLOWING MAY 2022 TIMETABLE CHANGE

PETERBOROUGH

STEVENAGE

LONDON

in late 2024; this could provide capacity for additional calls. Considering the York to Newcastle corridor more widely, enhancements such as freight loops were proposed within Network Rail’s ambitious Control Period 5 (2014-19) enhancements programme before this was cut back following the review by the company’s Chair Sir Peter Hendy in 2015. NR is revisiting these plans to look at what enhancements are needed to provide additional capacity on this stretch, and a strategic advice document published last year assessed a range of options, including reinstatement of the Leamside line (p74, September 2020 issue). HS2 and Northern Powerhouse Rail could both bring extra services to this busy stretch, so a more ambitious approach is likely to be needed in the longer-term.

TEESSIDE AND WEARSIDE Improvements are coming to Teesside, with a direct Middlesbrough to King’s Cross service set to launch in December this year now lengthening of platform 2 at Middlesbrough has been completed. In May 2022 this service will also operate on Saturdays, and the evening return from King’s Cross will be at 18.45, rather than the 15.25 service which will be introduced in December. The May 2022 timetable provides a launch pad for regular direct services to Middlesbrough in future, which would be extensions of the twohourly services in the new timetable which terminate at York. However, this first requires further additional infrastructure at Middlesbrough. The final option hasn’t been selected yet, but is likely to involve a new platform 3 on the opposite face

to platform 2, plus additional crossovers; various options are under consideration for how platform 3 would interact with the freight lines, with capacity modelling in progress to compare options. For LNER, the priority is to achieve a good turnaround time so that an Azuma is not tied up away from its core route. Further along the Durham coast, LNER is proposing to withdraw from serving Sunderland. A single out-andback service was introduced by VTEC in December 2015 through starting back a morning Newcastle to London service from Sunderland at 05.40 and extending the 20.00 departure from King’s Cross. Pre-Covid, the average number of people travelling on these direct services was fewer than 20 per day, while a far greater number of passengers travelled from Sunderland to Newcastle and changed there for a train to London,

August 2021 Modern Railways

Morpeth: most LNER services are proposed to omit this stop from May 2022, but the station will be served by FirstGroup’s new open access service. This is No 801230 forming the 09.30 Edinburgh to King’s Cross on 15 October 2020. Bill Welsh

hence the decision to prioritise capacity on the core route. However, Sunderland will gain an additional Grand Central service to King’s Cross as GC will up its provision from five to six daily services, for which it has access rights from the regulator. NORTH OF NEWCASTLE Turning to the Newcastle to Edinburgh stretch, again there are capacity challenges, mainly concerning how the intermediate stations are served. To achieve LNER’s goal of the fastest possible Edinburgh to

London journey time, one of the two services each hour has to be non-stop north of Newcastle. The second train therefore picks up the intermediate calls, but it can’t stop in too many places otherwise it gets caught up by the fast service. This is a trade-off of trying to create a timetable for an inter-city route, striking a balance between long-distance and local journeys. LNER has therefore proposed the second Edinburgh service will call alternately at Berwick-uponTweed and Alnmouth, meaning a reduction from a broadly hourly

Modern Railways August 2021

service to two-hourly at Berwick. While an important destination, passenger numbers at Berwick are relatively modest, and the town will continue to be served regularly by other operators. The changes also affect Morpeth, where LNER is proposing not to call for most of the day. However, there will still be calls by CrossCountry and direct services to London courtesy of FirstGroup’s East Coast Trains open access services, all five of which each day will call. Across the border, a new station is under construction at Reston

and is likely to open during the currency of the December 2021 timetable; this is a Scottish Government project, with plans for a second new station closer to Edinburgh at East Linton as well. Both were intended to be served by a new local ScotRail service between Berwick and Edinburgh, but this cannot be introduced until that operator undertakes a wider recast of its timetable. LNER will provide one service in each direction per day calling at Reston once the station opens. Other services will be provided by either CrossCountry or TransPennine Express; the consultation proposed three calls in each direction by CrossCountry, but this would mean those services could not call at Dunbar. However, the emerging solution is for TPE to operate a handful of services between Newcastle and Edinburgh calling at Reston and other intermediate stations; the operator was planning to run these as empty stock workings to cycle its Class 802 Nova 1 bi-modes to and from the Hitachi depot at Craigentinny in Edinburgh and to maintain route knowledge for its train crew. SCOTTISH PARTNERSHIP LNER is keen to highlight the importance of the Scottish market

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and its ongoing partnership with Transport Scotland. The quantity of services LNER operates north of Edinburgh will not change next year; the daily through service to and from Glasgow will continue but will operate as an extension of a fast Edinburgh service, rather than the semi-fast as at present. By contrast, the through services to Aberdeen and Inverness will be linked to the semi-fast Edinburgh services, providing new direct journey opportunities to and from stations south of Newcastle. The improved performance characteristics of the Azumas mean these extra stops don’t impose a significant journey time penalty. The change in 2011 to have these services run non-stop south of York wasn’t popular, especially in terms of connections at Peterborough into East Anglia, while the new pattern will also help meet Scottish Government aspirations for better connections to and from Yorkshire. The timings of the LNER services to Aberdeen and Inverness will be largely unchanged next year, but LNER has aspirations to work with Transport Scotland to accelerate these services north of Edinburgh, benefiting both the business and leisure markets.

Darlington: Azuma No 801227 arrives on 12 May 2021 with an Edinburgh to King’s Cross service. An upgrade here could allow additional station calls in future. Tony Winward

FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS While the May 2022 timetable change represents a significant step for LNER, it is not intended to be the end of the story. As well as the introduction of the additional two-hourly service in the coming years, there are stakeholder aspirations for improved services in a number of regions; for example, on Teesside, once infrastructure enhancements at Middlesbrough and Darlington are completed. In terms of its fleet, LNER’s current services are resourced with

65 Azuma trains and a handful of InterCity 225 sets. LNER is yet to finalise its fleet plan for the May 2022 timetable, beyond that it will make full use of the Azumas and also take into consideration that the ‘225s’ have slower acceleration and, in the Class 91 locomotive, a single point of failure. Looking to the longer-term, the operator has begun procurement of additional bi-mode trains, and on 11 May published a tender notice seeking a funder for these. This notice describes aspirations

for a base order of 10 units plus an option for up to five further trains. These are to be capable of operation under overhead electric power but with significant self-power capability for operation on non-electrified sections and over diversionary routes. These additional trains could help support future enhancements beyond current timetable plans. This article was compiled following an interview with representatives from LNER.

Royal Border bridge: Azuma No 801219 heads north with the 16.58 King’s Cross to Edinburgh on 30 May 2021. A small reduction in stops at Berwick-upon-Tweed is proposed in LNER’s May 2022 timetable. Tom McAtee

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August 2021 Modern Railways

ECML recast highlights timetable challenges JONATHAN TYLER of Passenger Transport Networks analyses the proposed May 2022 timetable and suggests a new approach is needed

n May 2016 the regulator, the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), adjudicated track access applications from Virgin Trains East Coast (VTEC) and open access operators to use the East Coast main line (ECML). This triggered an assessment of the theoretical capacity that would be available once Network Rail had completed a number of infrastructure schemes, notably grade-separation at

Werrington, a new layout at King’s Cross and boosting electrical supply. ORR judged it would be possible to operate eight long-distance trains per hour to and from London. It decided that six should be allocated to the franchise operator (then VTEC, now LNER), with a further one in every other hour, and that the remaining paths would be allocated to the incumbent open access operators Hull Trains and Grand

Tyneside departure: LNER’s No 801125 working the 07.30 King’s Cross to Edinburgh heads out of Newcastle on 20 August 2020. Jamie Squibbs

Modern Railways August 2021

Central and to a new open access company, First East Coast Trains. This decision was controversial. The arguments in the 17-page letter to the parties were convoluted. At a time when concern was growing about capacity being too stretched for reliable operation, it seemed unwise to permit the maximum number of trains before the enhanced infrastructure had proved itself (a caution that has

been vindicated). First’s plans for five trains per day between Edinburgh and London, calling only at Morpeth, Newcastle and (sometimes) Stevenage, while having some distinctive marketing features and the desirable aim of winning traffic from airlines, would clearly abstract revenue from VTEC. Moreover, although First had identified paths to support its ambition of timings of four to fourand-a-half hours, other operators foresaw pathing difficulties. And, finally, this meant ordering yet another small fleet of trains (5x5-car Hitachi Class 803 EMUs) when

the disadvantages of multiple fleets were becoming apparent. BLANK SHEET EXERCISE Nonetheless, the decision set in hand the multi-party exercise, investing countless hours of managerial time and specialist timetabling expertise, to recast the ECML timetable. It was planned for introduction in December 2021, but delays to the infrastructure works, the complexity of the task and then the Covid pandemic caused postponement to May 2022. All that said, five years is an unconscionable timescale that highlights the weaknesses in the process. Emerging problems became so apparent that in October 2020 the Department for Transport commissioned an entirely different approach. Its letter was never published, but inevitably, given the implications, it was soon leaked. The Directors General, Rail Group required Andrew Haines, acting as ‘a neutral single guiding mind’ (and not as CEO of NR), to design a timetable that would start from a ‘blank sheet’,

Competing operators: FirstGroup’s East Coast Trains unit No 803002 (right) alongside LNER Azuma No 801230 at Edinburgh Waverley on 15 June 2021. The ‘803’ departed with a 5Q62 training run to Darlington, while the Azuma was to work the 16.00 to King’s Cross; at far left No 801227 was waiting to form the 16.30 to King’s Cross. Ian Lothian

be ‘agnostic of operator’ and reflect best judgment on the ‘optimal use of capacity’. In other words, it would circumvent the difficulties besetting the formal process. The report of the team that NR assembled has not been published. This makes a mockery of the current consultation, since neither professional observers nor the travelling public can judge whether what is being offered could be even better under a reformed regime. Such a timetable would have overtones of the integrated approach so familiar in Switzerland: did the reappraisal demonstrate it would outperform the 2022 plans in terms of revenue and the ratio of social benefit to cost? It would be helpful to know. The point is augmented by the fact that the proposals for setting timetable design centre-stage in the ordering of the industry outlined in the Williams-Shapps White Paper must involve precisely this type of exercise if the organisation and functioning of Great British Railways is to be credible. What follows is not a criticism of the Network Rail and train operating company (TOC) staff who have laboured hard to plan a timetable within the prevailing rules. However, the outcome is so disappointing that it ought to become the last gasp of a discredited system. DISJOINTED A troubling consequence of the mismatch between the process mandated in 2016 and the emerging unified structure is that each TOC has issued a consultation document for its own services. In LNER’s document references to other operators’ services are limited to miscellaneous cases. This disjointed

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presentation means that for many flows readers must struggle to understand the future pattern, for example whether the poor spacing of trains between Newcastle and York has been addressed or whether connecting services (such as at Newark North Gate from/to Lincoln) will usefully complement the LNER trains. The likely outcome will be that almost everyone will focus on their narrow concerns and will miss the big picture. The LNER document is rather unwieldy. The introductory sections perpetuate our railway’s tendency to produce verbose texts, and obscure details may baffle readers, although there is a worthy attempt to explain the thinking behind the decisions, for example with statistics and charts to illustrate the relative sizes of flows. However, it is rather spoiled by warnings that respondents to the consultation should not expect any major changes since timings are effectively fixed (the unspoken reason being the complexity of fitting conflicting interests into a capacity-challenged infrastructure). This review concentrates on the LNER-only timetable. For the bigger flows, and some smaller ones, the offer will be a distinct improvement on the tired version dating from 2011. Journey times are reduced, frequencies increased and crowding eased. Moreover, the weekend timetable will, contrary to tradition, be similar to the weekday timetable. It has not been finalised, but if the variation is indeed minimal one hopes that instead of retaining the MondayFriday, Saturday and Sunday format the industry might start displaying the common seven-day pattern and use notes to cover the exceptions.

PROS AND CONS The most significant gains are in the number of trains per day, although many frequencies are unchanged and the plan admits that some relations (pairs of stations) will lose out. Tables showing ‘headline’ journey times mainly indicate modest gains and some slight decelerations. Some decisions are sensible, for example inserting a Peterborough call in the Aberdeen and Inverness trains (especially if connections for East Anglia are brisk). Others are more questionable: Leeds will have hourly links with intermediate stations, but this results in neither London timing being close to the ambition of two hours. There are other blemishes. LNER mostly reports through trains, not recognising that well-planned interchanges can enhance convenience for at least some travellers (who in mainland Europe seem more habituated to changing trains). The tables list numerous cases of ‘x+½’ trains per hour, meaning one service runs only two-hourly. This is a confusing pattern, demonstrating how ORR’s allocation of paths showed no concern for simplicity in the timetable. There are some errors: Northallerton to Doncaster is shown as taking 44 minutes, but interchange at York extends journey times to about 75 minutes. And the arrangement whereby Berwick-upon-Tweed and Alnmouth calls alternate hourly and Durham and Darlington likewise in the same train leads to Opportunities to Travel (OTTs) for the opposite permutations experiencing poor interchanges at Newcastle. Timings at Edinburgh Waverley may perpetuate lengthy connections with ScotRail Aberdeen services –

August 2021 Modern Railways

unless the Scottish timetable is adjusted. And discussion of provision for Dunbar and Reston is disgraceful. An expensive new station at Reston for a modest population was approved without any party assessing how it could be appropriately served. Now the document reveals fraught arguments: prioritised strategies are urgently needed. ASSUMPTIONS The proposals beg many questions. In the aggregate they reflect prepandemic presumptions about continuing growth in demand that have not been modified by more pessimistic estimates of recovery – which must include whether eight trains per hour will be justified. In the context of pressures to trim services in an economy drive enforced by the Government, it is not obvious how trains can be removed if that requires additional stops in other trains and consequential modification of paths – with rippling effects. At the micro level, figures illustrate the tiny demand for some intermediate relations and hence are thought to justify limited provision. From LNER’s perspective this is understandable, but wider

issues are unaddressed. There is no discussion of the impact of mediocre services over many years, and apparently no attempt has been made to analyse the market. Government policy aims to raise the modal share of public transport. The DfT letter to Mr Haines posed the question: ‘How to encourage more passengers to use the railway rather than less environmentally friendly transport modes’. Offering few if any OTTs by rail between places with no effective bus service between them is not conducive to that. Moreover, changing residential, work and leisure choices stimulated by the pandemic may begin to increase demand on shorter interurban flows at the expense of trips to London. We cannot be sure: it is the failure to consider such issues strategically that is worrying. Many timings are not consistent throughout the day – there is no standard hour – presumably because pre-existing paths of other operators were not negotiable. That is a sorry consequence of the legalistic process that one hoped would have been challenged while designing a new timetable for a premier line. Instead, the fast Edinburgh trains have five different arrival-minutes at King’s Cross and six at Waverley.

Schedules carry up to nine minutes of pathing time southbound and up to six minutes northbound. Such inefficient use of capacity is particularly serious because paths through the Woolmer Green constriction and approaching King’s Cross and paths through the busy approach to Waverley will differ from hour to hour, with knock-on effects. The best southbound timing between York and London is 114 minutes and the best northbound 106 minutes. Railway Performance Society records show fastest times by Class 91 + Mk 4 sets of 104 and 101 minutes respectively. A headline time of four hours between Edinburgh and London has not been achieved. This could have excited the market and been a dramatic focus for advertising to attract airline users. A median of 4hr 10min with some variability cannot have the same resonance. Given the infrastructure works, the capabilities of the Azuma trains and the potential gain from some tweaking of speed limits, perhaps even the fastest schedules suffer from conflicts with existing paths. TAKTFAHRPLAN APPROACH A key opportunity has been missed, namely to adopt the concept of

directional symmetry that the Swiss introduced in the first iteration of the Taktfahrplan in 1982. This has two functions. It ensures pathing in one direction is a mirror-image of pathing in the opposite direction. For operational discipline this has the advantage that sequences of trains and arrangements for interchange are readily understood and do not have to be worked out separately, while travellers can expect similar journey times and identical connectional schemes for both outward and return stages. The other function – important if we are serious about (multimodal) links at the key nodes of the public transport network – is that it highlights places where it is desirable for trains and buses to exchange passengers in support of nationwide connectivity, defined as the opportunity to travel easily between any pair of places with an appropriate day-long frequency. Principal nodes have meets around xx.00 and xx.30. In Switzerland, long horizon timetable planning has planned infrastructure works to facilitate optimal sequences so that prime inter-city trains arrive at say xx.57 and depart at xx.03, with complementary services arriving ahead in increasing order

Capacity constrained north of Newcastle: TransPennine Express bi-mode No 802205 heads out of shot at Ulgham Lane, north of Morpeth with the 07.24 Liverpool Lime Street to Edinburgh on 3 June 2021, passing LNER’s No 801225 working the 09.30 Edinburgh to King’s Cross. Bill Welsh

Modern Railways August 2021

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of importance and departing after in decreasing importance. The concept requires that if a train arrives at B from A at x minutes past the hour, then departure from B towards A will be at (60 – x) minutes past the hour. This rule has not been applied, and the sequence will differ by direction. Southbound the fast Edinburgh train could offer the option by a brisk change at Newcastle of an OTT between Edinburgh and Durham and Darlington to complement the two-hourly alternation between calls at those places in the slower Anglo-Scottish train. Similarly, there is a 16-minute connection at York for Grantham and Stevenage. However, northbound connectional times are prolonged, resulting in an uneven pattern. This unbalanced scheme arises in part from reluctance to abandon the ancient tradition that Anglo-Scottish trains should leave the terminals at xx.00 or xx.30 (although the semi-fast train northbound leaves at xx.03 – except in the peak). There may be some justification in terms of popular perception, but the effects are damaging and a marketing campaign could explain the concept and get, say, xx.04 (with

Mixed traffic railway: freight and passenger services on the ECML at Gamston near Retford on 5 March 2021. LNER’s 11.01 Edinburgh to King’s Cross, worked by No 801227, passes empty rail carriers returning from France, running as the 4E26 08.09 Dollands Moor to Scunthorpe Redbourne Sidings. Dafydd Whyles

corresponding arrivals at xx.56) established in travellers’ minds. INTERCHANGE ISSUES In terms of nodal interchanges, the plan is seriously deficient. At York the Up and Down Edinburgh fasts call simultaneously, as do the Newcastle semi-fasts (at c.xx.17 and c.xx.26 respectively), while the slower Edinburghs call at c.xx.54 and c.xx.04. It is not easy to finesse York calls, but this means good connections will be difficult to plan. Bus services at Stevenage could have a good connection with one Leeds train and east to west trains at Peterborough with the other Leeds. Otherwise, the majority of interchange times will probably be poor. Next, an absurd feature of the current timetable is being perpetuated, namely interchange times that are shorter than what is specified and hence are not recognised by the journey planner. This can result in advertised end-to-end times being extended by 30 minutes, with necessarily adverse impacts on customer perceptions. The southbound Scottish fast will arrive at Newcastle, an eight-minute station, at xx.21 and not connect with the xx.27 departure serving intermediate stations. In some hours slight variations mean a connection at Doncaster, a seven-minute station,

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is only six minutes, thus breaking a useful pattern of alternating a through train and a one-change OTT. It appears timetable planning procedures take no cognisance of the interchange rules. FREQUENCY Finally, and most importantly, is the question of frequency. It is wellestablished that potential users of public transport are influenced by the frequency on offer: the higher the frequency the greater the likelihood of finding a service near the preferred time and the stronger the appeal of flexibility. This was underpinned by research for development of the inter-city network and became a familiar objective. In mainland Europe the Swiss, German and Dutch railways have all increased frequency as a matter of policy. It was a feature of the West Coast Pendolino timetable and championed by GNER, but in recent years the emphasis has lessened as marketing has switched to bargain fares. Now LNER has been forced by the process to accept some reductions, just when environmental and social objectives require high standards to attract people out of their cars (and to provide an acceptable alternative when severe parking restrictions and charging for the use

of roads force new modal choices). In this context, reducing LNER calls at Berwick-upon-Tweed and Alnmouth to two-hourly on a route paralleling the A1 seems odd. Even more significant, securing a better balance between calls at Durham and Darlington and accelerating end-to-end timings offers some justification for the decision that Darlington to London will only have three trains every two hours, but this is a scrappy pattern. One hopes that after £100 million has been spent on upgrading the station and building platforms on the fast lines it will be possible to remedy this. Some frequencies are reasonably well-balanced around the hour. For example, York to London will be at xx.17, xx.31 and xx.56 (so much for round times!), with arrivals at xx.0918, xx.31 and xx.01. Northbound departures from King’s Cross are less good, at xx.03, xx.30 and xx.33. Calls at Newark and Grantham are fairly close to a 30-minute frequency, but calls at Peterborough are poorly spaced and vary by the hour. There are then the relations that are to be offered a slower service or little or no service at all. The most egregious example of the former is Peterborough to Stevenage. At present the off-peak pattern includes an hourly inter-city non-stop taking 29 minutes. In

August 2021 Modern Railways

A PROPOSAL FOR AN INTEGRATED REGULAR INTERVAL TIMETABLE FOR THE EAST COAST MAIN LINE

EDINBURGH WAVERLEY 23

21 20 40

A solid circle represents a station call (eg Reston, south of Dunbar), and a number next to an open circle the total of intermediate calls not shown.

Morpeth 50 32

52 27

NEWCASTLE 18 26

41 43 00

16 27

43 14

31 29

Durham

17 27

DARLINGTON 2

58 45

31 23

Redcar Central 28 31 58 02

Middlesbrough

Northallerton 35

LEEDS

36 13

29 25

59 47

30 04

07 50 55 52 10

54 47 06 13

Scarborough

00 59

YORK 25 34

49 09

Alnmouth

Berwick-upon-Tweed

15 15

50 43

There are seven long-distance interurban trains per hour to or from London and eight regional or urban trains, ie a total of 15 trains per standard hour per direction at Woolmer Green.

Departure-minutes are shown away from the station rectangle, arrival minutes adjacent to it; working timetable half-minutes are dropped. A pair of lines close together represents a half-hourly frequency. For clarity only one set of times is shown and the other set must be inferred. For example, the ‘all-stations’ departs from 15 00 York at xx.09, as shown, AND at xx.39. 45 00

North Berwick Dunbar

Tweedbank This diagram summarises a Strategic Plan for an Integrated, Regular Interval Timetable (SPIRIT). Each line represents an hourly service, except for the (dotted) two-hourly alternation of the Middlesbrough and Hull services. The standard hour will operate throughout the day. No assumption is made about what organisation or companies would deliver this service.

<> Plymouth

29 16

14 31

57 30

36 50

Trans-Pennine

58 01

35 42

37 23 03

HULL

40 19

WAKEFIELD WESTGATE

09 33 50 26 26

31 07 52 28 28

future the relation will only have outer-suburban trains taking 51 to 55 minutes, albeit half-hourly. That cannot enhance the relevance of rail in people’s minds. It would be surprising if there are not business and employment associations between the two places whose journeys will switch to cars. Retford will have an LNER service only every two hours, not calling at Newark or Grantham. The consultation points out that it will retain the Hull Trains service, also every two hours, but the spacing remains to be seen and this is just the scenario of confusing multiple operators the Williams-Shapps Plan seeks to eliminate (the suggestion for some journeys of doubling back via Doncaster is unacceptable). Moreover, Hull Trains calls only at Grantham (and not Peterborough) as a result of ORR’s preoccupation with minimising abstraction. A service between Newark, Grantham and Peterborough is provided two-hourly by the Lincoln trains. LACK OF STRATEGY No doubt LNER and the other players have done their best to resolve conundrums, but the outcome indicates strategic failure. It is accepted that the inter-urban distances concerned are shorter than those at which rail can easily compete and that flows by rail are currently small. Nonetheless, limited provision for local movements may unfavourably colour residents’

DONCASTER 31

37 22

Stations

Long-distance inter-urban

Retford 46

Medium-distance inter-urban

10 43 50 50 16

42 07 18 53 53

Regional

12 48

London inter-urban

Newark Northgate 00

50 10

Urban Norwich <> Nottingham

22 11

Grantham

46 49 14

42 16 18 18 44

40 14 20 20 46

PETERBOROUGH 16

6 47

52 13

CAMBRIDGE

00 45

10 30

Stevenage 15

45 44

58 47

09 32

5 24 06

Finsbury Park

51 34

37 08

<> Thameslink 41

53 06

47 18

29 11 23 47 48 36 13 13

29 30

08 31

LONDON KING’S CROSS

Modern Railways August 2021

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perceptions of the railway’s relevance (network effects are under-researched). If rail cannot cover these links, in any sensible plan for public transport there should be fast high-quality and frequent coach services integrated with trains. Without such planning, the dangerous dominance of the private car will never be challenged. Until the complete timetable is available some features involving other operators’ services complementing LNER services, either by increasing frequencies or affording connections, cannot be known. Piecing together the fragmented information, one can only conclude that operators are not interested in collaboration, despite the loss of revenue. Times of TransPennine Express and Northern trains bear only random relationships to LNER times. For example, many Scarborough travellers will find savings on the ECML leg are wiped out by a lengthy wait at York. Connections for the Harrogate line also appear poor, despite Northern doubling the frequency on completion of infrastructure works, and at neither Newcastle nor Darlington is there much logic. First’s paths between Edinburgh and London will be introduced later this year. Their mean end-to-end time will be 4hr 35min, similar to the slower LNER path with fewer stops and longer than the original bid. On average the schedules include 31 minutes of ‘pathing’ time, which

is a gross waste of route capacity, although First says schedules will be improved from May 2022. It will be unforgivable if ORR’s preoccupation with ‘competition’ from this occasional service, and protection of other open access operators, is the prime cause of a fundamentally flawed ECML timetable. AN ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION This is a plan straitjacketed by an obsolete process. It may be technically clever in compromising between competing interests, but it lacks any coherent vision of what the future will need. It may contravene ORR’s duties. It may well be obsolete before it is implemented. Performance may be poor. And DfT may have been given a better blueprint but kept it secret. This is not auspicious for the success of the Williams-Shapps Plan. Such a critique predicates an alternative strategy. The present author set out to parallel the NR exercise by deploying Swiss software and concepts. The outline of our draft judgments is illustrated in the accompanying ‘netgraph’. The key points are: ■ comprehensive optimisation for travellers and an operatorneutral presumption; ■ convenient frequencies and absolute regularity throughout the day; ■ symmetrical timings for the two directions and near-the-zerominute calls at key stations;

■ brisk connections (respecting connectional margins) to minimise journey times and offer travellers options for a with-change OTT between through trains; ■ identical half-hourly cycles south of Doncaster: in one halfhour a fast Anglo-Scottish train and a ‘semi-fast’ Leeds, and in the other half-hour a fast Leeds and a semi-fast Scottish train; ■ a half-hourly all-stations service south of York that ensures an attractive frequency for a wide set of relations; ■ acceptance of the Thameslink and Great Northern service pattern with some modifications, bearing in mind the constraints it imposes on ECML timings; ■ tight connections between intercity and Thameslink trains at Peterborough and Stevenage in order to encourage use of the Thameslink network (which has not hitherto been much publicised); ■ provisional ideas on extensions to serve places such as Middlesbrough and Hull; ■ arrangement of CrossCountry and TransPennine services to yield quarter-hourly patterns between Newcastle and York and between York and Leeds; ■ a best-possible resolution of the mix of inter-city, regional and local services on the constrained section between Edinburgh and Berwick-upon-Tweed; and

■ one accelerated intermodal path per hour south of Peterborough for auctioning to operators. In order to achieve these standards, several cases of overtaking were planned. Some shy away from this, citing performance risks, but our contention was that the advantages in the structure of the timetable are considerable and that a more reliable railway ought to be able to cope. The scheme has not been validated operationally (although NR is aware of it), but every effort was made to use official running times, to build in performance margins and to respect planning rules.

Jonathan Tyler Jonathan Tyler joined British Rail as a Traffic Apprentice in 1962. His career moved from Willesden marshalling yard to BR headquarters, where he contributed to strategic studies, including developing the first model for estimating demand for faster and more frequent services. He was appointed BR Lecturer at the University of Birmingham in 1976 and became an independent consultant in 1983, trading as Passenger Transport Networks in York. He has long been interested in good timetabling, and since 2000 he has used the Swiss Viriato planning software for franchise bids, ScotRail’s Inter7City network and many other projects. He is a Fellow of the Foundation for Integrated Transport.

Azuma on song: Newcastle-based LNER driver Mick Ingledew gives a wave as he passes New Zealand bridge at Sandy, Bedfordshire with a King’s Cross to Edinburgh service on 8 June 2021. Fraser Pithie

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August 2021 Modern Railways

4LM BEATS ITS

Covid challenges Despite the difficulties of the pandemic, TfL’s 4LM Project Director CHRIS HOBDEN tells PHILIP SHERRATT the resignalling of London Underground’s sub-surface lines is progressing

ondon’s transport system has been hit hard by the pandemic. Passenger numbers have tumbled and financial challenges have brought into question the business case for future investments. But Transport for London was already delivering a number of major enhancements when Covid arrived. On the London Underground these include the Northern Line extension to Battersea, due to open this autumn, and Bank station upgrade, scheduled for completion in 2022. A little further down the line will be 94 new Siemens-built trains for the Piccadilly Line, due to enter service from 2025.

The sub-surface Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan Lines already have new trains in the form of the 192-strong ‘S’ stock fleet, supplied by Bombardier (now Alstom). To make the most of the new fleet, TfL is introducing new signalling on the four lines to control trains automatically, enabling journey times to be reduced and frequency increased. Thales is the supplier of Communications Based Train Control (CBTC) signalling under the Four Lines Modernisation (4LM) programme. The sub-surface network comprises 40% of the Underground and pre-Covid accounted for around one-quarter of

Circle Line: a clockwise service approaching Farringdon crosses the Thameslink tracks at the Ray Street Gridiron on 9 August 2014. Antony Guppy

Modern Railways August 2021

ridership, and it includes the oldest stretches of the Underground and numerous complex junctions. MIGRATION With a network of this size, the transition to the new CBTC system is a gradual one. The sub-surface network has been divided into Signalling Migration Areas (SMAs), with a phased programme to introduce the new signalling. This broadly starts with the Hammersmith branch, then the central area to complete the Circle Line, before heading out into the suburbs. Before Covid, the first SMAs were already operating with the new

signalling. The first section between Hammersmith and Latimer Road went live in March 2019, followed in September by an eastward extension to Euston Square which also brought in the first section of the Metropolitan Line northward to Finchley Road. After that, there was a gap of 18 months before the next section, SMA3, went live in March 2021. This complex migration extended CBTC control east to Stepney Green and round the Circle Line to Monument, including the junctions around Aldgate. The lengthy pause can be attributed to a combination of software challenges, training issues and the impact of Covid, but so smooth was the go-live on SMA3 that SMA4, from Monument to Sloane Square, followed swiftly behind it in April. RELIABILITY Challenges were experienced with the Data Communication System (DCS) after SMAs 1 and 2 were switched on, and TfL’s 4LM Project Director Chris Hobden says there was a determination not to proceed with SMA3 until these had been fully addressed. The CBTC system being introduced on the sub-surface lines

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4LM MIGRATION AREAS

Chalfont & SMA 13 Latimer Watford Chorleywood Rickmansworth

—— Circle Line

Croxley

Moor Park Ruislip Ruislip Northwood Manor Northwood Hills Pinner Eastcote Ickenham North Harrow SMA 14 Rayners Lane West HarrowSouth Harrow Harrow on-the-Hill

—— District Line

Uxbridge Hillingdon

SMA 9 Northwick Park

—— Hammersmith & City Line Preston Road

8 Finchley Road Marlborough Rd (Disused) Lords (Disused) Great Edgware Baker Portland Road Street Street

Paddington

Dagenham East

—— National Rail services

Becontree

A6 King’s Cross

Farringdon Bayswater

Bow Road

SMA 3

Barbican

Ladbroke Grove

Moorgate Liverpool Street

Latimer Road

Barking

Euston Square

SMA 2

SM A

Royal Oak Westbourne Park

—— London Overground Note: SMA11 removed from 4LM scope

Swiss Cottage (Disused) Paddington

Hornchurch

—— Piccadilly Line

A SM

Neasden

Upminster Upminster Bridge

—— Metropolitan Line

Wembley Park

Stepney Green

Notting Hill Gate

SMA 0.5

North Ealing

Ealing Common

South Ealing

Acton Town Chiswick Park

SMA 10 Hammersmith

Dagenham Heathway Upney

East Ham Upton Park Plaistow

West Mile BromleyEnd by-Bow Ham Whitechapel

Aldgate

Shepherd’s Bush Market Goldhawk Road Kensington (Olympia)

High Street Kensington Mansion House

SMA 5

West Kensington

Turnham Stamford Ravenscourt Barons Green Brook Park Court

Gloucester Road

SMA 4

South Sloane Victoria St.James’s Earl’s Court Kensington Square Park West Brompton Fulham Broadway Parsons Green

Gunnersbury Kew Gardens

SMA 12

Richmond

utilises communication by Wi-Fi, as opposed to the wire-based Thales systems on the Northern and Jubilee Lines. A wayside radio connection from the Service Control Centre at Hammersmith connects to the mobile radio units (two on each train), which in turn provide information to the Vehicle On-Board Controllers (VOBCs). Each train has two VOBCs – they can run with only one in operation, but if neither are operable communication with the control centre is lost. After SMAs 1 and 2 went live, there were issues with communications between trains and the control centre, particularly at the CBTC boundaries – the critical transition points between the legacy signalling and the new automatic control. When the first migration area went live on the Hammersmith branch there

Elm Park

Aldgate East

Wood Lane Ealing Broadway

Amersham

Chesham

Putney Bridge East Putney

Monument

Cannon Street Tower Hill Blackfriars

Temple Embankment Westminster

the year due to a cybersecurity issue, which was swiftly resolved.

Southfields Wimbledon Park

Wimbledon

was only one boundary (Latimer Road), but with SMAs 1 and 2 this increased to three (at Paddington, Euston Square and Finchley Road). ‘We had issues with noncommunicative trains and struggled to get them to re-enter the CBTC area’ reports Mr Hobden. ‘This was a particular problem at Finchley Road, where any issues meant trains had to move in restricted manual mode, which had a major effect on the train service.’ After a challenging autumn grappling with these issues, reliability improved significantly over the course of 2020. There was a spike in delays midway through

SAFE STOP By early 2020 4LM was broadly back on track, and then Covid arrived. TfL brought all physical works on its projects to a safe stop on 23 March, both to ensure safe working could be implemented and to alleviate potential crowding issues with people using the public transport network to travel to worksites. Physical work on 4LM, including fitment of lineside equipment, had to stop, although project management and software development was able to continue. While work was able to resume from early June, Mr Hobden says the requirement for social distancing presented particular challenges for 4LM. The main challenge concerned system testing: ‘Pre-Covid, we would have had more than six people in the cab of a train during testing,

which clearly was no longer possible’ Mr Hobden explains. ‘We’ve had to reschedule our testing and I’m proud of the measures we’ve taken to overcome the challenges.’ These measures have included the provision of curtains to divide the cab into three sections, which are specially fitted for testing weekends. In the saloon, workstations with remote speed indicator devices take a live feed from the cab, meaning full testing has still been able to take place on trains. ‘These measures were devised, tested and trialled from scratch, and we were back testing again last summer’ says Mr Hobden. ‘It’s tribute to the enthusiasm of the team, who’ve understood the problem and worked out solutions.’ The other significant Covid impact was on training of train operators, with classroom-based training halted along with some simulatorbased training. While drivers on the Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan Lines had already been trained for the sections of new signalling which were already live, SMA3 introduced the new signalling on the main District Line

Manual driving to persist: automatic train control will no longer feature at the western extremities of the District Line, at least in the near term. A train of ‘S’ stock arrives at Ealing Broadway on 12 May 2021. Antony Guppy

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August 2021 Modern Railways

Approaching the central core: an eastbound District Line train arrives at West Kensington on 22 June 2019, bound for Upminster. Antony Guppy

Baker Street: in pouring rain an Aldgate-bound Metropolitan Line service arrives under CBTC control on 28 May 2021. Antony Guppy

trunk for the first time (between Stepney Green and Monument). ‘Before Covid, our agreement was for each operator to have around half a dozen trips with an instructor operator in the cab with them, after which they’d be signed off to use the new system’ explains Mr Hobden. ‘We couldn’t fit curtains in the cab across the whole fleet, so for the go-live of SMA3 we agreed we’d have instructor operators at the entry and exit boundaries of the CBTC areas to support train operators.’ Mr Hobden says the remobilisation of 4LM was not simply a question of restarting activities but has been a gradual effort since June last year, right up until the go-live for SMA3 in March. ‘It’s been a phenomenal effort, moving in baby steps’ he says. ‘SMA3 was not a simple migration, but the introduction of CBTC on that area has gone like a dream.’

FINANCIAL CHALLENGES As 2020 progressed, there was increasing awareness within TfL of the financial challenges the pandemic has caused. The advice to work from home means TfL’s fares revenue has been decimated, and it has been reliant on a series of Government support deals in order to keep services going. This had led to both a review of future spending on investment projects and tight control of expenditure, much of which has required approval at senior level. Installation of lineside equipment was held back during mid-2020 as emergency budgets were constructed and reviewed. This work has now resumed, and installation of CBTC equipment is complete for SMA8, nearly complete for SMA9 and underway on SMAs 13 and 14. This is a combination of installation of Thales equipment and cable pulls, the latter of which

Modern Railways August 2021

have predominantly been installed by TfL; ‘despite it being a WiFibased system there’s still a lot of cable to install’ says Mr Hobden. Looking at the bigger picture, TfL undertook a review of the scope of 4LM, which led to the decision in the autumn to remove parts of SMAs 10, 11 and 12, covering the western stretches of the District Line, from the project’s scope. These areas feature a number of shared stretches of railway – with Network Rail on the Wimbledon and Richmond branches and with the Piccadilly Line west of Hammersmith. TfL proposed an overlay solution, which would have seen the existing interlocking retained and controlling the railway, with a CBTC overlay for District trains. This contrasts with the outer stretches of the Metropolitan Line, shared with Chiltern Railways and with the Piccadilly Line on the Uxbridge branch, where an underlay solution is planned through which CBTC will control trains but with lineside signals retained for Chiltern and Piccadilly trains. ‘This decision is a combination of several things coming together’ says Mr Hobden. ‘There was concern around the level of technical risk with the overlay solution – as this introduces two systems, it might have a detrimental effect on reliability. On SMAs 10 to 12 the introduction of CBTC does not provide any extra timetable capacity, so the enhancements we’d planned can be achieved without introducing CBTC. What tipped the balance was the financial aspect – because the legacy system is in place, there’s a number of savings

we can achieve by deferring resignalling until a later date.’ Was consideration given to descoping the shared stretches of the Metropolitan Line too? Mr Hobden says the critical factor here is that the signalling assets on these stretches are life-expired or will be imminently. ‘If we didn’t install CBTC, we’d have the cost of legacy work coming up soon’ he says. And thoughts of abandoning the programme altogether were quickly dismissed: ‘There’s still a strong business case for the programme as a whole’ Mr Hobden reports. Deferring resignalling on the western branches of the District Line means London Underground’s plans can be developed to fit in with Network Rail’s ambitions for stretches such as the Richmond branch, where NR owns the infrastructure, and can also fit in with a future upgrade of the Piccadilly Line, where TfL has ambitions to introduce new signalling to maximise the benefits of the new Siemens fleet on order. The decision is not without risk – for example, it means the conventional tripcocks will need to be maintained for longer – but Mr Hobden is convinced it is the right decision. EXTENSIONS While the three SMAs have been formally cut from the programme, meaning the area of CBTC control would only extend to Fulham Broadway and Barons Court, TfL is looking at extending to East Putney and Stamford Brook respectively. ‘These areas don’t require an overlay, so what we have is core CBTC on a relatively straightforward section

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of railway’ says Mr Hobden. ‘It enables us to maximise the length of railway with the new signalling.’ It was always intended to remove the connections between the District and Piccadilly tracks in the Hammersmith area as part of 4LM, meaning the two lines are segregated to ease complexity. A further benefit of these short extensions to the area of CBTC control will be an improved feed of trains into the core area – having the boundary close to the complex junction at Earls Court would make it more challenging to regulate the timetable. Although the two short extensions are nominally called SMA10 and SMA12, Mr Hobden says the programme may not be delivered in numerical order. ‘We’ve had to recast the whole implementation schedule’ he says. ‘We’re governed by software development, but also the need to plan our testing weekends around events in London, as there’s a limit on when we can close the railway. There’s a backlog of events being replanned as London builds back from the pandemic, and it’s a complex exercise to ensure we work around those.’ A revised programme was due to be presented to TfL’s Programmes and Investment Committee meeting in July, following development work with Thales. TRAINS AND DEPOTS As well as migrating areas to the new signalling, 4LM has required installation of CBTC equipment on trains and improvements at depots. All 192 ‘S’ stock trains were fitted with the required equipment in Derby prior to Covid. However, there is also the challenge of fitting CBTC equipment to engineering vehicles; this work had to stop during the pandemic. So far, 29 battery locomotives and one rail adhesion train have been fitted. In terms of depots, all works at Upminster have been completed, and work at Ealing Common is nearly finished. At Neasden, a major focus has been on preparatory works to provide the facilities for a heavy overhaul of the S stock fleet. This work, now underway, includes an overhaul of the gangways and the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment. While this also had to stop during Covid, remobilisation was easier than for the elements of 4LM involving system testing. NEXT STEPS After a challenging 2020, what is next for 4LM? Next to go live will be SMA5, a complex area which includes the

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triangular junction east of Earls Court – once this is achieved the Circle Line will be entirely controlled by CBTC. Mr Hobden reports this area is expected to go live towards the end of 2021 or in early 2022. Concurrent with this will be the engineering vehicle superhighway, which will allow engineering vehicles to run between passenger trains in timetabled service. The next two areas towards the east end of the District Line are among the simpler areas and should follow with relative ease, as should the shortened SMA10 and SMA12. The next major challenge will be extension northbound along the Metropolitan Line: SMA8 features interfaces with the Jubilee Line’s own Thales CBTC system, which is different to that being installed on 4LM, and with the depot at Neasden. Then SMA9 brings the first underlay section interfacing with Chiltern services. Timings of these migrations are still being developed by TfL in conjunction with Thales. In terms of the wider programme, the original aim was to increase frequencies to a maximum 32 trains per hour (tph) through the core areas. However, with demand reduced in the light of Covid, Mr Hobden says the outcome of the programme is also being reviewed. ‘We’re re-evaluating what London requires in a post-pandemic world’ he says. ‘We expect a build back, but we don’t know how quickly it will come. At the moment we’re leaning towards delivering the journey time improvements but holding back on some of the frequency enhancements, as there is a cost to running those additional trains and it may not be the best use of constrained resources.’ The first timetable enhancement on the back of 4LM is planned for September on the northern side of the Circle Line. The main benefit will

be a journey time improvement, which equates to around two minutes on a Paddington to Moorgate trip, but there will also be an additional train per hour at peak times, taking the frequency to 27tph. This enhancement was based on having CBTC live on SMA3. After that, once SMA5 has gone live, running time improvements will be introduced across the whole of the Circle Line. The timing of this will depend on when the migration to CBTC takes place, but as it doesn’t involve a frequency increase it does not need to coincide with a timetable change on the national network. While it will not enhance frequencies, this will deliver a significant proportion of the benefits of 4LM. What happens after this will be dependent on decisions around ridership growth and the wider financial situation. ‘There’s still pinchpoints to solve to get us to 32tph’ says Mr Hobden. But whether or not such improvements are implemented immediately or deferred until later, 4LM will provide the future capability to achieve this. COMPLEX Even before the pandemic, 4LM was a complex programme.

As Mr Hobden points out, the section of sub-surface railway which has gone live with CBTC so far features 35 stations, more than on the entire Jubilee Line, along with three flat junctions and a complex set of sidings at Hammersmith. ‘This puts into context what we’re up against’ says Mr Hobden, who adds jokingly that 4LM has to get to SMA6 to have covered more ground with new signalling than the entire Northern Line. Mr Hobden reiterates his pride at what has been achieved by his team during the pandemic. ‘Some things have been better – when we held meetings in person in Stratford we were constrained by numbers, but now we can hold online conferences with more people, including Thales staff from Canada’ he says. Nonetheless, the challenge of continuing to develop, test and commission complex new signalling software on the oldest underground railway in the world during a global pandemic has been immense. Much has been achieved – but for 4LM there is clearly much still to do .

Fitting CBTC equipment: an ‘S’ stock train at the Litchurch Lane factory in Derby on 4 April 2019, then owned by Bombardier but now by Alstom. Philip Sherratt

Metropolitan Line trunk: a northbound service bound for Watford passes West Hampstead on 16 August 2019. Extension of CBTC control northwards from Finchley Road is part of signalling migration area 8. Philip Sherratt

August 2021 Modern Railways

VITAL LESSONS FOR

MICRO-CONCESSIONS With micro-concessions on branch lines a possibility highlighted by the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail, what do groups considering a bid need to consider? Operations consultant and West Somerset Railway Non-Executive Director ANDY CASTLEDINE talks to ANDY RODEN about how a current safety culture is critical

hen most people think of Britain’s multitude of heritage railways, they envisage pretty stations, old-fashioned coaches and steam locomotives trading firmly on nostalgia and offering a break from today’s often hectic pace of life. What most people don’t consider for a second is that these vital parts of our tourist economy operate under the Railways and Other Guided Transport Systems (Safety) Regulations 2006, better known as ROGS – and that there is now a growing focus from the Office of Rail and Road on ensuring every heritage railway is as safe as it possibly can be for staff and passengers. This has a particular resonance following the publication of the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail in May this year, which offered the suggestion that Community Rail Partnerships and other organisations might be able to operate branch lines and some isolated rural routes. Any organisation which seeks to do

so will immediately find itself needing to comply with ROGS. Enter Andy Castledine, a career railwayman who started with English Welsh & Scottish Railway in 2001, working for a variety of franchised train operators including Chiltern Railways and London Overground before helping owning groups deliver franchise bids. He’s now an independent rail operations consultant and technical advisor, whose clients include Arup, East West Rail, the ORR and RSSB. He is also a Non-Executive Director of the West Somerset Railway, and he believes recent developments there have a relevance to the national rail network – and particularly to any groups thinking of bidding to run their local railway. To cut a long story short, recent management changes at the WSR led to a laser focus to improve the safety of the heritage railway’s infrastructure and operations – and to start to embed a safety-first culture with paid staff and crucially the volunteers on whom

Modern Railways August 2021

almost every heritage railway’s viability depends. None of this is to say that the WSR was being operated unsafely – but there were lessons and techniques used on the main line network which could be applied to ensure it was and will be even safer. ‘The first job was to work with the Office of Rail and Road to ensure we were operating a safe railway’ Mr Castledine tells Modern Railways. ‘We started work on a new Safety Management System (SMS) in October 2020, to ensure all the paperwork was up-to-date and to reassure ourselves that the necessary processes are in place. We deployed this into the business in Q1 2020, with the full support of the ORR.’ Mr Castledine is quick to acknowledge the support of the ORR, saying ‘It has given a great deal of guidance and support, particularly our allocated Inspector. Not every organisation realises they need to comply with ROGS. If they’re not, they damn well need to be. You have to understand the operational

risk profile for your business.’ He points out that because heritage railways rely on equipment made redundant from the National Rail network, their operation can be much more difficult. With reliance on working practices dating back a century and more in some cases, Mr Castledine says the operational risk profile for heritage railways compared to the national network is ‘atrocious’, adding ‘therefore it’s critical you get it right’. STAFF TRAINING With an SMS in place, it is being cascaded through the WSR’s organisation. Heads of operations, safety and compliance were appointed, and the need recognised for a Risk Management Maturity Model (RM3) for the railway. The ORR has RM3-H, which is specifically designed for the heritage sector, although it is similar in many respects to the RM3 model used on the national network. Capable management is critical for success here. ‘You need

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subject matter experts at board level on the railway: it’s a heck of a responsibility’ says Mr Castledine. A Human Resources Director, Arthur Diejomoah, another experienced railwayman, was appointed to provide a new focus on ensuring good liaison with staff and volunteers, as was Engineering Director Bob Meanley to bring his decades of experience and knowledge to bear. Lessons were taken from the national network, and with a significant change in how the WSR managed risks and safety, staff and volunteers are due to be involved in virtual workshops over the coming weeks to ensure everyone in the organisation is doing their job properly and safely. An occupational psychologist from rail industry specialist Occupational Psychology Centre was used to undertake a lessons learned review to build on this process, and the railway continues to work with the organisation. Rail legal expert Clive Fletcher-Wood is hosting a briefing and training event in October. The WSR was hard hit by the pandemic and by the need to undertake infrastructure repairs to ensure its long-term sustainability, and this feeds into the new safety culture. ‘It’s very easy to say “it’ll be okay” on matters like infrastructure’ says Mr Castledine, adding the warning ‘Which it is until it’s not.’ A remedial plan was created and, with the railway in limbo like so much of the country, the safety culture and operational competencies were rebuilt to the highest possible standards. A key element of this is that processes

Legacy equipment: driver Fouracre steps aboard the WSR Class 117 DMU at Bishops Lydeard on 2 August 2014. Steve Edge

match what the paperwork says they are, and vice-versa. Safety and competences need managing, and the railway has appointed a recent retiree from Network Rail to bring his decades of rail safety experience to oversee this process and manage the SMS in real life. With high levels of industry knowledge in the management team, the WSR joined RSSB as an associate member – something Mr Castledine recommends highly. ‘It’s an absolute knowledge base. If you’ve got a problem, the chances are that RSSB has looked at it’ he says. To ensure the highest possible standards of safety, the WSR also joined confidential safety

reporting line CIRAS. ‘One of the things holding back from reporting potential safety breaches could be a fear of reprisal. We need a level of individual veracity – to give staff the assurance that there’s someone to talk to if they feel they’re being ignored. We hope it’s never needed to be used – but it’s a valuable insurance policy. The message is that staff can use it if they need to and can’t resolve their concerns internally.’ SHARING KNOWLEDGE In parallel with this, the WSR is represented in the creation of a new Heritage Railway Safety Standards Board (HRSSB) as operations can, and continue to, diverge from

Refreher training: WSR 2-6-0 steam locomotive No 9351 passes Sampford Brett on 25 April 2021. Steve Edge

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those of the national network in some areas. Again, the ORR has been supportive of this initiative. Mr Castledine has a simple message. ‘It’s important the heritage sector takes safety and compliance extremely seriously, and the HRSSB will provide a datum point for members. The 1955 Rule Book which forms the basis of many railways’ policies isn’t always going to cut it, because legislation always changes more quickly than the rule book.’ A clear example of this is the level crossing outside Minehead station, which needs renewing. Rather than doing a like-for-like replacement, by October this year, the WSR hopes to open a new crossing built to national network standards with CCTV feeding into the heritage signal box. It will limit operations and prevent passengers heading into the centre of Minehead by train until it is commissioned, but the result will be an asset which is much safer for the railway and road users. All these lessons are readily applicable to any group pondering a micro-concession, and Mr Castledine is bluntly honest about the prospects. ‘There are huge barriers to entry. It is not a cheap thing to do at all. People wanting to do a “Titfield Thunderbolt” will need very deep pockets and a lot of expertise. It’s got to be a commercial enterprise with a business case: it’s not a full-sized train set. Most importantly of all, you must understand what you’re getting into – I cannot emphasise that enough.’ There will doubtless be many groups hoping to run their branch line and upgrade the quality of service. But if the experience of Britain’s longest standard gauge – and highly successful – heritage railway in recent years is anything to go by, it is going to be ferociously difficult.

August 2021 Modern Railways

The Golden Whistle Awards

OUTSTANDING OPERATIONS REWARDED ANDY RODEN reveals the teams and individuals who won at the annual Golden Whistle awards

o say the past year and more has been challenging for the railway is an understatement of the highest order, and in our last issue we revealed the operator winners at the annual Golden Whistle awards, recognising the huge operational challenges train companies and Network Rail Routes have faced during the pandemic. Each year the Institution of Railway Operators invites entries for those individuals and teams who have gone the extra mile to deliver

outstanding operations, and there was a healthy crop of entries for the 2021 awards. Normally these awards are presented at a meeting of the Modern Railways Fourth Friday Club in London, but in this pandemic year this was not possible and the awards were instead presented directly to the winners at their places of work. ELECTRONIC WHISTLES The joint winners of the Golden Whistle in the Outstanding Individual section were Thameslink Customer

Service Operations Manager Nina McGovern and Southeastern Station Manager Elliot Waters, for rethinking how trains could be dispatched safely during the pandemic. The trusty operating tool of the whistle clearly presented a risk to staff and passengers at the platform and on trains, and the pair found a solution in electronic whistles – something never used on the railway before. Together they explored sources of electronic whistles and wrote a business case which explored the performance benefits and risks that would arise as passengers started to return to the railway. They worked with suppliers early to secure around 1,500 electronic

whistles to ensure conductors and platform staff had the right equipment to do their jobs safely and that there were sufficient supplies of the whistles. This early intervention and determination to run the railway safely ensured that throughout the pandemic trains on Govia Thameslink Railway and Southeastern could continue to carry key workers safely to where they needed to go without delays. MANAGING PERFORMANCE A Silver Whistle in the Outstanding Operations category was awarded to Avanti West Coast’s Head of Performance Katherine Burnett, who started in this role in February 2020, just before the pandemic struck. The changes to timetables and risks of the virus presented huge and multiple challenges in delivering operations. Ms Burnett set out to improve processes, structure and governance in managing performance, all the while stressing the importance of working collaboratively with Network Rail and other operators on the West Coast main line. She embraced the initiatives of the Network Performance Board and worked closely with train planning teams to improve Covid timetables. Her bosses say Katherine Burnett’s approach and dedication to her

Ensuring safe dispatch: the introduction of electronic whistles won Southeastern’s Elliott Waters and GTR’s Nina McGovern a Gold Whistle for promoting a safer method of train dispatch during the pandemic. In pre-Covid times, Thameslink unit No 700012 prepares for departure from Bromley South with the 12.41 Kentish Town to Orpington service on 25 June 2018. Philip Sherratt

Modern Railways August 2021

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The Golden Whistle Awards work is exemplary. Her focus on performance has helped achieve impressive results; Avanti West Coast recorded some much-improved operating statistics, including the first 100% Public Performance Measure day in more than five years, and the best Period 1 to 7 Public Performance Measure (PPM) in 10 years. While the company acknowledges these achievements have come through the contribution of many parties, it says Katherine Burnett’s leadership means those responsible for the delivery of performance are equipped with the correct support and focus to deliver a highperforming railway. During such difficult times, these achievements can hardly be understated. HIGHLY COMMENDED There were two Highly Commended entries in the Outstanding Individuals section, both of whom received Golden Whistles certificates. The first recipient was Great Western Railway’s Performance Improvement Manager – Stations, Varun Mather. Mr Mather manages the company’s Station Joint Performance Improvement Plans and leads the stations input to GWR’s Performance Strategy plan. In his three years in post, there has been continuous improvement in the number of delay minutes attributed

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Pendolino on diversion: Avanti West Coast’s Train Planning, Resources and Train Crew Diagramming Team picked up the Gold Whistle in the category for Outstanding Operating Teams. Running via Manchester due to engineering works on the West Coast main line on 2 April 2021 is the 07.37 Glasgow Central to Euston service, pictured here between Oxford Road and Piccadilly. Tom McAtee

to stations. He has led an initiative to improve dwell time monitoring, working with Network Rail and Amey to develop the new Quartz software now used at around half of GWR’s stations, which is proving highly effective in managing the root cause of dwell time delays. He has also been the station lead on GWR’s Every Second Counts cultural change programme, which focuses on saving seconds rather than minutes. This has seen a major cultural and behaviour shift in station working. GWR Managing Director Mark Hopwood says Mr Mather’s ‘contribution, personal dedication and willingness to take things that little bit further has made a major contribution in the saving of delay minutes, cancellations and collaborative performance working within GWR stations’. Passengers may notice little difference when they board their train, but those seconds saved accumulate on a journey and make an appreciable difference to performance. The second Highly Commended Award went to Stephen Pilfold, Network Rail’s Shift Signalling Manager at Three Bridges Rail Operating Centre. During the Thameslink Programme works, he developed a live system to notify signallers of the booked platform to route the next approaching train into at London Bridge station. Working with the local management team, a prototype system was developed to alert signallers that they may have set an incorrect route for an approaching

Severn Solent co-operation: the joint team from GWR and Network Rail was awarded a Silver Whistle. On 10 June 2021, GWR’s No 166201 hurries part Churchdown towards Gloucester with the 12.42 Great Malvern to Bristol. M. John Stretton

train, allowing them to correct the route without delaying services. It proved its value quickly: at one signal alone, wrong routing incidents fell from 40 in the year before to just five over the next two years. Such is its value that the Wrong Route Tool has been adopted by Network Rail’s System Operator division, and Mr Pilfold has helped roll out the system to other sites in addition to other tools he has developed to aid signallers. It is now on trial at the Wimbledon Area Signalling Centre in Panel 5 to indicate the correct line for the next approaching train at Barnes Junction and alert signallers visually and audibly if the route set does not

match the timetable. It is reckoned it has already saved hundreds of thousands of delay minutes. WEST COAST WIN The Teams section was hotly contested, but Avanti West Coast’s Train Planning, Resources and Train Crew Diagramming Team scooped the Golden Whistle. The past year has witnessed an unprecedented level of timetable change in extremely short timescales and under high pressure. Service levels went down, up and down again, as the railway reacted to demand levels as lockdowns came and went. AWC implemented seven

The Golden Whistle Awards are supported by Tracsis (www.tracsis.com), Porterbrook (www.porterbrook.co.uk) and the Institution of Railway Operators (www.railwayoperators.co.uk).

August 2021 Modern Railways

The Golden Whistle Awards down delays. A good example of this is how they worked with Freightliner to retime a freight train, which has resulted in a dramatic improvement in punctuality of GWR early morning trains between Westbury and Salisbury. Schedule errors and platforming conflicts at Cardiff, Bristol Temple Meads and Westbury have been resolved, improving performance and operational flexibility. This effort has manifested itself in impressive improvements in punctuality, which has risen in the area by 19.6% to reach 90.1% of trains arriving on time, with on-time working increasing too. GWR insists it is not simply the impact of fewer trains and customers during the pandemic: it is about collaboration in action, which has been consistent and ongoing since the team was first formed.

Bringing some cheer: the Mid Hants Railway’s Steam Illuminations event won the preserved line the Special Award at this year’s Golden Whistles. Matt Bentley

planning, such as the two-week closure of Kilsby tunnel to improve the drainage, while there were repairs to the overhead wires over four weeks at Camden. The high quality of the plans throughout has manifested in strong operational performance. Avanti West Coast’s PPM moving annual average increased by 9.3% to 86.3%, demonstrating just how well this team performed in such a difficult period.

process, manage and maintain new conditions for each of the frontline grades, maintain an operationally safe environment and continue to deal with all frontline staff, including anxieties created by the pandemic. All these timetable rewrites were achieved with minimal disruption to customers. Key remedial work has been incorporated into the

SOLENT SEVERN TEAM The Silver Whistle was won by the Solent/Severn team of Great Western Railway and Network Rail. This is a ‘mini company’, with members from GWR and Network Rail functions, covering Cardiff-Portsmouth, Westbury-Swindon and Great Malvern-Weymouth services, and GWR says it has proven to be a dynamic, enthusiastic, capable and effective team. The team has focused on problem areas and times to drive

Outstanding Individual Operator, Gold: Elliott Waters of Southeastern (left) and Nina McGovern of GTR receive their jointly awarded Gold Whistle for pioneering the use of electronic whistles.

Outstanding Operating Team, Gold: representing Avanti West Coast’s Train Planning, Resources and Train Crew Diagramming Team are Head of Network Development & Planning Georgia Ehrmann (left) and Head of Performance Katherine Burnett.

Smooth handover: the Heathrow Express depot decommissioning team was Highly Commended at the Golden Whistles for the seamless handover of the site for construction of the new HS2 station at Old Oak Common. Courtesy Network Rail

timetable changes in 10 months. Each change came with as little as two weeks’ notice, requiring diagrams to be rewritten, unions to be engaged and rosters to be analysed and input ready to deliver the operational timetable. Each member of the team not only supported the delivery of these timetable changes, but had to

WHISTLES WINNERS PRIZES FOR EXCELLENCE IN RAILWAY OPERATING HAVE BEEN PRESENTED BY MODERN RAILWAYS AND THE IRO

Modern Railways August 2021

HIGHLY COMMENDED Three teams were highly commended by the judges. Avanti West Coast’s Driver Management and Operations Standards team was praised for its efforts in undertaking practical assessments. With the pandemic limiting access to train cabs, this was particularly difficult. Following seven Category A Signal Passed at Danger incidents, 35 Train Protection and Warning System activations and nine station overrun/fail to call incidents in 2019-20, AWC set up the Safety of the Line Improvement Group. It was tasked with focusing on quick wins to improve operational safety performance. All three categories of incident have since fallen dramatically. Although train miles have fallen in the past year, the level of risk and potential for distraction have increased dramatically with frequent changes in timetables and extra pressures resulting from social distancing. The team at AWC has built a base from which the

Outstanding Individual Operator, Silver: Avanti West Coast’s Head of Performance Katherine Burnett receives her prize.

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The Golden Whistle Awards company’s safety performance can be consolidated and improved. The second Highly Commended certificate went to the Heathrow Express depot decommissioning team. The programme to decommission Old Oak Common depot has been in the planning since 2016 to facilitate handover of the site to HS2 for the construction of the HS2 Old Oak Common station. The programme was given additional scope with the task of not only exiting the depot, but also to scrap the Class 332 fleet, sell the Class 360 fleet (used on Heathrow Connect stopping services to the airport), wind down maintenance operations and terminate the maintenance contract with Siemens, whilst at the same time ensuring the service delivery of the Heathrow Express service was maintained. Additionally, the team was also given the responsibility of managing the specification, requirements, acceptance and project management of the refresh to the 12 GWR Class 387 trains that would replace the Class 332 fleet. The team coped with many issues along the way – not least Covid-19. It worked to keep the programme on track, making quick changes when necessary. One example of this has been the project to sell the Class 360 fleet. Despite hours of planning and meetings with a potential buyer from South Africa, the deal ended when the buyer withdrew at the eleventh hour, potentially leaving a problem of scrapping a mid-life fleet of trains without an alternative buyer. The team moved quickly to approach Rail Operations Group and convinced the company to purchase the fleet and its stock of spares and consumable parts. As for the Class 332s, the team had to carefully manage the scrapping process to ensure there were enough trains to operate

the Heathrow Express service while awaiting the Class 387s. All this paved the way for an on-time handover of the depot site, despite numerous challenges along the way. The final Highly Commended entry was from Thameslink and Great Northern’s Operations team, for its #Take5forsafety campaign. This was launched in July 2020 and includes colleagues producing a new safety awareness video every day for a year covering topics such as safety of the line incidents, health and wellbeing, behaviour and strategy, historical incidents, safety awareness campaigns and much more. Colleagues share their stories about incidents, near misses, things they have seen and their hints and tips on what colleagues can do to keep themselves and others safe. As an example, a number of colleagues got involved in producing an entertaining video about the importance of wearing protective footwear on the railway with information on how they can order replacement safety footwear. On a slightly different note, a colleague shares her thoughts and feelings following the loss of her father during the pandemic. The poignant account serves as a reminder to colleagues that help is at hand should they need it. In another video, a Bedford driver shares the story of a movement without authority at Bedford carriage sidings one winter’s night. He explains what happened, what he learned from the incident, and the process he now has in place to avoid a repeat of the episode. The videos are shared on an app which is accessible by all Govia Thameslink Railway colleagues. Once a video is posted, colleagues can see a post on Yammer so they don’t miss out on a new video. This campaign is helping by getting colleagues involved to learn from

Outstanding Operating Team, Silver: members of the Solent Severn team receive their prize, with Jon Morgan, GWR’s Regional Performance Manager for Central, holding the trophy.

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2021 GOLDEN WHISTLE WINNERS Outstanding Individuals Gold Silver Highly Commended

Nina McGovern, Govia Thameslink Railway and Elliott Waters, Southeastern Katherine Burnett, Avanti West Coast Varun Mather, Great Western Railway; Stephen Pilfold, Network Rail

Outstanding Teams Gold Silver

Highly Commended Special Award Gold

Train Planning, Resources and Train Crew Diagramming Team, Avanti West Coast Solent/Severn team, Great Western Railway and Network Rail Driver Management and Operations Standards Team, Avanti West Coast; Heathrow Express depot decommissioning team; Thameslink and Great Northern Operations team, Govia Thameslink Railway Mid Hants Railway

each other in an interesting and in some cases entertaining way. JUDGES’ SPECIAL AWARD The judges also present a Special Award, at their discretion, to an operator or operating team that has gone above and beyond the call of duty and deserves special recognition for an outstanding act. Previous winners have included the Northern Line operators who averted disaster when an engineering train ran away, staff from Croydon Tramlink who went out of their way to help customers who were stranded in the 2011 London riots and a manager who led the recovery of Manchester Victoria station after the terrorist attack in May 2017. This year the Special Award was presented to part of the railway not on the national network. Following a successful visit by ‘A3’ steam locomotive No 60103 Flying Scotsman in early 2020, the Mid Hants Railway must have hoped it was on track for a profitable year. Like the rest of us, the heritage line went into lockdown. It prepared effectively for an all-too brief resumption of operation, running trains from July to the end of October and

providing some welcome respite from the stress of the pandemic but inevitably having to close again during the ‘circuit breaker’ lockdown in November 2020. However, during the winter the Railway brought light to the area, running a Steam Illuminations event which required staff to work solely in the dark and run a busy service to provide maximum capacity for demand. The Mid Hants embraced this challenge head-on and even with the constantly changing Tier system affecting staff, many of whom are volunteers, more came forward to keep the railway running. The judges noted that the reaction from passengers and the general public was hugely positive and that many kind comments were received. The 2022 Golden Whistles will be held on 25 February 2022 in London, sponsored by Tracsis and Porterbrook. Visit www. keymodernrailways.com/fourthfriday-club for more information. Thanks are due to the Institution of Railway Operators’ South East Area Council for judging the Outstanding Operations awards at the Golden Whistles.

Special Award: representatives from the Mid Hants Railway received this award for its Steam Illuminations event. Holding the trophy (centre) is Josh Hallas, and at far right is Stewart Legg, who submitted the entry.

August 2021 Modern Railways

Advertorial

INNOVATION – TAKING A BUZZWORD AND MAKING IT REALITY

f there is one word bandied around the rail industry with depressing regularity it’s ‘innovation’. And if there was a penny for every mention then our railways would be the best funded on the planet! But here in the real world we all know how difficult it is to move from concept to reality, it’s not for lack of trying or will, but the fact is that standards and regulations have to be adhered to, and rightly so. At Vivarail we have experienced the best and worst of that … Our trains for the Isle of Wight suffered delay because a good idea to improve one system on the train set off a chain of events through the software. I include this example because many manufacturers have been similarly caught out and sometimes, when testing in the middle of the night, it does occur that it would have been better to do nothing and not try to improve things! Conversely, our work to develop new charging systems for battery trains has moved from paper through proof of concept and shortly in to its final phase of approvals in a few short years. Fast Charge is the simplest way to extend the electrified network without the need and additional cost of traditional overhead lines so it has immense benefit in the race to decarbonise. Today’s batteries give the train a range of 80 miles or more and Fast Charge can then replenish those batteries in only 10 minutes. It’s fair to say that without Fast Charge battery

Modern Railways August 2021

trains would be a pie in the sky idea. It’s also fair to say that ground breaking initiatives, especially when they appear to deliver results far in excess of expectation, can result in a few raised eyebrows. At Vivarail we’ve experienced that more than once, which is why three times now we have built prototype trains to show our claims are true. Our first train, a diesel electric Class 230, was launched less than 3 years after we set up. Two years after that we demonstrated a fully approved battery train in passenger operation at Bo’ness, then we designed and built a fleet of battery hybrids for Transport for Wales. And right now, we are just about to start testing our next generation battery train ready to run at COP26. At every step we’ve taken the decision to show rather than tell. A question we are frequently asked is why exactly we made the decision to work with batteries, because despite having a long pedigree in rail there is inherent scepticism about both range and the time it takes to recharge the batteries. Two things made us continue to invest time and money into the project. The first was the results we got from our initial tests – we used old batteries inherited from the IPEMU trial – and found they could last for 80 miles before running out. The second came when we began talking to suppliers and realised just how flexible battery technology is. We worked closely

with Hoppecke, who supply batteries for nuclear submarines, to develop a new Lithium-Ion battery specifically for rail. Batteries that can not only run on their own charge but can use existing OHL or 3rd rail to charge or using onboard systems and running as a hybrid with gensets or hydrogen fuel cells. It’s hard to think of a more useful source of traction power than batteries because they have the ability to unlock the potential of other technologies, both existing and new. Which leads neatly into the future for Vivarail and for battery trains as a whole. Once Fast Charge has received its final approvals the UK will have available a new option for branch lines that are unlikely to ever be electrified. Hundreds of diesels can be replaced quickly and simply and the edges of the network can decarbonise in a few short years. So where does the new stock come from? Well along with the batteries we have also designed new traction control, power electronics and management systems that can be used to retraction diesel trains – indeed we’ve already proved the concept with our Class 230 trains. Perhaps more excitingly though batteries can be used as range extenders on other types of electric train. This means that where diesels are currently running on electrified track simply because the OHL finishes before the end of the line, a fully emission-free battery electric train could take over. Indeed, it could well be the same train simply with batteries installed as part of its traction systems. Are battery trains the silver bullet in our decarbonisation targets? Well, yes, in many ways they are. Certainly, they give options and the ability to replace diesel trains in a fraction of the time of electrification. Reading this piece, you might think it’s an advert for Vivarail, it’s not! It is however a shameless promotion for batteries – their simplicity, flexibility and ability to eliminate emissions.

For more information visit

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F A S T

C H A R G E

T E C H N O L O G I E S + R O L L I N G

S T O C K

N E T Z E R O B AT T E R Y T R A I N S AND SYSTEMS

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The battery train will run daily throughout the COP 26 conference in Glasgow 1-13 November

ALTERNATIVE POWER FAST CHARGE - 10 MINUTES Vivarail’s Fast Charge is a revolutionary system enabling the easy and cost-effective introduction of battery trains. Fast Charge will work with ALL types of battery train and is a fully automated and safe system. In only 10 minutes it can replenish a battery train to full power – giving a range of circa 100km*. Vivarail battery trains and Fast Charge is electrification by other means. Strategically positioned Fast Charge units offer unlimited travel on batteries only. It provides emission-free travel in reduced timescales at a significantly lower cost than traditional overhead line installations. For more information visit our website www.vivarail.co.uk or email info@vivarail.co.uk

*Distances may vary depending on route proﬁle

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Rail industry gears up for Railtex/Infrarail 2021 The joint Railtex/Infrarail exhibition takes place in Birmingham on 7-9 September. ANDY RODEN looks at some of the events and exhibitor highlights

irmingham’s National Exhibition Centre hosts the new joint Railtex/ Infrarail 2021 exhibition, bringing together two well-known trade shows in one event. More than 180 categories of products and services will be represented from around 50 countries. The Railway Industry Association’s Unlocking Innovation programme will be present, with sessions each morning and afternoon. These will cover high-level challenges and opportunities, near-term challenges, help with funding and partners to take innovations to market, and elevator pitches from a range of contributors including small and medium sized enterprises and start-ups. RIA Chief Executive Darren Caplan says the show comes at a ‘vital time’ for the rail industry as it recovers from the pandemic. Next to the presentation area, presenters and colleagues will be exhibiting at the Unlocking Innovation Showcase stand, with organisations including Network Rail and its Innovation Development Centres, as well as High Speed 2, InnovateUK and regional authorities.

Showcase: Railtex/Infrarail allows suppliers to show their latest developments to the industry in person.

Demonstrations will take place, and two lengths of track in the exhibition hall will allow exhibitors to display and demonstrate tools and equipment, giving visitors a chance to see how kit works and

SEE MODERN RAILWAYS AT RAILTEX/INFRARAIL The Modern Railways team will be covering Railtex/Infrarail throughout the show, reporting on developments and meeting suppliers. If your company has a development you think will be of interest to readers of the UK’s market leading railway publication, please contact andy.roden@keypublishing.com

Standing up: more than 180 categories of product and service will be represented at the show.

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August 2021 Modern Railways

Speaking up: the Railway Industry Association will have a major presence at Railtex/Infrarail, with its Unlocking Innovation programme a major highlight.

operates. There is also space for plant and machinery at the show. RIA’s Meet the Buyer/Commercial Officer programme resumes, giving businesses a chance to learn about different markets and how they can overcome barriers to getting new products and services into the UK market, while Railtex/ Infrarail Matchmaking will allow registered users to search and connect with new and existing business contacts, manage event schedules and arrange meetings. A recruitment wall, meanwhile, will showcase exhibitors’ job opportunities, helping to match

them with the skills of visitors seeking career development. EXHIBITORS With the caveat for all exhibitors that everything is subject to Covid restrictions being lifted by the time of the show, Schweizer Electronic will be showcasing its train detection and warning systems including Automatic Track Warning Systems, Signal Controlled Warning Systems and level crossing technologies. Pfisterer is celebrating Network Rail approval of its KP 5HL voltage detector, meaning it can now be used on UK infrastructure. The

KP-Test 5HL serves to verify the lack of voltage in electrical energy systems, enhancing the safety of workers on or near them. It is designed specifically for the application of ‘test before touch’. This tester comes with an adaptor for use with existing pole types. Omicron has a major presence at Railtex/Infrarail and will be showing the latest developments of its CIBANO 500 circuit breaker test system, which now offers the new current sensor measurement. This allows operating times of circuit breakers to be determined accurately even though the GIS

is grounded on both sides. The CMC430 is claimed to be the lightest and most precise protection test set in the world. Omicron says it is ideal for testing numerical and communication-based relay and measuring systems. Zonegreen will be explaining its Points Converter technology, which has recently been installed at Nottingham Eastcroft depot for East Midlands Railway. The device automates manual points levers, meaning staff do not have to navigate ballast to reach points. Points are operated by a key switch panel on a local walking route and it is designed to enable more converters to be added, along with a centralised control system should it be expanded. It attaches directly to the hand point mechanism and moves the switch with a hydraulic actuator. Multiple units can be linked and operated from a distance, using a remote handset which enables predefined routes to be programmed in advance. With attention growing to improving accessibility at stations, Visul Systems’ tactile paving seems likely to garner attention. The paving is glued to platforms, making it quick to install with minimum disruption to passengers. It also offers GRP gratings, stair nosings and line marking paint. Railtex/Infrarail offers a welcome return to normality – and a chance to see some of the latest developments at a time of huge change in the industry.

Learning opportunity: conferences feature heavily in the programme for Railtex/Infrarail.

Modern Railways August 2021

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Europe View

Keith Fender

FRANCE OPEN ACCESS COMPETITORS LINE UP

The way things were – and almost are again! A Zillertalbahn train carrying timber on standard gauge wagons using ‘Rollblock’ transporters at the timber mill in Fügen-Hart in April 1999. Keith Fender

AUSTRIA ZILLERTALBAHN EXPANDS OPERATIONS AND RESTARTS FREIGHT 760mm gauge rail operator Zillertaler Verkehrsbetriebe (ZVB), which is based in Jenbach, just east of Innsbruck, has reintroduced freight traffic to its Jenbach – Mayerhofen line and has been appointed by the Tyrol provincial Government to take over operation of the ‘Achenseebahn’ part-rack metre gauge railway which also shares the Jenbach station site. ZVB reintroduced freight services between Jenbach and Fügen-Hart im Zillertal on 17 May, serving wood products manufacturer Binderholz. The trains are using demountable log carriers developed by Innofreight, which are transported to Jenbach on standard gauge wagons and then carried on the existing (but stored since 2013) ZVB ‘Rollblock’ standard gauge transporter wagons. Each freight train comprising 10 wagons can carry up to 400 tonnes of wood, and it is estimated the trains will move around 200,000 tonnes of logs in a year, removing multiple HGVs from the Ziller valley’s single main road. The Tyrol provincial Government has provided financial assistance, and around €1 million has been spent creating the new transhipment facility in Jenbach. Freight services previously operated using the transporter wagons conveying entire standard gauge wagons, also to the timber mill at Fügen-Hart. These ceased in 2013. ZVB TO OPERATE RACK STEAM LINE On 21 May it was announced that the 6.8km ‘Achenseebahn’ part-rack metre gauge railway linking Jenbach and the Achensee lake will reopen in April 2022 after a two-year hiatus (‘Europe View’, April 2020 issue). The operation of the line has been transferred to new company Achenseebahn Infrastruktur-und Betriebs-GmbH, which is majority (60%) owned by the province of Tyrol, with ZVB and a consortium of local councils in villages along the route each owning 20% stakes. The operational transfer followed agreement in March by Tyrol to invest up

Modern Railways August 2021

to €10 million with ZVB, taking control of operations. €5 million will be invested in track and trains by April 2022, with the 3km adhesion section of the line between Eben and Seespitz to be completely renewed. Plans announced in 2018 to introduce a year-round service using DEMUs converted from former Appenzellerbahn EMUs bought from Switzerland in 2019 have been dropped, and the vehicles have been scrapped. ZVB HYDROGEN TRAINS DELAYED ZVB already operates steam tourist services on its core route alongside diesel-powered regular passenger services, which were scheduled to be partly replaced by five new Stadler hydrogen fuel cell powered units from 2023. Despite Stadler being declared the winner of the tender, the firm order for the trains has still not been placed following the decision of the local authorities in Mayerhofen in October 2020 not to raise additional taxes on tourists, which would have funded the planned ‘green hydrogen’ production plant in the town.

Competition for French Railways (SNCF) operated services is likely to begin next year as two different domestic new entrants are establishing their businesses. Railcoop – as its name suggests a co-operative venture (a ‘community interest group’ or SCIC, which stands for Société Co-opérative d’Intérêt Collectif) – has been established based near Figeac to offer services between Bordeaux, Limoges and Lyon via Périgueux that SNCF has previously withdrawn, whilst also offering freight services in the Occitanie and Nouvelle Aquitaine regions. Railcoop was established in late 2019 and now has over 6,000 members. In March it announced it had raised more than €1.5 million of initial capital, the threshold required under French law to apply for safety and operating certificates. Railcoop had already sought approval for its planned Bordeaux – Lyon service as well as other future routes, planned for introduction from 2023, which include Rennes – Toulouse (via Limoges and Tours) and Metz – Lyon (via Dijon and Nancy). Railcoop has attracted political support from the Macron Government and plans to buy a fleet of former SNCF X72500 DMUs to operate services. 117 of these trains were built in 1997-2002 by Alstom, and around 50 have now been replaced by more modern units and withdrawn; of these, 10 have already been sold for reuse in Romania by private passenger operator Regio Călători. Railcoop plans to refurbish its X72500 trains and begin passenger services on the Bordeaux – Lyon route in June 2022. HIGH-SPEED OPEN ACCESS Another new entrant, named ‘Le Train’, backed by private capital and with former senior SNCF management involved, is planning to offer high-speed services using the privately concessioned LGV Sud-Europe Atlantique (Bordeaux – Tours) high-speed line. Le Train was established in February 2020 and is aiming

Soon to be seen in new colours: Railcoop is planning to buy and refurbish ex-SNCF X72500 DMUs for its new Bordeaux – Lyon service. An SNCF example, No X72574, is operating on that route at Limoges Bénédictins on 2 March 2018 with a regional service. Until 2012 SNCF used similar trains on the now withdrawn Bordeaux – Lyon route. Keith Fender

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Europe View to start services in December 2022 between Arcachon and La Rochelle on the west coast of France via Bordeaux, Angoulême and Poitiers. Weekend services will also be offered to Nantes and Rennes. Le Train has told local media it plans to use single deck high-speed trains with around 350 seats, which appears to suggest it plans to buy secondhand TGVs from SNCF. Whilst the proposed new operators would be open access competitors to SNCF, they both appear to have taken the decision to focus on markets SNCF has either ignored or withdrawn from, rather than competing head-on on key major city to Paris traffic. Whether SNCF will be willing to sell any TGV sets remains to be seen; historically it has chosen to scrap them rather than offer any competitor entry to the French high-speed network. However, as highspeed state-owned operators in neighbouring countries are also planning to offer services in France, this policy may change; Italy’s Trenitalia is planning Milan – Paris services with its latest ETR1000 trains now being built by Hitachi, and is also backing Spanish open access operator ILSA, which is planning Montpellier – Madrid services, again with ETR1000s, whilst RENFE (see Spanish story) is planning services to cities including Paris and Lyon.

GERMANY CONCESSION CONTRACTS UNDER PRESSURE The German approach to regional concession contracts has been widely copied around Europe (and was singled out in the recent WilliamsShapps White Paper as a model to be emulated in the UK). The approach in Germany has been to either offer so called ‘gross’ contracts based upon lowest cost of production (normally measured as cost per train kilometre), where the awarding transport authority or regional government assumes revenue risk, and the less used ‘net’

contracts, where the operator takes all or some revenue risk, with incentives to grow income. The introduction of tendering from the late 1990s has reduced operating costs, often initially by 30% or more and, thanks to reinvestment of the savings, boosted timetables or enabled new train fleets in many areas. Conversely, sparsely used rural lines, especially in the former East Germany, have closed in large numbers as usage levels were below the minimum standards set by regional governments (these range from around 750 to 2,000 minimum passengers per day per line). In most cases the initial savings were made via new operators replacing incumbent DB Regio, although in the last decade DB Regio has successfully won back some contracts it had lost. A mixture of factors is now threatening the apparently solid foundation for the German model. Increasing costs, especially train crew (of which there remains a nationwide shortage), plus increasing energy, infrastructure and compensation costs (in part driven by poor infrastructure or delays due to congestion at pinch points on the network) have led operators to seek additional funding. The pandemic has impacted those operators with ‘net’ contracts as passenger revenue plummeted, although more fundamentally Covid has impacted the transport authorities awarding the contracts as all the ‘gross’ contracts require the operator to be paid irrespective of how many paying passengers are using the service and, in most cases, high levels of service have been maintained so mileage run (and therefore payments to ‘gross’ contract holders) hasn’t fallen significantly. The German Federal Government has provided substantial extra support of €1 billion this year on top of the €9.26 billion it already provided to the country’s 16 federal states to fund rail, tram and metro services in 2021. The federal states themselves have provided additional funding to match the €1 billion, funded from local taxes (in 2020 the ‘pandemic’ extra funding amounted to

€5 billion, shared equally between federal and state governments, on top of nearly €9 billion in planned local public transport funding from central Government). Whilst track access charges in Germany for open access and freight operators have been slashed to almost nil in 2020-21 due to the pandemic (‘Europe View’, June issue), those for regional services have not altered (and are proposed to increase in 2022). DUTCH GOVERNMENT PLEADS ON BEHALF OF ABELLIO In early June the Dutch Finance Minister Wopke Hoekstra wrote to the Prime Ministers of five German states (Nordrhein Westfalen, BadenWürttemberg, Niedersachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt and Thüringen), all of which have contracts with Dutch Railways (NS) subsidiary Abellio to provide regional passenger services. In his unprecedented intervention on behalf of NS, Mr Hoekstra requested amendments to existing contracts to increase payments to Abellio, saying it was otherwise likely Abellio would be unable to continue operations as it would be insolvent. Around the same time, it was reported in the German press that Abellio had told transport authority VRR in the most populous state of Nordrhein Westfalen that it would enter insolvency before the end of June if increased payments were not agreed. Abellio later repudiated the story, although its appearance in the first place seemed to be linked to the letter from the Dutch Government, which in slightly more diplomatic language said the same thing! In late 2020 NS Chief Financial Officer Bert Groenewegen was widely quoted in the German press after revealing Abellio had lost €32.7 million on a €500 million turnover in Germany, saying NS should ‘reconsider its position in Germany’ and that as the loss-making contracts are up to 12 years long they would have to be terminated early if a solution could not be found. The Dutch Government’s intervention was not well received in the (very pro-rail) southern

Another 14 years, but different terms: Agilis has won a new contractfrom December 2022 to December 2036. It will use the current fleet of Alstom Coradia Continental EMUs; this is No 440 103 at Regensburg on 11 December 2019. Agilis will also order new four-car Mireo EMUs from Siemens for Regensburg – Nuremberg services, adding a further 1.5 million train kilometres annually to the 5.7 million train kilometres base contract from December 2024. Keith Fender

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Modern Railways August 2021

Europe View state of Baden-Württemberg, where Abellio’s operation of contracts around Stuttgart has seen multiple problems. These have included lack of train crew and late delivery of Talent EMU trains by Bombardier (now Alstom), the last of which are now scheduled for delivery in September, over two years late. Transport Minister Winfried Hermann (Green Party) rejected the Dutch argument that the contracts needed revision, saying changes to the contracts are only legally permitted ‘…to a very limited extent, if at all’. Mr Hermann did say his officials were willing to engage in further talks with Abellio. Abellio and Go-Ahead shared the largest contracts in Baden-Württemberg, which were awarded in late 2015 and began in 2019-20. This was the first time the contracts had been competitively tendered, and at the time Mr Hermann said the new bidders had both offered rates around half the prior €11.69 per train kilometre rate DB Regio had been paid since 2003. The contracts required the bidders to buy the new train fleets but then sell them, and lease them back, from a state owned rolling stock company (ROSCO); similar arrangements now exist in most German states. TENDERS ADAPT TO ‘NEW NORMAL’ Whether with hindsight the Abellio BadenWürttemberg bid was too low is moot as the contract has little scope for variation, as Mr Hermann has pointed out publicly. However, the issues leading to Abellio seeking a new deal are much more widespread and are beginning to be reflected in new contracts that have been awarded in the last year. In Bavaria, where ‘net’ contracts with operators taking revenue risk have always been more common, the rail transport authority BEG is continuing to use the model, albeit with changes to reflect post-pandemic uncertainty. A recent contract awarded to incumbent operator Agilis (owned by BeNEX, which since July 2019 has been wholly owned by London/

Keith Fender Guernsey-based International Public Partnerships Limited) for services around Regensburg was let on a ‘net’/revenue risk basis. However, it has multiple safeguards through which BEG will fund increases in personnel, energy and track access costs and Agilis will retain fare revenue and agreed subsidy payments. Elsewhere, BEG has tendered operation of Munich – Mühldorf services, and to save potential bidders the expense of buying new trains has specifically permitted the use of diesel locos built after 1975 along with marginally newer double deck coaches! The same tender specified the use of hydrogen-powered trains on a single route, but added the proviso that if they were more expensive than existing modern DMUs they were not mandated! It also appears that currently neither of the British operators active in Germany, Go-Ahead and National Express, are seeking new contracts, although both continue to operate the ones they have. Go-Ahead still has two major concessions in Bavaria that have yet to start; they are to commence this December and in December 2022 respectively. Announcing its half-year financial results in March, Go-Ahead disclosed ‘onerous contract provisions’ of £25.9 million for losses in these two Bavarian contracts. Go-Ahead also reported in March that its Baden-Württemberg contracts are now performing well, in line with revised plans; as both Go-Ahead and Abellio reportedly offered similar prices for the Stuttgart area contracts in 2015, this suggests Go-Ahead has been more successful in dealing with industry-wide issues and cost inflation. Some industry observers expect that if one or more of Abellio’s German companies does enter insolvency other operators might follow, and conversely that if Abellio agrees additional funding then other operators will seek the same. On 30 June Abellio sought protection from its creditors in a court in Berlin. The 'protective shield' process is modelled on the American Chapter 11 process and Abellio is seeking

to restructure its business, citing 'structural problems' in the German rail concession market.

NEW DMUs ORDERED In what is now a relatively rare event, German operator Hessische Landesbahn (HLB), which is wholly owned by the state of Hessen, has ordered seven new ‘Lint’ DMUs from Alstom. Reflecting the scarcity of DMU manufacturers, the order was not tendered but placed directly and then notified to potential alternative suppliers via an Official Journal of the European Union notice. As HLB required trains able to work in multiple with its existing Lint DMUs, Alstom was the only possible supplier. Seven two-car non-articulated LINT54 Class 622 trains will be supplied, built in Germany at Salzgitter. They will be used from December 2023 to operate services around Limburg (Lahn) and Fulda.

IRELAND ALSTOM TO BUILD NEW DART FLEET Iarnród Éireann (IÉ) has informed Alstom that it is the preferred manufacturer for the new trains to be used on the Dublin Area Rapid Transit network (DART). The units will be based on the Alstom Xtrapolis articulated multiple-unit platform, with the order to include a mix of five-car and 10-car sets. First to be delivered will be a number of hybrid battery-electric units, which will allow services to be extended to destinations identified as part of the DART+ project. This will see an extension of the 1,500V DC electrification to Maynooth, M3 Parkway, Hazelhatch and Drogheda over what is expected to be a €2 billion 10-year programme of improvement work. The award of the framework contract gives IÉ the option to call down as many as 750 vehicles, not only adding to capacity but also enabling the current fleets of DART EMUs to be replaced; initially the DART+ programme is

To be ETCS fitted: DB Cargo (ex-NS) Class 6400 diesel No 6428 approaching Moerdijk with a freight working on 12 September 2018. Keith Fender

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Europe View expected to double the capacity of the DART and Greater Dublin Area commuter network by 2027. Permission has also been given for IÉ to begin looking at options for the replacement of the Enterprise train fleet which it operates jointly with Translink (NIR) on cross-border services between Dublin and Belfast. Tony Miles

JUNE START FOR XPO LOGISTICS INTERMODAL Iarnród Éireann (IÉ) and XPO Logistics started a new intermodal freight service between Ballina, County Mayo and Waterford Belview Port from the end of June. A trial service 15 months ago (‘Europe View’, May 2020 issue) highlighted that route clearance work was required for the refrigerated (‘Reefer’) containers, and that was completed in February this year. The new service operates twice-weekly, with containers loaded onto the IÉ 47’6” ‘LX’ type flat wagons. XPO says these trains could remove 5,000 truck movements a year from road to rail, with a resulting reduction in road congestion and 75% reduction in emissions per unit. XPO Logistics told Modern Railways containers will be shipped onwards to Rotterdam, also removing truck movements from motorways in southern England, and distributed widely across Europe from there. Business Unit Director Paul Hayes said: ‘This is existing business currently moved by road in Ireland and we saw the opportunity to transfer it to rail’. Initially, the route will be used to export freight, but in time inbound freight will also be carried. IÉ is currently finalising a Strategic Plan for the growth of rail freight between key locations across the country. Glenn Carr, IÉ General Manager Rail Freight, confirmed to Modern Railways that the company is ‘currently scoping out the future fleet requirements for tender to support and deliver the freight growth plans’. Under consideration are around 30 new zinc ore wagons and up to 300 new container flat-wagons (over a 10-year period). Most of the present freight fleet is now over 40 years old and vacuum brake fitted, with the newest wagons being the small fleet of air braked ‘pocket wagons’ built by Talgo in 2001; these are restricted by IÉ infrastructure (passing loops) to 12 wagon train lengths, so they are rather inefficient. Tim Casterton

NETHERLANDS DB’S DUTCH DIESELS TO GET ALSTOM ETCS Alstom has won a contract, subsidised by the European Union’s Connecting Europe Facility and the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, to equip DB Cargo’s Class DE6400 diesel freight locomotives with Alstom’s Atlas European Train Control System (ETCS) Baseline 3 Release 2 solution to prove the technology ahead of widespread introduction of ETCS-only signalling. Previously Alstom has won contracts from DB Cargo to install Atlas ETCS Baseline 3 Release 2 on the Siemens-built Class EG3100 electric freight locomotives used by DB Cargo between Hamburg (Germany), Denmark and Sweden. As part of the Dutch DE6400 contract, the existing Dutch ATB-EG and ATB-NG systems, as well as the Belgian national system (TBL1+),

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Spanish train in France: a RENFE Class 100 set at Marseille St Charles after arriving from Barcelona on 4 March 2019. Plans for RENFE to operate domestic Marseille to Lyon services using these trains from this year have been put on hold. Keith Fender

will be integrated with the Atlas ETCS system. The modification work for the first prototype will be carried out by freight locomotive maintenance expert Shunter, based in Rotterdam, which Alstom acquired in March 2021. Under current plans Belgian-Dutch freight traffic will switch to ETCS in December 2024 in Belgium and two years later in the Netherlands.

GSM-R FAILURE SHUTS NATIONAL NETWORK Much of the Dutch national rail network was shut from mid-afternoon on 31 May following the failure of the Global System for Mobile Communications – Railway (GSM-R) radio network. Without functioning GSM-R train operation is not permitted; apart from a handful of lines in the north and far south of the country all trains had to stop operation. Unfortunately, the failure happened just as ‘lockdown’ restrictions had been eased and the network was busier with passengers than it had been for a year! Dutch national infrastructure manager Prorail said the failure was caused by a system error which was perpetuated in backup systems designed to operate in the event of failure of the original systems. Limited services were restored by the evening of 31 May, but normal services did not restart until the following day. Prorail has ruled out external hacking as the cause of the failure but has yet to publicly identify the root cause.

SPAIN ON-RAIL COMPETITION GETS UNDERWAY French Railways (SNCF) began operating its ‘OuiGo’ low-cost high-speed trains in Spain on 10 May, offering services between Madrid and Barcelona using four modified Duplex double deck TGVs. In the next year SNCF plans to add 10 more TGVs to the Spanish ‘OuiGo’ fleet, along with services from Madrid to Valencia, Alicante, Cordoba, Seville and Malaga. SNCF has reportedly spent €600 million establishing its new Spanish domestic operation

(although this will include the value of the train fleet, all of which was already owned). Spanish national operator RENFE introduced its own low-cost high-speed service, branded ‘Avlo’, on 23 June. The ‘Avlo’ operation, originally planned to launch in early 2020 but delayed by the pandemic, uses purple-liveried Class 112 AVE trains that have been converted to the new ‘Avlo’ specification with 20% more seating than before. RENFE has already announced plans to expand the ‘Avlo’ service by adding the Madrid to Seville route from 2022. RENFE AMBITION IN FRANCE DELAYED Plans by RENFE to launch purely domestic high-speed services in France have been delayed due to approval issues for the Class 100 CAF/ Alstom-built TGV clones RENFE wanted to use in France. Despite these trains being used daily between Barcelona and Marseille, all attempts to expand their use in France have met with difficulty. Whilst they are fitted with the more modern TVM430 French cab signalling system, testing has shown they are incompatible with the older TVM300 system used between Paris and Lyon on the original LGV Paris Sud Est line. The LGV Sud Est is being re-signalled with ETCS, although this will not be complete until the late 2020s, which will not help the open access ambitions of ETCS-equipped high-speed train operators. In May it was reported RENFE had decided to delay its French domestic services until 2024 and that it will use 10 of its new Class 106 ‘Avril’ trains that are currently being built by Talgo rather than the older Class 100 trains. Whilst the ‘Avril’ is designed for use with ETCS and the French TVM430 system, Talgo has reportedly found problems in obtaining the requisite signalling equipment and software. The only vendors for such equipment and approval in France are Alstom and SNCF subsidiary companies. RENFE has formally complained to French regulators, whilst the Spanish Government has reportedly intervened with the French Government and the European Commission concerning RENFE’s inability to obtain the necessary approval for operation in France without co-operation from SNCF.

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HALTON CURVE FIRST FOR TFW ‘197s’ LIVERPOOL TO CHESTER DEBUT FOR CAF DMUs

DMU debut: No 197002 makes the class’s first test run in Wales on 24 June 2021, here arriving at Llandudno Junction prior to reversing and continuing down the Conwy Valley line, which diverges to the right in the background. Rhodri Clark

TRANSPORT FOR Wales is targeting a spring 2022 launch for its Class 197 units, initially on its service between Liverpool Lime Street and Chester via the Halton curve. Some of the workings extend to Wrexham General. TfW has also revealed it is considering further extensions to its First Class provision, using Class 197s. The first test run of a Class 197 in Wales took place on 24 June, when No 197002 travelled from Crewe to Blaenau Ffestiniog and return. TfW has ordered 77 Class 197s (51x2-car and 26x3-car units) from CAF, which is assembling them at its Newport factory. TfW still expects the final units to enter service in 2023, as planned when the Wales and Borders franchise was announced in 2018. Since then, the pandemic has affected many activities, and more recently a problem with cracks in yaw damper mountings affected Northern’s CAF-built Class 195 units, which are of a similar design to the Class 197s. TfW said remedial action will be taken where necessary to ensure the Class 197s do not suffer the same problem. ‘We’re working closely with CAF to understand

what this will be’ said a TfW spokesman. ‘Modifications will be implemented on all of TfW’s “197s”, including those already undergoing test, once root cause and long-term remedial actions are understood and agreed.’ FIRST CLASS EXPANSION TfW has recently modified its rolling stock plan. Among the significant changes are that Class 170s will be transferred away, and 30 additional Mk 4 coaches have been secured to enable loco-haulage of some Swansea to Manchester Piccadilly workings (p10, last month). Each loco-hauled set will include a First Class vehicle. Previously TfW aimed to provide five-car Class 197 formations each hour between the cities, using a subclass of three-car ‘197s’ fitted with First Class accommodation. TfW still intends to provide First Class on some of the three-car ‘197s’ to ensure all South Wales to Manchester services have First Class provision. ‘We’re also looking at options to deploy CAF units fitted with First Class on other routes’ said the spokesman.

Modern Railways August 2021

He did not say which other routes are in the frame, but North to South Wales already has some First Class provision, courtesy of the current Mk 4 morning service from Holyhead to Cardiff and evening return. This will be ramped up to three pairs of loco-hauled services per day. Deploying Class 197s with First Class on the other Holyhead to Cardiff diagrams, as well as on the Manchester services, would ensure First Class is consistently available on the Marches line between Shrewsbury and Newport. TWO-CARS FOR THE CAMBRIAN Class 197s are due to oust Class 158s from the Cambrian lines in 2023. Some rail users previously expressed disappointment that the 21 Class 197s to be fitted with European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) would all be two-car units, each with only one toilet. The position has not changed as part of the revision of TfW’s rolling stock plans. ‘There are infrastructure and maintenance issues preventing the fitting of ERTMS on threecar units’ said the spokesman. Units without ERTMS cannot operate over the Cambrian lines.

Selective Door Operation (SDO) at short station platforms is another issue of importance to some rail users. Last summer, TfW temporarily closed stations with short platforms on the North Wales Coast, Cambrian Coast, Heart of Wales and Rhymney lines, because of the virus transmission risk where the conductor and passengers used only one door. Some continue to have a reduced service or no trains at all. Will the Class 197s’ SDO enable two or more sets of doors to open at short platforms? ‘This is still under review, but the current plan is that we will upgrade our method of working at short platforms, and be in a position to open most or all doors at a platform’ said the spokesman. Test running to Blaenau Ffestiniog confirms Class 197s will replace Class 150/2s on the Conwy Valley line, which has traditionally received cascaded stock. This will improve views of the Snowdonia scenery, particularly from the seating bays around tables. Deploying the same stock on the North Wales Coast and Conwy Valley lines potentially unlocks the door to through services, a move advocated by local assembly members. ‘230’ TRAINING SUSPENDED Meanwhile, crew training on TfW’s Vivarail Class 230 units was suspended in early July after a small fire on one of the units. TfW was unable to say whether this would affect the planned introduction of Class 230s to passenger service on the Wrexham – Bidston line this autumn. The incident involving No 230008 occurred near Wrexham on Thursday 1 July. Vivarail told Modern Railways a joint investigation with TfW was underway, but said an initial inspection of the genset revealed what appeared to be a diesel particulate filter failing and overheating. The on-board fire extinguishers worked as expected and extinguished the fire, as well as alerting the traincrew to the problem. Vivarail said the offending genset would be replaced, and no other damage was sustained to the train, with an expectation crew training would resume again once this had been completed. TfW has ordered 5x3-car dieselbattery hybrid Class 230s from Vivarail, all of which will be deployed on the Wrexham – Bidston line. Rhodri Clark/PS

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Nexus unveils new Metro interiors TYNE AND Wear Metro owner and manager Nexus has unveiled the final interior of its new trains being built by Stadler after a lengthy consultation exercise. Alterations identified during the consultation include adding 12 more tip-up seats to the carriages, bespoke wheelchair space and

double grab poles, which like the handrails will be yellow. There is also a change to floor markings for wheelchair and multi-use spaces to aid visibility. The open plan layout is based on linear seating with stand-back areas at doors to aid circulation and create more room for passengers at busy times. There

will be four dedicated wheelchair spaces in each train, plus two multiuse areas suitable for non-folding bicycles, children’s buggies and luggage. Sliding steps at each door will aid boarding and alighting. Seats will have a sleek grey colour, designed in-house. With the interior design finalised, Stadler will start

building the trains from August. Forty-two trains will be built, with the full fleet due to enter service in 2024. They are expected to be 15 times more reliable and use 30% less energy than the existing fleet. Stadler is also building a new £70 million Metro depot at Gosforth as part of the project.

DAYTIME TESTING OF MERSEYRAIL ‘777s’ DAYTIME TESTING of the new Stadler-built Class 777 EMUs for Merseyrail began on 1 July, test runs having previously been confined to night-time only. Stadler is supplying 53 four-car units, ordered by Merseytravel, which says the trains have already accumulated more than 17,000 hours of test running. Dynamic testing on the Northern line will take place between service trains. However, details regarding introduction of the new fleet into passenger service are yet to be confirmed.

A recent milestone has been the arrival into the UK of No 777002, which has been fitted with batteries in addition to its DC third rail capability. This unit is being used to test the potential for battery power to be fitted to the fleet, which could enable Merseyrail services to extend beyond the limits of the current third rail network. The first candidate for this would be the extension of the Kirkby branch to Headbolt Lane, for which a small sub-fleet of batteryfitted units could be deployed.

Stadler EMU on test: Merseyrail’s No 777010 at Formby on 6 July 2021. Tony Miles

PRIDE LIVERY FOR SCOTRAIL ‘334’ www.keymodernrailways.com

Railway inspector remembered: Major John Poyntz’s widow Anne names GBRf loco No 66764 on 16 June 2021. Phil Marsh

Railway figures remembered TWO RECENT locomotive namings have honoured the memory of railway staff. GB Railfreight loco No 66764 has been named in tribute to Major John Poyntz, the last Royal Engineer Officer to be appointed as HM Railway Inspector. After leaving the army, Major John Poyntz spent 25 years as a Railway Inspector, during which time he dealt with accidents including the Severn Tunnel rail accident and Cannon Street rail crash, both in 1991. Meanwhile, Colas Rail loco No 37057 was named in memory of Barbara Arbon at an event held at the Rail Technical Centre in Derby

on 4 July. Ms Arbon worked in clerical roles on the infrastructure monitoring team, and the loco was named Barbara Arbon - In loving memory of Auntie Barbara from the Infrastructure Monitoring Team by family members Jack Middleton and Richard Arbon. A Bachmann 00 scale model of the loco was presented to Mr Middleton during the ceremony. The family then travelled behind Nos 37057/421 in inspection saloon Caroline, calling at Derby station, where a wreath was attached to the front of No 37057, before the train worked a circular trip via Chesterfield, Beighton Junction and Sheffield.

Permanent tribute: ScotRail has unveiled a Class 334 EMU with a new Pride livery depicting the new Progress flag. The livery was rolled out during Pride month in June, and the newer graphics include additional stripes and colours to represent more of the LGBTQ+ community. ScotRail says the vinyls will remain in place until the train’s next repaint, scheduled for 2029. No 334006 leads No 334038 into Bathgate with the 17.22 from Milngavie on 30 June 2021. Ian Lothian

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BATTERY TRIAL FOR GREENFORD BRANCH GREAT WESTERN Railway is seeking expressions of interest from suppliers for a trial to prove the capability of a battery-powered train on its non-electrified 2¾-mile branch line from West Ealing to Greenford. Fast charging equipment will form a significant part of the trial, enabling the technology to be fully tested on a route which has short turnaround times. A year-long trial is proposed from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023, with an optional two-year extension to 2025 and preparatory work to begin in December this year. The branch is currently operated by a single Turbo DMU with a 12-minute end-to-end journey time, and quick turnarounds permit a half-hourly service to operate. Normally the single train operates 33 round trips, a total distance of 165 miles (264km) per day. Under the contract, light maintenance of the train will be carried out by GWR at West Ealing EMU sidings, whilst heavy maintenance will be the responsibility of the chosen supplier. The fast charging equipment will be installed by the supplier in the bay platform at West Ealing station,

Orphan DMU service: GWR’s No 165120 works the 15.20 Greenford to West Ealing arriving at South Greenford on 16 June 2021. Jamie Squibbs

under Network Rail supervision, and maintenance will remain the responsibility of the supplier. As part of its range of options to repurpose the ex-London Underground D stock trains as Class 230 multiple-units, Vivarail has proposed a fast-charge batteryelectric unit which would use third and fourth rails at charging points to recharge batteries very quickly, with the rails only energised once a train is in place over them. Vivarail says enough power for a 60-mile (96.5km) journey can be transferred in seven minutes, meaning on many routes a charge is not needed every time the train calls. However, whilst Vivarail has announced the Class 230

option, it is understood a number of manufacturers are expected to express an interest in the project. GWR MD Mark Hopwood explained that the GWR network has a large number of short selfcontained branch lines. ‘There are other operators with branches but many of them tend to run on the main line’ said Mr Hopwood. ‘So if you take a branch line like Oxenholme to Windermere, if you've got a bi-mode train with batteries you wouldn't need to charge it on the Windermere branch because you’d probably be able to charge it when it's running to Manchester Airport and back and is using the overhead line.

‘The challenge on Great Western is we've got branches like Greenford, Windsor, Marlow and Henley along the Thames Valley and then in the West Country we've got St Ives, Falmouth, Newquay, Looe, Gunnislake and so on. The question is “If we don't electrify those, could we fit them with a battery?”. ‘The ideal solution may be a train that fast charges either at one end of the route or possibly at both ends, or on a route like Marlow, Gunnislake or Looe, where the trains reverse during their journey, could the charge point even be on that part of the branch?’ Tony Miles

FIVE YEARS OF ‘700s’ IN SERVICE GOVIA THAMESLINK Railway and Siemens celebrated five years in traffic of the Class 700 Desiro City EMUs on 30 June.

Since their introduction from 2016, it’s estimated the 115-strong fleet has travelled more than 58 million miles – almost half

the distance to Mars. A 12-car formation can carry more than 1,700 people at maximum capacity, and innovations include running

under Automatic Train Operation under European Train Control System Level 2 signalling in the central section of Thameslink.

FIRST CAIRO MONORAIL VEHICLES EXPORTED FOUR VEHICLES, the first of a 280-vehicle order for automated, driverless monorail cars, have left the UK bound for Cairo following manufacture at Alstom’s Derby factory. The order follows the signing of a €2.7 billion contract in August 2019 for a consortium led by Alstom (then Bombardier) to supply 70 Innovia 300 monorail trains for two lines in the Egyptian city. Other consortium members are Orascom Construction and Arab Contractors, with the contract including design, construction, operation and maintenance of two lines: a 54km line connecting the New Administrative City with East Cairo and a 42km line connecting 6th of October City with Giza. Both lines are expected to open in 2023, transporting

Bound for Egypt: vehicle from the second Cairo monorail train nearing completion at Alstom’s Derby factory on 24 June 2021. Philip Sherratt

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45,000 passengers per hour in each direction when complete. The monorail contract represents the first rolling stock export order from the UK since Bombardier supplied Electrostars for the Gautrain project in South Africa, which was completed in 2008. Alstom has two lines to build the monorail vehicles at Derby; the first four carriages left to transfer via the Port of Southampton in late June, at which point the second four cars were nearing completion. On 25 June International Trade Secretary Liz Truss visited Derby to view production of the monorail vehicles. UK Export Finance has provided backing of £1.7 billion to deliver the project, the largest amount of financing ever provided for an overseas infrastructure project.

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‘69’ celebrates Anglo-American partnership GB RAILFREIGHT has named loco No 69001 Mayflower, after the ship which first took the founding fathers to America over 400 years ago. GBRf has ordered 10 ‘69s’, which are being rebuilt by Electro-Motive Diesel from Class 56 donor locomotives, with an option within the contract for a further six locomotives. EMD is a legal entity of American company Progress Rail, and the first-in-class conversion has also received a special livery to mark the long-standing relationship between the companies. Rebuilt from No 56031, No 69001 was the first of the class to be released

from EMD’s Longport facility after its conversion, and has been repainted by Arlington Fleet Services at Eastleigh. The converted locomotives have been rebuilt with the latest versions of EMD’s EM2000 software and ‘uptime’ computer control. The companies say the ‘69s’ offer more power, reduced fuel consumption and improved emissions, along with an enhanced driver cab environment and better performance. GBRf has confirmed that the ‘69s’ will be based out of Tonbridge. It purchased the ‘56s’ from UK Rail Leasing in 2018 and awarded the contract to rebuild the locos the following year.

‘69’ on test: No 69001, with its Anglo-American livery, leads No 73212 past Rye with a test run from Tonbridge West Yard on 17 June 2021. Chris Livings

SE PREPARES FOR ‘707’ INTRODUCTION

SOUTHEASTERN SAYS it expects to introduce five-car Class 707 EMUs cascaded from South Western Railway from the autumn. The Siemens units are being replaced at SWR by Alstom Class 701s, despite only being built from 2014 to 2018. In Southeastern service, they will replace some of the older Class 465/466 Networker EMUs. Although a preview service starts this autumn, it won’t be until 2022 that the 30-strong fleet will be in full service, running on Metro routes from Dartford, Sevenoaks and Hayes into London terminals. They will

be refreshed, deep-cleaned and updated before entering service. Southeastern has received six of the Angel Trains-owned Class 707s since the start of the year, based at Ashford, Grove Park and Slade Green depots. These trains are being used for maintenance, driver training and station compatibility tests. A further pair of units transferred during July. ‘701’ MULTIPLE WORKING AUTHORISED Meanwhile, approval has been granted by the Office of Rail and Road for SWR’s Alstom-built

Class 701 Arterio EMUs, which are replacing the ‘707s’ and other suburban fleets, to work in multiple. SWR has ordered 60x10-car and 30x5-car ‘701s’ from Alstom (formerly Bombardier), financed by Rock Rail. Approval for single-unit working was granted by ORR in October 2020, and the latest move will allow pairs of five-car units to operate together in passenger service. Introduction of the ‘701s’ has been delayed due to software issues affecting Alstom’s Aventra EMU platform, and SWR has not confirmed a date for when the

first unit will carry passengers. Around two-thirds of the 750 vehicles have now been built, with some undergoing testing on SWR metals and others in store pending introduction to service. In other Aventra news, Greater Anglia had paused acceptance of its Class 720 EMUs as we went to press. GA has accepted 21 units from an order for 133x5-car EMUs, and it is understood discussions are ongoing between the operator and Alstom concerning compensation due to the late delivery and entry into service of the fleet.

ASSET INSPECTION TRAIN DEPARTS

Saved from scrap for just a little longer: on 25 June 2021 the last two cars of London Underground’s asset inspection train left Northfields depot. The two driving motor cars, one of 1972 stock and the other 1967 stock, were taken by road to London Kent Metals in Sittingbourne for scrapping. However, the truck carrying the first vehicle broke down on Boston Manor Road. It is understood the train had long been earmarked for scrap as extra space is needed at Northfields while South Harrow sidings are remodelled in preparation for the arrival of the new Siemens-built 2024 stock trains on the Piccadilly Line. Jamie Squibbs

www.keymodernrailways.com

August 2021 Modern Railways

Trackwatch A digest of the main changes on Network Rail, London Underground and Northern Ireland Railways infrastructure during May 2021; compiled by Martyn Brailsford of the Branch Line Society (www.branchline.uk).

ANGLIA Woodbridge Area (2:9A) Maltings User Worked Crossing (UWC) at 79M 42ch and Dock Lane UWC at 80M 06ch have both been upgraded to Overlay Miniature Stop Light crossings (OMSL). Between North Walsham and Cromer (2:8) Grammar School Farm UWC at 17M 33ch has been upgraded to OMSL crossing. Between Chippenham Junction and Ely (2:12C) Work has commenced on building a new station at Soham. The station will consist of a single platform on the Up side of the line between 7M 61ch and 7M 66ch.

KENT Between Minster and Ramsgate (5:7A) Work has commenced on building a new station at Thanet Parkway. The station will consist of two platforms, one located on the outside of each running line between 83M 54ch and 83M 68ch.

been increased by 98 metres to have a new operational length of 265m (290 yards). Cottam Power Station Branch (2:30B) All lines and signalling beyond the pointwork at Clarborough Junction (68M 32ch) to the Network Rail infrastructure boundary at 72M 00ch have been taken out of use and mothballed; this includes the Automatic Half Barrier Crossings where road traffic lights have been disconnected and crossing barriers have been removed.

LONDON NORTH WESTERN Watford Yard (4:2B) No 10 (Grinding) siding adjacent to the Arrivals and Cripple Roads has been taken out of use until further notice.

SCOTLAND Dalwhinnie (1:19C) Following on from the derailment at Dalwhinnie the facing crossover south of the station has been plain lined, thus northbound (down) services can no longer access platform 1. Mallaig (1:22C) Due to alterations made in the locking of No 1 Ground Frame at Mallaig, normal running is now into platform 2.

Preparing for Azumas: the extension to platform 2 at Middlesbrough station, which will be used by direct LNER services to London from December this year. Tony Winward

with the recommissioning of a second platform at the station. Shepperton (5:24B) In connection with the Wessex Bolthole project, Shepperton Up siding has been brought back into use. The siding has been equipped with third rail, energised at 750V DC. Wilton Junction (5:35B) The ground frame at Wilton North Junction (132M 25ch) has been replaced with a Ground Switch Panel; in conjunction with this the mechanical points operated by the ground frame have been renewed and converted to electrical operation.

WESSEX LONDON NORTH EASTERN Middlesbrough (2:47) As part of the Middlesbrough station capacity project, the length of platform 2 has

Isle of Wight (5:20A) Following temporary closure and extensive works on the Island line a new passing loop has been installed at Brading (4M 55ch) along

WESTERN Old Oak Common (3:2A) As part of the works for High Speed 2 and following on from the decommissioning of Oak Oak

Common Heathrow Express depot, Reception Line 1 has been taken out of use between Old Oak Common East Junction (2M 60ch) – beyond access to the Back Line – through to Friars Junction (3M 53ch). Subsequently the track from 2M 60ch to 3M 30ch and overhead line structures have been recovered and the associated signalling decommissioned. Information has been grouped according to the current Sectional Appendix / Weekly Operating Notice areas. All details can be subject to subsequent amendment. Books and Diagram Reference Numbers (in brackets) relate to the latest relevant Quail Track Diagram books obtainable from Trackmaps at www.trackmaps.co.uk.

Island line enhancement: work in progress on the passing loop and accessible crossing at Brading on 20 April 2021. Phil Marsh

Modern Railways August 2021

www.keymodernrailways.com

People

FOUR NR STAFF ARE HONOURED FOUR NETWORK Rail staff were named in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list published on 11 June. Rajinder Pryor received an MBE for her work with Women in Rail to promote diversity across the rail industry and for raising awareness about domestic abuse, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic in support of the Rail to Refuge scheme and Online Safe Spaces.

Three NR staff were awarded the British Empire Medal. John Sidebotham was awarded his for outstanding service to health and wellbeing at NR during the pandemic and for starting a movement that embodies trust, collaboration, diversity and inclusion and the ‘celebration of uniqueness’. Danny Hawkins’ BEM was for his work with local schools and

charities in Ebbsfleet, including devising a programme to educate schoolchildren on how to stay safe near the railway. Simon Lloyd, meanwhile, was awarded his BEM for his charity work over the last 15 years, restoring more than 300 discarded and unwanted bicycles and giving them to charities and schools, and most recently to people returning to work after being homeless.

NR Chief Executive Andrew Haines paid tribute to the recipients, saying: ‘I am incredibly proud to see the contributions of Rajinder, John, Danny and Simon recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours. ‘They have all been making a real difference to their local communities and to their colleagues, and it’s great to see their dedication acknowledged at the highest level. Congratulations to all.’

Great British Railways announces transition team THE FIRST appointments for the transition team which will consider interim arrangements for the railway following publication of the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail have been announced.

Network Rail Chief Executive Andrew Haines is joined by Programme Director, Strategic Planning & Whole Industry Strategic Plan Elaine Seagriff. Rufus Boyd is Programme Director, Passenger &

Freight Services, while Michael Clark is Programme Director, Policy and Transformation, reflecting his full-time role as director of policy and rail reform at Network Rail. Suzanne Donnelly is Programme

Director, Rail Revenue Recovery Group; she is also Commercial Director at London North Eastern Railway. The final appointment is Anit Chandarana as Chief of Staff, a role he holds at Network Rail.

WOOTTON LEADS GRAND RIA NAMES RAIL AID AS RAILWAY COLLABORATION CHARITY OF THE YEAR LUCY WOOTTON has been appointed as the leader of the Grand Railway Collaboration, which represents train operators, Network Rail’s Central Route, the West Midlands Rail Executive and Transport Focus. Ms Wootton was the regional manager (London) for Chiltern Railways and has joined the GRC on an 18-month secondment. She will work with GRC Chairman Alex Warner to progress plans to improve customer service and passenger satisfaction as well as meeting the challenge of helping the railway recover from the impact of the Covid pandemic.

The GRC was launched in 2019 with a commitment for closer working to improve performance, simplify fares structures, increase the quality of trains and stations and deliver more efficient timetables for passengers. Freight operators are also included as key partners. Great Western Railway is the latest operator to be involved following the transfer of the Worcester area from Western Route to Central Route at the end of April, bringing its Managing Director Mark Hopwood into the body.

THE RAILWAY Industry Association has named Railway Children’s Rail Aid 2021 as its charity of the year. The charity was started last year in response to the unprecedented challenges faced by young people and Railway Children due to the Covid pandemic. In 2020, Rail Aid raised more than £570,000, with more than 120 businesses and 1,200 individuals taking part. RIA will provide fundraising opportunities at its events and raise awareness of the charity’s aims. Darren Caplan, Chief Executive of the Railway Industry Association,

said: ‘We’re delighted to confirm Railway Children’s Rail Aid 2021 as RIA’s chosen charity for the year. Over 2021, RIA will support Rail Aid by providing fundraising opportunities at RIA events, helping raise awareness of the cause and generally doing all we can to boost their valuable work. ‘And so, it is great to back Rail Aid 2021, a fantastic initiative which provides lifelines to children from around the world at such a critical time during this global pandemic. We look forward to working with Railway Children to promote this worthy cause.’

RFM FUNDS SCHOOLS ENGINEERING PROJECT

RAIL FORUM Midlands is working with the Department of Business Energy and Industrial Strategy, Hitachi Rail and Porterbrook to fund the Primary Engineer Rail Project at 12 East Midlands primary schools.

The scheme provides inspiring Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics projects, and further companies will provide volunteers to support delivery of the project.

Engineering professionals from a wide range of backgrounds and specialities will work alongside pupils and teachers. A one-day training course for teachers will provide

them with the know-how and equipment to deliver wholeclass, rail-orientated engineering projects with engineering professionals to provide realworld context to the project.

WALLACE CHAIRS CROSSRAIL INTERNATIONAL THE SECRETARY of State for Transport has appointed Keith Wallace as Chairman of Crossrail International, a Department for Transport body which provides strategic advice to organisations across the world

www.keymodernrailways.com

on developing and delivering complex rail schemes. Mr Wallace has been appointed for a three-year term to oversee the growth of the government-owned rail advisory practice. He has more than 20

years of experience at board level, holding senior positions at Merseyrail, Caledonian Sleeper, Govia Thameslink Railway and Greater Anglia. Currently a Non Executive Director at Dublin Bus, Mr Wallace

has also worked on HS2 and led the international rail business of URS/Scott Wilson (now part of Aecom). He succeeds Sir Terry Morgan, who has served as founding Chairman of Crossrail International since 2018.

August 2021 Modern Railways

In Business

Lobo wins LUL approval Porterbrook acquires Long Marston innovation centre

TRAIN LEASING company Porterbrook has bought the Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre – its first operational and delivery facility. The site covers 135 acres and has a two-mile-long circular test track and more than 12 miles of train storage facilities. Porterbrook says it plans to

‘Green’ sleepers enter service

Lobo’s tool-free access platform system has been approved by London Underground. Lobo

DERBY-BASED LOBO Systems has won approval to supply London Underground and Tubelines with an access platform system capable of being assembled without use of tools into a wide range of sizes and shapes in awkward to access areas. The approval process confirmed

‘significantly invest and upgrade’ the site, as well as bringing new jobs and skills to the area. Porterbrook’s existing partners Chrysalis Rail and the University of Birmingham will remain on site and are expected to be joined by other businesses. The hydrogen fuel cell HydroFlex train will be based at Long Marston.

the system as being safe and labour-saving and it is expected to be used extensively on escalators and other challenging areas across the Underground system. Following LUL approval, Lobo will market its product to other main line and metro operators.

COMPOSITE SLEEPERS made using recycled plastics are now in service on the national rail network, with an installation on the weightrestricted Sherrington viaduct between Salisbury and Warminster. From 31 July, creosotetreated softwood sleepers are being banned, with the only wooden alternative being hardwood, which is regarded as unsustainable. On some

structures, the weight of concrete sleepers precludes their use. The new sleepers are made by Sicut in the UK using a blend of locally-sourced plastic waste which could otherwise end up in landfill. The sleepers are claimed to resist degradation, water, oil, chemicals and fungi and are expected to have a lifespan of more than 50 years. When they are replaced, they can be reused or recycled.

NR UNVEILS CURVED FOOTBRIDGE

NETWORK RAIL has unveiled a new design of curved bridge which it says could revolutionise the costs and speed of building structures spanning tracks. Built of lightweight material, the modular design can be installed

in days and adapted to different locations. It also features builtin monitoring to assess usage and maintenance needs. The concept was developed in 11 months to a prototype design, and it can be used to replace station

footbridges or provide bridges to replace pedestrian foot crossings. It is made from Fibre-Reinforced Polymer and it is hoped the concept will be adopted nationwide. The next phase of the project involves developing sustainable

procurement and construction options as well as a ramped version of the bridge. Knights Architects, Jacobs, KS Composite, Sui Generis, Epsilon Optics, Q-Railings, JT Consulting and Flofo worked with NR to develop the design.

Rail Forum launches #RVEBigIdea at RVE THE RAIL Forum is delighted to launch its exciting new supplier engagement activity taking place at this year’s Modern Railways RVE Expo on 4 November in Derby. #RVEBigIdea is the next step in supply chain engagement for the rail industry focusing on delivering real value through one-to-one meetings with rolling stock customers to introduce exciting new responses to the challenges our industry faces. Suppliers will be invited to submit new ideas, products and services to support the rolling stock sector, under a selection of different themes. The themes are key to industry challenges – decarbonisation, productivity, accessibility, and asset optimisation - and allow

suppliers to really showcase their new and developing offers. All the participating customers will review the applications and select which suppliers they wish to meet. A fantastic line-up of 18 customer organisations is taking part: Alstom, Angel Trains, Arriva TrainCare, CAF, DB Cargo, FirstGroup, Freightliner, Gemini Rail Group, Hitachi, Loram, Nottingham Tram, Siemens Germany, Stadler UK, TDI, Talgo, Transport for London, Unipart Rail and Wabtec. ‘After delivering three very successful Meet The Buyers at RVE, we are thrilled to be bringing forward this refreshed

Modern Railways August 2021

activity’ says Rail Forum Chief Executive Elaine Clark. ‘Meet The Buyer has been a great way for industry to speak to the procurement teams of major customers. Looking forward, the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail poses several key challenges for our industry and we are keen to demonstrate that the supply chain is ready to meet these. We are creating a brand new opportunity for the industry to come together and respond through our #RVEBigIdea with key themes such as decarbonisation and optimisation featuring in this new approach.’ ‘We are very excited about RVEBigIdea and are delighted to be working with our colleagues at Modern Railways for another year’ said Membership Manager Cat Appleby. ‘The response and

enthusiasm to embrace this change from the customers taking part have convinced us that this is a positive step forward to deliver real value and benefits for participants: customers and suppliers.’ This activity is free to Rail Forum members and exhibitors to RVE. A nominal administration charge applies for nonmembers/non-exhibitors. KEY DATES ■ Applications open on 13 September and close on 24 September via a dedicated webpage on the RFM website. For further information about Modern Railways RVE visit the show’s website, www.rve-expo.co.uk.

www.keymodernrailways.com

In Business

One Big Circle gains TfW extension VIDEO TECHNOLOGY company One Big Circle has secured a three-year extension of a deal with Transport for Wales to augment on-board systems in a bid to further increase safety across Wales’ rail network. It expands and follows on from an initial trial and 12-month partnership where TfW used the company’s automated intelligent video review systems on its fleet of trains. Smart video cameras were installed in train cabs to

automatically record data and enable risk analysis and remote monitoring on TfW routes to improve safety and performance. The system has already identified hazardous changes in vegetation, obscured signs and signals and changes in infrastructure, which can be detected and responded to quickly. The number of site visits and people required on track is significantly reduced, increasing workforce safety.

Zonegreen completes Crown Point project SAFETY COMPANY Zonegreen has completed a two-year installation of its Depot Personnel Protection System (DPPS) at Greater Anglia’s Norwich Crown Point depot. The depot has been adapted to maintain GA’s 58-strong Stadler Flirt fleet, and the DPPS has been installed in three phases to ensure existing fleets can continue to be maintained. With all roads fitted with the system, staff now log onto road end panels that operate the system via personalised electronic datakeys

with varying levels of authorisation. This prevents powered wheel stops from being lowered, providing staff with physical protection from moving vehicles. A signalling interface controls outbound vehicle movements which only allows routes to be set when staff have logged off the system and it is safe to do so. The final part of the installation was to interlock a new bogie drop on Road 14 at the depot with DPPS, preventing vehicle movements unless the bridging rails are in place.

A One Big Circle camera installed in a TfW train. One Big Circle

Sella hosts MP visit SELLA CONTROLS hosted local MP Navendu Mishra for a site visit on 11 June as part of the Railway Industry Association’s Rail Fellowship Programme, which matches MPs to rail sites. During an extensive tour of the company’s Stockport head office, Mr Mishra was introduced to

apprentices, graduates and other key staff before being taken on a socially distanced guided tour of the site. Sella recently won a contract from Stadler Valencia for Tracklink III systems used to control the transition between diesel and electric modes on bi-mode locomotives being built for use in Spain.

Fellowship visit: MP Navendu Mishra at Sella Controls. Sella Controls

Quantexa and GTR tackle fraud CONTEXTUAL DECISION intelligence company Quantexa and Govia Thameslink Railway are to work together to tackle what the operator says is rising rail fraud. Data and analytics software has enabled GTR to combat ticket fraud and Delay Repay fraud.

On the former, the software has enabled GTR to identify passengers who repeatedly buy incorrect tickets to evade fares, while on the latter, it is targeting customers who fraudulently claim their train was delayed and make fictitious claims for compensation.

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A wheel stop at Norwich Crown Point depot. Zonegreen has supplied a new safety system at the site. Zonegreen

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Crossrail Update

Bronze clad portal: the Elizabeth Line station building at Woolwich.

The station that nearly wasn’t Woolwich is fourth station to be handed over

oolwich has become the fourth Crossrail station to be formally transferred from the contractor to Transport for London, infrastructure manager for the Elizabeth Line. It follows the handover of Elizabeth Line stations at Custom House, Farringdon and Tottenham Court Road. Although testing of station systems will continue in the ramp-up to Elizabeth Line trial operations, beginning later this year, station fit-out contractor Balfour Beatty is now winding down its activity at the site. Woolwich Elizabeth Line station has been built at the historic site of the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich – a dockyard established by King Henry VIII which became increasingly important as an ordnance factory in the 17th century, housing a military academy and Royal Laboratory as well as a new brass gun foundry in the early 18th century, which remains to this day. The Royal Arsenal expanded rapidly in the mid to late 19th century, reaching peak activity during the First World War. Entry to the Crossrail station, which has a single ticket hall, will be from a 30-metre-wide bronze clad portal, which opens out on to Dial Arch Square, a green space flanked with Grade I and II listed buildings. Linking the station to the area's history, two facades depict a contemporary representation

www.keymodernrailways.com

of the bronze memorial plaques minted there during the First World War. The black steel cladding which makes up the facades incorporates images of Britannia and the Lion which had originally featured on the bronze plaques. The ‘Dead Man's Penny’, as they came to be known, were ceremonial coins given to the families of soldiers who gave their lives in the Great War. More than one million of these plaques were cast at the Royal Arsenal. PUTTING WOOLWICH ON THE MAP Bringing the Elizabeth Line to south east London with a station south of the Thames is a big tick for the regeneration and wealthspreading credentials of the Crossrail programme – and it nearly didn't happen. When the Crossrail bill was laid in Parliament in 2005 it envisaged trains passing from Docklands (Custom House) to Abbey Wood without stopping. During the passage of the Crossrail bill through Parliament, the Labour Government of the day and the organisation which became Crossrail Ltd argued against the station proposal amid fears Crossrail costs were already spiralling. But determined lobbying from Greenwich Council won the day, and in March 2007 Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander announced a funding deal that would allow the

station box to be constructed. Adding the Woolwich stop to Crossrail was estimated to add £186 million to the price of delivering the project. Berkeley Homes would fund construction of the box; while the property developer would be able to offset some of its costs against savings elsewhere on the project, the deal meant the Government could claim that the cost of Crossrail to the taxpayer had not risen, despite the inclusion of an extra station. This agreement got the structure for the station built, but a stand-off over who should pay for fit-out meant it wasn't until 2013 that Berkeley, Transport for London and Greenwich Council agreed to share the cost of fitting out the station box. Commitments were only made after Crossrail Ltd warned it needed an instruction to proceed with fitout if works were to be delivered in a cost-efficient manner and in time for the start of Crossrail train services – then expected in 2018. The hard graft was not in vain, and the inclusion of Woolwich on the Elizabeth Line will surely be seen in years to come as a sound decision. As well as improving transport links to this part of the capital, the station is a key part of a new development on the Royal Arsenal site which includes 3,750 new homes as well as new cultural, heritage, commercial and leisure facilities. ‘Securing an Elizabeth Line station for Woolwich was a huge achievement’ said Karl

Whiteman, Divisional Managing Director for Berkeley East Thames. ‘We’re proud to have worked with the Royal Borough of Greenwich, TfL and the Government to deliver this valuable transport link.’ PADDINGTON PUSHED BACK The handover of Woolwich to TfL sees the south east London station overtake Paddington. In his latest update to the London Assembly, Crossrail Chief Executive Mark Wild said the handover sequencing schedule has been amended, altering the positions of Paddington and Woolwich, to protect the trial operations schedule. Trial operations is the final phase of Crossrail testing, involving trials to ensure the safety and reliability of the railway for public use. Mr Wild says challenges have arisen at Paddington during the T-12 handover preparation process, serving as a reminder of the complexity that is involved in the testing and commissioning of the vast Crossrail station structures. But it's not that far off: after Woolwich, Liverpool Street was handed over to TfL on 5 July, to be followed by Paddington, Abbey Wood and then Whitechapel stations, with all these handovers scheduled to take place this summer. Mr Wild has described Bond Street and Canary Wharf as ‘not yet at the required level’, but after a short burst of intense activity at these sites we should soon hear what progress has been made. Dan Harvey

August 2021 Modern Railways

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High Speed 2

Old Oak Common works start O

ld Oak Common has become the first High Speed 2 station where construction of permanent structures has begun. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has approved the start of procurement for a 1.8km-long underground diaphragm wall around what will become the station's underground box, where six HS2 platforms will accommodate trains serving the Midlands and the north of England. The work had been expected to start in April this year – hopefully, the Secretary of State won't have to authorise every component of HS2 station building work! To form the HS2 platform box, piling rigs will be used to install 160 reinforced concrete columns inside the diaphragm wall to support the structure. Following the first phase of construction to create the 750,000 cubic metre box, work on the eight overground platforms on the existing network will begin. More than 1,600 concrete piles will be installed into the ground on which the station superstructure and overground platforms will sit. Once complete, Old Oak Common station will have 14 platforms – six HS2 platforms, four Crossrail platforms and four serving the Great Western main line. The station's immense roof will connect the railways together. It will have an area of more than three football pitches. The lightweight roof structure has been designed to minimise the use of materials and allow natural light in, cutting the carbon footprint of the station. The environmental credentials of the station will be boosted by solar panels covering the roof, generating a supply of renewable energy. The station design development has been led by WSP with architectural support from Wilkinson Eyre. HS2's station construction partner Balfour Beatty/Vinci/Systra joint venture is leading construction work on the 10-hectare west London site. Station construction will require 73,000 tonnes of steel, 13,000 square metres of glass, 2,720 square metres of solar panels on the roof, 53 lifts and 44 escalators, 550 cycle spaces, and 10,000 LED light bulbs. VIRTUAL STATION While the construction team is getting busy, away from the site virtual reality is being used to inform

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Thumbs up: Transport Secretary Grant Shapps (right) has given the go-ahead for construction work for HS2’s Old Oak Common station. HS2 Ltd

final designs for Old Oak Common, together with eye-tracking and emotion-sensing technology. Wearing VR headsets fitted with eye-tracking and emotion-sensing technology, three sample groups of train passengers will enter a virtual version of the giant new station. Once in the digital virtual reality, these passengers of the future will be asked to navigate their way around Old Oak Common to reach meeting points, platforms and change between HS2 and Elizabeth Line services using the signage included in the current design. Eye-tracking technology fitted to VR headsets monitors how the eye is drawn around the station’s interior and whether there are any distractions that might contradict or confuse, all of which could hamper easy and stress-free movement. This will be paired with emotion sensing software that observes the wearer’s facial expressions and monitors heart rate changes caused by the visual stimulus of experiencing the station in virtual reality. The data collected by design and technology firm CCD will enable HS2 and station designer WSP to assess, and if necessary refine, designs to help Old Oak Common passengers move smoothly and efficiently through the station. The technology will also be used to explore what further assistance passengers with reduced mobility might need to navigate the station. This use of virtual reality is claimed as a world first and HS2 says the technology offers the potential for use at other HS2

stations, as well as in the design of sports venues and concert halls. ROLLING STOCK CHALLENGES HS2 Ltd and Talgo have reached an out-of-court settlement regarding the multi-billion-pound HS2 Phase One rolling stock contract. As reported in June, Talgo brought a three-pronged legal challenge after HS2 Ltd eliminated it from the rolling stock competition in January 2021. Talgo claimed HS2 had unlawfully permitted some tenders to proceed with changes having been made to bids, raised concerns in relation to the acquisition by Alstom of Bombardier during the procurement process, and cited apparent bias during the process. All three claims were disputed by HS2 Ltd. HS2 Ltd said the settlement involved no financial element. In a statement the organisation said: ‘Following the mutual resolution of proceedings between High Speed Two and Talgo, HS2 is grateful for Talgo's participation in the rolling

stock procurement and wishes Talgo all the best with its future endeavours, both in the UK and internationally. HS2 looks forward to announcing its contract award decision for Britain’s new highspeed trains in due course.’ But as one legal challenge has been resolved, another has arrived. Siemens Mobility, another of the bidders vying for the rolling stock contract, filed a procurement claim against HS2 Ltd on 21 June. Neither HS2 nor Siemens is commenting – but it could be a sign that HS2 is whittling down its shortlist, which also includes Alstom, CAF, and a joint venture between Bombardier (since acquired by Alstom) and Hitachi, ahead of a contract award later this year. In the Talgo case, a judge noted that contract award could not proceed until the challenge had been resolved. Siemens' challenge therefore could spell further delay to the award of one of HS2's biggest and most important contracts. Dan Harvey

HS2 COVERAGE This issue, with the launch of our quarterly supplement covering HS2 construction, marks a change in our coverage of this landmark project. Our quarterly feature will enable us to delve more deeply into all aspects of HS2, its route, stations, contracts and its impact on the conventional network. This supplement, and the second in our November 2021 issue, will be included in all copies of the magazine, but from next year the supplement will be exclusively available to print and

digital subscribers and subscribers to www.keymodernrailways.com. As part of this change, our monthly column charting HS2 will no longer appear in the magazine. We will still cover all the latest HS2 news and developments each month in the magazine. We are grateful to Dan Harvey for his commentary, and Dan will contribute to the new supplement as well as continuing to chart progress with Crossrail each month in the magazine as that project nears completion.

August 2021 Modern Railways

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Between the Lines

Chris Stokes

n October last year, the then Directors General, Rail at the Department for Transport asked Network Rail’s Chief Executive, Andrew Haines, to lead a ‘clean sheet’ review of the timetable for the East Coast main line, reflecting the fact that, between Network Rail, DfT and the Office of Rail and Road, capacity on the route had been oversold. I saw this as a welcome and pragmatic approach to the problem, anticipating the policies set out since in the White Paper. The exercise was to be completed by the end of March this year, and I expected it would be followed by a consultation paper, setting out options and recommendations, similar to the consultation published for the Castlefield corridor following the work of the Manchester Recovery Task Force. This hasn’t happened; instead, LNER, CrossCountry and TransPennine Express have separately published detailed timetable proposals for May 2022. It’s clear from the individual train operating company (TOC) documents that the overall timetable for the route reflects a significant degree of co-operation between Network Rail and the various TOCs, almost certainly with some arm-twisting behind the scenes. However, it’s enormously disappointing that the industry hasn’t put together a single coherent document showing the full timetable for the route – anyone wanting to know what’s planned for individual stations would have to look at more than one of the TOC websites. This is all deeply unhelpful for consultees. Berwick-upon-Tweed, for example, currently has stops in

the ‘fast’ hourly Edinburgh to King’s Cross service, but this drops to twohourly stops in the semi-fast service, although journey times to London are not significantly extended, reflecting faster point-to-point timings to be applied for Azumas. This will go down like a lead balloon at Berwick, and it isn’t immediately clear this is partially mitigated by hourly stops in the CrossCountry service, many of which currently don’t stop there. The LNER proposals are extraordinarily bullish, given the likelihood of a permanent reduction in demand following the pandemic, at least in the high yield business market. There are three trains an hour from King’s Cross to Newcastle, with one to Edinburgh calling at York and Newcastle only with a journey time of around 4hr 10min. Darlington as well as Berwick will lose its fast London service, but everything stops at York, including the erstwhile ‘Flying Scotsman’, which was previously non-stop from Newcastle and no longer makes the journey in a notional four hours, not often achieved in practice. While the fast trains are a real attempt to capture more of the air market, I suspect, post-Covid, that overall passenger numbers will not recover to 2019 levels, at least for some years, so costs will go up and revenue will go down – I’d be delighted to be proved wrong. By the way, there is no service between Newark and Retford for most of the day. The LNER document suggests making the journey doubling back via Doncaster! It’s certainly not a major flow, but this does look pretty silly. There’s likely to be a robust response from the towns which

lose out; it will be interesting to see whether LNER and DfT actually hold the line on all the proposed changes. CrossCountry largely restores its pre-Covid pattern, but with additional calls at Northallerton, and a more regular pattern of calls between Newcastle and Edinburgh. The big loser in terms of train mileage is TransPennine Express, which goes down to only one train per hour north of York, with no services north of Newcastle. The rights for the second Newcastle service were contingent, not firm. It’s unclear whether that’s the reason CrossCountry stays at two trains per hour instead of TPE, or whether this was a conclusion reached as a result of the Andrew Haines exercise – again, there’s a lack of transparency. This change may not go down well in the North of England. Interestingly, the consultation questions in the TPE document make the reductions quite clear – reading between the lines, TPE almost seems to be inviting consultees to object! The withdrawn Newcastle train becomes a York – Manchester Victoria orphan, leaving the Ordsall Chord between Manchester Victoria and Piccadilly with just one train an hour. Leeds – Manchester Airport used to have two trains an hour, reversing at Piccadilly. The chord has proved to be an expensive way of delivering a poorer service. The FirstGroup open access service is a real horror story: five trains a day between Edinburgh and King’s Cross, calling just at Morpeth(!) and Newcastle, with limited stops at Stevenage, supposedly aimed at the air market. These are not four-hour expresses;

rightly, they haven’t been allowed to scythe through the rest of the timetable, so the provisional journey times for the launch of the service later this year vary between 4hr 24min up to, for one train, 5hr 7min, although First says they will be improved next year. In these initial paths there is so much recovery time that the trains will feel late even when they’re not. Some of the departure and arrival times are grim too: the first up train leaves Edinburgh at 05.45, and the last arrives at King’s Cross at 00.48. Northbound, the first train from King’s Cross leaves at 06.14, and the last reaches Edinburgh at 01.05. These are at best backpacker trains, not competition to the airlines. First will have to compete with LNER on price, at the taxpayers’ expense. Reston is another disaster. A £20 million new station for a village with a population of 450 and, however it’s dressed up, a very limited catchment area. Also, unless and until the Scottish Government can fund and resource a local service between Berwick and Edinburgh, which would clearly have dreadful financial results, Reston is only likely to have a token service, with the likely solution being stops in existing TPE empty stock workings (converted to passenger) for cycling units to and from Craigentinny depot in Edinburgh for maintenance. Another new station is planned for East Linton, further chewing up capacity on this key two-track main line. With no apology for repeating myself, the industry should be focused on what it’s good at: heavy freight, interurban passenger and high volume routes in conurbations. chrisjstokes@btopenworld.com

TPE on the ECML: Class 802s pass at Durham on 8 July 2020. Tony Winward

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August 2021 Modern Railways

Alan Williams

eptember marks the first anniversary of the publication of Network Rail’s Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy (TDNS), a thorough piece of work which has been widely acclaimed and which by any standards provided sufficient justification to restart a programme of electrification while the current teams are still around. And superficially Government seemed to have accepted this, with the statement in the recently published ‘Plan for Rail’ that ‘electrification is likely to be the main way of decarbonising the majority of the network’. So why aren’t they getting on with it? The Plan claims ‘further electrification is under way’. In Scotland and Wales, yes, but not so much in England. Even now, only part of the long-awaited and previously cancelled TransPennine electrification is being wired, plus just a further nine miles along the Midland main line from the new Corby electrification at Kettering to Market Harborough. Not exactly a ringing endorsement, and certainly not likely to convince many attending the World Climate Change Conference in Glasgow in November that Britain really is in the van of rail decarbonisation. Frankly, if the Department for Transport still can’t bring itself to authorise electrification of the 18-mile central part of the Trans-Pennine Route between Huddersfield and Stalybridge, which before the pandemic carried six passenger trains per hour in each direction and on which electrification would provide particular advantages over other forms of traction on the steep grades over the Pennines, what are the chances of any sensible implementation of the TDNS in the increasingly short time available to meet the Government’s own decarbonisation targets? And while the DfT continues to dither on rail electrification – in stark contrast to its unbridled enthusiasm and funding for electrification of road vehicles – its reticence is serving to further encourage a new ‘dash for gas’ on the part of the rolling stock companies, with more than a whiff of enlightened selfinterest in prolonging the life of otherwise life-expired redundant electric units along the way. UNRAVELLING And this is where, at least in my backyard, both the grand

Williams-Shapps Plan and the Prime Minister’s repeated promises to ‘level up’ begin to unravel. Teesside has been chosen to host the country’s first ‘Hydrogen Transport Hub’, due to open in 2025. Ten, or possibly 15 if you believe DfT documents, ex-Class 321 electric units, once converted to hydrogen power, reclassified as ‘600’ and christened Breeze, are earmarked for introduction on the Bishop Auckland – Middlesbrough – Saltburn and Middlesbrough – Whitby routes, although whether the plan also includes Durham Coast services is unclear. These were among the last stomping grounds of the dreaded Pacers and it is fair to say that, even though they are almost as old, the Class 156 and 158 units that have now replaced them have been greeted with open arms by the good people of the Tees Valley, seemingly with a slight preference for the older Class 156s thanks to, in these Covid times, their lack of air conditioning and good old opening windows enabling gulps of (mainly!) fresh north eastern air. But in the mid-2020s, these ‘new’ trains are slated to be replaced by ‘new’ hydrogenpowered trains which are in fact just as old, if not older, repurposed suburban electric trains with one-third and two-thirds door openings rather than the end doors of the present trains, seats inevitably less well spaced to align with windows and fewer tables. And while they will have three cars rather than two, each is three metres shorter than now and a chunk of the additional space will be occupied by hydrogen kit so, as owner Eversholt Rail admits, there will only be around the same number of seats, with no provision for growth. Once these additional details are revealed, the response tends to be a less polite Tees Valley version of ‘get lost’. On my local Middlesbrough – Whitby line, on which most passengers travel the entire 90-minute journey, the end doors of the Class 156 and 158 units are prized features, offering an undisturbed central saloon for non-alighting passengers, a better ambiance, table seats and lots of windows to see what has been described as ‘the prettiest line in England’. But open the double doors of a ‘321’ into the saloon on a winter’s day on the Moors and it will feel more like a gale than a breeze!

Modern Railways August 2021

We have not yet seen any detailed proposals for Class 600 interiors, but it is still a 1980s Class 321 bodyshell so inevitably the basic layout and facilities can be little different from the Class 150 units of 40 years ago. It would seem difficult to match the ambiance of a ‘156’ or ‘158’ of similar vintage, let alone to improve it to that of a truthfully ‘new’ train. As both ScotRail, with its fleet of ‘Inter7City’ shortened HSTs, and Transport for Wales, with its latest Mk 4 plus Class 67 acquisitions, have realised, when old trains are withdrawn, not unreasonably, passengers expect that, even if not brand new, their replacements will at least be as good and preferably substantially better. Certainly not just as old and worse! If even in backward England a whole, truly new fleet of Class 755 bi-mode trains can be justified for secondary and branch line services in East Anglia, it is pretty insulting to Teessiders to use such old trains for what DfT calls a ‘flagship’ new project, while in reality continuing the tradition of dumping tired old trains on services in the north east. By 2030, when these ‘new’ trains will presumably still be in use (and actually 42 years old), Government intends that most of us will be driving shiny new electric cars. If, despite the ‘Grand Plan’, this is how DfT sees the future for all those regional and branch lines that have no chance of being properly electrified anytime soon, there can be no better example of it blatantly using its influence to discourage development of rail. More like dumbing down than levelling up. The ‘Plan for Rail’ promises that Great British Railways will have a ‘primary focus serving the interests of passengers’, that ‘trains will be more comfortable than their predecessors’ and ‘made more pleasant to travel on’. Not like this they won’t. PROTECTING PEOPLE FROM THEMSELVES Back last September, following a day out in Bournemouth and having missed their train home, a group of teenagers found themselves on Hinton Admiral station just before midnight, waiting not for a train but a taxi. Giving evidence at an inquest in Winchester, one explained that ‘we were running around the tracks, it was all for a bit of fun’. But they then got back on the

platform as a train, this being part of the Bournemouth main line, passed ‘at fast speed’. She said that ‘after the train came through, I felt uneasy about going on the tracks’. But one of her companions, a 17-year-old who it transpired had a blood-alcohol level 2.7 times the drink-drive limit, got back on the track again, but tripped and fell across the conductor rail and was electrocuted. Quite why anybody would think it sensible to fool around on a high-speed railway at night, electrified or not, is beyond me. Presumably they would not play around in the middle of the nearby A35. The youth’s father said he thought his son’s death could have been avoided if there was better signage at the station. As of course it would if he had not trespassed on the railway in the first place. A witness from British Transport Police confirmed that, as at all stations, there were signs at the platform ramps at each end of the station warning people not to trespass on the railway. In addition, on all those nearly 500 stations where third rail electrification is in use, plus the 270 on London Underground where there are both third and fourth rails, there are also warnings not to touch the conductor rail. But less helpfully, he went on to say he had been asking for ‘Danger of Death’ warning signs on platforms for 10 years. But is BTP the best authority to publicly opine on what is the responsibility of the Office of Rail and Road? Such warnings would surely apply equally to all lines, not just those with conductor rails and, to be really effective, there would need to be signs at intervals along every platform. Imagine Clapham Junction with such signs plastered everywhere. And, this incident having taken place at midnight, presumably a need for all to be well illuminated, too. Even then, would anyone so inebriated really take any notice? As a result, the coroner sent a ‘preventing future deaths’ report to Network Rail, requiring a formal response within 56 days. I hope it robustly responded that you can only go so far to protect people from themselves. Another example, when in the wrong hands, of that most dangerously expensive phrase in the English language, ‘health and safety’. awcolumn@yorkshire.net

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HS2

ISSUE 1

BUILDING BRITAIN’S NEW RAILWAY A

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT

TUNNELLING IN THE CHILTERNS n Behind the scenes at South Portal site n TBMs start boring 10-mile tunnels

MEET THE CEO HS2 BOSS MARK THURSTON INTRODUCES OUR NEW SERIES

CALVERT CROSSING HS2 and East West Rail’s intersection

HS2 HISTORY THE STORY OF BRITAIN’S NEW RAILWAY

HS2 BUILDING BRITAIN’S NEW RAILWAY

Bridges to the future HS2’s structures will leave a lasting legacy, as these views of some of its viaducts vividly show

The spectacular Colne Valley viaduct will be one of Britain’s longest railway bridges. This artist’s impression gives an idea of the scale of the structure, for which early works are now underway. HS2 LTD

At Water Orton, a pair of viaducts will carry HS2. Creation of an orchard between them is envisaged, helping to offset the environmental impact of the project. HS2 LTD

Messing about on the river: CGI visuals showing the Birmingham and Fazeley viaduct design, viewed from a virtual narrowboat. HS2 LTD

Over Wendover: an artist’s impression of the Wendover Dean and Small Dean viaduct. HS2 LTD

A MODERN RAILWAYS SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT ISSUE 1

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HS2 BUILDING BRITAIN’S NEW RAILWAY

IT ALL STARTS HERE

BUILDING HS2 T wo hundred years ago, the building of the first railways transformed transport and with it, Britain’s economic fortunes – linking up people and places, opening up opportunity and helping to herald the industrial revolution which transformed the UK into the nation we know today. Today, as we build back from the Covid pandemic, continue the fight against climate change and work to level up across our regions and nations – the Government is embarking on what will be the defining railway project of this and the next century. High Speed 2 – which has been in development for the last decade and has now begun construction – will play a vital role in linking up our communities, boosting the economy and offering low-carbon transport options for millions of people. It will bolster the existing rail network, providing extra capacity where it’s needed, and plugging into the network to deliver

direct journeys to 25 towns and cities across the UK. The extra capacity this new rail link will deliver will be instrumental in getting more people out of cars, off domestic flights and onto clean, green high-speed rail. It will also free up space on the existing network for more local services and freight – taking trucks off our crowded roads. That’s why I’m thrilled to see construction now starting in earnest on Phase One and Royal Assent secured for Phase 2a. We’ve been working at a local level doing the essential but often low-key enabling works for many years, but the launch of our first tunnelling machines is something on quite a different scale. In May, I was lucky enough to be at the South Portal of the Chiltern tunnel with HS2 Minister Andrew Stephenson to witness the start of construction on what will be the longest tunnels on the project. The scale of the work is immense – two 170-metrelong, 2,000-tonne tunnelling

machines, 112,000 individual 8.5 tonne wall segments and more than three years of work 24/7 to excavate the twin 10-mile-long tunnels. This is just the start. Phase One alone will have 32 miles (51km) of tunnels, over 500 bridges (under and over) and more than 50 viaducts measuring about nine miles in total length. Perhaps the most complex series of viaducts will be outside Birmingham, where the line crosses the M6 and splits into two with a spur into the city centre. At 5.9 miles long, the ‘Delta Junction’ consists of seven bridges and viaducts spanning three railway lines, eight roads, five rivers and canals and the motorway. And of course, tying these megastructures together will be more than 44 miles’ worth of cuttings and 38 miles of embankments carrying the line through the landscape. The deepest cutting – at Lower Thorpe – will be 30.5m deep, while the longest embankment will be 1.8 miles long.

HIGH SPEED 2: BUILDING BRITAIN’S NEW RAILWAY This first issue of High Speed 2: Building Britain’s new railway is free to all print and digital edition readers, including subscribers to the magazine and Key Modern

Railways, for the first two editions, in this issue and in the November 2021 issue. From the February 2022 supplement onwards, it will be available by subscribing to

the print magazine, digital edition or Key Modern Railways. To take out a subscription, visit www.keymodernrailways.com for more information.

IN THIS SUPPLEMENT... 3 13 WELCOME HS2’s Chief Executive introduces Modern Railways’ new quarterly supplement on Britain’s newest railway

A FAR FROM BORING JOB Tunnelling has started on the Chilterns Tunnel. Philip Sherratt reports on this landmark milestone

CALVERT CROSSING Bringing materials to HS2 worksites is a huge challenge. James Abbott reveals how a railhead at Calvert is delivering sustainably

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Four major new stations will be built – including the iconic Birmingham Curzon Street – helping to boost the economy, unlocking tens of thousands of new jobs and homes where they are badly needed and helping to set new standards for accessibility and convenience for the travelling public. The scale of Phase One is immense, but we’ve got an incredible team of world-leading engineers, project managers and designers in place, working with our experienced contractors – all determined to make HS2 a success. And that’s why I’m pleased to introduce this new quarterly supplement from Modern Railways, which will follow our progress as we build the first major new railway north of London in more than a century. Modern Railways promises to document all the major milestones on our journey to deliver this exciting and ambitious project… and that’s exciting, because it’s not every day that we build a new railway. Mark Thurston High Speed 2 Chief Executive

THE PEOPLE BEHIND HS2 In the first part of a regular series looking at the people building HS2, its CEO Mark Thurston talks to Andy Roden about the project’s challenges and achievements

HIGH-SPEED HISTORY Dan Harvey delves into the archives to explain HS2’s rationale and how it gained approval

NEWS AND CONTRACTS A round-up of the latest news and contracts on Britain’s new railway

ISSUE 1 A MODERN RAILWAYS SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT

HS2 BUILDING BRITAIN’S NEW RAILWAY

A FAR FROM

BORING JOB PHILIP SHERRATT reports on the start of HS2 tunnelling through the Chilterns

TBM launch location: aerial view of the South Portal site, with TBM Cecilia in place prior to launch. Florence has already disappeared into the second bore. COURTESY HS2

A MODERN RAILWAYS SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT ISSUE 1

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HS2 BUILDING BRITAIN’S NEW RAILWAY

nyone who doubts that HS2 is real and construction is happening need only visit the Chalfont Lane construction site at the South Portal of the Chiltern Tunnels in Buckinghamshire, just inside the M25 motorway. From the largest construction site on HS2, the Align Joint Venture (comprising Bouygues Travaux Publics, Sir Robert McAlpine and VolkerFitzpatrick) is building two of the most significant pieces of infrastructure on the

Unique machines: ground level view of the South Portal TBM launch site. PHILIP SHERRATT

TBM gantry two: this incorporates the segment crane and robots which remove wooden spaces between tunnel segments and insert connection dowels. PHILIP SHERRATT

TBM gantry three: at top is the refuge for workers on the machine for use in the event of an emergency. PHILIP SHERRATT

Phase One route from London to the West Midlands – the 16km twin-bore Chiltern tunnels and the 3.4km Colne Valley viaduct. The South Portal site sits conveniently between these pieces of infrastructure. HS2 has already launched the two tunnel boring machines (TBMs) which over the next 3½ years will excavate the twin tunnels beneath the Chilterns, and Align has also started work

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southwards towards London on the viaduct as well. HS2 Ltd has appointed four main works civils contractors to build Phase One. Align’s section of route starts at the north portal of Northolt Tunnel, where it takes up the construction mantle from SCS Railways (Skanska, Costain and Strabag), the joint venture building the railway out from London Euston. The Colne Valley viaduct and Chiltern

ISSUE 1 A MODERN RAILWAYS SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT

HS2 BUILDING BRITAIN’S NEW RAILWAY Concrete batching plant: this is one of three on the South Portal site which produces concrete for the viaduct and tunnel segment factories. PHILIP SHERRATT

each of the main works civils contractors to develop such a structure, which is designed to increase efficiency and strengthen lines of reporting. The IPT also liaises with Align’s design organisation, Align-D, a partnership of Jacobs and Ingerop.

Making tunnel segments: one of the moulds used in the manufacturing process at one of the two on-site factories. PHILIP SHERRATT

tunnels are separated by a short section of straightforward railway, and then from the north portal of the tunnels EKFB (Eiffage, Kier, Ferrovial Agroman and Bam Nuttall) is responsible for construction of the line as it continues north towards the West Midlands. Align’s part of the route is the shortest by distance at only 21.6km, but with the viaduct and tunnels it features two of the most critical pieces of Phase One infrastructure. The South Portal site has a 5km perimeter, bounded by the M25, A412 and Chalfont Lane. ‘It’s a unique site – we have dedicated slip roads on and off the M25 to bring materials in’ explains Mark Clapp, HS2’s Senior Project Manager. ‘We have space to make the precast elements of the tunnels and viaduct on site. It’s pretty much self-contained – everything [on the Align stretch of route]

happens here, apart from a few satellite sites for the viaduct and tunnel ventilation shafts.’ Another convenient feature is the presence of overhead power lines to provide power to the site – these feed three electrical cabinets, one of which is owned by power company SSE, another by Align and the third split 50/50, meaning there is a clear division of who owns what. Other tunnels on HS2 in the London area will be built by machines launching from either end and meeting in the middle, as was generally the case with Crossrail, but the availability of the large South Portal site means for the Chiltern tunnels both machines have launched from one end and are boring continuously. Mr Clapp is employed by HS2 Ltd but is part of the Integrated Project Team with Align; HS2 has encouraged

TBMS The two TBMs for the Chiltern tunnels have been supplied by German firm Herrenknecht. After being built at the company’s factory, they were disassembled and moved to the South Portal site before being reassembled. Following a public poll, the two machines were named Florence, after Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing who for many years lived nearby at Claydon, and Cecilia, after astronomer and astrophysicist Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, who was born in Buckinghamshire. The original plan was to have a piled headwall for the south portal of the tunnel. However, value engineering prompted a change to a sloped wall with 636 soil anchors and a concrete block at the front. Starting to cut into a vertical face of the concrete block – rather than a slope – allows the TBMs to start cutting straight, increasing the likelihood of an even cut and making it less likely the machines will start deviating. First to launch was Florence on 7 May, constructing the bore of the southbound tunnel which will be used by trains

A MODERN RAILWAYS SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT ISSUE 1

towards London. Cecilia launched at the end of June on the northbound tunnel. The two machines will complete their work towards the end of 2024; although Cecilia launched around six weeks later, the two machines will reach the north portal at about the same time, as geological data will be livestreamed back from Florence, helping to speed up Cecilia’s journey. The first challenge the two machines encounter as they head north from Chalfont Lane is the M25. ‘We’ve been working with Highways England and have had a monitoring regime in place for 12 months’ says Mr Clapp. Consent from HE was received to start tunnelling around two weeks before Florence launched. The top of the tunnels will be 9.5-10.5 metres below the motorway – about the same size as the diameter of each tunnel; this is very different from Crossrail, where tunnels were as little as 60cm away from the Northern Line at Tottenham Court Road. It was agreed with HE that the two machines would not be tunnelling beneath the motorway at the same time, hence the staggered start. Initial construction has been cautious,

Ready to go into the tunnel: the seven segments required to form each ring within the tunnels are stacked in the configuration in which they will be used. PHILIP SHERRATT

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HS2 BUILDING BRITAIN’S NEW RAILWAY but once clear of the motorway the aim is for the machines to ramp up to full speed of around 15 metres a day. SIX GANTRIES Each TBM is 170 metres in length and weighs around 2,000 tonnes, and the two machines are identical. The machines are unique and contain a number of features specifically developed by Align and Herrenknecht. They are variable density TBMs – this means they can change the pressure on the cutter head to deal with different geology; any voids can be stabilised with a mix of chalk and water. At the front is a cutter head and shield with 10 electric motors to turn the cutter head, plus a segment erector for the segments which line the tunnels. Behind this are six gantries, which were assembled on the South Portal site and brought to the tunnel launch site one by one on trailers. The first, behind the thrust frame, features the control cabin for the TBM, while the second incorporates the segment crane and the Krokodyl and Dobydo robots, which remove wooden spacers between tunnel segments and

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insert connection dowels, an innovative construction feature. Gantry three includes refuge chambers and welfare facilities; at maximum output there will be up to 15 people on each machine. Each chamber can accommodate 12 people and, in the unlikely event of an emergency, will provide sufficient air and food for them for 24 hours. A superstitious nod to safety is the presence of a statue of Santa Barbara, the patron saint of tunnellers. Continuing through the machine, gantry four has a grout manufacturing area for on-site batching. On gantry five are air compressors and a cable run, while gantry six features ventilation cassettes and a network of pipes conveying slurry. As the machines move further into the tunnels, purposebuilt vehicles will be used to ferry construction workers to and from the South Portal site over increasing distances; Mr Clapp says HS2 and Align are examining how to manage the impact of Covid while transporting workers, depending on the prevailing health considerations. One feature of the machines is an Archimedes’ screw at the front which brings material

Radial coupling: this method of linking tunnel segments enables continuous boring, saving time. PHILIP SHERRATT

from the cutting face to a crusher. Excavated material then drops into a slurrifier box, where it is mixed with slurry and pumped back in a series of pipes on one side of the machine to the South Portal site, thus removing the need for conveyers. A buried corridor under the launch slab at the South Portal provides a route for 1,205 pipes, avoiding impacting multi-service vehicles which deliver concrete segments and personnel. On reaching the South Portal site, the excavated material is moved to a temporary slurry treatment plant – the largest in Europe. Sand and silt are removed, while

water is extracted from the remaining chalk pieces through a compression process. After being dried, the chalk is transferred to the site of an old quarry nearby, with plans to reuse much of it for landscaping once construction is complete. This includes creation of a huge area of chalk grassland at the south portal – one of the rarest habitats in the UK. An important milestone was building Tilehouse Lane overbridge, Align’s only permanent structure aside from the Colne Valley viaduct and the TBM slab, which also happens to be on the route used to convey this chalk to the quarry. Having

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HS2 BUILDING BRITAIN’S NEW RAILWAY Early viaduct works: piling in progress for the 3.4km Colne Valley viaduct. PHILIP SHERRATT

the displacement location for excavated material so close by avoids lengthy lorry journeys. Meanwhile, the water extracted from the slurry undergoes an extensive filtering and cleaning process. The aim is to recycle as much water as possible back into the water network, while some is reused within the TBMs themselves. SEGMENTS AND RINGS Each tunnel comprises a series of rings, with each ring in turn made of seven 8.8-tonne segments. Align is manufacturing 112,301 segments to make up 16,043 rings for the twin-bore tunnels, all built within two factories at the South Portal site – which

avoids having to move precast rings over long distances. Each segment making up a ring is slightly different in design and numbered S1 to S7. There are three concrete batching plants at the South Portal site, which receive, store and mix the aggregates and cement to produce concrete for both the viaduct and tunnel segment factories. The dedicated slip roads on and off the M25 enable materials to be brought in without lorries clogging up local roads. Construction of each segment takes around eight hours, with a series of moulds used to cast each concrete ring. Each mould has a barcode indicating

which type of segment it will produce, and each segment bears its own individual barcode which relates to the exact location in the tunnel where it will be installed. The process is largely automatic but with a human quality check at each stage. After proceeding through a series of stations, segments are cured in the oven in order to achieve sufficient strength. The current curing temperature is 45ºC, but as production ramps up this will increase to up to 55ºC. After a final quality check, an auto-stacker places segments in stacks of four and three (making up the seven segments of each ring), meaning segments are stacked

precisely in the order in which they will go into the tunnels. Each factory has storage space for enough segments to make up 16 rings, before segments are moved into the yard, where there is space to store up to 1,900 rings’ worth, equivalent to the amount needed for each TBM to cover around three months of excavation. When operating at full speed, each shift within the precast factory will produce 49 segments per day, with four daily shifts across the two identical factories on site. David Andrews, Align’s Tunnel Precast Manager, explains that construction of precast segments started in February, as a stock of rings was needed in advance of the launch of the two TBMs. One of the factories was in full production by early June, with modifications to the moulds in progress in the second before a ramp up to full production there as well. CONTINUOUS BORING An innovation developed by Align is enabling continuous boring of the Chiltern tunnels by the two TBMs. Normally TBMs would need to construct a complete ring before advancing to begin the next one. However, Align has worked with French company Optimas to devise a method

Segment stockpile: around three months’ worth of tunnel segments are kept in store at the South Portal site. PHILIP SHERRATT

A MODERN RAILWAYS SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT ISSUE 1

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HS2 BUILDING BRITAIN’S NEW RAILWAY which improves on this. A radial coupling is installed to link segments up, enabling TBMs to push forward off just three of the seven segments in a ring. This efficiency will of course save time over the long construction process for the twin-bore tunnels. The mechanism to push forward uses eight rams located within the middle and rear shields towards the front of the TBM. When working at full speed, it will take between 45 minutes and one hour to construct a full ring of seven segments. With each ring comprising around two metres of tunnel length, the average construction rate will be seven or eight rings, or 15 to 16 metres, per day. Tunnel boring will be a 24-hour operation across two 12-hour shifts. Working time directives mandate that the working day must not exceed 14 hours from leaving home to returning there after a shift, so workers who live more than an hour from the South Portal site can make use of a series of accommodation blocks which provide basic lodging facilities. Inevitably, there will be difficulties during tunnelling; Mark Clapp points out that there have been challenges already with dissolution features (a weathering mechanism which can cause subsidence) at the

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Tilehouse Lane bridge: just visible in the distance, this is the only permanent structure built by Align aside from the Colne Valley viaduct and Chiltern tunnels. PHILIP SHERRATT

South Portal site, and the TBMs will encounter around 50 fault lines during construction of the 16km tunnels. ‘We’ve allowed contingency and have timelines for when the rail systems teams need to start work’ he says. ‘The aim has been to start tunnelling as early as we can to give as much time as possible to complete the work.’ However, while there was an early view that the Chiltern tunnels would be on the critical path for Phase One, Mr Clapp says strong progress so far has pushed them down the comparative risk register. Having the South Portal site virtually self-contained has been an advantage, particularly through the pandemic, and

The HS2 hotel: this accommodation block can be used by workers who live a long distance from the South Portal site in order to comply with the working time directive. PHILIP SHERRATT

careful controls have meant there has been very little construction downtime due to Covid infection. Another benefit on Align’s section of route is the limited amount of earthworks construction, earthworks being a seasonal activity which is particularly disruptive for locals. Within the two tunnels will be four ventilation shafts and one intervention shaft. The ventilation shafts, located at Chalfont St Peter, Chalfont St Giles, Amersham and Little Missenden (some up to 75 metres deep), will extract smoke from the tunnels in case of an incident and will have a staircase for access by maintenance personnel and emergency services. There is no expectation they will be used to evacuate passengers from trains, for whom the first choice would be to evacuate to the adjacent tunnel via one of the 40 cross passages. The addition of the intervention shaft at Chesham is a result of changes from the hybrid bill scheme; this originally had a section of green tunnel and earthworks cutting

at the tunnels’ northern end, but in response to Parliamentary recommendations following the hybrid bill process the bored tunnel has been extended, meaning an additional shaft is needed. However, as it is close to the end of the tunnel, there is no requirement for forced ventilation, hence it is different to the other four shafts. VIADUCT Tunnelling is now underway in earnest, but the South Portal site will also be the base for constructing the Colne Valley viaduct, set to be one of the most iconic structures on HS2. Like with the two tunnel precast factories, a viaduct precast factory will make 1,000 individual segments to form the completed viaduct. Site clearance has been completed and the first piles for the viaduct constructed. As a significant length of the viaduct will be over water, a temporary jetty is being built, which will facilitate construction. Manufacture of precast segments for the viaduct is due to begin towards the end of this year.

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HS2 BUILDING BRITAIN’S NEW RAILWAY

CALVERT CROSSING EWR WILL PASS OVER HS2 JAMES ABBOTT reports from North Bucks, where one new railway will cross another

he area around Twyford and Steeple Claydon in north Buckinghamshire, not long ago a quiet rural backwater, is now alive with hi-vis vests and yellow machinery. For it is here that the East West Rail (EWR) line from Oxford to Milton Keynes and Bedford will pass over HS2 as it runs from London to Birmingham. The EKFB joint venture on the HS2 project (comprising Eiffage, Kier, Ferrovial Construction and Bam Nuttall) is charged with constructing the bridge here, along with 3.5km of the new EWR line. The hamlet of Calvert is well known to students of railway history, as it is here

that the Great Central’s London extension from Sheffield to Marylebone intersected with the London & North Western Railway’s Oxford to Cambridge line: today’s work is echoing those efforts of the late 19th century. In World War 2 a south east to north east curve was put in to link the two for freight workings. Again, this will have an echo in this century: in the north-east quadrant of the intersection between EWR and HS2 will be the HS2 infrastructure maintenance depot (IMD), with links to both lines to allow supplies to be brought on to the HS2 line by train from the national network. There has been talk of a passenger station on EWR to

serve the IMD, but there are no firm plans for this at present. EKFB has been appointed by HS2 to deliver civil engineering works across an 80km section of the new high-speed rail link, between the Chiltern Tunnel and Long Itchington Wood. The scope of the work on this section includes 15 viaducts, 6.9km of green tunnels, 22km of road diversions, 81 bridges and around 30 million cubic metres of excavation. CROSSOVER At the intersection, HS2 will be sunk in a trench and EWR will rise up and over the highspeed line. In order for EWR to gain the necessary elevation, Gawcott Road, which currently

passes over the old LNWR line on a brick overbridge (bridge 28), will be dropped down to enable it to pass under EWR in a new Charndon Lodge underpass. At the end of works, a motorist going south on Gawcott Road towards Calvert will cross over HS2 on a bridge before dropping down under EWR and surfacing by Grebe boating lake. Another item of work in the contract is removal of a redundant gas main on the EWR trace. All this is prompting major civil engineering works in the countryside. The trench has been excavated and piles sunk to stabilise it and EKFB is now preparing to create a concrete substructure, prior to inserting

Stone from Gloucestershire: aggregate being unloaded at Calvert North on the World War 2 chord from the Great Central to the EWR line on 23 June 2021. This working was hauled by DB Cargo’s No 66085, which is fuelled with hydrotreated vegetable oil; EKFB is co-operating in a trial with DBC that is measuring the carbon impacts of switching to this fuel. PHIL MARSH

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HS2 BUILDING BRITAIN’S NEW RAILWAY a steel superstructure. EKFB is charged with completing the crossover and its 3.5km section of EWR civils by the summer of 2023, in time for handover to EWR for tracklaying prior to the intended start of services between Oxford and Milton Keynes by the end of 2024. RAIL FREIGHT Calvert already has a place on the railway freight map, as it is the location of the landfill site that is fed by trains of urban waste from the concentration centre at Northolt (and latterly also construction waste from Cricklewood) that go down the Joint line through Princes Risborough and on the singletrack branch to Aylesbury, before moving on to the single-track vestigial remains of the Great Central main line through Quainton to the FCC Environment site at Calvert. As part of the HS2 works a new offloading point, known as Greatmoor Sidings, is being put in for FCC on the east side of the line to the south of the location of the existing sidings.

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Bridge 28, looking west: this bridge, which takes Gawcott Road over the Oxford to Cambridge line, is to be demolished and replaced by an underpass. The EWR line will rise up from the bridge in the background and over the HS2 trench, which is behind the photographer. PHIL MARSH

Meanwhile, the old line north of Greatmoor plus the remains of the World War 2 chord up to the EWR trace are being used to bring in trains of aggregate for use on HS2. This is a massive operation: trains began just before Christmas and have ramped up to 17 trains per week, with over 750,000 tonnes set to have been delivered by rail by the time the operation ceases in September this year. The stone is being delivered by DB Cargo from the Hanson quarry at Tytherington in Gloucestershire, running over Great Western metals prior to recessing in Acton yard and progressing via Greenford and Aylesbury to Calvert. Some trains omit Acton, running direct on to the Greenford loop via Hanwell curve. A review prior to the start of operations of the capability of the route to take up to three 1,650-tonne stone trains a day found the GC extension in sufficiently good condition for this heavy traffic, with only the Hanwell curve requiring remedial works. On arrival, for the first half of the year the stone trains were terminating on the World War 2 chord for unloading on to the Calvert North railhead. EKFB intended to bring in later deliveries to a Calvert South railhead and in late June was finalising negotiations with Buckinghamshire Council and FCC on the details of this in preparation for switching to the new site in mid-July.

This aggregates flow uses a considerable amount of single line, between Princes Risborough and Aylesbury and north to Calvert. It requires slick operation to keep things on track: ‘If a train arrives late due to problems elsewhere on the network and there is insufficient time to completely unload it before it is due to depart, it will be dispatched part full in order to keep its path on the return

journey’ reports EKFB’s rail freight lead, Paul Clews. The stone being brought in by train is being used for both temporary works such as haul roads and permanent features of HS2 such as earthworks and drainage layers in embankments. The haul roads on the trace will see heavy traffic as material excavated in construction of cuttings is moved out to serve as fill elsewhere.

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HS2 BUILDING BRITAIN’S NEW RAILWAY HS2

TO OXFORD

(Currently disused)

TO BLETCHLEY

Claydon LNE Jn.

CLAYDON (2019)

TO CALVERT & AYLESBURY

Expensive fledglings: this piling rig, marooned in the HS2 trench at Calvert in late June long after piling operations finished, was being left in situ until a nest of jays that had taken up residence at the top of the mast had flown. JAMES ABBOTT

HS2 TO BIRMINGHAM

HS2 Infrastructure Maintenance Depot

TO OXFORD

DN C UP C LAYDON LAY DON

CLAYDON LOOP DOWN BLETCHLEY UP BLETCHLEY Claydon West Jn

Claydon East Jn

TO BLETCHLEY

CLAYDON: PROPOSED

Claydon South Jn

HS2 TO LONDON

Busy scene on the old GC main line: No 66152 heads an incoming train of stone on 31 March 2021. In the foreground are the remains of the platform of the GCR’s Calvert station, while in the background is the gantry of the original FCC Environment waste unloading sidings; the unloading point is set to be transferred southwards. KEN BRUNT

The 80km stretch of HS2 for which EKFB is responsible will feature five batching plants to feed the construction works with concrete, at Wendover, Fleet Marston, Greatworth and Chipping Warden as well as one at Calvert. Cement and stone for the batching plants will come in by road. However, there are

other opportunities for rail freight, as EKFB is charged with producing a clear base for new EWR tracks on its 3.5km section of the line and intends to ship out old track panels from the Bicester to Bletchley trace by rail. These will go via Greenford to Hinksey prior to moving on to Whitemoor for recycling.

TO AYLESBURY

Rail freight could also be used for bringing in materials for construction of the IMD and the rail systems on HS2: EKFB’s work extends only to creation of the base and these logistics decisions will be down to other contractors. Interestingly, EKFB’s contract includes construction of the earthworks for a chord between EWR and the old GC London extension. A service from Milton Keynes to Aylesbury and beyond was originally mooted as

part of the EWR project, but this was put on hold due to financial pressures; there are hopes of reviving this idea at some point in the future. The HS2 underpass at Calvert will hold three tracks, as in addition to the two running lines there will be a link line up to the IMD. All in all, this formerly quiet area of the Aylesbury Vale will be a busy railway hub come the middle years of the 21st century: Sir Samuel Fay would be proud.

Looking east from the HS2 trench: in the background is the EWR trace towards Winslow and Bletchley. Just above the roof of the white van in this 23 June 2021 shot is the World War 2 chord from the Great Central line and the redundant Claydon L&NE Junction signal box in a portacabin. The HS2 Infrastructure Maintenance Depot will be to the left of the picture. PHIL MARSH

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HS2 BUILDING BRITAIN’S NEW RAILWAY

In the first part of a new series looking at the people building High Speed 2, HS2 Ltd Chief Executive MARK THURSTON talks to ANDY RODEN about the challenges, achievements and pride in building Britain’s newest railway

t’s fair to say that when High Speed 2 Ltd Chief Executive Mark Thurston took up his position in March 2017 there was a lot of work to be done. The company had undergone frequent senior management changes and the project was under increasing governmental scrutiny over its costs and schedule. That he looked at ease when MR interviewed him remotely is a sign that HS2 is now in a very different place, with much more confidence internally and politically that it will achieve its targets and strategic objectives. ‘In my former role as Managing Director for Europe at CH2M I knew HS2 well, and when I saw the scale of the job, I thought “Wow: this is too good an opportunity to pass up”’ says Mark. There’s a nice circularity to Mark doing what may be his last full-time senior role in charge of HS2 (he wants to be in post when the first trains are running) as he started his lengthy career as an apprentice on London Underground: ‘Finishing a career building a railway has a nice synergy about it’ he adds. Asked what he enjoys most about his role in HS2, Mark pauses for a second to gather his thoughts. ‘There’s a huge sense of pride about the organisation and its people’ he says. ‘The people are what makes the project and we’ve created a professional organisation with a great culture and a real sense of mission. To see that come through is this sense that people across the project think “We’re building High Speed 2 and it’s cool”. People can say they were part of HS2 and that’s immensely enjoyable.’ PRIDE With the railway really starting to take shape on the ground now, you might

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around 16,000 people safe while sustaining momentum on the project and meeting expectations about delivering to budget, a key area of responsibility for Mark. There is opposition to HS2 – just as there would be for any project of such scale – and Mark explains his aim is ensuring staff are resilient to that and bear in mind the big picture benefits of the railway such as transport capacity, decarbonisation and modal shift.

All about the people: On 23 June 2021 HS2 CEO Mark Thurston (right) talks to HS2 Stations Client Director Matthew Botelle (left) and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps (centre) at the start of construction of Old Oak Common station. HENRY THOMAS/HS2 LTD

imagine Mark is proudest of getting to this stage, but he has a completely different take on the achievements he’s been part of. ‘Perhaps the biggest achievement from all involved has been creating a professional organisation. HS2 had been through a lot of change [before I joined] and my brief was to get it on track. We’ve boosted the organisation’s capability, its culture, staff engagement and belief not just in HS2 but across the supply chain… we’ve tried to show we care for people involved in the project and our lineside neighbours, who inevitably must put up with levels of disruption. ‘It’s not the finished product, but when you look at elements such as our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion initiatives, the apprenticeships and much else there are lots of positive elements and we want to ensure the organisation is set up with a positive culture that can be sustained.’ There have been difficulties, without question,

and Mark explains that in the first year or so of his role one of the major challenges was being patient in implementing some of the changes to organisation and culture he felt were needed. ‘The challenges were fixable’ he says, adding: ‘It’s about staging a plan and building a coalition of leaders to drive change. After the Public Accounts Committee hearing into High Speed 2, it was a chance to reset expectations and responsibilities for working in HS2. ‘Today the challenge is to sustain the culture. We have the civils work on Phase 1, we’re moving on to building on Phase 2a, we have a Hybrid Bill coming up for Phase 2b, we’re going to market to build the systems: HS2 is moving on multiple fronts. We can’t and won’t rest on our laurels: we recognise that as an organisation we need to continually evolve and change.’ Another big challenge during the pandemic has been keeping a workforce totalling

AN IMPORTANT LEGACY But in 50 years’ time, Mark suspects much of the current controversy will have been forgotten: ‘The countries who’ve invested in high-speed rail haven’t regretted it. In half a century, I think people will wonder how we did without it. ‘There’s real momentum around HS2 now and we should be proud of the ambition. In the next year or two, sentiment will change and why it’s relevant will capture the imagination. That advocacy and enthusiasm of how the benefits are spread – jobs, skills, young people, the economic rebalancing of the country – will come. I’d like to think it’ll be a very positive narrative about HS2. We mustn’t lose sight of the prize for the country.’ Mark’s sense of pride in what HS2, its contractors and huge supply chain is achieving already is tangible. Even greater achievements will surely follow, and Modern Railways will be there to celebrate them. ■ If there’s someone in your organisation working on HS2, whether as a contractor in the supply chain, with a good personal story to tell about their involvement in the project, please get in touch. Contact andy.roden@ keypublishing.com

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PEOPLE

The people behind HS2

HISTORY

HS2 BUILDING BRITAIN’S NEW RAILWAY

High-speed history With HS2 Phase One construction accelerating, DAN HARVEY looks back at the route’s rationale and how it gained approval

he broad route of High Speed 2 was settled early on. Given the scale of the enterprise, the question of where a new high-speed railway should go has met with general agreement across the political spectrum for the best part of a decade. Only in the past 18 months has that consensus shown signs of unravelling. The completion of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, now High Speed 1, to an impressively re-engineered St Pancras International in 2007 gave Britain its first true high-speed line. The Strategic Rail Authority had previously mooted construction of a north-south high-speed rail line as it became clear the prolonged West Coast Route Modernisation, finally completed in late 2008 and costing more than £9 billion (more has been spent on the route since), would not provide capacity for likely future demand. The case for new rather than upgraded infrastructure was strengthened. The Labour Transport Minister and later Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis was clear on the need for a new high-speed railway. In January 2009, the Department for Transport announced work would begin to develop 'High Speed 2' and announced that the High Speed Two company would start work immediately. ‘The task now is to assess the feasibility and credibility of a new line’ stated the Department, adding: ‘This will need to include proposals for a route from London to the West Midlands, together with appraisal of the environmental, planning, technological, capacity, value for money and funding issues for consideration by the Government.’ Plans for HS2 based on a Y-shaped route from London to Birmingham with branches

to Leeds and Manchester were published shortly before the May 2010 general election. Following the election of a Liberal Democrat/Conservative coalition Government, new Transport Secretary Philip Hammond took up the baton and, in December 2010, announced that a public consultation on the Y-shaped route would begin early in 2011. With the Government under pressure to deliver sustainable economic growth, discourage short haul flights and respond to Network Rail's calculation that the West Coast main line would effectively be full by 2024, Mr Hammond said the Government believed a national high-speed rail network was needed. He set out the strategy for a Y-shaped network, to be delivered in two phases: the first from London to the West Midlands, and the second the onward legs to Manchester and Leeds, with connections to points further north via the East and West Coast main lines. Mr Hammond's Parliamentary statement at the end of December 2010 envisaged a more extensive HS2 network than is currently planned. A link to High Speed 1 via a new tunnel from Old Oak Common to the North London line near Chalk Farm and a Phase Two spur to Heathrow Airport (running on the surface close to the M25 for part of its length) both featured, but have since been dropped. A CLEAR RATIONALE When the consultation launched in February 2011, Mr Hammond set out the rationale for a new high-speed rail network by promising: ■ A better connected Britain, bringing Birmingham within 49 minutes of London, and Manchester and Leeds within 80 minutes or less. Birmingham and Manchester would be less than 50 minutes apart and Leeds and Birmingham

just over an hour. Travel from London to Scotland's major cities would take around 3 hours 30 minutes. Running 14 or more trains per hour, each with up to 1,100 seats and offering much higher levels of reliability than the existing network, high-speed rail could shift as many as six million air trips and nine million road trips a year on to rail. ■ A foundation for growth, jobs, prosperity and regeneration. It was argued that the increased speed, capacity and connectivity provided by a high-speed rail network would reshape Britain's economic geography, regenerate urban centres and help to bridge the north-south divide, allowing Britain to build a modern economy fit for the future. ■ A new start for Britain's existing rail network. With longdistance services transferred to the new high-speed network, large amounts of space would be freed up on the West Coast, East Coast and Midland main lines, allowing for an expansion of commuter, regional and freight services on these routes. Ministers estimated the cost of the full Y-shaped network at £32 billion and expected it to generate economic benefits of around £44 billion and fares revenues of around £27 billion over a 60-year period. The proposed network would be delivered in two phases – the first a line from London to the West Midlands, and the second the onward legs to Manchester and Leeds. The public consultation drew a wide range of responses. Following his promotion to Defence Secretary, it fell to Mr Hammond's successor Justine Greening to announce what would be a key decision on the programme's future. HYBRID BILLS In January 2012, Ms Greening announced that HS2 would

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go ahead and would be built in two phases, each one legislated for with a separate Hybrid Bill. The line from London to the West Midlands and the connection to HS1 were expected to open in 2026, followed, in 2032-33, by the onward legs to Manchester and Leeds and the connection to Heathrow. The capital cost at 2011 prices of building the complete ‘Y’ network was calculated at £32.7 billion. It was expected to generate benefits of up to £47 billion and fares revenues of up to £34 billion over 60 years. The rolling stock required for the new line had an estimated price tag of £8.2 billion at 2011 prices. Ms Greening's announcement signalled that the Government would start work to draw up a bill, to be introduced into Parliament by the end of 2013, to provide the necessary powers to construct and operate the first phase of the railway from London to Birmingham. HS2 Ltd would change from being an advisory body to a project promoter and would spend 2012 making new board and senior executive appointments. The High Speed Rail (London-West Midlands) Act was passed in 2017, allowing the current Phase One construction programme to get underway, much as envisaged 10 years ago. The fate of the second phase has become opaque: the Phase 2a Act covering a railway from the West Midlands to Crewe has been passed and a separate bill to extend the route on to Manchester is in development. As for the eastern branch of the ‘Y’ to Sheffield and Leeds, this has become bogged down in wider plans to improve rail links across the north of England. The Government's longawaited Integrated Rail Plan is expected to reveal whether or not these cities will become part of the HS2 network as was planned in 2010. After long years in gestation, Phase One of High Speed 2 would become a reality.

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HS2 BUILDING BRITAIN’S NEW RAILWAY

Transport Secretary visits station site

ecretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps has approved the start of main construction works on Old Oak Common station in west London. Work starts with construction of a 1.8km-long underground diaphragm wall around the station’s underground ‘box’ where six HS2 platforms will be based. Piling rigs will install 160 reinforced columns to help form the box and support the structure. To give an idea of the scale of the works, the station will use 73,000 tonnes of steel, 13,000 square metres of glass, have 53 lifts and 44 escalators, and 2,720 metres of solar panels will be installed on the roof.

in Cambridgeshire, where it will be used to transform the site into a housing development. At the peak of construction, up to seven freight trains per day will depart from London, cutting a million lorry journeys from London’s roads alone. One train per day will arrive at the hub with construction materials, including concrete segments for building the London tunnels. The first train was operated by GB Railfreight, and the next step will be construction of a conveyor system to remove spoil from the Old Oak Common station site and move it to the Willesden hub. It is currently being developed and is due to be operational by spring 2022.

FIRST HS2 TRAINS DEPART WILLESDEN The first train carrying spoil removed from construction works in London departed from HS2’s logistics hub in Willesden on 29 June. Carrying 1,470 tonnes of spoil, the train is the first of many taking materials to the disused Barrington quarry

SECOND CHILTERNS TBM LAUNCHED The second Tunnel Boring Machine for the Chiltern tunnels was launched in late June. Named Cecilia, its launch was scheduled later than its counterpart Florence to ensure only one TBM is boring under the M25 motorway

at the same time. Florence was launched on 13 May. However, Cecilia is expected to run slightly faster than Florence, aided by geological data from the latter, meaning both machines are due to break through at the same time. The machines are operated by HS2 main works contractor Align, and will excavate the tunnels at a rate of up to 15 metres a day. 700,000TH TREE PLANTED A major landmark was reached in July with the 700,000th tree planted across HS2 Phase One as part of the project’s extensive environmental mitigation measures. In addition to the trees, more than 100 wildlife sites have been created on the route, including grassland, woodland, scrub and ponds – which have already become havens for wildlife including birds, bats, barn owls, badgers, great crested newts, butterflies and dragon flies. Up to seven million trees will eventually be planted

REVISED VIADUCT DESIGNS Designs for viaducts near Coleshill have been revised to improve their environmental benefits. The structures are at Delta Junction, where the HS2 route curves west towards Birmingham with the northern section running towards Crewe. The two viaducts are on the Birmingham section. The western viaduct will be reduced in height from 10 metres to four metres, resulting in a 36% cut in materials used and a 26% reduction in its carbon footprint. The girder will now be steel rather than the originally planned concrete, with 97% of the steel coming from recycled sources.

SELECTED FORTHCOMING HS2 CONTRACTS CATEGORY

DESCRIPTION

PROCUREMENT ROUTE

FRAMEWORK TITLE INDICATIVE PROCUREMENT INDICATIVE CONTRACT VALUE CATEGORY (IF APPLICABLE) START DATE AWARD DATE (HIGHEST-LOWEST)

Construction

Phase 2b Routewide Ground Investigations

Negotiated OJEU

TBC

Q2 2021

Q3 2022

£250 - 500m

Railway Systems

Track: Long-Welded Rail

TBC

N/A

TBC

£100 - 250m

Corporate

Specialist Security Services

OJEU - Negotiated

N/A

TBC

Q3 2022

£50 - 100m

Corporate

Land Referencing

OJEU - Negotiated

N/A

TBC

£10 - 50m

Construction

Low Voltage Power & Uninterrupted Power Supply

TBC

Q3 2021

Q4 2022

£10 - 50m

Corporate

Phase One Post Excavation Services

OJEU - Negotiated

TBC

Q2 2022

£10 - 50m

Corporate

Acquisition Services

OJEU - Negotiated

N/A

TBC

Q1 2022

£10 - 50m

Corporate

Railway Systems and Systems Integrator Support Services (RSSI)

OJEU - Negotiated

N/A

TBC

Q2 2022

£10 - 50m

Corporate

Built Environment Technical Support Framework

OJEU - Negotiated

N/A

TBC

Q3 2023

£10 - 50m

Railway Systems

Motorised Firefighter Trolleys (c. 40 units)

TBC

Q3 2021

Q4 2022

£1 - 10m

Corporate

Collaboration Delivery Framework

TBC

£1 - 10m

Corporate

Digital Twin/Digital Engineering Delivery Partner

Further Competition

CCS Technology Services 2

Q3 2021

£1 - 10m

Corporate

Document Control Resources

TBC

£1 - 10m

Corporate

Helpdesk and Enquiries Centre

TBC

£1 - 10m

Corporate

Asset Information Management System (AIMS)

Further Competition

DOS

TBC

Q1 2022

£1 - 10m

Corporate

Oracle ERP - Service/Support

Further Competition

CCS Technology Services 2

TBC

Q3 2021

£1 - 10m

Corporate

Training Brokerage Service

Further Competition

TBC

Q3 2021

TBC

Corporate

Stakeholder Engagement Events

Further Competition

TBC

Q1 2022

£1 - 10m

www.keymodernrailways.com

ISSUE 1 A MODERN RAILWAYS SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT

NEWS AND CONTRACTS

Old Oak permanent works get green light

on Phase One, with more than 33 square kilometres of new woodland, wildlife and river habitats created. HS2 says this is the equivalent of 23 new Hyde Parks. HS2’s Woodlands Fund has also allocated more than £1.2 million, with 213,000 trees already planted including 92 hectares of new woodland creation and 52 hectares of ancient woodland restoration. Further schemes the fund could support are being evaluated. This could result in an additional 440 hectares of new native woodland creation as well as the restoration of 245 hectares of existing ancient woodland sites.

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